February 19th, 2011 by ghill- seattleufan@gmail.com
Seattle U (9-16) vs Northern Illinois Huskies (7-17) (3-9) Mid-American
Convocation Center (DeKalb, ILL.)
Saturday February 19, 2011 1:00 pm
RADIO: 710 ESPN Seattle INTERNET AUDIO: seattleufan.com
Series- First Meeting
Last Meeting- n/a
Scouting NIU:
NIU has struggled again this season as the rebruilding process continues under Head Coach Ricardo Patton. Patton is in his 4th year at the helm after guiding future Pac-12 team Colorado for 12 seasons. The Huskies have not finished above .500 in his tenure and this year will be no exception. The conference season startedin promising fashion with a 3-3 mark, but their good fortune has fizzled and they have dropped 6 conference games in a row. They have been on the wrong end in 8 of their last 9 ball game sheading ginto their final non-conference battle of the season. Defense has been the issue for the Huskies. They are giving up a whppinhg 75.62 points per game which is 316th in the nation. Thanks to their leaky defense they are forced to outscore their opponents. They are 5-2 when scoring over 80 points, but just 2-15 when falling short of the 80 point plateu. They are capable of reaching the lofty 80 point mark thanks mostly to one player.
The Ones to Watch:
Xavier Silas- 6’5 198 SR G- 23.5 ppg 4.6 rbs 1.9 assts
The Colorado transfer is a big-time scorer. He currently sits 5th in the nation in scoring trailing only Jimmer Fredette (BYU- 27.3), Adrian Oliver (San Jose State- 24.5), Marshon Brooks (Providence- 24.3) and Charles Jenkins (Hofstra- 23.5). He hurts opponents in a number of ways. He has sunk 169 free-throws this year which is second best in the nation. He hlaso shoots a lofty 85% from the stripe. He nailed his first 28 from there this season. He can torch the twine from downtown hitting 42% from 3 (52-124). He can get to the basket with effeincey shooting 46% overall from the floor. He has gone over 30 points 6 times this season including a 40 point game against Illionis-Chicago. He is coming off his worst game of the season with just 7 points on 3-11 shooting. He was saddled with foul trouble most of the night and never could get it cooking in a 77-65 loss to Western Michigan.
Keys to the Game:
1- Rebound- The tallest player in the NIU starting lineup stand at 6’7. SU outrebound sopponents by 11.6 in wins and is outrebounded by 5.5 in losses.
2- Slow down Silas- This should be a great match-up with elite defender Lever on him.
3- Pound the ball inside- Jones and Broussard have the potential to have huge nights for SeattleU.
Numbers to Know:
- 4- – The number of time zones SeattleU has played in this year.
- 7- Where Garrett Lever sits on the all-time single season steals list
- 1- The number of steals Lever needs to move into a tie for 5th on the list.
- 32- The average number of points for Silas in NIU wins
-19- The average number of points for Silas in NIU losses.
Tune in at 1:00 pm on 710 ESPN Seattle and the live blog will be cooking at seattleufan.com.
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February 15th, 2011 by ghill- seattleufan@gmail.com
15:12- SU 10-8- Both teams shooting 50% early on, but teams have combined for 9 TO’s.
7:33- SU 27-20 SU still shooting 20% and outrebounding Davis by 4. Look for that margin to grow.
HALF- 45-40- Impressive first half on offense for SU. We will see if they can keep it going in the second
15:59- SU 52-51- Teams trading punches in the second half. This one could go either way.
11:51- UC Davis- 61-58- SU struggling through their first offensive drought of the game. They are still shooting 45% for the game.
7:37- Davis- 69-63- SU is ice cold- 4 for their last 23. The need to get the offense rolling- they have time and they are in the game.
3:53- UC Davis- 75-72- Going down to the wire. SU ball.
GAME- Dvis 88-78- extending the lead on Free-throws late. Tough loss for SU. A big drought in the second half did the damage.
