≈ Saturday, February 04, 2006
Trio of games on tap
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Holy Cross at Lafayette, 1 p.m.: Holy Cross beat the Leopards by 20 points when they met Jan. 7 in Worcester and will be the heavy favorites in this one. Lafayette really has no answer for Tim Clifford, whose emergence in the post has made the Crusaders better than they were the first time these two met. The 'Pards really don't have an answer for Kevin Hamilton or Torey Thomas, either. Ditto for Keith Simmons if he is healthy.
But Lafayette is a very different team at home than it is on the road. The 9-11 Leopards are 6-3 in Kirby. Lafayette does have an advantage in numbers. Fran O'Hanlon will run nine guys at HC, a lot of whom can shoot the three. If a couple of those guys get hot, an upset is not out of the question. NOTE: When we were in Eatson for the lehigh game, we had trouble getting connected to the wireless net in Kirby. If we can solve that this time, we will live blog this one.
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Bucknell at Colgate 1:30 p.m.: When these two met in Lewisburg two weeks ago, Colgate managed to hang around into the second half. Then Bucknell went on a 15-0 run fueled by some pressure defense. The Bison unleashed some full court and half court traps and Colgate had no answer. The Raiders also had no answer for Chris McNaughton, especially after Marc Daniels got into foul trouble trying to guard the big German.
Colgate has not won a game against a team not named Army since the start of 2006. The Raiders are 3-10 in their last 13 against Division I opponents, the non-Army win in that stretch coming against a Mississippi Valley State team that has not won a game outside of its own conference (SWAC) all season.
But Colgate always seems to play Bucknell tough, especially in Hamilton. Bucknell has had trouble putting two halves together the last few times out, though its defense has been strong enough to keep it in those games until the offense gets on track. But Army shot better than 50 percent Wednesday night against the Bison. If Bucknell lets Colgate get anywhere close to that, it could be a long afternoon. Especially given the Raiders plethora of capable perimeter shooters.
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American at Lehigh, 7:30 p.m.: This was an 11-point Lehigh win when the two met in D.C. a few weeks back. Since then, American has seemed to make strides. The Eagles have won three of their last five.
But that improvement has mostly manifested itself on AU's home court. Away from Bender the Eagles are 2-10, including a loss at Navy in its last road game.
Lehigh has won 7 of its last 8 against Division I opposition, the only loss coming against league-leading Bucknell. Still, watching the Mountain Hawks last three games, you get the sense they are never more than an off night (Knight?) by one of their two guards from being upset. The only game Lehigh showed any sort of inside presence offensively was at Lafayette, which lacks a true post type on its roster.
The Mountain Hawks will be favored here, but if they have a letdown coming off back-to-back games against Bucknell and Holy Cross, in this game or any of their next five before closing the regular season at Bucknell and at Holy Cross, they can be beaten. Lehigh is not a team with a built-in margin for error.
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Where have you gone? (Army edition)
Like a lot of former West Point athletes, the answer to that question for Chris Spatola is: Baghdad.
Spatola was an all-rookie pick in the 1998-99 season and went on to be Army's captain, capping his collegiate playing career by being selected second team All-Patriot League in his junior and senior seasons.
These days Spatola, who is married to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's daughter, he is a captain in the Army, in charge of a unit tasked with protecting two historical buildings in Iraq.
John Feinstein caught up with Spatola, and in today's Washington Post.
Spatola was an all-rookie pick in the 1998-99 season and went on to be Army's captain, capping his collegiate playing career by being selected second team All-Patriot League in his junior and senior seasons.
These days Spatola, who is married to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's daughter, he is a captain in the Army, in charge of a unit tasked with protecting two historical buildings in Iraq.
John Feinstein caught up with Spatola, and in today's Washington Post.
Friday, February 03, 2006
Friday morning readaround
Tom Housenick's in the Daily Item focuses today on Bucknell's offense and looks ahead to Saturday's game at Colgate.
If a tree fell in Hamilton -- Speaking of Colgate, since Adonal Foyle took his game to the NBA, the Raiders have struggled to get any kind of media coverage. There is no Hamilton daily paper, and the one in Norwich, which is about the closest daily to Hamilton, publishes every day but really is a weakly.
About the only time the Raiders seem to get any attention in Central New York is when they play an opponent the papers have some interest in. A perfect example of this: previewing Bucknell's visit to Hamilton.
What a drag -- The best description of the Bracket Buster concept we have heard so far comes from in the Fresno Bee:
Yesterday's Knight -- In Thursday's Express-Times, the Joe Knight situation and said no decision on any Lehigh forfeits is expected from the Patriot League's Patriot League's Committee on Athletic Administration, which is meeting in West Point.
If a tree fell in Hamilton -- Speaking of Colgate, since Adonal Foyle took his game to the NBA, the Raiders have struggled to get any kind of media coverage. There is no Hamilton daily paper, and the one in Norwich, which is about the closest daily to Hamilton, publishes every day but really is a weakly.
About the only time the Raiders seem to get any attention in Central New York is when they play an opponent the papers have some interest in. A perfect example of this: previewing Bucknell's visit to Hamilton.
