Many a CAA head coach has spent a press conference going on about how the league is incredibly underrated when it comes to national respect. Well, let me lay it out for you: coming off a winless weekend against a surprisingly strong Delaware squad with possibly the Colonial’s best player, William and Mary (4-5, 1-3 CAA) hosts an absolute defensive buzzsaw of a team in the Drexel Dragons. I do not envy Coach Ed Swanson and the Tribe at all. It will take breakout performances from players who maybe haven’t played up to expectation so far this season to get a win against the Dragons. I wouldn’t bet on it, but I’m certainly rooting to be wrong.
William and Mary Tribe vs Drexel Dragons — Saturday, 2 p.m. // Sunday 2 p.m.
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Tale of the Tape
According to HerHoopStats, William and Mary is giving up 93.4 points per 100 possessions, which ranks 193rd in DI. (W&M’s defensive rating dropped 100 ranks after their meetings with Delaware.) The Tribe ranks 248th out of 340 teams in points per 100 possessions, with 84.7. Meanwhile, Drexel is scoring 96.0 points each 100 possessions (107th) and giving up a miniscule 77.0 (17th).
Projected Starters
W&M: G Sydney Wagner (RJr.), G Nyla Pollard (Sr.), G Chaniqwa Gilliam (So.), F Bailey Eichner (Sr.), C Gabby Rogers (Sr.) This is the Tribe’s go-to starting lineup now. I’d imagine it will stay intact for the rest of the year, unless something happens on the injury front.
Del: G Keishana Washington (Jr.), G Hannah Nihill (Sr.), G Maura Hendrixson (Jr.), F Mariah Leonard (Sr.), F Kate Connolly (Jr.) The Dragons are sticking with what works, with this lineup.
What to Watch For
In this week’s podcast, I rolled out my theory for what it takes for the Tribe to win this year: Sydney Wagner must have a big game, other players have to step up in the secondary scoring department, and the Tribe needs to put together at least a solid defensive game. Saturday, just one of those happened — Rebekah Frisby-Smith and Chaniqwa Gilliam both posted career highs in scoring. But Wagner struggled, shooting 5-of-16 for just 11 points, and W&M’s defense left something to be desired. The Tribe gave up 1.14 points per possession, which is not going to cut it. Sunday’s game was never quite out of reach, as two of the three bases were covered, but yet again it was the defense that faltered. Wagner’s 31 points was achieved on 21 shots, and Bailey Eichner chipped in with a career-high 12. On the other end of the floor though, you saw no improvement from W&M, which gave up a slightly-worse 1.15 points per possession. (For reference, this team probably wants to give up less than one point per possession.) Coming into the season, defense was a supposed strength of this team. And maybe the Tribe is just playing tough competition. But if they’re going to escape the opening round of the CAA Tournament this spring, they have to play up to their potential.
Drexel makes its money on the defensive end of the floor, but the Dragons are a very balanced offensive team. If you take away one player, the rest will step up. That being said, the team’s offensive leader is Hannah Nihill, a senior guard who’s averaging 14.1 points along with 3.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds per contest. She’s not afraid to shoot it from deep, although it hasn’t really gone for her yet this year. Keishana Washington will also contribute scoring-wise from the point, hitting 41.9 percent of her threes. Kate Connolly and Mariah Leonard can both hurt you inside. But, like I said, the competent offense clears the way for a truly elite defense — Drexel gives up less than 50 points per game. If W&M can pull this one out, the game will probably be in the 40s.