Appalachian State Set To Host Pacific in CIT Semifinals

Appalachian State (24-13) vs. Pacific (22-11) Collegeinsider.com Tournament Semifinals (Mar. 25, 2010)

Intro:

Fresh off its second postseason win in school history, Appalachian State will have a quick turnaround in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament semifinals on Wednesday night, as the Mountaineers defeated Marshall, 80-72, at Marshall's Cam Henderson Center on Monday night.

It was Donald Sims's 30 points coupled with Isaac Butts's season-high 16 rebounds that helped lead the Mountaineers to the quarterfinal road victory over their former league rivals.

The Mountaineers will face Big West member Pacific, who got a 63-59 win at Northern Colorado on Monday night, in the semifinals of the tournament at the Holmes Center.

Terrell Smith led the Tigers with 15 points, as the Tigers survived a horrible shooting night at the charity stripe (48.3 percent, 14-of-29) to get the four-point road win and advance to the semifinals of the CIT for the second-straight season. Thursday night's meeting between the Mountaineers and Tigers will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Pacific claimed a share of the regular-season Big West title, along with UC-Santa Barbara. Appalachian State is coming off a regular season in which it claimed its third North Division title in four seasons, and a win on Thursday night would give the Mountaineers 25 wins, matching the win total of the 2006-07 team, which set the current school standard.

The Tigers come into Thursday night's contest boasting only one player averaging in double figures, 6-9 senior forward Sam Willard, who's averaging 11.4 PPG and also leads the team in rebounding with 8.3 RPG.

Donald Sims continues to lead the nation in three-point field goals made (116) and leads the SoCon in points-per-game, averaging 20.4 PPG.

A Look At The Mountaineers:

Coming into Wednesday night's game, Appalachian State is playing some of its best basketball of the 2009-10 season at just the right time—in the postseason.

After getting off to a slow start in a win at Marshall on Monday night and connecting on just two of its first 10 shots, the Mountaineers clicked at the end of the half, closing it out by hitting 13 of its final 23 shots to take a 41-37 lead.

ASU would build on that strong performance in the opening moments of the second half, as the Black and Gold scored 11 of the first 14 points to open the second half. This helped them to take full command of the contest.

The Mountaineers corralled a season-best 44 rebounds, resulting in a commanding 44-25 advantage over the Herd on the backboards.

ASU got a game-high 30 points from Donald Sims on 9-of-23 shooting, as the league's leading scorer continued his torrid run through the latter half of his junior season.

Sims was joined in double figures by senior guard Gellen Brand, who added 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, while Isaac Butts and Jiremi Booth added nine points apiece in the win.

As a team, Appalachian State enters Wednesday night's game posting impressive numbers. The Black and Gold are averaging 75.4 PPG and shooting the basketball at 48.5 percent.

Obviously most everything for ASU is centered around how effective its backcourt play is, led by Donald Sims (20.3 PPG, 95.5 FT percentage, 42.4 percent from three-point range, 3.2 RPG, 2.3 APG, nation-leading 118 three-point field goals) and senior Kellen Brand (11.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG).

Both Sims and Brand are players that dictate the kind of success that ASU is going to have inside the paint, due in large part to their ability to penetrate, score, and hit outside shots.

If things are going well for Sims and Brand, the Mountaineers are able to get production in the paint due to their threat to score.  In the SoCon semifinals, Brand was able to give the College of Charleston fits because of his ability to kill the Cougars with unstoppable penetration.

After a while, and because of his ability to score, Brand was able to penetrate and force the Cougars' defense to commit before softly dropping the ball over the shoulder to Isaac Butts for an easy two points.

Ryann Abraham (5.4 PPG, 2.6 APG, 1.7 RPG) and Marcus Wright (5.5 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.3 APG) are two players that offer quickness and athleticism at the point guard position.

Both players possess tremendous quickness and are strong on the defensive end, using their respective quickness to garner steals.