What a drag -- The best description of the Bracket Buster concept we have heard so far comes from in the Fresno Bee:
BracketBusters teams, as ESPN has dubbed them, supposedly are underrated, underappreciated, small-school, small-conference teams, walking the tightrope between the NCAA Tournament and the NIT.We are not men -- O.K., it is hard to imagine it making a difference this year, but can't hurt to have a former Patriot League coach on the NIT selection committee. That's why the to the gang of six that sets the field for the consolation dance in the future sounds like good news for the league. A lot of deserving teams have been snubbed in the past. Last year's Holy Cross team is the only PL squad ever invited. Having a guy who knows and respects the league on that committee should be a plus in the future.
RuPaul teams. Sometimes you need an extra look to decide.
Yesterday's Knight -- In Thursday's Express-Times, the Joe Knight situation and said no decision on any Lehigh forfeits is expected from the Patriot League's Patriot League's Committee on Athletic Administration, which is meeting in West Point.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Bucknell's hands full at Army
(Updated at 8:25 a.m.)
Bucknell 67, Army 54 -- In retrospect, this should have been looked at like a classic trap game, on the road in West Point against a team that has been a league doormat as long as any of the players on the floor have been around.
The Cadets close losses at Lehigh and American, along with last year's first meeting between Bucknell and Army, where the Bison came out flat in the first half, then put the Cadets away after the intermission, should have served notice that this might not be as easy as it looked, even if certain members of the media were billing it as the league's best against the league's worst (by the way, after seeing Navy for the second time last night, we are no longer convinced Army is the worst team in the league).
The Bison were not the only ones who might have figured it would not be much of a game. None of the papers that cover Bucknell bothered to make the trip (CORRECTION: We received an e-mail from Jon Terry, Bucknell's SID, letting us know that Tom Housenick of the Daily Item was at the game, but for some reason his story did not make the paper's Web site). Even the Times Herald-Record, which is Army's local paper, didn't bother to send anyone to .
The Bison came out flat, making only 3-of-their-first-13 from the floor, falling behind by as many as 10 points in the first half. The Bison shot 10-26 (38.5 percent) in the first half while Army was hitting at a 58.8 percent pace (10-17).
It was Charles Lee who got the Bison on track. With Bucknell down 19-9, Lee fueled a 15-5 Bison run, coming up with 7 points, 3 steals and three assists during that spurt.
Bucknell managed to battle back to take a 30-26 lead at the half, but it seemed to be one of those case of letting an underdog hang around long enough to gain some confidence. The Bison built an 8 point lead early in the second half, but Army came back to tie it at 43-43 with 11:45 to play. Bucknell responded with a 12-2 run and took control down the stretch to improve to 17-3 overall, 8-0 in the league.
Lee finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals. The 6 steals ties his career best. Abe Badmus and Chris McNaughton each added 10 points for Bucknell.
Army's Jarell Brown led all scorers with 25 points.
The Bison shot 11-18 (61.1 percent) in the second half, finishing the game at 47.4 percent from the field. Army cooled off a little, going 12-26 (46.2 percent) from the field in the second half. But the Cadets still became the first league team to shoot over 40 percent against Bucknell, finishing the game 22-43 (51.2 percent) from the field to become just the fourth team to shoot better than 40 percent against the Bison all season. Bucknell is now 1-3 in games where the opponent shot better than 50 percent.
The key for the Bison was the foul line. Bucknell was 20-25 from the stripe. Army shot only 7 free throws, hitting 4.
Bucknell 67, Army 54 -- In retrospect, this should have been looked at like a classic trap game, on the road in West Point against a team that has been a league doormat as long as any of the players on the floor have been around.
The Cadets close losses at Lehigh and American, along with last year's first meeting between Bucknell and Army, where the Bison came out flat in the first half, then put the Cadets away after the intermission, should have served notice that this might not be as easy as it looked, even if certain members of the media were billing it as the league's best against the league's worst (by the way, after seeing Navy for the second time last night, we are no longer convinced Army is the worst team in the league).
The Bison were not the only ones who might have figured it would not be much of a game. None of the papers that cover Bucknell bothered to make the trip (CORRECTION: We received an e-mail from Jon Terry, Bucknell's SID, letting us know that Tom Housenick of the Daily Item was at the game, but for some reason his story did not make the paper's Web site). Even the Times Herald-Record, which is Army's local paper, didn't bother to send anyone to .
The Bison came out flat, making only 3-of-their-first-13 from the floor, falling behind by as many as 10 points in the first half. The Bison shot 10-26 (38.5 percent) in the first half while Army was hitting at a 58.8 percent pace (10-17).
It was Charles Lee who got the Bison on track. With Bucknell down 19-9, Lee fueled a 15-5 Bison run, coming up with 7 points, 3 steals and three assists during that spurt.
Bucknell managed to battle back to take a 30-26 lead at the half, but it seemed to be one of those case of letting an underdog hang around long enough to gain some confidence. The Bison built an 8 point lead early in the second half, but Army came back to tie it at 43-43 with 11:45 to play. Bucknell responded with a 12-2 run and took control down the stretch to improve to 17-3 overall, 8-0 in the league.
Lee finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals. The 6 steals ties his career best. Abe Badmus and Chris McNaughton each added 10 points for Bucknell.
Army's Jarell Brown led all scorers with 25 points.
