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Calling this defense the “Do-si-do” just fits, so as far as we’re concerned, the Aggies are tearing up jack with their “Do-si-do Defense”.
Source: NMSU Athletics
Photo:Courtesy
What: Game Nineteen
Who: NM State (11-7, 4-1 CUSA) vs Kennesaw State (11-7, 3-2 CUSA)
When: Thursday, Jan. 23, 7:00 p.m. MT
Where: Las Cruces, N.M. – Pan American Center (12,572)
NM State enters Thursday’s matchup against Kennesaw State looking to bounce back from a hard-fought 68-60 road loss to Liberty in Lynchburg, marking their first Conference USA defeat after starting league play with a 4-0 record. Thursday’s game will be the inaugural meeting between the two programs, as Kennesaw State embarks on its first season in Conference USA and its debut as a Division I program.
Kennesaw State should not be held to “newby” standards as they take to the court at the Pan Am on Thursday. The Owls took both Conference USA “Player of the Week” spots this week, so they should be expected to have some hot hands to contend with.
It’s Called the “Do-si-do”
Defense has long been the hallmark of Head Coach Jason Hooten‘s teams, and this year’s Aggies are fully embracing that identity. The squad has demonstrated defensive excellence, ranking 19th nationally and first in Conference USA in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to just 39% shooting.
The Aggies are also stifling teams from beyond the arc, ranking 18th in the nation in three-point defense percentage holding opponents to only 28.9%.
In the 1990s, the Aggies had another coach who was known for defense. Back then, it was coined “the Web” defense. Coach Hooten and these Aggies are every bit as good on the “D” side as the Aggies of old. For this reason, Las Cruces Digest wishes to propose the following name for Coach Hooten’s defense. When watching the Aggies defend the basket, the closest metaphor that comes to mind is dancing a do-si-do to Shaboozy’s version of “A Bar Song”:
One, here comes the two to the three to the four
Strip away the ball and run it down the floor…
Calling this defense the “Do-si-do” just fits, so as far as we’re concerned, the Aggies are tearing up jack with their “Do-si-do Defense”.
Come Thursday, fans will get a chance to see how well the Aggies “D” squares up to the pair of hot hands from Kennesaw State.
On the “O” Side
This season, NM State is currently the only team in the conference with four players inside the top-25 in the league in points per game. For the Aggies, this includes Christian Cook (8th), Peter Filipovity (18th), Zawdie Jackson (23rd) and Robert Carpenter (25th). The Aggies are as much of a team when it comes to the scoring side of the court.
Las Cruces Digest is highlighting one of these players, here; however, this is not a superstar situation. Peter Filipovity is merely the latest Aggie to reach the 1,000-point milestone. (Dionte Bostick hit the 1k mark just before New Years.) Through five games in CUSA action, first-year Aggie Peter Filipovity is averaging 14.6 points per game to rank ninth in the league while also hauling in 8.0 rebounds per game to rank fifth in the league.
With these two marks, Filipovity joins only MTSU’s Essam Mostafa and Kennesaw State’s Adrian Wooley as one of only three players to rank inside the top-15 in scoring and top-5 in rebounding.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
• Kennesaw State enters Thursday’s matchup with an 11-7 overall record, including a 3-2 mark in conference play. In their most recent outing, the Owls secured a thrilling 78-76 victory over LA Tech at home.
• Kennesaw is led by head coach Antoine Pettway who is in his second season at helm, holding a 26-23 record with the program.
• Offensively, junior guard Simeon Cottle is the Owls’ go-to player, averaging a team-high 18.8 points per game. NM State will need to limit his trips to the free-throw line, as he is shooting an impressive 93.9% from the stripe this season, ranking fourth nationally.
• On the boards, freshman forward Braedan Lue leads the Owls with a team-high 6.2 rebounds per game. Controlling the glass will be a significant challenge for the Aggies, as Kennesaw State is one of the nation’s top rebounding teams, ranking fourth overall with an average of 43.1 rebounds per game.
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