Hawkeye - Illawarra Hawks v Perth Wildcats R11 Preview

THE MUST KNOWS 

When: 9:30pm ADST, Friday 26 March

Where: RAC Arena, Perth

Broadcast: ESPN, SBS On Demand and Twitch

Last Time They Met: Perth 87 (Cotton 18, Blanchfield 16, Mooney 14) defeated Illawarra 70 (Harvey 17, Simon 9, White 9), Round 9, March 26 2021

THE PRELUDE

The Hawks enter this game knowing a loss to the Wildcats will see them drop out of the top four for the first time this season.

And sadly, winning in Perth is something that doesn't come naturally to the Hawks, with the side only registering a solitary one win from their past 33 games in Western Australia.

The last time Illawarra won at RAC Arena was in November 2016 - with the Wollongong-based outfit travelling to Perth 57 times since 1982 for just seven wins.

The Hawks have won three of their past five coming into this clash, but are coming off a disappointing 10-point loss in Melbourne where they posted just 65-points on a season low 31.4% from the field.

Perth have won their past five games and nine of their last ten - with their only loss in that span handed to them by Brisbane at the NBL Cup.

Last time they met the Wildcats put on an absolute clinic - leading from start to finish to claim a 17-point win. At one stage the lead had blown out to as much as 30-points before a 24-13 final term saved a bit of face for the Hawks.

The Hawks won the battle of the glass that night 42-34 but had a season worst 18 turnovers to the Wildcats eight.

This is the Hawks first official game in Perth this season but they did play two pre-season games just before Christmas with Perth winning 91-83 at RAC Arena and the Hawks answering back 82-74 at the Bendat Basketball Centre.

THE FUN FACTS

Illawarra are the lowest fouling team in the NBL at 15.3 per game but all four visiting teams that have played at RAC Arena so far have been called for at least 20 fouls. Last week Adelaide registered the most by any team in any non-overtime game in NBL21 with 26.

Last year the Hawks were the worst three-point shooting team in the League at 31.3% but this year they are the top ranked team at 38.0%. Opposition teams have shot 32-from-97 threes at RAC Arena so far (32.9%).

Both these teams have been the hardest to score against over the past three games. Perth held Adelaide to just 57 shots last Monday night – the lowest in the competition this season despite the 36ers shooting 58% from the field.

Illawarra opponents have scored 75, 69 & 69 in their last three outings, making them the stinigest defence in the league. The Wildcats are a close second.

Teams last three games points against:
96.6 Brisbane
95.0 Adelaide
92.0 New Zealand
86.3 Sth East Melb.
85.3 Sydney
84.3 Cairns
81.6 Melbourne
81.6 Perth
71.0 Illawarra

THE MATCH UP

Justin Simon v Bryce Cotton

In a league lacking very few genuine player rivalries - this is one we will keep pouring fuel onto until the cows come home.

Justin Simon knows how good Bryce Cotton is. He's never once alluded to being 'The Cotton Stopper' because he knows that job is just about impossible. But what he is intent on doing is helping his side limit Cotton's mighty influence.

Bryce Cotton’s 18 point effort v the Hawks at the NBL Cup (5/13FG) is the only game in his last ten that has not reached 20 points. In his past ten games Cotton has averaged 27.9 points and 5.8 assists – including 32.6 points in his last three games with scores of 36, 28 and 34.

Simon has the length, speed, disicpline, tenacity and toughness to make Cotton's night difficult. But he will be relying on his teammates for the same type of effort if the Hawks are to leave the West with a win. 

Bryce Cotton has also never lost to the Hawks at RAC Arena in seven matches played – making Illawarra the only team he has never lost to at home.

THE SPOTLIGHT

The Coaches - Brian Goorjian and Trevor Gleeson

Brian Goorjian and Trevor Gleeson have coached against each other 14 times for seven wins each.

This is Brian Goorjian’s first official game in Perth since September 2008 when he coached the South Dragons for the first time and beat the Wildcats.

He has 16 wins and 18 losses in his career on the road in Perth including three Grand Final series with three teams. In 1991 he won his first ever Grand Final game in game two of the series for the Eastside Spectres but lost the decider when Perth won their first championship at home after winning in Brisbane the previous year.

In 2000 he also saw the Wildcats celebrate against his Titans but got some payback in 2003 when winning the Kings first Championship at Challenge Stadium.

Trevor Gleeson becomes the seventh most experienced coach in NBL history in this game against the most experienced of all time and will soon become the sixth most.

Most games coached in NBL history:
751 – Brian Goorjian
651 – Lindsay Gaze
500 – Joey Wright
497 – Alan Black
456 – Brian Kerle
438 – Gordie McLeod
433 – Trevor Gleeson
433 – Brendan Joyce
388 – Andrej Lemanis
369 – Bob Turner