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Thursday, November 08, 2007
Here's what has been happening while we have been fighting off the flu bug this week:
Utica does Hamilton -- Seems like once or twice each season the Utica paper bothers to cover Colgate. One of those times is this preview of the Red Raiders season.
Bracketeering -- ESPN is offering up Joe Lunardi's preseason look at the 65 teams to make the NCAA Tournament as a free preview of its "insider coverage." Lunardi picks Holy Cross to win the league, saying: The league's Dangerfield -- Ed Laubach, the former sporst editor at the Express-Times, comes out of retirement for a column previewing Lafayette's Leopards, a team Laubach says is drawing motivation from its lack of respect.
50 ways to view the season -- Included in Ed Barkowitz's Philly Daily News column on 50 things to ponder as hoops season starts: More on Griffin -- The AP preview of the Bucknell season says in the absence of Chris McNaughton, Donald Brown and Abe Badmus, it is Griffin's turn to lead the Bison.
Dadging the 'Saders -- How bad did UConn want to avoid playing Holy Cross in the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament? Bad enough to agree to shuffle off to Buffalo next season.
Speaking of Holy Cross -- In case you missed it, the Crusaders bounced back from that exhibition loss to Rhode Island College by bouncing UMass-Lowell Tuesday night. Tim Clifford led the way with 16 points, 5 boards and 6 blocks. (Box score)
Another recruit for AU -- The Boca Raton News reports Mike Technow of Boca Raton H.S. will commit to play for American. BRHS is expected to send three players to DI schools this season. Technow is a 6-9 center. You can find more on him on his prep team's home page (if you have the patience for it to load). He played AAU hoops for the Barton Ballas.
Long look at Army -- Anticipating Saturday's Minnesota home opener against the Black Knights. Scout.com takes a very detailed look at this year's Army squad.
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57. HOLY CROSS. The Crusaders were 13-1 in Patriot League play last season. This season's race figures to be tighter, but Holy Cross has enough to repeat.
25. The return of 6-11 center Tim Clifford is a prime reason Holy Cross is expected to defend its Patriot League crown. Bucknell, which will look to senior John Griffin (St. Joseph's Prep) after losing three starters, and Colgate should be the top challengers to Holy Cross.
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, previews, recruiting
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Sunday, November 04, 2007
Two former Patriot League players were selected in Thursday's NBDL draft.
Taken in the NBA Development League's draft were former American standout Andre Ingram was selected by the league's Utah Flash, an expansion franchise that liked what they saw of Ingram on video, The Flash made which took Ingram their one of seven guards they drafted when they chose him with the 10th pick in the seventh round of the draft. Bucknell grad Abe Badmus went eight picks later to the Tulasa 66ers, who grabbed the Bison point guard with the fourth pick of the eighth round.
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Taken in the NBA Development League's draft were former American standout Andre Ingram was selected by the league's Utah Flash, an expansion franchise that liked what they saw of Ingram on video, The Flash made which took Ingram their one of seven guards they drafted when they chose him with the 10th pick in the seventh round of the draft. Bucknell grad Abe Badmus went eight picks later to the Tulasa 66ers, who grabbed the Bison point guard with the fourth pick of the eighth round.
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Thursday, November 01, 2007
It is a little tough to take seriously a Patriot League preview story that talks about Bucknell's Darren Mastropaolo playing a prominent role without mentioning that his season is in jeopardy after tearing up a knee during the summer.
Sure, there was no mention of Mastropaolo's injury in most of the preview magazines on the newsstands (Blue Ribbon being the prominent exception), but those pubs have early summer deadlines. The Sports Network, on the other hand, is a Web based service and its league preview comes after Mastropaolo's situation was discussed at the league's media day.
This thing is, simply put, a sorry excuse for a preview. The Holy Cross capsule makes no mention of the questions on the wings. The American portion does not even include the phrase "junior college." There is talk of Lafayette's futility without talk of their scholarship situation and the Navy preview says nothing about how the Mids lost three key would-be returning players, including two starters.
The worst part is that this mediocrity will show up as gospel on other sites because several mainstream media players buy syndicated content from TSN.
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Sure, there was no mention of Mastropaolo's injury in most of the preview magazines on the newsstands (Blue Ribbon being the prominent exception), but those pubs have early summer deadlines. The Sports Network, on the other hand, is a Web based service and its league preview comes after Mastropaolo's situation was discussed at the league's media day.
This thing is, simply put, a sorry excuse for a preview. The Holy Cross capsule makes no mention of the questions on the wings. The American portion does not even include the phrase "junior college." There is talk of Lafayette's futility without talk of their scholarship situation and the Navy preview says nothing about how the Mids lost three key would-be returning players, including two starters.
The worst part is that this mediocrity will show up as gospel on other sites because several mainstream media players buy syndicated content from TSN.
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, previews
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Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The Red Flash of St. Francis held their media day yesterday. During the festivities, coach Bobby Jones spoke of the need for his team to get off to a good start. Two of their first four games are against Patriot League schools.
St. Francis opens Nov. 10 at home against American and hosts Lehigh a week later. According to the Altoona Mirror, anything less than three wins in their first four games will be a dissappointment. That would mean the Red Flash need to win at least one of those games.
The Flash, who return all five starters from last year's 8-21 team, also will face Bucknell in Lewisburg Dec. 1.
Really, really interested in St. Francis? The Johnstown Tribune also covered the media day festivities.
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St. Francis opens Nov. 10 at home against American and hosts Lehigh a week later. According to the Altoona Mirror, anything less than three wins in their first four games will be a dissappointment. That would mean the Red Flash need to win at least one of those games.
The Flash, who return all five starters from last year's 8-21 team, also will face Bucknell in Lewisburg Dec. 1.
Really, really interested in St. Francis? The Johnstown Tribune also covered the media day festivities.
Labels: AU, BU, Leh, scheduling
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Sunday, October 21, 2007
It appears the Bison may have completed their recruiting class for next fall, with a third commit, AU gets more size and Ralph has landed a much-needed winger.
The Nassau Guardian reports 6-9 Probese Leo has chosen Bucknell over Rice, Furman and San Diego State. Leo is a Bahamas native who attends St. Pius X H.S. in Houston through the Frank Rutherford Foundation Elite Athlete Development (FREAD) Program, which brings athletes from the Bahamas to the U.S. to help prepare them to earn scholarships to U.S. universities.
Leo, who played AAU ball with the Houston Hoop Stars, would appear to be a bit of a project. He has only played serious basketball for about a year.
It would seem Leo completes Bucknell's scholarship recruiting class, unless he, or one of the two previous commits, is actually a need-based kid. The Bison also have commits from 6-5 swingman Bryan Cohen, out of the Philly area Abington Friends School and 6-8 Enoch Andoh from Archbishop Mitty in San Jose, Cal.
In other recruiting news, while we were busy with the aftermath of media day, we missed American's landing of 6-8 Stephen Lumpkins, a lefthanded big man from Serra H.S. in the San Francisco bay area. Lumpkins chose teh Eagles over UC Santa Barbara, Montana State and Lafayette.
Also announced Friday, R.J. Evans, a 6-3 wing out of Norwich Free Academy in Conn., will take his game to Holy Cross, where he says his legs will get stronger from walking up and down all those hills. Evans, who averaged 24 points per game last season, chose H.C. over William and Mary and Harvard.
Evans made his announcement flanked by classmates in purple t-shirts that said "Patriot or Ivy?" on the front. They turned around to reveal a back saying "Evans chooses (HC logo)" as he verbalized his decision.
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The Nassau Guardian reports 6-9 Probese Leo has chosen Bucknell over Rice, Furman and San Diego State. Leo is a Bahamas native who attends St. Pius X H.S. in Houston through the Frank Rutherford Foundation Elite Athlete Development (FREAD) Program, which brings athletes from the Bahamas to the U.S. to help prepare them to earn scholarships to U.S. universities.
Leo, who played AAU ball with the Houston Hoop Stars, would appear to be a bit of a project. He has only played serious basketball for about a year.
It would seem Leo completes Bucknell's scholarship recruiting class, unless he, or one of the two previous commits, is actually a need-based kid. The Bison also have commits from 6-5 swingman Bryan Cohen, out of the Philly area Abington Friends School and 6-8 Enoch Andoh from Archbishop Mitty in San Jose, Cal.
In other recruiting news, while we were busy with the aftermath of media day, we missed American's landing of 6-8 Stephen Lumpkins, a lefthanded big man from Serra H.S. in the San Francisco bay area. Lumpkins chose teh Eagles over UC Santa Barbara, Montana State and Lafayette.
Also announced Friday, R.J. Evans, a 6-3 wing out of Norwich Free Academy in Conn., will take his game to Holy Cross, where he says his legs will get stronger from walking up and down all those hills. Evans, who averaged 24 points per game last season, chose H.C. over William and Mary and Harvard.
Evans made his announcement flanked by classmates in purple t-shirts that said "Patriot or Ivy?" on the front. They turned around to reveal a back saying "Evans chooses (HC logo)" as he verbalized his decision.
Labels: AU, BU, HC, recruiting
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Friday, October 19, 2007
(Updated with additional links at 7:51 a.m.)
Here's what others are saying about Thursday's Patriot League basketball media day:
In Stephen Miller's overview of the league, which appears in the Morning Call. there is a Fran O'Hanlon quote that pretty much sums up why people are still picking Holy Cross and Bucknell at the top of the league despite their heavy graduation losses. Says O'Hanlon" "I thought last year maybe the league would come back a little bit and be more competitive. To a certain extent [it was]. American was right there at times. Colgate and Army and Navy obviously took major steps last year, but it didn't translate into competing with Bucknell and Holy Cross. So I'm reluctant to say it's going to change."
The Examiner looks at Navy and concludes the Mids "will go as far as Greg Sprink carries" them.
Alexander Pyles did some blogging on CSTV's Hang Time blog from the ESPN Zone in Baltimore. Pyles, who must have sat close to the door, where the wireless actually worked, compiled a handful of posts from the event.
David Ginsburg of the AP threw together a story based on the preseason poll and the very generic comments the coaches made before the individual interview sessions.
We'll update this in the morning.
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Here's what others are saying about Thursday's Patriot League basketball media day:
We'll update this in the morning.
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, previews
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Thursday, October 18, 2007
More news, notes and quotes from Thursday's Patriot League basketball media day:
M*A*S*H -- Not a lot of talk about injuries from most of the coaches, but Bucknell's Pat Flannery and Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard did have some medical woes to talk about.
Flannery confirmed senior post man Darren Mastropaolo will not be ready any time soon. Flannery said Mastropaolo is working hard to rehab the knee he injured this summer, but has not begun to run on it yet. Flannery said there is no timetable for Mastropaolo's possible return. Bucknell guard John Griffin, in a separate interview, said the Bison are hopeful Mastropaolo might be able to get back for the second half of the Patriot League season. Griffin said he doesn't think Mastropaolo wants to take a medical redshirt, saying he thinks Mastropaolo wants to graduate with his classmates.
Holy Cross has two guys currently out of practice for medical reasons. Sophomore Andrew Keister has suffered another stress fracture in his leg and it appears his future is in question. Willard said there are concerns Keister, who survived childhood leukemia, may have some fragility in his bones due to the radiation treatments he underwent when he was ill. For now, the 6-9 forward is out at least six weeks.
Lawrence Dixon also has yet to practice for HC. Dixon's surgically repaired knee is structurally fine, Willard said, but he is having back and hamstring problems. Willard said it is possible Dixon's troubles could be related to favoring the injured knee.
"Lawrence could really help our basketball team if he can get healthy," Willard said.
QUOTABLE -- From the coaches opening comments:
"We have a lot of fresh faces coming in hoping to compete for some playing time." -- American coach Jeff Jones, whose roster includes six new players, including four junior college transfers
"We have a lot of young players. Nine of our 13 are in either the freshman or sophomore class." -- Lehigh coach Brett Reed, who is new to the head coach job himself
"We certainly hope to be an improved basketball team this year . . . we have lots of room for improvement." -- Colgate coach Emmett Davis
"What we found out in Europe is we graduated two really special leaders . . . we have a lot of work to do." -- HC's Ralph Willard
"We have more guys coming back this year than we have ever had." -- Army coach Jim Crews
"We don't know a lot right now. But we do have one kid -- Jarrell Brown -- who puts the ball in the bucket." -- Crews
"you can't even land in Mississippi. You have to land in Memphis." == Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon on the leopards trip to Mississippi State, part of nine straight road games after playing five of their first six at home
"Nobody's divulging names." -- Bucknell coach Pat Flannery, commenting on the generic remarks of the other coaches
"We are who we are, and you know who we are. We're not hard to figure out." -- Flannery on his Bison
"I don't feel like our program is young anymore." -- Navy coach Billy Lange on his experienced underclassmen
Those were the best offered. Told you they were pretty generic.
MAKING POINTS -- Expect Griffin to start the season at the point for Bucknell, but the pre-season all-league pick could end up sliding to the two if freshman Daryl Shazier develops quickly. Shazier played for the highly competitive Boo Williams AAU program in Virginia and is accustomed to high level competition, something that should speed his adjustment to the college game.
"We didn't bring him in to sit," said Flannery.
At Holy Cross, freshman Andrew Beinert was expected to back up Pat Doherty at the point this season, but difficulties finding adequate scoring from the wings could force Willard to move him to the two. Willard said that is not his preference, but he may be forced to do it.
Scoring from the wings, said Willard, "Is still (HC's) biggest question mark. That was our big bugaboo in Europe. We didn't score from the wing at all."
In August, before heading on the overseas trip, Willard spoke of the possibility of playing Alex Vander Baan at the three some. Those plans appear to be scrapped. Willard said Vander Baan is just not comfortable enough putting teh ball on the floor against smaller defenders.
STEPPING OUT -- Thus far in practice, Holy Cross' best perimeter shooter has been 6-10 senior center Tim Clifford.
"Tim may be the best three-point shooter we have on the team," said Willard.
Expect Clifford to look to spot up on the arc when trailing the break. He will also step out to shoot the three in half-court sets, Willard said.
"Tim has made the three an important part of who he is as a basketball player," Willard said.
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M*A*S*H -- Not a lot of talk about injuries from most of the coaches, but Bucknell's Pat Flannery and Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard did have some medical woes to talk about.
Flannery confirmed senior post man Darren Mastropaolo will not be ready any time soon. Flannery said Mastropaolo is working hard to rehab the knee he injured this summer, but has not begun to run on it yet. Flannery said there is no timetable for Mastropaolo's possible return. Bucknell guard John Griffin, in a separate interview, said the Bison are hopeful Mastropaolo might be able to get back for the second half of the Patriot League season. Griffin said he doesn't think Mastropaolo wants to take a medical redshirt, saying he thinks Mastropaolo wants to graduate with his classmates.
Holy Cross has two guys currently out of practice for medical reasons. Sophomore Andrew Keister has suffered another stress fracture in his leg and it appears his future is in question. Willard said there are concerns Keister, who survived childhood leukemia, may have some fragility in his bones due to the radiation treatments he underwent when he was ill. For now, the 6-9 forward is out at least six weeks.
Lawrence Dixon also has yet to practice for HC. Dixon's surgically repaired knee is structurally fine, Willard said, but he is having back and hamstring problems. Willard said it is possible Dixon's troubles could be related to favoring the injured knee.
"Lawrence could really help our basketball team if he can get healthy," Willard said.
QUOTABLE -- From the coaches opening comments:
"We have a lot of fresh faces coming in hoping to compete for some playing time." -- American coach Jeff Jones, whose roster includes six new players, including four junior college transfers
"We have a lot of young players. Nine of our 13 are in either the freshman or sophomore class." -- Lehigh coach Brett Reed, who is new to the head coach job himself
"We certainly hope to be an improved basketball team this year . . . we have lots of room for improvement." -- Colgate coach Emmett Davis
"What we found out in Europe is we graduated two really special leaders . . . we have a lot of work to do." -- HC's Ralph Willard
"We have more guys coming back this year than we have ever had." -- Army coach Jim Crews
"We don't know a lot right now. But we do have one kid -- Jarrell Brown -- who puts the ball in the bucket." -- Crews
"you can't even land in Mississippi. You have to land in Memphis." == Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon on the leopards trip to Mississippi State, part of nine straight road games after playing five of their first six at home
"Nobody's divulging names." -- Bucknell coach Pat Flannery, commenting on the generic remarks of the other coaches
"We are who we are, and you know who we are. We're not hard to figure out." -- Flannery on his Bison
"I don't feel like our program is young anymore." -- Navy coach Billy Lange on his experienced underclassmen
Those were the best offered. Told you they were pretty generic.
MAKING POINTS -- Expect Griffin to start the season at the point for Bucknell, but the pre-season all-league pick could end up sliding to the two if freshman Daryl Shazier develops quickly. Shazier played for the highly competitive Boo Williams AAU program in Virginia and is accustomed to high level competition, something that should speed his adjustment to the college game.
"We didn't bring him in to sit," said Flannery.
At Holy Cross, freshman Andrew Beinert was expected to back up Pat Doherty at the point this season, but difficulties finding adequate scoring from the wings could force Willard to move him to the two. Willard said that is not his preference, but he may be forced to do it.
Scoring from the wings, said Willard, "Is still (HC's) biggest question mark. That was our big bugaboo in Europe. We didn't score from the wing at all."
In August, before heading on the overseas trip, Willard spoke of the possibility of playing Alex Vander Baan at the three some. Those plans appear to be scrapped. Willard said Vander Baan is just not comfortable enough putting teh ball on the floor against smaller defenders.
STEPPING OUT -- Thus far in practice, Holy Cross' best perimeter shooter has been 6-10 senior center Tim Clifford.
"Tim may be the best three-point shooter we have on the team," said Willard.
Expect Clifford to look to spot up on the arc when trailing the break. He will also step out to shoot the three in half-court sets, Willard said.
"Tim has made the three an important part of who he is as a basketball player," Willard said.
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, notebook
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We will have more from today's Media Day festivities later. In the meantime, here is a look at how the voting went for the major preseason honors.
The league's coaches and sports information directors voted in the preseason all-league balloting and the preseason poll. Just for fun, we also will list how we saw things back in August when we put together our previews for Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.
LEAGUE FORECAST:
2007 PreSeason All-League Selections
G- John Griffin, Sr. Bucknell
C- Tim Clifford, Sr., Holy Cross
G- Jarrell Brown, Sr., Army
G- Marquis Hall, So., Lehigh
G- Greg Sprink, Sr., Navy
Preseason Player of the Year
Tim Clifford, Sr., Holy Cross
Preseason Poll
1. Holy Cross (10 first place votes) 91 points
2. Bucknell (5) 85
3. Colgate (1) 62
4. Lehigh 56
5. American 49
6. Army 42
7. Navy 34
8. Lafayette 29
For comparison purposes, here is how I saw the league and the preseason honors in Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook:
BLUE RIBBON FORECAST
1. Holy Cross
2. Bucknell
3. Lehigh
4. Army
5. American
6. Colgate
7. Navy
8. Lafayette
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
G-Jarell Brown, SR, Army
C-Tim Clifford, SR, Holy Cross
G-Greg Sprink, SR, Navy
G-Marquis Hall, SO, Lehigh
G-John Griffin, SR, Bucknell
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jarell Brown, SR, Army
NEWCOMERS OF THE YEAR
Andrew Beinert, FR, Holy Cross
Todd O'Brien, FR, Bucknell
I will tell you the standings prediction is a roll of the dice. Matter of fact, I can't remember ever having less faith in my preseason prognostications. As several coaches pointed out today, nobody knows what American has this season. Colgate has as much talent as anyone, but I have a hard time picking them higher based on the simple fact they had a lot of talent the last two seasons and failed to live up to expectations. Army might be a stretch at fourth, but they have as good a shot at being in the upper division as any of the teams I ranked 3 through 6.
We shall see.
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The league's coaches and sports information directors voted in the preseason all-league balloting and the preseason poll. Just for fun, we also will list how we saw things back in August when we put together our previews for Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.
LEAGUE FORECAST:
2007 PreSeason All-League Selections
G- John Griffin, Sr. Bucknell
C- Tim Clifford, Sr., Holy Cross
G- Jarrell Brown, Sr., Army
G- Marquis Hall, So., Lehigh
G- Greg Sprink, Sr., Navy
Preseason Player of the Year
Tim Clifford, Sr., Holy Cross
Preseason Poll
1. Holy Cross (10 first place votes) 91 points
2. Bucknell (5) 85
3. Colgate (1) 62
4. Lehigh 56
5. American 49
6. Army 42
7. Navy 34
8. Lafayette 29
For comparison purposes, here is how I saw the league and the preseason honors in Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook:
BLUE RIBBON FORECAST
1. Holy Cross
2. Bucknell
3. Lehigh
4. Army
5. American
6. Colgate
7. Navy
8. Lafayette
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
G-Jarell Brown, SR, Army
C-Tim Clifford, SR, Holy Cross
G-Greg Sprink, SR, Navy
G-Marquis Hall, SO, Lehigh
G-John Griffin, SR, Bucknell
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jarell Brown, SR, Army
NEWCOMERS OF THE YEAR
Andrew Beinert, FR, Holy Cross
Todd O'Brien, FR, Bucknell
I will tell you the standings prediction is a roll of the dice. Matter of fact, I can't remember ever having less faith in my preseason prognostications. As several coaches pointed out today, nobody knows what American has this season. Colgate has as much talent as anyone, but I have a hard time picking them higher based on the simple fact they had a lot of talent the last two seasons and failed to live up to expectations. Army might be a stretch at fourth, but they have as good a shot at being in the upper division as any of the teams I ranked 3 through 6.
We shall see.
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, previews
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Sunday, October 14, 2007
Looking for a quick fix for your basketball jones before the afternoon's NFL action kicks off. We have it here, with a quick preview of the league and a little catching up with old friends.
Gone but not forgotten (Part I): Down in the Lehigh Valley, former Express-Times sports editor Ed Laubach is supposed to be retired. But that doesn't stop him from popping out the occasional column, like one this morning bemoaning the lack of hoops excitement on six out of eight Patriot League campuses. In the process, Ed takes a quick look around the league and sizes up each team's prospects for the coming season.
Gone but not forgotten (Part II): Last time we checked in with Adonal Foyle, the Colgate grad, and only Patriot League to ever make it in the NBA, was looking for work after being left go by the Golden State Warriors. Foyle's new employer is the Orlando Magic, which is preparing to head to China for some exhibition action. Writers on the Magic beat knew who to turn to when looking to file a story about the trip; as one writer put it, Foyle is "the kind of deep thinker who usually sticks out in an NBA locker room the way Bill O'Reilly would at a rap concert." The Lakeland Ledger also checked in with Foyle for some socio-economic perspective on the trip.
Gone but not forgotten (Part III): Would any post catching up on the whereabouts of folks affiliated with Patriot League hoops be complete without an update on the whereabouts of Hoop Time icon Neil Fingleton? (Hint: The guy is 7-7, maybe you should throw another couple of shrimp on the barbie).
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Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, previews
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Tuesday, October 02, 2007
The league and the WWLIS have announced a 13-game television package for the upcoming season. Included is the conference tournament final, which will assume its customary Friday happy hour slot on ESPN2.
The Feb. 16 Holy Cross at Bucknell men's game will also be shown on the deuce.
The rest of the package, which includes a trio of women's games, will be on ESPNU.
Click the full post link to read the official press release.he 2007-08 Patriot League men's basketball schedule will feature eight regular-season men's games on ESPNU and one on ESPN2, as well as the Championship game on March 14 at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN2, it was announced Tuesday by Patriot League Executive Director Carolyn Schlie Femovich.
"We are pleased to once again feature Patriot League basketball games, including our Championship for men's and women's basketball, on the ESPN networks," said Femovich. "It is exciting that a regular-season matchup between Holy Cross and Bucknell, our past two champions, will be showcased on ESPN2 this year."
The ESPNU schedule also includes two Patriot League women's basketball regular-season games and the Championship contest on March 12.
The men's basketball season opens up on ESPNU, with Navy traveling to Bucknell for a7 p.m. tip-off on Jan. 11. Bucknell and Holy Cross will face off on the ESPN networks for both of their regular-season matchups, with a Jan. 18 game in Worcester at 9 p.m. on ESPNU and a Feb. 16 contest in Lewisburg at 6 p.m on ESPN2.
The ESPNU schedule features three Friday night games, four Sunday tip-offs at Noon and one Saturday contest. Two weekends will include a pair of Patriot League matchups. Lehigh visits Holy Cross on Feb. 2 at Noon and Army travels to Bucknell on Feb. 3 at Noon, while American is at Colgate at Noon on Feb. 17, one day after the Holy Cross/Bucknell tilt on ESPN2.
On the women's side, Holy Cross visits Bucknell for a Noon tip-off on Jan. 20 and Army is at Navy on Jan. 27. The Army-Navy game will be shown live on ESPN360.com and on a taped-delayed basis at 6:30 p.m.
2008 Patriot League Men's Basketball Schedule on ESPN2/ESPNU
Fri., Jan. 11: Navy at Bucknell, 7 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 18: Bucknell at Holy Cross, 9 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 27: Army at Navy, Noon
Sat., Feb. 2: Lehigh at Holy Cross, Noon
Sun., Feb. 3: Army at Bucknell, Noon
Sun., Feb. 10: Lehigh at American, Noon
Sat., Feb. 16: Holy Cross at Bucknell (ESPN2), 6 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 17: American at Colgate, Noon
Fri., Feb. 29: Holy Cross at Lehigh, 9 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 14: Championship Game (ESPN2), 4:30 p.m.
2008 Patriot League Women's Basketball Schedule on ESPNU
Sun., Jan. 20: Holy Cross at Bucknell, Noon
Sun., Jan. 27: Army at Navy, 2:30 p.m.
Wed., Mar. 12: Championship Game, TBA
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The Feb. 16 Holy Cross at Bucknell men's game will also be shown on the deuce.
The rest of the package, which includes a trio of women's games, will be on ESPNU.
Click the full post link to read the official press release.he 2007-08 Patriot League men's basketball schedule will feature eight regular-season men's games on ESPNU and one on ESPN2, as well as the Championship game on March 14 at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN2, it was announced Tuesday by Patriot League Executive Director Carolyn Schlie Femovich.
"We are pleased to once again feature Patriot League basketball games, including our Championship for men's and women's basketball, on the ESPN networks," said Femovich. "It is exciting that a regular-season matchup between Holy Cross and Bucknell, our past two champions, will be showcased on ESPN2 this year."
The ESPNU schedule also includes two Patriot League women's basketball regular-season games and the Championship contest on March 12.
The men's basketball season opens up on ESPNU, with Navy traveling to Bucknell for a7 p.m. tip-off on Jan. 11. Bucknell and Holy Cross will face off on the ESPN networks for both of their regular-season matchups, with a Jan. 18 game in Worcester at 9 p.m. on ESPNU and a Feb. 16 contest in Lewisburg at 6 p.m on ESPN2.
The ESPNU schedule features three Friday night games, four Sunday tip-offs at Noon and one Saturday contest. Two weekends will include a pair of Patriot League matchups. Lehigh visits Holy Cross on Feb. 2 at Noon and Army travels to Bucknell on Feb. 3 at Noon, while American is at Colgate at Noon on Feb. 17, one day after the Holy Cross/Bucknell tilt on ESPN2.
On the women's side, Holy Cross visits Bucknell for a Noon tip-off on Jan. 20 and Army is at Navy on Jan. 27. The Army-Navy game will be shown live on ESPN360.com and on a taped-delayed basis at 6:30 p.m.
2008 Patriot League Men's Basketball Schedule on ESPN2/ESPNU
Fri., Jan. 11: Navy at Bucknell, 7 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 18: Bucknell at Holy Cross, 9 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 27: Army at Navy, Noon
Sat., Feb. 2: Lehigh at Holy Cross, Noon
Sun., Feb. 3: Army at Bucknell, Noon
Sun., Feb. 10: Lehigh at American, Noon
Sat., Feb. 16: Holy Cross at Bucknell (ESPN2), 6 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 17: American at Colgate, Noon
Fri., Feb. 29: Holy Cross at Lehigh, 9 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 14: Championship Game (ESPN2), 4:30 p.m.
2008 Patriot League Women's Basketball Schedule on ESPNU
Sun., Jan. 20: Holy Cross at Bucknell, Noon
Sun., Jan. 27: Army at Navy, 2:30 p.m.
Wed., Mar. 12: Championship Game, TBA
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy
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Wednesday, August 15, 2007
ESPN.com has begun its summer ShootAround look at the nation's Division I hoops conferences. Yesterday they featured the Patriot League.
The headline on the piece reads "Who can catch Bucknell and Holy Cross?"
Andy Glockner points out that over the past three seasons, BU and HC are a combined 80-4 against the rest of the conference, including league tournament games.
Glockner speculates it could be a two-horse race again this season, with Colgate as the darkhorse. His WWLIS colleague, bracketologist Joe Lunardi, had Holy Cross penciled in on his preseason dance card, projecting the Crusaders as a 14 seed.
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The headline on the piece reads "Who can catch Bucknell and Holy Cross?"
Andy Glockner points out that over the past three seasons, BU and HC are a combined 80-4 against the rest of the conference, including league tournament games.
Glockner speculates it could be a two-horse race again this season, with Colgate as the darkhorse. His WWLIS colleague, bracketologist Joe Lunardi, had Holy Cross penciled in on his preseason dance card, projecting the Crusaders as a 14 seed.
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, previews
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Saturday, August 04, 2007
Nah, the Terps aren't bolting the ACC for the Patriot League, but it might seem that way from Maryland's 2007-2008 schedule. Although it has not been officially released, sources close to the Terps program say they will host at least three Patriot League teams in non-conference action this season.
Holy Cross, American and Lehigh are all set to visit College Park this season, which must mean one of two things -- either Gary Williams thinks his team needs a soft early schedule, or, the theory we'd subscribe to, the Patriot League -- especially the top four or five teams -- has gained in stature enough to make scheduling three teams from the league respectable.
One thing is for certain, it would not have happened in the pre-scholarship era.
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Holy Cross, American and Lehigh are all set to visit College Park this season, which must mean one of two things -- either Gary Williams thinks his team needs a soft early schedule, or, the theory we'd subscribe to, the Patriot League -- especially the top four or five teams -- has gained in stature enough to make scheduling three teams from the league respectable.
One thing is for certain, it would not have happened in the pre-scholarship era.
Labels: AU, HC, Leh, scheduling
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Friday, August 03, 2007
No dates have been released, but American's summer prospectus includes a list of the Eagles' 2007-2008 opponents, the majority of which will keep AU close to home.
The list in the prospectus does not indicate which games will be at home, or which are away. Some are pretty obvious. The two biggest names on the schedule are Maryland and Georgetown, both of which are pretty certain to be away from Bender Arena, though visits to the Verizon Center, a few blocks downtown from AU, and College Park, Md., which is right outside of D.C., hardly classify as road trips.
Morgan State visited AU last season, so this year's game probably means a quick bus ride to Baltimore. Ditto for a matchup with Loyola (Md.). Saint Francis (Pa.) was a home game for the Eagles last season, so that probably means a visit to the isolation chamber that is Loretto, Pa. (Not the end of the world, but you can see it from there).
A game against Dayton will be on the road, too, according to Dayton's Web site, which lists it as a home game.
Fairfield, Mt. St. Mary's, New Jersey Tech and Howard were road games last year, so they are likely to be Bender home dates this season.
Other non conference games include Ivies Brown and Columbia, Jacksonville, Stony Brook and UMBC.
There is no mention of the ESPN BracketBusters.
Amerrican returns just one starter -- point guard Derrick Mercer-- and will have six new faces on the roster -- four juco transfers and a pair of freshmen.
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The list in the prospectus does not indicate which games will be at home, or which are away. Some are pretty obvious. The two biggest names on the schedule are Maryland and Georgetown, both of which are pretty certain to be away from Bender Arena, though visits to the Verizon Center, a few blocks downtown from AU, and College Park, Md., which is right outside of D.C., hardly classify as road trips.
Morgan State visited AU last season, so this year's game probably means a quick bus ride to Baltimore. Ditto for a matchup with Loyola (Md.). Saint Francis (Pa.) was a home game for the Eagles last season, so that probably means a visit to the isolation chamber that is Loretto, Pa. (Not the end of the world, but you can see it from there).
A game against Dayton will be on the road, too, according to Dayton's Web site, which lists it as a home game.
Fairfield, Mt. St. Mary's, New Jersey Tech and Howard were road games last year, so they are likely to be Bender home dates this season.
Other non conference games include Ivies Brown and Columbia, Jacksonville, Stony Brook and UMBC.
There is no mention of the ESPN BracketBusters.
Amerrican returns just one starter -- point guard Derrick Mercer-- and will have six new faces on the roster -- four juco transfers and a pair of freshmen.
Labels: AU, scheduling
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Monday, June 18, 2007
Recent American graduate Brayden Billbe led all scorers in a big exhibition game in Seattle.
