Team Capsules Part 6

Portland St.- (23-9, 14-2) This is Portland St.’s first ever NCAA Tournament appearance (one more than my Buffalo Bulls and one more than the sorry Big 10 Northwestern but I won’t get into that) and is a team full of transfers. Coach Ken Bone has six transfers on the team including Big Sky POY this year Jeremiah Dominguez. Dominguez may be the smallest player in the entire tournament as a listed 5’6 and 150 lbs. both of which numbers may be a little generous. In his first year with the team since transferring from University of Portland Dominguez averaged over 14 points and had 4 assists a game. He also is good for 2 steals and 3 three’s a game. Deonte Huff, a senior guard and first team all Big Sky selection is their second leading scorer and inside they have a big body in 6’11 Scott Morrison.

The Good: Morrison. Morrison will be able to match up with any big man in the tourney. He was the Big Sky defensive player of the year and holds the Portland St. record for blocked shots. Also their top four scorers all shoot above 45% from the field including 44% from downtown for Dominguez. Another good thing about them is they never get into foul trouble so they won’t be undermanned ever. They also have played top competition this year in games against UCLA and Washington St.

The Bad: They got beat down by UCLA and lost by 10 to Wash St., a team that can’t really blow anyone out. Their marquee win is probably against Akron a team that probably won’t be playing in the postseason. Another thing is if they play a big time point guard Dominguez will have trouble bodying up with him. Lastly they are inexperienced none of them have been to the tournament before and it may seem surreal to most of them.

The Verdict: They will probably end up on the 15 line and face a two seed that could have debatably been a 1. They may start hot but don’t expect any miracles here, this team won’t win and will be happy with keeping it respectable.

Mount St. Mary’s: (18-14, 11-7) The Mountaineers lost their first 4 games to start off the season but rebounded well, winning their next 6. They are a hot team coming into the tourney, fresh off their NEC championship. In fact, they have won 8 out of their last 9. The notable games they have played this year include a win over Winthrop and losses at Oklahoma and Oregon.

The Good: Mount St. Mary’s has two capable guards, Sophomore Jeremy Goode and Senior Chris Vann. Each average 14 points per game. The team relies heavily on the point guard play of Goode. When he’s goode, the team goes. When he isn’t, this is a team that can struggle. Luckily he has played well recently for the Mountaineers and they hope he carries that play into the tournament. The team also plays better when Vann takes fewer shots, deferring to his teammates, notably forwards Sam Atupem and Will Holland. Vann has taken fewer shots in the last 6 games (7.6 per game) and the team has benefited.

The Bad: This team has no size. They don’t start a player over 6-7 and get very little rebounding from their starting unit. Goode averages too many turnovers a game (3.4) and they do not shoot the ball particularly well. They will be out rebounded almost definitely

The Verdict: This is a play-in team. They may win their first game to play UNC or Memphis but will certainly not pose a threat to any number one seed. They had a nice season in the NEC but are way overmatched by most teams in the field.