WCC Game Preview: LMU hosts Pacific
By James Pigott
Loyola Marymount (11-13, 3-9) vs. Pacific (12-10, 3-8)
Date: Saturday, February 8, 2014
Location: Gersten Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA
Time: 4:00 PM PST
TV: None
Video: theW.tv
Last Season: Teams did not play each other. LMU won at Pacific 92-81 this season.
PROJECTED STARTERS
Loyola Marymount
Anthony Ireland, 18.6 PPG, 5.5 APG
Evan Payne, 14.6 PPG
Nick Stover, 4.1 PPG
Alex Osborne, 6.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG
Gabe Levin, 10.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG
Pacific
Andrew Bock, 12.3 PPG, 2.9 APG
Sama Taku, 11.3 PPG
Trevin Harris, 6.9 PPG
Khalil Kelley, 6.5 PPG
Tony Gill, 11.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG
LIVESTREAM *courtesy of thew.tv:
KEYS TO THE GAME
LMU
Starters must produce: Much like previous years, the Lions have suffered a number of injuries and are once again short-handed during conference play. What that means is that the bench is very thin, as LMU goes only about 7 players deep. Therefore, the starters will have to carry the load and stay out of foul trouble, knowing that there’s not much behind them.
Pacific
Taku needs to rebound: Sama Taku had only 1 point on 0/6 shooting in a Thursday-night loss to Pepperdine. The game before, he had only 2 points on 1/4 shooting. He is an experienced player who has NCAA Tournament experience, as a number of Tigers do. Pacific needs him to produce in order to win this game on the road.
KEY MATCHUP
Anthony Ireland vs. Andrew Bock: Both are guards who look to score but can also distribute to their teammates when called upon. While LMU might need Ireland more than Pacific needs Bock, both players will have the ball in their hands a great deal and it will be a fun an exciting matchup to watch on Saturday.
PREDICTION
Neither team has fared very well in conference play. Pacific is the deeper and more experienced team, so I give them a pretty good shot at coming into Gersten Pavilion and winning. Pacific 69, LMU 65.