Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers
NEC (16-16, 9-7)
With their schedule, winning four non-conference games was actually a pretty good feat for Mount St. Mary’s. The Mountaineers hit the road for much of November and December and played the likes of West Virginia, Villanova, BYU, Michigan State, Penn State and Texas Tech. Coach Jamion Christian did not win any of those games, but his team was prepared for NEC play and, more importantly, the tough road games that awaited in the NEC Tournament. The Mountaineers got hot at the right time and managed to beat the top two teams in the conference on the road to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Big Wins: 11/23 American U (68-64), 3/8 vs Wagner (77-72), 3/11 vs Robert Morris (88-71)
Bad Losses: 12/4 Binghamton (70-74), 1/25 at LIU Brooklyn (71-75), 2/27 Sacred Heart (65-72)
Coach: Jamion Christian (2 seasons at Mount St. Mary’s)
Why They Can Surprise:
There are not many teams that shoot as many three-pointers as the Mountaineers. Seniors Julian Norfleet, Rashad Whack and Sam Prescott are the most prolific scorers on the team. Norfleet averages 17.5 points and 5.4 assists and makes the offense tick. He can create for himself and his teammates and his ability to get to the basket opens up the rest of the shooters. Whack is the most prolific long range shooter on the team. Over half of his shots come from beyond the arc, but he can finish around the basket too. The three seniors account for much of the scoring, but the outside shooting continues with freshmen Byron Ashe and Will Miller.
Why They Can Disappoint:
A lot of pressure is put on 7-0 center Taylor Danaher. He is a decent shot blocker and a decent rebounder, but with four guards usually on the floor at the same time, the Mountaineers suffer on the glass. Reserve Gregory Graves is actually the best rebounder on the team by the numbers, averaging 5.5 per game. Prescott is a very good rebounding guard and will be asked to help out on the glass as much as possible. During the NEC Tournament, the Mountaineers were not shooting particularly well, but they were rebounding better than they have all season. They were not outrebounded in any of the three tournament games and that kept them close enough against St. Francis Brooklyn and Wagner to pull out the win in the end.
Probable Starters:
Julian Norfleet, Senior, Guard, 17.5 ppg, 5.4 apg
Rashad Whack, Senior, Guard, 17.7 ppg, 1.3 apg
Byron Ashe, Freshman, Guard, 7.2 ppg
Sam Prescott, Senior, Guard, 11.0 ppg, 1.8 apg, 5.0 rpg
Taylor Danaher, Sophomore, Center, 7.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.3 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Gregory Graves, Sophomore, Forward, 6.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg
Will Miller, Freshman, Forward, 5.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Khalid Nwandu, Freshman, Guard, 2.6 ppg, 1.2 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.9 (57th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 78.2 (329, 9)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.6 (212, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 49.4 (340, 10)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.9 (10, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.4 (124, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.4 (27, 1)
Rebound Margin: -4.5 (319, 7)
Assists Per Game: 11.7 (250, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.0 (136, 4)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2011 CBI First Round loss to James Madison
2008 NCAA Opening Round win over Coppin State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to North Carolina
1999 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Michigan State
1996 NIT First round loss to Illinois State
1995 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Kentucky
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
