'25-'26 WCC Game #6: LMU

Game Preview/Recap
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Tip-off: Saturday, 7pm in the Leavey Center
TV: ESPN+
Line: Torvik: Broncos -13.8, 89% win probability; ESPN: No line, 78.8% win probability
Over/Under: Not yet posted
Torvik: Broncos #38, Lions #138
(Broncos #86, Lions #143 over Last 10 Games)

Loyola Marymount
Stan Johnson is in sixth season at the helm of Loyola Marymount. In that time, he has set a decent floor under the program but also has had some trouble raising the ceiling. LMU is a perennial top-150ish team with some genuine successes each season but a lot of head-scratching losses and general disappointments. Johnson’s teams have prioritized defense and, at their most dangerous, muck it up enough to squeak by better teams in ugly games. This team is similar, sporting a top-75 defense with a well below-average offense. They like rim protection with Issanza and others stalking the paint to alter even those shots that don’t get blocked.

LMU gave Santa Clara one of its more deflating losses last season. Can the Broncos avenge it?

Likely Starters and Key Bench

Height + Position Player Name Torvik Adj. Efficiency PPG Other Stats
6-6 Guard Jan Vide 2.5 14.2 4.7 asts; 44.4% from 3P
6-6 Guard Rodney Brown, Jr. 2.4 14.7 40.7% from 3P
6-2 Guard Myron Amey, Jr. 1.7 13.7 4.1 rebs; 35.9% from 3P
6-8 Forward Jalen Shelley 1.1 12.4 6.7 rebs; 2.6 asts
6-10 Center Rokas Jocius 0.5 3.9 3.2 rebs
6-6 Wing Aaron McBride 1.2 7.2 5.6 rebs
7-1 Center Rick Issanza 0.4 3.0 3.2 rebs; 33.3%FTs

LMU is led by its backcourt of Jan Vide, Rodney Brown, Jr., and Myron Amey, Jr. Vide and Brown, both listed at 6’6" are long guards who present physical mismatches on both ends for shorter back courts. The forwards for LMU are less impressive from a statistical standpoint except for the way they guard the interior: LMU has a top-25 2P%. Big men, Rick Issanza and Rockas Jocius do a good job altering shots, occasionally blocking them, and posing enough interior presence to help LMU’s long guards get into good position to defend against dribble-drive penetration.

On the other end, LMU is not a great offensive team, though they do sport a high 3P percentage. If the Broncos can defend the perimeter, the Lions don’t have a whole lot else to throw at the wall.

LMU played USF on Thursday in a double-OT game in Gersten. The Broncos should be the better rested team despite the late flight back to the Bay Area. This is another one of those matchups where psychology will make a difference: Are the Broncos angry or deflated after watching the Gonzaga game slip away? Is LMU fired up from an emotional victory or exhausted?

SCU is back to playing better basketball over the past few games. Guys like Oboye and Graves showed real discipline and improvement in a tough environment. I think SCU can keep it up.

82-65 Santa Clara. Oboye has a great game with 14 pts, 7 boards, and 3 blocks.

6 Likes
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Broncos need a good bounce back tonight….no hangovers!

Right now we sit alone in 3rd place at 4-1; a win tonight is critical to keep separation from the middle of the pack and to stay within striking distance of 2nd place. WSU looms a half game back at 3-1 but plays SMC today, a likely loss. USF is next at 3-2 and will likely move to 4-2 after their game with Pepp today.

I’ve watched a few short stretches of LMU games. They are fairly long and athletic. Vide has really upped his role and game this season; last year he was more of a glue guy, defensive minded, didn’t score a ton. This season he’s up to 14pts and 5 assists a game while providing good defense with his length. And he’s not a waif, at 210lbs, he’s strong and plays physical.

Rodney Brown Jr. leads them in scoring at 14.7 and is a big 3pt threat shooting ~40% with a high volume. He comes with a decent pedigree playing significant minutes for Cal in 2023/24 and Virginia Tech last season. We’ve seen Amey Jr. a ton over the years, 3 seasons at SJSU now the last two at LMU. He’s streaky but can get hot from 3. Brown and Amey combined shoot a ton of 3’s, those two along avg. nearly 15 attempts/game combined.
Freshman 6-8 forward Shelley is talented as well, a lanky athlete who starts and leads them in rebounding and chips in 12pts a game.
Minutes for their other forwards and posts seem spotty and inconsistent. Wide bodied, 6-6-6, 230 Aaron McBride, has started off/on in the past but not lately but still ends up playing more minutes than their other bigs; he’s a good rebounder, shot blocker and defender and provides physicality in the paint.

Torvik’s -14 line for the Broncos seems way excessive….hopefully no one on the team sees that stuff or pays attention.

This could be a test for the Broncos. LMU’s big guards could create a matchup issue for Hammond or Knapper. And they have the length and athleticism on the wings to bother our top scorers, Mahi and Hammond.

3 Likes
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Have a feeling it’s gonna be a closer game than it should be. Broncos didn’t get back to campus until 3am after the Gonzaga game. Could see them come out sluggish and unfocused in the first half. But play better in the 2nd half tho not able to put LMU away. Final score prediction Broncos 87 Lions 81

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I hope you are right. This has the hallmarks of a letdown game: big game loss on the road, return late, and play a team that fields a better-than-average defense. They need to be energized from first tip. Will be up to the assistant coaches to pump up the team.

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BK is not suited up, in sweats

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Big opportunity for Cochran and Sash to lay claim to PG of the future.

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Apparently, he suffered a concussion in practice.

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Just tuned in. Broncos have only committed ONE FOUL at the 11:20 mark? WOW.

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Two minutes later and still only one foul.

It’s like a brand new team.

Edit: I jinxed it immediately.

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Unfortunately I started the jinx

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Sash wants the role. Good half from him.

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Bukky appears to be battling for rebounds a bit more aggressively recently. I like it.

Sash was decisive and awesome. Mahi had some elite moves.

Graves would be a Conference Player of the Year type guy in 2 or 3 years if this was the good ol’ days and you knew you could keep freshman that long.

2 Likes
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Just gotta pay the man.

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Speaking of paying…if players can get paid now, why not pay students to show up to (and stay for) games? It is depressing to see so many seats empty.

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It’s great to see a blazing hot Gavalyugov to know that he has this gear. But some of these are real heat checks that probably shouldn’t be taken.

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actually, student turnout is pretty good tonight. 3 sections pretty full.

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Glad to hear it. Hard to tell from the telecast.

Is it full-full?

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Sash is the headliner, but this feels like SCU’s most complete game to date.

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Stat of the game…..

only 6 turnovers

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Okay, this was a fun Gavalyugov game for sure, but now we are way into stat padding. Please just let Yarusso fire from distance.

4 Likes