Rematch features new look ballclubs

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The same schools that met for last year's Sun Belt Conference championship will face off on Friday when South Alabama visits Western Kentucky. But both teams are now presenting drastically different looks.

South Alabama beat WKU 95-70 in Murfreesboro, Tenn., for last year's SBC championship NCAA Tournament big. But the Jaguars have taken a graduation hit - returning only two starters - and have lost their top three scorers from last year.

Of the Jaguars' four scorers in double figures, two didn't play last season. And UAB transfer Ernest Little only became eligible last weekend, so it's made for a quick chemistry lesson for South Alabama.

?As a coach you're hoping for that magical formula that will help speed things up,? coach John Pelphrey said. ?I would say its been OK. We're on par. We have six guys that are new, so you're trying to fit the new pieces into the puzzle.?

With its roster overhaul, the Jaguars have started off 6-5 entering their Sun Belt opener against the Hilltoppers.

Their wins have been expected, coming against teams such as Morehead State and Winston Salem State. Their losses haven't been shocking either, the last three to Southeastern Conference opponents.

Meanwhile, Western's squad also differs from last year's.

Much was made last season about the Hilltoppers' inability to find a true point guard. That issue has been taken care of, however, as junior college transfer Tyrone Brazelton currently sits second on the Hilltoppers with a 10.9 points per game average. Backup point guard Orlando Mendez-Valdez and Brazelton both have a team-high 42 assists.

Brazelton did his best to help the Hilltoppers pull out a win on Tuesday against North Texas - to no avail. After Courtney Lee picked up his fifth foul with just over three minutes remaining, Brazelton took over any scoring slack and scored seven points in the final minutes. He finished with 18 points and five assists.


?We know (Lee) is a great player, but at the same time we have several great players on our team,? WKU guard Ty Rogers said.

Western's point-guard situation has been rectified, but it's problem now is inside, where it can't find consistent quality play without former center Elgrace Wilborn.

North Texas outrebounded WKU 48-34, and recorded 19 offensive rebounds, in the Hilltoppers' 86-85 conference-opening loss on Tuesday. Center Keith Wooden had 17 points and eight rebounds in the performance.

?We knew that was going to be an issue, and it's going to continue to be an issue for us,? WKU coach Darrin Horn said. ?But coming into it, I thought (North Texas) was the most athletic and the longest and strongest team in our league - from what we've been able to tell from last year and the film we've been able to watch on the teams to this point.?

The Hilltoppers could get another big test against Little on Friday. The 6-foot-9, 230-pound Little scored 17 points and seven rebounds in his Jaguars debut on Saturday against Ole Miss. But Little only had seven points and six rebounds in 11 minutes on Tuesday against Texas College.

?He has a chance to be a very good player for us,? Pelphrey said. ?He has to potential to do it night in and night out for us, but there's certainly an adjustment period.?

 

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South Alabama starts Sun Belt play
Jaguars hit the road for conference opener tonight at Western Kentucky
Friday, December 22, 2006


South Alabama's Sun Belt Conference championship a year ago obviously didn't mean much when the league schedule was determined because the Jaguars must go on the road to play the same team they humiliated by 25 points in last season's title game.

USA (6-5, 0-0) has to open defense of its conference crown at Western Kentucky tonight at 7 in E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky., where 7,000 Hilltopper fans will be in rabid form.

"I don't think the league did us any favors by putting us on the road before and after Christmas," South Alabama coach John Pelphrey said of the trips to Western Kentucky and then to Arkansas State on Dec. 28. "You'd like to be playing at home around the holidays and we're going to places where it's very difficult to win.





"It's going to be a big challenge going to Western Kentucky. They've had a good start, playing a very good schedule, and they're going to be ready for us."

The Hilltoppers (8-4, 0-1) will be foaming at the mouth to have the Jaguars on their home floor after being drubbed 95-70 back on March 7 in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The loss sent Western Kentucky to the National Invitational Tournament while South Alabama packed its bags for its first NCAA tournament trip in eight years.

"I anticipate them coming out and trying to play their best against us," said USA senior guard Carlos Smith. "They're going to have a chip on their shoulders and they'll want to tear our heads off. They'll really be motivated for this one and their fans will really get into this game. They've got the best fans in the conference."

South Alabama has little momentum heading into the Bluegrass. The Jaguars have lost four of their last six games and the latest victory was an 80-56 thumping of an NAIA school, Texas College, on Tuesday. The previous three games were losses to SEC clubs -- Auburn, Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

"Playing the SEC teams has been good for us," said Smith, who gave up his point guard duties to Daon Merritt this season and has moved to shooting guard, where he's averaging 10.3 points. "If you play better competition, you're going to get better. It's helped us a team to get ready for league play.

"Playing the SEC teams has given us a better understanding of what it's going to take on the defensive end. We have to be more committed to playing defense. If we get it done on defense, the rest will come."

The Jaguars have done a good job in turnover margin, committing five fewer per game than their opponents, and have contested shots well (allowing 46 percent shooting).

Part of South Alabama's problem defensively has been the guards dropping down to double-team the post players and then giving up wide-open jumpers, but that shouldn't happen as frequently with junior center Ernest Little now patrolling the paint.

Little, the 6-foot-9 transfer from UAB, has played just 44 minutes since becoming eligible on Dec. 12 and has blocked four shots and altered a dozen others. He won't need much help defending the post, so the guards can close down on the perimeter.

Defending the perimeter will be pivotal tonight because Western Kentucky's top scorers are guards. Junior Courtney Lee, a first-team all-league choice a year ago, has long-range accuracy, is a threat in the paint and is averaging 19.0 points. Junior transfer Tyrone Brazelton is averaging 10.9 points and junior Ty Rogers, another 3-point marksman, is averaging 8.5 points. The Hilltoppers have knocked down 98 threes.

Opening the league schedule at Western Kentucky is a difficult assignment in itself, but the timing of South Alabama's visit isn't good either. The Hilltoppers dropped their first league game, an 86-85 setback at home to North Texas on Tuesday, and are riding a three-game losing streak. The previous two losses were at Tennessee (93-79) and to Southern Illinois (75-70).

In addition to Smith, the Jaguars have three other players averaging in double figures heading into league play. Junior guard Demetric Bennett leads the way with 15.4 points. Little is scoring 12 points and pulling down a team-high 6.5 rebounds, and Merritt is adding 10 points and nearly seven assists per game.

USA has struggled from the free-throw line, making just 61 percent, which could prove costly in close games.

"I think we're close to putting everything together and this basketball team will figure it out," Pelphrey said. "This team has good chemistry, but the understanding of what it's going to take to win an Eastern Division championship is not quite there yet. But, as I said earlier, we're close."