I won't miss playing in Bakersfield once we start play in the MWC!

We've got our problems right now for sure. We lack the size and physicality we need to compete in the paint with teams that are bigger and stronger in the interior than us. Rocak does an amazing job for his size but he takes a beating and hasn't been able to do much offensively. Mani and Chapelle are more stretch 4's than bangers in the paint and they have a tough time defending big, strong players down low. Tamba helps out scoring inside and getting on the boards but he's been taking a physical beating too.

Our poor outside shooting compounds these problems and puts a lot of pressure on our defense to keep us in the game. You can see the frustration in the players when the shots are not dropping and then they start pressing too hard trying to make something happen.

FG percentage

Johnson .. 38%
Tamba ..... 65%
Debruhl .... 43%
Seville........38%
Roca .........50%
Mani..........50%
Daughtery..33%
Cooper.......48%
Chappell....29%

Big West Team Overall Team Stats: UC Davis

FG % - ....#10 (.42%)
Scoring - #9 (71 ppg)
3-pnt % - #10 (.31%)
Free Th - #8 (.73%)
RPG..... - #8 (35 RPG)
Bl-Shts.- .#1 (4 BPG)

https://bigwest.org/stats.aspx?path=mbball&year=2024

Connor has a tough time at Pepperdine (2-11) and that seems to be affecting his confidence. Including that game, he’s 7-25 the past 3. He was pretty high (around 42%) before the game vs the Waves

Teams like us who do not have a lot of interior size generally need to have good 3 point shooting to make up the difference against teams who are strong in the paint. Shooting 31% from beyond the arc won't cut it for us and it's uncharacteristically low for an Aggie team especially when you consider that Les puts an emphasis on elite guard play.

Johnson seems to drive into the paint w no idea where he is going, then throws up a prayer, hoping for a foul.

I saw that St Mary’s beat Pepperdine 71-41; so, probably good we don’t have St Mary’s on the schedule!

Wow! That puts things into a rather concerning perspective...