Weber State Wildcats
Big Sky (19-11, 14-6)
Balance in the Big Sky led to an exciting regular season. In the end Weber State finished with a 14-6 record and won an outright title. Seven teams finished within two games of each other with records between 12-8 and 10-10. With no such thing as an easy game in the conference, especially on the road, the Wildcats and Coach Randy Rahe deserve a lot of credit for finishing on top.
Big Wins: 1/11 at North Dakota ( 72-60), 1/25 Montana (68-63), 2/6 North Dakota (84-72)
Bad Losses: 2/1 at Sacramento State (75-78), 2/17 at Idaho State (75-78), 3/6 at Portland State (59-66)
Coach: Randy Rahe (8 seasons at Weber State)
Why They Can Surprise:
Weber State has many of the pieces they need to make things interesting in the postseason. It starts on the wing with leading scorer Davion Berry. The 6-5 senior averages 19.1 points, 4.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals. There is nothing that he cannot do and Berry will have the ball in his hands when the game is on the line. Unlike many teams at this level, the Wildcats have two big post players who can bang in the paint. Joel Bolomboy, a 6-9 sophomore, is an absolute beast on the glass. The only thing that usually stops him from earning a double-double every game is his scoring. Center Kyle Tresnak is the most consistent interior scorer and the shot blocking threat on the other end of the floor. With freshman Jeremy Senglin and senior Jordan Richardson knocking down three-pointers, the Wildcats offense can come from every direction.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Turnovers are the problem that often plagues Weber State. It is not fair to blame Richardson or the rest of the backcourt since committing turnovers is pretty even across board. But it is the backcourt’s job to keep everybody under control and that does not always happen. Committing so many turnovers would be much easier to swallow if Weber State could force any of their own. While the Wildcats are not the type of team who will go after steals and prefer to play straight up defense, there are still only a few teams with fewer steals on the year. Every once in a while forcing a turnover and getting an easy bucket the other way would be beneficial.
Probable Starters:
Jordan Richardson, Senior, Guard, 7.1 ppg, 2.5 apg
Jeremy Senglin, Freshman, Guard, 11.2 ppg, 2.3 apg
Davion Berry, Senior, Guard, 19.1 ppg, 4.0 apg, 4.3 rpg
Joel Bolomboy, Sophomore, Forward, 8.6 ppg, 10.8 rpg
Kyle Tresnak, Senior, Center, 11.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.8 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Richaud Gittens, Freshman, Guard, 6.8 ppg, 2.3 apg
Kyndahl Hill, Freshman, Forward, 4.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 72.9 (118th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.5 (82, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.9 (22, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.2 (105, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.0 (95, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.9 (27, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.3 (51, 2)
Rebound Margin: 3.6 (67, 1)
Assists Per Game: 13.2 (133, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.6 (209, 10)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
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 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
