IWU 1st Round Preview

The third-seeded Wildcats face the sixth-seeded William Jewell Cardinals in the first round of the NAIA National Tournament Wednesday at 6:45 p.m. EST. The following are three keys to the game in order for the Wildcats to advance to the second round.

1. Control the Tempo – William Jewell is known for their up-tempo pace that includes a full court press to try to speed up the game, create turnovers, and finish with easy lay-ups. IWU would prefer to slow the game down and run their half court offense to full efficiency and end up with an open shot. The Wildcats’ slower pace has helped them allow the lowest points against average (51.3) in NAIA DII as the offense acts as a second defense. If the opponent does not have the ball, they cannot score. As cliché as it may sound, IWU has to play their game, a style that has led to an NAIA No. 11 ranking, to win in round one of the tournament.

2. Don’t Let William Jewell Score – Sounds John Madden-ish, doesn’t it? Of course, the Wildcats do not want the Cardinals to score, but the point is to keep William Jewell out of their full court press. If the Wildcats NAIA top-ranked defense can shut down the William Jewell offense, they will inversely slow down the game and not let the Cardinals set up their traditional full court defense.

3. Break the Press – IWU head coach Steve Brooks has been training the team in practice to break the William Jewell full court press. The key is to “turn-and-look.” Back to key number one, Coach Brooks does not want to allow William Jewell to force his team to play at a frantic pace while trying to break the press. Once the press is beaten, IWU will to look to set up their offense and play at their slower pace. If the Wildcats can follow Coach Brooks’ instruction, they will be well on their way to “turning-and-looking” into the second round of the tournament.