Lamar Cardinals
Southland (23-11, 11-5)
Coach Pat Knight inherited a talented team at Lamar. He picked up a very experienced squad that failed to live up to expectations. Coach Knight made this group live up to those expectations and he did so by bringing in the usual Coach Knight defense. During the 2010-2011 campaign the Cardinals defense was awful and it led to the team not even making the Southland Conference Tournament. This year they made the tournament…and won it.
Big Wins: 11/19 Charlotte (72-54), 11/25 at Tennessee Tech (85-65), 3/10 vs McNeese State (70-49)
Bad Losses: 1/25 at Northwestern State (62-74), 2/11 at Nicholls State (63-72), 2/22 Stephen F. Austin (52-62)
Coach: Pat Knight (1 season at Lamar)
Why They Can Surprise:
Lamar’s defense is still not great, but this group changed what they do offensively as well. This year Lamar still relies on the perimeter to score, but they do not hoist up nearly as many long balls. That is a good thing for the most part. Instead of putting up questionable outside shots, Lamar is working a little more to find the space to attack the basket. Mike James, a 6-1 senior, averaged 17.2 points per game during the regular season and can do damage inside and out. Anthony Miles is the point guard who makes the team go and he also averages 14.5 points per game. Miles will not shoot from outside too much, but he is dangerous enough to keep the opposition honest. He does most of his scoring by attacking the basket and scoring around the rim or at the charity stripe. Devon Lamb is another slasher who can score in bunches, but Lamar also needs him to work hard on the glass. Brandon Davis is the fourth starting guard, but thanks to his 6-6 frame and Lamb’s ability to rebound, the Cardinals have been successful on the glass.
Why They Can Disappoint:
However, their lack of size is a problem on defense. Reserve forward Osas Ebomwonyi is a fine shot blocker, but he only averages about a dozen minutes per game. The usual starting forward is Stan Brown. He has decent size at 6-8 and 225 pounds, but the junior will have a tough time defending some of the premiere post players during the NCAA Tournament. Fortunately, Coach Knight has enough bodies to throw around in the paint. Charlie Harper and Vincenzo Nelson are more small forwards than anything else, but they can provide some more size to the group on the floor. But in the end it will come down to Brown and Ebomwonyi staying out of foul trouble, keeping things under control on the defensive end and providing at least the threat of a scoring option in the paint. If that happens, Lamar can stick around, but otherwise they will have trouble against any team with a bigger, stronger frontcourt.
Probable Starters:
Anthony Miles, Senior, Guard, 14.5 ppg, 4.1 apg, 4.7 rpg
Mike James, Senior, Guard, 17.2 ppg, 2.0 apg
Devon Lamb, Senior, Guard, 11.9 ppg, 1.7 apg, 7.9 rpg
Brandon Davis, Senior, Guard, 9.1 ppg, 1.4 apg, 3.1 rpg
Stan Brown, Junior, Forward, 4.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Osas Ebomwonyi, Sophomore, Forward, 2.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.9 bpg
Charlie Harper, Senior, Forward, 8.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg
Donley Minor, Junior, Guard, 2.4 ppg, 1.0 apg
Vincenzo Nelson, Senior, Forward, 2.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 74.6 (37th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.5 (161, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.4 (170, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.5 (146, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.5 (313, 10)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: na
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.9 (78, 2)
Rebound Margin: 5.4 (30, 2)
Assists Per Game: 13.3 (136, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.5 (85, 1)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Lamar 2000 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Duke
Lamar 1986 NIT First Round loss to George Mason
Lamar 1985 NIT First Round win over Houston
Lamar 1985 NIT Second Round loss to Chattanooga
Lamar 1984 NIT First Round win over New Mexico
Lamar 1984 NIT Second Round loss to Santa Clara
Lamar 1983 NCAA Round of 64 win over Alabama
Lamar 1983 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Villanova
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