Billbe put up 20 points in the game, which was played at 11-foot baskets -- a foot taller than normal.
The game was put together by Tom (son of Pete) Newell to demonstrate how rule changes might help eliminate the dunk-and-3-pointer nature of today's game.
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Billbe put up 20 points in the game, which was played at 11-foot baskets -- a foot taller than normal.
The game was put together by Tom (son of Pete) Newell to demonstrate how rule changes might help eliminate the dunk-and-3-pointer nature of today's game.
Labels: AU
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Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Any spare time we found the last few weeks was spent tying flies and getting ready for our annual fishing trip. Here's a look at a few tidbits we missed while doing the stuff most fly fishermen do during hoops season.
Bison to host Albany in their home opener. According to a story in the Albany Times Union, the Danes will visit Lewisburg Nov. 10. The game is the second half of a home and home series that started last season at Albany.
Sad news from Annapolis. Former Navy coach and player Dave Smalley has passed away after a battle with cancer. Smalley was 72. Joe Gross, the longtime sports editor at the Capital in Annapolis, shares some memories of Smalley in this column.
Just back from his team's 4-0 road trip to Italy, Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon will serve as a "court coach" during the U.S. team trials for the Pan American Games. Head coach for the U.S. team, by the way, will be Bucknell grad Jay Wright, the Villanova head coach.
American has announced its incoming recruiting class, leading to the question: Are any juco players left to sign with any other schools? O.K., that is a slight exaggeration. But Jeff Jones's six incoming players include a total of four from the juco ranks.
Lehigh is also bringing in six recruits, all from the prep ranks. Four are scholarship kids, two, including another 7-foot project, are invited walk-ons. The most curious signing is a 5-8 point guard, Prentice Small, from Long Island, given the Mountain Hawks' outstanding point guard Marquis Hall will be just a sophomore. Hall is a fine three-point shooter, but he is just 5-11. Even in the Patriot League, there won't be many times Billy Taylor will be able to get away with playing the two together, as Jeff Jones discovered with Derrick Mercer and Garrison Carr.
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Labels: AU, BU, Laf, Leh, Navy, recruiting, scheduling
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Thursday, May 24, 2007
American's Jeff Jones continues to pile up juco recruits. The latest to sign with AU is a 6-9 Constantin Motnii, a Russian who spent last season at South Plains College in Texas.
Motnii averaged 12.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, helping his team to a 26-7 season and a share of the Western Junior College Athletic Conference regular-season title.
Motnii is American's third junior college recruit in the incoming class, as AU transitions from Team Lithuania to Team Juco.
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Motnii averaged 12.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, helping his team to a 26-7 season and a share of the Western Junior College Athletic Conference regular-season title.
Motnii is American's third junior college recruit in the incoming class, as AU transitions from Team Lithuania to Team Juco.
Labels: AU, recruiting
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Friday, April 27, 2007
Add another juco recruit to the roster at American. Bryce Simon, a 6-7 swingman from Pratt Community College in Kansas has given Jeff Jones a commit.
According to the PCC Web site, homecoming king Simon was considered one of the best players in Kansas in 2005. Simon is one of three players from Pratt moving on to Division I teams next season.
Apparently jucos have replaced Lithuania as the focus of American's recruiting. The Eagles graduate the last three of their Lithuanian players this spring. Simon is the second juco player Jones is bringing in. The other is
Frane Markusovic a 6-10, 240-pound center out of Collin County Community College in Texas.
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According to the PCC Web site, homecoming king Simon was considered one of the best players in Kansas in 2005. Simon is one of three players from Pratt moving on to Division I teams next season.
Apparently jucos have replaced Lithuania as the focus of American's recruiting. The Eagles graduate the last three of their Lithuanian players this spring. Simon is the second juco player Jones is bringing in. The other is
Frane Markusovic a 6-10, 240-pound center out of Collin County Community College in Texas.
Labels: AU, recruiting
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Tuesday, April 17, 2007
A Colgate coach looks for a new job, Jeff Jones lands a high school player, former HC assistants have a reunion and the Lehigh Valley contingent looks to catch Holy Cross and Bucknell. But the biggest news: after a slow couple of weeks, there finally is some news.
Down in the Lehigh Valley, Corky Blake of the Express-Times probably has had some extra time on his hands since the weather has been wiping out spring sports events on an almost daily basis. Taking advantage of the free time, Corky checks in with a look at off-season workouts at Lehigh and Lafayette.
Emmett Davis still has a job, which is testament to either the Colgate administration's remarkable patience with the league's most disappointing program the last few years or the simple fact that nobody in Hamilton gives a rat's rump about basketball. But one of Davis' assistants is looking to escape Hamilton's frozen tundra for a Division III job below the Mason-Dixon line.
Speaking of assistants on the move, here is one from our Where have you gone? department. A pair of former Ralph Willard assistants have joined Tom Moore's staff at Quinnipiac.
Jeff Jones has another recruit. This one is not a juco player. Steve Luptak, a 6-3 guard from Munster, Indiana has made a verbal commit to American and is expected to sign next week. The scouting report on Luptak, who averaged 12.4 ppg his senior season: "If you were the best player on an opposing team, you knew Luptak would be inside your jersey."
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Thursday, April 05, 2007
CSTV reports American has gotten a commit from a 6-10 Croatian who is traveling a route we've seen blazed before.
Frane Markusovic is a 6-10, 240-pound center out of Collin County Community College in Texas.
Rivals.com says Markusovic was also being recruited by Arkansas-Little Rock, North Texas, Stephen F. Austin, Boston U. -- all the schools you usually see mentioned as competitors for the rare breed of academic and athletic excellence the Patriot League is known for.
Markusovic, who prepped at South Kent School in Connecticut, spent his freshman year warming the bench at South Florida before transferring to the Texas juco, joining two other Croatians on the CCCC roster.
Labeled a project at USF, Markusovic retains that tag after starting 4 of 29 games for 19-11 CCCC, averaging 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Markusovic shot 41.8 percent from the field and only slightly better (45.5 percent) from the foul line, turning the ball over 35 times while making 33 field goals. He led the team in blocked shots with 13.
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Frane Markusovic is a 6-10, 240-pound center out of Collin County Community College in Texas.
Rivals.com says Markusovic was also being recruited by Arkansas-Little Rock, North Texas, Stephen F. Austin, Boston U. -- all the schools you usually see mentioned as competitors for the rare breed of academic and athletic excellence the Patriot League is known for.
Markusovic, who prepped at South Kent School in Connecticut, spent his freshman year warming the bench at South Florida before transferring to the Texas juco, joining two other Croatians on the CCCC roster.
Labeled a project at USF, Markusovic retains that tag after starting 4 of 29 games for 19-11 CCCC, averaging 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Markusovic shot 41.8 percent from the field and only slightly better (45.5 percent) from the foul line, turning the ball over 35 times while making 33 field goals. He led the team in blocked shots with 13.
Labels: AU
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Friday, March 30, 2007
An American grad takes issue with our comments on AU's academics in a recent post about the school's hiring of a new athletics director. Here is his message and our reply:Jordan Cook wrote:
Jordan --
Since you asked us to address some of your comments, here goes . . .
Obviously these things are not easy to quantify, but there are some indicators that are commonly used to assess academic excellence and American does not fare well when compared to the other Patriot League schools.
One such indicator is admissions selectivity. Admissions type love this one, though, frankly, to folks with public university backgrounds like me, it can reek of pretension. Nonetheless, here are the numbers, along with the percentage of incoming students who rank in the top 10 percent of their graduating class:
Another quantitative comparison is average SAT scores of incoming freshmen. Again, American ranks below the rest of the league. Here are the numbers:
As for your arguments that AU's low graduation rates are reflective of the old regime in basketball, that ignores the fact that AU's lower graduation rate spans the entire school and runs across the whole athletic department. AU's overall graduation rate of 71 percent is 14 percent below the next lowest school in the league (Lehigh - 85 percent) and its student athlete graduation rate is also the lowest in the league. AU is the only school that graduates less than 80 percent of its student athletes (56 percent).
The difference in graduation rates between all students and student athletes at every other school in the league is less than 10 percent. Two schools -- Bucknell and Lehigh -- actually have higher grad rates for student athletes than the student body as a whole and the difference between all students and student athletes at Colgate and Lafayette is 2 percent. Holy Cross has a 9 percent difference; American's difference is 15 percent. Here are those numbers:
Breaking it down by sport, American has seven different sports that reported grad rates below 90 percent in the latest study. No other school had more than three sports below 90 percent. Adding significance to the difference is the fact that AU offers fewer sports than any of the other league members.
Now nobody is arguing American is not a fine school, or that it does not belong in the league. And we have heard reports the school is working to improve the academic rankings of its athletes. Hopefully, as you suggest, future graduation success rates will reflect that.
We have no bias against American. Without a doubt, from a competition standpoint, AU has been a fine addition to the league. Jeff Jones is great to work with from a media standpoint -- frank, quotable, cooperative-- and word around the league is that his staff is both well-respected and well-liked by other staffs in the conference.
Our point was simply that if your hire is supposed to reflect your "commitment to the twin values of academic and athletics achievement," you don't bring in a guy from a school with a spotty academic record. The way to send that message is to hire someone who comes from a place that at least can boast an average graduation rate.
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As an AU alumnus (BA, International Relations '95), I greatly resent your comments on your latest entry. I'm sure you have more "insider information" than I do about the PL offices, but are the "league-wide concerns" over AU's academic shortcomings coming from within the PL administration or just from fans of the old-guard schools? The idea that American is not academically equal to any of the Patriot League schools is laughable. With the possible exception of Lehigh, American is probably the most nationally respected university in the league. This is not to take anything away from the other excellent schools in the Patriot League, but your posting gave the clear impression that AU lags far behind Colgate, Bucknell, Lafayette, or Holy Cross in terms of its academic reputation I think you would have a very hard time making an effective case for that argument.
The statistics you point to are for the 1996-1999 cohorts, when AU was at a true low point in terms of its basketball administration. Chris Knoche really let things go at the end of his tenure as coach, and then Art Perry was a disastrous hire, trying to find quick solutions in very questionable characters who had basketball talent. This was the period of our swan song in the CAA, and the university made an institutional decision to move the Patriot League in order to be sure that our athletics department stayed representative of the high academic level the university as a whole is known for. So while 18% is truly an atrocious number, it's not really relevant for discussion when considering AU's history as a member of the Patriot League. And I guarantee you that the rate is MUCH higher now, as the type of athletes we have recruited has changed after entering the Patriot League.
Similarly, your pot shot at the new AD is disappointing. Again, your statistics are NOT APPLICABLE to the period when Gill was at Oklahoma. You'd need to see the CHANGE is graduation rates during his tenure to know what his impact was. How do we know that graduation rates didn't go up from 41% to 60%? Of course, they could have gone down, too, but my point is that we don't have the information. Your quickness to make an assumption makes me wonder if you have some prejudice against American.
I'm sorry to come off as defensive, but I have really enjoyed following your blog, and I think your comments really matter in forming opinions. You should be commended for that, for the hard work you put in. But there was no way to read your last post and not feel insulted as an American University alumnus.
I'd love to see you address some of my comments on your blog. Perhaps you can show me that I am wrong in some way. But it's disappointing to see my school seemingly looked on with disdain, when I don't see a real rationale for that.
Jordan --
Since you asked us to address some of your comments, here goes . . .
Obviously these things are not easy to quantify, but there are some indicators that are commonly used to assess academic excellence and American does not fare well when compared to the other Patriot League schools.
One such indicator is admissions selectivity. Admissions type love this one, though, frankly, to folks with public university backgrounds like me, it can reek of pretension. Nonetheless, here are the numbers, along with the percentage of incoming students who rank in the top 10 percent of their graduating class:
| SCHOOL | Pct. adm. | Pct. Top 10 |
|---|---|---|
| American | 53 | 48 |
| Army | NA | 72 |
| Bucknell | 33 | 71 |
| Colgate | 28 | 70 |
| Holy Cross | 34 | 64 |
| Lafayette | 37 | 62 |
| Lehigh | 39 | 62 |
| Navy | NA | 54 |
| Source: The College Board | ||
Another quantitative comparison is average SAT scores of incoming freshmen. Again, American ranks below the rest of the league. Here are the numbers:
| SCHOOL | Math | Crit. Rdg. |
|---|---|---|
| American | 603 | 620 |
| Army | 641 | 627 |
| Bucknell | 666 | 636 |
| Colgate | 675 | 666 |
| Holy Cross | 629 | 631 |
| Lafayette | 665 | 620 |
| Lehigh | 671 | 631 |
| Navy | 670 | 648 |
| Source: Princeton Review | ||
As for your arguments that AU's low graduation rates are reflective of the old regime in basketball, that ignores the fact that AU's lower graduation rate spans the entire school and runs across the whole athletic department. AU's overall graduation rate of 71 percent is 14 percent below the next lowest school in the league (Lehigh - 85 percent) and its student athlete graduation rate is also the lowest in the league. AU is the only school that graduates less than 80 percent of its student athletes (56 percent).
The difference in graduation rates between all students and student athletes at every other school in the league is less than 10 percent. Two schools -- Bucknell and Lehigh -- actually have higher grad rates for student athletes than the student body as a whole and the difference between all students and student athletes at Colgate and Lafayette is 2 percent. Holy Cross has a 9 percent difference; American's difference is 15 percent. Here are those numbers:
| SCHOOL | All | SA |
|---|---|---|
| American | 71 | 56 |
| Army | NA | NA |
| Bucknell | 88 | 90 |
| Colgate | 91 | 89 |
| Holy Cross | 91 | 82 |
| Lafayette | 90 | 88 |
| Lehigh | 85 | 86 |
| Navy | NA | NA |
| Source: 2006 NCAA Division I GSR Data | ||
Breaking it down by sport, American has seven different sports that reported grad rates below 90 percent in the latest study. No other school had more than three sports below 90 percent. Adding significance to the difference is the fact that AU offers fewer sports than any of the other league members.
Now nobody is arguing American is not a fine school, or that it does not belong in the league. And we have heard reports the school is working to improve the academic rankings of its athletes. Hopefully, as you suggest, future graduation success rates will reflect that.
We have no bias against American. Without a doubt, from a competition standpoint, AU has been a fine addition to the league. Jeff Jones is great to work with from a media standpoint -- frank, quotable, cooperative-- and word around the league is that his staff is both well-respected and well-liked by other staffs in the conference.
Our point was simply that if your hire is supposed to reflect your "commitment to the twin values of academic and athletics achievement," you don't bring in a guy from a school with a spotty academic record. The way to send that message is to hire someone who comes from a place that at least can boast an average graduation rate.
Labels: AU
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Friday, March 23, 2007
Keith Gill has been named as American's new director of athletics and recreation.
Gill comes to AU from Oklahoma, where he was a senior associate athletics director since 2004. A graduate of Duke, where he played football, Gill's experience includes two stints with the NCAA, wrapped around a short gig as an assistant AD at Vanderbilt.
In a press release announcing Gill's hiring, AU Interim President Neil Kerwin said, ". . . we were impressed with Keith's strong commitment to the twin values of academic and athletics achievement that we strongly embrace."
Given the general league-wide concerns over AU's academic profile as it compares with the rest of the Patriot League, Gill's hiring might raise a few eyebrows, though. If you throw out the commitment rhetoric and look at the facts, Gill is not exactly coming from an institution known for athletes hitting the books.
The Sooners ranking in the latest NCAA graduation rate studies are well below average, even among the big-time BCS-type schools. The average graduation rate for all Division I-A student athletes was 78 percent in the latest study. Oklahoma's athletes graduated at a 67-percent rate. The national average for men's basketball players at those schools that play I-A football was 57 percent; Oklahoma's rate was 41 percent.
It is worth noting that AU would gladly trade its 18-percent basketball graduation rate for Oklahoma's 41 percent. But neither approaches the standard set by the rest of the Patriot League. Of the seven other league schools, four (Bucknell, Holy Cross, Lafayette and Navy) had graduation success rates of 100 percent for men's hoopsters. Army checked in at 97 percent, Lehigh 93 percent and Colgate 92 percent.
To view school-by-school graduation rate data, click here and select the school from the pull down menus
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Gill comes to AU from Oklahoma, where he was a senior associate athletics director since 2004. A graduate of Duke, where he played football, Gill's experience includes two stints with the NCAA, wrapped around a short gig as an assistant AD at Vanderbilt.
In a press release announcing Gill's hiring, AU Interim President Neil Kerwin said, ". . . we were impressed with Keith's strong commitment to the twin values of academic and athletics achievement that we strongly embrace."
Given the general league-wide concerns over AU's academic profile as it compares with the rest of the Patriot League, Gill's hiring might raise a few eyebrows, though. If you throw out the commitment rhetoric and look at the facts, Gill is not exactly coming from an institution known for athletes hitting the books.
The Sooners ranking in the latest NCAA graduation rate studies are well below average, even among the big-time BCS-type schools. The average graduation rate for all Division I-A student athletes was 78 percent in the latest study. Oklahoma's athletes graduated at a 67-percent rate. The national average for men's basketball players at those schools that play I-A football was 57 percent; Oklahoma's rate was 41 percent.
It is worth noting that AU would gladly trade its 18-percent basketball graduation rate for Oklahoma's 41 percent. But neither approaches the standard set by the rest of the Patriot League. Of the seven other league schools, four (Bucknell, Holy Cross, Lafayette and Navy) had graduation success rates of 100 percent for men's hoopsters. Army checked in at 97 percent, Lehigh 93 percent and Colgate 92 percent.
Labels: AU
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Monday, March 05, 2007
Ralph Willard preaches defense from the gospel of deflections. His team got a huge one Sunday to seal its semifinals win over American.
Down two with 4.8 seconds to play, American had plenty of time to get the ball up the floor for a potential game-winning three or a two to send it to overtime. But after Holy Cross guard Pat Doherty deflected the Eagles inbounds pass, AU had to settle for a Brayden Billbe desperation heave from the backcourt. Like American's upset bid, Billbe's shot came up short, giving Holy Cross a 55-53 semifinals win and a berth in the Patriot League championship game opposite Bucknell for the third year in a row.
It was the third time this season American (16-14) could not hold a lead against the Crusaders (24-8). Up 26-21 at the half, the Eagles extended their margin to 31-23 in the first two minutes of the second half.
Holy Cross battled back, seemingly taking control with a 9-0 run after the game was tied at 40-40. But American would not go quiet, tying it at 53-53 on an Andre Ingram three with 29 seconds to play.
Patriot League Player of the Year Keith Simmons, held to 3 points and just three shots in the first half, and playing with four fouls the last 6:36 of the game, scored the game-winner on a driving runner from five feet with 4.8 seconds to go, setting the stage for Doherty's key deflection.
Willard says he learned long ago his team will win most games if it gets 40 deflections and shoots 40 percent. Deflections don't show up in the box score -- it's a stat the HC staff keeps itself on the bench. But the Crusaders overcame an icy 8 for 28 first half (28.6 percent) to finish the game hitting 41.7 percent (20 of 48) from the field by shooting at a 60 percent clip (12 of 20) in the second.
Credit center Tim Clifford for keeping the Crusaders in the game in the first 20 minutes. Clifford was 5 for 9 from the field the first half, scoring 11 of the 'Saders 21 points. No other HC player had more than one bucket in the opening stanza.
Clifford finished with a typical Big Purple Dog vs. AU showing -- 19 points and 8 rebounds. Point guard Torey Thomas also had a huge afternoon for HC, scoring 16 points while dishing out 6 assists and coming up with 4 steals. Thomas, who is listed at 5-11 and is actually about two inches shorter than that, led all rebounders with 9 boards.
Simmons, kept in check the first half, responded in the second to post his 43rd straight double figures game, finishing with 11 points.
Ingram led AU with 20 points. Nobody else reached double figures for the Eagles, who shot 37.9 percent (20 of 53) from the field, including 7 three-pointers on 19 tries.
American's inability to get to the foul line proved just as decisive as Simmons' end of game shot. The Eagles only went to the line 9 times, making 6. Holy Cross hit 12 free throws on 15 attempts.
Box score | Telegram & Gazette (gamer) | Telegram & Gazette (column) | Boston Herald
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Down two with 4.8 seconds to play, American had plenty of time to get the ball up the floor for a potential game-winning three or a two to send it to overtime. But after Holy Cross guard Pat Doherty deflected the Eagles inbounds pass, AU had to settle for a Brayden Billbe desperation heave from the backcourt. Like American's upset bid, Billbe's shot came up short, giving Holy Cross a 55-53 semifinals win and a berth in the Patriot League championship game opposite Bucknell for the third year in a row.
It was the third time this season American (16-14) could not hold a lead against the Crusaders (24-8). Up 26-21 at the half, the Eagles extended their margin to 31-23 in the first two minutes of the second half.
Holy Cross battled back, seemingly taking control with a 9-0 run after the game was tied at 40-40. But American would not go quiet, tying it at 53-53 on an Andre Ingram three with 29 seconds to play.
Patriot League Player of the Year Keith Simmons, held to 3 points and just three shots in the first half, and playing with four fouls the last 6:36 of the game, scored the game-winner on a driving runner from five feet with 4.8 seconds to go, setting the stage for Doherty's key deflection.
Willard says he learned long ago his team will win most games if it gets 40 deflections and shoots 40 percent. Deflections don't show up in the box score -- it's a stat the HC staff keeps itself on the bench. But the Crusaders overcame an icy 8 for 28 first half (28.6 percent) to finish the game hitting 41.7 percent (20 of 48) from the field by shooting at a 60 percent clip (12 of 20) in the second.
Credit center Tim Clifford for keeping the Crusaders in the game in the first 20 minutes. Clifford was 5 for 9 from the field the first half, scoring 11 of the 'Saders 21 points. No other HC player had more than one bucket in the opening stanza.
Clifford finished with a typical Big Purple Dog vs. AU showing -- 19 points and 8 rebounds. Point guard Torey Thomas also had a huge afternoon for HC, scoring 16 points while dishing out 6 assists and coming up with 4 steals. Thomas, who is listed at 5-11 and is actually about two inches shorter than that, led all rebounders with 9 boards.
Simmons, kept in check the first half, responded in the second to post his 43rd straight double figures game, finishing with 11 points.
Ingram led AU with 20 points. Nobody else reached double figures for the Eagles, who shot 37.9 percent (20 of 53) from the field, including 7 three-pointers on 19 tries.
American's inability to get to the foul line proved just as decisive as Simmons' end of game shot. The Eagles only went to the line 9 times, making 6. Holy Cross hit 12 free throws on 15 attempts.
Box score | Telegram & Gazette (gamer) | Telegram & Gazette (column) | Boston Herald
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Sunday, March 04, 2007
Coaches love to trot out the cliche about how hard it is to beat a team three times. We'll see if it matters in this afternoon's Patriot League semifinals.
To many fans and observers, the first two rounds of the tournament are viewed as mere window dressing, necessary but not necessarily needed warmups to the highly anticipated main event -- a third straight league final between Bucknell and Holy Cross.
Don't try convincing American and Army that they are just items on the Big Two's checklists, though. Both underdogs will enter this afternoon's games with reason to believe they are capable of pulling off an upset.
No. 4 American at No. 1 Holy Cross (matchup), 2 p.m. -- American wants to take advantage of its third chance to knock off Holy Cross, it will need to find a way to limit the Crusaders' second chances. In a 69-64 overtime loss Jan. 20 at home, and again in Worcester 11 days later, in a 58-47 loss, American's downfall came on the glass. Specifically at the Holy Cross offensive end.
The Eagles held HC to 38.7 percent shooting in the first game and were even tougher in the second, limiting the 'Saders to a 34.7 percent field goal shooting night. But Holy Cross had 12 offensive rebounds and a 12-2 edge in second chance points in the game at AU and 16 offensive boards leading to an 18-2 advantage in second chance points in the rematch. That has been the biggest difference between the two.
Travis Lay might provide some help there. Lay has seen his minutes off the bench increase down the stretch and he has responded by averaging 8 boards per game over the last four.
Holy Cross' all-league junior center Tim Clifford has a long history of big games against American. Expect Jeff Jones to abandon his usual philosophy of trying to guard the post man to man in favor of a scheme that provides his big men some help on Clifford down low.
Jones would like nothing more than to get a strong game out of 6-11 senior Paulius Joneliunas, who has played well down the stretch. Joneliunas is shooting 63.2 percent (12 of 19) over the last four games.
In the backcourt, AU's Andre Ingram has been an effective defender against Keith Simmons. In two games against AU, Simmons has averaged 12.5 points per game, well below his average of over 17 ppg. In the first meeting, Simmons didn't reach double figures in regulation, scoring 6 of his 14 points from the foul line in overtime.
Of course even if they slow down the Crusaders offense, American will still need to generate enough offense to put up more points than HC. The Eagles have plenty of weapons, and if Ingram and Arvydas Eitutavicius both manage to get going from the arc, they could be tough to stop.
That is easier said than done against a Holy Cross defense that has been the stingiest in the league this season. In the two regular season games, AU shot a combined 40.2 percent while turning the ball over 37 times.
A few extra nuggets about this one:
It will be the third time the two schools have met in the league tournament; the first time they have met prior to the finals. HC has won both previous postseason encounters.
HC leads the series 12-3, including wins in the last six meetings in Worcester, where AU has won once in 7 tries.
Holy Cross is 12-0 in the Hart Center this season and has won 16 in a row there dating back to last season.
Ironman Torey Thomas was expected to play less minutes this season once Pat Doherty returned, but sometime in the first half he should break his own HC school record for minutes played. Thomas needs just 8 minutes to equal his own mark of 1,166 set last season.
The number one seed has never failed to advance to the championship game of the Patriot League tournament.
No. 6 Army at No. 2 Bucknell (matchup), 3:30 p.m. -- After taking the Bison to the wire in the regular season finale, the Black Knights should come into Sojka a heckuva lot more confident than they were when they left after the first meeting between the two.
The Bison jumped out to an 18-2 lead in that first game, and led 43-15 at the half before coasting home.
The rematch at West Point was considerably closer, tied 19-19 in the final minute before Bucknell pulled out the 54-49 decision.
Army hit 9 treys in that second game. If they light it up from the arc again, who knows what might happen.
Aside from the change in game sites, there is another big difference between this afternoon and that regular season finale -- Donald Brown. The Bison senior was in street clothes, waiting for clearance to return from a broken hand, when the two teams played at West Point. Brown came back in the first round of the tournament and looked like he had not missed a beat, scoring 15 points and grabbing 9 rebounds.
Brown was 4 for 5 from the field, with 12 points and 8 rebounds in just 27 minutes of action in the first meeting with Army. His return adds to a huge Bucknell advantage in the frontcourt.
The Black Knights are playing with house money. Almost nobody expected them to finish higher than last in the regular season and few thought they would get past Lehigh in the first round. Yet a resurgent season and a blown call later, here they are, in the league semifinals for just the third time in 17 seasons of Patriot League play.
Bucknell needs to start strong and establish control from the start. Put Army in a hole early and that confidence will start to wane. Let the nothing-to-lose underdogs hang around and gain confidence, who knows what might happen. Just ask either school's women's teams.
Choice tidbits from the two team's gamenotes:
The Bison hold a 36-14 lead in the series, which dates to 1929.
Bucknell has won 14 in a row against Army and 35 of 39 meetings between the two in Patriot League play.
In tournament play, Bucknell is 5-1 against Army, the loss coming in a first round upset in 1995, when Bucknell was a No. 2 seed and Army No. 7. Army finished that season 4-10 in league play, the same record it posted this year.
Bucknell is looking to extend its current win streak to 14 games, the longest in -one-season steak in school history
The Bison are looking for their 35th straight home win against Patriot League opponents
No current Bison is averaging in double figures against Army for their career. Chris McNaughton, who has averaged 9.8 points per game in nine games against Army, has Bucknell's best career numbers against the Black Knights. Abe Badmus, who will also be facing Army for the 10th time, has the Bison's best single-game showing -- a 15-point game the last time the two met.
Army's Jarrell Brown scored 25 against the Bison at Christl Arena last season.
the two teams met in the first round last season, with Bucknell pulling out a 59-47 win in a game they led by just 1 point with 10 minutes to go before using a 14-0 run to gain separation
Army's win at Lehigh in the first round snapped a 10-game tournament losing streak
That win also snapped a 10-game road losing streak for Army and an 11-game losing streak in road league games.
Sun-Gazette preview
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To many fans and observers, the first two rounds of the tournament are viewed as mere window dressing, necessary but not necessarily needed warmups to the highly anticipated main event -- a third straight league final between Bucknell and Holy Cross.
Don't try convincing American and Army that they are just items on the Big Two's checklists, though. Both underdogs will enter this afternoon's games with reason to believe they are capable of pulling off an upset.
No. 4 American at No. 1 Holy Cross (matchup), 2 p.m. -- American wants to take advantage of its third chance to knock off Holy Cross, it will need to find a way to limit the Crusaders' second chances. In a 69-64 overtime loss Jan. 20 at home, and again in Worcester 11 days later, in a 58-47 loss, American's downfall came on the glass. Specifically at the Holy Cross offensive end.
The Eagles held HC to 38.7 percent shooting in the first game and were even tougher in the second, limiting the 'Saders to a 34.7 percent field goal shooting night. But Holy Cross had 12 offensive rebounds and a 12-2 edge in second chance points in the game at AU and 16 offensive boards leading to an 18-2 advantage in second chance points in the rematch. That has been the biggest difference between the two.
Travis Lay might provide some help there. Lay has seen his minutes off the bench increase down the stretch and he has responded by averaging 8 boards per game over the last four.
Holy Cross' all-league junior center Tim Clifford has a long history of big games against American. Expect Jeff Jones to abandon his usual philosophy of trying to guard the post man to man in favor of a scheme that provides his big men some help on Clifford down low.
Jones would like nothing more than to get a strong game out of 6-11 senior Paulius Joneliunas, who has played well down the stretch. Joneliunas is shooting 63.2 percent (12 of 19) over the last four games.
In the backcourt, AU's Andre Ingram has been an effective defender against Keith Simmons. In two games against AU, Simmons has averaged 12.5 points per game, well below his average of over 17 ppg. In the first meeting, Simmons didn't reach double figures in regulation, scoring 6 of his 14 points from the foul line in overtime.
Of course even if they slow down the Crusaders offense, American will still need to generate enough offense to put up more points than HC. The Eagles have plenty of weapons, and if Ingram and Arvydas Eitutavicius both manage to get going from the arc, they could be tough to stop.
That is easier said than done against a Holy Cross defense that has been the stingiest in the league this season. In the two regular season games, AU shot a combined 40.2 percent while turning the ball over 37 times.
A few extra nuggets about this one:
No. 6 Army at No. 2 Bucknell (matchup), 3:30 p.m. -- After taking the Bison to the wire in the regular season finale, the Black Knights should come into Sojka a heckuva lot more confident than they were when they left after the first meeting between the two.
The Bison jumped out to an 18-2 lead in that first game, and led 43-15 at the half before coasting home.
The rematch at West Point was considerably closer, tied 19-19 in the final minute before Bucknell pulled out the 54-49 decision.
Army hit 9 treys in that second game. If they light it up from the arc again, who knows what might happen.
Aside from the change in game sites, there is another big difference between this afternoon and that regular season finale -- Donald Brown. The Bison senior was in street clothes, waiting for clearance to return from a broken hand, when the two teams played at West Point. Brown came back in the first round of the tournament and looked like he had not missed a beat, scoring 15 points and grabbing 9 rebounds.
Brown was 4 for 5 from the field, with 12 points and 8 rebounds in just 27 minutes of action in the first meeting with Army. His return adds to a huge Bucknell advantage in the frontcourt.
The Black Knights are playing with house money. Almost nobody expected them to finish higher than last in the regular season and few thought they would get past Lehigh in the first round. Yet a resurgent season and a blown call later, here they are, in the league semifinals for just the third time in 17 seasons of Patriot League play.
Bucknell needs to start strong and establish control from the start. Put Army in a hole early and that confidence will start to wane. Let the nothing-to-lose underdogs hang around and gain confidence, who knows what might happen. Just ask either school's women's teams.
Choice tidbits from the two team's gamenotes:
Sun-Gazette preview
Labels: Army, AU, BU, HC, previews
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Thursday, March 01, 2007
It remains to be seen who actually gets the better end of this one, but American advaned to a semifinals meeting with top-seed Holy Cross with a 59-44 win over Colgate.
The win gives American (16-13) a long bus ride to Worcester. Colgate (10-19), on the other hand, can get out its golf clubs, which is not a bad alternative when your campus includes a beautiful Robert Trent Jones course.
Then again, unless the Raiders can shoot a heckuva lot straighter than they do with a basketball, Seven Oaks might just be another source of frustration for Colgate, which lived up to its reputation as one of the poorest shooting teams in the nation with its 30 percent performance in front of 924 fans in Bender Arena last night. The Raiders were 15 of 50 from the field, including 1 of 15 from the arc.
