Weber State Wildcats
Big Sky (26-6, 18-2)
Weber State knew they were in for a bit of a transition year when Damion Lillard left early for the NBA following his junior campaign. Coach Randy Rahe was not too worried with an experienced roster returning to help pick up the slack. And Coach Rahe was right. The Wildcats have the talent and experience to be a surprise team in March.
Big Wins: 12/8 UC Irvine (65-51), 2/14 Montana (87-63), 2/23 at Oral Roberts (70-66)
Bad Losses: 11/15 at San Jose State (67-68), 11/24 at Utah State (55-65), 1/24 at Montana State (74-79)
Coach: Randy Rahe (7 seasons at Weber State)
Why They Can Surprise:
If you want to see some good shooting, watch Weber State. Scott Bamforth connects on 44.0 percent of his attempts from long range. Davion Berry hits them at a 41.3 percent clip and Jordan Richardson is at 44.2 percent. No team in the nation shoots better from beyond the arc than the Wildcats. With shooting like that, the Wildcats can stick around in just about any game as long as their shots are falling. Add fellow guards Gelaun Wheelwright and Royce Williams to the mix and you have a plethora of scoring options in the backcourt. But the frontcourt is just as productive. Center Kyle Tresnak is a double-digit scorer and a fine shot blocker. Frank Otis does a lot of the dirty work in the paint, but he is capable of scoring quite a few points in the paint. Yet, the most intriguing player in the frontcourt is Joel Bolomboy. The 6-9 freshman will make some freshman mistakes, but he is an amazing rebounder and shot blocker. Bolomboy is even developing into a pretty decent scoring threat in the paint. Bolomboy will not start, but his minutes have been steadily increasing.
Why They Can Disappoint:
On paper Weber State has it all. They are efficient and capable shooters who can score quite a few points without committing too many turnovers; they will not get beaten too badly on the boards even against big teams. However, the Wildcats have not been tested much this season. Their best non-conference win on the year was probably against Dayton. They also beat Oral Roberts on the road during BracketBusters. The competition in the tournament will be tougher than that and it remains to be seen if this group has what it takes to defend a team that is obviously more talented top to bottom.
Probable Starters:
Jordan Richardson, Junior, Guard, 7.7 ppg, 2.8 apg
Scott Bamforth, Senior, Guard, 13.2 ppg, 2.4 apg
Davion Berry, Junior, Guard, 15.2 ppg, 3.5 apg, 4.0 rpg
Frank Otis, Senior, Forward, 9.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg
Kyle Tresnak, Junior, Center, 11.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Joel Bolomboy, Freshman, Center, 7.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.9 bpg
James Hajek, Sophomore, Center, 2.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg
Gelaun Wheelwright, Sophomore, Guard, 6.7 ppg, 1.5 apg
Royce Williams, Sophomore, Guard, 2.6 ppg, 1.0 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.8 (22nd in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 61.0 (45, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 50.8 (1, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.4 (37, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.2 (77, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 43.3 (1, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.0 (85, 6)
Rebound Margin: 6.3 (20, 1)
Assists Per Game: 14.0 (97, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.7 (121, 6)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
2012 CIT First Round win over Utah Valley
2012 CIT Second Round loss to Loyola Marymount
2011 CBI First Round loss to Oregon
2010 NIT First Round loss to Cincinnati
2009 NIT First Round loss to San Diego State
2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to UCLA
*all team stats through 3/10
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