The Bison shot 11-18 (61.1 percent) in the second half, finishing the game at 47.4 percent from the field. Army cooled off a little, going 12-26 (46.2 percent) from the field in the second half. But the Cadets still became the first league team to shoot over 40 percent against Bucknell, finishing the game 22-43 (51.2 percent) from the field to become just the fourth team to shoot better than 40 percent against the Bison all season. Bucknell is now 1-3 in games where the opponent shot better than 50 percent.
The key for the Bison was the foul line. Bucknell was 20-25 from the stripe. Army shot only 7 free throws, hitting 4.
HC bounces back against Navy
(Originally posted Wed. at 10:39 p.m., notes and links added at 7:39 a.m.)
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- It didn't take Holy Cross long to put last week's loss at Lehigh in its rear view mirror.
Coming off that tough, last-second setback Saturday, the Crusaders came out fast against Navy, jumping to a quick 13-2 lead, and never looked back, cruising to an 81-67 win in a game that was not nearly as close as the final score might look.
"This was a real good bounce back game from that difficult loss we had on the road at Lehigh," said Crusaders coach Ralph Willard, whose team improved to 12-10 overall, 5-2 in the Patriot League.
It was sloppy at times to be sure. The Crusaders turned the ball over 22 times. But it was a dominating performance nonetheless. Especially in the first half, when Navy (8-12, 1-6) managed only five field goals while scoring 15 points, their worst half of the season.
"We just wanted to minimize the amount of open looks they got, especially from three-point range," said Holy Cross captain Kevin Hamilton, who finished with 26 points to lead all scorers.
"We came off a disappointing effort on defense against Lehigh. Coach really got into us the last couple of days," Hamilton said.
Obviously whatever Willard did in practice had its desired effect. With 6-10 Tim Clifford clogging the middle and Holy Cross' ballhawking guards pressuring on the perimeter, the Midshipmen were 5 of 23 (21.7 percent) from the floor in the first half, with more than twice as many turnovers (13) as buckets.
"The kids responded really well. They had great focus in the first half," Willard said.
By halftime the Crusaders lead had stretched to 35-15. The mrgin never dropped below 18 the rest of the way until Navy closed the game with a 10-2 run in the final minute against the far end of the Holy Cross bench.
Aside from the turnovers, Holy Cross played well in every facet of the game. They shot the ball well, hitting 28 of 51 (54.9 percent) and had tremendous offensive balance. The Crusaders scored 28 points in the paint and 21 from the arc, where they hit 7 of 14 three-pointers. They had 20 assists on their 20 field goals and all five starters scored in double figures. HC dominated the boards, out rebounding Navy 38-24.
About the closet thing to a complaint Willard could muster after the game was a mention of how his ballclub took its foot off the gas a little after building the lead to 27 with 11:45 to play.
"That is one of the things we tend to do. We relax with the lead," Willard said.
Of course with the kind of minutes the HC starters have been playing, that is understandable. Torey Thomas actually did get to sit down in the final minute, after coming within two rebounds of a triple double (13 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds). Hamilton and freshman four-man Alex Vander Baan (10 points) each played 38 minutes and Keith Simmons showed no signs of cramping up in this one, playing 34 minutes, finishing with 14 points. Clifford, who had 12 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots, was the only starter to play less than 30 minutes, mainly because he got into a little foul trouble in the second half.
"This team, especially a guy like Kevin (Hamilton), picks his spots because he realizes he has to do a lot on the other end of the floor.When we get a big lead, he tends to pick his spots defensively. He tends to relax a little bit, but he is still very good. The other guys do to," Willard said.
Even picking his spots, Hamilton still managed to finish with 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots to go along with his 27 points.
Greg Sprink and Kaleo Kina shared the Navy scoring lead with 19 points each. Sprink scored 15 of his in the second half. Kina had 16 after the break, including 8 in the final minute. Navy captain Matt Fannin, who suffered a knee injury (torn ACL) that would have ended most players' seasons back in early January, played with a bulky brace to hold his left knee in place, added 10 for the Mids.
Holy Cross will wrap up a three-game road swing Saturday at Lafayette, then returns home for three straight games at the Hart Center, including a crucial matchup with league-leading Bucknell on Feb. 11.
NOTES: The win was Holy Cross' 13th in a row over Navy, including 6 straight in Annapolis . . . The Crusaders average margin of victory in those 13 wins is over 15 points per game . . . Clifford reached double figures for the fourth time in HC's 5 games since he took a collar at Bucknell . . . in the Crusaders first three conference games he averaged 2.3 ppg, in the past five conference games Clifford has averaged 14.2 ppg ...Hamilton's 26 points were his third-highest total of the season . . . Hamilton had 38 against Tennessee-Chattanooga in December in Pureto Rico and 27 against Mississippi State on that same trip . . .It was also the most points against Navy by a Patriot League opponent this season . . . Hamilton's 18 shots from the field were also the most against Navy by a league foe . . . Hamilton's 7 turnovers also tied the team's season high . . . it was the second game in a row that an HC player had 7 turnovers (Thomas had 7 turnovers at Lehigh) . . . Thomas' 10 assists equalled his, and the team's, season high . . . the 10 assists were the most by a Patriot League players against Navy this season . . . Kina's 19 points move him into 14th on Navy's all-time freshman scoring list with 212 . . . with his next point, Kina will tie none other than David Robinson for 13th on that list . . . Sprink's 19 moved him past the 500 career points mark . . . the Navy sophomore now has 508 career points . . . Fannin is now 4 points away from 700 for his career . . . Navy's 24 rebounds were a season low for the Mids . . . Navy's 20-point halftime deficit was its largest of the season.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- It didn't take Holy Cross long to put last week's loss at Lehigh in its rear view mirror.
