By Zack Peñalva, Sports Editor
In October, the Collegian took a look at how Asbury’s men’s basketball team planned to play this season (Oct 7: “The System” brings major tactical change…). “The System” was supposed to create a style of play that was fast, high scoring and difficult to defend. But at this point in the season, it remains to be seen if a full commitment to such a radical shift in play style was the correct move. Now over halfway through the season, the Eagles have a 9-8 record and are 4-4 in the River States Conference.
Since debuting The System with a pair of wins in the Pikeville Classic at the end of October, the Eagles have gone on to lead the NAIA in a handful of offensive categories. Often playing at a breakneck pace, Asbury has averaged over 106 points per game so far this season, the highest in the division. They also top the NAIA in steals per game (13), offensive rebounds per game (18), turnover margin (8) and are third in made three-pointers per game (12).
All that said, even with one of the most potent offenses in the nation, the Eagles are just barely sitting on a winning record. Their spot on top of the points per game list has been due to sheer volume alone. They have taken the most shots in the division by a large margin, only converting on a little over 40 percent; a figure that puts them all the way down at 114th in the nation.
While that lack of efficiency has played its part, the real killer has been on defense. The System has been effective on offense, but the fast pace and frequent substitutions have been a nightmare for the Eagles defensively. Asbury is dead last in the country, 132nd of 132 teams in the NAIA DII, when it comes to points allowed per game. Opponents have averaged a whopping 105 points per game against the Eagles this year, 10 more than Point Park University who are ranked at 131st.
After losing five straight games from Dec. 10 through Jan. 7, changes to stop the Eagles system have come in the attempt to stop them from hemorrhaging points so easily. After getting outscored in those five games by a total of 557-454, Asbury has undergone a bit of a tactical shift.
In the Eagles last two wins against Midway University and Alice Lloyd College, they kept their opponents to under 75 points a piece, the lowest totals of the season. The difference? Slowing down the pace and not forcing mass substitutions to keep fresh legs on the court. Compare the last two wins to the 113-108 loss against IU-Kokomo on Dec. 1, a game in which the System was in full effect. Against IUK, the entire unit on the court would get subbed out for a new one. This would happen 24 times, an average of a full line change every 96 seconds.
Against Midway and Alice Lloyd, the players on the floor were given more time to operate. Only one or two changes were made at a time.The result: the best defensive performances the Eagles have had this season and a good recovery from a bad losing streak.
It also means pickier shot selection. Asbury was throwing up 93 attempts per game before, over 40 of which were three-pointers that were sometimes put up from questionable range. Those averages have dropped by about 20 percent over the last two games.
The Eagles’ conference record has them low on the RSC rankings with nine more conference-opponents still left on the schedule. With this new tweak of tactics working, this “System 2.0” could provide a big shift in momentum as they look towards the postseason.
All stats and figures come courtesy of DakStats and the Asbury University Sports Information Department.