KWC puts 12-game streak on line vs. St. Joe's - Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics

Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics

Scoreboard

It's time to get down to business for the 17th-ranked Kentucky Wesleyan College men's basketball team.

While the Panthers got a taste of Great Lakes ValleyIt's time to get down to business for the 17th-ranked Kentucky Wesleyan College men's basketball team. Conference action earlier in the month with a win over Bellarmine, a visit by Saint Joseph's today marks the start of the full GLVC slate.

Tipoff is 3:15 p.m. at the Sportscenter.

"Our guys know we're 1-0," said KWC coach Todd Lee of the his team's 12-1 record, including a 12-game winning streak, being just a prelude to the main objective. "You can say we won all those games in a row, but 1-0 is all that matters in what we want to accomplish.

"The guys know it's the end of the preseason, and now we have to defend homecourt."

Lee sees the biggest difference in conference play from nonconference action being how quickly opponents can take advantage of mistakes.

"If you're not doing what you're supposed to be doing defensively against a player or concept, it will show up real quick," he said. "It becomes under a microscope.

"The intensity increases a lot, and your focus needs to increase, because people in the conference know each other so much better."

That familiarity can also test a team's offensive patience. Shots that have been there in nonconference matchups often disappear.

"You go into conference and what you've been running offensively, it might have three or four options, and now teams don't let you get the first or second option, they take away some things, so you have to be disciplined," Lee said. "We saw that in the Bellarmine game.

"It's really more of a chess match, in that you really prepare and lock in for the next two months. It becomes about what we can take away and what they take away. You've got to figure all of that out."

What Lee quickly figured out about the Pumas (6-4, 0-2) is they want to get in transition at every opportunity. They lead the league in scoring, averaging 91.3 points per game.

"They're pushing the ball all the time, so transition defense is a big emphasis," said Lee, whose club is third in the league in scoring defense at 61.9 ppg. "They've got a balanced team, with streaky shooters. We've got to make them execute in the half court, and rebounding will be big."

Print Friendly Version