SOUTH ALABAMA JAGUARS
Coach: John Pelphrey | Record: 24-6
Overview:
Coming into this campaign, South Alabama hadn't
had a winning season since 2000-2001. But head coach
John Pelphrey and his squad put last season's
10-win- effort behind them and are sitting at an
impressive 24 wins heading into the NCAA Tournament.
On top of the impressive turnaround, the Jaguars
appear to be hitting their stride, having won 11 of
their last 12 games. This is the school's first NCAA
Tournament appearance since a 13-point loss to
Illinois in the '98 Big Dance.
Potential Difference Maker: This is a team
that makes it fair share of threes, so getting good
looks from behind the arc is important to the Jags'
success. Therefore, a guy like forward Richard Law
becomes an important X-factor. He's not the team's
primary option from behind the stripe, but on seven
occasions this season he's made three or more treys.
On Offense: Look for a lot of ball screens.
They will run some sets, but their offense really
revolves baseline staggers for open threes and just
good solid screening. They also like to get up and
down the floor.
On Defense: Mostly man-to-man and they will
use a 2-2-1 fullcourt to create turnovers. They also
do a nice job of forcing turnovers in the halfcourt.
Strength: No egos. They don’t care who gets
the points. They just want to win. They have really
bought into that concept. They go eleven-deep and
they can all shoot the three. Their top six average
between seven to thirteen points. Carlos Smith is a
great point guard and Leandro Buboltz and Richard
Law are matchup problems at the four-spot.
Weakness: They don’t have great post play.
Jason McGriff isn’t a real low post threat.
Key to Success: Stay within the confines of
what got them to this point and take care of the
basketball.
How to Beat Them: You must have good
transition defense. Defend the perimeter and make
them beat you off the dribble.
