(LEXINGTON, KY.) – The University of Kentucky’s third-year women’s basketball coach, Kenny Brooks will find himself coaching against his alma mater, James Madison University, for this Saturday’s first round NCAA Tournament game. Brooks played basketball at JMU, from 1988-1991, under legendary coach Lefty Driesel, averaging 5.7 points a game.
Who better to comment on the upcoming UK versus James Madison game than former Transylvania women’s basketball coach, Juli Fulks. After all, Fulks’ Marshall University team encountered both Kentucky and JMU this season. Marshall eked out an overtime home victory over JMU but later lost in lopsided fashion to the Dukes in Harrisonburg, Virginia. UK easily dispatched of the Thundering Herd in their only meeting of the campaign.
Coach Fulks was kind enough to give an exclusive telephone interview to Nolan Group Media. Coach Fulks noted that each team was extremely well coached and each was fundamentally sound and neither team hardly ever beat themselves. In addition, each team plays high IQ basketball and during the regular season both could grab offensive rebounds almost at will. She did mention that Kentucky was one of the biggest teams in the country and noted that Clara Strack and Amelia Hassett are big, strong, girls and JMU just does not match-up well.
“JMU does like to run and get after their own missed shots,” Fulks noted. “It will be key for Madison to not be intimidated by the length of UK, so naturally if they can hit a good percentage of their shots they should be in the game until the end.” However, that will most likely, be easier said than done. “Because UK is so long, trying to shoot over their defense makes the opposition take unnatural shots. UK just forces other teams to flat-out take bad shots,” Fulks stated.
Looking at the season statistics, both teams are pretty much even in a few categories. UK averages scoring 75.6 points a game while JMU averages 74.8. JMU shoots 45% from the field while UK averages 44.7%. UK is slightly ahead in three-point shooting percentage and in assists. James Madison holds a slight edge in rebounding as the Dukes average 42.2% and UK is at 40.6%. However, that stat is like comparing apples to oranges. UK plays in the powerful Southeastern Conference while JMU competes in the mid-major Sun Belt Conference.
There are some wide gaps in comparing statistics. James Madison averages 9.1 steals per game while UK only averages 5.4 thefts. UK averages right at twice as many blocked shots as JMU.
“JMU’s guards will determine how this game goes for JMU,” Coach Fulks stated. A trio of backcourt players score 44 points, on average, each game. Senior Payton McDaniel, junior Bree Robinson, and freshman Ashanti Barnes have given the Dukes an average of 44 points a game this season. “Each of them defend well,” Fulks declared.
The tallest player the Dukes have is 6’3” redshirt junior, Brianna McLeod followed closely by freshman Grace McDonough at 6’2”. “I’m afraid that the freshman (McDonough) might be most intimidated by Strack and Hassett. She really needs to elevate her game,” Fulks said.
Strack leads UK in a majority of personal statistics. She is averaging just over 17 points a game, Tonie Morgan chipped in with almost 14 a game. Strack has 85 blocked shots as compared to Hassett’s 46. Strack averages 10 rebounds a game and had a total of 40 steals as well as 60 assists per outing.
Coach Fulks stated that each squad has star players and they seem to feed off of their teammates. “Both teams have great chemistry which I believe makes each of them special. The questions I have are these: can (all-Sun Belt Conference first team) McDaniel make the shots that she will have to make to keep JMU in the game for 40-minutes, and will Kentucky’s great length and size advantage be the keys to their possible victory?” Fulks inquired. Those questions will be answered in Morgantown, West Virginia, this Saturday.
When pressed on her opinion on who will come out victorious on Saturday, Fulks summarized, “I think that UK’s quickness and size advantage give them a slight edge but that does not always lead to victory. I really think the game will be competitive.”
Will JMU, or will UK, advance to the next round of the tournament to be held this Monday night? Tune in to ESPNU at 2:30 p.m., on Saturday, to find out.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here