Abraham has shown the ability to effectively hit the outside shot (24-of-75, 42.4 percent) at times and showed flashes of that shooting ability in the SoCon championship game, hitting a couple of clutch threes to get the Mountaineers back into the game against Wofford.

Wright has performed especially well during the postseason and is also a player that gives the Mountaineers a much-needed lift off the bench for Mountaineers.

Wright has tremendous quickness and turned in one of his best performances of the 2009-10 season in the opening round win over Harvard, as he scored 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field, while also dishing out three assists in the win.

Jeremi Booth (7.9 PPG, 50-of-118 from three, 2.6 RPG) is a defensive stopper and one of the top athletes on the ASU roster.

Booth is also one of the team's most dangerous outside shooters and ranks third on the team with 50 triples. Booth is coming off a solid performance in the win at Marshall, where he scored 9 points (all three-pointers) on 3-of-4 shooting from the field in the win over the Herd on Monday night.

Big Isaac Butts (8.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 60.7 FG percentage) comes into Thursday night's contest as the Mountaineers' leader underneath the basket.

Butts, a 6'10", 285-pound junior center from Milledgeville, GA, is coming off an impressive performance in the win over Marshall, yanking down a season-high 16 boards and helping the Black and Gold pull down a team season-high 44 boards in the road win. Butts' seven double-doubles rank him second among SoCon players in that category this season.

The Mountaineers are 13-2 when Butts reaches double figures this season and are 19-5 when the big man grabs 10 or more rebounds in his career. His 60.7 percent shooting clip from the field led the SoCon this season.

Joining Butts underneath the basket this season has been senior Josh Hunter (6.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG). The 6'6", 245-pound native of Albany, GA, has been one of the team's leaders all season and has a blue-collar work ethic underneath the basket for the Apps.

Hunter has battled nagging injuries in both knees all season, but has managed to draw starts in 27-of-36 games so far in his final season as a Mountaineer.

Hunter has three double-doubles this season, with his last of the three coming against UNC Greensboro back in February, with 10 points and 11 boards. Hunter has reached double figures on six occasions this season, including a 13-point performance in ASU's opening-round, 93-71 win over Harvard last week.

A player that has made a significant impact off of the bench for the Apps underneath the basket this season has been sophomore Andre Williamson (4.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, team-leading 38 blocks).  The 6'7", 225-pound native of Dayton, OH, is one of the best athletes on the team and is a factor on the defensive end of the floor.

Williamson turned in one of his best performances of the 2009-10 season in the SoCon title matchup with Wofford. On a night when Butts struggled, Williamson came to the rescue for the Mountaineers underneath the basket, as he recorded a double-double, with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Two players that could provide punch off the ASU bench in the frontcourt are Tyler Webb (2.0 PPG, 1.4 RPG) and Nathan Healy (1.9 PPG, 1.6 RPG).

Webb, a 6'9", 230-pound senior from Nickelsville, VA, is coming off his best performance of the 2009-10 campaign, as scored a season-high seven points on 2-of-3 shooting from the field in the 80-72 win at Marshall on Monday night. Webb is active on the defensive end of the floor and has shown the ability to step out and hit the outside shot at times (11-of-22, 50.0 percent) this season.

Healy, a 6'7", 210-pound true freshman from New Bern, N.C., has seen action in 34 games this season and is averaging eight minutes per outing. Healy is a player that excels in "hustle stats" for ASU and he also sports a good mid-range jumpshot.

A Look At The Tigers:

Pacific is probably the school most-known for producing NBA No. 1 overall selection Michael Olowokandi a little over a decade ago, but the school located in Stockton, CA, has long been associated with success on the hardwood and in the Big West Conference.

The Tigers were Big West Conference co-champions this season and will be looking to advance a little further than they did last season, when they dropped a semifinal contest in the CIT to end their 2008-09 season.

The Tigers enter Thursday evening's contest as winners of five of their last six contests, with their only loss in that stretch coming against Long Beach State.