Coming off that tough, last-second setback Saturday, the Crusaders came out fast against Navy, jumping to a quick 13-2 lead, and never looked back, cruising to an 81-67 win in a game that was not nearly as close as the final score might look.
"This was a real good bounce back game from that difficult loss we had on the road at Lehigh," said Crusaders coach Ralph Willard, whose team improved to 12-10 overall, 5-2 in the Patriot League.
It was sloppy at times to be sure. The Crusaders turned the ball over 22 times. But it was a dominating performance nonetheless. Especially in the first half, when Navy (8-12, 1-6) managed only five field goals while scoring 15 points, their worst half of the season.
"We just wanted to minimize the amount of open looks they got, especially from three-point range," said Holy Cross captain Kevin Hamilton, who finished with 26 points to lead all scorers.
"We came off a disappointing effort on defense against Lehigh. Coach really got into us the last couple of days," Hamilton said.
Obviously whatever Willard did in practice had its desired effect. With 6-10 Tim Clifford clogging the middle and Holy Cross' ballhawking guards pressuring on the perimeter, the Midshipmen were 5 of 23 (21.7 percent) from the floor in the first half, with more than twice as many turnovers (13) as buckets.
"The kids responded really well. They had great focus in the first half," Willard said.
By halftime the Crusaders lead had stretched to 35-15. The mrgin never dropped below 18 the rest of the way until Navy closed the game with a 10-2 run in the final minute against the far end of the Holy Cross bench.
Aside from the turnovers, Holy Cross played well in every facet of the game. They shot the ball well, hitting 28 of 51 (54.9 percent) and had tremendous offensive balance. The Crusaders scored 28 points in the paint and 21 from the arc, where they hit 7 of 14 three-pointers. They had 20 assists on their 20 field goals and all five starters scored in double figures. HC dominated the boards, out rebounding Navy 38-24.
About the closet thing to a complaint Willard could muster after the game was a mention of how his ballclub took its foot off the gas a little after building the lead to 27 with 11:45 to play.
"That is one of the things we tend to do. We relax with the lead," Willard said.
Of course with the kind of minutes the HC starters have been playing, that is understandable. Torey Thomas actually did get to sit down in the final minute, after coming within two rebounds of a triple double (13 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds). Hamilton and freshman four-man Alex Vander Baan (10 points) each played 38 minutes and Keith Simmons showed no signs of cramping up in this one, playing 34 minutes, finishing with 14 points. Clifford, who had 12 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots, was the only starter to play less than 30 minutes, mainly because he got into a little foul trouble in the second half.
"This team, especially a guy like Kevin (Hamilton), picks his spots because he realizes he has to do a lot on the other end of the floor.When we get a big lead, he tends to pick his spots defensively. He tends to relax a little bit, but he is still very good. The other guys do to," Willard said.
Even picking his spots, Hamilton still managed to finish with 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots to go along with his 27 points.
Greg Sprink and Kaleo Kina shared the Navy scoring lead with 19 points each. Sprink scored 15 of his in the second half. Kina had 16 after the break, including 8 in the final minute. Navy captain Matt Fannin, who suffered a knee injury (torn ACL) that would have ended most players' seasons back in early January, played with a bulky brace to hold his left knee in place, added 10 for the Mids.
Holy Cross will wrap up a three-game road swing Saturday at Lafayette, then returns home for three straight games at the Hart Center, including a crucial matchup with league-leading Bucknell on Feb. 11.
NOTES: The win was Holy Cross' 13th in a row over Navy, including 6 straight in Annapolis . . . The Crusaders average margin of victory in those 13 wins is over 15 points per game . . . Clifford reached double figures for the fourth time in HC's 5 games since he took a collar at Bucknell . . . in the Crusaders first three conference games he averaged 2.3 ppg, in the past five conference games Clifford has averaged 14.2 ppg ...Hamilton's 26 points were his third-highest total of the season . . . Hamilton had 38 against Tennessee-Chattanooga in December in Pureto Rico and 27 against Mississippi State on that same trip . . .It was also the most points against Navy by a Patriot League opponent this season . . . Hamilton's 18 shots from the field were also the most against Navy by a league foe . . . Hamilton's 7 turnovers also tied the team's season high . . . it was the second game in a row that an HC player had 7 turnovers (Thomas had 7 turnovers at Lehigh) . . . Thomas' 10 assists equalled his, and the team's, season high . . . the 10 assists were the most by a Patriot League players against Navy this season . . . Kina's 19 points move him into 14th on Navy's all-time freshman scoring list with 212 . . . with his next point, Kina will tie none other than David Robinson for 13th on that list . . . Sprink's 19 moved him past the 500 career points mark . . . the Navy sophomore now has 508 career points . . . Fannin is now 4 points away from 700 for his career . . . Navy's 24 rebounds were a season low for the Mids . . . Navy's 20-point halftime deficit was its largest of the season.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Two on tap tonight
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Bucknell at Army 7 p.m.: Worlds collide. It is the league's best defense against its most impotent offense, the league's best team against its worst. Need we say more?
