Today 9th seeded Florida Atlantic Owls will face off against the 5th seeded San Diego State Aztecs for the rights to move on to college basketballs championship game.
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When I am watching a game, like most I am always intrigued by the high flying dunks, acrobatic finishes, no look passes and all other spectacular aspects of the game. Yet, as an individual that has always been prideful on defense and intensity I stay tuned in to more intricate parts of the game.
Specifically:
- Ball Movement
- Offensive Rebounds
- Defensive Rebounds
- Steals
- Total Team Turnovers
Based on these few factors here is my analysis for the upcoming games.
The Breakdown
Both teams do a decent job of moving the ball and getting their offense open looks. I would say neither team does better or worse in this category. In the Aztecs previous game against Creighton they only assisted on 6 of their made Field Goals (FG). Matt Bradley led the way with two assists. Johnell Davis created the most offense for FAU in their previous matchup against Kansas St. Davis had 6 of the Owls 17 assists.
Florida Atlantic sophomore center Vladislav Goldin leads the way in offensive rebounds. He has averaged 4.5 offensive rebounds per game during the 4 games in the tournament. Alongside FAUs guards abilities to assist on the offensive glass, they have work their way towards a +11 offensive rebounding differential since the start of March Madness.
The same success holds true for FAU on the defensive boards. On the defensive end it is more of a collaborative effort than it is one individual making their mark on the glass. Vladislav Goldin, Johnell Davis, Alijah Martin, and Nicholas Boyd all play a collective part on ending the opposing teams offensive possessions.
San Diego State has the ability to cause turnovers via steals in a game. Their ability to play on ball defense and play the pass in the gaps is arguably the best of the remaining four teams. Led by the guard play of Lamont Butler and Darrion Trammell who are averaging 2 steals per game over the course of the tournament.
Lastly, a teams ability to play mistake free basketball and maintain possession adds to the win column. FAU has been turnover prone, while SDSU has done well to minimize their turnovers. Over the last 4 games FAU has turned the ball over 13 more times then their opponents. The same time frame SDSU has only one more turnover than their opponents.
FAU will control the boards in the game. SDSU will create extra possessions based on their defensive play and lack of turning over the ball. This game will come down to each teams ability to capitalize on their success, but even more ball movement on offense and getting open shots.