Kendall Chones was the only Colgate player to reach double figures, coming off the bench for 12 points. All-league guard Jon Simon ended his career with a 3 for 12 night, connecting just once from the arc in seven tries.
American didn't shoot a lot better in the first half, going 9 for 23 (39.1 percent) from the field while taking a 24-20 halftime lead. But AU shot 48 percent in the second half to finish the night at 21 of 48 (43.8 percent), including 3 of 12 from the arc. The Eagles opened the second half by building a 12-point lead with an 11-3 spurt and Colgate never got closer than 8 the rest of the way.
Andre Ingram led American with 16 points. Arvydas Eitutavicius added 15. Sign of the coming apocalypse: Paulius Joneliunas also reached double figures, finishing with 12 points.
The win was American's sixth straight opening round victory.
Box score | Quotes | Washington Post
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The win gives American (16-13) a long bus ride to Worcester. Colgate (10-19), on the other hand, can get out its golf clubs, which is not a bad alternative when your campus includes a beautiful Robert Trent Jones course.
Then again, unless the Raiders can shoot a heckuva lot straighter than they do with a basketball, Seven Oaks might just be another source of frustration for Colgate, which lived up to its reputation as one of the poorest shooting teams in the nation with its 30 percent performance in front of 924 fans in Bender Arena last night. The Raiders were 15 of 50 from the field, including 1 of 15 from the arc.
Kendall Chones was the only Colgate player to reach double figures, coming off the bench for 12 points. All-league guard Jon Simon ended his career with a 3 for 12 night, connecting just once from the arc in seven tries.
American didn't shoot a lot better in the first half, going 9 for 23 (39.1 percent) from the field while taking a 24-20 halftime lead. But AU shot 48 percent in the second half to finish the night at 21 of 48 (43.8 percent), including 3 of 12 from the arc. The Eagles opened the second half by building a 12-point lead with an 11-3 spurt and Colgate never got closer than 8 the rest of the way.
Andre Ingram led American with 16 points. Arvydas Eitutavicius added 15. Sign of the coming apocalypse: Paulius Joneliunas also reached double figures, finishing with 12 points.
The win was American's sixth straight opening round victory.
Box score | Quotes | Washington Post
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Wednesday, February 28, 2007
March Madness starts in February this year. Here is a look at tonight's first round Patriot League playoff contests:
No. 6 Army at No. 3 Lehigh 7 p.m. (matchup) -- Looking for tonight's upset special? here's your game. Army (14-15, 4-10) comes in losers of eight of its last nine, the only win in that span coming at home against last place Lafayette. After a strong start filled with promise, including a 3-2 start to the conference season, the Black Knights seemed to slide into the abyss.
So what makes anybody think a team that has won just twice on the road all season can pull off an upset against a Lehigh team that was 9-3 this season in Stabler?
For starters, there is Army's win in the first meeting between the two. The Black Knights held Jose Olivero to 7 points in that one. In other words, they know first hand that if you shut down Olivero, Lehigh is beatable.
Of course they also know what happens when Olivero does go off. Lehigh's all-league senior put up 30 on Army when they met earlier this month in Stabler.
In a strange way, that ought to give Army some confidence. Even with Olivero combining with freshman point guard Marquis Hall for 50 points in that game, the Black Knights kept it close much of the way before falling by 11. The Black Knights (2-16 all time in the league tournament) come in knowing that if they can just limit Olivero to somewhere around his 16.6 ppg average, they should have a shot at winning their third-ever tournament game and at advancing for the first time since 1996.
At that point, Lehigh's only home setbacks all season had come on a disputed call in the final seconds of a 1-point loss to Columbia and in a 5-point loss to Navy three days before Army came to town.
That Navy loss put a crack in the Mountain Hawks' air of home invincibility. It was shattered in the last week of the season, with Bucknell and Holy Cross both coming into Stabler to pick up wins. Add a Feb. 18 loss at last place Lafayette to the mix and you have a reeling team that comes into the post season having lost three in a row.
Here is an interesting stat to ponder as you consider the possibilities of tonight's game: In a nine-game stretch beginning with a loss at Bucknell Jan. 23, Lehigh has shot
36 percent from the field, 33 percent from three-point range. That bodes well for a low scoring, defense minded team like Army.
One thing that has changed since the two teams last met is the return of 6-10 senior Jason Mgebroff to the Lehigh lineup. If Mgebroff can regain his form of earlier in the season, before the stress fracture that left him out of action for 13 games, he could be a huge presence against an Army team that is not real strong in the post. There has been no sign of that Mgebroff in the four games since he has returned, though. In those four, Mgebroff has scored a total of 8 points, 5 coming in an overtime win at Colgate.
Army men face Lehigh in quarterfinals tonight (Times Herald-Record)
No. 8 Lafayette at No. 1 Holy Cross 7 p.m. (matchup) -- The Leopards put a scare in the Crusaders back in their conference opener in Easton. That might give Lafayette some confidence, but it also is likely to help make certain Holy Cross doesn't look past the last-place Leopards. No top seed has ever lost in the first round of the league tournament, and it is not likely to happen tonight. Note: The game can be heard on Sirius satellite radio on channel 140.
HC takes first step to the dance (Telegram & Gazette)
No. 7 Navy at No. 2 Bucknell 7 p.m. (matchup) -- There are a lot of streaks on the line for Bucknell, which is looking to win 13 in a row for the first time under Pat Flannery. The Bison have won 33 straight Patriot League games in Sojka Pavilion, six straight league tournament games and have won five straight games against Navy.
There is also a streak the Bison are looking to end. They are 0-3 all time against the Midshipmen in PL Tournament games.
If Navy's shots are falling and Bucknell's are not, this could be close. That was the situation when the two met in Sojka earlier this season. With Navy making eight treys while Bucknell hit just two, the Mids kept it tight throughout before falling 59-51.
Since then, though, Bucknell has won 13 out of 14 while Navy has gone 4-9. Even though three of those wins came in the last six games, the Mids' resurgent season should end tonight.
Worth noting: There are tickets available for this one. They can be purchased online or at the Langone Center box office up until 5 p.m. or at the door at Sojka beginning at 5.
No. 5 Colgate at No. 4 American, 7:30 p.m. (matchup) -- Watch out for the AU Eagles, who come into the tournament on a roll, winners of their last four in a row. American started the season strong, winning seven of their first nine. As losses began to pile up, Jeff Jones began tinkering with his lineup in an effort to reverse that trend.
It didn't work, but late in the season Jones smartened up and went back to the lineup that had been successful early and AU put together a surge that secured a homecourt game in the first round.
Since joining the league, American has never lost in the first round of the tournament. The Eagles won both regular season games against the Raiders, who limp into the postseason losers of four of their last five.
The loser gets out its golf clubs. The winner gets a bus ride to Worcester. Hard to say which is the better deal. Note: You can listen to this one on Sirius 143.
American dreaming (The Washington Moonie)
BONUS LINK:
The Sports Network Patriot League Tournament preview
Tournament schedule and team capsules (Times Herald-Record)
Talent gap narrowing in Patriot League (Jake Felix in the Sun-Gazette)
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No. 6 Army at No. 3 Lehigh 7 p.m. (matchup) -- Looking for tonight's upset special? here's your game. Army (14-15, 4-10) comes in losers of eight of its last nine, the only win in that span coming at home against last place Lafayette. After a strong start filled with promise, including a 3-2 start to the conference season, the Black Knights seemed to slide into the abyss.
So what makes anybody think a team that has won just twice on the road all season can pull off an upset against a Lehigh team that was 9-3 this season in Stabler?
For starters, there is Army's win in the first meeting between the two. The Black Knights held Jose Olivero to 7 points in that one. In other words, they know first hand that if you shut down Olivero, Lehigh is beatable.
Of course they also know what happens when Olivero does go off. Lehigh's all-league senior put up 30 on Army when they met earlier this month in Stabler.
In a strange way, that ought to give Army some confidence. Even with Olivero combining with freshman point guard Marquis Hall for 50 points in that game, the Black Knights kept it close much of the way before falling by 11. The Black Knights (2-16 all time in the league tournament) come in knowing that if they can just limit Olivero to somewhere around his 16.6 ppg average, they should have a shot at winning their third-ever tournament game and at advancing for the first time since 1996.
At that point, Lehigh's only home setbacks all season had come on a disputed call in the final seconds of a 1-point loss to Columbia and in a 5-point loss to Navy three days before Army came to town.
That Navy loss put a crack in the Mountain Hawks' air of home invincibility. It was shattered in the last week of the season, with Bucknell and Holy Cross both coming into Stabler to pick up wins. Add a Feb. 18 loss at last place Lafayette to the mix and you have a reeling team that comes into the post season having lost three in a row.
Here is an interesting stat to ponder as you consider the possibilities of tonight's game: In a nine-game stretch beginning with a loss at Bucknell Jan. 23, Lehigh has shot
36 percent from the field, 33 percent from three-point range. That bodes well for a low scoring, defense minded team like Army.
One thing that has changed since the two teams last met is the return of 6-10 senior Jason Mgebroff to the Lehigh lineup. If Mgebroff can regain his form of earlier in the season, before the stress fracture that left him out of action for 13 games, he could be a huge presence against an Army team that is not real strong in the post. There has been no sign of that Mgebroff in the four games since he has returned, though. In those four, Mgebroff has scored a total of 8 points, 5 coming in an overtime win at Colgate.
No. 8 Lafayette at No. 1 Holy Cross 7 p.m. (matchup) -- The Leopards put a scare in the Crusaders back in their conference opener in Easton. That might give Lafayette some confidence, but it also is likely to help make certain Holy Cross doesn't look past the last-place Leopards. No top seed has ever lost in the first round of the league tournament, and it is not likely to happen tonight. Note: The game can be heard on Sirius satellite radio on channel 140.
No. 7 Navy at No. 2 Bucknell 7 p.m. (matchup) -- There are a lot of streaks on the line for Bucknell, which is looking to win 13 in a row for the first time under Pat Flannery. The Bison have won 33 straight Patriot League games in Sojka Pavilion, six straight league tournament games and have won five straight games against Navy.
There is also a streak the Bison are looking to end. They are 0-3 all time against the Midshipmen in PL Tournament games.
If Navy's shots are falling and Bucknell's are not, this could be close. That was the situation when the two met in Sojka earlier this season. With Navy making eight treys while Bucknell hit just two, the Mids kept it tight throughout before falling 59-51.
Since then, though, Bucknell has won 13 out of 14 while Navy has gone 4-9. Even though three of those wins came in the last six games, the Mids' resurgent season should end tonight.
Worth noting: There are tickets available for this one. They can be purchased online or at the Langone Center box office up until 5 p.m. or at the door at Sojka beginning at 5.
No. 5 Colgate at No. 4 American, 7:30 p.m. (matchup) -- Watch out for the AU Eagles, who come into the tournament on a roll, winners of their last four in a row. American started the season strong, winning seven of their first nine. As losses began to pile up, Jeff Jones began tinkering with his lineup in an effort to reverse that trend.
It didn't work, but late in the season Jones smartened up and went back to the lineup that had been successful early and AU put together a surge that secured a homecourt game in the first round.
Since joining the league, American has never lost in the first round of the tournament. The Eagles won both regular season games against the Raiders, who limp into the postseason losers of four of their last five.
The loser gets out its golf clubs. The winner gets a bus ride to Worcester. Hard to say which is the better deal. Note: You can listen to this one on Sirius 143.
BONUS LINK:
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, previews
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Saturday, February 24, 2007
Lafayette will be the No. 8 seed in the playoffs after losing 78-67 at American Friday night.
The win sends American (15-13 overall, 7-7 Patriot League) into the postseason on a four-game win streak, equalling its longest of the season. American is now guaranteed a winning season. Lafayette (9-20, 3-11) has now dropped seven of its last eight.
It was close most of the game, with Lafayette still within 2 at 52-50 after a Marcus Harley jumper with 8:05 to play. American pulled away from their.
AU's 6-10 forward Brayden Billbe feasted on Lafayette's smallish frontline, putting up a 20-point, 10-rebound double double. Andre Ingram led all AU scorers with 25 points on 10 for 20 shooting from the field, including 5 treys on 10 tries. Derrick Mercer, coming off the bench so Sekou Lewis could start on senior night, added 17 for the Eagles.
Matt Betley led Lafayette with 17 points.
Lafayette will open the playoffs on the road at the top seed. American will host the No. 5 seed, most likely the winner of Saturday's Navy at Colgate game, in the first round.
Box score | AP
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The win sends American (15-13 overall, 7-7 Patriot League) into the postseason on a four-game win streak, equalling its longest of the season. American is now guaranteed a winning season. Lafayette (9-20, 3-11) has now dropped seven of its last eight.
It was close most of the game, with Lafayette still within 2 at 52-50 after a Marcus Harley jumper with 8:05 to play. American pulled away from their.
AU's 6-10 forward Brayden Billbe feasted on Lafayette's smallish frontline, putting up a 20-point, 10-rebound double double. Andre Ingram led all AU scorers with 25 points on 10 for 20 shooting from the field, including 5 treys on 10 tries. Derrick Mercer, coming off the bench so Sekou Lewis could start on senior night, added 17 for the Eagles.
Matt Betley led Lafayette with 17 points.
Lafayette will open the playoffs on the road at the top seed. American will host the No. 5 seed, most likely the winner of Saturday's Navy at Colgate game, in the first round.
Box score | AP
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Friday, February 23, 2007
(Updated with bonus links and some editing at 9:51 a.m.; additional edits made at 10:54 a.m.))
We already know who will be the home teams in the first round of the playoffs. Who the visitors will be gets finalized this weekend, beginning tonight when Lafayette visits American. (matchup)
American has already clinched a home spot in the first round. A win tonight, coupled with a Holy Cross win at Lehigh Sunday, would give AU the No. 3 seed for the tournament, not that there appears to be much of an edge gained by moving from No. 4 to No. 3. means nothing. EDITORS NOTE: Thanks to the folks who caught this one ... Lehigh swept that season series and owns the tiebreaker over AU).
A Lafayette loss leaves the Leopards in the No. 8 seed. A win, coupled with a Colgate loss Saturday against Navy, would move the 'Pards to No. 7. The only real difference for Lafayette would be the psychological boost of not finishing last -- either way they play on the road against either Holy Cross or Bucknell.
It makes a bigger difference to the eventual No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, who both probably would prefer to face Lafayette in the first round.
Here is a look, best we have been able to figure, at the various tiebreaking scenarios that could play out over the weekend:
Holy Cross 12-1 at Lehigh (Sunday) -- Win and the Crusaders get the No. 1 seed, a lossand a Bucknell win at Army would drop HC to No. 2 behind the Bison. EDITOR'S NOTE: Bucknell grad Manny Perez is first to e-mail pointing out that if both Bucknell and Holy Cross would lose, Bucknell would gain the top seed by virtue of its sweep of the season series with Lehigh. Good catch Manny, thanks!)
Bucknell 12-1 at Army (Saturday) -- Bison can finish no lower than the No. 2 seed. Would be No. 1 if HC loses at Lehighand BU wins at Army (see above)
Lehigh 7-6 home vs. Holy Cross (Sunday) --A win clinches Has clinched the No. 3 seed. A loss and an American win tonight against Lafayette would drop Lehigh to the No. 4 seed behind AU courtesy of AU's better RPI (192 - 240)
American 6-7 home vs. Lafayette (tonight) --Can finish no worse than Is No. 4.
Navy 4-9 at Colgate (Saturday) -- If Navy wins and Army loses to Bucknell, Navy becomes the No. 5 seed. If Navy and Army both win, Army's win over Bucknell would boost Army past the Mids on the basis of the second tiebreaker -- comparison of records. If Navy loses, it becomes more complicated. A Navy loss and a Lafayette win would leave the Mids in the No. 7 spot, ahead of the Leopards by virtue of sweeping the season series. If Army also loses, the Black Knights still have the tiebreaker edge for the No. 6 seed by virtue of a win over American, which swept Navy.
Army 4-9 home vs. Bucknell (Saturday) --Army cannot finish eighth. In the event of an Army loss and a Lafayette win, the Black Knights would hold the RPI tiebreaker edge. If Colgate also loses, Army drops to No. 8 since the tiebreaker would be record against the other teams involved in the multiple-tie. Colgate would be 3-1 against Lafayette and Army, Lafayette 2-2 and Army 1-3. If Lafayette wins and Army and Navy lose, Navy (3-1 by viture of sweeping Lafayette) gets the No. 6 spot, Army (2-2) is seventh, Lafayette stays in eighth.
Colgate 4-9 home vs. Navy (Sat.) -- A win makes the Raiders the No. 5 seed. A loss, coupled with a Lafayette win at AU, would drop Colgate to the No. 8 seed since the Raiders were swept by American. If Army also loses, see the three-way tie scenario above.
Lafayette 3-10 at American (tonight) -- A trip to either Bucknell or Holy Cross is inevitable for the 'Pards. A Lafayette loss leaves them in the No. 8 spot. A win and losses by Colgate and Army would move them to No. 7. A win with a Navy loss
BONUS LINKS:
Neutral sites might be way to go for tournament league tournament (Andre Williams in the Morning Call)
O'Hanlon has always been a winner; now he has the record to prove it (more from Andre)
Tom Housenick's weekly hoops column is first to hand out some league honors (Tom's Daily Item column filled to the brim this week with looks at the men's and women's sides of the league)
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We already know who will be the home teams in the first round of the playoffs. Who the visitors will be gets finalized this weekend, beginning tonight when Lafayette visits American. (matchup)
American has already clinched a home spot in the first round. A win tonight
A Lafayette loss leaves the Leopards in the No. 8 seed. A win, coupled with a Colgate loss Saturday against Navy, would move the 'Pards to No. 7. The only real difference for Lafayette would be the psychological boost of not finishing last -- either way they play on the road against either Holy Cross or Bucknell.
It makes a bigger difference to the eventual No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, who both probably would prefer to face Lafayette in the first round.
Here is a look, best we have been able to figure, at the various tiebreaking scenarios that could play out over the weekend:
Holy Cross 12-1 at Lehigh (Sunday) -- Win and the Crusaders get the No. 1 seed, a loss
Bucknell 12-1 at Army (Saturday) -- Bison can finish no lower than the No. 2 seed. Would be No. 1 if HC loses at Lehigh
Lehigh 7-6 home vs. Holy Cross (Sunday) --
American 6-7 home vs. Lafayette (tonight) --
Navy 4-9 at Colgate (Saturday) -- If Navy wins and Army loses to Bucknell, Navy becomes the No. 5 seed. If Navy and Army both win, Army's win over Bucknell would boost Army past the Mids on the basis of the second tiebreaker -- comparison of records. If Navy loses, it becomes more complicated. A Navy loss and a Lafayette win would leave the Mids in the No. 7 spot, ahead of the Leopards by virtue of sweeping the season series. If Army also loses, the Black Knights still have the tiebreaker edge for the No. 6 seed by virtue of a win over American, which swept Navy.
Army 4-9 home vs. Bucknell (Saturday) --
Colgate 4-9 home vs. Navy (Sat.) -- A win makes the Raiders the No. 5 seed. A loss, coupled with a Lafayette win at AU, would drop Colgate to the No. 8 seed since the Raiders were swept by American. If Army also loses, see the three-way tie scenario above.
Lafayette 3-10 at American (tonight) -- A trip to either Bucknell or Holy Cross is inevitable for the 'Pards. A Lafayette loss leaves them in the No. 8 spot. A win and losses by Colgate and Army would move them to No. 7. A win with a Navy loss
BONUS LINKS:
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, previews
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Wednesday, February 21, 2007
American will open the playoffs at home after clinching the fourth seed with a win at Navy.
Four guys hit in double figures for the Eagles (14-13 overall, 6-7 Patriot) in the 71-60 win in Annapolis. Andre Ingram led AU with 16 points. Derrick Mercer added 15, Linas Lekavicius had 12 and Arvydas Eitutavicius finished with 10 for AU.
The Eagles shot 53.5 percent(23 of 43) from the field, including 5 of 13 from three-point range. AU was 20 for 26 at the foul line.
Navy struggled from the field, hitting just 19 of 57 (35.3 percent). Take Greg Sprink, who led all scorers with 23 points, out of the Navy box score and the rest of the Mids shot 298 percent from the field (13 of 46). Navy was 8 for 30 from the arc, 14 for 19 at the foul line. Sprink accounted for 9 of the made free throws (and 11 of the shots taken).
Freshman Trey Stanton, who came off the bench for the first time all season, had 12 points and 7 rebounds. Stanton, who has started in each of Navy's 27 pervious games, yielded his spot in the lineup to Calvin White for Senior Night at Alumni Hall.
Navy was within two late in the first half when American went on a 10-3 run to go into the intermission up 27-18. The Eagles then opened the second half with a 7-0 run and never led by less than 9 points the rest of the way.
Box score | Washington Post
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Four guys hit in double figures for the Eagles (14-13 overall, 6-7 Patriot) in the 71-60 win in Annapolis. Andre Ingram led AU with 16 points. Derrick Mercer added 15, Linas Lekavicius had 12 and Arvydas Eitutavicius finished with 10 for AU.
The Eagles shot 53.5 percent(23 of 43) from the field, including 5 of 13 from three-point range. AU was 20 for 26 at the foul line.
Navy struggled from the field, hitting just 19 of 57 (35.3 percent). Take Greg Sprink, who led all scorers with 23 points, out of the Navy box score and the rest of the Mids shot 298 percent from the field (13 of 46). Navy was 8 for 30 from the arc, 14 for 19 at the foul line. Sprink accounted for 9 of the made free throws (and 11 of the shots taken).
Freshman Trey Stanton, who came off the bench for the first time all season, had 12 points and 7 rebounds. Stanton, who has started in each of Navy's 27 pervious games, yielded his spot in the lineup to Calvin White for Senior Night at Alumni Hall.
Navy was within two late in the first half when American went on a 10-3 run to go into the intermission up 27-18. The Eagles then opened the second half with a 7-0 run and never led by less than 9 points the rest of the way.
Box score | Washington Post
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Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Three teams have already clinched home games in the first round of the Patriot League playoffs. American can claim the final spot with a win at Navy tonight.
Navy (14-13 overall, 4-8 Patriot), which has won three of its last four, is also still alive in the race for that home spot. Currently one game back, the Mids could claim that spot with a win tonight and a win Saturday at Colgate. In that scenarion, Navy would win the tiebreaker with AU by virtue of the Mids win at Lehigh.
American (13-13, 5-7) has won 12 of the last 13 between these two, including a 55-46 home win on Jan. 24. Navy 's only win in that 13-game stretch was last season in Annapolis.
Matchup
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Navy (14-13 overall, 4-8 Patriot), which has won three of its last four, is also still alive in the race for that home spot. Currently one game back, the Mids could claim that spot with a win tonight and a win Saturday at Colgate. In that scenarion, Navy would win the tiebreaker with AU by virtue of the Mids win at Lehigh.
American (13-13, 5-7) has won 12 of the last 13 between these two, including a 55-46 home win on Jan. 24. Navy 's only win in that 13-game stretch was last season in Annapolis.
Matchup
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Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Andre Ingram led American at both ends of the floor in a big win over Army.
Ingram scored a game-high 15 points to lead the Eagles (13-13 overall, 5-7 Patriot) to the 64-49 win.
On defense Ingram spent much of the night matched up with Army's leading scorer, Jarrell Brown, helping limit Brown to 6 points on 2 for 12 shooting.
His teammates did not shoot much better. Army (13-13, 3-8) turned the ball over more times (18) than it managed to put it in the net. The Black Knights went 15 for 44 from the field (34.1 percent), just 1 for 11 from the three-point arc.
AFter a 26-24 first half, Ingram hit a three to start the second, then combined a short time later with three others on the 10-0 AU run that put the game away early in the second half.
Brayden Billbe scored 4 of his 13 points in that run. Billbe also had 8 rebounds. Sophomore point Derrick Mercer added 10 for the Eagles, who were 21 of 46 (45.7 percent) from the field, 5 for 17 on threes.
Doug Williams led Army with a 13-point, 11 rebound double-double. Matt Bell added 10 for Army.
The win, coupled with Colgate's loss to Lehigh, puts American one game up on fifth-place Colgate (4-8) in the race for the fourth host spot in the first round of the playoffs. American closes the season with games at Navy and home against Lafayette. Colgate travels to Holy Cross after Saturday's non-league BracketBusters game at Marist. The Raiders close at home hosting Navy.>br>Box score
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Ingram scored a game-high 15 points to lead the Eagles (13-13 overall, 5-7 Patriot) to the 64-49 win.
On defense Ingram spent much of the night matched up with Army's leading scorer, Jarrell Brown, helping limit Brown to 6 points on 2 for 12 shooting.
His teammates did not shoot much better. Army (13-13, 3-8) turned the ball over more times (18) than it managed to put it in the net. The Black Knights went 15 for 44 from the field (34.1 percent), just 1 for 11 from the three-point arc.
AFter a 26-24 first half, Ingram hit a three to start the second, then combined a short time later with three others on the 10-0 AU run that put the game away early in the second half.
Brayden Billbe scored 4 of his 13 points in that run. Billbe also had 8 rebounds. Sophomore point Derrick Mercer added 10 for the Eagles, who were 21 of 46 (45.7 percent) from the field, 5 for 17 on threes.
Doug Williams led Army with a 13-point, 11 rebound double-double. Matt Bell added 10 for Army.
The win, coupled with Colgate's loss to Lehigh, puts American one game up on fifth-place Colgate (4-8) in the race for the fourth host spot in the first round of the playoffs. American closes the season with games at Navy and home against Lafayette. Colgate travels to Holy Cross after Saturday's non-league BracketBusters game at Marist. The Raiders close at home hosting Navy.>br>Box score
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It's looking like an Oreo cookie kind of night in the Patriot League tonight. The two league co-leaders take on two of the teams at the bottom of the standings, but the good stuff is the two game involving the four teams in the middle.
In Hamilton, Lehigh will face Colgate (matchup) looking for its seventh straight win over Colgate. A win would give the Mountain Hawks a three game lead over the Raiders in the win column and a virtual lock on a first round home game in the playoffs since Lehigh will have swept the season series with the Raiders and American, who sit in a tie for fourth place heading into tonight's action.
Lehigh's notes indicate senior center Jason Mgebroff will return to the lineup in the next week after being out since December due to a stress fracture in one of his legs. Whether that means as soon as tonight, Saturday's rivalry game at Lafayette, or a Willis Reed-like inspirational return at home against Bucknell or Holy Cross remains to be seen.
The Raiders are almost as bad at home (4-8) as Lehigh has been on the road (2-12). They have shown a particular knack for losing close games on their own floor. Colgate is 1-4 at home in league games, the four losses coming by a combined 18 points. including one loss in overtime.
In the nation's capital, American, still alive in the home-game hunt thanks to Colgate's Sunday blunder, hosts an Army five (matchup) that is barely clinging to its home for the first round life. After a promising 3-2 start in league play, the Black Knights have hit an 0-5 wall. Army probably has to go 4-0 down the stretch, starting tonight, to have a chance of hosting in round one. That would make them .500 in the league, which might just do it, given the mediocrity of the bottom five-eighths of the conference.
AU, with two more conference games after tonight, would be in good shape for a home game with a win tonight, especially coupled with a Colgate loss. The Eagles have the most favorable schedule of the teams battling for that fourth spot, with a home game against Lafayette and a visit to Navy left following tonight.
In Lewisburg, Bucknell will look to solidify the momentum of its win over Holy Cross when last place Lafayette comes calling (matchup). The Leopards gave the Bison a battle in Easton last month. In Solka Pavilion, where Bucknell has can close out another unbeaten home league slate with a win, it should not be anywhere near as close.
This is the part of the season when Bucknell traditionally plays its best basketball. Since that win in Easton, the Bison have compiled an eight-game win streak. The only way it does not make it nine in a row is if they get caught got looking past the Leopards. A simple two-word message on the chalkboard should suffice. In big, orange letters, it should say "Central Arkansas."
Wrapping up the four-game slate tonight is Holy Cross visiting the Midshipmen of Navy (matchup). Navy's five-game losing streak is history. In its place, a two-game win streak that began with a confidence building win at Lehigh.
The Mids are always an upset threat thanks to their five-man perimeter-oriented attack. Navy fires up half its shots from outside the arc. If a couple Mids get two or three in the same game, they could put up a lot of points.
Of course you can tell by Navy's 11-12 record in games against Division I teams, that has not happened a lot this season. And it would be asking a lot for it to happen against a team that plays defense the way Holy Cross does. Add in the extra motivation the Crusaders should have after losing at Bucknell and HC's huge edge in the frontcourt, and an upset seemes even more unlikely.
Should HC need extra motivation, it can look back two seasons to when Bucknell lost at American, then followed it with a loss at Navy, two setbacks that resulted in the Bison being forced to go on the road for the tournament final.
As the Crusaders know all too well, that scenario ended up working out OK for Bucknell. But HC would far prefer to sleep in its own beds throughout the playoffs. With senior leaders like Keith Simmons and Torey Thomas, don't expect the Crusaders to lose focus on the prize.
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In Hamilton, Lehigh will face Colgate (matchup) looking for its seventh straight win over Colgate. A win would give the Mountain Hawks a three game lead over the Raiders in the win column and a virtual lock on a first round home game in the playoffs since Lehigh will have swept the season series with the Raiders and American, who sit in a tie for fourth place heading into tonight's action.
Lehigh's notes indicate senior center Jason Mgebroff will return to the lineup in the next week after being out since December due to a stress fracture in one of his legs. Whether that means as soon as tonight, Saturday's rivalry game at Lafayette, or a Willis Reed-like inspirational return at home against Bucknell or Holy Cross remains to be seen.
The Raiders are almost as bad at home (4-8) as Lehigh has been on the road (2-12). They have shown a particular knack for losing close games on their own floor. Colgate is 1-4 at home in league games, the four losses coming by a combined 18 points. including one loss in overtime.
In the nation's capital, American, still alive in the home-game hunt thanks to Colgate's Sunday blunder, hosts an Army five (matchup) that is barely clinging to its home for the first round life. After a promising 3-2 start in league play, the Black Knights have hit an 0-5 wall. Army probably has to go 4-0 down the stretch, starting tonight, to have a chance of hosting in round one. That would make them .500 in the league, which might just do it, given the mediocrity of the bottom five-eighths of the conference.
AU, with two more conference games after tonight, would be in good shape for a home game with a win tonight, especially coupled with a Colgate loss. The Eagles have the most favorable schedule of the teams battling for that fourth spot, with a home game against Lafayette and a visit to Navy left following tonight.
In Lewisburg, Bucknell will look to solidify the momentum of its win over Holy Cross when last place Lafayette comes calling (matchup). The Leopards gave the Bison a battle in Easton last month. In Solka Pavilion, where Bucknell has can close out another unbeaten home league slate with a win, it should not be anywhere near as close.
This is the part of the season when Bucknell traditionally plays its best basketball. Since that win in Easton, the Bison have compiled an eight-game win streak. The only way it does not make it nine in a row is if they get caught got looking past the Leopards. A simple two-word message on the chalkboard should suffice. In big, orange letters, it should say "Central Arkansas."
Wrapping up the four-game slate tonight is Holy Cross visiting the Midshipmen of Navy (matchup). Navy's five-game losing streak is history. In its place, a two-game win streak that began with a confidence building win at Lehigh.
The Mids are always an upset threat thanks to their five-man perimeter-oriented attack. Navy fires up half its shots from outside the arc. If a couple Mids get two or three in the same game, they could put up a lot of points.
Of course you can tell by Navy's 11-12 record in games against Division I teams, that has not happened a lot this season. And it would be asking a lot for it to happen against a team that plays defense the way Holy Cross does. Add in the extra motivation the Crusaders should have after losing at Bucknell and HC's huge edge in the frontcourt, and an upset seemes even more unlikely.
Should HC need extra motivation, it can look back two seasons to when Bucknell lost at American, then followed it with a loss at Navy, two setbacks that resulted in the Bison being forced to go on the road for the tournament final.
As the Crusaders know all too well, that scenario ended up working out OK for Bucknell. But HC would far prefer to sleep in its own beds throughout the playoffs. With senior leaders like Keith Simmons and Torey Thomas, don't expect the Crusaders to lose focus on the prize.
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, previews
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Monday, February 12, 2007
There is a video clip showing just how Colgate managed to blow its game against American Sunday.
If you go to the ESPNU homepage, you will see a video box on the right. Underneath, click on the American-Colgate link below the men's basketball heading.
That will bring you to a clip of the postgame show, which includes American coach Jeff Jones discussing the play and a replay of how it happened.
Basically it was the old sneak a man in behind the guy guarding the inbounder play. Arvydas Eitutavicius got beside Kyle Chones, who followed the inbounds passer when the passer ran the baeline and never saw Eitutavicius until after he'd flattened him and been called for the foul.
"We thought we'd give it a shot. We didn't think it would work," Jones told Bob Socci in the interview.
