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NCAA Tournament 2019: Strengths and weaknesses of South Region teams

By Jason Burgess

KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 29: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers and Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate on the bench during the second half of the game between the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 29, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 96-53. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 29: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers and Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate on the bench during the second half of the game between the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 29, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 96-53. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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No. 13 UC Irvine Anteaters

Strengths: Russell Turner’s Anteaters are probably the best defensive team in the country that people know the least about. The Big West champions lead the country in allowing opponents to shoot just over 40% on two-point shots and their 38% overall field-goal percentage defense is 3rd best in the nation. UC-Irvine is also one of the best rebounding teams in the country. They rank 9th in the country in rebounding margin (7.3), 3rd in total rebounds (1411), they also rank in the top 61 in offensive, defensive, and total rebounds per game.

Weaknesses: The Anteaters throw out a lot of three-guard line ups, but sometimes the guard play can be a little inconsistent on the offensive end. The guards can sometimes be a little too perimeter oriented and not get into the post enough, leading to some poor shot selection. Another bugaboo of UC-Irvine is that even though they rely heavily on inside scoring, they don’t shoot the ball particularly well from the free throw line. The Anteaters shoot just over 69% from the charity stripe and they rank just 291st in free throw rate at (38.6%).

No. 14 Old Dominion Monarchs

Strengths: The Monarchs have one of the best backcourt duos in the country with Ahmad Caver and B.J. Stith who average over 33 points per game, pull down nearly 12 rebounds per game, and dish out 6.7 assists per game, for a team that averages just 66 points per game, as these two go, so goes ODU. The Monarchs hang their hat on defense, giving up just about 60 points per game and they do that by protecting the paint, ranking 35th in blocked shots per game (4.6) and being one of the best rebounding teams in the country, the38.9 boards per game they get are 25th best in college hoops.

Weaknesses: As good as the Monarchs are on the defensive end, they are at the other end of the spectrum when it comes to offense. They sit outside the top-300 in points per game at just over 66 per game, and a big reason for that is they are really bad at shooting the basketball. They shoot it at just 41%, which is near the bottom of the barrel, and they aren’t much better from the free throw line, shooting just 66%.

No. 15 Colgate Raiders

Strengths: The Patriot League champions are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country. Colgate shoots over 38% from beyond the arc and right at 48% from the field overall and what makes them a little difficult to deal with is that all five of their starters can step out and shoot the long ball. All five of them have attempted at least 99 of them and all of them shoot it at a minimum of 35%, because of that, matching up with them can be difficult.

Weaknesses: While they shoot it well, 36% off the team’s offense comes from making three-point shots, so if they have a night where that shot isn’t falling, scoring can become a bit of an issue. The Raiders are also prone to committing turnovers. The Raiders turn the ball over on nearly 20% of their possessions, so if they face a team that is full of ball hawks that could pose problems for Colgate.

No. 16 Gardner-Webb Bulldogs

Strengths: The Bulldogs share the ball well, dishing out over 14 assists per game and shoot the ball extremely well, shooting over 48% from the field and 39% from beyond the arc, both numbers are top-13 in the nation. They are also good at getting to the free throw line, with the 38th most attempts and makes in the sport while shooting them at a 71% clip.

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Weaknesses: The biggest weakness for the Bulldogs is on the boards. They only grab 34 per game and just over seven of those come on the offensive end which is only better than 35 other teams. Lastly, the Bulldogs rank 254th in defensive efficiency, which is partly a result of them being a bad rebounding team, giving opponents second-chance opportunities on offense.

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