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ECU Hoops Preview: Pirates look to snap seven-game losing streak against DII Chowan
CUSA-fans.com has a new staff of team correspondents this fall to help bring you, the fan, more detailed Conference USA sports coverage. Today, our ECU Correspondent Thomas "Bubba" Rosenbaum previews the basketball game between East Carolina and Chowan.
On Saturday, East Carolina will meet Division II Chowan College ( Murfreesboro, NC) for the first time since the 1940-41 season. The Pirates lead the all-time series over the Hawks (formerly the Braves), 2-1. Tip-off time is 7:00 p.m. at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
Ricky Stokes’ club has lost seven straight and it will be seeking desperately to end that streak in its final non-conference game of the season. East Carolina begins CUSA play next Wednesday (Jan. 10 th) when it travels to Oklahoma to face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
The Pirates are coming off an 81-65 loss at Wake Forest, but there were some bright spots.
Freshman James Dillard, who saw his first significant playing time against NC State, started and finished in double figures for a second consecutive game. The 6’5” forward, who was on the East Carolina track team last season, offers the Pirates good size and tremendous jumping ability. This is critical given the Pirates’ extremely thin frontcourt. He also knocked down 6-of-8 free throw attempts.
The Pirates also did a good job of taking care of the basketball against Wake Forest’s man-to-man defense. They committed 11 turnovers in the contest and point guard Darrell Jenkins only had one after turning it over four times at NC State.
John Fields has missed the last three games with a shoulder injury and is expected to be out anywhere from one to four more weeks. Don’t expect him to play against the Hawks. He currently leads Conference USA in blocked shots, as he is swatting just over three per contest.
Chowan will be either 6-7 or 5-8 when they get to Greenville on Saturday depending on the outcome of their mid-week tilt at Millersville (PA) on Wednesday night. The Hawks’ start has been disappointing when you consider they return four starters off of last year’s 19-11 team. Jim Tribbett is in his fifth season at the helm of the program and it has progressed each year under his leadership.
Despite the slow start, they did notch a solid win over a very good Barton College team (who has been ranked as high as No. 2 in Division 2) that defeated Division I Liberty in an exhibition game. Liberty defeated East Carolina, 64-56.
The Hawks are much like the Pirates, as they haven’t much size but can hurt you with their quickness. Chowan does not have a player taller than 6’6” on its roster. They have started 12 different guys, all of who play at least an average of nine minutes a game.
The Hawks have had three consistent starters in seniors Trayvon Lathan and Marcus Artis along with freshman Deon Tynes.
Senior guard Trayvon Lathan (6’6”, 200) leads the team in scoring, as he is posting 17.9 points and 6.4 rebounds. He also leads the team with slightly over two steals per contest.
Artis, a 6’4” forward, is scoring 10.7 points and pulling down 6.4 boards per game. Tynes (6’5”, 210) has compiled comparable numbers, as he is averaging 10.2 points and a team leading 6.8 rebounds in his freshman campaign.
The team’s top three-point shooter is Chris Kenon, who has nailed 14-of-32 attempts from long range.
As a team, Chowan is shooting 45.8 percent from the floor, but only 31 percent from three. The Hawks also struggle from the charity stripe, as they’re only converting 61.8 percent of their free throws.
Defensively, Chowan is forcing 16 turnovers and 9.5 steals per game. Based on their lack of size and the number of players that get significant minutes, the Hawks most likely prefer to play a pressing, up-tempo style of basketball where they can get some baskets as a product of their quickness.
FOR EAST CAROLINA TO WIN, IT MUST:
- MATCH (OR EXCEED) CHOWAN’S INTENSITY - Although the Pirates are struggling, there is no doubt that the Hawks will be sky high to face an in-state, Division I opponent. If East Carolina takes Chowan lightly, which I can’t imagine happening given its current situation, they could suffer an embarrassing defeat. ECU needs to make the Hawks earn everything they get.
- SECURE THE BASKETBALL - ECU did a good job of this in their loss to Wake Forest. They will need to do this again versus a Chowan team that forces a lot of turnovers and seems to prefer an up-tempo style.
Final ECU vs. Chowan Prediction:
Chowan will hang around for a while, but the Pirates will pull away in the second half for a comfortable win.
East Carolina 79 - Chowan 58
by Thomas "Bubba" Rosenbaum -
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