Green Bay Faction

The first Horizon League team to beat a top-25 school in 2009-10 doesn't turn it over, plays stingy defense and shoots the three better than just about anybody. That's right, the Green Bay Phoenix. Were you expecting someone else?

Mid-majors need to make the most of their opportunities. You don't get too many cracks at top-25 teams, and it's almost never at home. Last night, the Green Bay Phoenix proved that they, not Wright State or Butler, are playing the best basketball in the Horizon League. They beat a one-loss Wisconsin team, fresh off a home win over Duke, in a game that is being called everything from "monumental" to "the next step" to "a program win" (click on the press conference link at the top) up in Green Bay.

The Phoenix continue to do it because they have an effective offense and a defense that does everything but force turnovers. The team has a great composition of guys that "know their role" and don't try to do too much. I liken them to a good wrestling faction.

Every good faction needs to have a superstar who can contend for the heavyweight title. Enter Rahmon Fletcher. He has surpassed Norris Cole in my eyes as the third best player in the Horizon League. Matt Howard and Gordon Hayward are on notice. Fletcher leads this ‘faction' and is good enough to take over games against top-notch competition.

The Intercontinental Championship contender on this team is Troy Cotton. He isn't quite in the class of the heavyweights but can match up with most second options in the country. He's the perfect compliment to Fletcher because of his ability to spread the floor and open up driving lanes. He showed last night that he has the ability to step up when the heavyweight is out and may need to step back into that role for a couple weeks.

Bryquis Perine is the United States Championship contender of the group. If he keeps his ‘09-10 numbers he'll soon be entering IC title contention. I wrote earlier this week that he has really been the biggest surprise on this team. He's added roughly ten points to his scoring, doubled his minutes, and improved his three-point shooting by almost 20%. He's the runaway favorite for most improved player. The only thing that can slow him is hitting a game-winning shot and injuring himself in the ensuing melee.

Every great faction has a tag team and a bruiser. This "Green Bay faction" combines the two. Pat Nelson and Randy Berry provide the beef up front and keep the other bigs away from their superstar. Berry is the real bruiser here averaging 7.7 rebounds per game, 2.5 more than any other season. He's already shown that he'll tussle (90:00 minute mark) so don't cross his path.

The rest of the team has done a great job meshing with the starters and knowing their role. Last night, Perine, Cotton, and Fletcher took 48 of Green Bay's 58 shots. Some may look at that as unbalanced but I think it's a great use of their best offensive weapons. Your best players should take the majority of the shots, right? When their shots aren't falling the bench has come in and made plays. Whether it's Cordero Barkley knocking down threes, Matt Smith putting his undersized body on the line or Seth Evans being awesome, this team makes good decisions and has great timing.

Every faction has its weaknesses. Ego? Greed? Power? This team's weaknesses are rebounding the basketball and shooting free throws. Besides Berry, only Barkley averages four rebounds per game. They currently sit at 330 (out of 345) in rebounds per game, and shoot under 70% from the free throw line. These are flaws that they've been able to overcome so far but could haunt them down the road.

I'm not ready to call the Wisconsin victory a program changer until the Phoenix show some more staying power. I've heard the line about how Green Bay is one of just 18 schools in the nation to finish among its league's top four in each of the past six seasons, but you need to finish. They got a home win against a ranked team last year too, then proceeded to lose two straight to Cleveland State and Youngstown State the next week.

I do think this version of the Phoenix is different. They have something that can't be measured in stats alone. They just find ways to win. It's something they didn't have against CSU in the Horizon League semifinals last year and it's something that their nemesis Butler is struggling to find this year. Let's hope Fletcher is 100% healthy for the showdown on New Year's Eve between the Phoenix and the Bulldogs. If that game were last night, Hinkle Fieldhouse may have been spray painted green, white, and black if ya smell
what I'm cookin'.