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If you go to the ESPNU homepage, you will see a video box on the right. Underneath, click on the American-Colgate link below the men's basketball heading.
That will bring you to a clip of the postgame show, which includes American coach Jeff Jones discussing the play and a replay of how it happened.
Basically it was the old sneak a man in behind the guy guarding the inbounder play. Arvydas Eitutavicius got beside Kyle Chones, who followed the inbounds passer when the passer ran the baeline and never saw Eitutavicius until after he'd flattened him and been called for the foul.
"We thought we'd give it a shot. We didn't think it would work," Jones told Bob Socci in the interview.
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The Raiders seemed to have a win over American in the bag after taking the lead with 0.2 seconds to play.
Since the rule book states a player cannot catch and shoot the ball with less than 0.3 on the clock, the only way the Raiders, up 51-49 after Dan Gentile tipped in a Jon Simon miss, could not win in that situation seemed to be the improbable possibility of a length of the court pass being tipped in at the other end.
Of course that assumed the Raiders were smart enough to avoid fouling somebody on the inbounds play, an assumption that proved erroneous when Arvydas Eitutavicius managed to draw a foul before the ball was even inbounded.
Eitutavicius made both free throws to send it to overtime, where AU made 11 more foul shots (on 12 tries) to pull out an improbable 64-58 road win.
If Colgate finds itself on a long bus ride -- and to get anywhere from Hamilton it is a long ride -- come Feb. 28, they can look back on this one as why. Not just because of what happened to at the end of regulation, either. The Raiders had an 11-point lead at one point in the second half and could not hold it.
A win would have given the Raiders a two-game lead in the race for the fourth, and final, home spot in the first round of the playoffs. Instead, Colgate (9-15 overall, 4-7 Patriot) is now tied with American (12-13, 4-7), with the Eagles holding the tiebreaker edge by virtue of a head-to-head sweep.
American also has an easier schedule down the stretch. The Eagles' three remaining league opponents are have sub .500 league records. American is home against Army and Lafayette and plays one road game -- at Navy. Colgate has two home games left -- Lehigh and Navy -- and has to travel to Worcester to face Holy Cross.
Aside from the late-game blunder, it was a typical cold shooting Colgate performance (19 of 57, 33.3 percent) in front of a typical Hamilton crowd (523). Not even the usual lure of television cameras could entice the Colgate student body to make the trek down the hill through the snow to watch.
Eitutavicius finished with 13 points, all in the second half, to share team honors with point guard Derrick Mercer. Linas Lekavicius added 12 points and Andre Ingram had 11 for the Eagles, who went 20 of 52 from the field (38.5 percent).
AU made just two three-pointers (8 tries), but was 22 of 24 from the foul line. Colgate was 7 for 21 from the arc, 13 of 16 at the line.
Simon led Colgate with 19 points. It took him 20 shots (6 makes) to get those 19, though. Kyle Chones added 16 and his brother Kendall had 12.
The win was No. 100 for Jeff Jones at American.
Box score | AP
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Since the rule book states a player cannot catch and shoot the ball with less than 0.3 on the clock, the only way the Raiders, up 51-49 after Dan Gentile tipped in a Jon Simon miss, could not win in that situation seemed to be the improbable possibility of a length of the court pass being tipped in at the other end.
Of course that assumed the Raiders were smart enough to avoid fouling somebody on the inbounds play, an assumption that proved erroneous when Arvydas Eitutavicius managed to draw a foul before the ball was even inbounded.
Eitutavicius made both free throws to send it to overtime, where AU made 11 more foul shots (on 12 tries) to pull out an improbable 64-58 road win.
If Colgate finds itself on a long bus ride -- and to get anywhere from Hamilton it is a long ride -- come Feb. 28, they can look back on this one as why. Not just because of what happened to at the end of regulation, either. The Raiders had an 11-point lead at one point in the second half and could not hold it.
A win would have given the Raiders a two-game lead in the race for the fourth, and final, home spot in the first round of the playoffs. Instead, Colgate (9-15 overall, 4-7 Patriot) is now tied with American (12-13, 4-7), with the Eagles holding the tiebreaker edge by virtue of a head-to-head sweep.
American also has an easier schedule down the stretch. The Eagles' three remaining league opponents are have sub .500 league records. American is home against Army and Lafayette and plays one road game -- at Navy. Colgate has two home games left -- Lehigh and Navy -- and has to travel to Worcester to face Holy Cross.
Aside from the late-game blunder, it was a typical cold shooting Colgate performance (19 of 57, 33.3 percent) in front of a typical Hamilton crowd (523). Not even the usual lure of television cameras could entice the Colgate student body to make the trek down the hill through the snow to watch.
Eitutavicius finished with 13 points, all in the second half, to share team honors with point guard Derrick Mercer. Linas Lekavicius added 12 points and Andre Ingram had 11 for the Eagles, who went 20 of 52 from the field (38.5 percent).
AU made just two three-pointers (8 tries), but was 22 of 24 from the foul line. Colgate was 7 for 21 from the arc, 13 of 16 at the line.
Simon led Colgate with 19 points. It took him 20 shots (6 makes) to get those 19, though. Kyle Chones added 16 and his brother Kendall had 12.
The win was No. 100 for Jeff Jones at American.
Box score | AP
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Sunday, February 11, 2007
and nobody sees it happen, would there be a game?
(includes Sunday readaround bonus links)
Two teams who were expected to be contenders at the start of the season find themselves left to battle for a chance to host a first round game when American visits Colgate this afternoon.
The game (matchup) will be shown on ESPNU, which probably means nobody will see how empty Colgate's gym is, though there is always the possibility that Colgate students, seeking 15 seconds of fame and shamed by their student paper, will don face paint and full Raider regalia to masquerade as basketball fans.
There is a lot riding on this game. American is one game back of Colgate in the standings. An AU win would pull them even with the Raiders in the race for the fourth and final home spot in the playoffs, and would give the Eagles a tiebreaker edge by virtue of a season's sweep in the head-to-head matchup.
A Colgate win would give them a two-game leg up on the rest of the conference with three games to play. Since those three remaining games include Lehigh and a visit to Holy Cross, that cushion could be very important to the Raiders chances of hosting another game for their students to not attend.
BONUS LINKS:
Determined to succeed (Pat Doherty profile from the Scranton Times-Tribune)
Home Court (Jen Toland of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette looks at Ralph Willard's (and Bill Bibbons') better half)
CSTV's Kyle Whelliston wannabes visited Bucknell for Friday's Holy Cross game and say Sojka had the "highest decibel per fan level" encountered on their Hoops Odyssey. Because of their kind words about the Patriot League, we won't post comments on their sloppy dress or lack of a comb.
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(includes Sunday readaround bonus links)
Two teams who were expected to be contenders at the start of the season find themselves left to battle for a chance to host a first round game when American visits Colgate this afternoon.
The game (matchup) will be shown on ESPNU, which probably means nobody will see how empty Colgate's gym is, though there is always the possibility that Colgate students, seeking 15 seconds of fame and shamed by their student paper, will don face paint and full Raider regalia to masquerade as basketball fans.
There is a lot riding on this game. American is one game back of Colgate in the standings. An AU win would pull them even with the Raiders in the race for the fourth and final home spot in the playoffs, and would give the Eagles a tiebreaker edge by virtue of a season's sweep in the head-to-head matchup.
A Colgate win would give them a two-game leg up on the rest of the conference with three games to play. Since those three remaining games include Lehigh and a visit to Holy Cross, that cushion could be very important to the Raiders chances of hosting another game for their students to not attend.
BONUS LINKS:
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Wednesday, February 07, 2007
(Originally posted at 2:32 a.m., links added at 8:31 a.m.)
Freshman's heady play keys Bison win
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
The least experienced guy on the floor made the headiest play of the game to give Bucknell a hard-fought 69-63 win at American Tuesday night.
Bison freshman Stephen Tyree, who didn't even get off the bench in 12 of Bucknell's first 17 games, was on the floor with the game, and possibly Bucknell's hopes of at least a share of the Patriot League regular season title, on the line. Tyree, who played double-digit minutes for the fifth game in a row, re-entered the game with 32 seconds to play, his team clinging to a 67-66 lead and in need of a stop.
The stop came when American's 5-8 Derrick Mercer penetrated the lane with 6 seconds left on the clock and put up a running floater over Bucknell's 6-11 Chris McNaughton that spun around the rim and came off on the weakside. That was where Tyree was waiting for the biggest rebound of his young career.
"It was a helluva rebound," said Bison guard John Griffin, who had put Bucknell (15-8 overall, 9-1 Patriot) on top with a pair of free throws 26 seconds earlier. "There were about 12 hands up there and he pulled it down."
Getting the rebound might seem like a simple feat, but American (11-13, 3-7) crashed the offensive boards hard all night, keeping itself in the game with second, third and even fourth chance points. Nine of American's last 18 points came on possessions were Bucknell made at least one initial stop. Three came on an Andre Ingram three-pointer following not one, not two, but three offensive rebounds by the Eagles. Three more came on a trio of free throws by Arvydas Eitutavicius, who drew a whistle by taking a dive while missing a long three-point try after first Mercer, then Ingram missed layups that the Bison failed to corral.
"We were getting caught out of position and they were getting two and three shots," said Bucknell sophomore guard Justin Castleberry, who scored 10 points -- one of four Bison to finish in double figures. "You can't give a quality team like American two and three shots. They're going to hurt you."
Getting the rebound was key, but that was not the heady part of the play Tyree made. It was what he did with the ball once he got it that showed the poise of a veteran; Tyree put the ball in Griffin's hands before American could react by fouling him. That forced American to foul Griffin, sending Bucknell's best free throw shooter to the line with a chance to make it a three-point lead.
"I passed it to John because I know he's such a good free throw shooter," Tyree said. "He just made two, so I had to give him back the ball to seal the victory."
The difference was huge. Instead of an inexperienced freshman who has only shot nine free throws in his career (making five, 55.6 percent) being on the line with the game in the balance, it was the league's third-leading free throw shooter, a poised junior who has been in that situation many times before.
"It was a very smart, intelligent play. He had his head up and looked right for me," said Griffin, an 86.4 percent foul shooter who finished the game with a team-high 15 points after going 4 for 5 at the line.
It was the kind of play you'd expect from an experienced team like American, without a single freshman on its roster. It was also the kind of play AU has struggled to make all season. It was the Eagles' second straight game in which they had a chance to at least tie the game on the last possession. It was the second straight game lost when AU failed to convert that kind of opportunity. Of the Eagles' seven league losses, five have come by five points or less.
"It is definitely frustrating. We've been in these kinds of games before and we keep coming up with the same result," said Ingram, who finished with a game-high 23 points but came up short on a 30-footer to tie it at the final buzzer.
Ingram said AU had to know better than to let Griffin be the one who went to the charity stripe with the game on the line. Griffin went 10 for 10 against American at the line when the two teams met back in January in Lewisburg. It was Tyree the Eagles should have fouled.
"It was a lapse. (Tyree) had the ball for a couple seconds actually. We let him get it to Griffin, their best free throw shooter," Ingram said. "I definitely think it was a mental lapse . . . guys' minds went blank for a second."
The loss spoiled what was easily Ingram's finest showing against Bucknell in 10 career games against the Bison. Ingram, who failed to reach double figures in six games against Bucknell as a sophomore and a junior, was 9 of 14 from the floor, including 4 for 4 from three-point range. Ingram's previous best against BU was a 16-point showing as a freshman. He equalled that mark in the first half.
"Ingram really had it going," said Griffin.
The key for Ingram was getting into the lane early, using his height advantage on Bucknell's smallish guards to knock down some confidence building easy shots.
"I had some easy buckets early and then some threes started to fall," Ingram said. "Since I have struggled against Bucknell, to see some shots go down early was a good feeling."
Ingram was not the only hot shooter in the first half. Bucknell shot 14 of 29 (70 percent), including 6 of 8 three-point tries, before the break, easily their best shooting half of the season. American was equally accurate, posting the best shooting half the Bison have allowed all season (15 of 22, 68.2 percent).
"It seemed like at points there was nobody missing," said Bison coach Pat Flannery. "The way they shot the basketball, if we hadn't matched a little bit early, it might have been lights out."
American led 37-36 at the break, after a first half that included eight lead changes and a pair of ties. The game stayed tight all night, with neither team leading by more than 6 points as they swapped the lead 19 times and were tied 11 times.
Both teams cooled off after the intermission, with Bucknell finishing the game at 60.5 percent (14 of 29) from the field, 8 of 11 from three-point range AU was 24 for 44 from the field, 6 for 12 from the arc. The biggest difference in the game came at the foul line, where Bucknell (15 of 18) was three points better than American (12 of 17).
Center Chris McNaughton added 14 points for Bucknell. Abe Badmus had 10. Arvydas Eitutavicius joined Ingram in double figures with 12 points.
The win, Bucknell's seventh straight and 23rd in 24 league games, gives Bucknell its second straight season sweep of the Eagles and sets the stage for Friday night's highly anticipated rematch with league leader Holy Cross. American will be at Colgate Saturday, trying to keep alive its hopes of hosting a first round game in the playoffs.Box score | Postgame audio (Castleberry, Griffin, Flannery, Tyree, Ingram) | Daily Item | Washington Post
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Freshman's heady play keys Bison win
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
The least experienced guy on the floor made the headiest play of the game to give Bucknell a hard-fought 69-63 win at American Tuesday night.
Bison freshman Stephen Tyree, who didn't even get off the bench in 12 of Bucknell's first 17 games, was on the floor with the game, and possibly Bucknell's hopes of at least a share of the Patriot League regular season title, on the line. Tyree, who played double-digit minutes for the fifth game in a row, re-entered the game with 32 seconds to play, his team clinging to a 67-66 lead and in need of a stop.
The stop came when American's 5-8 Derrick Mercer penetrated the lane with 6 seconds left on the clock and put up a running floater over Bucknell's 6-11 Chris McNaughton that spun around the rim and came off on the weakside. That was where Tyree was waiting for the biggest rebound of his young career.
"It was a helluva rebound," said Bison guard John Griffin, who had put Bucknell (15-8 overall, 9-1 Patriot) on top with a pair of free throws 26 seconds earlier. "There were about 12 hands up there and he pulled it down."
Getting the rebound might seem like a simple feat, but American (11-13, 3-7) crashed the offensive boards hard all night, keeping itself in the game with second, third and even fourth chance points. Nine of American's last 18 points came on possessions were Bucknell made at least one initial stop. Three came on an Andre Ingram three-pointer following not one, not two, but three offensive rebounds by the Eagles. Three more came on a trio of free throws by Arvydas Eitutavicius, who drew a whistle by taking a dive while missing a long three-point try after first Mercer, then Ingram missed layups that the Bison failed to corral.
"We were getting caught out of position and they were getting two and three shots," said Bucknell sophomore guard Justin Castleberry, who scored 10 points -- one of four Bison to finish in double figures. "You can't give a quality team like American two and three shots. They're going to hurt you."
Getting the rebound was key, but that was not the heady part of the play Tyree made. It was what he did with the ball once he got it that showed the poise of a veteran; Tyree put the ball in Griffin's hands before American could react by fouling him. That forced American to foul Griffin, sending Bucknell's best free throw shooter to the line with a chance to make it a three-point lead.
"I passed it to John because I know he's such a good free throw shooter," Tyree said. "He just made two, so I had to give him back the ball to seal the victory."
The difference was huge. Instead of an inexperienced freshman who has only shot nine free throws in his career (making five, 55.6 percent) being on the line with the game in the balance, it was the league's third-leading free throw shooter, a poised junior who has been in that situation many times before.
"It was a very smart, intelligent play. He had his head up and looked right for me," said Griffin, an 86.4 percent foul shooter who finished the game with a team-high 15 points after going 4 for 5 at the line.
It was the kind of play you'd expect from an experienced team like American, without a single freshman on its roster. It was also the kind of play AU has struggled to make all season. It was the Eagles' second straight game in which they had a chance to at least tie the game on the last possession. It was the second straight game lost when AU failed to convert that kind of opportunity. Of the Eagles' seven league losses, five have come by five points or less.
"It is definitely frustrating. We've been in these kinds of games before and we keep coming up with the same result," said Ingram, who finished with a game-high 23 points but came up short on a 30-footer to tie it at the final buzzer.
Ingram said AU had to know better than to let Griffin be the one who went to the charity stripe with the game on the line. Griffin went 10 for 10 against American at the line when the two teams met back in January in Lewisburg. It was Tyree the Eagles should have fouled.
"It was a lapse. (Tyree) had the ball for a couple seconds actually. We let him get it to Griffin, their best free throw shooter," Ingram said. "I definitely think it was a mental lapse . . . guys' minds went blank for a second."
The loss spoiled what was easily Ingram's finest showing against Bucknell in 10 career games against the Bison. Ingram, who failed to reach double figures in six games against Bucknell as a sophomore and a junior, was 9 of 14 from the floor, including 4 for 4 from three-point range. Ingram's previous best against BU was a 16-point showing as a freshman. He equalled that mark in the first half.
"Ingram really had it going," said Griffin.
The key for Ingram was getting into the lane early, using his height advantage on Bucknell's smallish guards to knock down some confidence building easy shots.
"I had some easy buckets early and then some threes started to fall," Ingram said. "Since I have struggled against Bucknell, to see some shots go down early was a good feeling."
Ingram was not the only hot shooter in the first half. Bucknell shot 14 of 29 (70 percent), including 6 of 8 three-point tries, before the break, easily their best shooting half of the season. American was equally accurate, posting the best shooting half the Bison have allowed all season (15 of 22, 68.2 percent).
"It seemed like at points there was nobody missing," said Bison coach Pat Flannery. "The way they shot the basketball, if we hadn't matched a little bit early, it might have been lights out."
American led 37-36 at the break, after a first half that included eight lead changes and a pair of ties. The game stayed tight all night, with neither team leading by more than 6 points as they swapped the lead 19 times and were tied 11 times.
Both teams cooled off after the intermission, with Bucknell finishing the game at 60.5 percent (14 of 29) from the field, 8 of 11 from three-point range AU was 24 for 44 from the field, 6 for 12 from the arc. The biggest difference in the game came at the foul line, where Bucknell (15 of 18) was three points better than American (12 of 17).
Center Chris McNaughton added 14 points for Bucknell. Abe Badmus had 10. Arvydas Eitutavicius joined Ingram in double figures with 12 points.
The win, Bucknell's seventh straight and 23rd in 24 league games, gives Bucknell its second straight season sweep of the Eagles and sets the stage for Friday night's highly anticipated rematch with league leader Holy Cross. American will be at Colgate Saturday, trying to keep alive its hopes of hosting a first round game in the playoffs.Box score | Postgame audio (Castleberry, Griffin, Flannery, Tyree, Ingram) | Daily Item | Washington Post
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Leftover tidbits and observations from Bucknell's 69-66 win at American. Another new starting lineup for American. Or should we say a different lineup. Jeff Jones went back to the lineup that started the first 11 games of the season, with Paulius Joneliunas returning to the first five, displacing Sekou Lewis, who had drawn a start in AU's previous three games. Jones likely made the move in an effort to match Bucknell's Chris McNaughton and Darren Mastropaolo with his "twin towers" front line of Joneliunas and Brayden Billbe.
After the Lehigh game, Jones said the four spot would be filled by committee the remainder of the season since nobody had clearly staked a claim to the job. Starting assignments would be a product of practice performance and matchups, Jones said.
Lewis, after three straight starts, did not play.
Andre Ingram has been a fixture in the Eagles lineup all season. Matter of fact, the 6-3 senior has been a fixture in the starting five for the past few seasons. The Bucknell game marked his 111th career start, setting a new school record. The old record of 110 was held by Darryl franklin, who played from 1992 to 1996. Ingram finished with 23 points, moving him past American Hall of Famer Wilbur Thomas into sixth place on AU's all-time scoring chart with 1,552 points.
Bucknell's injured Donald Brown has been fitted with a battery charged device to provide electrical stimulation to speed the healing of the broken right hand.
Bucknell opened the game going 6 for 6, including 4 three-pointers and a Chris McNaughton jumper with a foot on the arc. The Bison's first miss from the field came on a Justin Catleberry pull-up jumper in the lane at the 12:09 mark.
Ingram's three-pointer with 3:05 to go in the first half gave him 16 points, matching his career best against Bucknell, set back in his freshman season. Since then, Ingram had reached double figures once in six games against the Bison, that coming earlier this season when he scored 10 in Lewisburg. His 23 points were more than he scored in three games combined (20) against Bucknell last season. His 33 in two games this season equals his total in six games against Bucknell his sophomore and junior seasons.
The two teams combined to hit 29 of 42 shots in the first half (69 percent). Bucknell was 14 of 20 (70 percent), 6 of 8 from the three-point arc. But the Bison were just 2 of 5 from the free throw line in the half. American hit 15 of 22 (68.2 percent) from the field, 4 of 6 threes and was 3 for 3 at the line.
Bucknell's first half shooting was its best effort of the season. The previous best half was against Army in Lewisburg, when the Bison hit 15 of 23 (65.2 percent) in the first half. The Bison's previous worst defensive half came against Wake Forest, when the Demon Deacons hit 59.1 percent in the second half.
Brayden Billbe fouled out with 2:30 to go on a questionable call. Billbe and Bucknell's John Griffin got their feet tangled near the top of the arc, with Griffin ending up on the floor and Billbe ending up on the bench the rest of the night. Billbe's fourth personal, which came at the 4:08 mark, was also an offensive foul away from the ball. Billbe checked out with 8 points on 4 for 5 shooting but the 6-10 senior had no rebounds and turned the ball over 4 times.
The officials evened it out a minute later, sending Arvydas Eitutavicius to the line for three shots after he took a dive in Justin Caslteberry's vicinity while missing a long three. Eitutaviciua hit all three to put AU up 64-63 with 1:23 to play.
Bucknell held a 23-18 edge on the boards, but American had an 11-10 edge on the offensive glass. The Eagles managed only 7 defensive rebounds.
The win was Bucknell's second straight in Bender, where they were 0-4 in Patriot League play prior to last season. It was Bucknell's seventh straight win over AU , a streak that includes wins in the conference semifinals the past two seasons.
Bucknell's 22-14 advantage in the paint marked the seventh straight game the Bison outscored an opponent on the inside. The Bison have not outscored their foes in the paint in 9 of their 10 league games, the lone exception being a 22-22 standoff in the loss at Holy Cross.
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After the Lehigh game, Jones said the four spot would be filled by committee the remainder of the season since nobody had clearly staked a claim to the job. Starting assignments would be a product of practice performance and matchups, Jones said.
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Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Everybody is talking about Friday's Holy Cross-Bucknell rematch, but first they both have to get by tough road opponents tonight.
It's a classic trap situation for both teams. Both are coming off emotional wins Saturday -- Holy Cross's winter homecoming thrashing of Lafayette and Bucknell's big win at Navy in its first game without senior leader Donald Brown -- and headed into a game with potential league championship implications. But if either lets down, or if looks past tonight to even sneak a peek at the other, Friday's ESPNU matchup could end up taking on a very different context.
Holy Cross throttled Army when they met in Worcester back on Jan. 10, winning by 24 points. It would be understandable if a bunch of 20-year-old kids would take Army lightly in the rematch (matchup). It could also be fatal to HC's championship dreams. The Black Knights are a very different team in West Point, where they are 9-2 on the season.
Ralph Willard knows the danger. In 2002, his team went into West Point one game before a big showdown with American and came out with a loss that eventually forced it to go on the road for the league final against AU. All worked out in the end for the Crusaders, who won the second of its three titles under Willard by beating the Eagles in Bender. But nobody wants to have to win the championship final on someone else's floor.
No need to harken back to that 2002 slip-up to make the point about needing to stay focused in a tough road game in an empty gym. Willard can simply remind his team what happened two weeks ago in its last trip to New York, when they needed a Keith Simmons three-pointer at the end of the game to get past Colgate.
Bucknell faces a similar challenge at American (matchup). The Bison didn't win by a big margin when the two met in Lewisburg, but they did win pretty convincingly.
The Bison were dominant inside, but allowed Au to knock down 7 threes in the second half to keep it close. If the Eagles are able to shoot like that at home tonight, it could be a very long night for Bucknell.
Bucknell's defense has improved considerably since the two met back on Jan. 10. We'll see how much it has improved tonight.
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It's a classic trap situation for both teams. Both are coming off emotional wins Saturday -- Holy Cross's winter homecoming thrashing of Lafayette and Bucknell's big win at Navy in its first game without senior leader Donald Brown -- and headed into a game with potential league championship implications. But if either lets down, or if looks past tonight to even sneak a peek at the other, Friday's ESPNU matchup could end up taking on a very different context.
Holy Cross throttled Army when they met in Worcester back on Jan. 10, winning by 24 points. It would be understandable if a bunch of 20-year-old kids would take Army lightly in the rematch (matchup). It could also be fatal to HC's championship dreams. The Black Knights are a very different team in West Point, where they are 9-2 on the season.
Ralph Willard knows the danger. In 2002, his team went into West Point one game before a big showdown with American and came out with a loss that eventually forced it to go on the road for the league final against AU. All worked out in the end for the Crusaders, who won the second of its three titles under Willard by beating the Eagles in Bender. But nobody wants to have to win the championship final on someone else's floor.
No need to harken back to that 2002 slip-up to make the point about needing to stay focused in a tough road game in an empty gym. Willard can simply remind his team what happened two weeks ago in its last trip to New York, when they needed a Keith Simmons three-pointer at the end of the game to get past Colgate.
Bucknell faces a similar challenge at American (matchup). The Bison didn't win by a big margin when the two met in Lewisburg, but they did win pretty convincingly.
The Bison were dominant inside, but allowed Au to knock down 7 threes in the second half to keep it close. If the Eagles are able to shoot like that at home tonight, it could be a very long night for Bucknell.
Bucknell's defense has improved considerably since the two met back on Jan. 10. We'll see how much it has improved tonight.
Labels: Army, AU, BU, HC, previews
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Sunday, February 04, 2007
Seven seconds and 4 points seperate Lehigh and American after the Mountain Hawks completed a series sweep Saturday in D.C.
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
American and Lehigh have played 80 minutes of basketball this season, and after Lehigh's 56-54 win Saturday in Bender Arena, the difference between the two in the combined box score comes down to this: 4 points and 7 seconds.
It's ever so slight an advantage on the scoreboard for the Mountain Hawks, who won the first game in Bethlehem by the same margin on a Phil Anderson putback with less than three seconds to play and completed the sweep thanks to a pair of Jose Olivero free throws Saturday with 4.5 showing on the clock. The difference in the league standings, though, is far more significant.
Instead of being tied with Lehigh for third, each a game ahead of Army and Colgate in the race for one of the four first round home games in the postseason playoffs, American (11-12 overall, 3-6 Patriot) now finds itself in a virtual tie with the Raiders and Black Knights (who actually have a half-game lead with a game in hand) for the fourth and final home spot, while Lehigh has a two-game edge on the whole bunch.
At the end of the regular season, if the Eagles find themselves one win shy of staying home for the first round, chances are they will spend a lot of their bus ride looking back at this one as the game that sent them packing. After squandering a six-point lead, at home, with Lehigh's best player stuck on the bench with foul trouble, it would be hard to look at it any other way. Adding to that misery will be the knowledge that had a trio of guys who are normally pretty fair foul shooters knocked down a few free throws against Lehigh, they'd be sleeping in their own beds instead of heading to some distant hotel.
"It's frustrating," said AU coach Jeff Jones. "It's not easy. It's discouraging."
Jones' sentiments are understandable. Here was a game in which his team shot the ball well (24 of 46, 52.2 percent from the field), played solid defense (Lehigh shot 34.9 percent, 15 of 43), and outrebounded the opposition by a healthy 32-23 margin. yet the Eagles wasted that good play by only making 5 of 10 free throws. It was a game where American held Lehigh to 7 first half field goals (7 of 26, 26.9 percent), yet trailed by two -- the same as the final margin -- at the half, after turning the ball over more times (12) than they put it in the hole (9 field goals on 21 tries -- 42.9 percent).
"Statistics aren't everything, but when you look at the statistics, and you look at the 12 turnovers in the first half, and you look at the missed free throws of our guys who usually are very reliable free throw shooters, you can pretty much sum it up and say that is the difference in the game," Jones said.
That was a big difference in the game, but far from the only one. Another key difference was the play of Lehigh freshman Zahir Carrington during the almost six minute stretch of the second half when Olivero was sitting next to Billy Taylor, saddled with four personals. When Olivero, who led Lehigh with 14 points, sat down, American was up 38-32 with Linas Lekavicius -- a 71 percent free throw shooter -- at the line for a one-and-one and a chance to extend the lead to 8.
"That was at least a chance for us, while their big gun was on the bench, to maybe extend that lead a little, but we weren't able to do that," Jones said.
Lekavicius missed the front end; 21 seconds later AU's lead was cut in half thanks to a three-point play by Carrington and the tide was changed. By the time Olivero returned with 4:39 to play, Lehigh was up 49-44, a cushion that proved to be enough down the stretch. Carrington finished with 9 points, all three of his field goals coming during that game-changing stretch.
"(Carrington) was terrific. His ability to catch and finish in the paint," Lehigh coach Billy Taylor said. "We needed him and he stepped up for us."
American didn't go down easily. trailing by 4 with 50 seconds left, they managed to draw even. First 5-8 sophomore point guard Derrick Mercer took matters into his own hands, driving right the left baseline for a layup to cut the Lehigh lead to 54-52. Then at the other end, Andre Ingram made a huge defensive play on a Lehigh inbounds play under their own basket. Ingram managed to knock the ball out of Olivero's hands and off Olivero's leg out of bounds, giving the Eagles possession with 24 seconds to go.
With Taylor subbing sophomore Matt Szalachowski for Olivero on defense to protect Olivero from fouling out in case the game went to overtime, American was able to take advantage of a mismatch by giving the ball to Arvydas Eitutavicius (13 points), who beat Szalachowski in the paint for a four-foot jumper to tie the game with 14 seconds left.
With the possible exception of the host of Girl Scouts on hand for some sort of promotion, every one of the 1,828 folks in Bender knew where tthe ball was going when Olivero checked back.
"(Olivero) is a guy who has done it so many times in the clutch," said Taylor. "We certainly knew who we wanted to get the ball to."
Once it was in his hands, Olivero didn't hesitate. Olivero took it straight to the hole, missing a runner over 6-10 Brayden Billbe but drawing a foul on Eitutavicius.
"I just tried to be aggressive before their defense got set," Olivero said.
After Olivero's free throws, American had a chance to tie with 4.5 seconds left on the clock. The Eagles never got off a shot though, when Eitutavicius, pressured by Szalachowski, fumbled a kickout pass from Mercer.
The win was just the second on the road this season for Lehigh. It was just the second loss at home for American.
Box score | Notebook | Postgame audio (Billy Taylor, Jose Olivero, Jeff Jones)
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By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
American and Lehigh have played 80 minutes of basketball this season, and after Lehigh's 56-54 win Saturday in Bender Arena, the difference between the two in the combined box score comes down to this: 4 points and 7 seconds.
It's ever so slight an advantage on the scoreboard for the Mountain Hawks, who won the first game in Bethlehem by the same margin on a Phil Anderson putback with less than three seconds to play and completed the sweep thanks to a pair of Jose Olivero free throws Saturday with 4.5 showing on the clock. The difference in the league standings, though, is far more significant.
Instead of being tied with Lehigh for third, each a game ahead of Army and Colgate in the race for one of the four first round home games in the postseason playoffs, American (11-12 overall, 3-6 Patriot) now finds itself in a virtual tie with the Raiders and Black Knights (who actually have a half-game lead with a game in hand) for the fourth and final home spot, while Lehigh has a two-game edge on the whole bunch.
At the end of the regular season, if the Eagles find themselves one win shy of staying home for the first round, chances are they will spend a lot of their bus ride looking back at this one as the game that sent them packing. After squandering a six-point lead, at home, with Lehigh's best player stuck on the bench with foul trouble, it would be hard to look at it any other way. Adding to that misery will be the knowledge that had a trio of guys who are normally pretty fair foul shooters knocked down a few free throws against Lehigh, they'd be sleeping in their own beds instead of heading to some distant hotel.
"It's frustrating," said AU coach Jeff Jones. "It's not easy. It's discouraging."
Jones' sentiments are understandable. Here was a game in which his team shot the ball well (24 of 46, 52.2 percent from the field), played solid defense (Lehigh shot 34.9 percent, 15 of 43), and outrebounded the opposition by a healthy 32-23 margin. yet the Eagles wasted that good play by only making 5 of 10 free throws. It was a game where American held Lehigh to 7 first half field goals (7 of 26, 26.9 percent), yet trailed by two -- the same as the final margin -- at the half, after turning the ball over more times (12) than they put it in the hole (9 field goals on 21 tries -- 42.9 percent).
"Statistics aren't everything, but when you look at the statistics, and you look at the 12 turnovers in the first half, and you look at the missed free throws of our guys who usually are very reliable free throw shooters, you can pretty much sum it up and say that is the difference in the game," Jones said.