In the tournament's first round, the Tigers knocked off Loyola Marymount, 86-76, on the road. Some might remember that Loyola Marymount was a team that knocked off NCAA participant Gonzaga in that same gym earlier this season.

Leading the Tigers is junior forward Sam Willard (11.4 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 48.8 FG percent) who is the only Tiger player averaging in double figures.

Willard had one of his best games of the season in a game at Loyola Marymount in the opening round of the CIT. Willard finished the contest with a career-high 23 points and ripped down 17 boards in the road win. Willard has been on a tear as of late, averaging 15.8 PPG and 9.6 RPG over the last 10 games.

Center Michael Nunnally (7.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG) joins Willard underneath the basket and is a player that does the dirty work for the Tigers in the paint and his matchup against ASU's Isaac Butts will be one of the individual duels to watch in Thursday evening's game. The 6-8 senior center scored in double figures (12 pts) for the first time in nine games in Pacific's opening-round win at Loyola Marymount.

Rounding out the starters in the Pacific frontcourt for Thursday night's showdown with Appalachian State in the CIT semifinals is senior forward Joe Ford (6.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.6 APG).  Ford is possibly the best athlete on the team and is the Tigers' best post passer.

Ford was a All-Big West First Team selection this past season, as well as winning the league's prestigious Defensive Player of the Year honor. Ford leads the team in both blocked shots (30) and steals (34) this season.

Ford enjoyed his best game of the season in early January in a 73-63 win at Cal Poly, as he scored 10 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked a career-high four shots.

The backcourt is solidified by a couple of talented juniors, in Demetrece Young (9.3 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 2.7 APG) and Terrell Smith (9.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG).  Both players helped form one of the premier backcourts in the Big West this season.

Young, a newcomer who transferred into Pacific from Oklahoma College, is a dangerous outside shooter for the Tigers; he led the Tigers in scoring in league games this past season, averaging 11.5 PPG. Young was also the Honorable Mention Big West Newcomer of the Year in 2009-10.

Young leads the team in three-pointers made (65-of-173, 37.6%) and enjoyed his best performance shooting from long-range in an 84-78 Bracket Buster game loss to New Mexico State. He connected on 7-of-15 triples in a losing effort, proving just how dangerous he can be from beyond the arc.

Smith rounds out the starting lineup and has really proved himself over the past season-and-a-half, garnering the starting two-guard position midway through the 2008-09 season.

After struggling shooting and passing the basketball last season, Smith made tremendous improvements this season and has proven to be a reliable scoring option for head coach Bob Thomason. Smith scored a career-high 19 points in a win at Cal-State Northridge back on Mar. 6.

The leading producers of the Pacific bench entering Thursday night's game are junior forward Pat Eveland (7.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG) along with guards Lavar Neufville (4.2 PPG, 1.5 RPG) and Allen Huddleston (5.4 PPG, 1.7 RPG).  Eveland was selected as the Big West's Sixth Man of the Year, while Huddleston was a Big West All-Freshman Team honoree.

Eveland has proven he can effectively shoot the outside shot, as evidenced by his five triples in a 74-52 win at Long Beach State.  Meanwhile Huddleston has scored in double figures on six occasions in his first season at Pacific, including an 11-point performance in the Tigers' CIT opening-round win over Loyola-Marymount last week.

Final Analysis:

Both Pacific and Appalachian State have a chance to move on to play for some postseason hardware next Tuesday night, as the winner will face the Missouri State Bears in the CIT championship.

Pacific is making quite a trek to face Appalachian State at the Holmes Center in Boone, N.C., all the way from Stockton, CA—a place where the Apps are 14-3 this season and haven't dropped a game in the friendly confines since an 87-76 setback to Division II Kings College on Feb. 1.

The Mountaineers have been a different team since a loss that some might refer to as an "embarrassing" setback to a lower division opponent.

However, it is clear that ASU has made a concerted effort on the defensive end of the floor since that loss and that will be the difference tonight, as the Mountaineers move on to play in the school's first Division I postseason college basketball tournament title game.