La Salle vs. Mississippi: Narducci's take
While so much will be focused on La Salle stopping Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson (20 ppg.), the Explorers true disadvantage is down in the blocks. Even considering 6-foot-8 Jerrell Wright having a monster performance of 21 points and eight rebounds in Friday's 63-61 second-round win over Kansas State, the Explorers will be at a disadvantage inside.
While so much will be focused on La Salle stopping Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson (20 ppg.), the Explorers true disadvantage is down in the blocks. Even considering 6-foot-8 Jerrell Wright having a monster performance of 21 points and eight rebounds in Friday's 63-61 second-round win over Kansas State, the Explorers will be at a disadvantage inside.
That's because Ole Miss is physical with 6-9, 235-pound Reginald Buckner (9.5 ppg., 7.6 rpg.) and 6-7, 240-pound Murphy Holloway (14.5 ppg., 9.6 rpg.). Both are accomplished in the blocks and each crashes the boards with ferocity. And remember, what 6-11 Kansas State center Jordan Henriquez did against La Salle, with 17 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots. This is from a player who entered the game averaging 4.6 points.
When K-State, down by 18 at halftime, made its second-half comeback, it came with lobbing it into Henriquez and watching him operate from close range.
Wright will certainly have to front the post, but he drew four fouls and played just 25 minutes against Kansas State. When he wasn't in the game, La Salle's biggest player was 6-6 Rohan Brown, who more than held his own with five points and three rebounds in 15 minutes.
What La Salle has to do is not only front the post but also play the passing lanes the way it has in its first two NCAA wins, gambling and stealing errant cross court passes. In addition the guards will have to drop back and the moment one of the big men for Ole Miss puts the ball on the floor, converge on him.
Where they could find trouble is if the bigs catch and shoot in one motion. So La Salle's weakside defense will be a key. There will be times Ole Miss is successful lobbing it into the post. At that point the double-teaming will occur.
Of course whoever is guarding Henderson, can't be one of the double-teamers. He simply can't be left alone due to his deep range.
La Salle likes to get out in the open court and has enjoyed success, but Ole Miss is athletic and can run with the Explorers. Simply, the best weapon will be if the Explorers can hit from the perimeter and open things up.
La Salle is 12 for 30 (40 percent) from beyond the arc in the wins over Boise State and Kansas State. They will need to be at least at that level if not higher in order to win.
- Marc Narducci