That was a big difference in the game, but far from the only one. Another key difference was the play of Lehigh freshman Zahir Carrington during the almost six minute stretch of the second half when Olivero was sitting next to Billy Taylor, saddled with four personals. When Olivero, who led Lehigh with 14 points, sat down, American was up 38-32 with Linas Lekavicius -- a 71 percent free throw shooter -- at the line for a one-and-one and a chance to extend the lead to 8.
"That was at least a chance for us, while their big gun was on the bench, to maybe extend that lead a little, but we weren't able to do that," Jones said.
Lekavicius missed the front end; 21 seconds later AU's lead was cut in half thanks to a three-point play by Carrington and the tide was changed. By the time Olivero returned with 4:39 to play, Lehigh was up 49-44, a cushion that proved to be enough down the stretch. Carrington finished with 9 points, all three of his field goals coming during that game-changing stretch.
"(Carrington) was terrific. His ability to catch and finish in the paint," Lehigh coach Billy Taylor said. "We needed him and he stepped up for us."
American didn't go down easily. trailing by 4 with 50 seconds left, they managed to draw even. First 5-8 sophomore point guard Derrick Mercer took matters into his own hands, driving right the left baseline for a layup to cut the Lehigh lead to 54-52. Then at the other end, Andre Ingram made a huge defensive play on a Lehigh inbounds play under their own basket. Ingram managed to knock the ball out of Olivero's hands and off Olivero's leg out of bounds, giving the Eagles possession with 24 seconds to go.
With Taylor subbing sophomore Matt Szalachowski for Olivero on defense to protect Olivero from fouling out in case the game went to overtime, American was able to take advantage of a mismatch by giving the ball to Arvydas Eitutavicius (13 points), who beat Szalachowski in the paint for a four-foot jumper to tie the game with 14 seconds left.
With the possible exception of the host of Girl Scouts on hand for some sort of promotion, every one of the 1,828 folks in Bender knew where tthe ball was going when Olivero checked back.
"(Olivero) is a guy who has done it so many times in the clutch," said Taylor. "We certainly knew who we wanted to get the ball to."
Once it was in his hands, Olivero didn't hesitate. Olivero took it straight to the hole, missing a runner over 6-10 Brayden Billbe but drawing a foul on Eitutavicius.
"I just tried to be aggressive before their defense got set," Olivero said.
After Olivero's free throws, American had a chance to tie with 4.5 seconds left on the clock. The Eagles never got off a shot though, when Eitutavicius, pressured by Szalachowski, fumbled a kickout pass from Mercer.
The win was just the second on the road this season for Lehigh. It was just the second loss at home for American.
Box score | Notebook | Postgame audio (Billy Taylor, Jose Olivero, Jeff Jones)
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Notes and observations from Lehigh's 56-54 win at American Saturday.
For the first time this season, Kyle Neptune did not start for Lehigh. In his place, sophomore Matt Szalachowski, who made his first start of the season, second of his career. Neptune checked in at the 17:30 mark. Lehigh coach Billy Taylor termed it a coaches decision saying it was not disciplinary in nature. Taylor said the move was an effort to give the Mountain Hawks more energy off the bench.
Sekou Lewis drew his third straight start for AU. Lewis has gone from not playing in 10 of American's first 16 games to the starting lineup. He has played more minutes in each of two of American's last three games than he played total the first 16 games (15 minutes). Linas Lekavicius also returned to the AU starting five after starting the last three games on the bench. It was the eighth different starting lineup AU coach Jeff Jones has tried this season. In all, 10 of the 14 guys on AU's roster have made at least one start.
The lineup tinkering will likely continue, Jones said. Nobody has emerged all seasonto stake an outright claim on the four spot, so it will be filled game-by-game with the decision on who starts determined by matchups and what Jones sees in practice.
Through the first nine minutes of the game, the two teams combined for an Army-Colgate-like five field goals and 11 turnovers. Keeping with that Army-Colgate theme, American scored 2 points in the first 6:29 of the game. At the 11 minute mark of the first half, Lehigh was 2 for 9 from the field (with 4 turnovers), American 3 for 10 (with 7). Both also had more personal fouls (4 for Lehigh, 5 for AU) than field goals at that point.
By the next timeout, with 7:53 to go in the half, it got even worse. At that point, AU was shooting 25 percent (3 of 12) with 10 turnovers. Lehigh was 3 for 13 (23.1 percent) with 5 turnovers. Adding to the ugliness, Lehigh came out of the timeout and missed two layups on its next possession.
AU actually heated up late in the half, improving to 9 of 21 (42.9 percent) from the field at the intermission. They still had more turnovers (12) than field goals, though. Lehigh stayed icy, finishing the half 7 of 26 from the field (26.9 percent). The Mountain Hawks still managed to eke out a 24-22 halftime lead, thanks to 9 of 12 shooting at the foul line. Lehigh finished the half plus-2 in field goals to turnovers ratio (7-5), but combined the two teams were minus-1 (16-17).
NOTABLE FIRST HALF BOX SCORE LINES:
Lehigh: Zahir Carrington -- 0 for 3 from the field, 0 everything else in 4 minutes; John Gourlay -- 0 for 2 from the field, 2 fouls, 7 minutes
American: Sekou Lewis -- 0 for 1, 2 fouls, 1 turnover in 5 minutes; Linas Lekavicius, 2 fouls, 1 assist, 1 turnover in 6 minutes; Garrison Carr -- 0 for 1, the rest zeroes in 4 minutes
Dubious stat of the half: Derrick Mercer -- all 5-8 of him --had the only two blocked shots in the first half.
Lehigh's shooting woes continued in the second half. The Hawks had just two field goals in the first 9 minutes of the half, going 2 for 7 (28.6 percent) in that stretch. AU, on the other hand, went 8 for 14 (57.1 percent) in that stretch. Only Lehigh's 4 for 4 free throw shooting in that stretch kept the Jawks from trailing by more than the 38-32 hole it found itself in at the 11 minute mark.
Adding to Lehigh's woes, Jose Olivero, who had one foul at the half, picked up three in the first 9:13 of the second, forcing coach Billy Taylor to sit his leading scorer with 10:43 to go in the game. At that point, Olivero had more fouls (4) than field goals (3 -- on 9 shots).
Lehigh actually played better offense without Olivero than it did with him. When Olivero sat down the Hawks were shooting under 30 percent from the field. By the time he returned they had turned a 6-point deficit into a 5 point lead and had their second-half field goal percentage above 50 percent.
Both teams were much better offensiveloy the second half. Lehigh was 8 for 17 (47.1 percent) from the field after the break with just four second half turnovers. AU hit 60 percent (15 of 25) from the field the second half with 4 turnovers.
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The lineup tinkering will likely continue, Jones said. Nobody has emerged all seasonto stake an outright claim on the four spot, so it will be filled game-by-game with the decision on who starts determined by matchups and what Jones sees in practice.
Lehigh: Zahir Carrington -- 0 for 3 from the field, 0 everything else in 4 minutes; John Gourlay -- 0 for 2 from the field, 2 fouls, 7 minutes
American: Sekou Lewis -- 0 for 1, 2 fouls, 1 turnover in 5 minutes; Linas Lekavicius, 2 fouls, 1 assist, 1 turnover in 6 minutes; Garrison Carr -- 0 for 1, the rest zeroes in 4 minutes
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Saturday, February 03, 2007
Holy Cross tries to stay on top while the rest of the league jostles for playoff position in a trio of games today.
The biggest game of the day takes place in the nation's capital, where Lehigh (9-14 overall, 4-3 Patriot) takes on host American (11-10, 3-4) (matchup) in a game (7:30 p.m., Sirius 181) that is close to a must win for the Eagles if they hope to host a first round game in the postseason playoffs.
Lehigh is not mathematically eliminated from the regular season championship, but they are realistically out of contention. Second-place, and the possibility of two home playoff games, is still within the Mountain Hawks grasp. If they can beat the two teams ahead of them in the standings (Holy Cross and Bucknell) at home, and HC beats the Bison in Lewisburg, Lehigh would have a tiebreaker edge (the win over HC) over the Bison should both win out.
For that to happen, though, Lehigh needs to win on the road, something it has done just once in 11 games. It won't be easy in bender, where American's only loss this season came in overtime to Holy Cross.
Senior center Jason Mgebroff out since mid-December with a stress fracture in a leg, has returned to Lehigh's practice, but is unlikely to be available tonight. The Hawks got by without him in Stabler -- barely -- pulling out a 51-49 win on a Phil Andersen putback with less than three seconds to play.
American shot 26.1 percent in that game. Lehigh's seven-foot sophomore John Gourlay scored 10 points. Don't expect either performance to be repeated.
Examiner preview
Lafayette at Holy Cross (matchup) -- The Crusaders, riding a nine-game win streak, are unbeaten in conference play heading into this evening's sold-out Hart Center rematch with Lafayette. Their first league win came in Easton over Lafayette in a game that was still in question late in the second half.
It should not have been. But after building a 15-point lead, the Crusaders exhaled, allowing the hot-shooting Leopards to make a game of it down the stretch. It took HC 84 points to put away Lafayette, an uncharacteristic showing for Ralph Willard's defense first club. That's the most HC scored all season and around 20 more than it has averaged in six other league wins.
The way Lafayette shot the ball (56.8 percent from the field) against the 'Saders zone, it needed nearly all those points to escape with the W.
With Pat Doherty having since returned from his broken hand, HC probably could muster even more offense if need be. But expect a different style at Hart, where Holy Cross is 8-0 this season. Lafayette's only road conference win came at Colgate. They will need to repeat their 56.8 percent shooting to stay in the game in Worcester, something that is highly unlikely.
Colgate at Army (matchup) -- The Raiders won in overtime the first meeting in Hamilton. It won't be easy to repeat that feat in Christl Arena, where the Black Knights are 9-1 this season.
Army (13-9, 3-4) needs a win to stay in the mix for a home playoff game. Colgate (7-13, 2-5) needs a win to try to get into that mix.
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The biggest game of the day takes place in the nation's capital, where Lehigh (9-14 overall, 4-3 Patriot) takes on host American (11-10, 3-4) (matchup) in a game (7:30 p.m., Sirius 181) that is close to a must win for the Eagles if they hope to host a first round game in the postseason playoffs.
Lehigh is not mathematically eliminated from the regular season championship, but they are realistically out of contention. Second-place, and the possibility of two home playoff games, is still within the Mountain Hawks grasp. If they can beat the two teams ahead of them in the standings (Holy Cross and Bucknell) at home, and HC beats the Bison in Lewisburg, Lehigh would have a tiebreaker edge (the win over HC) over the Bison should both win out.
For that to happen, though, Lehigh needs to win on the road, something it has done just once in 11 games. It won't be easy in bender, where American's only loss this season came in overtime to Holy Cross.
Senior center Jason Mgebroff out since mid-December with a stress fracture in a leg, has returned to Lehigh's practice, but is unlikely to be available tonight. The Hawks got by without him in Stabler -- barely -- pulling out a 51-49 win on a Phil Andersen putback with less than three seconds to play.
American shot 26.1 percent in that game. Lehigh's seven-foot sophomore John Gourlay scored 10 points. Don't expect either performance to be repeated.
Examiner preview
Lafayette at Holy Cross (matchup) -- The Crusaders, riding a nine-game win streak, are unbeaten in conference play heading into this evening's sold-out Hart Center rematch with Lafayette. Their first league win came in Easton over Lafayette in a game that was still in question late in the second half.
It should not have been. But after building a 15-point lead, the Crusaders exhaled, allowing the hot-shooting Leopards to make a game of it down the stretch. It took HC 84 points to put away Lafayette, an uncharacteristic showing for Ralph Willard's defense first club. That's the most HC scored all season and around 20 more than it has averaged in six other league wins.
The way Lafayette shot the ball (56.8 percent from the field) against the 'Saders zone, it needed nearly all those points to escape with the W.
With Pat Doherty having since returned from his broken hand, HC probably could muster even more offense if need be. But expect a different style at Hart, where Holy Cross is 8-0 this season. Lafayette's only road conference win came at Colgate. They will need to repeat their 56.8 percent shooting to stay in the game in Worcester, something that is highly unlikely.
Colgate at Army (matchup) -- The Raiders won in overtime the first meeting in Hamilton. It won't be easy to repeat that feat in Christl Arena, where the Black Knights are 9-1 this season.
Army (13-9, 3-4) needs a win to stay in the mix for a home playoff game. Colgate (7-13, 2-5) needs a win to try to get into that mix.
Labels: Army, AU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, previews
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Thursday, February 01, 2007
Down three at the half, the Crusaders blitzed American after the break to stay unbeaten in Patriot League play with a 58-47 win.
Holy Cross' 10th straight win was a tale of two halves. In the first half, Andre Ingram score 8 points for American (11-11 overall, 3-5 Patriot) and Arvydas Eitutavicius had 7. Keith Simmons was 0 for 3 and scoreless for the Holy Cross (17-6, 8-0), which trailed 25-22 at halftime.
Simmons scored all of his 11 points after intermission. Ingram had just three more points and Eitutavicius, who torched the Crusaders defense for 24 points in the first meeting between the two teams, went scoreless in the second half.
Holy Cross kept American off the scoreboard the first five minutes of the second half, using a 7-0 spurt to take the lead. After American tied it at 29-29, HC went on a 10-1 run to take the lead for good.
American shot 36.7 percent (18 of 49) for the game, 4 of 18 from three-point range. In the second half, American was 8 for 26 (30.8 percent) from the field, 1 for 11 from the arc.
Holy Cross was 17 of 49 (34.7 percent) from the field, 5 of 15 on three-pointers. But the Crusaders went 19 for 26 at the free throw line, while AU made just 12 trips to the line, converting 7 times. The Crusaders also held a 38-32 edge on the boards.
Usual AU nemesis Tim Clifford was plagued by foul trouble, finishing with just 6 points in 27 minutes. But Alex Vander Baan and Pat Doherty pitched in with 10 points each to pick up the offensive slack. Torey Thomas led all scorers with 16 points, including 7 free throws in the final 2:24 to help seal the deal.
The 3,118 fans in the Hart Center were the fourth straight 3,000-plus crowd for the Crusaders, who are now averaging 2,827 per game, second in the league behind Bucknell (3,829).
Box score | Telegram & Gazette (gamer) | Telegram & Gazette (sidebar)
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Holy Cross' 10th straight win was a tale of two halves. In the first half, Andre Ingram score 8 points for American (11-11 overall, 3-5 Patriot) and Arvydas Eitutavicius had 7. Keith Simmons was 0 for 3 and scoreless for the Holy Cross (17-6, 8-0), which trailed 25-22 at halftime.
Simmons scored all of his 11 points after intermission. Ingram had just three more points and Eitutavicius, who torched the Crusaders defense for 24 points in the first meeting between the two teams, went scoreless in the second half.
Holy Cross kept American off the scoreboard the first five minutes of the second half, using a 7-0 spurt to take the lead. After American tied it at 29-29, HC went on a 10-1 run to take the lead for good.
American shot 36.7 percent (18 of 49) for the game, 4 of 18 from three-point range. In the second half, American was 8 for 26 (30.8 percent) from the field, 1 for 11 from the arc.
Holy Cross was 17 of 49 (34.7 percent) from the field, 5 of 15 on three-pointers. But the Crusaders went 19 for 26 at the free throw line, while AU made just 12 trips to the line, converting 7 times. The Crusaders also held a 38-32 edge on the boards.
Usual AU nemesis Tim Clifford was plagued by foul trouble, finishing with just 6 points in 27 minutes. But Alex Vander Baan and Pat Doherty pitched in with 10 points each to pick up the offensive slack. Torey Thomas led all scorers with 16 points, including 7 free throws in the final 2:24 to help seal the deal.
The 3,118 fans in the Hart Center were the fourth straight 3,000-plus crowd for the Crusaders, who are now averaging 2,827 per game, second in the league behind Bucknell (3,829).
Box score | Telegram & Gazette (gamer) | Telegram & Gazette (sidebar)
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Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The Eagles travel to Worcester hoping to get back to .500 in the league by avenging an overtime loss to Holy Cross 11 days ago.
Chances are AU has been kicking itself over its missed opportunity since that loss. The Eagles did almost everything they needed to win in regulation, shutting down Keith Simmons, holding the Crusaders under 40 percent shooting and shooting 50 percent from the field themselves.
But American did not rebound, didn't take care of the ball and did not have an answer for Tim Clifford, who finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds
In that game, American had the benefit of feeding off what was called the largest crowd in Bender Arena history (in reality, it was not quite as big as the crowd for the HC-AU championship game in 2002). In this one it will have to contend with a hostile crowd in the Hart Center, where Holy Cross is 8-0 this season and riding a 12-game home win streak dating to last season. Since the 2000-2001 season, the Crusaders are 40-5 in Hart, including 5 wins in 6 games against American.
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Chances are AU has been kicking itself over its missed opportunity since that loss. The Eagles did almost everything they needed to win in regulation, shutting down Keith Simmons, holding the Crusaders under 40 percent shooting and shooting 50 percent from the field themselves.
But American did not rebound, didn't take care of the ball and did not have an answer for Tim Clifford, who finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds
In that game, American had the benefit of feeding off what was called the largest crowd in Bender Arena history (in reality, it was not quite as big as the crowd for the HC-AU championship game in 2002). In this one it will have to contend with a hostile crowd in the Hart Center, where Holy Cross is 8-0 this season and riding a 12-game home win streak dating to last season. Since the 2000-2001 season, the Crusaders are 40-5 in Hart, including 5 wins in 6 games against American.
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Sunday, January 28, 2007
(Updated with links at 9:43 am)The Leopards likes to live by the three. Saturday it was their demise.
Andre Ingram rained threes on the Leopards, draining 6 from the arc en route to a 23-point afternoon.
Ingram's effort was part of a 10-trey afternoon for AU, which shot 44.8 percent (26 of 58) from the field, 10 of 22 outside the arc.
The Eagles also got a big game inside from Travis Lay, who came off the bench for a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double. Lay's rebounding was a key to American's 37-27 edge on the boards. Three of Lay's rebounds were on the offensive glass, where AU had a 10-2 edge.
Lafayette, which lives and dies by the jump shot, was just 20 of 47 from the field (42.6 percent), 7 of 22 from the arc. Andrew Brown and Matt Betley each had 12 points for Lafayette, but they were a combined 3 for 13 from the arc.
The Leopards were up 25-24 after a pair of Jesper Andersson free throws with 2:58 to go in the first half. AU responded with an 8-3 run to close the half up 32-28 and never trailed after the break. Lafayette got within one on an Andre Hines jumper with 14:39 to play before American pulled away.
The win, American's second in a row, puts the Eagles (11-10 overall, 3-4 Patriot) back above .500 and back in contention for one of the four homecourt first round games.
Lafayette (8-14, 2-5) drops into a tie with Colgate, one game ahead of last-place Navy.
Box score | Morning Call | Express-Times
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Andre Ingram rained threes on the Leopards, draining 6 from the arc en route to a 23-point afternoon.
Ingram's effort was part of a 10-trey afternoon for AU, which shot 44.8 percent (26 of 58) from the field, 10 of 22 outside the arc.
The Eagles also got a big game inside from Travis Lay, who came off the bench for a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double. Lay's rebounding was a key to American's 37-27 edge on the boards. Three of Lay's rebounds were on the offensive glass, where AU had a 10-2 edge.
Lafayette, which lives and dies by the jump shot, was just 20 of 47 from the field (42.6 percent), 7 of 22 from the arc. Andrew Brown and Matt Betley each had 12 points for Lafayette, but they were a combined 3 for 13 from the arc.
The Leopards were up 25-24 after a pair of Jesper Andersson free throws with 2:58 to go in the first half. AU responded with an 8-3 run to close the half up 32-28 and never trailed after the break. Lafayette got within one on an Andre Hines jumper with 14:39 to play before American pulled away.
The win, American's second in a row, puts the Eagles (11-10 overall, 3-4 Patriot) back above .500 and back in contention for one of the four homecourt first round games.
Lafayette (8-14, 2-5) drops into a tie with Colgate, one game ahead of last-place Navy.
Box score | Morning Call | Express-Times
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Saturday, January 27, 2007
After a few weeks of ties up and down the Patriot League standings, things will shake out a little today.
For the first time all season, somebody will be alone at the bottom. Last place will be decided in Annapolis, where Navy hosts Colgate in a battle of 1-5 teams (matchup). Meanwhile, American visits Lafayette in a matchup of a pair of 2-4 clubs (matchup).
The winner of the AU-LC game could find itself suddenly tied for the all-important fourth spot in the standings, pending the outcome of tonight's Army at Bucknell matchup. A Bucknell win would leave Army tied with that AU-LC winner for the number four spot -- a spot magnified in importance this season by the league's higher seed homecourt playoffs system that has replaced the league's post-season tournament to determine the conference championship and what will likely be just one bid to the NCAA Tournament.
That Army-Bucknell game is the spotlight contest of the day. Army, coming off a loss at Lafayette on Wednesday after three-straight wins in West Point, needs bounce-back win to stay above .500 and even with Lehigh for third place in the standings. A loss and suddenly, despite their strong start in conference play, the Black Knights are back to battling just to stay out of the second division.
For Bucknell, the story is pretty simple. Win their 31st straight home conference game and keep pace one game behind Holy Cross, which has yet to visit Sojka this season.
In Easton, Lafayette will look to shoot its way past an American team that looked like a contender early in the season, but found itself needing a win over Navy Wednesday to stay out of the cellar. Conventional wisdom would tell you American's big, deep frontcourt should be a tremendous edge for the Eagles. But aside from up and down Brayden Billbe, production from those big guys have been mediocre at best.
If Lafayette can lure AU's gunners into a shootout, it could be another long bus ride home for American, which is 0-3 on the road in league play.
In Annapolis, Billy Lange's young Midshipmen badly need a win to stem the bleeding. After a promising 9-3 start, Navy has dropped 7 of its last 9, including its last three. Colgate, which has lost five straight and eight of its last 9, could be the first aid Navy needs. The Raiders rank 314th (out of 325) nationally in scoring and 294th in field goal percentage (40.3 percent).
Of course Bavy is just above Colgate in the league rankings for field goal percentage (41.5 percent, 263 nationally). Two areas where Navy has a big edge are at the foul line and behind the arc. Navy ranks 9th nationally in free throw percentage (76.1 percent, tops in the league); Colgate is last in the league at 69.5 percent (140 nationally). Navy is second in the league and No. 25 in the nation in three-pointers per game (8.4 per); Colgate is last in the league and 316 out of 325 nationally with 4.2 per game.
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For the first time all season, somebody will be alone at the bottom. Last place will be decided in Annapolis, where Navy hosts Colgate in a battle of 1-5 teams (matchup). Meanwhile, American visits Lafayette in a matchup of a pair of 2-4 clubs (matchup).
The winner of the AU-LC game could find itself suddenly tied for the all-important fourth spot in the standings, pending the outcome of tonight's Army at Bucknell matchup. A Bucknell win would leave Army tied with that AU-LC winner for the number four spot -- a spot magnified in importance this season by the league's higher seed homecourt playoffs system that has replaced the league's post-season tournament to determine the conference championship and what will likely be just one bid to the NCAA Tournament.
That Army-Bucknell game is the spotlight contest of the day. Army, coming off a loss at Lafayette on Wednesday after three-straight wins in West Point, needs bounce-back win to stay above .500 and even with Lehigh for third place in the standings. A loss and suddenly, despite their strong start in conference play, the Black Knights are back to battling just to stay out of the second division.
For Bucknell, the story is pretty simple. Win their 31st straight home conference game and keep pace one game behind Holy Cross, which has yet to visit Sojka this season.
In Easton, Lafayette will look to shoot its way past an American team that looked like a contender early in the season, but found itself needing a win over Navy Wednesday to stay out of the cellar. Conventional wisdom would tell you American's big, deep frontcourt should be a tremendous edge for the Eagles. But aside from up and down Brayden Billbe, production from those big guys have been mediocre at best.
If Lafayette can lure AU's gunners into a shootout, it could be another long bus ride home for American, which is 0-3 on the road in league play.
In Annapolis, Billy Lange's young Midshipmen badly need a win to stem the bleeding. After a promising 9-3 start, Navy has dropped 7 of its last 9, including its last three. Colgate, which has lost five straight and eight of its last 9, could be the first aid Navy needs. The Raiders rank 314th (out of 325) nationally in scoring and 294th in field goal percentage (40.3 percent).
Of course Bavy is just above Colgate in the league rankings for field goal percentage (41.5 percent, 263 nationally). Two areas where Navy has a big edge are at the foul line and behind the arc. Navy ranks 9th nationally in free throw percentage (76.1 percent, tops in the league); Colgate is last in the league at 69.5 percent (140 nationally). Navy is second in the league and No. 25 in the nation in three-pointers per game (8.4 per); Colgate is last in the league and 316 out of 325 nationally with 4.2 per game.
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, Laf, Navy, previews
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Thursday, January 25, 2007
There are reasons American and Navy were tied for last in the league heading into last night's game.
One of those was on full display during the Eagles 55-46 win over the Midshipmen in Bender Arena.
The two teams combined to go 30 of 99 (30.3 percent) from the floor in a game decided at the foul line.
American was not exactly stellar at the charity stripe, shooting just 60 percent from the line. But the Eagles (18 of 30) got to the stripe 18 more times than Navy, negating the Mids 11 of 12 performance.
Take either team off the line and put a defender on them and the results differed dramatically. American was 16 for 53 (30.2 percent) from the field, 5 of 22 from three-point range. Navy shot 14 for 46 (30.4 percent) from the field, 7 of 24 at the arc.
Andre Ingram led the Eagles with 18 points and 9 rebounds. Brayden Billbe added 11 points off the bench.
Greg Sprink was the only Mid in double figures, finishing with 16 points and 9 boards.
Billbe was one of three usual starters benched at the beginning of this one. Looking for better matchups against Navy's perimeter-oriented offense, Jeff Jones inserted Arvydas Eitutavicius, 6-5 soph Jordan Nichols and little used 6-5 senior Sekou Lewis -- who had played in only 9 of the first 19 games, averaging 2.7 minutes -- into the starting five. Out of the lineup were Billbe, Linas Lekavicius and Travis Lay. It was the first time all season and the second time in two seasons Billbe and Lekavicius did not start.
Box score | Wash. Post
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One of those was on full display during the Eagles 55-46 win over the Midshipmen in Bender Arena.
The two teams combined to go 30 of 99 (30.3 percent) from the floor in a game decided at the foul line.
American was not exactly stellar at the charity stripe, shooting just 60 percent from the line. But the Eagles (18 of 30) got to the stripe 18 more times than Navy, negating the Mids 11 of 12 performance.
Take either team off the line and put a defender on them and the results differed dramatically. American was 16 for 53 (30.2 percent) from the field, 5 of 22 from three-point range. Navy shot 14 for 46 (30.4 percent) from the field, 7 of 24 at the arc.
Andre Ingram led the Eagles with 18 points and 9 rebounds. Brayden Billbe added 11 points off the bench.
Greg Sprink was the only Mid in double figures, finishing with 16 points and 9 boards.
Billbe was one of three usual starters benched at the beginning of this one. Looking for better matchups against Navy's perimeter-oriented offense, Jeff Jones inserted Arvydas Eitutavicius, 6-5 soph Jordan Nichols and little used 6-5 senior Sekou Lewis -- who had played in only 9 of the first 19 games, averaging 2.7 minutes -- into the starting five. Out of the lineup were Billbe, Linas Lekavicius and Travis Lay. It was the first time all season and the second time in two seasons Billbe and Lekavicius did not start.
Box score | Wash. Post
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Wednesday, January 24, 2007
(Includes bonus links)
After last night's twofer Tuesday, two more on tap tonight in the Patriot League. The headliner is Army, leaving West Point for the first time in two weeks to visit the hard luck Leopards of Lafayette.
Army has a chance to claim a share of third place when it visits Easton tonight (matchup). The Black Knights, coming off three-straight wins at home, would actually have a tiebreaker edge over Lehigh for the number three seed if they win in Kirby, thanks to a win over the Mountain Hawks.
It won't be easy. Army is 2-6 on the road this season. Lafayette is just 3-5 at home, but those losses include games against Holy Cross and Bucknell, both of which the Leopards managed to hang in all the way to the end.
Lafayette can play with anybody in the league when its shots are falling and unlike Holy Cross or Bucknell, Army won't present the Leopards with a huge mismatch in the frontcourt.
Meanwhile, down in the Nation's Capital, somebody will emerge from the cellar when 1-4 American hosts 1-4 Navy (matchup).
BONUS LINKS:
Morse keeps shooting (Centre Daily Times)
We knew Holy Cross star Torey Thomas when . . . (Slam)
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After last night's twofer Tuesday, two more on tap tonight in the Patriot League. The headliner is Army, leaving West Point for the first time in two weeks to visit the hard luck Leopards of Lafayette.
Army has a chance to claim a share of third place when it visits Easton tonight (matchup). The Black Knights, coming off three-straight wins at home, would actually have a tiebreaker edge over Lehigh for the number three seed if they win in Kirby, thanks to a win over the Mountain Hawks.
It won't be easy. Army is 2-6 on the road this season. Lafayette is just 3-5 at home, but those losses include games against Holy Cross and Bucknell, both of which the Leopards managed to hang in all the way to the end.
Lafayette can play with anybody in the league when its shots are falling and unlike Holy Cross or Bucknell, Army won't present the Leopards with a huge mismatch in the frontcourt.
Meanwhile, down in the Nation's Capital, somebody will emerge from the cellar when 1-4 American hosts 1-4 Navy (matchup).
BONUS LINKS:
Labels: AU, Laf, Navy, previews
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Saturday, January 20, 2007
Steals, rebounds and Tim Clifford helped the 'Saders overcome a tough shooting night to stay unbeaten in league play.
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
There are no style points in the standings, just wins and losses. Which suits Holy Cross just fine, because the Crusaders would not have picked up many style points yesterday at American, but they did pick up a key W with a 69-64 overtime victory in front of the largest crowd ever to witness a basketball game in AU's Bender Arena.
"Sometimes the numbers don't tell the true story," said Tim Clifford, who led Holy Cross (14-6 overall, 5-0 Patriot) with 19 points and 9 rebounds.
Clifford was right. Most of the numbers did seem to favor American (9-10, 1-4), aside from those on the scoreboard when the final buzzer sounded. That was especially true of the first 40 minutes, when American hit 50 percent of its shots, held HC to under 40 percent shooting from the floor, had more than twice as many three-pointers (7-3) than the Crusaders and two more free throws.
Suffice to say it was not a game Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard wants to spend a lot of time watching over again on tape. Winning ugly is still winning. On the road, in front of a raucous crowd of 4,775 fans -- mostly rowdy students drawn by the promise of free T-shirts and free food, escaping with your grasp of first place in the league standings still intact is all that matters.
"Winning on the road is a bear. Anytime you can steal one and come away with a victory, you put it in the left-hand column. You don't even look at it," said Willard. "You learn from it, but you don't even look at it."
How Holy Cross was even in the game, let alone ahead the entire second half until Arvydas Eitutavicius tied it with two free throws with 25 second to go in regulation could easily bewilder anyone who didn't look beyond the offensive numbers. If that same casual fan had even a little knowledge of the Holy Cross roster, they'd have been even more befuddled. After all, who'd have thought the Crusaders could still be in a game when Keith Simmons and Torey Thomas were a combined 7 for 21 through 40 minutes.
Simmons, the Patriot League's leading scorer, who has reached double figures in every HC game this season, eventually did it again, finishing with 14 points after going 6 for 6 at the foul line in the overtime. Thomas, who had reached double figures in five straight games coming into this one, didn't score in the OT and finished with 9.
"On the score sheet it looked like we shouldn't even be in it. But we rebounded and did all the little things that don't show up on the scorecard," thomas said.
Slide over to the far right of their lines in the box score, and you'll find some of those little things that told a large part of the story in the Crusaders' seventh straight win. The backcourt pair came in ranked 1-2 in the league in steals and did nothing to lessen that ranking, combining for 10 (5 each) of Holy Cross' 15 thefts as a team.
"Even though they shot the ball very well against us from a percentage standpoint, the steals made a big difference in this basketball game," said Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard
All told, Holy Cross forced 21 American turnovers. Between the turnovers, and 12-4 edge on the offensive boards, the Crusaders managed to cobble together enough extra possessions to make up for the poor shooting night.
Including the extra session, Holy Cross shot 39.7 percent from the field. A 1 for 8 overtime period dropped American's final field goal percentage to 43.8 percent, a deceptively low number given the Eagles 20 of 40 effort in regulation. But despite shooting four percentage points lower then AU, the Crusaders actually made more buckets, hitting 24 of 62 to American's 21 of 48 effort.