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Holy Cross at Navy, 7:30 p.m.:If Tim Clifford continues his recent strong play in the post and Keith Simmons manages to avoid cramping, this ought to be easier for the Crusaders than their , when they escaped with a 68-66 win. No wireless availability in Alumni Hall, so we will not be able to do the live gameblog thing, but we will have a full report from Annapolis after the game.
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Wednesday morning readaround
ET phoned last night. We're talking about Eric Thomas, not the Spielberg creation, and he was calling Hoop, not home.
The Bucknell beat writer for the Shamokin News Item used to do State College basketball games on the radio. One of his friends in Happy Valley had just called him to tell him about Eric Meister's monster night. Knowing Meister is headed to Holy Cross, E wanted to give us a heads up to look for the in the Centre Daily Times.
According to the CDT:
PATRIOT ENVY: In today's Daily Pennsylvanian, the Penn student paper, Zach Levine pens a , which allows no flexibility for things like the Bracket Buster.
Writes Levine:
The Bucknell beat writer for the Shamokin News Item used to do State College basketball games on the radio. One of his friends in Happy Valley had just called him to tell him about Eric Meister's monster night. Knowing Meister is headed to Holy Cross, E wanted to give us a heads up to look for the in the Centre Daily Times.
According to the CDT:
The Little Lions' 6-foot-8 senior center poured in 24 points and had 17 rebounds to go with four blocked shots in State College's convincing 63-48 victory over Hollidaysburg, a win that gave State College sole possession of first place in Section 1 of the Mountain Athletic Conference.Meister did it, by the way, despite having had a migraine earlier in the day that was bad enough to force him to leave school early
."He may as well go home blind. He's a heck of a basketball player," said Hollidaysburg coach Mick Pentoney of Meister. "Between him and (former State College player) Willie Morse, nobody will be happier to see him graduate than me. They've been a nightmare for me for the last six years."Morse, by the way, is in his sit-out year at Colgate after transferring there from St. Bonaventure.
PATRIOT ENVY: In today's Daily Pennsylvanian, the Penn student paper, Zach Levine pens a , which allows no flexibility for things like the Bracket Buster.
Writes Levine:
Until this year, the Patriot League -- the conference most similar to the Ivy League in both academics and sports -- did not participate in the weekend because of a Friday/Sunday travel partner schedule similar to what the Ivies have.Of course that is not a perfect formula, which is why this evening we will be in Annapolis, the league's southernmost outpost, watching Navy host Holy Cross, the league's northernmost school.
But this season, the league returned to a Wednesday/Saturday schedule, which allowed the freedom for Bucknell to reschedule its conference commitment for that weekend.
A system like that is not without its consequences, especially in leagues so focused on academics. To combat this, the Patriot League has worked hard to schedule games between geographically close teams for Wednesday nights.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Captain Courageous
From this afternoon's Annapolis Capital, a Bill Wagner and his courageous return to the lineup despite having a torn ACL.
It's a good look at what Fannin has gone and is going through to play.
Just one small point we have to raise. Wagner writes:
That takes nothing away from the courage Fannin is showing in trying to help his team.
It's a good look at what Fannin has gone and is going through to play.
Just one small point we have to raise. Wagner writes:
At any other school, Fannin would have immediately underwent surgery, sat out the rest of the season and applied for a medical redshirt. Being a senior at the Naval Academy and five months away from commission, that wasn't an option.Actually, that was not an option in Fannin's situation, regardless of where he was going to school. Under , an athlete cannot have competed in more than 20 percent of their teams scheduled contests. Fannin had already played in 12 of Navy's 27-game (plus the tournament) season.
That takes nothing away from the courage Fannin is showing in trying to help his team.
No Clue
It's a slow news day. Unless you want to read a (note: Northern Iowa's nickname does not include the color purple) in the Bracket Buster, there really is not much out there this morning.
Days like this are when we dig real deep for something, anything, new to use for a morning update.
That is what took us to Fox Sports, where we found a Bucknell team report that included this misinformation on the :
Viaer-McClymont averages over 10 minutes per game and has played in all but 2 of Bucknell's contests. The two he missed were due to injury. Linthicum, on the other hand, has seen spot minutes in 15 games, his 3.5 minutes per game average inflated by mop-up minutes. Matter of fact, Rob Thomas has played more than Linthicum thus far (15 games, 3.8 minutes per game).
That got us looking at the reports from the other league teams.
In the , freshman guard Matt Szalachowski is listed as a key reserve. That is curious, since we saw Lehigh's last three games and never saw Szalachowski even take off his warmups. James Anderson, who is not mentioned, played in all three and actually earned a start against Holy Cross.
Then there is the Lafayette , which notes:
It gets even better when you look at the Lafayette . Listed as a key sub: Marcus Harley, who has played all of 4 games all season. Not mentioned: Matt Betley, who has appeared in all 20 games, starting three.
By the way, these reports appear to be identical to the ones on CBS Sportsline, so take those with a grain of salt as well.
Days like this are when we dig real deep for something, anything, new to use for a morning update.
