≈ Saturday, January 14, 2006
BU-HC gameblog
Pregame
If you were planning on coming to Lewisburg and decided against it because of fears of a sellout, you were, unfortunately mistaken.
Sojka is crowded, and close to full, but there are definitely seats left.
Blame Bucknell's students, or at least those who opted not to return early from break.
Bucknell keeps 2,500 tickets available for students and staff. Those that went unclaimed went on sale this morning, but obviously a lot of fans were scared away from the earlier reports of a sellout.
One injury note -- Bucknell's Tarik Viaer-McClymont is in a traveling warmup suitand does not appear to be available. The 6-7 backup center, who missed the American game due to a bruised bone in his ankle, did take part in pregame warmups.
BU 8, HC 6 (15:18 first)
McNaughton with BU's first 4 points, and all three BU field goals, including a nasty dunk beating a late double down on the baseline by Vander Baan.
Simmons has 5 of HC's first 6, but was forced into a 5 second call by Lee on his most recent touch, after burying a three the previous trip down the floor.
Torey Thomas and Abe Badmus both picked up an early personal. That could be a situation to watch, especially for Thomas, given the lack of another point guard for HC.
BU 15, HC 7 (11:17 first)
Vegotsky hits his first shot -- a three from the left baseline. Ralph calls a quick TO.
Bucknell on a 9-1 spurt.
Bison with a 7-4 edge on the boards early. Both teams with 4 turnovers.
Bucknell shooting 55.6 percent (5-9). HC is 2-9 (22.2 percent).
Badmus just picked up his second personal. Bucknell's fourth team foul.
BU 20, HC 7 (8:17 first)
Lee for 3, another HC timeout.
Bucknell run now at 14-1.
HC has not had a field goal in over 7:30.
BU 26 HC 12 (3:45 first)When will Bucknell get a jersey for Bucky Bison, its mascot.
In his navy-blue I heart BU t-shirt with an orange vest, he looks like he just got off the senior citizens tour bus for the early bird at Old Country.
Kevin Hamilton is 0-5 and his frustration is showing. On a 2 on 1 break, instead of dishing to Thomas on the wing, he tried to go over McNaughton and got called for the charge -- his second personal.
Simmons (7) and Thomas (5) are the only Crusaders who have scored. HC is 3-15 from the field with 10 turnovers already.
BU 34, HC 14 (halftime)
It is a clinic in Sojka Pavilion, where Chris McNaughton just capped an incredible half by the Bison with a 10-foot jumper from the right side.
McNaughton has 10 points at the break. Seven other Bison sharing the scoring.
For Holy Cross, Simmons (7), Thomas (5) and Hamilton (2 on 2-4 free throw shooting) account for all the points. Hamilton is 0-6 from the field. The Crusaders had one field goal in the last 15:57, only three in the half. Overall they shot 3-17 (17.6 percent) and turned the ball over 12 times.
It is the Crusaders lowest scoring half of the season, eclipsing the 15-point second half at George Mason.
Bucknell shot 60 percent in the first half (12-20). The Bison also with a 13-9 edge on the boards.
Most telling stat: Points in the paint -- Bucknell 18, HC 0.
Dave Jones of the Patriot-News makes a good point -- with 10 BU fouls and 7 HC steals, the Crusaders had a lot of extra possessions and still only scored 14 points.
BU 38, HC 24 (15:47 2nd half)
Hamilton with two quick buckets -- 1 a trey -- to open the half and Simmons scores the first points in the paint for HC as they cut the BU lead to 34-21.
Then Lee hits two free throws and a put back to push the lead back to 17 points.
Hamilton answers with his second trey. Hamilton is now 3-9, 2-6 from 3-point range.
Vander Baan with 3 fouls for HC after picking up two quick in the second half. Bettencourt has 3 personals for BU. Nobody else with more than 2.
BU 40, HC 31 (13:00 2nd half)
Just like that, HC is back in this one. They have outscored BU 17-6 to open the half.
The key -- Kevin Hamilton, who all of a sudden has 14 points after going without a field goal in the first half.
BU 42, HC 31 (11:39)
Bucknell twice this half with easy buckets on inbounds plays under its own basket. The most recent by Donald brown to push the lead back to double digits.
Bucknell 3-11 from the field in the second half. HC 7-13.
BU 44, HC 35 (7:43 to go)
HC back in the game, but how long can they last with Hamilton, Simmons and Vander Baan each with 4 personals.
BU 51, HC 38 (4:42 second)
Bucknell pulling away without having scored a field goal since the 12:08 mark of the second half.
Bucknell 9-12 from the line since then.
Four HC players with 4 fouls -- Thomas, Vander Baan, Simmons and Hamilton.
Bucknell 56, Holy Cross 42 (FINAL)
Holy Cross made a game of it with a big run early in the second half. But the Crusaders ran out of gas down the stretch.
McNaughton with 15 for Bucknell. Lee added 12.
Kevin Hamilton with 18, 16 in the second half, for HC. Simmons with 12 and Torey Thomas 10.
Alex Vander Baan had the only other bucket for the Crusaders.
If you were planning on coming to Lewisburg and decided against it because of fears of a sellout, you were, unfortunately mistaken.
Sojka is crowded, and close to full, but there are definitely seats left.
Blame Bucknell's students, or at least those who opted not to return early from break.
Bucknell keeps 2,500 tickets available for students and staff. Those that went unclaimed went on sale this morning, but obviously a lot of fans were scared away from the earlier reports of a sellout.
One injury note -- Bucknell's Tarik Viaer-McClymont is in a traveling warmup suitand does not appear to be available. The 6-7 backup center, who missed the American game due to a bruised bone in his ankle, did take part in pregame warmups.
BU 8, HC 6 (15:18 first)
McNaughton with BU's first 4 points, and all three BU field goals, including a nasty dunk beating a late double down on the baseline by Vander Baan.
Simmons has 5 of HC's first 6, but was forced into a 5 second call by Lee on his most recent touch, after burying a three the previous trip down the floor.
Torey Thomas and Abe Badmus both picked up an early personal. That could be a situation to watch, especially for Thomas, given the lack of another point guard for HC.
BU 15, HC 7 (11:17 first)
Vegotsky hits his first shot -- a three from the left baseline. Ralph calls a quick TO.
Bucknell on a 9-1 spurt.
Bison with a 7-4 edge on the boards early. Both teams with 4 turnovers.
Bucknell shooting 55.6 percent (5-9). HC is 2-9 (22.2 percent).
Badmus just picked up his second personal. Bucknell's fourth team foul.
BU 20, HC 7 (8:17 first)
Lee for 3, another HC timeout.
Bucknell run now at 14-1.
HC has not had a field goal in over 7:30.
BU 26 HC 12 (3:45 first)When will Bucknell get a jersey for Bucky Bison, its mascot.
In his navy-blue I heart BU t-shirt with an orange vest, he looks like he just got off the senior citizens tour bus for the early bird at Old Country.
Kevin Hamilton is 0-5 and his frustration is showing. On a 2 on 1 break, instead of dishing to Thomas on the wing, he tried to go over McNaughton and got called for the charge -- his second personal.
Simmons (7) and Thomas (5) are the only Crusaders who have scored. HC is 3-15 from the field with 10 turnovers already.
BU 34, HC 14 (halftime)
It is a clinic in Sojka Pavilion, where Chris McNaughton just capped an incredible half by the Bison with a 10-foot jumper from the right side.
McNaughton has 10 points at the break. Seven other Bison sharing the scoring.
For Holy Cross, Simmons (7), Thomas (5) and Hamilton (2 on 2-4 free throw shooting) account for all the points. Hamilton is 0-6 from the field. The Crusaders had one field goal in the last 15:57, only three in the half. Overall they shot 3-17 (17.6 percent) and turned the ball over 12 times.
It is the Crusaders lowest scoring half of the season, eclipsing the 15-point second half at George Mason.
Bucknell shot 60 percent in the first half (12-20). The Bison also with a 13-9 edge on the boards.
Most telling stat: Points in the paint -- Bucknell 18, HC 0.
Dave Jones of the Patriot-News makes a good point -- with 10 BU fouls and 7 HC steals, the Crusaders had a lot of extra possessions and still only scored 14 points.
BU 38, HC 24 (15:47 2nd half)
Hamilton with two quick buckets -- 1 a trey -- to open the half and Simmons scores the first points in the paint for HC as they cut the BU lead to 34-21.
Then Lee hits two free throws and a put back to push the lead back to 17 points.
Hamilton answers with his second trey. Hamilton is now 3-9, 2-6 from 3-point range.
Vander Baan with 3 fouls for HC after picking up two quick in the second half. Bettencourt has 3 personals for BU. Nobody else with more than 2.
