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Tribe Returns Home to Face VMI
The College will host the Keydets as part of a men's and women's doubleheader on Thursday, Dec. 20.
12/18/07 1:20PM
Williamsburg - After playing six of its first seven games on the road, the William and Mary men’s basketball team will return to the friendly confines of Kaplan Arena to battle instate foe VMI on Thursday, Dec. 20. The contest is slated for an 8 p.m. tip-off and will be part of the men’s and women’s doubleheader. The Tribe women will face Duquesne prior to the W&M-VMI men’s game. It will be the first meeting between the two schools in 12 years.
The Tribe is coming off a two-week lay-off following a 68-45 victory over North Florida. W&M controlled the contest and stepped up the defensive pressure limiting UNF to just 27.9 percent shooting from the floor. Senior Nathan Mann and sophomore Danny Sumner led the way with 12 points each. VMI won its second straight contest downing the Apprentice School, 112-96, on Dec. 10.
The contest will be broadcast over the Tribe Radio Network with Jay Colley, Bill McDonald and Charlie Woollum on the call. The broadcast can also be heard live over the Internet at TribeAthletics.com. Live stats for the contest will be available by following the link on the schedule page at TribeAthletics.com.
For complete W&M men's basketball notes, click HERE.
Story lines
- The game will open a stretch that includes 10 of the Tribe’s next 15 games at home, including four of the next five.
- It will be the first meeting between the Tribe and VMI since the 1995-96 season.
W&M has won 10 straight non-conference home games dating back to the 2005-06 season.
Scouting VMI
The Keydets enter the game with the Tribe on a two-game winning streak following wins over Howard, 95-59, and Apprentice School, 112-96, and are 5-5 on the season. VMI is the top scoring team in the nation, averaging 98.6 points per game. Despite the high-octane offense, the Keydets have struggled away from home. VMI is winless away from Lexington, Va., this season.
VMI is led by third-year head coach Duggar Baucom, who led the Keydets to the Big South Conference Championship game last season. Four VMI players average in double figures led by senior forward Reggie Williams. Williams ranks fourth nationally in scoring at 26.4 points per game. He also tops the Keydets in rebounding at 8.7 per contest, while accumulating four double-doubles on the season. Chavis and Travis Holmes average 17.4 and 15.4 points per game, respectively, while freshman Austin Kenon chips in 10.5 per contest.
In the Keydets most recent win over the Apprentice School, Williams scored a season-high 43 points, while Chavis Homes added 30. In the victory, Holmes eclipsed the 1,000 point mark. VMI shot 58.5 percent from the floor in the win and scored a remarkable 60 points in the paint. In VMI’s 95-59 win over Howard, Williams flirted with the triple-double finishing with 25 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. The Keydets most impressive win on the season came over CAA foe James Madison, 90-83, in Lexington. Williams finished with 30 points as VMI handed the Dukes their only loss this season.
While the Keydets lead the nation in scoring, they also rank among the worst in the country in scoring defense, allowing 86.2 points per game. VMI also tops the nation in steals per game (15.5) and 3-point field goals made per game (12.0), while ranking fourth in assists (20.1) per game. Christian Hunter leads VMI in assists per game at 3.9 per contest, while Williams is second on the team at 3.6 per affair. Five different Keydets have registered 20 steals on the season, led by the 24 of Adam Lonon.
Series vs. VMI
W&M and VMI will meet for the first time in over 10 years when the Keydets make the trip to Williamsburg on Dec. 20. The last time the two teams played, W&M tallied a 90-49 victory in Williamsburg on Jan. 17, 1996. In fact, the College has won the last four games in the series and leads the overall ledger at 76-39. The Tribe has fared even better at home against VMI, holding a 43-10 advantage in Williamsburg. Despite not having played for 12 years, the Keydets will be familiar with Kaplan Arena after competing in the W&M Tip-off Classic last season. The Keydets dropped a pair of games in the classic falling to Cornell, 99-94, and Jacksonville State, 87-85. In the game against Cornell, VMI established a trio of Kaplan Arena records. The Keydets connected on 19-of-54 from 3-point range, which with both facility records, while Williams scored an arena-record 41 points in the loss.
Strength of Schedule
While the Tribe has struggled a bit out of the gates in 2007-08, it isn’t for a lack of playing top-notch competition. As of Dec. 17, the Tribe’s strength of schedule, according the Jeff Sagarin College Basketball Ratings, was ranked 39th nationally. It is the second toughest schedule in the CAA behind only Northeastern (No. 18) and one of only three, along with VCU (69), in the top 100. Prior to the Tribe’s 68-45 win at North Florida, the College’s strength of schedule ranked among the top 10 in the country.
