OK, so, we know what happened last year, when UVA was the overall #1 national seed.
No 1 will ever overlook a 16 again. Guaranteed.
What, then, must we know about Gardner-Webb heading into Friday in Columbia, S.C.?
They’re pretty good.
The Bulldogs were 2-1 in ACC play in 2018-2019, defeating Georgia Tech and Wake Forest, and losing in early November at Virginia Tech.
Gardner-Webb also lost in OT to Furman, a team you heard talked about as a possible tourney at-large team, and lost by 12 to VCU, which is an 8 seed, and led the ‘Hoos late in a December game in JPJ.
Breathe.
They’re not big: no one in the rotation is over 6’6”.
Average height, per KenPom.com: 6’3”, 345th nationally among the 353 teams in D-1.
The key guy for the ‘Dogs: David Efianayi, a 6’2” senior, who scores 18.3 points a game, on 48.9 percent shooting from the floor, 41.4 percent from three.
Jose Perez, a 6’5” freshman, averages 15.1 points and 5.8 rebounds a game, shooting 44.2 percent from the floor and 36.8 percent from three.
The third guy in G-W’s Big Three is DJ Laster, a 6’6”, 230-pound senior, who averages 13.7 points and 5.5 rebounds, and shoots 56 percent from the floor, and can hit the three – shooting 45.1 percent from long-range – though he doesn’t shoot much from beyond the arc (1.5 attempts a game).
Augusta Free Press coverage of the 2019 postseason is presented by Bear Creek. Serving Waynesboro, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg and surrounding communities, Bear Creek provides a hassle-free process to help homeowners create outdoor living spaces that bring people together. Schedule a consultation at BearCreek.co.
Coach Tim Craft’s rotation goes eight deep, with seven of those averaging double-digits in minutes.
The Bulldogs play at a sort of medium pace – 67.1 possessions per game, and are slightly better on offense (107.5 points/100 possessions, 111th in D-1, according to KenPom.com) than on defense (108.2 points/100 possessions, 253rd in D-1).
Last thing: this team is about as hot as you can be as a 16 seed, winning eight of its last nine, including two road games in the Big South Tournament, at regular-season champ Campbell and runner-up Radford, to get here.
They’re not going to be an easy out.
Story by Chris Graham
Share
Contributors