BU 40, HC 31 (13:00 2nd half)
Just like that, HC is back in this one. They have outscored BU 17-6 to open the half.
The key -- Kevin Hamilton, who all of a sudden has 14 points after going without a field goal in the first half.
BU 42, HC 31 (11:39)
Bucknell twice this half with easy buckets on inbounds plays under its own basket. The most recent by Donald brown to push the lead back to double digits.
Bucknell 3-11 from the field in the second half. HC 7-13.
BU 44, HC 35 (7:43 to go)
HC back in the game, but how long can they last with Hamilton, Simmons and Vander Baan each with 4 personals.
BU 51, HC 38 (4:42 second)
Bucknell pulling away without having scored a field goal since the 12:08 mark of the second half.
Bucknell 9-12 from the line since then.
Four HC players with 4 fouls -- Thomas, Vander Baan, Simmons and Hamilton.
Bucknell 56, Holy Cross 42 (FINAL)
Holy Cross made a game of it with a big run early in the second half. But the Crusaders ran out of gas down the stretch.
McNaughton with 15 for Bucknell. Lee added 12.
Kevin Hamilton with 18, 16 in the second half, for HC. Simmons with 12 and Torey Thomas 10.
Alex Vander Baan had the only other bucket for the Crusaders.
HC-BU tops busy slate
(Originally posted Friday, 3:38 p.m.)
Patriot League scoreboards
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Holy Cross at Bucknell, 1 p.m.: When these two met for the first time last season, that things between Holy Cross and Bucknell would probably not be settled until the second Friday of March.
That turned out to be true.
A lot of people are saying the same thing this season. At this point, there is no reason to argue against that scenario. But there is also far less evidence to support such prognostication.
Last year the two teams came in with similar records and similar casts. Both teams had almost everyone back from the previous season. Both featured balanced lineups with outstanding backcourts and solid frontcourts.
Even after Bucknell won the rubber match between the two last March, they continued along very similar paths, with both teams scoring big first round upsets in post season play before losing tough second round games.
But the month of May was not kind to Holy Cross. When they held graduation ceremonies in Worcester, they handed diplomas to Nate Lufkin, John Hurley and Greg Kinsey and waved goodbye to three-fifths of the Crusaders' starting lineup.
Bucknell graduated only one player -- Chris Niesz, a key backup to be certain, but a player whose void has been much easier to fill than those played by the Crusaders' trio.
Kinsey, Lufkin and Hurley all played key roles in the Crusaders' lone win in the three games with Bucknell last season. Hurley had 11 points and 9 rebounds in the regular season meeting in Worcester. Kinsey added 10 points and Lufkin had 8 boards.
Without Lufkin and Hurley, Holy Cross' frontcourt has been a shadow of last year's. Kevin Hyland and Tim Clifford have, thus far, proven to have far smaller feet than the shoes they have been asked to fill. Alex Vander Baan, pressed into a starting role at power forward, has been the best of the Crusaders' frontcourt players thus far, but the skinny 6-8 freshman has also had games where he has pretty much disappeared.
Filling Kinsey's spot in the starting lineup was easy enough. Keith Simmons was an all-league pick last year when he played starter-like minutes as HC's sixth man. But nobody on the Crusaders' bench this season has shown the ability to come in and provide a spark like Simmons did last season. Pat Doherty probably would have given the 'Saders a scorer off the bench, but a foot problem has sidelined him for the season, leaving Ralph Willard to rely on freshmen as key reserves.
The combination of Holy Cross' weaker frontcourt and lesser bench significantly alters the equation when you look at the two teams heading into Saturday afternoon's showdown.
Chris McNaughton and Darren Mastropaolo give the Bison a significant edge in the frontcourt. Backups Donald Brown and Tarik Viaer-McClymont add depth upfront that the Crusaders lack.
That edge in bench contributors extends to the Bucknell backcourt, too. Holy Cross fans will argue that Kevin Hamilton, Torey Thomas and Simmons give the Crusaders an edge on Bucknell's starting backcourt of Kevin Bettencourt, Abe Badmus and Charles Lee. They might be right, but any advantage there is slight. With John Griffin and freshman Jason Vegotsky coming off the bench for Bucknell, the backcourt balance seems to shift towards the Bison.
The depth factor cannot be overlooked in a matchup like this. These are two teams that pride themselves on tough defense. Recent games between Bucknell and Holy Cross have been the kind of grind-it-out half court affairs you would expect from teams coached by defense-first guys like Ralph Willard and Pat Flannery.
In three games last season, the two teams combined shot 38 percent from the field. Take away Bucknell's 21-for-40 showing in the league championship game and that figure is even lower. That was the only time one of the two shot better than 41 percent against each other.
Expect more of the same this time around. Despite its up and down start and the many injury problems Holy Cross has faced, the Crusaders are still holding the opposition to 42.2 percent shooting. During their current four-game win streak, that number has dropped to 36.2 percent.
Bucknell's defense has been even tougher, with opponents shooting only 38.7 percent against the Bison. Bucknell has been holding opponents to an average of under 60 points per game.
Make no mistake, it takes more energy to play defense than offense. Which is why Bucknell's depth could give it the edge.
Take a look at Holy Cross' seven losses and you will see what we mean. In five of the seven, the Crusaders were within 3 at the half. They were even ahead by three in one of those games (Mississippi State). In all five they faded after the break, each time in no small part because the opposition shot the ball better in the second half.
Even in its recent wins, three of the four foes (Army being the exception) have shot much better against HC in the second half. In fact, those opponents have shot an average of 16.6 percent better after the break.
The obvious way for Holy Cross to negate that perceived disadvantage is to get out to a fast start. Playing with a lead tends to boost the energy level. Falling behind can be like drinking the bizarro-world version of Red Bull and having to overcome a big early deficit usually results in teams running out of gas down the stretch.
That is not an impossible scenario for the Crusaders. While Bucknell has shown a tendency to start slow in recent games, Holy Cross has been coming out of the blocks like Olympic sprinters. In their last two games, the Crusaders have shot over 60 percent in the first half both nights.
Of course that was against Lafayette and Army. And Bucknell's slow starts have come on the road.
One thing is for certain: somebody's streak ends in this one. Holy Cross has won 15 straight regular season league games. A win would match Navy's league record of 16 in a row. The Bison, on the other hand, have won 17 straight league games at home.
NOTE: updated today, with recaps of the Crusaders' last two games and an insightful preview of the Bucknell-HC game. As always, Coach Ralph's site is a worthy click.
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Navy at Lafayette, 1 p.m.: The three-pointers ought to be flying in Easton, when these two meet. Lafayette has been putting up an average of 24 treys per game. Navy has been shooting almost as many (23.6) in the past three games, a stat traceable to the loss of the Mids top inside threat, Matt Fannin, in the first half of their loss to UMBC.
The Midshipmen's four-guard lineup will not be at as much a disadvantage in the paint against Lafayette as it was in its first two league games (losses to Bucknell and at Lehigh). Likewise, this will be one of the few nights all season the Leopards will not be at a decided disadvantage in the frontcourt.
Despite the lack of scholarships, Lafayette has remained a tough out on its own floor. The 'Pards are 5-2 in Kirby this season and have won their last three home league games, dating back to upsets over American and Lehigh last season that went a long way towards killing both of those teams' hopes of gaining a homecourt edge for the first two rounds of the league tournament.
Navy has a 7-6 record at Lafayette against Fran O'Hanlon teams, but the Midshipmen have won only once there this century and are 1-7 in their last 8 trips to Easton
When these two met in Easton last year, Lafayette came away with the win in a high-scoring (90-80) up-and-down affair. Expect a similar pace this time.
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American at Colgate, 1:30 p.m.: This game should give Jeff Jones a good measure of his club's standing. After opening league play against two teams (Lehigh and Bucknell) that figure to finish in the upper division of the standings, American gets a game against a team it ought to matchup with much better.
Colgate (7-9) was expected to be one of the contenders in the league this season. But thus far the Raiders have been a disappointment. They have lost games to teams like New Hampshire (4-11), Quinnipiac (6-7), Cornell (5-9) and Stony Brook (3-10) and have yet to beat anybody with a .500 record.
American has struggled, too. But AU has played a much stronger schedule than the Raiders.
Given the Eagles dependence on freshmen in key roles, early season problems were expected. The 4-11 Eagles are expected to get better as the season goes on and those freshmen adjust to college ball.
Both teams have strong guards. Both are questionable up front. In fact, the biggest advantage either team probably can claim is the homecourt, which gives an edge to the Raiders, who are 4-1 this season at Cotterell Court. AU is 1-7 on the road.
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Army at Lehigh, 7:30 p.m.: An interesting bit of trivia about Army: Over the past three seasons, 57 percent (4-of-7) of the Black Knights' wins over Division 1 opponents have come on the road, including both of their D-1 victories this season.
