The Lafayette Leopards are in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year after beating American in the Patriot League final, and they're looking for their first tournament win since 1992.
Resume:
Record – 20-12 (9-9 in Patriot)
RPI – 124
Strength of Schedule – 185
Starting Lineup:
G Nick Linder (So.) – 12.8 ppg, 5.4 apg
G Joey Ptasinski (Sr.) – 9.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg
G Bryce Scott (Sr.) – 8.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg
F Dan Trist (Jr.) – 17.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg
F Seth Hinrichs (Sr.) – 13.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg
Key Player:
Dan Trist
Trist is a true low-post threat on the offensive end, using a variety of post moves to shoot 58 percent from the field. Lafayette's offense is designed to get him the ball down low and let him go to work. If he gets going, the defense is forced to focus on him, opening up opportunities for the other guys on the court.
Biggest Strength:
Offensive Efficiency
Lafayette runs a great offensive system that's predicated on cuts, off-the-ball movement, and getting good shots in the post. They rank top 20 in the country in assists, top 35 in points, and are in the top 10 in field goal percentage because of it. Lafayette takes advantage of a defense if they aren't disciplined, allowing them to have a lot of success.
Biggest Weakness:
Defense
For as good as Lafayette can be on offense, they're absolutely terrible on defense - 311th out of 350 Division-I teams in the country to be exact. The Leopards aren't athletic and don't have a great system, which is why opponents score 72.4 points per game against them.
Outlook:
Lafayette's offense is good enough to score against the higher seeds they'll face, but they might give up 100 points - their defense just isn't good enough to win.
Back to the NCAA Newsfeed