Delaware State Hornets
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (21-12, 16-2)
Seed: #8
East Region
Big Wins:
12/21 at Buffalo (65-62), 2/17 at Hampton (81-74), 2/24 Florida A&M (72-67)
Bad Losses:
12/30 at Baylor (56-59), 2/5 Morgan State (40-54), 3/10 vs Florida A&M
(56-58)
Coach:
Greg Jackson
Probable
Starters:
Darrin Shine,
Senior, Guard, 7.9 ppg, 4.6 apg
Jahsha Bluntt,
Senior, Guard, 15.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Roy Bright,
Junior, Forward, 15.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Troy Roundtree,
Junior, Forward, 5.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg
Aaron
Fleetwood, Senior, Forward, 6.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.8 bpg
Key
Roleplayers:
Evan Martin,
Freshman, Guard, 2.4 ppg, 1.0 apg
Elyon Bush,
Junior, Forward, 3.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Why They Can
Surprise:
Delaware State
has reached the post season for the third consecutive year. Two years ago
the Hornets played Duke tough as a #16 seed and last year the squad won an
NIT game against Northern Arizona. Their slow down style of play and limited
turnovers helps keep them in nearly every game, but they will be out-muscled
by superior athletes down the stretch.
Jasha Bluntt
and Darrin Shine are the stars of the backcourt. Bluntt is a prolific scorer
from anywhere on the court and knocks down 2.3 three-pointers per contest.
Bluntt gets to the line over four times a game and hits 82.1% of his shots
from the charity stripe. Shine is the floor leader and keeps the offense
running slowly and smoothly. The senior dishes out 4.6 assists per game and
only turns it over 2.2 times.
Why They Can
Disappoint:
There is not
much rebounding in the frontcourt with Aaron Fleetwood and Troy Roundtree
and that will be an area of concern against bigger and stronger opposition.
At 6-5 Roundtree is ideally a wing, but a lack of options has pushed him
into the frontcourt. There are really no other choices and the thin bench
does not give Coach Greg Jackson many options. Elyon Bush, a 6-7 junior, is
a decent rebounder off the bench and will fill in aptly when the starters
need a rest.
Who To
Watch:
Roy Bright, a
transfer from Cincinnati, will provide some of that much needed rebounding.
The 6-6 wing averages 4.9 rebounds per game and adds a second scoring threat
opposite of Bluntt. Bright has scored in double digits in all but six games
this season, four of which were losses, and has performed well in his
expanded role for the Hornets. If Bluntt and Bright are hitting their shots,
DSU can be a dangerous team, but they will most likely need a third scoring
threat to step up if they want an upset.
By the
Numbers:
Scoring
Offense: 60.0 (305th in nation, 10th in conference)
Scoring
Defense: 58.4 (12, 1)
Field-Goal
Percentage: 44.1 (173, 4)
Field-Goal
Defense: 47.1 (295, 9)
Free-Throw
Percentage: 74.0 (29, 1)
Rebound Margin:
-0.8 (214, 6)
Assists Per
Game: 11.8 (258, 6)
Turnovers Per
Game: 12.2 (27, 1)
Joel’s
Bracket Says: First Round loss to West Virginia
