Hey y'all....I was invited by SlyFox to share any knowledge I have.
Well, I've been to our last five home games, including the thriller thrown away to us by your Flames. Other games being the losses to HP and Winthrop, then the wins against PC and CSU last week.
Let me say one thing to start off not really related to tonight....Winthrop is absolutely red hot, and it may just be a blessing we are not on the same side of the bracket with them. I fully expect them to pound UNCA tonight in Asheville. Also, they will not be intimidated playing at Radford Thursday night on a national stage. I look for the Eagles to be in the final.
Anyway, the essence of the Flames beating us is controlling what Linn can do. Flittner, although deadly, is still far from 100%. Our offense actually looked pretty good Saturday against CSU when we started the senior Siddle instead of Flittner and brought Flittner off the bench. Scruggs should stick with the same lineup and start Siddle, but he probably will start Flittner. Linn's scoring points will be the key to any chance we have at Vines tonight.
Macmillan gives us a nice size advantage inside, but his skill set is extremely limited IMO. He missed two easy layups early against CSU that would have led to us absolutely blowing CSU out of the building Saturday. McMillan doesn't finish. On paper, that could look like a problem for the Flames, but it isn't. Nate Blank, a smallish tweener who has been coming off the bench to replace McMillan in sets, should be more worrisome for y'all since he can launch from outside with accuracy.
Our inside game comes from true freshman Henley. He has been a mini-Rodman this year rebounding-wise. I love how most times he grabs a board and pushes the ball upcourt himself. He has a nice offensive game that has come into play more lately as well. CJ Hailey has played well on the wing as well.
Bottom line, y'all neutralize Linn, you win, handily. If Linn can score 10+ and dish anywhere between 6-8 assists, that will mean either Blank or Hailey has stepped up scoring wise. If we get that production from Linn, and Hailey or Blank can get hot, then I expect G-W to pull the shocker.
I would love to see Flittner all-of-a-sudden return to form, as that would give us the edge, but he just isn't 100% healthy. Any production from him tonight is a bonus IMO.
I see Liberty winning tonight by 8-10 points. Regardless, I hope two things happen (1) Coastal upends the moronic Keydets tonight and (2) the winner of this game wins the title. I have much respect for your coach and the program he is building.
I'll try to get back on here post-game tonight or tomorrow, win or lose, for some discussion.
- By Humble_Opinion
- By LU Armchair coach