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On January 4, the Pepperdine Waves (14-12, 7-5) came to the Kennel as 21-point underdogs. Outside of the the @San Francisco game, it ended up being the closest the Zags came to getting defeated in WCC play (75-70), and the closest margin win for the Zags in the Kennel this year. Since that loss to the Bulldogs, the Waves have gone 7-3 in conference play, with their losses only to the top tier of the WCC. Last week, they lost at Pacific by just one point.
KenPom currently ranks the Waves at #146 overall (#56 offense, #280 defense). They have an impressive offense, averaging 77.2 points per game (which is #24 nationally). They are also #2 nationally in free throw percentage. On the other side of the coin, their opponents, on average, have scored more than they have, by a tiny bit, while the Zags hold the largest margin of victory average in the country. Tempo is quite fast (#42), which the Zags won't complain about at all.
Pepperdine takes care of the ball and they don't get many turnovers. They shoot the ball well and pass well. What they don't do well is defend. They are #320 nationally in points given up. They are at nearly the very bottom in almost every category regarding opponent shooting (Opp FG%, Opp 3p made, etc. etc.). Having not watched them more than a couple times this year, I'm not sure what the dynamic is here with Romar's strategy. I guess it's excel offensively and don't worry about the defense (aka Adam Morrison approach). Perhaps the Zags had an off day in January right after the New Year with the Kennel Club gone. But while the last game was razor close, I expect the #1 offense against the #280 defense to do some major damage this time.
Torvik predicts a 93-77 win for the Dogs. Regardless, it looks to be an offensive horse race. You can expect Romar to add some weird strategic twist though, so it'll probably be interesting. A Zag win would gain them a notch in the NET Quadrant II category.
KenPom currently ranks the Waves at #146 overall (#56 offense, #280 defense). They have an impressive offense, averaging 77.2 points per game (which is #24 nationally). They are also #2 nationally in free throw percentage. On the other side of the coin, their opponents, on average, have scored more than they have, by a tiny bit, while the Zags hold the largest margin of victory average in the country. Tempo is quite fast (#42), which the Zags won't complain about at all.
Pepperdine takes care of the ball and they don't get many turnovers. They shoot the ball well and pass well. What they don't do well is defend. They are #320 nationally in points given up. They are at nearly the very bottom in almost every category regarding opponent shooting (Opp FG%, Opp 3p made, etc. etc.). Having not watched them more than a couple times this year, I'm not sure what the dynamic is here with Romar's strategy. I guess it's excel offensively and don't worry about the defense (aka Adam Morrison approach). Perhaps the Zags had an off day in January right after the New Year with the Kennel Club gone. But while the last game was razor close, I expect the #1 offense against the #280 defense to do some major damage this time.
Torvik predicts a 93-77 win for the Dogs. Regardless, it looks to be an offensive horse race. You can expect Romar to add some weird strategic twist though, so it'll probably be interesting. A Zag win would gain them a notch in the NET Quadrant II category.
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