Postgame: Elon vs Virginia Tech 11/23/2024
Published: November 24, 2024
Elon vs Virginia Tech 5:46 - 3:42 3Q Lineup Breakdown
Nelson, Suffren, Wenzel, Petersen, Micheaux
Inside game is as good as ever. This lineup was +2 Net PPP for those two minutes, and they looked solid on defense as well even though they were at 0.97 D PPP. Some other lineups in the game were as low as 0.59 and 0.67 for reference.
This particular lineup was very much post-centric, and that is okay. Honestly I love the fact they were able to pick apart the game from the inside the way they did. However for the sake of breakdown I think it’s very important to still talk about the issues this team has with offensive efficiency.
The Hokies subbed in Ramiya White for Rose Micheaux at the end of this two minute run. I loved to see the freshman get some much needed burn. They then subbed in Lani White for Samyha Suffren at the start of the 3rd minute. This lineup is a lot more beneficial to me off of the fact you have more than two three point shooting threats. With Wenzel and Petersen on the floor, you have two potential shooting opportunities, but for some reason when they’re on the floor together the playcalls don’t match the visual. Rose and Kayl get calls for them to almost duel up the post in most cases, very rarely is a play called that will put Rose in a post position and Kayl in a kick. An easy adjustment such as that can greatly improve efficiency.
The starting lineup stayed in the game together until the 4:27 media timeout. This group attempted four threes and generated 13 points. They were also incredibly effective on defense holding Elon to 0.59 D PPP. This group looked about the same starting the third quarter as well. This lineup is effective and efficient. They’re good on defense, but the main factor in success is they shoot 3s.
I would really like to see the team play through Rose and have shooters around her. I love Mackie Nelson and what she brings to the game, she is able to bring the ball up well and initiate the offense. The analytics will prove that Mackie at point, Wenzel at the 2 guard and Kayl at the 3 can create some incredible flow to the already solid offensive presence that Virginia Tech has.
Here is the lineup makeup of Nelson, Wenzel, Petersen and Micheaux.
Not only does this group hold up well on defense, the 3-Point Att Rate jumps up to 39.3% from their season average of 27.1%. Obviously you would dial some of that back slightly and find cleaner looks, but analytically that is the best lineup possible for this group.