2008 NCAA Tournament Capsule: Mount St Mary's

Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers

Northeast Conference (18-14, 11-7)

Big Wins: 12/1 Loyola MD (70-58), 12/18 Winthrop (64-59), 3/9 vs Robert Morris (83-65)

Bad Losses: 11/24 at James Madison (73-85), 1/5 Fairleigh Dickinson (62-65), 1/10 at Quinnipiac (59-70)

Last NCAA Appearance: 1999, First Round loss to Michigan State

Coach: Milan Brown (First NCAA appearance)

Probable Starters:

Jeremy Goode, Sophomore, Guard, 14.3 ppg, 5.5 apg, 2.1 spg

Chris Vann, Seniro, Guard, 14.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg

Will Holland, Sophomore, Guard, 8.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg

Sam Atupem, Junior, Forward, 8.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.5 bpg

Markus Mitchell, Junior, Forward, 5.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

Jean Cajou, Freshman, Guard, 6.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg

Kelly Beidler, Sophomore, Forward, 6.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg

Shawn Atupem, Junior, Forward, 4.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg

Jason Loughry, Senior Center, 2.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:

If Mount St. Mary’s plans to pull off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history, they will need to hit the three-pointer. Chris Vann is a good place to start. The 6-0 senior hits nearly three per game. When his shot is falling, the Mountaineers have a chance. However, Vann has not hit a long ball on four occasions this season and two of those have been the last two games. He has scored 20 points or more in eight games, so he certainly has the ability to hit a whole lot of shots from beyond the arc.

The only other dangerous outside shooter on the team is Will Holland. The 6-4 wing is a solid defender and rebounder, but it is his outside shooting that benefits the team the most.  And his recent shooting slump is a big deal for just that reason. Holland has hit just three of his last 26 attempts from beyond the arc over the last eight game stretch.

Why They Can Disappoint:

The Mountaineers have decent size for a team in the Northeast Conference, but they have not utilized that size on the glass. Sam Atupem and Markus Mitchell will get the starts up front. Atupem is the better scorer of the two, while Mitchell will do a majority of the work on the glass. Sam’s brother, Shawn Atupem and seven-footer Jason Loughry provide some depth, which comes in handy since the Mountaineers will often find themselves in foul trouble. Kelly Beidler is not as big as the rest of the forwards, but the 6-5 sophomore is a solid rebounder and scorer.

Who To Watch:

It is Jeremy Goode’s job to get the ball to the scorers and put up some points himself when necessary. He is not a great outside shooter, but he will get to the basket very effectively and at least get to the free-throw line. Obviously something went well even if Vann and Holland struggled during the conference tournament. And that something was freshman Jean Cajou. From November to January 24^th, Cajou only made one three-pointer. In the last six games, he has made 16. If Cajou can stay hot and Vann and Holland find their stroke, Mount St. Mary’s will be a formidable opponent.

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