That does not mean the offensively challenged Cadets have much of a chance in Stabler Arena, though.
Army, which has lost five in a row, is barley shooting 40 percent from the field on the season (and would be below 40 percent if you take away two games against Division 3 opponents). That does not bode well against a Lehigh team that has held foes to 35.2 percent shooting all season.
Granted, Lehigh has not exactly been lights out either. In fact the Mountain Hawks 39.7 percent shooting, which also includes two games against D-3s, is actually lower than Army's. But that has also come against a much tougher schedule. It also has come without the presence of point guard Joe Knight in 16 of Lehigh's 17 games.
Knight struggled to find his range Wednesday against Navy in his first game back after a 16-game NCAA-imposed suspension, hitting only 2 of 11 shots he took. And over the course of his career, Knight, despite his reputation as a scorer, has actually shot less than 40 percent. But between opponents' needing to pay attention to another scorer on the floor and Knight's knack for finding open men, Lehigh's other guys figure to get a few better looks with him running the point.
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Holy Cross at Bucknell, 1 p.m.: When these two met for the first time last season, that things between Holy Cross and Bucknell would probably not be settled until the second Friday of March.
That turned out to be true.
A lot of people are saying the same thing this season. At this point, there is no reason to argue against that scenario. But there is also far less evidence to support such prognostication.
Last year the two teams came in with similar records and similar casts. Both teams had almost everyone back from the previous season. Both featured balanced lineups with outstanding backcourts and solid frontcourts.
Even after Bucknell won the rubber match between the two last March, they continued along very similar paths, with both teams scoring big first round upsets in post season play before losing tough second round games.
But the month of May was not kind to Holy Cross. When they held graduation ceremonies in Worcester, they handed diplomas to Nate Lufkin, John Hurley and Greg Kinsey and waved goodbye to three-fifths of the Crusaders' starting lineup.
Bucknell graduated only one player -- Chris Niesz, a key backup to be certain, but a player whose void has been much easier to fill than those played by the Crusaders' trio.
Kinsey, Lufkin and Hurley all played key roles in the Crusaders' lone win in the three games with Bucknell last season. Hurley had 11 points and 9 rebounds in the regular season meeting in Worcester. Kinsey added 10 points and Lufkin had 8 boards.
Without Lufkin and Hurley, Holy Cross' frontcourt has been a shadow of last year's. Kevin Hyland and Tim Clifford have, thus far, proven to have far smaller feet than the shoes they have been asked to fill. Alex Vander Baan, pressed into a starting role at power forward, has been the best of the Crusaders' frontcourt players thus far, but the skinny 6-8 freshman has also had games where he has pretty much disappeared.
Filling Kinsey's spot in the starting lineup was easy enough. Keith Simmons was an all-league pick last year when he played starter-like minutes as HC's sixth man. But nobody on the Crusaders' bench this season has shown the ability to come in and provide a spark like Simmons did last season. Pat Doherty probably would have given the 'Saders a scorer off the bench, but a foot problem has sidelined him for the season, leaving Ralph Willard to rely on freshmen as key reserves.
The combination of Holy Cross' weaker frontcourt and lesser bench significantly alters the equation when you look at the two teams heading into Saturday afternoon's showdown.
Chris McNaughton and Darren Mastropaolo give the Bison a significant edge in the frontcourt. Backups Donald Brown and Tarik Viaer-McClymont add depth upfront that the Crusaders lack.
That edge in bench contributors extends to the Bucknell backcourt, too. Holy Cross fans will argue that Kevin Hamilton, Torey Thomas and Simmons give the Crusaders an edge on Bucknell's starting backcourt of Kevin Bettencourt, Abe Badmus and Charles Lee. They might be right, but any advantage there is slight. With John Griffin and freshman Jason Vegotsky coming off the bench for Bucknell, the backcourt balance seems to shift towards the Bison.
The depth factor cannot be overlooked in a matchup like this. These are two teams that pride themselves on tough defense. Recent games between Bucknell and Holy Cross have been the kind of grind-it-out half court affairs you would expect from teams coached by defense-first guys like Ralph Willard and Pat Flannery.
In three games last season, the two teams combined shot 38 percent from the field. Take away Bucknell's 21-for-40 showing in the league championship game and that figure is even lower. That was the only time one of the two shot better than 41 percent against each other.
Expect more of the same this time around. Despite its up and down start and the many injury problems Holy Cross has faced, the Crusaders are still holding the opposition to 42.2 percent shooting. During their current four-game win streak, that number has dropped to 36.2 percent.
Bucknell's defense has been even tougher, with opponents shooting only 38.7 percent against the Bison. Bucknell has been holding opponents to an average of under 60 points per game.
Make no mistake, it takes more energy to play defense than offense. Which is why Bucknell's depth could give it the edge.
Take a look at Holy Cross' seven losses and you will see what we mean. In five of the seven, the Crusaders were within 3 at the half. They were even ahead by three in one of those games (Mississippi State). In all five they faded after the break, each time in no small part because the opposition shot the ball better in the second half.
Even in its recent wins, three of the four foes (Army being the exception) have shot much better against HC in the second half. In fact, those opponents have shot an average of 16.6 percent better after the break.
The obvious way for Holy Cross to negate that perceived disadvantage is to get out to a fast start. Playing with a lead tends to boost the energy level. Falling behind can be like drinking the bizarro-world version of Red Bull and having to overcome a big early deficit usually results in teams running out of gas down the stretch.
That is not an impossible scenario for the Crusaders. While Bucknell has shown a tendency to start slow in recent games, Holy Cross has been coming out of the blocks like Olympic sprinters. In their last two games, the Crusaders have shot over 60 percent in the first half both nights.
Of course that was against Lafayette and Army. And Bucknell's slow starts have come on the road.
One thing is for certain: somebody's streak ends in this one. Holy Cross has won 15 straight regular season league games. A win would match Navy's league record of 16 in a row. The Bison, on the other hand, have won 17 straight league games at home.
NOTE: updated today, with recaps of the Crusaders' last two games and an insightful preview of the Bucknell-HC game. As always, Coach Ralph's site is a worthy click.
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Navy at Lafayette, 1 p.m.: The three-pointers ought to be flying in Easton, when these two meet. Lafayette has been putting up an average of 24 treys per game. Navy has been shooting almost as many (23.6) in the past three games, a stat traceable to the loss of the Mids top inside threat, Matt Fannin, in the first half of their loss to UMBC.
The Midshipmen's four-guard lineup will not be at as much a disadvantage in the paint against Lafayette as it was in its first two league games (losses to Bucknell and at Lehigh). Likewise, this will be one of the few nights all season the Leopards will not be at a decided disadvantage in the frontcourt.
Despite the lack of scholarships, Lafayette has remained a tough out on its own floor. The 'Pards are 5-2 in Kirby this season and have won their last three home league games, dating back to upsets over American and Lehigh last season that went a long way towards killing both of those teams' hopes of gaining a homecourt edge for the first two rounds of the league tournament.
Navy has a 7-6 record at Lafayette against Fran O'Hanlon teams, but the Midshipmen have won only once there this century and are 1-7 in their last 8 trips to Easton
When these two met in Easton last year, Lafayette came away with the win in a high-scoring (90-80) up-and-down affair. Expect a similar pace this time.
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American at Colgate, 1:30 p.m.: This game should give Jeff Jones a good measure of his club's standing. After opening league play against two teams (Lehigh and Bucknell) that figure to finish in the upper division of the standings, American gets a game against a team it ought to matchup with much better.
Colgate (7-9) was expected to be one of the contenders in the league this season. But thus far the Raiders have been a disappointment. They have lost games to teams like New Hampshire (4-11), Quinnipiac (6-7), Cornell (5-9) and Stony Brook (3-10) and have yet to beat anybody with a .500 record.
American has struggled, too. But AU has played a much stronger schedule than the Raiders.
Given the Eagles dependence on freshmen in key roles, early season problems were expected. The 4-11 Eagles are expected to get better as the season goes on and those freshmen adjust to college ball.
Both teams have strong guards. Both are questionable up front. In fact, the biggest advantage either team probably can claim is the homecourt, which gives an edge to the Raiders, who are 4-1 this season at Cotterell Court. AU is 1-7 on the road.
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Army at Lehigh, 7:30 p.m.: An interesting bit of trivia about Army: Over the past three seasons, 57 percent (4-of-7) of the Black Knights' wins over Division 1 opponents have come on the road, including both of their D-1 victories this season.
That does not mean the offensively challenged Cadets have much of a chance in Stabler Arena, though.
Army, which has lost five in a row, is barley shooting 40 percent from the field on the season (and would be below 40 percent if you take away two games against Division 3 opponents). That does not bode well against a Lehigh team that has held foes to 35.2 percent shooting all season.
