Weber State Wildcats
Big Sky (26-8, 15-3)
Last season Weber State failed to make a postseason tournament for the first time since 2008. Coach Randy Rahe needed to get more consistency from his team and he got it this year to start a new postseason streak. With plenty of experience returning, it was no surprise that Weber State found themselves on top of the Big Sky standings with a 15-3 record. Their only losses came on the road at Idaho, Idaho State and North Dakota, who all finished above .500 in conference play.
Big Wins: 11/23 vs Central Michigan (63-60), 12/22 South Dakota State (99-95), 2/27 Montana (60-54)
Bad Losses: 12/9 at Utah Valley (81-84), 1/23 at Idaho State (68-69), 2/6 at North Dakota (71-78)
Coach: Randy Rahe
Why They Can Surprise:
Weber State has one of the best inside-outside duos with Jeremy Senglin and Joel Bolomboy. Senglin, a junior guard, averages 18.2 points and 2.8 assists per game. Senglin is a prolific outside shooter and knocks down 44.2 percent of his many three-point attempts. But to reach that many points, Senglin also uses his speed to attack the basket. Bolomboy, a 6-9 senior, is the inside force. He averages 17.2 points and an impressive 12.7 rebounds. Bolomboy may be a massive force in the paint, but he can stretch the defense with his outside shot too. He is also a pretty good passer for a player of his size. It is Bolomboy who anchors a team that can compete with anybody on the glass. Bolomboy has another 6-9 center by his side who will help on the glass in Zach Braxton. And reserve forward Kyndahl Hill is a more experienced option and often plays more minutes than Braxton.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Senglin and the frontcourt are great, but the rest of the backcourt has had their issues. Freshman McKay Cannon can handle the ball and let Senglin work off of the ball, but this team does commit quite a few turnovers and having Senglin and his experience on the ball is often the best thing for this team. But that puts more pressure on players like Ryan Richardson to be a shooting threat off of the ball. Rarely will Weber State go after offensive rebounds and they get back get back to play defense. That style of play works well in the postseason since Weber State is perfectly comfortable grinding games out. As long as the Wildcats do not fall behind early and have to take more risks to make a comeback, this team can compete. However, not falling behind against the tougher competition that Weber State will run into in the postseason is asking a bit much.
Probable Starters:
Jeremy Senglin, Junior, Guard, 18.2 ppg, 2.8 apg
McKay Cannon, Freshman, Guard, 5.4 ppg, 2.7 apg
Ryan Richardson, Sophomore, Guard, 6.9 ppg, 1.3 apg
Zach Braxton, Freshman, Center, 6.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg
Joel Bolomboy, Senior, Center, 17.2 ppg, 12.7 rpg, 1.3 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Dusty Baker, Sophomore, Guard, 5.5 ppg, 1.8 apg
Richaud Gittens, Junior, Guard, 4.2 ppg, 1.4 apg
Kyndahl Hill, Junior, Forward, 8.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.1 bpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 77.0 (85th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.5 (51, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 48.2 (21, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.0 (56, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.2 (70, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.0 (67, 6)
Free-Throw Percentage: 67.4 (263, 10)
Rebound Margin: 4.7 (51, 2)
Assists Per Game: 13.5 (159, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.9 (200, 7)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA Second Round loss to Arizona
2013 CIT First Round win over Cal Poly
2013 CIT Second Round win over Air Force
2013 CIT Quarterfinal win over Oral Roberts
2013 CIT Semifinal win over Northern Iowa
2013 CIT Final loss to East Carolina
2012 CIT First Round win over Utah Valley
2012 CIT Second Round loss to Loyola Marymount
2011 CBI First Round loss to Oregon
2010 NIT First Round loss to Cincinnati
2009 NIT First Round loss to San Diego State
2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to UCLA
2003 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Wisconsin
1999 NCAA Round of 64 win over North Carolina
1999 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Florida
*all team stats through 3/6