Home Sweet Home
W&M makes its welcomed return to Williamsburg and Kaplan Arena on Dec. 20 against VMI. The College will see a welcomed sight in the friendly confines of home after spending six of the first seven games on the road this season. The Tribe’s upcoming schedule will be a stark contrast to that as W&M will play four of its next five at home and 10 of its next 15 overall in Williamsburg. Last season, the Tribe enjoyed great success at Kaplan Arena amassing an 11-5 overall mark.
Protecting the Leather
W&M has done a good job of maximizing its offensive possessions this season by limiting its number of turnovers. The Tribe currently ranks 19th nationally only turning the ball over 12.4 times per game. The limited number of turnovers compared to the Tribe’s ability to share the basketball has led to the Tribe ranking among the national leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio. W&M’s 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the CAA and ranks No. 30 nationally.
Stepping up the Defensive Pressure
The Tribe limited North Florida to 27.9 percent shooting from the floor on 12 of 43 shooting from the floor. It was the lowest field goal percentage that W&M had held an opponent to in three seasons. The last time a W&M opponent shot worse from the field, Towson was 27 percent (17-of-63) on Feb. 26, 2005.
W&M limited the Ospreys to only 12 field goals, which was the fewest for a Tribe opponent in 27 seasons. The last time a W&M foe made fewer than 12 field goals in a game, Catholic hit for 11 field goals in a 36-29 loss on Jan. 19, 1981.
On the Boards
After being outrebounded in each of its first three games this season, the College has turned the tables and held the rebounding advantage in each of its last four contests against Houston Baptist, Richmond, VCU and North Florida. Over the four-game stretch, the Tribe has outrebounded its opponents by nearly eight boards per game. W&M has averaged 37.3 rebounds per game, compared to just 29.8 for its opponents.
The rebounding for W&M has been a collective effort for most of the season. Over the seven games in 2007, six different Tribe players have led the College in rebounding. Sophomores David Schneider and Danny Sumner along with junior Peter Stein lead the way having topped the Green and Gold on the boards in two games each. Seven different W&M players are averaging over three rebounds a game this year, while over the last four games, four different Tribe players have averaged at least four boards per contest. Junior forward Chris Darnell leads W&M in rebounding at five per contest, a total that ranks 15th in the CAA.
Valued Protection
Sophomore point guard David Schneider has been a key clog for the Tribe this season, but his value goes far beyond his team-leading 12.9 points per game scoring average. The 6-2, 175-pounder is relied upon to get the Tribe offense in gear with his point guard skills. Schneider currently leads the Tribe in minutes played (240) as well as assists (26) and steals (11).
The Tribe is currently averaging only 12.4 turnovers per game, while playing one of the nation’s toughest schedules. Schneider has been one of the driving forces behind the Tribe’s limited number of turnovers. He ranks third in the CAA in assist-to-turnover ratio, while having the fewest turnovers of any primary ball handler in the league. Compared to his minutes played, Schneider is averaging a turnover every 18:28 of game action.
Sumner Finding His Way
Sophomore wing Danny Sumner saw limited playing time during his rookie season with the Tribe, but in the early going of the 2007-08 season, the Fairfax, Va., native has shown himself to be an impact player on the Tribe roster. He has progressively become more comfortable in the Tribe offense, while also developing a better understanding of the team’s various defensive alignments. Sumner has appeared in all seven games off the Tribe bench this season and led the W&M reserves in scoring on four occasions. On two different occasions, Sumner has been the Tribe’s overall leading scorer.
Sumner enjoyed a stellar game at Wagner on Nov. 20, scoring a career-high 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including a remarkable 4-of-5 from 3-point range. He followed that performance up with 13 points off the bench in a career-high 25 minutes at VCU on Dec. 5. Against the Rams, Sumner also pulled down a career-high six rebounds, while hitting on 6-of-12 from the floor. The 6-7, 205-pounder continued his early season scoring spree by leading the Tribe with 12 points in the blowout win over North Florida.
This season, Sumner is averaging 7.7 points per game which ranks fourth on the squad. He is the College’s most efficient scorer, while knocking down 56.4 percent of his shots in only 15.7 minutes per game. With his numbers projected over 40 minutes, Sumner leads the Tribe regulars with a 19.6 points per game average. He his also adding three rebounds per game, while shooting 46.7 percent from 3-point range.
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Senior Kyle Carrabine and the Tribe will face VMI on Thursday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m.
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