UMBC Retrievers
America East (24-10, 12-4)
UMBC has had some success during Coach Ryan Odom’s short tenure at the program. In 2016-2017, Odom’s debut campaign, the Retrievers reached the CIT. Last year they missed out on the postseason, but went 24-10 overall and finished second in the America East. They finished second again this year, but this time UMBC won the conference tournament with a huge upset over Vermont and are going to their second ever NCAA Tournament.
Big Wins: 12/17 Northern Kentucky (76-75), 2/18 Albany (68-60), 3/10 at Vermont (65-62)
Bad Losses: 11/19 at Colgate (88-93), 12/1 vs Army (70-81), 2/21 Stony Brook (57-64)
Coach: Ryan Odom
Why They Can Surprise:
The Retrievers share the ball well and can stay close against most teams due to their three-point shooting ability. Jairus Lyles averages a team high 20.2 points per game and is the team’s most dynamic scorer. He will take all of the big shots for UMBC, as we saw in the thrilling win over the Catamounts in the conference tournament title, but this team has others who will make shots too. K.J. Maura, a senior point guard, is one of the many consistent three-point shooters in Coach Odom’s starting lineup. He connects on 42.0 percent of his attempts from long range. Forward Joe Sherburne hits 42.3 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc and fellow forward Arkel Lamar hits 43.2 percent of his three-pointers. With all of those shooters on the floor at the same time, many opposing power forwards can have trouble guarding either Sherburne or Lamar out on the perimeter.
Why They Can Disappoint:
But undersized forwards who can shoot can cause some problems on the other end of the floor. Freshman Daniel Akin has done an admirable job, but he will not put up big numbers. Nor is he a shot blocker and most teams with a decent slasher or post up big man can have success in the paint against UMBC. The lack of rebounding is also a major concern. The Retrievers usually win the turnover battle, but often lose those extra possessions on the glass.
Probable Starters:
K.J. Maura, Senior, Guard, 11.4 ppg, 2.0 spg
Jairus Lyles, Senior, Guard, 20.2 ppg, 3.5 apg, 5.6 rpg, 2.1 spg
Joe Sherburne, Junior, Forward, 10.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.9 apg,
Arkel Lamar, Sophomore, Forward, 10.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg
Daniel Akin, Freshman, Forward, 3.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg
Key Role Players:
Nolan Gerrity, Junior, Center, 3.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg
Max Curran, Sophomore, Forward, 4.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg
Jourdan Grant, Senior, Guard, 7.6 ppg, 2.6 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 74.2 (170th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 70.0 (115, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.4 (198, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 44.1 (194, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 10.2 (19, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.6 (38, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 65.2 (335, 8)
Rebound Margin: -1.6 (262, 7)
Assists Per Game: 15.5 (63, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.2 (107, 5)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2017 CIT Second Round win over Saint Francis
2017 CIT Quarterfinal win over Liberty
2017 CIT Semifinal loss to Texas A&M Corpus Christi
2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Georgetown
*all team stats through 3/4
