Game Notes
Kentucky Wesleyan coach Happy Osborne expects Thursday's Great Midwest Conference opener to be played similar to another recent contest.
The first-year coach compared Ohio Valley to Missouri S&T, which KWC beat, 92-83, on Saturday night.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Sportscenter, and Osborne expects their to be no shortage of scoring. The Fighting Scots average 87 points per game.
"They're strong with their back to the basket," Osborne said. "They're going to do a lot of ball screens against man-to-man. They're going to look to run and jump down the floor, just like S&T. I expect the game to be a high-scoring game."
Personnel-wise, Osborne mentioned 6-foot-7 forward Sequan Lawrence (22.6 points, 7.4 rebounds per game) as a mismatch problem. Center Arturs Vitins (6-foot-7) is averaging 12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds a game
and guard Jerry Macon is averaging 13.1 points and 3.1 assists per game, and Osborne spoke highly of them as well.
Given Ohio Valley's style, Osborne expects much of this game to be played in transition as the Fighting Scots (1-6) will likely press a lot. Offensively, that's fine for a KWC that hasn't had much trouble scoring.
"We're going to try to take advantage of every opportunity we have," Osborne said. "Our philosophy is if you press, we're going to try to attack. That's what we're going to try to do
It's defensively where Osborne has concerns. While the Panthers (4-5) have greatly improved their zone defense over the last three games, Osborne isn't as sure about his team's transition defense.
During KWC's five-game losing streak, transition defense was often cited as a major contributing factor for the losses. That was a major focal point in practice on Wednesday. At the same time, Osborne said, he knows his team has played a lot of games lately.
"This is five games in eight days, so I've got to be a little bit careful," he said. "But tired is not an excuse. When you're winning, it's great to play every day."
KWC is holding opponents to 74.3 points per game and has held opponents to 64 points or less in two of the last three games. Offensively, the Panthers are getting more balanced scoring and are playing more team-oriented basketball.
Osborne wants to see them take the next step as the conference season begins.
"We're still not driving and pitching, although we're spending 15 minutes a day in practice on it," he said. "We're communicating better, but it's a long way from where we're supposed to be. I came home (Tuesday night) and I turned Duke on TV and you can't hear the announcers through Duke's defense talking. We've got to communicate better. We've got to be more on the same page."
There's no one who wants to see the three-game winning streak continue more than Osborne.
"I know 4-5 is not good enough at Kentucky Wesleyan. Believe me, I've never been 4-5," Osborne said. "But I don't feel like we're 4-5. I feel like we're overachieving. I feel good and positive about our team and the same about our fan support. If people are looking for a 'Rocky' story — somebody that's an underdog, playing their butts off, good kids to cheer on and good kids to be around — I can't tell you how much having good support means to our guys."
