Pepperdine Game Preview: Waves vs. Indiana St. for 4th Place in the Great Alaska Shootout
By Josh Horton
Mar 9, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Indiana State Sycamores guard Jake Odum (13) talks with head coach Greg Lansing during a TV timeout against the Creighton Bluejays during the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Paul Halfacre-USA TODAY Sports
Pepperdine vs. Indiana State (Great Alaska Shootout)
Game Time: 3 p.m. PST
TV: None
Radio: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/pepperdine.portal?mode=link#
Live Stats: http://www.nmnathletics.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml?SPSID=61085&SPID=6647&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=13400&
Teams Records: Pepp – 5-2 – ISU – 4-2
Leading Scorers: Pepp – Davis 18.1 – ISU – Odum/Gant 13.2
Leading Rebounders: Pepp – Lane 10.0 – ISU – Odum 4.8
Leading Distributors: Pepp – Major 6.0 – ISU – Odum 5.8
Projected Starters
Pepperdine
Jeremy Major
Malcolm Brooks
Malte Kramer
Stacy Davis
Brendan Lane
Indiana State
Dawon Cummings
Jake Odum
Manny Arop
Khristian Smith
Justin Gant
With 4th place in the Great Alaska Shootout on the line, Pepperdine will go toe-to-toe with the Sycamores of Indiana State in order to capture said 4th place, and pick up another victory over a quality mid-major.
The Opponent
AP Poll: NR
Coaches Poll: NR
RPI: 129
KenPom: 65
If anyone has watched the Sycamores this season, they would know that senior guard Jake Odum is their heart and soul. Along with Justin Gant, Odum leads the Sycamores in scoring with 13.2 points per game, and leads them in rebounding and assists as well with 4.8 rebounds per game and 5.8 assists per game.
Odum does a great job of getting to line, as he has shot 43 shots from the charity stripe and has made 36 of them (.837). Odum acts as the Sycamores primary distributor as well.
However, do not overlook Justin Gant and Manny Arop. Gant is the Sycamores primary post man and is tied for the lead on the Sycamores for scoring. Arop is a Gonzaga transfer who has found his niche at Indiana State as an athletic wing and three point shooter.
Keys to the Game
Limit Odum
Sycamores guard Jake Odum is at his best when he is doing a little bit of everything. The Waves cannot let the do-it-all guard control all facets of the game for Indiana State.
Pound the Boards
Indiana State is one of the worst rebounding teams in the country with 30.6 rebounds per game (322nd in the NCAA). Although Pepperdine is not the best rebounding team either, Davis, Lane and possibly Jesperson could potentially dominate the Sycamores on the glass. Look for this to be an emphasis for Pepperdine.