That is what took us to Fox Sports, where we found a Bucknell team report that included this misinformation on the :
PLAYER ROTATION: Usual Starters -- G Abe Badmus, G Kevin Bettencourt, C Chris McNaughton, F Charles Lee, F Darren Mastropaolo. Key Subs -- G Jason Vegotsky, C Josh Linthicum, F John Griffin.Uh ... err ... not exactly. First, Griffin is a guard. Second, Donald Brown is the first guy off the bench for Bucknell and arguably the top sixth man in the league now that Joe Knight is back in Lehigh's starting five. Fox doesn't even mention him. Ditto for Tarik Viaer-McClymont, who actually is Bucknell's backup center, not Linthicum.
Viaer-McClymont averages over 10 minutes per game and has played in all but 2 of Bucknell's contests. The two he missed were due to injury. Linthicum, on the other hand, has seen spot minutes in 15 games, his 3.5 minutes per game average inflated by mop-up minutes. Matter of fact, Rob Thomas has played more than Linthicum thus far (15 games, 3.8 minutes per game).
That got us looking at the reports from the other league teams.
In the , freshman guard Matt Szalachowski is listed as a key reserve. That is curious, since we saw Lehigh's last three games and never saw Szalachowski even take off his warmups. James Anderson, who is not mentioned, played in all three and actually earned a start against Holy Cross.
Then there is the Lafayette , which notes:
Lafayette drifted to the perimeter too often against Lehigh, resulting in a 76-58 loss. The Leopards attempted 27 3-point shots and made just nine.Forget the fact that the report is 10 days old and focus instead on the flawed analysis. A) 9-of-27 from the three-point line (33.3 percent) equates to 27 points on 27 shots. The Leopards would need to shoot 50 percent inside the arc to get that same production. B) The three is a key part of Lafayette's offense. Lacking any true inside force, the Leopards have averaged over 23 three-point tries a game. Against Lehigh, Lafayette was 12-for-29 (41 percent) inside the arc. Maybe they should have shot more threes. What actually cost the Leopards against Lehigh was defense; Lehigh shot 66 percent for the game, 72 percent in the second half to blow open what was a 2-point game at the intermission.
It gets even better when you look at the Lafayette . Listed as a key sub: Marcus Harley, who has played all of 4 games all season. Not mentioned: Matt Betley, who has appeared in all 20 games, starting three.
By the way, these reports appear to be identical to the ones on CBS Sportsline, so take those with a grain of salt as well.
Monday, January 30, 2006
It's official
Add Hoop Time to the list of sources reporting the Bucknell-UNI matchup in the Bracket Buster.
We just confirmed it with an athletic department official at UNI.
Game time expected to be 11 a.m. Central, noon Eastern on ESPN2.
We just confirmed it with an athletic department official at UNI.
Game time expected to be 11 a.m. Central, noon Eastern on ESPN2.
Weekly poll fun
The good news in the polls released this afternoon: Bucknell breaks the Gonzaga stranglehold on first place votes in the , grabbing one of the 31 first place votes (the other 30 went to the Zags). The Bison hold on to the No. 2 spot, 21 points ahead of Northern Iowa.
In the , it's a little different story. Those voters have Northern Iowa ranked this week. Bucknell continues to be in the "others receiving votes" in both.
UNI is 25th in the AP Poll, 24 in the Coaches rankings. Bucknell this week is fifth among others in both, equivalent to being ranked No. 30.
Why the mentions about Northern Iowa? See below, or check back around 4 for "official" word.
In the , it's a little different story. Those voters have Northern Iowa ranked this week. Bucknell continues to be in the "others receiving votes" in both.
UNI is 25th in the AP Poll, 24 in the Coaches rankings. Bucknell this week is fifth among others in both, equivalent to being ranked No. 30.
Why the mentions about Northern Iowa? See below, or check back around 4 for "official" word.
Bring your own band
The official announcment comes at 4 this afternoon, but according to Dave Reynolds of the , the TV dates for Bracket Buster Saturday were set yesterday.
Reynolds' source apparently is Bradley athletics director Ken Kavanagh, whose team did not get a TV date.
According to Reynolds, as many have been speculating, Bucknell will be at Northern Iowa. That is an interesting matchup in lots of ways. For starters, Northern Iowa's AD, Rick Hartzell, used to hold that job at Bucknell. In fact, he is the guy who hired Pat Flannery as Bucknell's coach.
And then there is UNI's pep band, which dawned hastily created orange T-shirts and learned the Bucknell pep song, filling in for the Bison's absentee band when both teams were in Oklahoma City for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament last March.
Something tells us we won't hear a lot of 'Ray Bucknell out of the UNI band this time.
Reynolds' source apparently is Bradley athletics director Ken Kavanagh, whose team did not get a TV date.
According to Reynolds, as many have been speculating, Bucknell will be at Northern Iowa. That is an interesting matchup in lots of ways. For starters, Northern Iowa's AD, Rick Hartzell, used to hold that job at Bucknell. In fact, he is the guy who hired Pat Flannery as Bucknell's coach.
And then there is UNI's pep band, which dawned hastily created orange T-shirts and learned the Bucknell pep song, filling in for the Bison's absentee band when both teams were in Oklahoma City for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament last March.
Something tells us we won't hear a lot of 'Ray Bucknell out of the UNI band this time.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Lehigh edges Holy Cross
(Originally posted Sat. at 10:34 p.m., links added 8:37 a.m.)
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
Special to The Telegram & Gazette
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Jose Olivero scored 29 points, including four in the last 16.1 seconds to lead Lehigh to a 64-63 come-from-behind win over Holy Cross in front of 2,496 in Stabler Arena.
