Checking in with Dartmouth men’s basketball

Record: 4-7 (3-1 Home; 1-6 Away)
Rankings: KenPom No. 292 and TeamRankings No. 277

What’s Hot:
Underclass Success, Team Shooting and Improved Blocks

Brendan Barry earned the starting point guard spot this season and leads the team in minutes (34.5), points (12.3), three pointers (28), assists (43) and assists/turnover (2.0).  He is shooting 47 percent overall, 44 percent from beyond the arc and 83 percent from the charity stripe.  First-year forward Chris Knight is averaging only 20 minutes a game, but he is leading the team in made field goals (52) and shooting (59 percent), while third in scoring (11.4 points), rebounds (3.6) and blocks (0.8).  He may not have broken into the starting lineup, but his game has helped the Big Green and their fans begin to move beyond the loss of All-Ivy junior Evan Boudreaux.

As a team, Dartmouth is shooting 46.4 percent overall, 54.2 percent from two, 36.7 percent from three and 73.8 percent from the free throw line.  Also, as Mike Tony noted in his most recent Ivy Power Poll, the Green & White have a block percentage of 7.1, which is 53rd in the nation and almost 300 spots higher than it was last season.

What’s Not:
Frontcourt Defensive Growing Pains

With the loss of Boudreaux, the graduate transfer of Cole Harrison and the absence of sophomore Ian Carter, the frontcourt consists only of sophomore Will Emery, Knight and fellow first-year Andrease Jackson.  Heading into its December 30 game against New Hampshire, the lack of an experienced and deep frontcourt contributed to its opponents’ two-pointer shooting of 56.3 percent, effective shooting of 54.6 percent and a bottom 30 adjusted efficiency of 111.1.  On the offensive boards, the team has averaged 7.6 rebounds a game and a bottom 60 rate of 23.8 percent.

What’s Meh:
Underwhelming Nonconference Schedule

The Big Green deserve credit for playing well at South Bend in a 10 point loss to a Notre Dame team that is on the edge of the Top 25.  However, they have struggled against a schedule that is ranked in bottom 25 nationally.  Of the teams four wins, only three have come against Division 1 schools and those teams have KenPom rankings of 283 (Loyola MD), 325 (Maine) and 342 (Bryant) respectively.

What’s Next:
The Big Green travel to Harvard on Saturday the 6th to open up league play and then welcome the Crimson to Hanover two weeks later.  In between are a home contest against the Catamounts of Vermont on Wednesday the 10th and a visit to Boston College on the 13th.