Granted, Lehigh has not exactly been lights out either. In fact the Mountain Hawks 39.7 percent shooting, which also includes two games against D-3s, is actually lower than Army's. But that has also come against a much tougher schedule. It also has come without the presence of point guard Joe Knight in 16 of Lehigh's 17 games.
Knight struggled to find his range Wednesday against Navy in his first game back after a 16-game NCAA-imposed suspension, hitting only 2 of 11 shots he took. And over the course of his career, Knight, despite his reputation as a scorer, has actually shot less than 40 percent. But between opponents' needing to pay attention to another scorer on the floor and Knight's knack for finding open men, Lehigh's other guys figure to get a few better looks with him running the point.
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Friday, January 13, 2006
Thanks dudes
Big thanks to a pair of e-mailers this evening.
Justin (his last name shows in his e-mail address but he doesn't put it on the feedback form so we won't post it here) from Plymouth, Mass. has been named to the Hoop Time staff as a proof reader after twice this week catching our mistakes.
The latest was this afternoon when he noticed I wrote Kevin Hurley when I meant Kevin Hyland in the HC-BU preview.
Says Justin:
Thanks, dude.
The other e-mail worth sharing this afternoon comes from Eric Thomas, who writes for the Shamokin News-Item. Some of you might have read his old blog -- ET on sports -- which he no longer updates.
The News-Item is a small paper in Pa. coal country with a Web site that never updates until late in the day. That is why we seldom link to E's stuff on Bucknell.
He was kind enough to send us some quotes from an interview he did with Ralph Willard for a preview of tomorrow's game. E also says the usually updates around midnight on weekends, so check it in the morning for his whole story.
Here's what Ralph has to say:
Justin (his last name shows in his e-mail address but he doesn't put it on the feedback form so we won't post it here) from Plymouth, Mass. has been named to the Hoop Time staff as a proof reader after twice this week catching our mistakes.
The latest was this afternoon when he noticed I wrote Kevin Hurley when I meant Kevin Hyland in the HC-BU preview.
Says Justin:
For the purposes of tomorrow's game, I wish Kevin Hyland hadHe's the same guy who caught the math mistake in the recap of the Lehigh-Navy game earlier this week.
as much "Hurley" in him as you give him credit for!
Thanks, dude.
The other e-mail worth sharing this afternoon comes from Eric Thomas, who writes for the Shamokin News-Item. Some of you might have read his old blog -- ET on sports -- which he no longer updates.
The News-Item is a small paper in Pa. coal country with a Web site that never updates until late in the day. That is why we seldom link to E's stuff on Bucknell.
He was kind enough to send us some quotes from an interview he did with Ralph Willard for a preview of tomorrow's game. E also says the usually updates around midnight on weekends, so check it in the morning for his whole story.
Here's what Ralph has to say:
"With all of the things that have happened to us this year, we just dedicated the rest of the season to getting better under the circumstances we're in. We're in a situation where wehave one point guard on the team and he can't get into foul trouble, he can't get hurt."Thanks Eric.
"Keith is a little tired right, other than that, he's not cramping anymore, and overall, other than that we're pretty good. We're right around where we should be right now (with all that has happened)."
"Ever since we got back from George Mason we're looking at every opportunity to find a way to win. We've got to come around and be ready to play and keep on improving as we head on into March."
"I think biggest thing is we have a short rotation, 10 out of our first 13 games we're on road, and certainly it is difficult but that is the way it is. The team looking at it like we're victims rather than accepting it as a challenge. From George Mason on,we said we're going to look at the rest of the season as a challenge, forget what has happened to us, we're going to find a way to win."
On BU's Charles Lee: "I think Charles is one of key reasons why Bucknell is so good. There are so many things does well that don't show up in the box score. He's the type of guy that even if he is not the one scoring the basket he is reason basket is being scored. He's also one of the best clutch players in the league. In watching film on them I see them run a bunch of plays at end of games, and sometimes he's not making the shot but made the play to get the shot."
On Bucknell's tough win on Wednesday: "It just shows their toughness. They just played two straight road games. Right now we know each other so well, execution is not as difficult.....but you're going to have tough games and the fact they won that game and found a way to win the game, to me, that's the key. You have to find ways to win especially on the road."
Friday morning readaround
Not a lot out there today, but here are a couple of pieces to chew on while we prepare our previws of tomorrow's action:
Gordie Jones of the Morning Call penned a on the trials and tribulations of Joe Knight that included this passage:
While we are willing to buy that it might be possible for students who can't dribble and chew gum at the same time to get into Lehigh following the path Knight took, we still don't buy that misleading rule line.
Here is what the rule says:
Sterrett also said:
But Sterrett should be embarrassed, not just because Lehigh got caught with its hand in the cookie jar, but because it has the nerve to keep arguing that it didn't do anything wrong.
Denial ain't just a river in Africa Mr. Sterrett.
Tom Housenick's in The Daily Item talks about Bucknell's total team effort.
From yesterday's Centre Daily Times, an , the St. Bonaventure transfer who is recovering from having been struck by lightning last summer.
And that was because of school administrators' "misunderstanding of the language" in an NCAA bylaw, (Lehigh AD Joe)Sterrett said -- "which I think is misleading," he added.Sorry Joe (Sterrett, not Knight), we still don't buy that.
While we are willing to buy that it might be possible for students who can't dribble and chew gum at the same time to get into Lehigh following the path Knight took, we still don't buy that misleading rule line.
Here is what the rule says:
The calculation of credit hours to meet this requirement [the cumulative credits required under the progress toward degree bylaw] shall be based upon hours earned or accepted for degree credit.As we pointed out before, the purpose of the rule is very clear. It requires credits to be towards an actual degree. The idea is to prevent kids from spending four years taking 100 level courses just to stay eligible. How you could twist that to mean that credits not counting towards a degree should count for eligibility is beyond us.
Sterrett also said:
"I'd be embarrassed if it was something we should have known. It's not clear at all. I don't feel embarrassed. I feel more frustrated and disappointed for the kid. I think he deserves better."Part of that we agree with. Knight did deserve better than to lose over half his senior season because his school was willing to try to twist the rules in the name of winning basketball games.
But Sterrett should be embarrassed, not just because Lehigh got caught with its hand in the cookie jar, but because it has the nerve to keep arguing that it didn't do anything wrong.
Denial ain't just a river in Africa Mr. Sterrett.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
BU-HC tickets available
News from :
The Bucknell Department of Athletics & Recreation announced today that a limited number of tickets for Saturday's men's basketball game against Holy Cross have gone unclaimed from the student allotment by the designated deadline, and those tickets will be made available to the general public.There probably is a good reason for not selling taking credit card orders over the phone for pickup at will call, so fans from outside of the immediate Lewisburg area could be assured of having a ticket if they make the drive. We can't for the life of us imagine what that reason might be, though.
The Sojka Pavilion ticket windows will open on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 9 a.m. for walk-up general admission sales and tickets will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis.
HC, 'Pards, Lehigh all win
(Originally posted 12:55 a.m., Updated at 7:15 a.m. and again at 6:10 p.m.)
Lehigh 65, Navy 58 -- In Bethlehem, Joe Knight made his season debut, coming off the bench with about 16 minutes to play in the first half. Knight, who sat out Lehigh's first 16 games due to an NCAA-imposed suspension, was Lehigh's leading scorer last season, despite shooting just 38 percent from the field. Knight apparently did not spend his time off working on his shot. The senior guard missed his first 10 shots and finished 2-11 from the field (NOTE: When we posted the first update at 12:55 a.m., we included the 2-11 line, which came from the box score. When we updated this morning with more details and links, we added the "missed his first 10 shots" part, which we saw in the Express-Times story. As an e-mailer who must have majored in math pointed out, those two scenarios do not add up. Lehigh did not post the whole play-by-play, so we cannot tell exactly how many Knight missed before hitting one.) , 0-5 from three-point range. But he dished off 9 assists and Jose Olivero had 16 points as the Mountain Hawks improve to 2-0 in conference play, 9-8 overall.
Navy actually shot better (39 percent to 38 percent) than Lehigh and out rebounded the Mountain Hawks 45-37. But the Mids turned the ball over 20 times.
Holy Cross 84, Army 46 -- It was Keith Simmons' Hudson Valley homecoming and he celebrated in style, going 9-11 from the field, including 6-7 from three-point range for 26 points as Holy Cross romped past Army.
Kevin Hamilton and Torey Thomas also had big nights. Hamilton added 21 and Thomas finished with 16 points to go with 7 assists.
The Crusaders shot 57 percent from the field and held Army to 34 percent.
Matt Bell's 13 points led Army. Cory Sinning chipped in with 10.
Lafayette 85, Colgate 74 -- Trailing 26-23 late in the first half, the Leopards went on a 13-1 run to surge ahead and led the rest of the way.
