Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff
Not to overlook the big men or the medium men, this time of the year belongs to the guards. Yes, those pipsqueaks who think they run things on the floor. Right now, they hold the post-season hopes in their hands.
They figure to have a huge impact when Umass Lowell begins NCAA Tournament plays on Saturday against Merrimack College.
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“Guards in college basketball are paramount,” UMass Lowell head coach Greg Herenda said. “They have the ball the majority of the time, and post play has become less and less a part of college basketball unless you have the kid from North Carolina or you have a monster.”
The right team with the right guard on a hot streak can find its way deep into the NCAA Tournament. Think Stephen Curry (Davidson 2008), Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derek Rose (Memphis 2008) and Folarin Campbell and Lamar Butler (George Mason 2006), those are just a few teams that rode their guard play in recent years to Division I Final Four appearances.
Merrimack certainly has the capability of producing that sort of run with Darren Duncan, Dee Mency and Wayne Mack (each NE-10 All-Conference selections) in the backcourt or on the wing.
“Our guard play has been taking us all through the year,” Merrimack head coach Bert Hammel said of his squad this week.
Defensive pressure will be a key. UML loves to play full-court pressure defense, but the Warriors have given the River Hawks fits this year with their own pressure. UML turned the ball over 52 times in two games against Merrimack.
UML needs to maximize possessions.
“In tournament play now it gets a little bit slower, and its like the NBA Playoffs,” Herenda explains. “Scores come down. Possessions get more important, and your bench gets shorter. Everyone knows no one wants to go home. Everyone want to continue to play another day. I think the games in the tournament get a little bit tighter.”
The team with the best performance from the backcourt will have a decided advantage in a battle of fairly evenly-matched squads.
“I think, no matter who you play, it’s the team that makes the fewest mistakes,” Hammel said, referring to what it takes to be successful in tournament play.
Both teams will be rested. Both should be prepared. Both coaches anticipate the so-called “little things” making a big difference in the outcome.
“We know each other, the players know each other, its more mental than physical,” Hammel said.