Post by yotemeal on Jan 22, 2014 11:18:06 GMT -6
Our guys should be heading into this road game with plenty of confidence and, hopefully, ample motivation given our historic road woes and a string of nail-biting losses to the Leathernecks. Western Illinois was picked fourth in the preseason poll and, in my opinion, they could still very well achieve that mark. They enter Thursday’s contest 1-2 in the Summit League, with their lone victory earned in impressive comeback fashion hosting Omaha. They played NDSU close on the road, letting the game get away from them in the final five minutes. WIU had a decent showing at SDSU, though the Jacks were able to keep them mostly at arm’s length.
The Necks are similar to us in the sense they have nine players who average 15 or more minutes per game. They returned only five players from last year’s team, including two starters in guard Remy Roberts-Burnett and guard/forward Adam Link. Garret Covington, a 6’5” guard, leads WIU in scoring at a clip of 13 ppg. After that it’s a mishmash of players averaging between five and ten points per outing. During league play, they’ve gone with a three-guard starting lineup:
PG – Jabari Sandifer 6’1”
G – Remy Roberts-Burnett 6’
G – Garret Covington 6’5”
F – Tate Stensgaard 6’8” (Rapid City native)
C – Michael Ochereobia 6’8” (260 lbs)
The 6’6” Link is essentially a sixth starter and a scoring threat. Other guys grabbing meaningful minutes are forward Mohamed Conde, 6’7, point guard Jordan Foster, 5’11”, and forward Mike Miklusak, 6’6”.
I expect WIU to bring their patented defensive intensity and a great deal of athleticism. In WIU’s last home game versus Omaha, they drew a nice crowd in excess of 2,100. This game will be no easy task. Go Yotes!
The Necks are similar to us in the sense they have nine players who average 15 or more minutes per game. They returned only five players from last year’s team, including two starters in guard Remy Roberts-Burnett and guard/forward Adam Link. Garret Covington, a 6’5” guard, leads WIU in scoring at a clip of 13 ppg. After that it’s a mishmash of players averaging between five and ten points per outing. During league play, they’ve gone with a three-guard starting lineup:
PG – Jabari Sandifer 6’1”
G – Remy Roberts-Burnett 6’
G – Garret Covington 6’5”
F – Tate Stensgaard 6’8” (Rapid City native)
C – Michael Ochereobia 6’8” (260 lbs)
The 6’6” Link is essentially a sixth starter and a scoring threat. Other guys grabbing meaningful minutes are forward Mohamed Conde, 6’7, point guard Jordan Foster, 5’11”, and forward Mike Miklusak, 6’6”.
I expect WIU to bring their patented defensive intensity and a great deal of athleticism. In WIU’s last home game versus Omaha, they drew a nice crowd in excess of 2,100. This game will be no easy task. Go Yotes!