Andrei Capusan, Lafayette's 6-7 senior forward, was en fuego, hitting all six shots he took in the first half and four of five in the second, finishing 10-of-11 for 21 points.
The fact that Capusan only went to the foul line once might tell you a little about the aggressiveness of Colgate's defense. Lafayette's 60.4 percent shooting from the field (29-48) might also tell you something about the Raiders' D.
Lafayette's D was a little better, especially on Colgate guard Alvin Reed, who got off the bus needing 15 points to reach 1,000 for his college career and got back on it still needing 13 after a 1-for-8 night.
As a team, Colgate shot 25-for-57 (43.9 percent).
Another troubling sign for Colgate: Against a Lafayette team that is anything but strong in the frontcourt, the Raiders were outrebounded 31-26.
Jamaal Hilliard added a season-high 20 for the Leopards. Andrew Brown and Matt Betley added 10 each.
Four in double figures for Colgate, led by Jon Simon's 19. Kyle Roemer added 16. Kendall Chones came off the bench to add 15 and his brother Kyle had 10 for Colgate, which fell to 7-9 overall, 1-1 in the league.
The win evens the Leopards at 7-7, 1-1 in league play while Colgate drops to 7-9 overall, 1-1 in the league.
Lehigh 65, Navy 58 -- In Bethlehem, Joe Knight made his season debut, coming off the bench with about 16 minutes to play in the first half. Knight, who sat out Lehigh's first 16 games due to an NCAA-imposed suspension, was Lehigh's leading scorer last season, despite shooting just 38 percent from the field. Knight apparently did not spend his time off working on his shot. The senior guard missed his first 10 shots and finished 2-11 from the field (NOTE: When we posted the first update at 12:55 a.m., we included the 2-11 line, which came from the box score. When we updated this morning with more details and links, we added the "missed his first 10 shots" part, which we saw in the Express-Times story. As an e-mailer who must have majored in math pointed out, those two scenarios do not add up. Lehigh did not post the whole play-by-play, so we cannot tell exactly how many Knight missed before hitting one.) , 0-5 from three-point range. But he dished off 9 assists and Jose Olivero had 16 points as the Mountain Hawks improve to 2-0 in conference play, 9-8 overall.
Navy actually shot better (39 percent to 38 percent) than Lehigh and out rebounded the Mountain Hawks 45-37. But the Mids turned the ball over 20 times.
Holy Cross 84, Army 46 -- It was Keith Simmons' Hudson Valley homecoming and he celebrated in style, going 9-11 from the field, including 6-7 from three-point range for 26 points as Holy Cross romped past Army.
Kevin Hamilton and Torey Thomas also had big nights. Hamilton added 21 and Thomas finished with 16 points to go with 7 assists.
The Crusaders shot 57 percent from the field and held Army to 34 percent.
Matt Bell's 13 points led Army. Cory Sinning chipped in with 10.
Lafayette 85, Colgate 74 -- Trailing 26-23 late in the first half, the Leopards went on a 13-1 run to surge ahead and led the rest of the way.
Andrei Capusan, Lafayette's 6-7 senior forward, was en fuego, hitting all six shots he took in the first half and four of five in the second, finishing 10-of-11 for 21 points.
The fact that Capusan only went to the foul line once might tell you a little about the aggressiveness of Colgate's defense. Lafayette's 60.4 percent shooting from the field (29-48) might also tell you something about the Raiders' D.
Lafayette's D was a little better, especially on Colgate guard Alvin Reed, who got off the bus needing 15 points to reach 1,000 for his college career and got back on it still needing 13 after a 1-for-8 night.
As a team, Colgate shot 25-for-57 (43.9 percent).
Another troubling sign for Colgate: Against a Lafayette team that is anything but strong in the frontcourt, the Raiders were outrebounded 31-26.
Jamaal Hilliard added a season-high 20 for the Leopards. Andrew Brown and Matt Betley added 10 each.
Four in double figures for Colgate, led by Jon Simon's 19. Kyle Roemer added 16. Kendall Chones came off the bench to add 15 and his brother Kyle had 10 for Colgate, which fell to 7-9 overall, 1-1 in the league.
The win evens the Leopards at 7-7, 1-1 in league play while Colgate drops to 7-9 overall, 1-1 in the league.
Bucknell does it with D
(Originally posted Wed. at 10:40 p.m., Links added at 7:19 a.m.)
The shots don't always fall. Not even for the top shooting team in the league.
That was the situation Bucknell found itself in during the first half Wednesday night at American.
Chris McNaughton, the Bison's 6-11 junior center, who ranks seventh in the nation in field goal percentage, missed 4 of the first 5 shots he put up, all good looks, all shots McNaughton, a 66 percent shooter, normally knocks down.
Kevin Bettencourt was 0-for-4 in the first half, Charles Lee 1-for-4.
With the team's top three scorers struggling like that, it was little surprise Bucknell shot only 37.5 percent from the field in the opening half. And with the team shooting under 40 percent, it was only a mild surprise that American took a 30-26 lead to the locker room at the half.
Even though the Bison had never won a Patriot League game in American's Bender Arena, they never panicked. Instead they fell back on what has been a strength of the program since Pat Flannery took the reins at his alma mater 12 seasons ago -- defense.
The result, a hard-fought 58-50 win over a stubborn American team and a 2-0 mark in the league after opening conference play with a pair of road games in places Bucknell has traditionally struggled.
Some folks will look at the way 4-11 American (0-2 in the league) hung with Bucknell to the end and see it as a negative for the Bison, who improved to 11-3 overall. Not Flannery.
"It was nice to get one down here," said Flannery, who had never won in Bender before. "We came out of here with a win . . . I'm tickled. It's a real good win on the road."
It had to be especially pleasing to Flannery that the Bison got it done the way he has always preached -- with defense.
After trailing by 4 at the break, the Bison shut down American in the second half, holding the Eagles to 6 field goals in the final 20 minutes. AU made only three buckets the first 16-and-a-half minutes of the half. Bucknell shot better after the break, hitting 11-of-21 (52.4 percent) in the second half. But make no mistake, it was their defense that produced the win.
"We talk about it year after year. Shots are not always going to fall. When shots are not falling, you have to turn it up on defense," said Lee, who finished with 12 points, the last two on a fine hustle play that put the Bison up by 9 with less than a minute to go and ended any comeback thoughts the Eagles might have harbored.
The play started when American's Jordan Nichols got an offensive rebound off a missed layup by Andre Ingram. Nichols tried to pass it back out to the perimeter to reset the offense, but the ball was deflected towards midcourt, where it appeared AU's freshman point guard Derrick Mercer would be the first to the ball. Lee, though, came seemingly out of nowhere to corral the loose ball, taking it in for an easy layup, sealing the win.
It was one of a series of big plays by the senior from nearby Gaithersburg, Md. down the stretch. With Bucknell up by only 3 points with just over 2 minutes left, Lee hit a tough fadeaway jumper from just inside the foul line to stretch the lead to 51-46. At the other end, he came up with a rebound in the middle of a crowd of white jerseys after Brian Gilmore missed an off balance runner, leading to an Abe Badmus layup and a 53-46 margin. On American's next possession, it was Lee who blocked Ingram's layup, leading to the Nichols rebound that turned into that turnover and Lee layup.
"The last two games, Charles has been our rock," Flannery said. "He did it again tonight. When we were struggling, he hit a couple big buckets."
Lee also spent the better part of the night so close to Ingram that they could have shared on jersey. Ingram, American's leading scorer, has struggled his entire career against the Bison. This game was no exception. The Eagles' all-league guard was 2-for-10 from the field, with one bucket 2:33 into the first half and the other with 2:28 left.
Lee also led the Bison with a game-high 9 rebounds.
McNaughton, who got on track in the second half, joined Lee in double figures with 13 points. Bettencourt also found his stroke after the intermission, scoring 12 of his game-high 14 in the second half.
Garrison Carr led American with 9 points, all on three-pointers.
The Bison will host Holy Cross Saturday in a key early conference season game. American will look for its first league win on the road at Colgate.
The shots don't always fall. Not even for the top shooting team in the league.
That was the situation Bucknell found itself in during the first half Wednesday night at American.
Chris McNaughton, the Bison's 6-11 junior center, who ranks seventh in the nation in field goal percentage, missed 4 of the first 5 shots he put up, all good looks, all shots McNaughton, a 66 percent shooter, normally knocks down.
Kevin Bettencourt was 0-for-4 in the first half, Charles Lee 1-for-4.
With the team's top three scorers struggling like that, it was little surprise Bucknell shot only 37.5 percent from the field in the opening half. And with the team shooting under 40 percent, it was only a mild surprise that American took a 30-26 lead to the locker room at the half.
