Current UMaine Basketball Teams Rankings & 3 point stats

As of today, Thursday, January 11, 2018 here are the current UMaine men’s and women’s Team RPI, SOS,  won-lost records and America East Conference RPI SOS rankings and standings.

Using realtimerpi.com’s Team and Conference RPI rankings and SOS, Pomeroy Men’s RPI’s and TEAMRANKINGS for Men as my resources as follows:

Team SOS (Strength of Schedule)…Men 301 of 351.Women 71 of 349

Team RPI Men 333.of 351..Women 91 of 349

Conference SOS..Men 32 of 32…Women 28th of 32

Conference RPI..Men 32 of 32..Women 28th of 32

Pomeroy’s Mens RPI 324

TEAMRANKINGS Men RPI 325..Maine has an 18% chance of winning  game Saturday home to Albany at 12n.

They are projected to finish 4-12 in conference play and 7-24 overall

Stats for women in Pomeroy and Team Rankings are not available

Team records

Men 4-14 overall. 2-14 vs. D-1 teams, 1-2 on conference play and are in 9th place in the America East Conference standings

Women 9-7 overall and 7-7 vs. D-1 teams, 2-1 in  conference play are in 3rd place in the America East Conference standings

Both teams biggest weakness is the over use and low percentage of 3 point shooting:

Maine offensive 3 point shooting stats:

Men 137 for 458=29.9%….Women 130-413=31.0%

Percentage Field Goal Attempts taken as 3’s

Men 458 of 1058=43.2%  Women 413 of 980=42.2%

Maine’s opponents 3 point shooting stats

Men 136 for 426=31.9%  Women 77 for 277=27.7%

Opponents Percentage of field goal attempts as 3’s

Men 426 of 1070=39.8%  Women 277 of 888=31.2%

Summary of 3 point shooting stats:

Maine women have a better 3 point shooting percentage then the men 31.5% to 29.9% and the  women have a lower percentage of field goal attempts as threes then the men at 42.2% to 43.2%.

Men’s opponents are shooting better for 3 point shots on 31.9% to Maine’s 29.9%..Maine women are out shooting their opponents 31.5% to 27.7% for 3 pointers.

Maine men are taking more 3 point attempts out of their FGA’s 43.2% to opponents 39.8%.

Maine women are taking more 3 point attempts out of their FGA’s 42.2% to their opponents 31.2%

Both teams need to cut back the use of the 3 point shot and get more open 3’s by going inside-outside and with dribble penetration and kick out passes to stand still shooters instead of getting most of their 3 attempts from perimeter passes to stand still shooters after having shooters moving to the shooting spot for passes.

Stand still shooters who have their feet squared to the basket with their hands in the shooting position and have hands located where they want to receive the pass are squared to the basket and this is the highest percentage technique for shooting threes because they are already standing still and squared to the basket when they receive the pass  on the inside-outside pass and from dribble penetration because they are already automatically squared to the basket because their feet are facing the basket as is their bodies.

Shooters who are not squared to the hoop with their feet, do not have their hands in the shooting position to give the passer the correct target  where the shooter wants the ball loses time to get the shot off because they have to square their bodies, get their hands in the shooting position and get the ball in the position to start the shot, thus allowing and giving the defender more time to close out on the shooter which in turn rushes the shooter’s shot.

Both Maine basketball teams have a great tendency to “live by the three or die by the three”. When they are hot, they’re hot and when they’re not, they’re not”. It is OK to lose a game during regular season games when your not hot with the 3 but it is the end when it happens in the one and done season of the single elimination America East Tournament. It takes 3 wins a tournament and the law of averages can catch up with you when you abuse and over use the 3 point shot. It’s great when they are going in, but you probably are going home if both Maine teams are not hitting their 3’s especially when they use the 3 as so much in their offensive attacks.

NOW is the time to correct their overuse and abuse of the 3 seeing that they are only shooting 29.9% and 31.0% for threes and are taking over 42% of their field goal attempts as 3’s and are not using the bests methods to get open looks by going inside-outside and dribble penetration instead of using perimeter passes, 1 on 1 off the dribble, coming of screens, moving to the 3 point shooting spot so as not being squared to the hoop when they receive the pass which is how most of their 3’s attempts are gotten from.

AND YOU WONDER WHY THEY ARE SHOOTING SO POORLY FROM BEYOND THE ARC AND WHY ARE THEY TAKING SO MANY OF THEIR FIELD GOAL ATTEMPTS AS THREE’S WHEN THEY ARE NOT USING THE RIGHT METHODS TO GET THEIR THREES.

So don’t be surprised if it is another one and done game for the men and the women not winning the conference tournament again this season for both teams unless they change their ways of getting their 3 attempts and if they can’t shoot at least 33.3% from beyond the arc.

Good luck to “Living by the three and dying by the three”.