GAME SEVEN
MEN'S BASKETBALL: WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS VS MIAMI (OH) REDHAWKS 
Dec. 2, 2017  •  7:00 p.m. (CT)  •  Macomb, Ill.  •  Western Hall 
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MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois Leathernecks look to remain perfect at home and move to 6-1 for the second time in thirty years. WIU will play to host to Miami (Ohio) on Sat. Dec. 2 at 7 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Leathernecks rolled over IUPUI 90-77 on Nov. 28 for their fifth victory of the year behind Kobe Webster's 27 points (including five 3-pointers) and eight assists. The 13 points WIU won by was the closest the game was since the 8:20 mark in the first half. Jalen Morgan contributed 13 points along with two blocks, the most of his career.
 
SHOOTER'S TOUCH: Other than Nov. 25 against Iowa State, the Leathernecks have not seen their field goal percentage drop below 47 percent since against Eastern Illinois (Nov. 15). The Leathernecks are coming off a contest where they made 60.4 percent of their buckets and 58.8 percent from beyond the arc. Brandon Gilbeck is leading the charge, as he is first in The Summit League and fifth in the nation in this category, netting 70.4 percent of all attempts.
 
SCORIN' AIN'T EASY: Dalan Ancrum is third in the League in points at 19.5 points per game, only behind Fort Wayne's Bryson Scott (21.7) and South Dakota State's 'Preseason Player of the Year' Mike Daum (20.1). Ancrum's season has featured two 20-point performances ( vs. St. Mary's and Eastern Illinois) and one 34-point game at SIUE.
 
HANDS UP!: The Western Illinois defense has been stingy this season, allowing opponents only 60.2 points per contest and holding opposing teams to shooting just 42.6 percent from inside the arc. Because the Western defense is so good close to the basket, partly thanks to the threat of Brandon Gilbeck (3.3 blocks per game), teams are scoring 41.4 percent of their points against Western from 3-point range. This is the ninth highest percentage in the nation and 10.4 percentage points higher than the NCAA average.
 
MR. POPULAR: When facing Division I opponents, the Leathernecks trot out Dalan Ancrum, Kobe Webster, C.J. Duff, Jeremiah Usiosefe and Brandon Gilbeck 71% of the time. The second-most used lineup is Dalan Ancrum, Delo Bruster, C.J. Duff, Jeremiah Usiosefe and Jalen Morgan, which is used 19 percent of game. The Leathernecks also rank 346th out of 351 teams in bench minutes, with non-starters only playing in 31.6% percent of team minutes.
 
MINUTE MAN: Dalan Ancrum and Kobe Webster have each logged a 40 minute game this year. Ancrum is averaging 33.8 minutes per game. In Division I games, Ancrum has been on the floor for 93.1 percent of Western's minutes. His time on the floor ranks 11th in the nation out of 2200 players in percentage of minutes.
 
LUCK: According to a metric on the popular analytic website KenPom, Western Illinois has been the luckiest team in the nation so far this season. This metric takes into account close wins and actual wins compared to projected wins. WIU has won two games (Eastern Illinois, 56-54 and SIUE, 69-67) by two points each and beat IUPUI, a game that was a projected loss, by 13 points.
 
SWAT 'EM LIKE FLIES: Brandon Gilbeck's 20 blocked shots this season have been impressive. Not only is he averaging 3.3 blocks per contest, when he is on the floor, Gilbeck blocks 13.7 percent of opponents attempts. This ranks 14th in the nation among all 2,200 ranked players in the NCAA this season.
 
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS: Miami (Ohio) is led by first lead coach Jack Owens and comes in to the game against Western at 4-3. On the offensive side of the court for the Redhawks, freshman Nike Sibande nets 12.7 points per contest. He is shooting 41 percent from the field and 34 percent from 3-point land. Darrian Ringo is putting together an impressive campaign for Miami (Ohio) in 2017-18, recording 8.1 assists so far, which ranks sixth in the nation. Ringo is also 10th in the NCAA in steals per game by grabbing 2.86 an outing. This will only be the second meeting between the two schools, with the sole contest coming last season, a game in which the Redhawks won, 81-72. In the game, C.J. Duff netted 12 points and two rebounds.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: Western will play host to Miami (Ohio) Saturday (Dec. 2) before hosting American on Dec. 6 and Milwaukee on Dec. 9. The Leathernecks do not hit the road again until Dec. 19 against Eastern Illinois.
 
TIP-INS
 
-In back-to-back contests, the Leathernecks have featured a player that has played in all 40 minutes of regulation time. Against Iowa State, it was Dalan Ancrum who played 40 minutes, and when WIU played IUPUI, Kobe Webster logged 40 minutes.
 
-Jalen Morgan is coming off a career day against IUPUI. He netted 13 points, four rebounds and two blocks.
 
-WIU had four players in double digits against IUPUI in Webster (27), Ancrum (19), Morgan (13) and Delo Bruster (10). That was the first time that Western had four players in double figures against a Division I opponent this season.
 
-Excluding the bout against Iowa State, the Leathernecks have seen their 3-point percentage increase in each game. Against Eastern Illinois on Nov. 15, WIU shot 31.8 from behind the arc and against IUPUI the Leathernecks netted .588 (10-17) shots from deep.