Even though the Bison had never won a Patriot League game in American's Bender Arena, they never panicked. Instead they fell back on what has been a strength of the program since Pat Flannery took the reins at his alma mater 12 seasons ago -- defense.
The result, a hard-fought 58-50 win over a stubborn American team and a 2-0 mark in the league after opening conference play with a pair of road games in places Bucknell has traditionally struggled.
Some folks will look at the way 4-11 American (0-2 in the league) hung with Bucknell to the end and see it as a negative for the Bison, who improved to 11-3 overall. Not Flannery.
"It was nice to get one down here," said Flannery, who had never won in Bender before. "We came out of here with a win . . . I'm tickled. It's a real good win on the road."
It had to be especially pleasing to Flannery that the Bison got it done the way he has always preached -- with defense.
After trailing by 4 at the break, the Bison shut down American in the second half, holding the Eagles to 6 field goals in the final 20 minutes. AU made only three buckets the first 16-and-a-half minutes of the half. Bucknell shot better after the break, hitting 11-of-21 (52.4 percent) in the second half. But make no mistake, it was their defense that produced the win.
"We talk about it year after year. Shots are not always going to fall. When shots are not falling, you have to turn it up on defense," said Lee, who finished with 12 points, the last two on a fine hustle play that put the Bison up by 9 with less than a minute to go and ended any comeback thoughts the Eagles might have harbored.
The play started when American's Jordan Nichols got an offensive rebound off a missed layup by Andre Ingram. Nichols tried to pass it back out to the perimeter to reset the offense, but the ball was deflected towards midcourt, where it appeared AU's freshman point guard Derrick Mercer would be the first to the ball. Lee, though, came seemingly out of nowhere to corral the loose ball, taking it in for an easy layup, sealing the win.
It was one of a series of big plays by the senior from nearby Gaithersburg, Md. down the stretch. With Bucknell up by only 3 points with just over 2 minutes left, Lee hit a tough fadeaway jumper from just inside the foul line to stretch the lead to 51-46. At the other end, he came up with a rebound in the middle of a crowd of white jerseys after Brian Gilmore missed an off balance runner, leading to an Abe Badmus layup and a 53-46 margin. On American's next possession, it was Lee who blocked Ingram's layup, leading to the Nichols rebound that turned into that turnover and Lee layup.
"The last two games, Charles has been our rock," Flannery said. "He did it again tonight. When we were struggling, he hit a couple big buckets."
Lee also spent the better part of the night so close to Ingram that they could have shared on jersey. Ingram, American's leading scorer, has struggled his entire career against the Bison. This game was no exception. The Eagles' all-league guard was 2-for-10 from the field, with one bucket 2:33 into the first half and the other with 2:28 left.
Lee also led the Bison with a game-high 9 rebounds.
McNaughton, who got on track in the second half, joined Lee in double figures with 13 points. Bettencourt also found his stroke after the intermission, scoring 12 of his game-high 14 in the second half.
Garrison Carr led American with 9 points, all on three-pointers.
The Bison will host Holy Cross Saturday in a key early conference season game. American will look for its first league win on the road at Colgate.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Hump day happenings
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Bucknell at American, 7:30 p.m.: American has lost two in a row at home and the prospects for closing a three-game homestand with a win against the Bison don't seem bright. The last time these two met, Bucknell held American to 35 points (53-35). Granted that was in Lewisburg, and the Eagles did upset Bucknell in the regular season game at Bender. Matter of fact, Bucknell is 0-4 in Bender since AU joined the league. But those AU teams were all much better than the one Jeff Jones puts on the floor right now.
Freshman point guard Derrick Mercer will have his hands full against Abe Badmus and AU's big men have been not been productive. On top of that, Bucknell has owned Andre Ingram since he came into the league. Ingram is 15-68 (22 percent) all-time against the Bison. Last season, in three games against the Bison, Ingram, who was the league's leading scorer in the regular season, shot a combined 5-for-37 (13.5 percent).
Bucknell will need Chris McNaughton to stay out of foul trouble. With AU's 6-10, 6-11 twin towers front line, the Bison could be in trouble if they are forced to go with a small lineup for extended periods of time.
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Navy at Lehigh, 7 p.m.: Navy has been horrible on the road in league play the last several seasons. Since the 2001-2002 campaign, the Mids are 6-22 on the road in league play, including a 1-6 mark last season.
That one win did come at Lehigh, though (76-75).
But with Matt Fannin out of action, Navy's inside game on both ends of the floor has been anemic. Against Bucknell they were outscored 30-16 in the paint and outrebounded 47-30.
Taking a page out of his mentor, Jay Wright's book, Navy coach Billy Lange, a former Villanova assistant, has gone to a four-guard lineup. Bucknell countered by going to a smaller, quicker lineup much of the game.
Lehigh does not have the depth that Bucknell does, but they certainly have enough athletes to matchup well with Navy. Especially if Joe Knight plays anywhere close to his usual self in what should be his first game back from an NCAA-imposed suspension that cost him the first 16 games of the season.
Knight averaged 19 points 7 assists and 8 rebounds per game in two games against Navy last season. Jose Olivero, who has been leading the Mountain Hawks in scoring )(17.7 ppg) in Knight's stead, has averaged 14 ppg in 5 career games against the Mids.
Between the two of them, and 6-5 swingman Kyle Neptune, who is averaging 12.3 ppg this season, it should be all the offense Lehigh needs, given the way Lehigh plays defense. The Hawks opponents are shooting 38.9 percent from the field on the season.
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Holy Cross at Army, 7 p.m.: It has been 8 games and almost 4 years since Army has even managed to score over 50 points against Holy Cross. With Army's Matt Bell (14.3 ppg) hobbled, it would be little surprise if that streak extends another game Wed, night.
Jarrell Brown returned to the Army lineup against Colgate, after missing five games with a stress fracture and scored 18 points. He is averaging 14.4 per game. With Brown and Bell healthy, Army did upset Columbia earlier in the season. Since then, though, they have lost their last six in a row against Division I teams.
Holy Cross has won three in a row, a streak that coincides with what appears to be a solution to Keith Simmons' cramping problems. Simmons has been getting IV fluids before games and has led HC in scoring in two of the last three games. After dropping 26 Saturday on Lafayette, he is averaging 13 ppg, second on the team to Kevin Hamilton's 16.4. Torey Thomas, the Crusaders ironman point guard, is playing 36.5 minutes per game, averaging 11.5 points and nearly 5 assists per game.
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Colgate at Lafayette, 7 p.m.: Colgate has won the last four meetings between these two, but seven of the last nine have been decided by a single digit margin, including Colgate's 62-61 win in Easton last season.
On paper, the matchups would seem to indicate another Colgate win. But the Raiders have struggled on the road, winning only once in seven games on opponents floors. That win was a come-from-behind effort Saturday at Army. Lafayette is 4-2 at home, but two of those came against Division 3 teams. The Leopards live and die by the three-point shot. They have been shooting almost almost 24 per game. If the treys are falling for the Leopards, they might well surprise folks.
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Corky's take
Corky Blake's today points out that it has been 2,133 days since Lafayette last won the Patriot League title. Corky says anybody expecting the 'Pards to challenge the likes of Bucknell and Holy Cross without scholarships is dreaming:
Realistically, only Lehigh, with its huge frontcourt, explosive guards and athletic wings, has a chance at unseating defending champion Bucknell and Holy Cross from finishing 1-2. Everyone else is playing for third, including the Leopards, who ought to parade down Cattell Street if they grab the bronze medal.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
It's all over
(Originally posted Mon. 11 p.m., updated 7:06 a.m.)
Yale 71, American 59 -- How many games will American win when Andre Ingram scores only 4 points? Not many. Probably none. And that was all the Eagles all-league guard could muster Monday night against Yale.
According to the :
We will take a look at a later date at how the league with scholarships has been unable to claim the series with the non-scholarship league two seasons in a row.
In this game, the Eagles started their twin towers look with 6-10 junior Brayden Billbe and 6-11 South Carolina transfer Paulius Joneliunas up front. The two responded with a combined 4 rebounds and 7 points.
AU wasted a 25-point career night by Arvydas Eitutavicius. Eitutavicius didn't help matters as much as his points might lead you to believe, though, since he also had 8 turnovers. Fellow Lithuanian Linus Lekavicius added 11 points and 6 assists.
Guard Casey Hughes led the Bulldogs scorers with 15 points. Center Dominick Martin added 14 points and guard Eric had 13 points and 7 assists.
Most telling stat: Look at the two teams' field goal percentages. Yale shot 50 percent (28-56) from the field, American shot 40 percent (22-55).
Yale 71, American 59 -- How many games will American win when Andre Ingram scores only 4 points? Not many. Probably none. And that was all the Eagles all-league guard could muster Monday night against Yale.
