Personnel, matchup edges, and game-plan notes for your next opponents.
“MAC Spring League 2026 · 3-game sample (Apr 2, 9, 16) · Prepared Apr 22, 2026 · Tip-off Apr 23”
| Team | W-L | PPG | PPG-A | Margin | eFG% | 3PA% | FT% | Style Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knickerbockers (KJ) | 3-0 | 70.3 | 48.0 | +22.3 | 52.7% | 36% | 58% | Two-way. Defense first. Interior efficiency. |
| Gaels (GN) | 2-1 | 73.7 | 67.7 | +6.0 | 45.8% | 31% | 66% | Star-driven. Semler carries. Rebounds. |
| Bulldogs (BM) ← us | 2-1 | 72.7 | 67.7 | +5.0 | 55.9% | 31% | 54% | Efficient. Balanced. Turnover prone under pressure. |
| FFLT | 2-1 | 66.7 | 64.7 | +2.0 | 42.9% | 42% | 73% | Harding-dependent. Live on the glass. Survived by FT gap. |
| Banana Slugs (BSJ) | 0-3 | 56.3 | 67.3 | -11.0 | 42.9% | 49% | 46% | 3-heavy by necessity. Locke or bust. |
| Bullets (BJ) | 0-3 | 59.7 | 84.0 | -24.3 | 37.9% | 47% | 45% | No rim pressure. Low-pct 3s. Bleed possessions. |
| Situation | GP | Result | Margin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumlee on floor | 2 | 2-0 | +10.5 | Both W. Plumlee 18 PPG, 54% FG. |
| Plumlee off floor | 1 | 0-1 | -7 | Only L. Mueller 21 pts couldn't overcome team TOs. |
| Mueller on floor | 1 | 0-1 | -7 | KJ game. Mueller good (21 pts), team was not. |
| Mueller off floor | 2 | 2-0 | +10.5 | Plumlee handled scoring load. |
| Both on floor | 0 | — | — | Never happened. Lineup question for staff. |
| Player | FT% | FTA | Sample | Crunch-Time Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mueller OUT — SEASON | 83% | 6 | 1 game | Out for the season. Historical 83% on 6 FTA is off the board. |
| Burton | 71% | 7 | Full | Reliable. Safe late-game target. Best FT% on full-season sample. |
| Smith | 60% | 5 | 2 games | Acceptable. Fine to have on the ball. |
| Morrison | 50% | 4 | 2 games | Average. Neutral risk. |
| Attila | — | 0 | — | No read. Unknown risk. |
| Tennant | — | 0 | — | No read. Unknown risk. |
| Benson | 33% | 3 | 2 games | HIGH RISK. Too small a sample to trust. If fouled, plan for the miss and crash. |
| Plumlee | 25% | 4 | 2 games | HIGH RISK. Confirmed problem. Keep him off the inbound in tight games. |
| D. O'Reilly | 25% | 4 | Full | HIGH RISK. Do not put him on the inbound. |
| Bulldog | vs BSJ (Apr 23) | vs FFLT (Apr 30) | vs KJ (May 7) | vs GN | vs BJ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benson | Locke 🔒 | Harding 🚨 | Forster | Niedermeyer | Adler |
| Plumlee | Boyd | Greene | Holman (primary) | Post | Heinle |
| D. O'Reilly | Withers/Boyd | Banker | Garrett | Steele | Blount |
| Burton | Macdonald | Banker (interior) | Holman (interior help) | Semler 🏀 | Blount |
| Attila | Simpson | Manseth | Johnson | Dyches | McMahon |
| Smith/Morrison | Sweet | Rotation | Strang | Rotation | Neufeld |
| Week | Day | Focus | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 22-23 Thu → BSJ | Wed | Top-lock drills on Locke. Trap-and-rotate. Transition offense triggers. FT shooting. | 60 min |
| Thu | Shootaround: closeout drills, FT, pre-tip walkthrough. | 30 min | |
| Apr 24-30 Thu → FFLT | Sun | Review Harding across all 3 games. | 45 min |
| Tue | Trap ball-screens on Harding. Rebounding vs Banker/Greene. Attack paint in space. FT shooting. | 75 min | |
| Thu | Shootaround: trap rotations, rebound box-outs, FT. | 30 min | |
| May 1-7 Thu → KJ | Sun | Review Apr 2 loss. Map every turnover to a cause. | 60 min |
| Tue | Pace drills. 2-ball handler offense. Holman post-up defense (Plumlee). Forster iso defense. FT shooting. | 90 min | |
| Thu | Shootaround: Forster/Holman walkthrough. Foul discipline. FT. | 30 min |
| If We See... | Adjust To |
|---|---|
| Opponent star scores 10+ in H1 | Switch to box-and-1 on him. |
| Giving up 10+ offensive boards | Bring Morrison in. Burton plays help. |
| 8+ TOs by half | Two ball-handlers always: Attila + Benson + Plumlee. |
| Burton in 3-foul trouble | Morrison on. Burton returns at 4:00 of H2, not before. |
| Opponent in PnR zone | Switch to hard-hedge. Benson takes rollman. |
| Down 10+ to start H2 | Pick up full-court. Force turnovers. |
| Up 10+ late in H2 | Milk clock. Burton-Benson PnR. No early 3s. |
| Opponent in zone | Attack middle. Plumlee on elbow. Burton short-roll. |
| Opponent goes small | Post Burton on smaller defender. Feed him 3 straight. |
| Refs calling tight | Drive foul-prone defenders (Burton vs Macdonald). |
We are 2-1, outscoring opponents by 5, with eFG% of 56% and our best player (Benson) on an unsustainably great run. We have a clear interior anchor (Burton), an elite floor-spacer (Plumlee — Mueller is out for the season, so Plumlee is the sole stretch five), and a pesky connector (Attila). Our identity is rim-pressure-and-kick against quality defenses, and we must protect the ball at all costs.
Thursday's BSJ game is winnable by 15+ if we lock Locke, get out in transition, and don't turn the ball over.
The back-to-back FFLT/KJ stretch is where our season is decided. Beat one, we're playoff-bound. Beat both, we're in contention for the 1-seed. Lose both, we're fighting for a wild card.
The three things most likely to beat us: two key players missing the same night, a cold shooting night from 3, or a late-game foul parade that puts Plumlee or D. O'Reilly at the line. Protect against those three and we are the favorite in every game except KJ, and that one is a coin flip when healthy.
| Player | GP | PTS | FG% | 3P% | REB | AST | TO | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benson | 2 | 19.5 | 64% | 67% | 5.0 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 2-0 |
| Plumlee | 2 | 18.0 | 54% | 45% | 1.0 | 4.5 | 3.0 | 2-0 |
| Burton | 3 | 12.7 | 59% | — | 13.0 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 2-1 |
| Mueller OUT — SEASON | 1 | 21.0 | 50% | 40% | 2.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 0-1 |
| O'Reilly (D) | 3 | 6.3 | 36% | 0% | 6.0 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 2-1 |
| Attila | 3 | 7.0 | 41% | 54% | 2.0 | 4.7 | 0.7 | 2-1 |
| Morrison | 3 | 4.7 | 46% | — | 4.0 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 2-1 |
| Smith | 2 | 10.5 | 44% | 40% | 6.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 1-1 |
| Tennant | 3 | 3.0 | 31% | 17% | 1.3 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 2-1 |