RSC Men's Basketball Weekly Report -- Week 4 -- Dec. 23, 2016 #RSCMBB #RSC
FLORENCE, Ky. -- Week 4 of the River States Conference Men's Basketball Weekly Report brings you up to date on men's hoops in the conference before teams take a break for Christmas. This weekly feature come to you at RiverStatesConference.com
BIG WIN FOR NO. 10 IU EAST
No. 10 IU East ran its record to 12-4 overall with a big win over No. 2 St. Francis (Ind.) on Dec. 22. The Red Wolves came through with an 89-85 win, and the game was played on a big stage at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers.
IU East, which as been ranked all year, now has three wins over NAIA DII Top 25 teams. The Red Wolves are of course coming of last year's trip to the national tournament semifinals, and they have already played the other three Fab Four teams this season. IU East is 2-1 in those games with wins over national runner-up No. 2 St. Francis (Dec. 22) and then-No. 3 Davenport (Nov. 28) and a loss to defending national champ and current No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan (Nov. 15).
IU East continued to further its resume toward a high national ranking with the most-recent win over No. 2 St. Francis. That goes along with the 93-88, overtime win over then-No. 3 Davenport back on Nov. 28 as the Red Wolves have been able to come out on top against the other top teams in the country.
The Red Wolves are led by a trio of guards averaging double digits with Jordan Furlow (12.6 ppg), Kyle Pipenger (12.0) and Jacoby Claypool (11.6 ppg). IU East is third in the nation in 3-point accuracy shooting 43.1 percent from the outside. Forward Aaron Thomas brings size down low at 6-7 and is 10th in the country with 10.1 rpg.
NO. 18 IU SOUTHEAST KEEPS ROLLING
No. 18-ranked IU Southeast is another ranked team in the River States Conference, and the Grenadiers have been one of the hottest teams in the country over the last six weeks. IU Southeast is 10-2 overall, 4-0 RSC and has won 10 of its last 11 games. The only loss for the Grenadiers since Nov. 1 was to NAIA Division I University of Cumberlands on Dec. 10. That stopped an eight-game win streak for the Grenadiers, which had started with a 79-76, overtime win at Cumberlands back on Nov. 1.
IU Southeast leads the country in field-goal defense at 36.6 percent and also has an offense led by three guards in double digits -- Jamie Johnson (14.9 ppg), Demetrius Stanton (14.3 ppg) and Joe Ferree (10.6 ppg). The Grenadiers also have size with starters Robert Sawyer and Joe Jackson measuring in at 6-foot-7.
A LOOK AT THE STANDINGS
A look at the RSC Men's Basketball standings as Christmas arrives shows No. 18 IU Southeast leading the RSC West Division at 4-0 RSC and Point Park leading the RSC East Division at 3-0 RSC. With two months still left to go -- including the bulk of conference play -- there is still plenty to be decided for the four playoff teams from each division.
IU Southeast's lead in the RSC West is 1.0 game over IU Kokomo, which won at Midway in its last conference game Dec. 17 to stay out of a three-way tie for third place in the division. Tied at 2-2 RSC are Asbury (7-6, 2-2 RSC), Cincinnati Christian (5-11, 2-2 RSC) and Alice Lloyd (4-9, 2-2 RSC). Midway (1-4 RSC) and Brescia (0-4 RSC) sit just 1.5 and 2.0 games, respectively, out of a playoff spot heading into the new year.
Point Park is 5-7 overall but 4-1 at home. The 4-1 home mark includes 3-0 conference to lead the RSC East. No. 10 IU East had a chance to tie Point Park for first place and take the divisional lead in RSC victories last weekend but lost at WVU Tech, 85-81, on Dec. 17. The big win for WVU Tech (9-4, 3-1 RSC) has put the Golden Bears tied for second place with IU East (10-4, 3-1 RSC).
The other three teams in the RSC East are currently under .500 in conference play but within 2.0 games of first place. Carlow (1-3 RSC) and Rio Grande (1-3 RSC) have picked up home victories to get in the win column in conference play. Ohio Christian (0-3 RSC) has not had that luxury as it has played all three of its RSC games on the road so far.
NATIONAL LEADERS
RSC teams are among the national leaders in the key areas of scoring, defense, 3-point shooting and rebounding. Asbury continues to lead the nation in scoring offense with 111.8 points per game. The Eagles pace a conference that has seven teams averaging more than 82.9 ppg.
Defensively, IU Southeast is second nationally in field-goal defense holding opponents to 36.6 percent from the field. The blocks category of defense has IU Southeast ranking second nationally at 5.8 bpg and IU East seventh at 4.7 bpg.
RSC teams figure highly among the top 3-point shooting teams in the country. IU East is third in the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage at 43.1 percent. The conference also has three of the top 10 teams in the country in 3-point makes per game. Asbury leads the country at 13.5 per game while Point Park is third at 12.6 per game and Ohio Christian 10th at 10.7 per game.
The rebounding stat has the RSC represented with the No. 2-rebounding team in the country, WVU Tech. The Golden Bears are not only second nationally in rebounding average at 45.2 boards per game, they are also handling their opponents to the tune of ranking second in the country in rebound margin at +14.3 per game.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
All RSC teams are off from Dec. 22-28 with the Christmas break. Play resumes Dec. 29 with No. 10 IU East at No. 17 Washington Adventist, which highlights the final set of games to close out 2016. River States Conference play tips off again after the New Year for the final two months of the season. There are six conference games on Jan. 3 and another nine conference games the weekend of Jan. 6-7 to put things into high gear. Stay updated on RSC men's basketball at RiverStatesConference.com and by following on Twitter @RiverStatesConf and @RSCScores. Like us on Facebook.com/RiverStatesConference.com.