SLU overcame mediocre shooting by dominating the boards and holding on to beat #130 Vermont 58-55 at Chaifetz Arena. This is the last game before Christmas vacation.
It also marks the end of the vacation portion of the schedule. To date, the Billikens’ schedule has been one of the weakest in the country (#332 out of 351 in Division I) but there is tougher sledding ahead. The only opponent left on the schedule behind SLUs #218 ranking is Fordham at #257. KenPom.com predicts just two wins the rest of the way (Fordham is not even one of those).
But this season is not about wins. Progress, growth, minutes, reps — this is what we are investing in.
Lineups
SLU starters: McBroom, Yacoubou, Roby, Yarbrough, Manning
— stu durando (@studurando) December 21, 2014
Minutes Leaders (non-starters in Bold):
- Yacoubou (30)
- Mike Crawford (27)
- McBroom (26)
- Yarbrough (25)
- Roby (21)
The Big Man Math did not add up as neatly this game. Agbeko racked up three quick fouls the minute his warmups hit the floor, and Crawford grabbed a few extra minutes in a smaller lineup. The Safecracker also went with a shorter bench, as Reynolds, Agbeko and Jolly saw only four minutes each.
SLU 58, Vermont 55
| SLU | Vermont | |
|---|---|---|
| 2-PT FG% | 42.2% | 62.1% |
| 3-PT FG% | 44.4% | 21.4% |
| FT% | 57.1% | 66.7% |
| True Shooting % | 48.2% | 55.4% |
SLU Player Stats
(Definitions at bottom of post)
- Double-double from Yarbrough with six assists to boot
- Crawford is starting to emerge as the nominal Sixth Man
Summary
Yarbrough went Draymond Green on the Catamounts, banging and dishing the team to victory. McBroom left the game with a headache but apparently was checked out OK for concussion symptoms. And Grandy’s season ends before it begins:
Grandy Glaze announced on his Instagram account that he will have shoulder surgery Jan. 5 and miss his entire senior season.
— stu durando (@studurando) December 21, 2014
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AdjGS: variation on the Game Score metric created by John Hollinger, detailed here. Hollinger’s original formula is Adjusted to reallocate the points in the game by ratio of the player’s overall impact. Credit to the team at Rock M Nation for this improvement.
True Shooting %: Per Basketball Reference, true shooting percentage is a measure of shooting efficiency that takes into account field goals, 3-point field goals, and free throws.