Southland Sharks (1-3, 10th) v Jadcup Auckland Tuatara (1-3, 9th)
Two teams looking to climb off the bottom third of the ladder. The Sharks busted out of the gate but have struggled since while the Tuatara are just rounding into shape as their roster continues to assemble. Will the Sharks be able to pull their first home win or will the Tuatara continue their ascent?
When: Friday 4th April, Rapid League 6:30pm, Sal's NBL 7:30pm
Where: ILT Stadium Southland
Watch: Live in New Zealand on Sky Sport 5 | USA: ESPN3 | International: FIBA YouTube
Box score here
Last Time Out:
The Sharks took the floor for their home opener hopeful to get a win against a Corey Webster-less Manawatū Jets squad. Enter Dontae Russo-Nance (35pts, 5rbs, 4ast, 3stls) who dominated down the stretch despite the best efforts of Josiah Allick (29pts, 12rbs, 40 minutes played) and Alonzo Burton (20pts, 5rbs, 4ast) who had the Sharks in biting distance late before going down 85-88.
The winless Tuatara hosted the also winless Nelson Giants and more importantly welcomed back the big fella Rob Loe, who didn't dominate statistically (14pts, 6rbs, 4ast) but whose presence did add much needed balance to the both ends of the Tuatara attack as they led from tip off to the final whistle in the 81-72 victory. Young Josh Wyllie (16pts, 4rbs, 5ast) Would end up the teams leading scorer as he led a balnced attack where 5 players hit double figures.
What to Look for
Offensively, the Sharks have been living almost exclusively at the rim or beyond the arc with 88% of their shots coming from those zones which has led to an efficient offense when they are able to take care of the ball, which isn't often enough for a team that is averaging 15.75 turnovers per game (3rd most in the league coming into the week). They sit second in free throw percentage but sit last in free throw attempts by a large margin. They'll need to pick up the work rate on the glass while taking care of the ball if they have any hope of pulling off a win on their home court.
Rob Loe gives the Tuatara another option on the post but it is skill out of the pick and roll game that can bend teams defensive schemes, especially when he's catching and making decisions out of the short roll. Will Hickey is expected to see his first action of the season, bringing the Tuatara to full strength just in time for the Southern swing. Hickey will combine well with Buay Tuach and Tom Vodanovich on the defensive end, where the trios switchability will cause real issues for offenses. They need to take better care of the ball (15.4 turnovers) but with a full lineup the stress of creation should make that easier.
Small Sample Size Stats:
Sharks - The leagues second worst turnover rate (17%) is tempered by the highest assist rate in the competition (64%). No team in the league has a higher three point rate (48%) leading to the 4th most threes shot (135 3pfga) which have been going down at 35% (4th in league). They are the worst rebounding team in the league by average (37.25 rebounds per game) while their rebounding rate (72%) sits 8th overall.
Tuatara - Without the full roster the efficiency has suffered, both when shooting the ball (46% effective field goal percentage, 11th) or when trying to bend defenses with the pass (17% turnover rate, 10th highest). The defensive pressure needs to uptick (7% steal rate, 11th in league, 6% block rate 7th in league). They boast the second highest three point rate (45%) but that hasn't led to great offense yet (94 offensive rating, 11th)
Matchup to Watch: Josiah Allick v Rob Loe - Allick's work rate is the equal of any big in the league but coming up against the size and smarts of Rob Loe will be a test. Will Loe find the range from deep and operate out of the high post as the offensive fulcrum with ease? Or will the hustle of Allick help the Sharks impose their will on the Jaffas?