Clifford's play was a big key. The 6-10 junior dominated inside, especially in the second half and in the overtime, when he never left the floor after being limited to 10 minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. Led by Clifford's efforts, the Crusaders dominated inside, outscoring AU 38-14 in the paint. That was enough to offset the 49 combined points of American's guard trio of Derrick Mercer (11 points), Andre Ingram (14) and Eitutavicius, who led all scorers with 24 points.
Eitutavicius gave the Crusaders fits all night, going 7 for 12 from the field, including four treys, and 6 for 6 at the foul line. During an 11-minute stretch of the second half, the 6-2 senior from Lithuania singlehandedly kept American in the game, scoring 14 of the Eagles' 18 points during that stretch.
That kept AU close enough to be in position to take advantage of a big defensive stop and a missed free throw by Thomas to send the game to OT. The stop came with Holy Cross up 58-54, in possession of the ball after a Pat Doherty steal. Coming out of a timeout, the Crusaders put the ball in Thomas' hands with 10 seconds on the shot clock and 45 ticks on the game clock.
Thomas' jumper came up short and he was whistled for a foul trying to steal the rebound from Ingram. Ingram hit both free throws to make it a two-point game, Thomas had another chance to put the game out of reach when he was fouled on the inbounds play, but he missed the front end of the one-and-one, allowing Eitutavicius to send it to overtime with a pair of free throws at the other end.
The Crusaders had a chance to pull it out in regulation, but Doherty's long three-pointer with 3.3 seconds to go was an air ball.
In the overtime, Holy Cross jumper out to a 4-point lead on free throws by Clifford and Simmons and never let American overcome that advantage, hitting 9 of 10 foul shots in the extra session while holding AU to 1 for 8 shooting from the floor in overtime.
Holy Cross will be at Colgate Tuesday before returning home for a nationally televised tussle Friday night with Lehigh (9 p.m., ESPNU).
Box score | Postgame audio (Clifford, Thomas, Willard, Jones)
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By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
There are no style points in the standings, just wins and losses. Which suits Holy Cross just fine, because the Crusaders would not have picked up many style points yesterday at American, but they did pick up a key W with a 69-64 overtime victory in front of the largest crowd ever to witness a basketball game in AU's Bender Arena.
"Sometimes the numbers don't tell the true story," said Tim Clifford, who led Holy Cross (14-6 overall, 5-0 Patriot) with 19 points and 9 rebounds.
Clifford was right. Most of the numbers did seem to favor American (9-10, 1-4), aside from those on the scoreboard when the final buzzer sounded. That was especially true of the first 40 minutes, when American hit 50 percent of its shots, held HC to under 40 percent shooting from the floor, had more than twice as many three-pointers (7-3) than the Crusaders and two more free throws.
Suffice to say it was not a game Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard wants to spend a lot of time watching over again on tape. Winning ugly is still winning. On the road, in front of a raucous crowd of 4,775 fans -- mostly rowdy students drawn by the promise of free T-shirts and free food, escaping with your grasp of first place in the league standings still intact is all that matters.
"Winning on the road is a bear. Anytime you can steal one and come away with a victory, you put it in the left-hand column. You don't even look at it," said Willard. "You learn from it, but you don't even look at it."
How Holy Cross was even in the game, let alone ahead the entire second half until Arvydas Eitutavicius tied it with two free throws with 25 second to go in regulation could easily bewilder anyone who didn't look beyond the offensive numbers. If that same casual fan had even a little knowledge of the Holy Cross roster, they'd have been even more befuddled. After all, who'd have thought the Crusaders could still be in a game when Keith Simmons and Torey Thomas were a combined 7 for 21 through 40 minutes.
Simmons, the Patriot League's leading scorer, who has reached double figures in every HC game this season, eventually did it again, finishing with 14 points after going 6 for 6 at the foul line in the overtime. Thomas, who had reached double figures in five straight games coming into this one, didn't score in the OT and finished with 9.
"On the score sheet it looked like we shouldn't even be in it. But we rebounded and did all the little things that don't show up on the scorecard," thomas said.
Slide over to the far right of their lines in the box score, and you'll find some of those little things that told a large part of the story in the Crusaders' seventh straight win. The backcourt pair came in ranked 1-2 in the league in steals and did nothing to lessen that ranking, combining for 10 (5 each) of Holy Cross' 15 thefts as a team.
"Even though they shot the ball very well against us from a percentage standpoint, the steals made a big difference in this basketball game," said Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard
All told, Holy Cross forced 21 American turnovers. Between the turnovers, and 12-4 edge on the offensive boards, the Crusaders managed to cobble together enough extra possessions to make up for the poor shooting night.
Including the extra session, Holy Cross shot 39.7 percent from the field. A 1 for 8 overtime period dropped American's final field goal percentage to 43.8 percent, a deceptively low number given the Eagles 20 of 40 effort in regulation. But despite shooting four percentage points lower then AU, the Crusaders actually made more buckets, hitting 24 of 62 to American's 21 of 48 effort.
Clifford's play was a big key. The 6-10 junior dominated inside, especially in the second half and in the overtime, when he never left the floor after being limited to 10 minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. Led by Clifford's efforts, the Crusaders dominated inside, outscoring AU 38-14 in the paint. That was enough to offset the 49 combined points of American's guard trio of Derrick Mercer (11 points), Andre Ingram (14) and Eitutavicius, who led all scorers with 24 points.
Eitutavicius gave the Crusaders fits all night, going 7 for 12 from the field, including four treys, and 6 for 6 at the foul line. During an 11-minute stretch of the second half, the 6-2 senior from Lithuania singlehandedly kept American in the game, scoring 14 of the Eagles' 18 points during that stretch.
That kept AU close enough to be in position to take advantage of a big defensive stop and a missed free throw by Thomas to send the game to OT. The stop came with Holy Cross up 58-54, in possession of the ball after a Pat Doherty steal. Coming out of a timeout, the Crusaders put the ball in Thomas' hands with 10 seconds on the shot clock and 45 ticks on the game clock.
Thomas' jumper came up short and he was whistled for a foul trying to steal the rebound from Ingram. Ingram hit both free throws to make it a two-point game, Thomas had another chance to put the game out of reach when he was fouled on the inbounds play, but he missed the front end of the one-and-one, allowing Eitutavicius to send it to overtime with a pair of free throws at the other end.
The Crusaders had a chance to pull it out in regulation, but Doherty's long three-pointer with 3.3 seconds to go was an air ball.
In the overtime, Holy Cross jumper out to a 4-point lead on free throws by Clifford and Simmons and never let American overcome that advantage, hitting 9 of 10 foul shots in the extra session while holding AU to 1 for 8 shooting from the floor in overtime.
Holy Cross will be at Colgate Tuesday before returning home for a nationally televised tussle Friday night with Lehigh (9 p.m., ESPNU).
Box score | Postgame audio (Clifford, Thomas, Willard, Jones)
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With Army-Navy on hold until Sunday, there are just three games on tap today, all involving matchups between the early season haves and early season have-nots.
Colgate at Bucknell ESPNU, Sirius 123 (matchup) -- Bucknell's 23-game league win streak came to an end last week in Worcester. Their 28-game streak of league wins at home is still intact.
Colgate is the worst shooting team in the league, barely hitting over 40 percent on the season (40.9). Normally you would not think of Sojka Pavilion as a good place for a team that shoots poorly to visit. But here is one of the most surprising stats of the season: Bucknell ranks next to last in the league in field goal percentage defense (44.3 percent).
The biggest concern for Bucknell is Colgate's Jon Simon, who went off for 28 points Wednesday at Lehigh. Simon's 8 three-pointers kept the Raiders in that game right to the end. The Bison have had a knack for letting teams hits enough threes to stick around.
Expect a few more folks cheering Colgate than normal. Raiders guard Willie Morse is from State College H.S., 45 minutes out Route 45 from Lewisburg. The State College H.S. team will take on Hazleton -- coached by Bucknell grad Mike Joseph -- in Sojka following the BU-CU game.
Holy Cross at American (matchup) -- Holy Cross returns to the road after a three-game homestand, looking to solidify its hold on first place. The Crusaders are on a roll, having won six in a row -- including a 4-0 start in league play -- and seven of their last eight.
American is hoping a return to Bender will stop the bleeding. After a 7-2 start, AU has gone 2-7 in its last 9 games, including a 1-3 start in league play. Despite their struggles, the Eagles are still 6-0 at home this season.
Two years ago, HC's Tim Clifford had his coming out party at Bender with a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double in a short-notice first start after Nate Lufkin rolled an ankle at Navy two days earlier. Clifford followed that up with a 27-point effort against AU in Worcester last season that still stands as his career-high.
If Clifford is going to have a big scoring day against AU this afternoon, it probably will come at the free throw line. American has a boatload of frontcourt players and Jeff Jones will probably throw them all at Clifford in an effort to keep him in check.
What Jones doesn't have is anybody who can match up with Keith Simmons (who in the league does?). The best AU can hope for in the backcourt is to get enough scoring from Andre Ingram and Arvydas Eitutavicius to even Simmons out.
Lafayette at Lehigh (matchup) -- The league's highest scoring offense hosts the league's worst scoring defense in a meeting of the two archrivals from the Lehigh Valley.
Lehigh needs a win to keep pace with Bucknell for second place in the league standings. Lafayette is currently tied with Navy, American and Colgate for last place -- all at 1-3. Stabler Arena is not the place you want to visit needing a win. The Mountain Hawks are 7-1 at home and just a second or two and a questionable whistle from being unbeaten there.
In their own building, the Leopards have shown the ability to shoot enough threes to hang with two of the league's best. To get a win here, they will need to show they can do it on the road and that they can maintain it for 40 minutes -- something they were unable to do at home against HC and Bucknell.
Talk about Lehigh personnel usually starts with Jose Olivero. But Marquis Hall and Kyle Neptune are also three-point threats, capable of shredding Lafayette's zone from the perimeter if their shots are falling. Inside, Skinny Phil (Anderson) has scored in double figures three straight games and has the kind of matchup against Lafayette's undersized front line to do it a fourth time here.
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Colgate at Bucknell ESPNU, Sirius 123 (matchup) -- Bucknell's 23-game league win streak came to an end last week in Worcester. Their 28-game streak of league wins at home is still intact.
Colgate is the worst shooting team in the league, barely hitting over 40 percent on the season (40.9). Normally you would not think of Sojka Pavilion as a good place for a team that shoots poorly to visit. But here is one of the most surprising stats of the season: Bucknell ranks next to last in the league in field goal percentage defense (44.3 percent).
The biggest concern for Bucknell is Colgate's Jon Simon, who went off for 28 points Wednesday at Lehigh. Simon's 8 three-pointers kept the Raiders in that game right to the end. The Bison have had a knack for letting teams hits enough threes to stick around.
Expect a few more folks cheering Colgate than normal. Raiders guard Willie Morse is from State College H.S., 45 minutes out Route 45 from Lewisburg. The State College H.S. team will take on Hazleton -- coached by Bucknell grad Mike Joseph -- in Sojka following the BU-CU game.
Holy Cross at American (matchup) -- Holy Cross returns to the road after a three-game homestand, looking to solidify its hold on first place. The Crusaders are on a roll, having won six in a row -- including a 4-0 start in league play -- and seven of their last eight.
American is hoping a return to Bender will stop the bleeding. After a 7-2 start, AU has gone 2-7 in its last 9 games, including a 1-3 start in league play. Despite their struggles, the Eagles are still 6-0 at home this season.
Two years ago, HC's Tim Clifford had his coming out party at Bender with a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double in a short-notice first start after Nate Lufkin rolled an ankle at Navy two days earlier. Clifford followed that up with a 27-point effort against AU in Worcester last season that still stands as his career-high.
If Clifford is going to have a big scoring day against AU this afternoon, it probably will come at the free throw line. American has a boatload of frontcourt players and Jeff Jones will probably throw them all at Clifford in an effort to keep him in check.
What Jones doesn't have is anybody who can match up with Keith Simmons (who in the league does?). The best AU can hope for in the backcourt is to get enough scoring from Andre Ingram and Arvydas Eitutavicius to even Simmons out.
Lafayette at Lehigh (matchup) -- The league's highest scoring offense hosts the league's worst scoring defense in a meeting of the two archrivals from the Lehigh Valley.
Lehigh needs a win to keep pace with Bucknell for second place in the league standings. Lafayette is currently tied with Navy, American and Colgate for last place -- all at 1-3. Stabler Arena is not the place you want to visit needing a win. The Mountain Hawks are 7-1 at home and just a second or two and a questionable whistle from being unbeaten there.
In their own building, the Leopards have shown the ability to shoot enough threes to hang with two of the league's best. To get a win here, they will need to show they can do it on the road and that they can maintain it for 40 minutes -- something they were unable to do at home against HC and Bucknell.
Talk about Lehigh personnel usually starts with Jose Olivero. But Marquis Hall and Kyle Neptune are also three-point threats, capable of shredding Lafayette's zone from the perimeter if their shots are falling. Inside, Skinny Phil (Anderson) has scored in double figures three straight games and has the kind of matchup against Lafayette's undersized front line to do it a fourth time here.
Labels: AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, previews
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Thursday, January 18, 2007
Army's 60-55 win over American gave it back-to-back Patriot League wins for the first time since the 2000-2001 season.
It was Army's first win over AU in 43 years and gave the Black Knights (12-7 overall, 2-2 Patriot) 12 wins in a season for the first time since the 1986-87 season.
American led by 6 at the half, but faded after the intermission. Army started the half with an 11-3 run and broke it open with a 9-2 run that started with a Marcus Nelson dunk at the 3:37 mark. The Black Knights held on by canning 13 of 14 free throws in the final 1:24.
Jarrell Brown led Army with 19 points. Matt Bell added 17 and Cory Sinning had 10.
Arvydas Eitutavicius had 17 points and a team-high 7 rebounds for American (9-9, 1-3), which has now dropped 7 of its last 9 games. Andre Ingram added 10.
Both teams shot under 40 percent for the game (AU 18 of 47 - 38.3 percent; Army 18 of 48 - 37.5 percent), with American holding a 7-3 edge in three-pointers. But the Eagles were a horrid 12 of 22 (54.5 percent) at the foul line while Army went 21 of 30 at the stripe.
American also turned the ball over 20 times. But the most telling stat was the combined line of the Brayden Billbe and Paulius Joneliunas, who scored a total of 1 point between them. Billbe played just 14 scoreless minutes before fouling out.Box score | AP
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It was Army's first win over AU in 43 years and gave the Black Knights (12-7 overall, 2-2 Patriot) 12 wins in a season for the first time since the 1986-87 season.
American led by 6 at the half, but faded after the intermission. Army started the half with an 11-3 run and broke it open with a 9-2 run that started with a Marcus Nelson dunk at the 3:37 mark. The Black Knights held on by canning 13 of 14 free throws in the final 1:24.
Jarrell Brown led Army with 19 points. Matt Bell added 17 and Cory Sinning had 10.
Arvydas Eitutavicius had 17 points and a team-high 7 rebounds for American (9-9, 1-3), which has now dropped 7 of its last 9 games. Andre Ingram added 10.
Both teams shot under 40 percent for the game (AU 18 of 47 - 38.3 percent; Army 18 of 48 - 37.5 percent), with American holding a 7-3 edge in three-pointers. But the Eagles were a horrid 12 of 22 (54.5 percent) at the foul line while Army went 21 of 30 at the stripe.
American also turned the ball over 20 times. But the most telling stat was the combined line of the Brayden Billbe and Paulius Joneliunas, who scored a total of 1 point between them. Billbe played just 14 scoreless minutes before fouling out.Box score | AP
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Wednesday, January 17, 2007
An old-fashioned full slate of Wednesday night games are on tap tonight.Bucknall at Lafayette (matchup)-- Bucknell would like nothing better than to start a new league win streak after having its 23-game run end at Holy Cross. It won't be as easy to do that as some might expect. The Bison have a tremendous edge inside, but Lafayette probably won't play a lick of man defense and its zone can make it tough to take advantage of that edge in the post. That is especially so if Bucknell can't knock down a enough threes to force the Leopards to guard the perimieter.
On the other hand, Lafayette is one of the league's best perimeter shooting teams and Bucknell has had trouble defending the three in each of its three league games thus far. There won't be many, if any, easy road games in this league and if the threes are falling for the Leopards, this could be an upset.Daily Item preview
American at Army (matchup)-- The Black Knights are full of confidence after their win over Lehigh Saturday. They will need to play a similar game to beat American for the first time since the Eagles joined the league. That means finding offense from places besides Jarrell Brown and Matt Bell, shutting down Andre Ingram the way they shut down Jose Olivero and keeping Chris Walker out of foul trouble.
For American, which entered the season with realistic hopes of being a contender in the league, a win here is pretty much required if they want to regain that status. The Eagles cannot afford to fall to 1-3 in league play with Holy Cross on tap Saturday. The area where AU should have an edge is in the frontcourt. That edge will magnify if they can put Walker on the bench with foul problems. The trouble is, though American ought to have a real advantage around the basket with its deep, and big, front line, that has been an area that has been inconsistent and underperforming for the Eagles all season. Army hoops on the rise (Lawrence (Kans.) Journal-World)
Navy at Holy Cross (matchup)-- Like every other team in the league, Navy has no match for Keith Simmons. Like most, it also has no match for Tim Clifford. Navy's hopes for an upset probably depend on two things -- getting incredibly hot from the arc and hoping the Crusaders have a post-Bucknell letdown.
Given the way HC plays defense, the former is not likely. Given HC's tendancy to lose focus when it gets ahead in games, it is not beyond the realm of possibility they could have a mental lapse in this situation. There is, though, a very wide gap here between possible and probable -- especially in Worcester.
Colgate at Lehigh (matchup)-- The Mountain Hawks are less than a second away from being unbeaten at home. The Raiders are only a few seconds removed from being winless in the league. Don't expect it to be easy for the Mountain Hawks -- not much has been this season. But Colgate has trouble shooting against weak defenses in cozy barns. In Stabler, which has never been known as a great place for visiting teams to shoot, against a Lehigh team that emphasizes defense, the Raiders struggles from the field aren't likely to be cured tonight. It won't be any surprise if this one is determined at the foul line, and jump-shooting Colgate seldom wins those kinds of battles. It's not that the Raiders can't shoot free throws. They just don't seem to get many opportunities to go to the line. That is not likely to change on the road -- especially not in Stabler.
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On the other hand, Lafayette is one of the league's best perimeter shooting teams and Bucknell has had trouble defending the three in each of its three league games thus far. There won't be many, if any, easy road games in this league and if the threes are falling for the Leopards, this could be an upset.
American at Army (matchup)-- The Black Knights are full of confidence after their win over Lehigh Saturday. They will need to play a similar game to beat American for the first time since the Eagles joined the league. That means finding offense from places besides Jarrell Brown and Matt Bell, shutting down Andre Ingram the way they shut down Jose Olivero and keeping Chris Walker out of foul trouble.
For American, which entered the season with realistic hopes of being a contender in the league, a win here is pretty much required if they want to regain that status. The Eagles cannot afford to fall to 1-3 in league play with Holy Cross on tap Saturday. The area where AU should have an edge is in the frontcourt. That edge will magnify if they can put Walker on the bench with foul problems. The trouble is, though American ought to have a real advantage around the basket with its deep, and big, front line, that has been an area that has been inconsistent and underperforming for the Eagles all season.
Navy at Holy Cross (matchup)-- Like every other team in the league, Navy has no match for Keith Simmons. Like most, it also has no match for Tim Clifford. Navy's hopes for an upset probably depend on two things -- getting incredibly hot from the arc and hoping the Crusaders have a post-Bucknell letdown.
Given the way HC plays defense, the former is not likely. Given HC's tendancy to lose focus when it gets ahead in games, it is not beyond the realm of possibility they could have a mental lapse in this situation. There is, though, a very wide gap here between possible and probable -- especially in Worcester.
Colgate at Lehigh (matchup)-- The Mountain Hawks are less than a second away from being unbeaten at home. The Raiders are only a few seconds removed from being winless in the league. Don't expect it to be easy for the Mountain Hawks -- not much has been this season. But Colgate has trouble shooting against weak defenses in cozy barns. In Stabler, which has never been known as a great place for visiting teams to shoot, against a Lehigh team that emphasizes defense, the Raiders struggles from the field aren't likely to be cured tonight. It won't be any surprise if this one is determined at the foul line, and jump-shooting Colgate seldom wins those kinds of battles. It's not that the Raiders can't shoot free throws. They just don't seem to get many opportunities to go to the line. That is not likely to change on the road -- especially not in Stabler.
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, previews
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Sunday, January 14, 2007
Three new starters in 70-48 loss at American couldn't change the fact the Raiders can't shoot.
Colgate coach Emmett Davis started Trevaron Vinson (12 points), Willie Morse and freshman ben Johnson in an attempt to find someone other than Kendall Chones (16 points) and Jon Simon to put the ball in the basket. It only gave the Raiders more of the same. Colgate made just 5 field goals in the first half en route to another ugly shooting performance, finishing 14 of 48 (29.2 percent), with 2 treys on 9 tries from the arc. It was the eighth time in nine games Colgate shot below 40 percent from the field.
This one effectively ended in the first half, when American used a 12-0 run to break open a 13-10 game. The Eagles lead was never below 11 after that.
Andre Ingram's 24-points led 11 AU players who scored and tied his season high. The Eagles were no offensive juggernaut, going 27 of 62 (43.5 percent from the field. But Au turned it over just 8 times, dished out 19 assists (5 for Derrick Mercer) and outrebounded Colgate 43-32, including a 12-7 edge on offensive boards.
It's just the second W in the last eight games and the first conference win of the season for AU (9-8 overall, 1-2 PL), which opened league play with two road games. Colgate (6-10, 1-2) lost for the fifth time in six games.
Box score | AP
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Colgate coach Emmett Davis started Trevaron Vinson (12 points), Willie Morse and freshman ben Johnson in an attempt to find someone other than Kendall Chones (16 points) and Jon Simon to put the ball in the basket. It only gave the Raiders more of the same. Colgate made just 5 field goals in the first half en route to another ugly shooting performance, finishing 14 of 48 (29.2 percent), with 2 treys on 9 tries from the arc. It was the eighth time in nine games Colgate shot below 40 percent from the field.
This one effectively ended in the first half, when American used a 12-0 run to break open a 13-10 game. The Eagles lead was never below 11 after that.
Andre Ingram's 24-points led 11 AU players who scored and tied his season high. The Eagles were no offensive juggernaut, going 27 of 62 (43.5 percent from the field. But Au turned it over just 8 times, dished out 19 assists (5 for Derrick Mercer) and outrebounded Colgate 43-32, including a 12-7 edge on offensive boards.
It's just the second W in the last eight games and the first conference win of the season for AU (9-8 overall, 1-2 PL), which opened league play with two road games. Colgate (6-10, 1-2) lost for the fifth time in six games.
Box score | AP
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Saturday, January 13, 2007
Three games on tap today. We'll be at West Point, getting our first look at Army when it hosts Lehigh (matchup). The Black Knights' strong start has come nearly to a halt with five losses in the Black Knights' last six games, including an 0-2 start -- both on the road -- in league play.
Army (10-7) badly needs a win at home in Christl to regain some of the momentum of its 9-2 start. Lehigh (7-11) finally won a road game -- its first of the season -- at Navy Wednesday. The Mountain Hawks win here and suddenly their horrid start is an object looking smaller in the rear view mirror.
Army's Jarrell Brown and Lehigh's Jose Olivero are two of the league's top offensive forces, but the key to this one will probably be in the paint, where Army's burly freshman Chris Walker will match up with a Lehigh frontline that is still without Jason Mgebroff. Skinny Phil Anderson has played well enough to keep the Hawks from getting dominated inside in Mgebroff's absence. Here he could have a chance to do even more if Walker can't stay out of the foul trouble that has plagued him in recent games.
Also on tap today: Lafayette looks to improve to 2-1 in conference play at Navy (matchup), which is still looking for its first league win. Whoever hits the most jumpers wins.
American, reeling after two straight losses to open league play and six setbacks in its last seven, tries to get back on track when it hosts Colgate's gang that can't shoot straight (matchup). Colgate has lost four of its last five and has shot over 40 percent once in its last eight games.
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Hometown Hero: Donald Brown (Newsday)
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Army (10-7) badly needs a win at home in Christl to regain some of the momentum of its 9-2 start. Lehigh (7-11) finally won a road game -- its first of the season -- at Navy Wednesday. The Mountain Hawks win here and suddenly their horrid start is an object looking smaller in the rear view mirror.
Army's Jarrell Brown and Lehigh's Jose Olivero are two of the league's top offensive forces, but the key to this one will probably be in the paint, where Army's burly freshman Chris Walker will match up with a Lehigh frontline that is still without Jason Mgebroff. Skinny Phil Anderson has played well enough to keep the Hawks from getting dominated inside in Mgebroff's absence. Here he could have a chance to do even more if Walker can't stay out of the foul trouble that has plagued him in recent games.
Also on tap today: Lafayette looks to improve to 2-1 in conference play at Navy (matchup), which is still looking for its first league win. Whoever hits the most jumpers wins.
American, reeling after two straight losses to open league play and six setbacks in its last seven, tries to get back on track when it hosts Colgate's gang that can't shoot straight (matchup). Colgate has lost four of its last five and has shot over 40 percent once in its last eight games.
BONUS LINK:
Labels: Army, AU, CU, Laf, Leh, Navy, previews
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Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Bucknell's league win streak now at 23, 28 straight league wins in Sojka.By Chris A. Courogen
Fans love the three-pointer. Next to the dunk, there is probably nothing that gets a crowd more excited than when some sniper starts firing away from outside the arc -- the longer, the better.
Had American been back home when the Eagles began raining treys in Bucknell's Sojka Pavilion last night, the Blue Crew would have been whipping itself into a frenzy. Even a small crowd in Bender would have generated a deafening roar as Garrison Carr, Arvydas Eitutavicius and Andre Ingram took turns dropping three-point bombs over Bucknell defenders scurrying to get a hand in their face, not that it seemed to matter once those three got dialed in.
It was an impressive display; seven three-points -- a games worth for most teams -- in one half, 10 total for the game. But it was a display of futility in a 66-60 loss to Bucknell.American went 10 for 22 from the arc -- 7 of 14 after intermission. The Eagles made more threes than Bucknell shot.
The Bison only made three treys. They only shot nine.
Yet in the end, you could argue that the two Jason Vegotsky made during an 8-0 Bucknell run at the start of the second half had far more to do with the final outcome then all 10 American made, and you'd get no debate from Jeff Jones. Bucknell's frontcourt types were already taking advantage of American; after those two three-pointers by Vegotsky that inside edge turned into paint domination.
"We were getting more help in the paint prior to Vegotsky knocking down the two threes," said Jones. "That spread things out."
Nobody took more advantage than Bison junior Darren Mastropaolo, who came off the bench to score 9 of his 11 points in the second half against an American frontline that, simply put, was overmatched.
That much was apparent at the start of the game, when Bison center Chris McNaughton exploited Jones' decision to try to guard him with one guy. Left alone against AU's 6-10 Brayden Billbe, Mcnaughton scored 7 of Bucknell's first 9 points. If McNaughton had managed to stay out of foul trouble, the big German might have had a shot at bettering his career-high (29 vs. Villanova last season). As it was, the 6-11 senior ended the night with a team-high 16 points, despite playing only 16 minutes.
McNaughton picked up his second personal with 5:29 to go in the first half and sat down the rest of the half. He sat down again less than three minutes into the second half after a cheap third foul on what appeared to be routine post defense. McNaughton returned with 10:56 to play and a little over two minutes later had his fourth personal and another seat on the bench.
But it wasn't American that took advantage of the two-time all-conference pick's absence. It was Mastropaolo. McNaughton had barely found a towel after picking up his fourth when Mastropaolo posted up AU's Cornelio Guibunda, drawing a foul that led to two points from the foul line.
Jones quickly yanked Guibunda in favor of 6-11 Paulius Joneliunas. It made little difference. After a missed three by Derrick Mercer at the other end, Mastropaolo beat Joneliunas like a rented mule. Mastropaolo finished the night 3 for 4 from the field, 5 of 8 at the line, reducing McNaughton's foul trouble to an afterthought.
"If you look at the stat sheet, the guy whose numbers that jump out at you is Mastropaolo," said Jones.
"If he plays like that. I can sit on the bench all day and we will be fine," McNaughton said.
Not to be outdone by the M and M's, Donald Brown also had another fine night for Bucknell, scoring 14 points, yanking 8 boards and for good measure, adding 4 assists and 4 steals.
Any discussion of how McNaughton, Mastropaolo and Brown performed has to include a mention of their defense. The three were like Sherwin Williams -- they owned the paint. Just look at the box score: McNaughton, Mastropaolo and Brown combined for 41 points and 13 rebounds. American ran six guys in and out of the game against them -- Billbe, Joneliunas, Guibunda, Travis Lay, Brian Gilmore and Jordan Nichols. Added together they managed 8 points and 11 boards.
That helps explain why AU hit so many threes. Unable to get anything going inside, Jones inserted went with a three-guard look much of teh second half, inserting three-point specialist Carr and the Lithuanian scoring machine Eitutavicius alongside Ingram.
"We did make a conscious effort to go with Garrison Carr to have three shooters in there," Jones said. "They played a lot of matchup and they were giving us fits."
The three-point shooting kept American in the game. After Bucknell held the Eagles scoreless the first 5:24 of the second half, building a 10-point, 37-27 lead, Carr (14 points) stopped the bleeding with back to back threes -- one from NBA range with the shot clock buzzing as the ball dropped through the net. Eitutavicius (game-high 18) had three of his four treys in the second half and Ingram (10) also had a pair after the break. Of 11 field goals the Eagles connected on in the half, 7 came from outside the arc.
American was 10 for 22 (45.5 percent) outside the semicircle; the Eagles were just 12 of 30 (40 percent) inside.
Bucknell finished the game 20 for 39 (51.3 percent) from the field, and their inside attack was rewarded with 29 trips to the foul line, where they made 23, including 10 by John Griffin, who scored all his points from the line. Griffin was 6 for 6 in the final 30 seconds when American was fouling repeatedly in a desperate attempt to extend the game.
The win was Bucknell's 23rd straight in Patriot League play, their 28th straight league win in Sojka Pavilion. Along with Holy Cross' win over Army last night, it sets up the much-anticipated macthup between the two teams that have dominated the league the past two seasons. Bucknell will be at Holy Cross for Friday night's debut of the league's new ESPNU television package.
Box score | Postgame audio (American coach Jeff Jones; Bucknell coach Pat Flannery and players Chris McNaughton and Donald Brown) | Game notebook | Daily Item
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Fans love the three-pointer. Next to the dunk, there is probably nothing that gets a crowd more excited than when some sniper starts firing away from outside the arc -- the longer, the better.
Had American been back home when the Eagles began raining treys in Bucknell's Sojka Pavilion last night, the Blue Crew would have been whipping itself into a frenzy. Even a small crowd in Bender would have generated a deafening roar as Garrison Carr, Arvydas Eitutavicius and Andre Ingram took turns dropping three-point bombs over Bucknell defenders scurrying to get a hand in their face, not that it seemed to matter once those three got dialed in.
It was an impressive display; seven three-points -- a games worth for most teams -- in one half, 10 total for the game. But it was a display of futility in a 66-60 loss to Bucknell.American went 10 for 22 from the arc -- 7 of 14 after intermission. The Eagles made more threes than Bucknell shot.
The Bison only made three treys. They only shot nine.
Yet in the end, you could argue that the two Jason Vegotsky made during an 8-0 Bucknell run at the start of the second half had far more to do with the final outcome then all 10 American made, and you'd get no debate from Jeff Jones. Bucknell's frontcourt types were already taking advantage of American; after those two three-pointers by Vegotsky that inside edge turned into paint domination.
"We were getting more help in the paint prior to Vegotsky knocking down the two threes," said Jones. "That spread things out."
Nobody took more advantage than Bison junior Darren Mastropaolo, who came off the bench to score 9 of his 11 points in the second half against an American frontline that, simply put, was overmatched.
That much was apparent at the start of the game, when Bison center Chris McNaughton exploited Jones' decision to try to guard him with one guy. Left alone against AU's 6-10 Brayden Billbe, Mcnaughton scored 7 of Bucknell's first 9 points. If McNaughton had managed to stay out of foul trouble, the big German might have had a shot at bettering his career-high (29 vs. Villanova last season). As it was, the 6-11 senior ended the night with a team-high 16 points, despite playing only 16 minutes.
McNaughton picked up his second personal with 5:29 to go in the first half and sat down the rest of the half. He sat down again less than three minutes into the second half after a cheap third foul on what appeared to be routine post defense. McNaughton returned with 10:56 to play and a little over two minutes later had his fourth personal and another seat on the bench.
But it wasn't American that took advantage of the two-time all-conference pick's absence. It was Mastropaolo. McNaughton had barely found a towel after picking up his fourth when Mastropaolo posted up AU's Cornelio Guibunda, drawing a foul that led to two points from the foul line.
