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WF Game 9: NJ Institute of Technology - 8 pm Saturday ACCN

Pilchard

Pilchard

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Trivia time:

Can you guess which school holds the following NCAA D1 basketball records:
  1. Most losses in a winless season?
  2. Most consecutive defeats in one season?
  3. Most consecutive defeats over more than one season?
  4. What is that loser school's nickname?
Did you guess the NJIT Highlanders? If so, you are smarter than the average bear.

Yes, NJIT has a sad MBB history. The Highlanders went D-1 starting with the 2006-7 season, and in their 18 seasons at that level of college basketball, NJIT has four (4) winning seasons, but it gets even worse than that. Between a 78-74 win over Longwood on February 19, 2007 and a January 21, 2009 61-51 win over Bryant, the Highlanders lost an NCAA D-1 record 51 straight games, including a perfect 0-29 2008 season. NJIT has never received an NCAA or NIT bid. The one highlight in NJIT basketball history was a December 6, 2014 win over #17 Michigan:

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So, it can happen, but its not going to happen on Saturday at the Joel.

Here is a very quick take on the Highlanders:

NJIT 2-6 (#342). The 2023-4 Highlanders have played two games against top 100 teams losing 101-60 @#38 Miami and 86-68 @#98 G Mason. NJIT is coming off its best game of the season, upsetting #198 Fordham 80-77. Fordham barfed on itself to lose this game, as the Rams essentially led the entire game, but couldn't put away the pesky Highlanders, who took the first lead with less than 2 minutes to go. The analytics paint an ugly picture for the Highlanders (keep in mind that there are 362 D-1 teams):

Offense:

Efficiency: 96.2 #323
E FG%: 46.7 #276
TO%: 20 #277
Off. Reb. %: 26% #271
3 PT%: 34% #133
2 PT% 43% #337

Defense:

Efficiency: 113.2 #341
E FG%: 515 #229
TO%: 16% #265
Off Reb.%: 38% #352
3 PT%: 39% #339
2 PT%:48% #107

While NJIT's coach, 6-10 Grant Billmeier (assistant under Kevin Willard at Seton Hall and MD - Billmeier played at Seton Hall), is one of the tallest in college basketball, he wants his Highlander squad playing small ball. In his first year as HC, Billmeier decided that three point shot would be the centerpiece of the NJIT rebuild; so, this season, 43% of NJITs FG attempts are from behind the arc, and 37% of the Highlander offense comes from three. Last night, that plan worked as NJIT hit 48% from three and the Highlanders upset Fordham. NJIT is a small team (#314 in height); so, they can't score inside. Guard the three and pound NJIT inside seems like the obvious gameplan.

Roster:
Yesterday in the win over Fordam, NJIT started:

6-1 frosh Sebastian Robinson: 10 ppg; 3 apg; 26% from three; 7 points; 5 assists in last night's win
6-4 Sr. Adam Hess: Cal. Baptist/Salt Lake CC/UTEP/Eastern New Mexico transfer; rep as a three point sniper; 45% from three; leads the team in attempts and makes from behind the arc
6-4 Sr. Mekhi Gray: 4 year starter; 29% from three; leads team in fouls and TOs; scored a team high 21 points in the win over Fordham
6-5 6th yr. Elijah Buchanan: Manhattan transfer; 24 year-old; sixth year of college basketball; 38% from three;
6-9 Sr. Daniel Schreier: another Manhattan transfer; coming off his first college start; had 4 points and 2 boards against Forham; has not made a three since 2019 (seriously)

Bench:

6-9 6th yr. Kjell de Graff: started first two games; injured for 4 games, but is now back; can shoot the three (36% last season);
6-0 frosh Tariq Francis: 9 ppg 2 apg; 35% from three;

The Projection:

KP: WF 86 NJIT 63
Torvik: WF 87 NJIT 64

NJIT starts a three game stretch for WF against NCAA D1 weaklings (#342 NJIT, #308 Delaware State -- BTW, NJIT's other win was against Del.State, and #295 Presbyterian). Previously, the Deacs played with their food against #299 Elon (trailing by as much as 21 points) and #343 Charleston Southern (trailing more than 5 minutes into the 2nd half); so, it's time for WF to pounce on a weaker opponent from the opening tip, and not let up... ever. NJIT is a one-trick pony; shoot a lot of threes, hope the high variance nature of that shot keeps it in the game; it worked yesterday; it should not work on Saturday against an improving WF team.

