Basketball analyst Jack Danilewicz breaks down tonight's Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific men's basketball matchup (7:30 p.m., KWHE-TV).
What HPU needs to do on the defensive end to win: Stop the dribble penetration of Chaminade point guard Stephen Bennett. While CUH's 7-foot center Mamadou Diarra draws a lot of attention from every opponent, it is the penetration of Bennett that breaks down your defense. He can not only get to the basket on his own, but he's adept at finding CUH's 3-point specialists, Shane Hanson and Matt Cousins. HPU needs another big game from LaBrent Chappell on the defensive end as well as from Royal Edwards. It says a lot about the HPU coaching staff's confidence in Edwards that he was assigned to check BYUH's Jet Chang last week.
HPU also needs to close out on CUH's shooters, namely Hanson and Cousins. The Sea Warriors did a great job in the first half against BYUH last week, holding the Seasiders to 4-of-12 from behind the arc and will need that kind of effort throughout this game. Chaminade is at its best when they have both their inside and perimeter game clicking.
What HPU needs to do on the offensive end to win: Be balanced and have good spacing in their offensive sets. HPU will likely need an inside presence and an outside presence to get the job done in this one, and I really like their prospects in that regard. Chappell and Frazier have the quickness to create, and HPU has been good at taking care of the basketball on their home floor. Inside, Jason Jackson is a match-up nightmare for everyone on the Sea Warriors' schedule, and that will certainly be the case on Tuesday night, even with Diarra's considerable skill set. If Jackson can remain assertive on the offensive end, he can perhaps get CUH's post players into foul trouble, which would be a huge boost to the Sea Warriors chances.
HPU's Best Player at the moment: Jackson. This kid is playing with a sense of urgency that only a senior can exhibit, and he is fighting on both ends on every possession. He showed a bit of everything against BYUH and is poised to have a big night against CUH.
HPU's glue guy: Chappell. His quickness allows him to get any shot he wants, but he understands the bigger picture and always lets the game come to him rather than force the issue. His explosiveness was much evident in the game with Hilo back on January 16 when he willed HPU back into position to win the game after they had fallen behind.
HPU's Wild Card: Kameron Steinhoff. The Punahou product never hurts his team, but rather always helps by doing the little things. He's not only mentally and physically tough, but he has a knack for coming up with offensive rebounds.
Where the game will turn: As in the BYUH game last week, the key point in the game will be rebounding. Chaminade had 16 offensive rebounds in the meeting between the teams in December, and HPU will need to get bodies on people in this match-up to prevent second chances. Also, this is the type of game that will turn on “hustle stats” like charges, deflections, and loose balls. The team that wins the hustle battle will go a long way to winning the war.
How it will play out: I like HPU to win this game in a mild upset. The Sea Warriors are a far different team right now than the one that lost to Chaminade back in December. HPU has shown a lot of resilience this year in coming back strong from some tough losses. I look for them to do the same here.
