Turnover is again the operative word when Hawaii basketball takes on Cal Poly tonight at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The battle for possession will loom large between a Mustangs team that is exceptionally good at protecting the ball (10.2 per game, No. 6 nationally) and a Rainbow Warriors squad that’s best in the Big West at forcing turnovers (14.0).
No program has committed fewer of them since the start of the 2012-13 season, at 9.46 per contest.
“It’s a credit to their program for how consistent they’ve been at taking care of the ball,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “They’ve stayed with that this year, clearly been the best in the conference. Taking care of the ball is paramount for us to have success — we can’t throw away possessions.”
UH (11-11, 5-4 Big West) is gunning for a fourth straight victory coming off a euphoric 2-0 road trip that vaulted the surprising ’Bows into fourth place and within just 11⁄2 games of first.
“It did feel like we turned a corner a bit,” said forward Jack Purchase, the BWC leader in 3-pointers in conference games at 2.4. “It was good for us because everyone’s got confidence now, Noah (Allen)’s playing great, got Big West Player of the Week. It’s great for him and us as well, because when he’s playing well I feel like everyone plays really well.”
Allen is on a serious tear, having erupted for 30-plus points in three of the last six games. In a 76-72 win at Cal State Northridge on Saturday he matched his career high of 34.
Cal Poly (7-16, 2-7 BWC), the only team UH hasn’t seen, has delighted in knocking off teams that came in on a roll. The Mustangs dropped their first five conference games but are 2-2 in their last four, with the wins coming against teams (UC Irvine, UC Davis) that were in first place at the time.
The stingy, grind-you-out Mustangs have given UH a hard time in the past, including at the Sheriff. But the ’Bows have won the last three in the series.
UH might be without starting shooting guard Leland Green for a second straight game, meaning Sheriff Drammeh would start again. Green was a scratch for the CSUN game due to an illness that’s lingered.
Mustangs coach Joe Callero has been impressed with UH’s ability to remain competitive with a fresh set of faces from last year’s Big West championship group.
“I think they do a great job running their sets, controlling tempo and having their philosophy of a team,” he said. “I think that’s why they are highly competitive with a quick roster turnover.”
Cal Poly was forced to undergo a recent transformation of its own when athletic forward Josh Martin, the team’s best rebounder, went down with a foot fracture in November. That was a setback to Callero’s plan to remake his program into one that can get up and down and relies less on grinding out possessions. Another forward, Luke Meikle, is questionable to play today with an injury.
“It took us a month or two to reinvent ourselves,” Callero said. “We started off approaching the season in one manner, and now we’ve settled into more of a traditional Cal Poly team.”
Just one that, more than ever before, lives and dies by the 3. The Mustangs, behind a three-guard lineup of Ridge Shipley, Victor Joseph and Kyle Toth, hoist more of them than anyone else in the conference. Toth in particular has been lethal, converting 41.3 percent and making more than two a game. Joseph is averaging nearly 22 points over his last four games.
When they go in, they can beat anybody, Callero said. When they don’t, well …
They attempted a whopping 37 3s in a 67-56 home loss to UC Riverside, making 10.
“It’ll be a great challenge to see where we’re at there,” Ganot said of his team’s 3-point defense. “They don’t just attack you with their catch-and-shoot 3s. They’re hard to keep in front and they spread the floor so well that penetration can lead to more 3s.”
UH BASKETBALL TIPOFF
at Stan Sheriff Center
Cal Poly (7-16, 2-7 Big West) at Hawaii (11-11, 5-4), 7 p.m.
TV: OC Sports
Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM
Series: Cal Poly leads 6-5
Projected starting lineups
Cal Poly
G 10 Ridge Shipley 6-0 185 Sr.
G 20 Victor Joseph 6-0 170 Jr.
G 13 Kyle Toth 6-2 175 Sr.
F 21 Luke Meikle 6-9 209 Jr.
F 1 Aleks Abrams 6-8 265 So.
When Cal Poly has the ball
The Mustangs are known for two things: Taking exceptional care of the ball, and getting a 3-point shot out of it. Forty-two percent of their shots on the season came from beyond the arc. Joseph, a junior college transfer, had been a sixth man for most of the season but has been the go-to guy of late. He’s delivered, having topped 20 points in four straight games.
Hawaii
Pos. No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl.
PG 2 Brocke Stepteau 5-9 160 So.
SG 23 Sheriff Drammeh 6-3 160 So.
SF 32 Noah Allen 6-7 215 Sr.
PF 12 Jack Purchase 6-8 200 So.
PF 21 Gibson Johnson 6-8 220 Jr.
When UH has the ball
It’s been the Noah Allen Show for seven games and counting. Since Jan. 14, the reigning Big West Player of the Week is averaging 29.8 points against teams not called UC Riverside. Drammeh will likely get the nod at shooting guard for a second straight game in place of Leland Green, who’s been out with an illness since the win at Cal State Northridge last Saturday.
