The Lobo men’s basketball team wrapped up its non-conference schedule last week (I guess that’s a nice way to describe last week), giving us a chance to take a step back and see how things have gone so far for the players by looking at our Players of the Game awards, which also gives us an idea of where the team stands. The team has mostly been carried on the backs of a couple of transfers, for good and bad, but there is still a lot of talent on the team that makes us think that this team can get back to being who we thought they were two weeks ago.
Players of the Game Update
All season long, we’ve been awarding three players with our coveted Players of the Game designation, which come with three points for first, two for second, and one for third. We’ve been keeping track of the points that each player has earned each game and you can see how the players have accumulated points across the season in the plot below.
There’s a couple of things to note here. First, for all of the talk of the team having a “big three” in Elijah, Tim W., and Cullen, it’s really been more of a “dynamic duo” for most of the season. Elijah and Tim have combined to take the top spot in our rankings for all 13 games and are both neck and neck for first place and currently way ahead of anyone else. We can also see that nine players have picked up points this season and, if we threw Xavier Adams into the mix, this would pretty much be the rotation that I would expect to see for the rest of the season.
Let’s check in on the top five point earners:
- Elijah Brown (27 points on the season): Remember how it seemed like Elijah was simply in the mix to win a starting spot and we thought that he wasn’t much more than a shooter? Whoops. Elijah has been fantastic this season, averaging 19.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 51.8% from two, 36.7% from three, and 84.3% from the charity stripe. He has also become a really solid defender on the perimeter while generally taking the toughest assignment. His play has already earned him conference Player of the Week honors and has elevated his name to being a contender for MW Player of the Year. If he keeps up what he’s been doing, I wouldn’t put it past him.
- Tim Williams (25 points on the season): Tim transferred here from Samford to prove that he can compete against a higher level of competition. So far, he’s done exactly that, putting up a freakishly similar stat line to what he did a couple of seasons ago. He’s averaging 16.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and is shooting 58.7% from the field compared to the 17.6 points and 7.3 boards per game with 60.3% shooting he did at Samford in 2013-14. He’s been every bit the interior scoring threat that we hoped he would be and has been consistent game in and game out. Recently, he’s started shooting more midrange jumpers, which should open the court a little bit more for the perimeter players to drive and for the other bigs to get space down low. If it weren’t for the season that Elijah was having, I’d feel pretty confident that Tim will be the frontrunner for the conference Newcomer of the Year award, but a tight race between the two would be fine with me.
- Cullen Neal (11 points on the season): Cullen has certainly had an up and down season, which has drawn the ire of quite a few Lobo fans, but he still remains a vital part of the team’s success. His shooting and playmaking ability add necessary dimensions to the Lobo offense and he knows the offense better than anyone. He does need to cut down on the turnovers, especially those that simply look like a lapse in focus, but I think that he’ll tighten that up soon. He and Elijah already form one of the best guard combos in the conference and if he gets his turnovers under control, I think that they will simply be the best guard combo in the conference.
- Obij Ajet (5 points on the season): Big O has also been a little inconsistent this season, particularly when it comes to foul trouble, but has shown a few nice things this season. First, he’s been shooting really well from the floor, making 69.2% of his shots. Now, most of those have been from point blank range, but he has occasionally shown the ability to step out to shoot midrange shots. He’s also been pretty good on the boards, particularly on the offensive end, where he has the 108th highest offensive rebounding percentage in the country. Finally, he’s been really effective protecting the rim and just generally blocking shots. If he can stay on the court and out of foul trouble, I have a feeling that we’ll see a few double-doubles out of him in conference play.
- Sam Logwood (5 points on the season): Sam hasn’t taken the leap that I was hoping he would, but I think that has been in large part because of the emergence of Elijah and Tim. He’s had a tendency to defer to those two (and Cullen) at times, which has made him look a little tentative at times. He’s been working his butt off on the defensive end, though, and has been shooting really well when he does actually shoot it. If he can be a little more assertive on the offensive side of the court, he should see his numbers improve all around. Plus, we might get to see him dunk all over some guy. I really want to see him dunk all over some guy.
Some Things I’d Like to See in MWC Play
- Jordan Hunter and Anthony Mathis demanding more time on the court with their level of play, Jordan to allow Cullen to play off the ball a bit and to get the occasion breather and Anthony to let Elijah get some rest
- Obij beating his man down the court in transition to get set up for an easy dunk
- Cullen proving that he can handle pressure defenses
- Sam dunking on an Aztec
- Tim W. and Elijah both deserving to be in the conversation for MWC Player of the Year
- The Lobos winning the conference regular season outright