0-3.
If you just look at that, your mind probably goes straight to something along the lines of “oh boy, this is going to be a LONG season.” Only time will tell if that is, in fact, the case. But the first three games of the Bemidji State men’s basketball season have taught us a lot about what is, undoubtedly, one of Coach Mike Boschee’s youngest teams in his five-season tenure at BSU. The good news for him and the team is that if you and I can point out the flaws, certainly the coaching staff and the team are already addressing the issues. Let’s take a closer look before the Beavers play Wisconsin-Superior and Northland College at home to wrap up non-conference play:
The Good
Jai’Vionne Green- This freshman guard from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin is a certified baller! He has led the team in scoring in two of the three games while averaging 16.3 points per game and shooting 47% from beyond the arc along with 75% from the free throw line. Maybe more impressively from a coaches standpoint is that he picked up two very early fouls against Central Missouri and, with the staff leaving him in the game, he stayed out of foul trouble for the rest of the game. He does have a team-high ten turnovers, but he is going to turn the ball over because of the aggressive nature of how he plays, not to mention that he is far from the finished product as a freshman.
The Bad
The (lack of any) inside game- This is where Coach Boschee thought the team would be solid, but his three senior co-captains (Ben Best, Will Harvey, and Shane White- who averaged a combined 24 PPG and 12.5 rebounds per game last season) are all off to rough starts this season. The trio are averaging just 12.7 PPG and 10.3 rebounds per game in the first three this season. In comparison, through three games last season, Best, Harvey, and White combined to average 26.3 points and 15.7 rebounds per game.
The Ugly
The beginning and end of halves have been absolutely brutal, and have blown open close games. In the opener against Lindenwood, the Lions opened the game and finished the first half with two 8-0 runs and extended the latter of the two into a 19-5 run spanning 9:18 wrapped around halftime that put the game away. Next up with Central Missouri, and the Mules opened the game with a 17-3 run and after BSU cut the lead to one later in the half, UCM answered with a 12-2 run again on either side of the break. The biggest example of these issues came against Concordia St. Paul. After a tic-for-tac first half, the Golden Bears opened the second half with a 15-0 run to blow a close game open while BSU was held without a field goal for 10:05 (more on this in a second). To further the pain of it, the Beavers lost by only 12 (makes you say “what if?” doesn’t it?).
Other Notes
Offensive and defensive woes: BSU ranks last in the Northern Sun in both FG percentage (36%) and FG percentage defense (48%) Perhaps unsurprisingly based on those stats, Bemidji State ranks last in the NSIC in scoring offense (55.7 PPG) and scoring margin (-15.0 PPG). The Beavers also rank last in three-point FG percentage (27%) and rank 14th in FT percentage (64%).
Board up: BSU has an even rebounding margin through three games (104-104) and are second in the conference in offensive rebounding with 39 (13/game).
Turnover Issues: Through three games, the Beavers have the worst assist-to-turnover margin in the NSIC (27 assists, 44 turnovers) and have been forced into 15 turnovers per game while only forcing 11 per game.