Tribe opens 3.5 favorite tonight.

Nine teams are tied in middle pack at 2-2 including both W&M and Campbell.

The Camels are 8-9 on the season (2-2 in CAA) and are led by Anthony Dell'Orso, a 6'6" Soph. Guard (330), who posted a 29 points and 13 rebounds double-double against Hofstra in a 69-68 victory last Saturday. He leads the team in both scoring, at 17.1 ppg (7th in CAA), and rebounding at 6.2 boards per game (13th CAA).

He gets help from Laurynas Vaistaras, a 6'6" Sr. Forward, from Lithuania (#22), who averages 10.3 ppg and 4.2 rpg.

The Camels have seven foreign players on their roster, including Dell'Orso (Australia), Vaistaras (Lithuania) and Elijah Walsh, a 6'5" Guard, from England, who averages 6.6 ppg.

Campbell scores only 68.4 ppg, but is the 3rd best defensive team in the CAA, allowing only 65.4 ppg. Obviously, they like playing at a slower pace than most. They give up only 29.3% shooting from long range, the best in the CAA, although they only hit 32% from three themselves. Vaistaras is their best 3 point shooter, at 44%.

Dell'Orso is their "do everything" key. The Tribe will have to focus on controlling his game and make someone else beat them. Campbell is not a good rebounding team (worst offensive rebounders in the League) and the Tribe will have to control the boards, on both ends, while shooting much better than they did in the first half against Stony Brook. Also, keep the big men out of foul trouble and this is a very winnable game.

7 foreign players, several who play often. None which have easy pronunciations. Jay is going to love calling this game...

I attended Campbell's game at Davidson in December.

They appeared to be a deep well coached team that moved the ball well. they didn't look super athletic and were shorter than Davidson, who start a 6'11" forward and 6'10" center. the first big off the fence is 6'10".

Davidson won and pulled away very late in the game. Campbell led at halftime. Hard to tell what that means since Davidson has been extremely inconsistent this year.

We win this one. At home, bad opponent. It's a good time for the team to get their feet under them as we come into a tougher part of conference play.

Campbell is the only other conference team besides Hampton and NC A&T behind us in Kenpom (312 / 318), so a good chance for a conference win tonight. They were middle of the pack in the Big South last year (16-18). Overhauled their roster to hopefully not finish last in their inaugural CAA campaign. Lucky for them A&T and Hampton exist, so they should be fine.

I haven’t seen them play yet, but I would like to think we can take care of them, or else we officially belong to the bottom tier of CAA teams with Hampton an A&T.

Need to come out of this week with two wins.

(01-18-2024 01:37 PM)TheRealTribe Wrote:  Campbell is the only other conference team besides Hampton and NC A&T behind us in Kenpom (312 / 318), so a good chance for a conference win tonight. They were middle of the pack in the Big South last year (16-18). Overhauled their roster to hopefully not finish last in their inaugural CAA campaign. Lucky for them A&T and Hampton exist, so they should be fine.

I haven’t seen them play yet, but I would like to think we can take care of them, or else we officially belong to the bottom tier of CAA teams with Hampton an A&T.

Need to come out of this week with two wins.

Campbell did beat Hofstra. Just saying.

He's nowhere near as good, but Dell'Orso's game and build remind me of Omar.

(01-18-2024 01:47 PM)WMTRIBE75 Wrote:  

(01-18-2024 01:37 PM)TheRealTribe Wrote:  Campbell is the only other conference team besides Hampton and NC A&T behind us in Kenpom (312 / 318), so a good chance for a conference win tonight. They were middle of the pack in the Big South last year (16-18). Overhauled their roster to hopefully not finish last in their inaugural CAA campaign. Lucky for them A&T and Hampton exist, so they should be fine.

I haven’t seen them play yet, but I would like to think we can take care of them, or else we officially belong to the bottom tier of CAA teams with Hampton an A&T.

Need to come out of this week with two wins.

Campbell did beat Hofstra. Just saying.

Hard to believe Hofstra is in next to last place even at this early stage.

(01-18-2024 01:47 PM)WMTRIBE75 Wrote:  

(01-18-2024 01:37 PM)TheRealTribe Wrote:  Campbell is the only other conference team besides Hampton and NC A&T behind us in Kenpom (312 / 318), so a good chance for a conference win tonight. They were middle of the pack in the Big South last year (16-18). Overhauled their roster to hopefully not finish last in their inaugural CAA campaign. Lucky for them A&T and Hampton exist, so they should be fine.

I haven’t seen them play yet, but I would like to think we can take care of them, or else we officially belong to the bottom tier of CAA teams with Hampton an A&T.

Need to come out of this week with two wins.

Campbell did beat Hofstra. Just saying.

They won by 1. And they also lost to A&T by 10. But I hear ya, I think they are above the Hampton and A&T tier despite the loss, and probably slot into the WM, Elon grouping.

(01-18-2024 11:22 AM)billymac Wrote:  7 foreign players, several who play often. None which have easy pronunciations. Jay is going to love calling this game...

Nobody must have told them about Buies Creek when they recruited them. Although it might be somewhat like rural Lithuania.

I know I've been carping on our defense this season but we're actually seeing a positive trendline over the first few conference games. Granted that's from "worst in the nation" to merely very bad but it's something. In fact, despite the loss, the Stony Brook game was the first time we put together an above average defensive effort (according to Torvik) since our opener against American. One thing I haven't noted yet this season is that we're actually getting killed at the free throw line. Opponents are shooting 77.2% which is good for the 3rd highest in the country. We do an ok (and only ok) job limiting trips to the line but it'll be interesting to see if our defensive metrics get better as that stat regresses.

It might help if two of our better defensive players return. Getting Case and Hamilton back helped a lot.

Same players available tonight.

(01-18-2024 06:40 PM)billymac Wrote:  Same players available tonight.

Beginning to wonder if we are ever going to get anybody else back

What's the deal with Jack? Concussion protocol in the NFL they send you out the next week, and that's football. Is this normal college bball protocol to hold him out this long?

After going down 4-0, loved the next two posessions!

(01-18-2024 07:01 PM)W+M4TW Wrote:  What's the deal with Jack? Concussion protocol in the NFL they send you out the next week, and that's football. Is this normal college bball protocol to hold him out this long?

Concussions affect everyone a little differently. Jack will have to clear all the tests before he can return. Apparently, he is still feeling some of the effects from it.

OUr free throw defense is better so far today!

(01-18-2024 07:14 PM)billymac Wrote:  

(01-18-2024 07:01 PM)W+M4TW Wrote:  What's the deal with Jack? Concussion protocol in the NFL they send you out the next week, and that's football. Is this normal college bball protocol to hold him out this long?

Concussions affect everyone a little differently. Jack will have to clear all the tests before he can return. Apparently, he is still feeling some of the effects from it.

To billymac's point.. didn't Sidney Crosby miss like half a season because of a concussion?