The root of Liberty?s struggles on the defensive end this season, especially when defending 3-point shooters, can be traced to a few fundamental elements of the pack-line defense.
Opposing teams have been able to pass quickly out of the post to spot-up shooters, and the Flames at times are slow in rotation to contest perimeter shots.
UNC Asheville and Campbell thrived with that type of play in two games inside the Vines Center in late January, and Presbyterian even enjoyed success shooting 3-pointers Jan. 27 in Clinton, South Carolina.
The Flames have improved in defending the perimeter shot, especially during their run in the Big South Conference tournament, and the improvement will be tested against one of the hottest shooting teams in the country.
Central Michigan has made 34 3-pointers in its past two games, both on the road in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. The red-hot Chippewas (21-14) visit the Vines Center for a quarterfinal matchup against the Flames (21-14) in the CIT quarterfinal round at 2 p.m. Saturday.
?They shoot the ball really well and they shoot a lot of 3s. You?ve just got to kind of know some of them are going to go in, but you?ve got to make every single one of them as tough as possible,? Liberty junior guard Lovell Cabbil said. ?They have pretty good shooters all across the board. They?re going to make some tough ones, so we?ve just got to be able to move on to the next play after they do.?
Cabbil (right knee) and senior forward Ryan Kemrite (back) are both expected to start against the Chippewas, according to Liberty coach Ritchie McKay. He said the two have ?practiced without restrictions? after missing the March 12 matchup with North Carolina A&T.
The experience of Cabbil and Kemrite in the pack-line defense will be essential to slowing down CMU, which shot 17 of 39 from 3-point range in a first-round game at Fort Wayne and then went 17 for 38 from distance in the second round at Wofford.
The Chippewas are one of six Division I teams to attempt more than 1,000 3-pointers this season, and they average nearly 29 attempts from beyond the arc per game.
Four players have made more than 50 triples this season, led by David DiLeo?s 92 3s.
?I think you can get lulled into a false sense of security by thinking you?re just going to slow a really good offensive team,? McKay said. ?They?re potent and they?re playing really free. They?ve got so many weapons on the perimeter and there?s never a time when they don?t have five guys that can really shoot on the floor.?
CMU has made at least 11 3-pointers in five of its past six games. The outlier in the stretch was against Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference tournament quarterfinal round March 8 when the Bulls, who played in the NCAA Tournament, limited the Chippewas to 6-of-28 shooting from beyond the arc.
The Chippewas have made fewer than 10 3-pointers in 10 of their 14 losses this season.
?It?s going to be on us to impose our will and do what we do every day,? Kemrite said. ?That?s what we?re going to try to do and that?s what we?ve tried to do with every team that we?ve played this year.?
The Flames are playing for the first time in 12 days, and the added rest has allowed for Cabbil and Kemrite to recover from injuries suffered in the practices leading up to the second-round contest against North Carolina A&T.
McKay gave his team four days off for spring break and has utilized the three practices prior to Saturday?s game to get the team refocused and situated for the Chippewas? shooting.
?I?ve watched other teams have similar layoffs during this tournament, and they haven?t performed well,? McKay said. ?I don?t know what it?s going to look like Saturday afternoon, but I love the character of our group and I wouldn?t put it past them to come out with a sense of urgency and determination that is reflective of who?ve they?ve been all year.?
Opposing teams have been able to pass quickly out of the post to spot-up shooters, and the Flames at times are slow in rotation to contest perimeter shots.
UNC Asheville and Campbell thrived with that type of play in two games inside the Vines Center in late January, and Presbyterian even enjoyed success shooting 3-pointers Jan. 27 in Clinton, South Carolina.
The Flames have improved in defending the perimeter shot, especially during their run in the Big South Conference tournament, and the improvement will be tested against one of the hottest shooting teams in the country.
Central Michigan has made 34 3-pointers in its past two games, both on the road in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. The red-hot Chippewas (21-14) visit the Vines Center for a quarterfinal matchup against the Flames (21-14) in the CIT quarterfinal round at 2 p.m. Saturday.
?They shoot the ball really well and they shoot a lot of 3s. You?ve just got to kind of know some of them are going to go in, but you?ve got to make every single one of them as tough as possible,? Liberty junior guard Lovell Cabbil said. ?They have pretty good shooters all across the board. They?re going to make some tough ones, so we?ve just got to be able to move on to the next play after they do.?
Cabbil (right knee) and senior forward Ryan Kemrite (back) are both expected to start against the Chippewas, according to Liberty coach Ritchie McKay. He said the two have ?practiced without restrictions? after missing the March 12 matchup with North Carolina A&T.
The experience of Cabbil and Kemrite in the pack-line defense will be essential to slowing down CMU, which shot 17 of 39 from 3-point range in a first-round game at Fort Wayne and then went 17 for 38 from distance in the second round at Wofford.
The Chippewas are one of six Division I teams to attempt more than 1,000 3-pointers this season, and they average nearly 29 attempts from beyond the arc per game.
Four players have made more than 50 triples this season, led by David DiLeo?s 92 3s.
?I think you can get lulled into a false sense of security by thinking you?re just going to slow a really good offensive team,? McKay said. ?They?re potent and they?re playing really free. They?ve got so many weapons on the perimeter and there?s never a time when they don?t have five guys that can really shoot on the floor.?
CMU has made at least 11 3-pointers in five of its past six games. The outlier in the stretch was against Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference tournament quarterfinal round March 8 when the Bulls, who played in the NCAA Tournament, limited the Chippewas to 6-of-28 shooting from beyond the arc.
The Chippewas have made fewer than 10 3-pointers in 10 of their 14 losses this season.
?It?s going to be on us to impose our will and do what we do every day,? Kemrite said. ?That?s what we?re going to try to do and that?s what we?ve tried to do with every team that we?ve played this year.?
The Flames are playing for the first time in 12 days, and the added rest has allowed for Cabbil and Kemrite to recover from injuries suffered in the practices leading up to the second-round contest against North Carolina A&T.
McKay gave his team four days off for spring break and has utilized the three practices prior to Saturday?s game to get the team refocused and situated for the Chippewas? shooting.
?I?ve watched other teams have similar layoffs during this tournament, and they haven?t performed well,? McKay said. ?I don?t know what it?s going to look like Saturday afternoon, but I love the character of our group and I wouldn?t put it past them to come out with a sense of urgency and determination that is reflective of who?ve they?ve been all year.?