As stated on other threads, this WF team is undervalued. The younger players (Miller, Sallis and Parker) are starting to jell; WF now has an athletic presence inside with Efton eligible; and, WF is playing with urgency to make for lost opportunities in losses to UGA, Utah and LSU. Would expect the line to open higher than the projected 23.5 as the books noticed a lot of early winning action on WF yesterday as they got caught off guard with the Efton eligibility news. Even so, would like WF at any number below 26. Would tread lightly as NJIT will continue firing threes; that said, Miami beat this team by 41; WF needs to make a similar statement.
 
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BarcaDeac said:
there a lot of high land in New Jersey?
Click to expand...
Good question:

From the unimpeachable Wiki:

NJIT is located in an area of Newark presently known as University Heights, and formerly known as the Newark Highlands. In addition, NJIT's mailing address used to be High Street until the street was renamed in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. These various references to 'High' are, in large measure, what led the school's students to choose The Highlander as its mascot.
 
Legitimately surprised this wasn't just an ACCNX game...well ACCN here we come baby! Get ready highlanders
 
Wakeforest22890 said:
Legitimately surprised this wasn't just an ACCNX game...well ACCN here we come baby! Get ready highlanders
Click to expand...
Could not believe that this is the prime-time ACCN Saturday game, but there were not many options:

UNC and UVA don't play until 12/16 because they have late exams. Similarly, NC State is off until 12/12.
L'ville, ND (they play at Marquette yikes), Cuse, all play OOC road games; so, the ACC doesn't hold the rights
BC hosts Holy Cross on Friday; Miami hosts Colorado on Sunday; so, no Saturday games for those two.
Clemson is playing in made for TV event in Toronto against TCU and Fox holds the rights to that one (BTW, that's a big game for the ACC; a win over a good Big 12 team would help.

After that, the rest of the ACC hosts a bunch of very crappy opponents:

#315 Valpo at VT: noon on the CW
#109 Charlotte at Duke: 2:15 on the CW

#184 USF at FSU: 1:30 ACCN
#348 Alabama A&M at GT: 4 pm ACCN
#195 Canisuis (pronounced "nauseous") at Pitt: 6 pm ACCN
#342 NJIT at WF: 8 pm ACCN

I guess that the CW had dibs on the Duke game, and so the ACCN just took what was leftover and tried to make chicken salad.

FWIW, realize that WF has played a some reasonably tough games, so far, but NJIT really sucked last year (7-23 #330; they fired their coach); everyone knew they would suck this year; think WF and/or the ACC would have been smart to schedule a marginally tougher more compelling opponent, for both SOS and knowing that the product would be televised. Not saying WF needed to schedule Arizona, but why not play #151 High Point, #153 Longwood, #154 WCU, #161 Winthrop, #163 Radford, #203 UNCA, #204 Gardner Webb, #211 Wofford, or #234 ETSU. Plus, those games would generate at least a little more local interest. Feel like it was lazy to play NJIT, and while it likely will have no impact on where WF's season goes, WF should be smarter than scheduling NJIT (or Delaware State).

FWIW, in contrast to the ACC's tepid competition this Saturday (other than Clemson/TCU), there are some massive OOC games in other conferences this Saturday that will grab the spotlight on the first weekend without college football (other than the 13-10 Army Navy game) and before the NFL starts with their Saturday games:

#2 Purdue v. #13 Bama (in Toronto too)
#6 BYU at #40 Utah (WF would be helped by a Utah upset
#14 Illinois at #9 Tennessee (man, Tennessee has played a big boy schedule)
#14 Wisconsin at #4 Arizona
#27 Cincy at #52 Xavier
#10 Gonzaga at #58 Washington
#44 Arkansas v. #18 Oklahoma
#42 UCLA at #32 Nova
#65 Indiana v. #17 Auburn
#55 K State at #93 LSU

The other power conferences knew that this upcoming weekend was the first with focus on college basketball and scheduled accordingly. The ACC, for whatever reason, passed.
 
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