Olivero, who was Lehigh's only real producer on offense all night, got the Mountain Hawks within 1 with a pair of free throws with 16.1 seconds left. The game-winner came less than 12 seconds later, after Lehigh's Bryan White made a leaping deflection of a long Holy Cross inbounds pass near midcourt.
White came seemingly out of nowhere to slap the ball away from Holy Cross point guard Torey Thomas and into the hands of Lehigh's Kyle Neptune. After a timeout, the Mountain Hawk's put the ball in Olivero's hands at the top of the key. Olivero took a couple of dribbles, then nearly broke Kevin Hamilton's ankle with a nasty crossover move at the foul line before finishing with a one-handed runner from three feet out.
"(Olivero) made a tough shot. It was a big time move," said Hamilton, who led the Crusaders with 20 points.
The bucket gave Lehigh its only lead in the final 33:34 of the game. It also gave the Mountain Hawks (13-9, 6-1) sole possession of second place in the Patriot League, one game behind Bucknell, which spanked Navy 81-47 last night to stay unbeaten in league play. The Bison took sole possession of first Wednesday night when they beat Lehigh here.
"We didn't do a good job attacking (Olivero). We let him dictate what he wanted to do. We didn't make him feel uncomfortable with the basketball," Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard said.
Olivero finished the night 10-for-16 from the field, and added 7 more on 7 free throws. His big night helped to make up for an off night by lehigh's Joe Knight, who suffered through a miserable 2-for-13 shooting night, finishing with 5 points, well below his 16.4 average.
For much of the night, it looked as though Holy Cross would send the Mountain Hawks to a second home loss in a row. The Crusaders got big production from Tim Clifford inside early and led by as many as 16 in the first half before settling for a 37-28 lead at the break. Clifford, who has emerged as a post presence for HC since moving into the starting lineup three games ago, was more than any Lehigh big man could handle, hitting 6 of 7 shots in the first half, including a pair of three-pointers when the Mountain Hawks left the 6-11 sophomore all alone at the top of the arc.
Clifford cooled off early in the second half though. He missed his first four shots, including two layins and another open look from three-point range. By the time the Crusaders fed him the ball in the post again Lehigh had managed to pull even with the Crusaders at 55-55 with just under five minutes left.
"I got my number called four times in a row and didn't convert . . . I kind of got off track and by the time I got back on, it was too late," said Clifford, who finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds.
Clifford put the Crusaders back in the lead with an old-fashioned layup-and-one three-point play, and after a Olivero layup that cut the lead back to 1, Clifford again stretched it to three with a short jumper with 3:34 to play.
That turned out to be the last field goal Holy Cross would make. The Crusaders shot just 8-for-26 (30.8 percent) in the second half, but it seemed as if it would be enough when the Crusaders had the ball with 31 seconds to play and a 3-point lead.
Even after Holy Cross squandered that opportunity to make it a two-posession game on a Torey Thomas turnover, it seemed as if they would still hold on when Lehigh's Joe Knight clanged a three-point try off the front iron at the other end. But Olivero chased down the long carom, keeping Lehigh alive and setting the stage for his end-of-game heroics.
"(Olivero) made great plays going down the stretch. The biggest thing was the rebound. We defended that possession great and then Jose comes up with the rebound. That was the game," Willard said.
Holy Cross had a chance at the end, but freshman Colin Cunningham's open three from the left corner was off the mark. Cunningham was on the floor in that situation because Keith Simmons, who has been bothered by cramps much of the season, was out of the game after suffering from another cramp.
"We got a great look at the end of the game. We had a freshman taking that shot. We try to have Keith in that position, rather than Colin. Unfortunately, Keith, at that point, couldn't run down the floor," Willard said.
Thomas, who played the last 12:27 with four personal fouls, finished with 12 points. But he also had an uncharacteristic 7 turnovers, with just 1 assist.
Despite having two losses in league play, all is not lost for the Crusaders, who will get both teams that beat them, Bucknell and Lehigh, in the Hart Center in the second half of the league schedule. Holy Cross will close out its first lap around the conference at Navy on Wednesday.
Game blog
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
Special to The Telegram & Gazette
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Jose Olivero scored 29 points, including four in the last 16.1 seconds to lead Lehigh to a 64-63 come-from-behind win over Holy Cross in front of 2,496 in Stabler Arena.
Olivero, who was Lehigh's only real producer on offense all night, got the Mountain Hawks within 1 with a pair of free throws with 16.1 seconds left. The game-winner came less than 12 seconds later, after Lehigh's Bryan White made a leaping deflection of a long Holy Cross inbounds pass near midcourt.
White came seemingly out of nowhere to slap the ball away from Holy Cross point guard Torey Thomas and into the hands of Lehigh's Kyle Neptune. After a timeout, the Mountain Hawk's put the ball in Olivero's hands at the top of the key. Olivero took a couple of dribbles, then nearly broke Kevin Hamilton's ankle with a nasty crossover move at the foul line before finishing with a one-handed runner from three feet out.
"(Olivero) made a tough shot. It was a big time move," said Hamilton, who led the Crusaders with 20 points.
The bucket gave Lehigh its only lead in the final 33:34 of the game. It also gave the Mountain Hawks (13-9, 6-1) sole possession of second place in the Patriot League, one game behind Bucknell, which spanked Navy 81-47 last night to stay unbeaten in league play. The Bison took sole possession of first Wednesday night when they beat Lehigh here.