Jones quickly yanked Guibunda in favor of 6-11 Paulius Joneliunas. It made little difference. After a missed three by Derrick Mercer at the other end, Mastropaolo beat Joneliunas like a rented mule. Mastropaolo finished the night 3 for 4 from the field, 5 of 8 at the line, reducing McNaughton's foul trouble to an afterthought.
"If you look at the stat sheet, the guy whose numbers that jump out at you is Mastropaolo," said Jones.
"If he plays like that. I can sit on the bench all day and we will be fine," McNaughton said.
Not to be outdone by the M and M's, Donald Brown also had another fine night for Bucknell, scoring 14 points, yanking 8 boards and for good measure, adding 4 assists and 4 steals.
Any discussion of how McNaughton, Mastropaolo and Brown performed has to include a mention of their defense. The three were like Sherwin Williams -- they owned the paint. Just look at the box score: McNaughton, Mastropaolo and Brown combined for 41 points and 13 rebounds. American ran six guys in and out of the game against them -- Billbe, Joneliunas, Guibunda, Travis Lay, Brian Gilmore and Jordan Nichols. Added together they managed 8 points and 11 boards.
That helps explain why AU hit so many threes. Unable to get anything going inside, Jones inserted went with a three-guard look much of teh second half, inserting three-point specialist Carr and the Lithuanian scoring machine Eitutavicius alongside Ingram.
"We did make a conscious effort to go with Garrison Carr to have three shooters in there," Jones said. "They played a lot of matchup and they were giving us fits."
The three-point shooting kept American in the game. After Bucknell held the Eagles scoreless the first 5:24 of the second half, building a 10-point, 37-27 lead, Carr (14 points) stopped the bleeding with back to back threes -- one from NBA range with the shot clock buzzing as the ball dropped through the net. Eitutavicius (game-high 18) had three of his four treys in the second half and Ingram (10) also had a pair after the break. Of 11 field goals the Eagles connected on in the half, 7 came from outside the arc.
American was 10 for 22 (45.5 percent) outside the semicircle; the Eagles were just 12 of 30 (40 percent) inside.
Bucknell finished the game 20 for 39 (51.3 percent) from the field, and their inside attack was rewarded with 29 trips to the foul line, where they made 23, including 10 by John Griffin, who scored all his points from the line. Griffin was 6 for 6 in the final 30 seconds when American was fouling repeatedly in a desperate attempt to extend the game.
The win was Bucknell's 23rd straight in Patriot League play, their 28th straight league win in Sojka Pavilion. Along with Holy Cross' win over Army last night, it sets up the much-anticipated macthup between the two teams that have dominated the league the past two seasons. Bucknell will be at Holy Cross for Friday night's debut of the league's new ESPNU television package.
Box score | Postgame audio (American coach Jeff Jones; Bucknell coach Pat Flannery and players Chris McNaughton and Donald Brown) | Game notebook | Daily Item
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Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Notes from Sojka Pavilion, Where Bucknell stayed unbeaten at home in 28 straight league games with a 66-60 win.
It's a decent crowd in Sojka Pavilion, but nowhere near a full house. Empty seats in the students sections at either end are understandable with the students on break. But the seats on either side of the court are supposed to be sold out, yet across the way, behind the player benches, it's no better than 70 percent full, and that may be a generous estimate.
The game is being played with an old-fashioned two-man officiating crew. The third official's day job is in law enforcement in the Washington D.C. area and he was detained by a court appearance.
Andre Ingram has never shot well against Bucknell, so he must have been seeing the ghost of Charles Lee when he missed his first three shots from the field. He came back to hit his next two and is 2 for 5 at the half.
Chris McNaughton was hot early, going 4 for 7 (9 points) before sitting down after he drew his second personal with 5:28 to go in the half. Jeff Jones elected to try having Brayden Billbe guard McNaughton on his own and McNaughton responded by scoring 7 of Bucknell's first 9 points.
The two teams traded buckets and the lead early before Au used a 10-2 run to take an 18-11 lead. Bucknell responded with 7 unanswered points to tie it at 18 and eventually pulled ahead, taking a 28-24 edge when Jason Vegotsky hit a three late. Arvydas Eitutavicius made it a one-point game at the half when he buried a three after shoving off his defender, John Griffin, with a forearm shiver that would make an NFL star proud. To Griffin's visible astonishment, there was no call.
HALFTIME STATS:
Bucknell -- 11 of 22 from the field (50 percent), 1 of 4 from three-point range, 5 of 7 at the foul line
American -- 11 of 26 from the field (42.3 percent), 3 of 8 (37.5 percent) from the arc, 2 for 2 at the charity stripe
Turnovers: Bucknell 4, American 6
Rebounds: American 15 (4 offensive), Bucknell 10 (0 offensive)
High scorers: Bucknell -- McNaughton 9, Brown 8; American -- Eitutavicius 6, Garrison Carr 5
SECOND HALF
You know that coaches' cliche about the first five minutes of the second half? American did not score during that span. Through the first 8:22 of the half, AU was 2 for 10. Guys not named Garrison Carr were 0 for 8. Carr's two threes, one a long buzzer-beater, kept AU from being blown out in that span.
Ingram started the second half the way he started the first, going 0 for 2 before sitting down for a long stretch while Jones went with a tiny backcourt of Carr and Mercer, who might measure 6-feet combined if you put one on the other's shoulders. Ingram heated up when he returned, though, hitting two straight threes.
McNaughton's third foul, at the 17:03 mark, laughable compared to the stuff AU is getting away with defending him. McNaughton whistled for an elbow on the back of Paulius Joneliunnas -- pretty much standard post defense -- on an inbounds play. That bad call became bigger when McNaughton picked up his fourth with 8:31 left on a questionable illegal screen call away from the ball. At that point, team fouls were 7 for AU, 4 for Bucknell, but the two called on McNaughton were far more significcant than the seven spread among a host of Eagles.
It would have hurt Bucknell more if not for the play of Darren Mastropaolo, who used a variety of post moves to make Joneliunas look like ... umm . .. err, well, like Joneliunas. Mastropaolo hit three of his first four shots and had a dandy hook shot wiped out by a traveling call that had Pat Flannery reacting like ... umm ... err .. like Pat Flannery.
Of AU's first nine field goals in the second half, six came from the arc -- two by Mercer, two by Eitutavicius and the two by Ingram.
Defensive play of the game: With 1:57 to go, Mastropaolo went to the line for two shots, but missed both. AU got the rebound, but Vegotzky snuck in to knock the ball off Carr out of bounds, giving Bucknell another possession. McNaughton, who returned on the inbounds play as Flannery went offense-defense with him and Mastropaolo, made it count by beating Billbe for an easy bucket and a 56-51 lead.
McNaughton made it 58-51 on a hook shot over Billbe Bucknell's next trip up the floor, turning the final minute into a free throw shooting contest.
Griffin reached double figures without making a field goal. Griffin was 0 for 4 from the field, 0 for 3 on three-point tries, but 10 for 10 from the foul line, including 6 for 6 in the final 30 seconds.
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HALFTIME STATS:
Bucknell -- 11 of 22 from the field (50 percent), 1 of 4 from three-point range, 5 of 7 at the foul line
American -- 11 of 26 from the field (42.3 percent), 3 of 8 (37.5 percent) from the arc, 2 for 2 at the charity stripe
Turnovers: Bucknell 4, American 6
Rebounds: American 15 (4 offensive), Bucknell 10 (0 offensive)
High scorers: Bucknell -- McNaughton 9, Brown 8; American -- Eitutavicius 6, Garrison Carr 5
SECOND HALF
It would have hurt Bucknell more if not for the play of Darren Mastropaolo, who used a variety of post moves to make Joneliunas look like ... umm . .. err, well, like Joneliunas. Mastropaolo hit three of his first four shots and had a dandy hook shot wiped out by a traveling call that had Pat Flannery reacting like ... umm ... err .. like Pat Flannery.
McNaughton made it 58-51 on a hook shot over Billbe Bucknell's next trip up the floor, turning the final minute into a free throw shooting contest.
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You could probably count the number of Tuesday night conference games in league history on one hand. Maybe, two. Maybe even a few more. We're not going to try digging through records to tell an exact number, but we know there have not been many.
Since its inception as a basketball conference in 1990, the Patriot League has been primarily a Wednesday-Saturday league. Sure there was that brief flirtation with the Ivy-like Friday-Sunday itinerary, but Tuesdays have seldom been a night for league games.
That changes a little this season, thanks to the league's new Friday night WWLISU telecasts. To give the teams in those TV matchups two days of preparation, what would have been Wednesday night games involving those teams have been moved up a day.
Since Bucknell is at Holy Cross in this week's highly anticipated debut of the ESPNU league game of the week, that means the Bison and Crusaders each play tonight.
Both are at home, Bucknell hosting American (matchup) and Holy Cross entertaining Army (matchup).
It would be crazy to call the second league game of the season a must-win, but for all four teams, in a way it is. Conventional wisdom has it teams hoping to wina conference crown must hold serve at home. For BU and HC, the implication is obvious.
Veteran-laden American has title hopes, too. It also already has one loss after laying a sub-30 percent shooting egg at Lehigh. Even though the Eagles first two games are on the road, an 0-2 start is hardly the path to a championship.
Army is also on the road for the second straight game, and also looking for a first league win. While nobody expects the Black Knights to be a title contender, a lot of folks, especially in West Point, have hopes of moving up from its customary spot at the bottom of the league. An 0-2 start in the conference (along with 5 losses in 6 games) might result in significant damage to the confidence Army built with its 9-2 start.
American-Bucknell preview (Daily Item)
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Since its inception as a basketball conference in 1990, the Patriot League has been primarily a Wednesday-Saturday league. Sure there was that brief flirtation with the Ivy-like Friday-Sunday itinerary, but Tuesdays have seldom been a night for league games.
That changes a little this season, thanks to the league's new Friday night WWLISU telecasts. To give the teams in those TV matchups two days of preparation, what would have been Wednesday night games involving those teams have been moved up a day.
Since Bucknell is at Holy Cross in this week's highly anticipated debut of the ESPNU league game of the week, that means the Bison and Crusaders each play tonight.
Both are at home, Bucknell hosting American (matchup) and Holy Cross entertaining Army (matchup).
It would be crazy to call the second league game of the season a must-win, but for all four teams, in a way it is. Conventional wisdom has it teams hoping to wina conference crown must hold serve at home. For BU and HC, the implication is obvious.
Veteran-laden American has title hopes, too. It also already has one loss after laying a sub-30 percent shooting egg at Lehigh. Even though the Eagles first two games are on the road, an 0-2 start is hardly the path to a championship.
Army is also on the road for the second straight game, and also looking for a first league win. While nobody expects the Black Knights to be a title contender, a lot of folks, especially in West Point, have hopes of moving up from its customary spot at the bottom of the league. An 0-2 start in the conference (along with 5 losses in 6 games) might result in significant damage to the confidence Army built with its 9-2 start.
Labels: Army, AU, BU, HC, previews
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Sunday, January 07, 2007
Phil Anderson had 2 buckets and 6 rebounds. The last of each won the game for the Mountain Hawks
Anderson, a skinny 6-10 sophomore forced into the starting lineup by Jason Mgebroff's injury, got an offensive rebound and put up an off-balance jumper that fell with less than three seconds left to give Lehigh a 51-49 win over visiting American.
The win was sealed when Brayden Billbe was unable to duplicate Anderson's heroics after catching a long inbounds pass. Billbe was overthrown slightly on the baseball style pss from the far end, which he caught about three feet inside the foul line. His off-balance turnaround drew front iron and fell short at the buzzer.
While Anderson made the game-winning play, it was Jose Olivero who set it up. Olivero, who was held in check most of the game by stifling pressure from AU guards Arvydas Eitutavicius and Linas Lekavicius (and lots of help when he got past them), finished with 11 points, breaking his mini-skid of two sub-double figures games. His three pointer with the shot clock about to expire, Eitutavicius in his jersey and 1:45 left was as clutch as they come.
That put Lehigh up 49-47, but he fouled Eitutavicius at the other end and the Lithuanian calmly hit both free throws to tie it with 24 seconds left.
Every one of the 1,498 in Stabler Arena -- even the flute players in the middle school band that served as a dandy pep band with the Lehigh students on break -- knew was what was coming next, as Olivero took the ball out front with the clock ticking down. that didn't stop Olivero from beating Eitutavicius off the dribble and getting into the lane, where his progress was stopped by at least two American defenders coming to help.
They managed to force Olivero to miss, but in the process, they left Anderson all alone on the weakside for the rebound and put back.
Eitutavicius had 15 to lead American. Billbe finished with 11. But as a team, American was a horrendous 12 for 46 (26.1 percent) from the floor.
Sophomore John Gourlay came up as big as his 7-foot frame for the hawks, scoring a career-high 10 points in 17 minutes of exposing the defensive liabilities of Paulius Joneliunas and Billbe.
Lost in the drama of the win was a tremendous battle between the two top underclassmen point guards in the league -- Lehigh freshman Marquis Hall and AU sophomore Derrick Mercer. Score round one to Hall, who had 8 points, 2 assists, 4 steals and no turnovers. Mercer was 1 for 6 from the field (though not all due to Hall -- the 5-9 Mercer spends a lot of time driving into the trees in the paint), finishing with 4 points, 7 rebounds (sharing team honors with Billbe), 3 assists and 4 turnovers.
Box score | Postgame audio (Billy Taylor, Olivero, Anderson and Hall) | Express-Times | Morning Call (gamer) | Morning Call (column)
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Anderson, a skinny 6-10 sophomore forced into the starting lineup by Jason Mgebroff's injury, got an offensive rebound and put up an off-balance jumper that fell with less than three seconds left to give Lehigh a 51-49 win over visiting American.
The win was sealed when Brayden Billbe was unable to duplicate Anderson's heroics after catching a long inbounds pass. Billbe was overthrown slightly on the baseball style pss from the far end, which he caught about three feet inside the foul line. His off-balance turnaround drew front iron and fell short at the buzzer.
While Anderson made the game-winning play, it was Jose Olivero who set it up. Olivero, who was held in check most of the game by stifling pressure from AU guards Arvydas Eitutavicius and Linas Lekavicius (and lots of help when he got past them), finished with 11 points, breaking his mini-skid of two sub-double figures games. His three pointer with the shot clock about to expire, Eitutavicius in his jersey and 1:45 left was as clutch as they come.
That put Lehigh up 49-47, but he fouled Eitutavicius at the other end and the Lithuanian calmly hit both free throws to tie it with 24 seconds left.
Every one of the 1,498 in Stabler Arena -- even the flute players in the middle school band that served as a dandy pep band with the Lehigh students on break -- knew was what was coming next, as Olivero took the ball out front with the clock ticking down. that didn't stop Olivero from beating Eitutavicius off the dribble and getting into the lane, where his progress was stopped by at least two American defenders coming to help.
They managed to force Olivero to miss, but in the process, they left Anderson all alone on the weakside for the rebound and put back.
Eitutavicius had 15 to lead American. Billbe finished with 11. But as a team, American was a horrendous 12 for 46 (26.1 percent) from the floor.
Sophomore John Gourlay came up as big as his 7-foot frame for the hawks, scoring a career-high 10 points in 17 minutes of exposing the defensive liabilities of Paulius Joneliunas and Billbe.
Lost in the drama of the win was a tremendous battle between the two top underclassmen point guards in the league -- Lehigh freshman Marquis Hall and AU sophomore Derrick Mercer. Score round one to Hall, who had 8 points, 2 assists, 4 steals and no turnovers. Mercer was 1 for 6 from the field (though not all due to Hall -- the 5-9 Mercer spends a lot of time driving into the trees in the paint), finishing with 4 points, 7 rebounds (sharing team honors with Billbe), 3 assists and 4 turnovers.
Box score | Postgame audio (Billy Taylor, Olivero, Anderson and Hall) | Express-Times | Morning Call (gamer) | Morning Call (column)
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Saturday, January 06, 2007
After two months of getting ready, the only games that will really count are about to begin.
Forget that preseason talk about this being the Patriot League's year for two bids. Those possibilities dimmed when Bucknell lost its opener at Albany and any flickers of hope were extinguished by Holy Cross' agonizing shorthanded road trip through Syracuse, Dayton and Duke.
There is not a team in the league with a prayer of an at large bid, so the league championship will be, as it always has been, for all the marbles.
With this year's funky Division Three style all games on home courts tournament, that makes the regular season even more important. Just look at Lehigh to understand the significance. The Mountain Hawks can't win a road game, but are withing 0.4 seconds and one point of being unbeatable at home. Think anybody wants to visit Stabler in March with their season on the line?
With the kind of parity there seems to be in the league this year, a team that defends its own house and goes .500 on the road ought to stand a pretty fair chance of hosting at least one tournament game. It might not take a lot more than that and some tiebreaker magic to give a team the home court throughout the tournament.
Even though late in the season folks tend to forget what happened in January, the games played today will have just as much bearing on tournament seeding as the games played on the final weekend of the regular season.
Today's games will also start to establish the league's pecking order. If American wants to be a contender, it is going to have to be able to win games like it faces tonight, on the road against a shorthanded but still tough Lehigh team. If Navy wants to prove its nice start is for real, there is no better place to do it than on two-time defending champ Bucknell's floor. Army can prove it is ready to escape the league cellar with a win at Colgate.
We'll start the season in Easton, with a Holy Cross-Lafayette women's-men's double dip. A full gameblog for the men's game won't be possible due to deadline constraints for the Worcester T&G, but we will try to post some halftime notes, with the full game story and postgame audio following the men's game.
Might even pop in over at Stabler on the way back from Easton to catch some of that American at Lehigh game, listening to Navy at Bucknell on Sirius 147.
Here is a quick look at today's league openers:
Army at Colgate, 1 p.m.: (matchup) Most places a hostile home crowd is the reason behind the home court advantage. In Hamilton, it seems the opposite. Opposing teams seem to struggle to get into the game when playing in a glorified high school gym in front of an audience (dare you call it a crowd?) so small you can count the noses during a timeout. That should be no problem for Army, which is used to small crowds.
This is Army's chance to make a "No basement for us" kind of statement. It's Colgate's chance for a fresh start after a horrid non-conference run. These two met in West Point to open league play last season, with Colgate a 71-58 winner. We'll see how far Army has come since then.
Holy Cross at Lafayette, 4 p.m.: (matchup) Shorthanded Holy Cross might be even shorter-handed for this one. Junior off guard Kyle Cruze suffered a scratched cornea in Wednesday's win at Boston U. With a short rotation due to a rash of injuries, Ralph Willard has been employing a lot of 2-3 zone of late. It will be interesting to see if Lafayette, which has a host of perimeter snipers, can shoot the Crusaders out of that zone D.
Expect Holy Cross to look inside to Tim Clifford early and often in this one. Lafayette has no match for the 6-10 junior. If Clifford plays well, it will open a lot up for Keith Simmons and Torey Thomas. But Clifford has been spotty all season and an off night could mean a much-tougher-than-anticipated battle for HC, especially if Lafayette starts knocking down the threes.
Navy at Bucknell, 7 p.m.: (matchup) This is the Mids chance to show its 10-5 start is for real. Navy's record certainly looks better than Bucknell's 6-7 start, but two of the wins came against Division Three schools and only two came against teams with RPIs in the top 200 (Stony Brook -- 181, William and Mary -- 192). Navy has show it can win outside of Alumni Hall, going 3-3 on the road in non-conference play. But this won't be a trip to NJIT or Longwood. Bucknell is riding a 21-game league win streak and has not lost a league game at home since March of 2003, winning 26 in a row at home against league foes. Navy has never won in Sojka Pavilion and has not won in Lewisburg since February of 2001. But this is not the same Bucknell team that set those standards. this game will tell us a lot about both teams. Is Navy legit? Are the Bison at home still the gold standard in the league despite their sub .500 non-conference record?
The matchups on the perimeter might be a slight edge to Navy if their jump shots are falling. But 6-10 freshman Trey Stanton will have his hands full against Bucknell senior Chris McNaughton and the Mids don't have any real match for Donald Brown. All in all, an interesting opener for both.
American at Lehigh, 7:30 p.m.: (matchup) Lehigh has been near perfect at home (5-1, the loss coming by 1 point). But without Jason Mgebroff, the Mountain Hawks could be over-matched by American's bigs inside. Lehigh will need a big game from Jose Olivero, who is due after two straight 7-point showings. Prior to those two off nights, Olivero had 20 straight double figures games. While AU seems to have the personnel edge, it still has not proven it is mentally tough enough to go into a hostile place and grind out a win, which is what it takes to win on the road in conference play. AU ended a four-game skid with a win Tuesday at home over Saint Francis (Pa.). They will need to play even better to extend their modest win streak to two.
BONUS LINKS: Knights (10-5) among early surprises as league schedule opens (Times Herald-Record)
Navy clashes with establishment (Annapolis Capital)
Time to break down the fun conferences (Kyle on ESPN.com)
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Forget that preseason talk about this being the Patriot League's year for two bids. Those possibilities dimmed when Bucknell lost its opener at Albany and any flickers of hope were extinguished by Holy Cross' agonizing shorthanded road trip through Syracuse, Dayton and Duke.
There is not a team in the league with a prayer of an at large bid, so the league championship will be, as it always has been, for all the marbles.
With this year's funky Division Three style all games on home courts tournament, that makes the regular season even more important. Just look at Lehigh to understand the significance. The Mountain Hawks can't win a road game, but are withing 0.4 seconds and one point of being unbeatable at home. Think anybody wants to visit Stabler in March with their season on the line?
With the kind of parity there seems to be in the league this year, a team that defends its own house and goes .500 on the road ought to stand a pretty fair chance of hosting at least one tournament game. It might not take a lot more than that and some tiebreaker magic to give a team the home court throughout the tournament.
Even though late in the season folks tend to forget what happened in January, the games played today will have just as much bearing on tournament seeding as the games played on the final weekend of the regular season.
Today's games will also start to establish the league's pecking order. If American wants to be a contender, it is going to have to be able to win games like it faces tonight, on the road against a shorthanded but still tough Lehigh team. If Navy wants to prove its nice start is for real, there is no better place to do it than on two-time defending champ Bucknell's floor. Army can prove it is ready to escape the league cellar with a win at Colgate.
We'll start the season in Easton, with a Holy Cross-Lafayette women's-men's double dip. A full gameblog for the men's game won't be possible due to deadline constraints for the Worcester T&G, but we will try to post some halftime notes, with the full game story and postgame audio following the men's game.
Might even pop in over at Stabler on the way back from Easton to catch some of that American at Lehigh game, listening to Navy at Bucknell on Sirius 147.
Here is a quick look at today's league openers:
Army at Colgate, 1 p.m.: (matchup) Most places a hostile home crowd is the reason behind the home court advantage. In Hamilton, it seems the opposite. Opposing teams seem to struggle to get into the game when playing in a glorified high school gym in front of an audience (dare you call it a crowd?) so small you can count the noses during a timeout. That should be no problem for Army, which is used to small crowds.
This is Army's chance to make a "No basement for us" kind of statement. It's Colgate's chance for a fresh start after a horrid non-conference run. These two met in West Point to open league play last season, with Colgate a 71-58 winner. We'll see how far Army has come since then.
Holy Cross at Lafayette, 4 p.m.: (matchup) Shorthanded Holy Cross might be even shorter-handed for this one. Junior off guard Kyle Cruze suffered a scratched cornea in Wednesday's win at Boston U. With a short rotation due to a rash of injuries, Ralph Willard has been employing a lot of 2-3 zone of late. It will be interesting to see if Lafayette, which has a host of perimeter snipers, can shoot the Crusaders out of that zone D.
Expect Holy Cross to look inside to Tim Clifford early and often in this one. Lafayette has no match for the 6-10 junior. If Clifford plays well, it will open a lot up for Keith Simmons and Torey Thomas. But Clifford has been spotty all season and an off night could mean a much-tougher-than-anticipated battle for HC, especially if Lafayette starts knocking down the threes.
Navy at Bucknell, 7 p.m.: (matchup) This is the Mids chance to show its 10-5 start is for real. Navy's record certainly looks better than Bucknell's 6-7 start, but two of the wins came against Division Three schools and only two came against teams with RPIs in the top 200 (Stony Brook -- 181, William and Mary -- 192). Navy has show it can win outside of Alumni Hall, going 3-3 on the road in non-conference play. But this won't be a trip to NJIT or Longwood. Bucknell is riding a 21-game league win streak and has not lost a league game at home since March of 2003, winning 26 in a row at home against league foes. Navy has never won in Sojka Pavilion and has not won in Lewisburg since February of 2001. But this is not the same Bucknell team that set those standards. this game will tell us a lot about both teams. Is Navy legit? Are the Bison at home still the gold standard in the league despite their sub .500 non-conference record?
The matchups on the perimeter might be a slight edge to Navy if their jump shots are falling. But 6-10 freshman Trey Stanton will have his hands full against Bucknell senior Chris McNaughton and the Mids don't have any real match for Donald Brown. All in all, an interesting opener for both.
American at Lehigh, 7:30 p.m.: (matchup) Lehigh has been near perfect at home (5-1, the loss coming by 1 point). But without Jason Mgebroff, the Mountain Hawks could be over-matched by American's bigs inside. Lehigh will need a big game from Jose Olivero, who is due after two straight 7-point showings. Prior to those two off nights, Olivero had 20 straight double figures games. While AU seems to have the personnel edge, it still has not proven it is mentally tough enough to go into a hostile place and grind out a win, which is what it takes to win on the road in conference play. AU ended a four-game skid with a win Tuesday at home over Saint Francis (Pa.). They will need to play even better to extend their modest win streak to two.
BONUS LINKS:
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, previews
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Friday, January 05, 2007
You kept hearing it throughout the preseason: The Patriot League is better top to bottom this year. This week's HOOP TIME NOTEBOOK asks the simple question: is it really?
Sure seemed that way at the beginning of December when league teams were 29-25 against non-conference Division I foes, with a conference RPI of 14.
But over the last two weeks, league teams have gone 10-20, dropping their RPI as a conference to 19, one spot behind the Ivy League, which won the season series between the two leagues again this year. The PL actually held a 7-3 lead in the series heading into December before the Ivies won 9 of the last 10.
Granted the conference RPI for the Patriot League has improved in each of the past four seasons, from 26 in 2003 to 23 in 2004 to 21 last season to 19 this. But the league's measuring stick has long been the Ivy League and the Ancient 8 has a conference RPI of 18, not surprising since the Ivies did so well head-to-head against the Patriots.
On that basis it is hard to say the league is much better. On the other hand, if you look strictly at RPI, the bottom of the league does appear to be significantly stronger. Nobody is ranked below 300 in the RPI and only teams are above 251. Last season four teams finished above 250.
The top of the Patriot League, though, is off. Bucknell was No. 42 last season. This season only one PL team, Holy Cross (97) has an RPI better than 100. Bucknell has returned to the pack. Holy Cross is good, but banged up and not very deep. There appears to be more parity in the league this season, but it would probably be a stretch to say the league is actually better top to bottom. Thus far it seems more like the top and the bottom are meeting in the middle.
THE LEAGUE AT A GLANCE: Here is a team-by-team breakdown of the season to date for league teams.
AMERICAN (8-6, RPI 211)
Best win: 81-74 over 6-6 Loyola (RPI 222) -- AU's only win over a team with an RPI better than 260
Worst loss: 81-79 (OT) at 6-11 (4-11 vs. D-I) Longwood (266) less than a month after beating the Lancers by 11 at home
Biggest surprise: Yet to come; we predict Georgetown transfer Cornelio Guibunda's raw athloetic talent will allow him some impressive performances off the bench in league play
Biggest disappointment: Big things have been expected from 6-11 senior center Paulius Joneliunas since he transferred from South Carolina prior to his junior season but thus far he has not delivered on those expectations.
ARMY (10-5, 8-5 vs. D-I, RPI 211)
Best win: 62-53 over 7-6 Hartford (175)
Worst loss: Home vs. 5-7 Cornell (213)
Biggest surprise: Army's record and RPI. This is the first time since the 2002 season the Black Knights RPI is out of the 300+ range
Biggest disappointment: Senior center Jimmy Sewell who has gone from being a starter as a sophomore to a 6-11 pine jockey with 5 DNPs thus far this season. For a team with only two freshmen taller than 6-7 on the roster, Sewell's failure to develop has been a big (no pun intended) negative.
BUCKNELL (6-7, RPI 134)
Best win: 68-67 at 10-4 Xavier (47) ... it's also the league's best win
Worst loss: 50-48 to a Central Arkansas team with one other D-I win and an RPI (298) out of the 300s only because of beating Bucknell ... it's the league's worst loss
Biggest surprise: The emergence of sophomore guard Justin Castleberry as a key part of Pat Flannery's rotation
Biggest disappointment: Take your pick: Chris McNaughton's sub-50 percent shooting and sub-double figures scoring; The students (and townies) who failed to show up for the Northern Iowa game at Sojka; Donald Brown's inability to adjust to playing the three, which has hurt the Bison on defense by taking a tough defender (Darren Mastropaolo) out of the starting lineup. Brown has been Bucknell's best player since moving to the four, but without him matching up on opponent three-men and sans Mastropaolo, the Bison are not as strong defensively; the late-game collapse against Albany in the season opener; or (our pick) the loss to Central Arkansas.
COLGATE (5-8, 4-8 D-I, RPI 282)
Best win: The Raiders really have no good wins. As close as they get is a 53-47 win over a Leon Pattman-less Dartmouth team that looks better than it was at the time due to Dartmouth's improvement since getting Pattman back in the lineup
Worst loss: 52-36 at 6-7 (5-7 vs. D-I) Arizona State (278)
Biggest surprise: The inability of a team full of alleged shooters to shoot the ball. Colgate has been under 40 percent from the field each of its last six games and on the season is shooting 40.4 percent against D-I teams
Biggest disappointment: That 4-8 record against D-I teams. Colgate is either doing less with more than anybody in the league, or its talent level has been tremendously overrated
HOLY CROSS (9-6, RPI 97)
Best win: 65-57 over 7-5 Siena (78)
Worst loss: 67-61 to 7-7 Niagara, a team with a misleading 244 RPi due to the absence of star Carron Fisher early in the season. Niagara is 6-1 since his return. The disappointment is not losing to Niagara as much as it is the way it happened -- blowing an 11-point, second-half lead
Biggest surprise: Kyle Cruze's emergence as a starter on the wing after the injuries to Pat Doherty and Lawrence Dixon
Biggest disappointment: Those injuries, along with a season-ending injury to freshman Andrew Keister
LAFAYETTE (6-9, 4-9 D-I, RPI 251)
Best win: 76-70 at 4-8 (3-8 D-I) Wagner (283)
Worst loss: 86-51 at 5-9 UMBC (204)
Biggest surprise: 6-4 junior Matt Betley's emergence as the team's top scorer after switching to the four, where he way undersized
Biggest disappointment: The stress fracture in Jamaal Hilliard's foot that is expected to cost him at least 2-4 weeks.
LEHIGH (5-11, 3-11 D-I, RPI 288)
Best win: 72-63 over Sacred Heart (6-7, 145)
Worst loss: 71-55 at Quinnipiac (334), a team with one other win over D-I opposition
Biggest surprise: Jason Mgebroff's strong showing before being sidelined with stress fractures. The 6-11 senior, whose sophomore and junior seasons were all but a washout, was averaging 10.8 ppg and 5.8 rpg before he got hurt.
Biggest disappointment: Megebroff's stress fractures, which will force him to miss 6-8 weeks
NAVY (10-5, 8-5 D-I, RPI 159)
Best win: 87-76 over 5-8 Stony Brook (187)
Worst loss: 74-59 at home to Yale (248), which has just one other D-I win
Biggest surprise: The play of 6-10 freshman Trey Stanton, who has started every game and is averaging 8.8 ppg
Biggest disappointment: In the preseason, Navy coach Billy Lange said 6-9 junior center Ben Biles was "going to have to give us some time." Biles has only played in four games, with just four rebounds and a turnover to break up the zeroes after his name on the stat sheet.
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: Not a lot of changes from what we predicted when we wrote the Blue Ribbon previews in the summer, though one team has dropped like a rock:
1) Bucknell -- Bison remain the favorite for the regular season title, but a two- or even three-way tie for the regular season would not be a surprise.
2) Holy Cross -- If healthy, HC would probably have been mentioned ahead of Bucknell. If Pat Doherty and Lawrence Dixon come back and contribute, they might be the favorite come tourney time even if they are the No. 2 seed
3) American -- The Eagles are deep, experienced and posess a lot of offensive weapons. Still need the big men to play big when they face quality big men and the whole team needs to be tougher defensively
4) Army -- Defensive effort was never a problem. Size and offense was. Jarell Brown and Matt Bell give the Black Knights as good a scoring duo in the backcourt as there is in the league. Freshman Chris Walker has given them a presence in the paint.
5) Lehigh -- With Mgebroff healthy, the Mountain Hawks would rank a spot, maybe two, higher. If he regains his early season form when he returns, Lehigh could be the tournament dark horse.