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February 15th, 2011 by ghill- seattleufan@gmail.com
VS 
Seattle U (9-15) vs UC Davis (8-16, 3-9 Big West)
Key Arena (Seattle, WA)
Tuesday February 15, 2011 7:10 pm
RADIO: 710 ESPN Seattle INTERNET AUDIO: seattleufan.com
Series- 2-2
Last Meeting- November 27. 2010- The Aggies dominated in an 80-58 win.
Scouting UC Davis:
The Aggies are winless in February having dropped 4 in a row and 9 of their last 11. A season that started with promise now finds UC Davis starring up from dead last in the Big West with a 3-9 record. Injury and inconsistent play has torpedoed a team that was thought to compete for a finish towards the top of the conference. It was a tumultuous offseason for Davis as they saw several defections and the departures have left them short-handed. They still feature some very talented players and Seattle U got a taste of that in late November.
The Ones to Watch:
Mark Payne- 6’8 SR G- 14.7 ppg 4.8 rbs 3.5 assts
Payne has been one of the best players in the history of UC Davis basketball. He finds himself #10 all-time in scoring, #4 in assists and #2 in assists on the UC Davis basketball charts. He provides a brutal matchup as a 6’8 point guard who has very good vision and can finish at the cup. He loves to drive and looks to draw fouls. He is a very good free-throw shooter which compliments his goals. He shot has not developed consistently over the years and teams benefit when they can get physical with him. At one point he was considered an NBA prospect becaue of his unique skill-set, but those whispers have mostly died away.
Joe Harden- 6’8 210 SR G- 14.6 ppg 5.8 rbds
The transfer from Notre Dame went over 1,000 points for his career against SU in November. He roughed up Seattle U for 16 points including a perfect 10 for 10 from the free-throw line. His scoring has taken a hit as of late thanks to a broken nose. He has been fitted with a mask which did not affect him at all in their last game against Pacific on Saturday. He hit for 17 points on 7 of 16 shooting. He does not shoot many threes, but he will also look to drive and get to the rim. He is an excellent free-throw shooter as well.
Keys to the Game:
1- Good Start- Always a big key for SU.
2- Rebound- Davis is -5.7 on the season and have been outrebounded by double-figures the last two games which has helped lead to losses.
3- Keep Davis off the line- They were 23-29 last time these teams met.
Numbers to Know:
- 3- The most games SeattleU has played in a row at home this year.
We shall see if SU can claim the revenge win. Tune in 15 minutes before tip on 710 ESPN Seattle and the live blog will be cooking at seattleufan.com.
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February 9th, 2011 by ghill- seattleufan@gmail.com
SU tried to snap a three game skid tonight and get some revenge against Utah Valley-
15:50- SU 8-6- SU has been physical early. They have caused 4 turnovers already.
11:09- SU 19-12-
7:49- SU 24-14- The defense has been great. Lever has shut down Williams. They need to get Broussard more looks. He is 3-4 from the field.
3:48- SU used a 9-0 run to take control by double-figures. Williams is struggling for Utah Valley mostly thanks to Lever. SU- 10-2 points off turnovers in favor of SU
HALF_ 35-32- Late run by Utah Valley. Should be a good second half.
14:58- SU 42-37- Ugly start to the second half, but SU maintains the lead. Jones on the bench with 3 fouls.
11:14- SU 46-45- Utah Valley has finally knocked down a couple of threes after missing their first 11. They are 2-14 even though thy are 39% on the season which is 26th in the nation.
7:40- SU 51-50- SU still holding the lead. The need to slow Williams down- he is starting to heat it up- 8 points in the second half including two threes.
2:10- 55-55- Burrell just gave the fans here the highlight of the year. Flipped the ball around Hunsaker on the move then bolted to the basket and scored. Extremely impressive and it tied the score.
GAME- Nice, well-earned will for SU
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