"We didn't do a good job attacking (Olivero). We let him dictate what he wanted to do. We didn't make him feel uncomfortable with the basketball," Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard said.
Olivero finished the night 10-for-16 from the field, and added 7 more on 7 free throws. His big night helped to make up for an off night by lehigh's Joe Knight, who suffered through a miserable 2-for-13 shooting night, finishing with 5 points, well below his 16.4 average.
For much of the night, it looked as though Holy Cross would send the Mountain Hawks to a second home loss in a row. The Crusaders got big production from Tim Clifford inside early and led by as many as 16 in the first half before settling for a 37-28 lead at the break. Clifford, who has emerged as a post presence for HC since moving into the starting lineup three games ago, was more than any Lehigh big man could handle, hitting 6 of 7 shots in the first half, including a pair of three-pointers when the Mountain Hawks left the 6-11 sophomore all alone at the top of the arc.
Clifford cooled off early in the second half though. He missed his first four shots, including two layins and another open look from three-point range. By the time the Crusaders fed him the ball in the post again Lehigh had managed to pull even with the Crusaders at 55-55 with just under five minutes left.
"I got my number called four times in a row and didn't convert . . . I kind of got off track and by the time I got back on, it was too late," said Clifford, who finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds.
Clifford put the Crusaders back in the lead with an old-fashioned layup-and-one three-point play, and after a Olivero layup that cut the lead back to 1, Clifford again stretched it to three with a short jumper with 3:34 to play.
That turned out to be the last field goal Holy Cross would make. The Crusaders shot just 8-for-26 (30.8 percent) in the second half, but it seemed as if it would be enough when the Crusaders had the ball with 31 seconds to play and a 3-point lead.
Even after Holy Cross squandered that opportunity to make it a two-posession game on a Torey Thomas turnover, it seemed as if they would still hold on when Lehigh's Joe Knight clanged a three-point try off the front iron at the other end. But Olivero chased down the long carom, keeping Lehigh alive and setting the stage for his end-of-game heroics.
"(Olivero) made great plays going down the stretch. The biggest thing was the rebound. We defended that possession great and then Jose comes up with the rebound. That was the game," Willard said.
Holy Cross had a chance at the end, but freshman Colin Cunningham's open three from the left corner was off the mark. Cunningham was on the floor in that situation because Keith Simmons, who has been bothered by cramps much of the season, was out of the game after suffering from another cramp.
"We got a great look at the end of the game. We had a freshman taking that shot. We try to have Keith in that position, rather than Colin. Unfortunately, Keith, at that point, couldn't run down the floor," Willard said.
Thomas, who played the last 12:27 with four personal fouls, finished with 12 points. But he also had an uncharacteristic 7 turnovers, with just 1 assist.
Despite having two losses in league play, all is not lost for the Crusaders, who will get both teams that beat them, Bucknell and Lehigh, in the Hart Center in the second half of the league schedule. Holy Cross will close out its first lap around the conference at Navy on Wednesday.
Bucknell 81, Navy 47
(Originally posted Sat. at 10:40 p.m., link added 8:31 a.m.)
By Eric Thomas
LEWISBURG – Navy men’s basketball coach Billy Lange walked out of Bucknell’s Sojka Pavilion Saturday night with what he hopes is the perfect example of what it will take for his Navy ball club to be a championship caliber team.
He hopes that his players watched carefully as Bucknell dissected the Midshipmen for the second time this season, 81-47, before 4,180 fans inside the cramped arena. The win was Bucknell’s 18th win in a row over a league opponent at home and the win kept them in front of Lehigh for first place with a one game lead over the Mountain Hawks.
“Give credit to their defense,” Lange said. “We told our kids they were going to take us out of stuff. Against Bucknell, you can’t assume you’re going to be able to run your offense fluently against them.”
“They’re tough. It’s what champions are. You defend, you rebound, you stay tough, you share the ball, and they do it very well,” Lange added.
Defend might be an understatement for this one. The Bison held Navy to just 27.7-percent shooting from the floor and forced 26 turnovers. Navy hit just 13 field goals, the third lowest total given up by the Bison this season.
©2005 Hoop Time. All rights reserved.
By Eric Thomas
LEWISBURG – Navy men’s basketball coach Billy Lange walked out of Bucknell’s Sojka Pavilion Saturday night with what he hopes is the perfect example of what it will take for his Navy ball club to be a championship caliber team.
He hopes that his players watched carefully as Bucknell dissected the Midshipmen for the second time this season, 81-47, before 4,180 fans inside the cramped arena. The win was Bucknell’s 18th win in a row over a league opponent at home and the win kept them in front of Lehigh for first place with a one game lead over the Mountain Hawks.
“Give credit to their defense,” Lange said. “We told our kids they were going to take us out of stuff. Against Bucknell, you can’t assume you’re going to be able to run your offense fluently against them.”
“They’re tough. It’s what champions are. You defend, you rebound, you stay tough, you share the ball, and they do it very well,” Lange added.
Defend might be an understatement for this one. The Bison held Navy to just 27.7-percent shooting from the floor and forced 26 turnovers. Navy hit just 13 field goals, the third lowest total given up by the Bison this season.
