The Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners (22-8) square off against the Seattle Redhawks (14-15) in the second round of the WAC tournament at Orleans Arena. The game gets underway at 11:30 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 11.
The Roadrunners easily got past Chicago State 79-57 in the 1. Jaylin Airington had 16 points, seven rebounds, and four assists for Cal State Bakersfield. The Redhawks, meanwhile, are coming off a 75-52 win over Texas-Rio Grande Valley in the 1. Brendan Westendorf shot 8-for-14 and led in scoring with 23 points.
Points could be at a premium in this matchup between two of the nation’s best defenses. Cal State Bakersfield ranks second in the nation in defensive efficiency (93.4), while Seattle is 23rd (99.6). Moreover, the Redhawks are among the nation’s elite on the offensive backboards, ranking 15th in OR% at 32.9%. But the Roadrunners rank 20th at corralling defensive rebounds with a DR% of 71.5%.
The Roadrunners have won both matchups against the Redhawks this season, including a 79-57 blowout in their last matchup. Westendorf scored a game-high 23 points.
Notes
Seattle won its last game by a 23-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Cal State Bakersfield is 10-1. Seattle is 2-3 in blowouts this season.
The Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners have a defensive rating of 93.4 (ranked second), while the Seattle Redhawks have an offensive rating of 97.7 (ranked 308th).
Cal State Bakersfield has an average field goal percentage of 45.2%. Seattle is a subpar 2-6 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners and the Seattle Redhawks both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Cal State Bakersfield is 206th and 121st in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Seattle ranks 246th and 234th in these categories.
Cal State Bakersfield ranks 40th in assists, registering 15.8 per game. Seattle performs worse at 178th with 13.4 assists per game.
Cal State Bakersfield, the 27th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 5.1 per game. Seattle does worse, ranked 348th with 1.6.
Cal State Bakersfield ranks 52nd in offensive rebounding. Seattle ranks 153rd in defensive rebounding.
The Cal State Bakersfield defense has forced an average TO% of 22.1% this season (ranked third). In games where it gives up a TO% of 22% or greater, Seattle has an underachieving 7-12 record.
