Today, at one o’clock in the afternoon, the Yeshiva University Maccabees (2-1) will host the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels (2-1) in the Max Stern Athletic Center. The Macs are looking to sweep their home stand before traveling out to Connecticut following Thanksgiving. In the previous game against Springfield, Dothan Bardichev stepped up in a relatively sloppy game, and led his team to a victory. This will be the first matchup in program history between Yeshiva and Oglethorpe, as the Stormy Petrels are located in Georgia. The Stormy Petrels are coming off a strong 20 point victory against a familiar Skyline opponent, St. Joseph's Brooklyn. They are being led by senior Perry Robinson, who is averaging 19 points and eight rebounds a game. Robinson was named to the Southern Athletic Association all-conference, first team last year, averaging over 20 points a game. A win today over a tough opponent is just what the Macs need to head into their Thanksgiving break with their heads up high.
Dothan Bardichev will look to continue his strong start and lead the Macs to a homestand sweep. (Akiva Poppers/Macslive)
Free Throws:
Throughout the first three games, free throws have been a major factor for the Macs. As a team, they are shooting 85.5% from the line, an obscenely good mark for collegiate teams. While it will be hard to maintain that percentage, the Macs have proven they can shoot well from the charity stripe, and teams should be hesitant to send them there. This could be a major factor in this game, as the Stormy Petrels already have 42 fouls on the season as a team.
Limiting Turnovers:
The Macs were messy last game, turning over the ball 18 times compared to Springfield’s 16. The past year or two, the Macs have been turning the ball over at a consistent rate, claiming that the team still needed to mature and there are growing pains to any young team. Now, three years later, the Macs are averaging just about 17 turnovers a game: not a formula for winning consistently. If the Macs want to win this game and contend this year, they will need to limit their turnovers and clean up their game.
Paint Battle :
After a promising showing in their Ohio trip, the Macs got decimated on the boards against Springfield, 40-28. Springfield grabbed a staggering 16 offensive rebounds, which thankfully only translated to 14 second chance points. The Macs also gave up a whopping 48 points in the paint, unable to stop anyone driving in. Both of these numbers are unsustainable for a team that has high aspirations and will face tougher opponents. The addition of Luke Cronin was supposed to provide another body in the paint, but he has looked hesitant at times; perhaps still recuperating from his off-season injury. The Macs will need to improve their inside defense and box out well in order to sweep this homestand.
How to Watch:
Tipoff is scheduled for Sunday 1pm at home in the Max Stern Athletic Center. You can watch the game here.
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