According to the :
Eagles guard Andre Ingram, who leads American with 11.9 points per game, was held to just one point by Hughes until late in the second half when he added a three to American's failed comeback attempt with 1:53 left on the clock.As a result, the Ivy League has assured itself of retaining possession of the beautiful Hoop Time-Basketball U. Challenge virtual trophy. The Ivies now lead the between the two leagues 12-11 with one game -- Lafayette at Penn (Jan. 16)-- left. Since the Ivies won the series last year, even a Lafayette upset would allow them to retain the trophy since the best the Patriot League can hope for is a tie.
We will take a look at a later date at how the league with scholarships has been unable to claim the series with the non-scholarship league two seasons in a row.
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| The Ivies will retain the Hoop Time-Basketball U. Challenge virtual trophy again this season. | |
In this game, the Eagles started their twin towers look with 6-10 junior Brayden Billbe and 6-11 South Carolina transfer Paulius Joneliunas up front. The two responded with a combined 4 rebounds and 7 points.
AU wasted a 25-point career night by Arvydas Eitutavicius. Eitutavicius didn't help matters as much as his points might lead you to believe, though, since he also had 8 turnovers. Fellow Lithuanian Linus Lekavicius added 11 points and 6 assists.
Guard Casey Hughes led the Bulldogs scorers with 15 points. Center Dominick Martin added 14 points and guard Eric had 13 points and 7 assists.
Most telling stat: Look at the two teams' field goal percentages. Yale shot 50 percent (28-56) from the field, American shot 40 percent (22-55).
Monday, January 09, 2006
Poll my finger
The latest is out. Bucknell remains in the others receiving votes category with 8 votes. The most interesting development in this week's poll: Syracuse, who lost to Bucknell on its own floor, moves into the Top 25 at No. 24. The Orange, who have not played anybody, and have not lost, since the Bucknell game, moved into the poll on the basis of wins over and . Click on those links and look at their schedules, then decide for yourself if the are rated on their achievement this season or their reputation.
Not arguing Bucknell belongs in the top 25, just that they certainly have as much a claim as Syracuse.
In the , no change at the top 3 spots: 1) Gonzaga 2) Northern Iowa and 3) Bucknell.
The is even more ridiculous, with the Bison reciving only one vote this week.
Not arguing Bucknell belongs in the top 25, just that they certainly have as much a claim as Syracuse.
In the , no change at the top 3 spots: 1) Gonzaga 2) Northern Iowa and 3) Bucknell.
The is even more ridiculous, with the Bison reciving only one vote this week.
AU plays host to Yale
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| This beautiful virtual Hoop Time-Basketball U. Challenge trophy is presented to the winner of the season series between the Patriot and Ivy Leagues | |
Yale at American, 7:30 p.m.: A must-win for the Patriot League if they are to claim the coveted Hoop Time-Basketball U. Challenge trophy. The series between the two leagues is tied at 11-11, with only two inter-league contests left on the schedule.
Of course that hardly matters to Jeff Jones and his Eagles. They probably don't even know we made up such a trophy. What they do know is that coming off their first home loss of the season, a 70-59 setback at the hands of Lehigh in the Patriot League opener for both teams, the Eagles need a win to get headed in the right direction. Especially with league favorite Bucknell coming to town Wednesday.
At 4-9 overall, 0-1 in the league, AU would need to win this game, and finish 9-5 in the league, to record its fifth straight winning season.
Winning this one will not be an easy task. Yale comes in at 7-7 following an 87-46 loss at Kansas last week. The top Ivy League's highest scoring team, Yale averages 68 points per game. Three Bulldogs average double figures in scoring, led by 6-7 junior forward Sam Kaplan, who is hitting at a 12.6 ppg clip. Senior center Dominick Martin (6-10, 11.1 ppg) and 6-1 sophomore guard Eric Flato (10.4 ppg) also are averaging in doubles.
The 1-2 frontcourt punch of Kaplan and Martin should pose a particular challenge for American, which is still waiting for 6-11 South Carolina transfer Paulius Joneliunas to get into game shape. Joneliunas has appeared in four games since becoming eligible at the end of the first semester, but he has yet to make the kind of impact some folks expected. Joneliunas is playing about 16 minutes per game, averaging about 3 points and 3 rebounds. AU will need more from him if they expect to contend in the conference.
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Sunday, January 08, 2006
Bench carries Bison
(Originally posted Sat., 5:47 p.m., Updated with links at 8:44 a.m.)
There shouldn't be much suspense about who will be named the Patriot League's Rookie of the Week when the league hands out its weekly honors Monday afternoon. Not after the show Bucknell freshman Jason Vegotsky put on Saturday afternoon in Navy's Alumni Hall. Vegotsky came off the bench to pour in a career-best 19 points to lead the Bison to a 74-52 win over the host Midshipmen in the Patriot League opener for both teams.
Vegotsky hit 7-of-11 from the field, including 5-of-8 three-pointers, two of the treys coming during the 20-3 run at the end of the first half that Bucknell used to take control of the game.
Vegotsky, who had 12 points in Bucknell's loss at Duke earlier in the week, was just one of the players who came off the bench to give the Bison a spark after they trailed Navy 23-19 with 7:04 to play in the first half. Up until that point, Navy was able to keep Bucknell in check through a combination of Chris McNaughton foul trouble, a tightly packed zone defense and some cold shooting from the perimeter by the Bison's starters, who were getting open looks, but not knocking them down.
It was actually Vegotsky's old AAU teammate, guard John Griffin, who got Bucknell's offensive engine revving. Through the first 13 minutes of the game, the Bison were 2-13 from the arc. It wasn't that they weren't getting open looks. Even Vegotsky and Griffin were struggling, with Griffin missing the first three treys he fired up and Vegotsky off the mark on his first two tries from the arc.
Then Griffin connected to tie the game at 23-23 and the Bison were on a 12-0 roll. By the time intermission arrived, Bucknell's run had stretched to 20-3, giving Bucknell a 39-26 lead. Griffin and Vegotsky each had a pair of treys in that stretch, accounting for 12 of the 20 Bucknell points.
The start of the second half was more of the same, with the Bison opening with a 16-4 spurt to build the lead to 55-30. After that, the two teams pretty much swapped buckets, with Navy never getting closer than 18 the rest of the way.
It was a dominating performance by Bucknell, made even more impressive by the fact that three of the four Bison in double figures were guys who came off the bench. Griffin finished with 10 and Donald Brown added 12. The other Bison in double figures was McNaughton, who scored 7 of his 11 points from the foul line.
"Our bench was outstanding," said Bucknell coach Pat Flannery, who won for just the second time in 15 tries in Annapolis. "We got some interesting numbers from some different people."
Had you told Navy coach Billy Lange before the game that McNaughton would be the only Bison starter in double figures and that the 6-11 German would only get two field goals, he would have liked those odds.
"I'd have thought we'd have a good shot," said Lange. "I'd have said that is great for us."
But Lange wouldn't have expected Bucknell's bench to score 41 points.
"That is the best basketball team I have ever watched play in my life. I'm not saying they are the most talented group of guys. Obviously, I spent three years in the Big East, there are probably better teams in terms of talent. But in terms of team, that is the best team I have ever seen -- their ability to be tough, defend, not be rattled, pass the ball -- it's incredible," Lange said.
Vegotsky was not surprised by the way Bucknell's bench performed.
"If you would see one of our practices, the second team can compete as well as our first team," he said. "We can play, too. When everybody can play like that, that is what is going to happen."
It wasn't just Bucknell's offense that got in gear. The Bison also kicked it up on defense after starting a little slow. Navy hit three of its first four shots. By the end of the first half, they made only five more buckets from the field. With no inside presence, in no small part due to the absence of injured forward Matt Fannin, the Midshipmen were forced to settle for three-point tries almost every trip down the floor.
With Bucknell's perimeter defenders in their faces most of the afternoon, that was not a successful strategy. The Mids shot 28.6 percent in the first half, 29.1 percent for the game. Navy's leading scorer, swingman Greg Sprink, who had gone off for over 30 points in two of the Mids' last three games, finished with 3 points, ending a streak of nine straight games in double figures for the 6-4 sophomore. A 45.8 percent shooter from three-point range coming in, Sprink was 0-for-4 from the arc.
Sprink was not the only Mid who struggled. Corey Johnson, who returned to the starting lineup after missing nine games with a kneee injury, went 4-13 from the field. Freshman Kaleo Kina struggled through a 3-14 afternoon.
Bucknell's dominance extended to the boards, where they outrebounded Navy, the league's top rebounding team coming in, by a healthy 47-30 margin.
Kina led Navy with 12 points. Johnson was also in double figures, finishing with 11.
