Just six games remain on the conference schedule and with some help, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks could find themselves in a race for the Big Sky Conference?s regular-season championship.
Currently sitting in fourth in the Big Sky, two games back of the first-place Eastern Washington Eagles (19-6, 10-2), Northern Arizona (13-12, 8-4) can capture a head-to-head tiebreaker with a win on Saturday. Before they face off with the Eagles, however, the Lumberjacks will host the Idaho Vandals (11-12, 6-6). It?ll be the first meeting at home against Idaho since 1996, when the Vandals left the Big Sky for the Big West Conference.
Both Idaho and Eastern Washington enter this week?s games as two of the highest-scoring and fastest-paced schools in the Big Sky. The Eagles sit sixth in the nation at 80.6 points per game and rank 40th in the nation in adjusted tempo with 68 possessions per game. Idaho?s numbers are nearly identical, with 77.2 points per game to rank 20th nationally and its 68.2 possessions coming in 36th.
?Make them play against our half-court defense -- that is our No. 1 key,? said Lumberjacks head coach Jack Murphy. ?I think our half-court defense for the most part has been pretty good, and when teams have had to play against it, they have struggled. Got to make it a half-court game.?
Northern Arizona enters play today second in the conference in points allowed (67.4), third in field goal percentage defense (44.1) and first in 3-point percentage defense (32.9).
The final stat may be the most important, with both Idaho and Eastern Washington boasting 3-point shooters who rank in the top 10 in the nation.
Idaho?s Connor Hill has hit 52.7 percent from 3 since conference play began and is tied for 10th in the country with 82 3-pointers made. Tyler Harvey of Eastern Washington leads the nation in scoring with 23.4 points and is second with 93 3-pointers despite playing in just 22 games.
?You are not going to face many better individual shooters or team shooters as we are this week,? Murphy said, as Idaho and Eastern Washington sit 1-2 in 3-point percentage. ?The key is just being there on the catch, doing your job and not overhelping.?
Murphy also stressed the importance of one of his team?s strengths, rebounding, as a way to slow down each team?s scorers. The Lumberjacks lead the Big Sky with an average of 36.8 rebounds, just ahead of Idaho?s 36.3.
?You can?t give them second opportunities. A 50 percent 3-point shooter, he is going to make one of the two,? Murphy added.
Murphy looked to last week?s loss at Idaho State as an example of what the Lumberjacks need to avoid. Despite dominating on the boards by outrebounding the Bengals 12-5 on the offensive end, 15 turnovers led to 25 of their 80 points. The easy baskets led to the Bengals easily outscoring their season average of 64.1 points per game.
Thanks to the Big Sky?s new unbalanced conference schedule, Northern Arizona will face Idaho and Eastern Washington just once. After a pair of road losses to Sacramento State and Montana, Northern Arizona is currently 0-2 against schools sitting above them in the Big Sky standings.
A win against Eastern Washington on Saturday would assure a head-to-head tiebreaker, a potentially vital situation as the top four in the Big Sky remain separated by just two games.
Currently sitting in fourth in the Big Sky, two games back of the first-place Eastern Washington Eagles (19-6, 10-2), Northern Arizona (13-12, 8-4) can capture a head-to-head tiebreaker with a win on Saturday. Before they face off with the Eagles, however, the Lumberjacks will host the Idaho Vandals (11-12, 6-6). It?ll be the first meeting at home against Idaho since 1996, when the Vandals left the Big Sky for the Big West Conference.
Both Idaho and Eastern Washington enter this week?s games as two of the highest-scoring and fastest-paced schools in the Big Sky. The Eagles sit sixth in the nation at 80.6 points per game and rank 40th in the nation in adjusted tempo with 68 possessions per game. Idaho?s numbers are nearly identical, with 77.2 points per game to rank 20th nationally and its 68.2 possessions coming in 36th.
?Make them play against our half-court defense -- that is our No. 1 key,? said Lumberjacks head coach Jack Murphy. ?I think our half-court defense for the most part has been pretty good, and when teams have had to play against it, they have struggled. Got to make it a half-court game.?
Northern Arizona enters play today second in the conference in points allowed (67.4), third in field goal percentage defense (44.1) and first in 3-point percentage defense (32.9).
The final stat may be the most important, with both Idaho and Eastern Washington boasting 3-point shooters who rank in the top 10 in the nation.
Idaho?s Connor Hill has hit 52.7 percent from 3 since conference play began and is tied for 10th in the country with 82 3-pointers made. Tyler Harvey of Eastern Washington leads the nation in scoring with 23.4 points and is second with 93 3-pointers despite playing in just 22 games.
?You are not going to face many better individual shooters or team shooters as we are this week,? Murphy said, as Idaho and Eastern Washington sit 1-2 in 3-point percentage. ?The key is just being there on the catch, doing your job and not overhelping.?
Murphy also stressed the importance of one of his team?s strengths, rebounding, as a way to slow down each team?s scorers. The Lumberjacks lead the Big Sky with an average of 36.8 rebounds, just ahead of Idaho?s 36.3.
?You can?t give them second opportunities. A 50 percent 3-point shooter, he is going to make one of the two,? Murphy added.
Murphy looked to last week?s loss at Idaho State as an example of what the Lumberjacks need to avoid. Despite dominating on the boards by outrebounding the Bengals 12-5 on the offensive end, 15 turnovers led to 25 of their 80 points. The easy baskets led to the Bengals easily outscoring their season average of 64.1 points per game.
Thanks to the Big Sky?s new unbalanced conference schedule, Northern Arizona will face Idaho and Eastern Washington just once. After a pair of road losses to Sacramento State and Montana, Northern Arizona is currently 0-2 against schools sitting above them in the Big Sky standings.
A win against Eastern Washington on Saturday would assure a head-to-head tiebreaker, a potentially vital situation as the top four in the Big Sky remain separated by just two games.
