Tigers to host Illinois Tech

Thursday, December 14, 2006

The DePauw University men's basketball team is on a roll.

The Tigers are 6-1 and ranked 24th in the D3hoops.com Top 25 rankings heading into Sunday's home contest against the Illinois Institute of Technology.

DPU is coming off its most dominating victory of the season, a 68-50 win over Maryville on the road Friday.

Part of the reason for the Tigers' lopsided weekend win is the offensive balance they have boasted all season long.

Four DePauw players scored in double figures Friday against the Saints. Mike Moore led the way with 16 points, Matt McDonald scored 13, Austin Brown tallied 12 and Stephen Schott chipped in with 10.

For the season, Schott, Brown and Moore are all averaging double digits in points per game, with Schott leading the team at an even 18 points per game.

Schott has led the Tigers in scoring in four of their seven games this season, scoring more than 20 points on three of those occasions. His season-high for the 2006-07 campaign is 25, a total he reached against Judson College on Nov. 24 in the opening game of the Mike Rokicki tournament.

Brown is averaging 15 points, and Moore is putting up 13.1. McDonald is close to double figures, averaging 9.6 points per game, as is Reid Sakel with 9.1.

DePauw's opponent, the Scarlet Hawks, also boast a balanced offensive attack, but they have been far less successful than the Tigers.

The Scarlet Hawks come to Greencastle with an overall record of 3-8, including an 0-6 mark in road games.

They are led by Jeremy Nixon, who is averaging 14.2 points per contest. Rob Knapczyk is scoring 12.5 points per game, and Sasha Sudar averages 10.7.

The Tigers have also done their share of damage from behind the arc, shooting 41.9 percent from three-point range this season. Moore leads the team in three-point shooting at 54.8 percent, connecting on 17-of-31 attempts so far this year.

Sakel is shooting 35.1 percent from downtown, having nailed 19-of-51 three-pointers.

DePauw's offense is not limited to the three-point line, however. The Tigers boast a total field goal percentage of 50.5, with six players hitting better than half of their attempts.

Brown is shooting an even 60 percent from the field so far, hitting 39-of-65 shots from the floor.

Field goal shooting has been a problem for the Scarlet Hawks all season long. They shoot just 41.2 percent from the floor as a team and are losing by an average margin of eight points per game.

Illinois Tech averages only 66.5 points per game while surrendering 74.5 to its opponents.

But offense isn't all about scoring, as the Tigers have proven with their 104 assists in seven games this season. Brown leads the way with 43 for an average of 6.1 per game.

The Tigers have also been getting the job done on the boards this year, outrebounding their opponents 33-29.1.

The Scarlet Hawks average more rebounds than DePauw, pulling down 34.0 boards per game, but give up an average of 39.5 rebounds to their opponents.

DePauw will host Illinois Tech Sunday for a 3 p.m. start.

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