Unpacking the good — and bad — of Middle Tennessee's college basketball teams
It’s been a little over one month since men’s college basketball season started and some trends have started to emerge. Just like in life or the Twittersphere, there’s some good and some bad. Here’s a bit of both about the Nashville area teams (in alphabetical order).
Belmont
Good: Senior guard Ben Sheppard has been practically unstoppable, averaging 20.6 ppg, hitting nearly 50% of his shots and leading the team in assists. … The Bruins are a dangerous 3-point shooting team, hitting 40%, plus Sheppard and Princeton transfer Drew Friberg lead the nation in total 3-pointers for a duo at 71. Friberg is making 48.8%, 15th in the nation. … Freshmen Cade Tyson and Ja’Kobi Gillespie have already shown they are a talented duo that will be a big part of the future.
Bad: For all of Sheppard’s great play, he’s only hitting 50% of his free throws. It probably cost the Bruins a game against Middle Tennessee. Coach Casey Alexander says it’s all mental. … The Bruins are not rugged defenders; opponents are shooting 46.4% overall and 37.4% from three. … They are also not strong rebounders either, getting outrebounded by six per game. The inside game is lacking.
Lipscomb
Good: The Bisons are one of the best shooting teams in the country at 48.9%, ranking them 32nd. They can be explosive. … Center/forward Jacob Ognacevic has become a force on offense, leading the team at 16.9 ppg, scoring with a variety of crafty moves while making 60.5% of his shots. … Georgetown (Ky.) transfer Derrin Boyd is a fearless competitor who will make a difference in a lot of games. … Also, fans need to keep track of the evolving story of Tommy Murr’s hair.
Bad: Center Ahsan Asadullah hasn’t delivered in his fifth season, playing only 23.7 minutes per game and averaging 9.0 ppg. … Overall, coach Lennie Acuff is still wrestling with his rotation. He’s got a lot of players of similar ability. … As conference season approaches, the Bisons might be facing some tough times because the ASUN looks much improved.
Middle Tennessee State
Good: When assessing this roster, you can’t help but think everyone has to get custom-made clothes; the Blue Raiders are all long arms and legs. That works to their advantage on defense where they can easily switch, frustrate opponents and take charge of games. They force 17.3 turnovers per game. … They’re also a great rebounding team with a 5.7 margin. … Sophomore Teafale Lenard is highly entertaining, one of the best dunkers and shot blockers in the nation. … Undersized big man DeAndre Dishman, the team’s leading scorer, is fascinating to watch as he uses his large frame to outmaneuver taller players.
Bad: The Raiders have failed to take their good home-court play on the road, losing three road games. That doesn’t bode well for the long-distance trips they have to make in Conference USA … They are a weak 3-point shooting team, hitting only 29.6%. .. They’re also not a great passing team, most of their offensive success comes with one-on-one victories.
Tennessee State
Good: The Tigers are legitimate contenders in the Ohio Valley Conference based on the play of four solid guards: Jr. Clay, Markus Fitzgerald, Christian Brown and Devin Boyd. They can be explosive offensively. … The 3-point shooting is good (not great) except for Brown, who’s hit 12 of 22 with a high-arcing shot. … The depth is solid as coach Penny Collins expects to use 10 to 12 players every game.
Bad: A seriously sprained ankle has sidelined big man Zion Griffin, who had been emerging as a key player. Another big man, Emmanuel Dowuona, has only played two minutes this season. It puts more pressure on Adong Makuoi and backup David Acosta to play longer and better … The Tigers have not done well on the road (0-3 although a team-wide illness affected them in a loss at Austin Peay).
Vanderbilt
Good: The Commodores are rounding into a decent defensive unit, including a half-court trap causing some damage at key times. It’s not dominant, but it’s getting there and could make a difference in some SEC games. … Myles Stute has become an elite 3-point shooter. He needs more opportunities. … On a smaller scale, freshman Collin Smith and Lee Dort have done well in spots and seems to have a bright future.
Bad: Transfer point guard Ezra Manjon is a good ball-handler but he is a non-shooter. Teams might as well dare him to shoot from the perimeter, as he entered Saturday making only 41% of his shots and has only made ONE 3-pointer. … Most of the Commodores are not great shooters. It has and will cost them games. … I’m not enamored of both big guys, Liam Robbins and Quentin Millora-Brown, playing together.
Joe Sullivan can be reached at josephsullivan1974@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeSullivan.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Unpacking good — and bad — of 5 Tennessee college basketball teams