There shouldn't be much suspense about who will be named the Patriot League's Rookie of the Week when the league hands out its weekly honors Monday afternoon. Not after the show Bucknell freshman Jason Vegotsky put on Saturday afternoon in Navy's Alumni Hall. Vegotsky came off the bench to pour in a career-best 19 points to lead the Bison to a 74-52 win over the host Midshipmen in the Patriot League opener for both teams.
Vegotsky hit 7-of-11 from the field, including 5-of-8 three-pointers, two of the treys coming during the 20-3 run at the end of the first half that Bucknell used to take control of the game.
Vegotsky, who had 12 points in Bucknell's loss at Duke earlier in the week, was just one of the players who came off the bench to give the Bison a spark after they trailed Navy 23-19 with 7:04 to play in the first half. Up until that point, Navy was able to keep Bucknell in check through a combination of Chris McNaughton foul trouble, a tightly packed zone defense and some cold shooting from the perimeter by the Bison's starters, who were getting open looks, but not knocking them down.
It was actually Vegotsky's old AAU teammate, guard John Griffin, who got Bucknell's offensive engine revving. Through the first 13 minutes of the game, the Bison were 2-13 from the arc. It wasn't that they weren't getting open looks. Even Vegotsky and Griffin were struggling, with Griffin missing the first three treys he fired up and Vegotsky off the mark on his first two tries from the arc.
Then Griffin connected to tie the game at 23-23 and the Bison were on a 12-0 roll. By the time intermission arrived, Bucknell's run had stretched to 20-3, giving Bucknell a 39-26 lead. Griffin and Vegotsky each had a pair of treys in that stretch, accounting for 12 of the 20 Bucknell points.
The start of the second half was more of the same, with the Bison opening with a 16-4 spurt to build the lead to 55-30. After that, the two teams pretty much swapped buckets, with Navy never getting closer than 18 the rest of the way.
It was a dominating performance by Bucknell, made even more impressive by the fact that three of the four Bison in double figures were guys who came off the bench. Griffin finished with 10 and Donald Brown added 12. The other Bison in double figures was McNaughton, who scored 7 of his 11 points from the foul line.
"Our bench was outstanding," said Bucknell coach Pat Flannery, who won for just the second time in 15 tries in Annapolis. "We got some interesting numbers from some different people."
Had you told Navy coach Billy Lange before the game that McNaughton would be the only Bison starter in double figures and that the 6-11 German would only get two field goals, he would have liked those odds.
"I'd have thought we'd have a good shot," said Lange. "I'd have said that is great for us."
But Lange wouldn't have expected Bucknell's bench to score 41 points.
"That is the best basketball team I have ever watched play in my life. I'm not saying they are the most talented group of guys. Obviously, I spent three years in the Big East, there are probably better teams in terms of talent. But in terms of team, that is the best team I have ever seen -- their ability to be tough, defend, not be rattled, pass the ball -- it's incredible," Lange said.
Vegotsky was not surprised by the way Bucknell's bench performed.
"If you would see one of our practices, the second team can compete as well as our first team," he said. "We can play, too. When everybody can play like that, that is what is going to happen."
It wasn't just Bucknell's offense that got in gear. The Bison also kicked it up on defense after starting a little slow. Navy hit three of its first four shots. By the end of the first half, they made only five more buckets from the field. With no inside presence, in no small part due to the absence of injured forward Matt Fannin, the Midshipmen were forced to settle for three-point tries almost every trip down the floor.
With Bucknell's perimeter defenders in their faces most of the afternoon, that was not a successful strategy. The Mids shot 28.6 percent in the first half, 29.1 percent for the game. Navy's leading scorer, swingman Greg Sprink, who had gone off for over 30 points in two of the Mids' last three games, finished with 3 points, ending a streak of nine straight games in double figures for the 6-4 sophomore. A 45.8 percent shooter from three-point range coming in, Sprink was 0-for-4 from the arc.
Sprink was not the only Mid who struggled. Corey Johnson, who returned to the starting lineup after missing nine games with a kneee injury, went 4-13 from the field. Freshman Kaleo Kina struggled through a 3-14 afternoon.
Bucknell's dominance extended to the boards, where they outrebounded Navy, the league's top rebounding team coming in, by a healthy 47-30 margin.
Kina led Navy with 12 points. Johnson was also in double figures, finishing with 11.
Around the league
(Originally posted Sat., 5:46 p.m., Updated 8:07 a.m.)
Lehigh 70, American 59 -- Lehigh got 22 points from Jose Olivero and held AU to 20-55 (36.4 percent) from the field. Andre Ingram was 3-15, 1-6 from the arc, finishing with 11. Arvydas Eitutavicius led AU with 15.
Down by as many as 10 early in the second half, AU battled back to take the lead on an Eitutavicius trey with 7:01 to go. The Eagles were still within 1 with 4 minutes to go, then Lehigh went on a 17-5 run to put the game away.
Olivero, who scored his 1,000th career point early in the second half, was in foul trouble much of the second half, and fouled out late in the game. But Bryan White (5-5 from the field, 14 points) and Kyle Neptune (10) also in double figures for Lehigh. Senior guard Mitch Gilfillan had a career-high 10 assists and also chipped in with 9 points.
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Colgate 71, Army 58 -- The Raiders overcame a 3-point halftime deficit to hand Army its fourth loss in a row. Army led by 7 with 16 minutes to go. Then Colgate went on a 15-0 run to take control.
Army managed to pull to within 5 with 2:28 left, but Alvin Reed hit a three-pointer to stop the Black Knights' surge and the Raiders hit 7-of-8 at the foul line in the final 1:22 to seal the win.
Reed had 18 points and Kyle Chones added 15 for Colgate. Jarell Brown, out since Nov. 29 with a stress fracture in his right foot, returned to the Army lineup and scored 18 points. Meanwhile, the Times Herald-Record is reporting Matt Bell, Army's leading scorer, is slowed by an unspecified foot injury of his own. Bell had 7 points on 2-9 shooting.
Holy Cross 86, Lafayette 57 -- Keith Simmons (26), Torey Thomas (18) and Kevin Hamilton (18) combined for 62 of HC's 86 points in the Crusaders'biggest offensive showing of the season. Thomas had 6 assists and added 10 rebounds for a double-double and Hamilton had 9 assists and 7 steals.
Bilal Abdullah led Lafayette with 12. No other Leopard reached double figures.
The Crusaders were shooting under 40 percent from the field coming in, but against Lafayette they hit at a 55.7 percent clip. HC outrebounded Lafayette 42-30 and had 25 assists and 15 steals as a team.
The win was HC's 14th straight regular season league win.
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Lehigh 70, American 59 -- Lehigh got 22 points from Jose Olivero and held AU to 20-55 (36.4 percent) from the field. Andre Ingram was 3-15, 1-6 from the arc, finishing with 11. Arvydas Eitutavicius led AU with 15.
Down by as many as 10 early in the second half, AU battled back to take the lead on an Eitutavicius trey with 7:01 to go. The Eagles were still within 1 with 4 minutes to go, then Lehigh went on a 17-5 run to put the game away.
Olivero, who scored his 1,000th career point early in the second half, was in foul trouble much of the second half, and fouled out late in the game. But Bryan White (5-5 from the field, 14 points) and Kyle Neptune (10) also in double figures for Lehigh. Senior guard Mitch Gilfillan had a career-high 10 assists and also chipped in with 9 points.
Colgate 71, Army 58 -- The Raiders overcame a 3-point halftime deficit to hand Army its fourth loss in a row. Army led by 7 with 16 minutes to go. Then Colgate went on a 15-0 run to take control.
Army managed to pull to within 5 with 2:28 left, but Alvin Reed hit a three-pointer to stop the Black Knights' surge and the Raiders hit 7-of-8 at the foul line in the final 1:22 to seal the win.
Reed had 18 points and Kyle Chones added 15 for Colgate. Jarell Brown, out since Nov. 29 with a stress fracture in his right foot, returned to the Army lineup and scored 18 points. Meanwhile, the Times Herald-Record is reporting Matt Bell, Army's leading scorer, is slowed by an unspecified foot injury of his own. Bell had 7 points on 2-9 shooting.
Holy Cross 86, Lafayette 57 -- Keith Simmons (26), Torey Thomas (18) and Kevin Hamilton (18) combined for 62 of HC's 86 points in the Crusaders'biggest offensive showing of the season. Thomas had 6 assists and added 10 rebounds for a double-double and Hamilton had 9 assists and 7 steals.
Bilal Abdullah led Lafayette with 12. No other Leopard reached double figures.
The Crusaders were shooting under 40 percent from the field coming in, but against Lafayette they hit at a 55.7 percent clip. HC outrebounded Lafayette 42-30 and had 25 assists and 15 steals as a team.
The win was HC's 14th straight regular season league win.
