SHU is a very strange team this season.
RU ought to beat them, but you never know, of course, as a rivalry game, and with RU's rather Jekyl and Hyde performances (Hyde's vs Kennesaw St and OSU, Jekyl's vs Alabama, Texas A&M and now PSU).
As I said RU OUGHT to win, because SHU is just not a very good team, having already lost to Fordham, Hofstra and Monmouth (2 at home, 1 at neutral) - teams that may be worse than Kennesaw St, FYI.
So, why is SHU so strange?
1) They are a truly awful offensive team so far (though still with a better FG% and 3-point FG% than RU had last season, FYI). They have only averaged 60 ppg, versus the weakest part of their schedule. They are shooting 40% FG overall, just 60% from the FT line - though they are shooting 36%+ from 3-point range. Their TWO-point FG% is 42%, worse than RU's was last year.
2) Still, they DO shoot 36% from 3 - a pretty good number.
3) Two of their top 2 scorers have a better 3-point FG% than overall FG% - which I think is really unusual. And even their #2 scorer has a 41%+ 3-point FG% versus 44% overall - pretty close. A very strong 3-point shooting team does scare me as an RU fan ... yet despite that rather good 3-point FG%, SHU only takes 33% of its shots from 3-point range
4) They are an excellent defensive team, which includes outrebounding their opponents by more than 3 rpg. They hold their opponents to 40% FG and to 31% 3-point FG ... yet they allow the. We are extremely disappointed with RU's defense, which is worse than SHU's - but RU allows 50% from 2-point range, not that much worse than SHU.
5) Weirdly, though SHU's opposition opponents to shoot 48% from 2-point range, and just 31% from 3-point range, those opposing teams take 48% of their shots against SHU from 3-point range - less efficient. I'd have to speculate, therefore, that SHU shuts off the 2-point area well, limiting shots that CAN be taken, and yet still is able to contest the 3-point shits ... very good defense, it appears. Yet SHU's blocks no shots (just 3.2 per game) - so it must be with denial of dribble penetration and passing into the lane.
6) SHU does a good job limiting their opponents' offensive rebounding to just 28% of misses, while rebounding 36% of their own missed shots.
SHU has balanced scoring, for whatever that is worth - but no world beaters. Their top 2 average 11.8 or 11.7 ppg, their 3rd top scorer averages 8.2, and they have 3 players at 5.7 ppg each.
But its not like RU has any balance: 2 double-digit scorers with lost of inconsistent scorers after them (3 averaging 7.5 ppg to 8 ppg) ... But RU has Harper and Bailey (who average 41 ppg between the 2 of them,, or by themselves 2/3 of what SHU's entire team averages)., and play at a totally different pace than does SHU - much better offense, but worse defense also.
RU takes care of the ball better, despite playing at a much quicker pace (RU averages 10.4 TO per game, while SHU averages 13.5 TO per game), but does not cause as many turnovers either, as does SHU. RU has a 1.3 A/TO ratio, SHU is a subpar 0.9 A/TO ratio.
Wirth RU's unpredictable game to game performance I could not even begin to tell you whether RU will win or not ... RU SHOULD, especially at home ... but who knows, eh? I can repeat: SHU is a very strange team, statistically ... with 3 bad losses and zero good wins (unless VCU in OT on a neutral court is a good win).