6) Navy -- Billy Lange's team has made great strides but is still missing the inside punch needed to take the pressure off the perimeter shooters.
7) Lafayette -- Another team that is improved, but still lacks an inside presence. Matt Betley will not be a matchup problem for guys like Donald Brown, Bryan White, Kendall Chones or Alex Vander Baan; but they will probably be a matchup problem for him.
8) Colgate -- after two seasons of overrating the underachieving Raiders, we are ready to concede we may have been wrong about the level of talent in Hamilton -- on the floor and on the sidelines.
MIDSEASON HONORS: Player of the year: Keith Simmons, HC -- nobody is playing better right now
Rookie of the Year: Marquis Hall, Leh -- the Mountain Hawks freshman point guard tops a very strong group of freshmen
Coach of the Year: Has anybody done a better job than Jim Crews? We don't think so.
Non-Con All PL team: (the five best players, regardless of position) Simmons, Andre Ingram (AU), Jose Olivero (Leh), Donald Brown (BU), Jarell Brown (Army)
FRIDAY READAROUND:
Army, Navy are biggest surprises in Patriot non-conference games (Morning Call)
Leopards lo ok to leap to the top (Express-Times)
Hawks ready to reach their potential (Express-Times)
Navy ship ahead of schedule under Lange (Daily Item)
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Sure seemed that way at the beginning of December when league teams were 29-25 against non-conference Division I foes, with a conference RPI of 14.
But over the last two weeks, league teams have gone 10-20, dropping their RPI as a conference to 19, one spot behind the Ivy League, which won the season series between the two leagues again this year. The PL actually held a 7-3 lead in the series heading into December before the Ivies won 9 of the last 10.
Granted the conference RPI for the Patriot League has improved in each of the past four seasons, from 26 in 2003 to 23 in 2004 to 21 last season to 19 this. But the league's measuring stick has long been the Ivy League and the Ancient 8 has a conference RPI of 18, not surprising since the Ivies did so well head-to-head against the Patriots.
On that basis it is hard to say the league is much better. On the other hand, if you look strictly at RPI, the bottom of the league does appear to be significantly stronger. Nobody is ranked below 300 in the RPI and only teams are above 251. Last season four teams finished above 250.
The top of the Patriot League, though, is off. Bucknell was No. 42 last season. This season only one PL team, Holy Cross (97) has an RPI better than 100. Bucknell has returned to the pack. Holy Cross is good, but banged up and not very deep. There appears to be more parity in the league this season, but it would probably be a stretch to say the league is actually better top to bottom. Thus far it seems more like the top and the bottom are meeting in the middle.
THE LEAGUE AT A GLANCE: Here is a team-by-team breakdown of the season to date for league teams.
AMERICAN (8-6, RPI 211)
Best win: 81-74 over 6-6 Loyola (RPI 222) -- AU's only win over a team with an RPI better than 260
Worst loss: 81-79 (OT) at 6-11 (4-11 vs. D-I) Longwood (266) less than a month after beating the Lancers by 11 at home
Biggest surprise: Yet to come; we predict Georgetown transfer Cornelio Guibunda's raw athloetic talent will allow him some impressive performances off the bench in league play
Biggest disappointment: Big things have been expected from 6-11 senior center Paulius Joneliunas since he transferred from South Carolina prior to his junior season but thus far he has not delivered on those expectations.
ARMY (10-5, 8-5 vs. D-I, RPI 211)
Best win: 62-53 over 7-6 Hartford (175)
Worst loss: Home vs. 5-7 Cornell (213)
Biggest surprise: Army's record and RPI. This is the first time since the 2002 season the Black Knights RPI is out of the 300+ range
Biggest disappointment: Senior center Jimmy Sewell who has gone from being a starter as a sophomore to a 6-11 pine jockey with 5 DNPs thus far this season. For a team with only two freshmen taller than 6-7 on the roster, Sewell's failure to develop has been a big (no pun intended) negative.
BUCKNELL (6-7, RPI 134)
Best win: 68-67 at 10-4 Xavier (47) ... it's also the league's best win
Worst loss: 50-48 to a Central Arkansas team with one other D-I win and an RPI (298) out of the 300s only because of beating Bucknell ... it's the league's worst loss
Biggest surprise: The emergence of sophomore guard Justin Castleberry as a key part of Pat Flannery's rotation
Biggest disappointment: Take your pick: Chris McNaughton's sub-50 percent shooting and sub-double figures scoring; The students (and townies) who failed to show up for the Northern Iowa game at Sojka; Donald Brown's inability to adjust to playing the three, which has hurt the Bison on defense by taking a tough defender (Darren Mastropaolo) out of the starting lineup. Brown has been Bucknell's best player since moving to the four, but without him matching up on opponent three-men and sans Mastropaolo, the Bison are not as strong defensively; the late-game collapse against Albany in the season opener; or (our pick) the loss to Central Arkansas.
COLGATE (5-8, 4-8 D-I, RPI 282)
Best win: The Raiders really have no good wins. As close as they get is a 53-47 win over a Leon Pattman-less Dartmouth team that looks better than it was at the time due to Dartmouth's improvement since getting Pattman back in the lineup
Worst loss: 52-36 at 6-7 (5-7 vs. D-I) Arizona State (278)
Biggest surprise: The inability of a team full of alleged shooters to shoot the ball. Colgate has been under 40 percent from the field each of its last six games and on the season is shooting 40.4 percent against D-I teams
Biggest disappointment: That 4-8 record against D-I teams. Colgate is either doing less with more than anybody in the league, or its talent level has been tremendously overrated
HOLY CROSS (9-6, RPI 97)
Best win: 65-57 over 7-5 Siena (78)
Worst loss: 67-61 to 7-7 Niagara, a team with a misleading 244 RPi due to the absence of star Carron Fisher early in the season. Niagara is 6-1 since his return. The disappointment is not losing to Niagara as much as it is the way it happened -- blowing an 11-point, second-half lead
Biggest surprise: Kyle Cruze's emergence as a starter on the wing after the injuries to Pat Doherty and Lawrence Dixon
Biggest disappointment: Those injuries, along with a season-ending injury to freshman Andrew Keister
LAFAYETTE (6-9, 4-9 D-I, RPI 251)
Best win: 76-70 at 4-8 (3-8 D-I) Wagner (283)
Worst loss: 86-51 at 5-9 UMBC (204)
Biggest surprise: 6-4 junior Matt Betley's emergence as the team's top scorer after switching to the four, where he way undersized
Biggest disappointment: The stress fracture in Jamaal Hilliard's foot that is expected to cost him at least 2-4 weeks.
LEHIGH (5-11, 3-11 D-I, RPI 288)
Best win: 72-63 over Sacred Heart (6-7, 145)
Worst loss: 71-55 at Quinnipiac (334), a team with one other win over D-I opposition
Biggest surprise: Jason Mgebroff's strong showing before being sidelined with stress fractures. The 6-11 senior, whose sophomore and junior seasons were all but a washout, was averaging 10.8 ppg and 5.8 rpg before he got hurt.
Biggest disappointment: Megebroff's stress fractures, which will force him to miss 6-8 weeks
NAVY (10-5, 8-5 D-I, RPI 159)
Best win: 87-76 over 5-8 Stony Brook (187)
Worst loss: 74-59 at home to Yale (248), which has just one other D-I win
Biggest surprise: The play of 6-10 freshman Trey Stanton, who has started every game and is averaging 8.8 ppg
Biggest disappointment: In the preseason, Navy coach Billy Lange said 6-9 junior center Ben Biles was "going to have to give us some time." Biles has only played in four games, with just four rebounds and a turnover to break up the zeroes after his name on the stat sheet.
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: Not a lot of changes from what we predicted when we wrote the Blue Ribbon previews in the summer, though one team has dropped like a rock:
1) Bucknell -- Bison remain the favorite for the regular season title, but a two- or even three-way tie for the regular season would not be a surprise.
2) Holy Cross -- If healthy, HC would probably have been mentioned ahead of Bucknell. If Pat Doherty and Lawrence Dixon come back and contribute, they might be the favorite come tourney time even if they are the No. 2 seed
3) American -- The Eagles are deep, experienced and posess a lot of offensive weapons. Still need the big men to play big when they face quality big men and the whole team needs to be tougher defensively
4) Army -- Defensive effort was never a problem. Size and offense was. Jarell Brown and Matt Bell give the Black Knights as good a scoring duo in the backcourt as there is in the league. Freshman Chris Walker has given them a presence in the paint.
5) Lehigh -- With Mgebroff healthy, the Mountain Hawks would rank a spot, maybe two, higher. If he regains his early season form when he returns, Lehigh could be the tournament dark horse.
6) Navy -- Billy Lange's team has made great strides but is still missing the inside punch needed to take the pressure off the perimeter shooters.
7) Lafayette -- Another team that is improved, but still lacks an inside presence. Matt Betley will not be a matchup problem for guys like Donald Brown, Bryan White, Kendall Chones or Alex Vander Baan; but they will probably be a matchup problem for him.
8) Colgate -- after two seasons of overrating the underachieving Raiders, we are ready to concede we may have been wrong about the level of talent in Hamilton -- on the floor and on the sidelines.
MIDSEASON HONORS: Player of the year: Keith Simmons, HC -- nobody is playing better right now
Rookie of the Year: Marquis Hall, Leh -- the Mountain Hawks freshman point guard tops a very strong group of freshmen
Coach of the Year: Has anybody done a better job than Jim Crews? We don't think so.
Non-Con All PL team: (the five best players, regardless of position) Simmons, Andre Ingram (AU), Jose Olivero (Leh), Donald Brown (BU), Jarell Brown (Army)
FRIDAY READAROUND:
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, notebook
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Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Trailing by as many as 18 in the first half, American turned up the defense and turned out a win over visiting St. Francis (Pa.).
The first half was a horror show for AU. The Red Flash shot 52 percent (13 of 25) from the field, including a sizzling 8 of 10 from the three-point arc. St. Francis was up 40-22 with 3:55 to go in the half after J.R. Enright hit three consecutive treys.
American battled back to get within 11 (44-33) at the break, then held St. Francis scoreless for over six minutes to start the second half. American finally got even, and too the lead, on a pair of free throws by Arvydas Eitutavicius with 8 minutes to play. American pulled away from there.
The Eagles held St. Francis to 6 of 28 shooting from the field in the second half. Five of St. Francis' buckets came on three-pointers (5 of 15). From inside the arc, the Red Flash were just 1 of 13 in the second half.
American also turned things around on the boards in the second half. After St. Francis won the rebounding battle 23-12 in the first half, AU outrebounded the Red Flash 25-13 in the second.
Eitutavicius led AU with 20 points. Andre Ingram added 13, Travis Lay 13 and Derrick Mercer had 11, along with 6 assists and just one turnover. Jordan Nichols grabbed 10 rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench.
St. Francis coach Bobby Jones took ill during the game and was taken to a hospital after for observation. SF SID Bob Volkert reported Jones experienced "stroke-like symptoms." Jones became ill during the first half and had elevated blood pressure when doctors checked him at the intermission. Jones spent part of the second half in the locker room before returning to the bench for the remainder of the game.
American opens conference play Saturday at Lehigh.
Box score | AP
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The first half was a horror show for AU. The Red Flash shot 52 percent (13 of 25) from the field, including a sizzling 8 of 10 from the three-point arc. St. Francis was up 40-22 with 3:55 to go in the half after J.R. Enright hit three consecutive treys.
American battled back to get within 11 (44-33) at the break, then held St. Francis scoreless for over six minutes to start the second half. American finally got even, and too the lead, on a pair of free throws by Arvydas Eitutavicius with 8 minutes to play. American pulled away from there.
The Eagles held St. Francis to 6 of 28 shooting from the field in the second half. Five of St. Francis' buckets came on three-pointers (5 of 15). From inside the arc, the Red Flash were just 1 of 13 in the second half.
American also turned things around on the boards in the second half. After St. Francis won the rebounding battle 23-12 in the first half, AU outrebounded the Red Flash 25-13 in the second.
Eitutavicius led AU with 20 points. Andre Ingram added 13, Travis Lay 13 and Derrick Mercer had 11, along with 6 assists and just one turnover. Jordan Nichols grabbed 10 rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench.
St. Francis coach Bobby Jones took ill during the game and was taken to a hospital after for observation. SF SID Bob Volkert reported Jones experienced "stroke-like symptoms." Jones became ill during the first half and had elevated blood pressure when doctors checked him at the intermission. Jones spent part of the second half in the locker room before returning to the bench for the remainder of the game.
American opens conference play Saturday at Lehigh.
Box score | AP
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Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Four teams get their final non-conference tune-ups tonight. All four would seem to have a chance to get a win. In some cases, who does and who doesn't might tell us a lot about the state of the league heading into conference play.
Beginning of December, we wrote "Things are looking up around here." But Patriot League teams are 6-17 since Dec. 21. At the start of last month, the league was 29-25 against non-conference Division I foes, with a conference RPI of 14.
Starting the New Year, the league is 47-54 against D-I opponents, with an RPI of 18, just ahead of the Ivy League -- which means this season's Hoop Time-Basketball U. Challenge series actually means something. League tams have six games left against out of conference opponents before league play begins Saturday. Three of those involve Ivy League foes. The Patriot League trails the season series 9-8 and needs a sweep to claim the mythical crystal trophy (The Ivy League would keep the virtual trophy if the series ties).
Here are the relative RPIs of individual teams (then) and now:
American -- (116) 212
Army -- (120) 132
Bucknell -- (195) (144)
Colgate -- (267) 270
Holy Cross -- (90) 99
Lafayette -- (265) 243
Lehigh -- (254) 288
Navy -- (77) 145
These last six non-conference games (aside from the three BracketBusters games in February) offer the entire league a couple final opportunities to set its RPI for the season.
Aside from the RPI considerations, every team has its own particular reasons why it badly needs a win in these games. For some it's a chance to stem the bleeding. For others it's an important confidence builder for a young team.
Here's a glance at the four games being played tonight:
Army at Dartmouth (matchup) -- Dartmouth (4-7) is not what you'd call a tough out. Not even at home. The Green are 2-2 at home, including a loss to Colgate. Army won twice on the road early in the season (and two on neutral floors), but it has not done it lately. The home win over Sacred Heart showed the Black Knights psyche did not suffer from the losses at Michigan and Notre Dame. A road-win and a two-game win streak heading into their opener at Colgate on Saturday.
Navy at NJIT (matchup) -- Stop the bleeding. It's been nearly a month since the Midshipmen (9-5) beat a Division I foe. Since a Dec. 4 double-OT win over Howard, the Mids are 0-3 against D-I teams. NJIT (2-11) could be just what the Mids need to regain some confidence heading to Lewisburg Saturday.
Columbia at Lehigh (matchup) -- Another team that has not beaten a Division I opponent in a while, the Mountain Hawks will look to stay perfect in Stabler against a 7-5 Columbia team that is 1-4 on the road. Lehigh, which last beat a D-I on Dec. 2 (Central Conn.), is 0-4 against D-Is since then. Certainly keeping their home record unbeaten would be a tremendous confidence boost for the Hawks prior to hosting American Saturday.
Saint Francis (Pa.) at American (matchup) -- The Eagles come home looking to heal after losing four in a row, all on the road. Saint Francis (4-8) is 1-4 on the road. The Red Flash won in Bender the last time they visited AU (2003). American a perfect 4-0 in Bender thus far this season.
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Beginning of December, we wrote "Things are looking up around here." But Patriot League teams are 6-17 since Dec. 21. At the start of last month, the league was 29-25 against non-conference Division I foes, with a conference RPI of 14.
Starting the New Year, the league is 47-54 against D-I opponents, with an RPI of 18, just ahead of the Ivy League -- which means this season's Hoop Time-Basketball U. Challenge series actually means something. League tams have six games left against out of conference opponents before league play begins Saturday. Three of those involve Ivy League foes. The Patriot League trails the season series 9-8 and needs a sweep to claim the mythical crystal trophy (The Ivy League would keep the virtual trophy if the series ties).
Here are the relative RPIs of individual teams (then) and now:
American -- (116) 212
Army -- (120) 132
Bucknell -- (195) (144)
Colgate -- (267) 270
Holy Cross -- (90) 99
Lafayette -- (265) 243
Lehigh -- (254) 288
Navy -- (77) 145
These last six non-conference games (aside from the three BracketBusters games in February) offer the entire league a couple final opportunities to set its RPI for the season.
Aside from the RPI considerations, every team has its own particular reasons why it badly needs a win in these games. For some it's a chance to stem the bleeding. For others it's an important confidence builder for a young team.
Here's a glance at the four games being played tonight:
Army at Dartmouth (matchup) -- Dartmouth (4-7) is not what you'd call a tough out. Not even at home. The Green are 2-2 at home, including a loss to Colgate. Army won twice on the road early in the season (and two on neutral floors), but it has not done it lately. The home win over Sacred Heart showed the Black Knights psyche did not suffer from the losses at Michigan and Notre Dame. A road-win and a two-game win streak heading into their opener at Colgate on Saturday.
Navy at NJIT (matchup) -- Stop the bleeding. It's been nearly a month since the Midshipmen (9-5) beat a Division I foe. Since a Dec. 4 double-OT win over Howard, the Mids are 0-3 against D-I teams. NJIT (2-11) could be just what the Mids need to regain some confidence heading to Lewisburg Saturday.
Columbia at Lehigh (matchup) -- Another team that has not beaten a Division I opponent in a while, the Mountain Hawks will look to stay perfect in Stabler against a 7-5 Columbia team that is 1-4 on the road. Lehigh, which last beat a D-I on Dec. 2 (Central Conn.), is 0-4 against D-Is since then. Certainly keeping their home record unbeaten would be a tremendous confidence boost for the Hawks prior to hosting American Saturday.
Saint Francis (Pa.) at American (matchup) -- The Eagles come home looking to heal after losing four in a row, all on the road. Saint Francis (4-8) is 1-4 on the road. The Red Flash won in Bender the last time they visited AU (2003). American a perfect 4-0 in Bender thus far this season.
Labels: Army, AU, Leh, Navy, previews
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Sunday, December 31, 2006
Less than a month after handily beating Longwood at home, American fell to the Lancers on the road.
Despite a horrid second half shooting (11 of 39, 28.2 percent), the Eagles had the lead with just over a minute to score. But Longwood hit three foul shots in the final minute and blocked two American shots in thepaint in the final 5 seconds of regulation to send it to OT.
AU again had a lead in the extra period, going up 76-72 on a Brian Gilmore three-pointer. But Longwood responeded with an 8-0 run to hand AU its fourth straight setback.
Andre Ingram led AU with 21 points. Arvydas Eitutavicius added 19, Gilmore a career-high 11 (including two three-pointers in OT) and Derrick Mercer came up one assist shy of a double-double with 10 points and 9 assists.
American hosts Saint Francis (Pa.) Tuesday before opening league play Saturday at Lehigh.
Box score | AP
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Despite a horrid second half shooting (11 of 39, 28.2 percent), the Eagles had the lead with just over a minute to score. But Longwood hit three foul shots in the final minute and blocked two American shots in thepaint in the final 5 seconds of regulation to send it to OT.
AU again had a lead in the extra period, going up 76-72 on a Brian Gilmore three-pointer. But Longwood responeded with an 8-0 run to hand AU its fourth straight setback.
Andre Ingram led AU with 21 points. Arvydas Eitutavicius added 19, Gilmore a career-high 11 (including two three-pointers in OT) and Derrick Mercer came up one assist shy of a double-double with 10 points and 9 assists.
American hosts Saint Francis (Pa.) Tuesday before opening league play Saturday at Lehigh.
Box score | AP
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Saturday, December 30, 2006
It's the last five-game day of the season for Patriot League teams as non-conference play begins to wind down in anticipation of next week's conference openers.
For Lafayette and Bucknell, this will be their final non-conference tune-ups. The Leopards are at San Diego State (matchup), taking on an Aztecs team that is 10-3 despite turnover problems, while Bucknell tries to salvage its visit to Poughkeepsie with a win over 3-8 Northern Illinois in the Marist Classic consolation game (matchup).
American, which beat Longwood handily at home back on Dec. 4, tries for a season sweep in an unusual non-conference home and home series when it visits the Lancers in a 3 p.m. start (matchup). Yale, 1-2 against Patriot League teams, looks to even that record when it visits Navy (matchup).
In the day's other game, Holy Cross will try to bounce back from Friday's loss to Niagara when it meets suddenly hot Delaware (matchup) in the finale of their three-game LaSalle Invitational adventure. The Blue Hens were 0-9 when they arrived Thursday in Philly for the round robin event. Now they are 2-9 after beating Niagara in the first round Thursday and the host Explorers Friday.
This will be a real test for the short-handed, leg-weary Crusaders who are 1-4 in games in which they have one day or less to prepare.
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For Lafayette and Bucknell, this will be their final non-conference tune-ups. The Leopards are at San Diego State (matchup), taking on an Aztecs team that is 10-3 despite turnover problems, while Bucknell tries to salvage its visit to Poughkeepsie with a win over 3-8 Northern Illinois in the Marist Classic consolation game (matchup).
American, which beat Longwood handily at home back on Dec. 4, tries for a season sweep in an unusual non-conference home and home series when it visits the Lancers in a 3 p.m. start (matchup). Yale, 1-2 against Patriot League teams, looks to even that record when it visits Navy (matchup).
In the day's other game, Holy Cross will try to bounce back from Friday's loss to Niagara when it meets suddenly hot Delaware (matchup) in the finale of their three-game LaSalle Invitational adventure. The Blue Hens were 0-9 when they arrived Thursday in Philly for the round robin event. Now they are 2-9 after beating Niagara in the first round Thursday and the host Explorers Friday.
This will be a real test for the short-handed, leg-weary Crusaders who are 1-4 in games in which they have one day or less to prepare.
Labels: AU, BU, HC, Laf, Navy, previews
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Friday, December 29, 2006
While Holy Cross was winning at LaSalle, the other four Patriot League teams in action last night struggled
Temple 96, Lafayette 73 -- Marcus Harley had 23 for Lafayette, but the rest of the team struggled on offense. Take away Harley's 9 for 14 effort from the field and the rest of the Leopards shot 13 for 48 (27 percent). Harley was 5 of 7 on three-point tries; the rest of the 'Pards 4 for 21 (19 percent).
Temple, on the other hand, had four guys in double figures, three with 20 or more points, led by Dustin Salisbury's 26. The Owls went 29 for 56 (51.8 percent) from the field and were 10 for 22 (45.5 percent) from three-point range. The Owls also outrebounded Lafayette 44-31.
Lafayette managed to stick around for the first five minutes, leading 12-11 at the 15:15 mark of the first half. But Temple went on an 8-0 run to take the lead and never looked back. The Owls pushed the lead to 50-37 at the half and led by as many as 28 in the second half.
Box score | AP | Philly Inquirer | Philly Daily News | Morning Call | Express Times
Michigan 62, Army 50 -- Michigan coach Tommy Amaker started a whole new five, using three freshmen and two sophomores against Army. It was not pretty, but it got the Wolverines a W.
Jarrell Brown had 22 for Army, shooting 9 of 19 from the field, but he had little offensive support with senior guard Matt Bell out of the lineup with an unspecified injury. Bell sat for the first time after 93 consecutive starts. Without Bell, Army went 19 of 54 (35.2 percent) from the field.
The Black Knights defense did a good job, holding Michigan to 17 of 46 (37 percent) shooting from the field. In the second half, Army allowed only 5 Michigan field goals (5 of 19, 26.3 percent). But the Wolverines went 21 for 25 at the foul line while Army went to the line just 9 times, making 8.
Box score | AP | Go Blue Wolverine | Detroit Free Press | Detroit News
Santa Clara 53, Colgate 39 -- In the Cable Car Classic, Kendall Chones had 11 points for Colgate. The remaining four starters for Colgate combined for 6, including 3 for Jon Simon, the team's leading scorer coming in who averaged 11 per game.
Colgate went 15 for 44 (34.1 percent) from the field and was outrebounded 33-22.
Santa Clara shot well in the first half (13 of 25, 52 percent) to build a 31-18 lead at the break, then held on with defense in the second half.
Colgate will face George Washington tonight in the consolation game.
Box score | AP | San Jose Mercury News
Virginia 91, American 70 -- Virginia used first half runs of 11-2 and 10-0 to build a 42-19 halftime lead and cruised from there, spoiling the return of American coach Jeff Jones, who played and coached at UVa.
Andre Ingram had 14 points and Paulius Joneliunas added 10 for the Eagles, who shot 7 for 24 (24.1 percent) in the first half, making just one of 12 three-pointers (8.3 percent).
Box score | AP | Charlottesville Daily Progress (gamer) | Charlottesville Daily Progress (column) | Roanoke Times | Fredericksburg Freelance Star | Richmond Times Dispatch
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Temple 96, Lafayette 73 -- Marcus Harley had 23 for Lafayette, but the rest of the team struggled on offense. Take away Harley's 9 for 14 effort from the field and the rest of the Leopards shot 13 for 48 (27 percent). Harley was 5 of 7 on three-point tries; the rest of the 'Pards 4 for 21 (19 percent).
Temple, on the other hand, had four guys in double figures, three with 20 or more points, led by Dustin Salisbury's 26. The Owls went 29 for 56 (51.8 percent) from the field and were 10 for 22 (45.5 percent) from three-point range. The Owls also outrebounded Lafayette 44-31.
Lafayette managed to stick around for the first five minutes, leading 12-11 at the 15:15 mark of the first half. But Temple went on an 8-0 run to take the lead and never looked back. The Owls pushed the lead to 50-37 at the half and led by as many as 28 in the second half.
Box score | AP | Philly Inquirer | Philly Daily News | Morning Call | Express Times
Michigan 62, Army 50 -- Michigan coach Tommy Amaker started a whole new five, using three freshmen and two sophomores against Army. It was not pretty, but it got the Wolverines a W.
Jarrell Brown had 22 for Army, shooting 9 of 19 from the field, but he had little offensive support with senior guard Matt Bell out of the lineup with an unspecified injury. Bell sat for the first time after 93 consecutive starts. Without Bell, Army went 19 of 54 (35.2 percent) from the field.
The Black Knights defense did a good job, holding Michigan to 17 of 46 (37 percent) shooting from the field. In the second half, Army allowed only 5 Michigan field goals (5 of 19, 26.3 percent). But the Wolverines went 21 for 25 at the foul line while Army went to the line just 9 times, making 8.
Box score | AP | Go Blue Wolverine | Detroit Free Press | Detroit News
Santa Clara 53, Colgate 39 -- In the Cable Car Classic, Kendall Chones had 11 points for Colgate. The remaining four starters for Colgate combined for 6, including 3 for Jon Simon, the team's leading scorer coming in who averaged 11 per game.
Colgate went 15 for 44 (34.1 percent) from the field and was outrebounded 33-22.
Santa Clara shot well in the first half (13 of 25, 52 percent) to build a 31-18 lead at the break, then held on with defense in the second half.
Colgate will face George Washington tonight in the consolation game.
Box score | AP | San Jose Mercury News
Virginia 91, American 70 -- Virginia used first half runs of 11-2 and 10-0 to build a 42-19 halftime lead and cruised from there, spoiling the return of American coach Jeff Jones, who played and coached at UVa.
Andre Ingram had 14 points and Paulius Joneliunas added 10 for the Eagles, who shot 7 for 24 (24.1 percent) in the first half, making just one of 12 three-pointers (8.3 percent).
Box score | AP | Charlottesville Daily Progress (gamer) | Charlottesville Daily Progress (column) | Roanoke Times | Fredericksburg Freelance Star | Richmond Times Dispatch
Labels: Army, AU, CU, games, Laf
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Thursday, December 28, 2006
The short holiday break ends with five teams back in action tonight.
It is a schedule full of challenges, with the Patriot League teams likely to be considered underdogs in all five games.
If Holy Cross were healthy, that might not be the case. But with a depleted rotation, the Crusaders will have their hands full with LaSalle, the team they face in the first of a three-in-three days trip to LaSalle's Explorer Classic (matchup).
We'll be there for our first look at HC, when they take on the Explorers (and for Friday's game with Niagara and Saturday's matchup with Delaware), who come in 6-3, with really only one impressive opponent on their schedule to date -- Villanova, which beat the Explorers at LaSalle in a Philadelphia Big Five matchup. LaSalle also lost at home to UMBC and on a neutral floor against Coppin State.
Young and inexperienced, prone to turnovers, LaSalle is the sort of team Holy Cross usually feasts upon when it is at full strength.
LaSalle is led by freshman forward Rodney Green, a 6-5 hometown Philly kid who is averaging 16 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Green is all about the paint. He has only taken four threes all season and has yet to make one. Inside the arc, though, he is tough to stop, shooting 62.4 percent from the field.
Green is one of five freshmen in LaSalle's nine-man rotation. All five stand between 6-5 and 6-7, which is pretty much the case for the entire rotation, except 6-1 junior guard Darnell Harris, the Explorers' second leading scorer at 14.7 ppg, and 6-8 starter Mike St. John, the only senior in the rotation.
Freshman Sherman Diaz has been the team's defensive stopper. A 6-5 forward, Diaz leads the Explorers in blocks (15) and steals (11).
Colgate is also in a tournament tonight, taking on host Santa Clara (matchup) in the first round of the Cable Car Classic (S.F. Chronicle tournament preview). The 9-4 Broncs are ranked No. 17 in the Mid Major Top 25. Waiting in the second round for the Raiders will be either 7-2 George Washington or 11-1 Air Force, which is in the Top 25 in both major polls (No. 23 AP, No. 17 ESPN-USA Today).
American takes on its second straight ACC foe when it meets 7-3 Virginia (matchup). It's a homecoming of sorts for Jeff Jones, who played and coach at UVa. Jones' return to Charlottsville is the storyline in all the papers covering the Wahoos (AP | Daily Press | Charlottesville Daily Progress | Richmond Times-Dispatch | Roanoke Times | Fredericksburg Freelance-Star).
Army, which lost at Notre Dame last time out, faces another difficulty test at 11-2 Michigan (matchup) and
Hard to image saying this, but perhaps the weakest opponent for a league team tonight is Temple, which hosts Lafayette (matchup). The Owls are 5-4 in their first season under former Penn coach Fran Dunphy. It is the 12th straight season Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon has faced off against his old boss' teams. The other 11, of course, were against Penn, which despite being an Ivy League power, was never as athletic as this Temple team. It will be a toigh task for the Leopards, who will be without Jamaal Hillard (stress fracture in a foot, out another 2-4 weeks) and 6-7 freshman Jesper Andersson (sprained ankle). Lafayette freshman forward Andre Hines is also questionable with a stomach virus. (Morning Call preview -- includes some HC notes)
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It is a schedule full of challenges, with the Patriot League teams likely to be considered underdogs in all five games.
If Holy Cross were healthy, that might not be the case. But with a depleted rotation, the Crusaders will have their hands full with LaSalle, the team they face in the first of a three-in-three days trip to LaSalle's Explorer Classic (matchup).
We'll be there for our first look at HC, when they take on the Explorers (and for Friday's game with Niagara and Saturday's matchup with Delaware), who come in 6-3, with really only one impressive opponent on their schedule to date -- Villanova, which beat the Explorers at LaSalle in a Philadelphia Big Five matchup. LaSalle also lost at home to UMBC and on a neutral floor against Coppin State.
Young and inexperienced, prone to turnovers, LaSalle is the sort of team Holy Cross usually feasts upon when it is at full strength.
LaSalle is led by freshman forward Rodney Green, a 6-5 hometown Philly kid who is averaging 16 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Green is all about the paint. He has only taken four threes all season and has yet to make one. Inside the arc, though, he is tough to stop, shooting 62.4 percent from the field.
Green is one of five freshmen in LaSalle's nine-man rotation. All five stand between 6-5 and 6-7, which is pretty much the case for the entire rotation, except 6-1 junior guard Darnell Harris, the Explorers' second leading scorer at 14.7 ppg, and 6-8 starter Mike St. John, the only senior in the rotation.
Freshman Sherman Diaz has been the team's defensive stopper. A 6-5 forward, Diaz leads the Explorers in blocks (15) and steals (11).
Colgate is also in a tournament tonight, taking on host Santa Clara (matchup) in the first round of the Cable Car Classic (S.F. Chronicle tournament preview). The 9-4 Broncs are ranked No. 17 in the Mid Major Top 25. Waiting in the second round for the Raiders will be either 7-2 George Washington or 11-1 Air Force, which is in the Top 25 in both major polls (No. 23 AP, No. 17 ESPN-USA Today).
American takes on its second straight ACC foe when it meets 7-3 Virginia (matchup). It's a homecoming of sorts for Jeff Jones, who played and coach at UVa. Jones' return to Charlottsville is the storyline in all the papers covering the Wahoos (AP | Daily Press | Charlottesville Daily Progress | Richmond Times-Dispatch | Roanoke Times | Fredericksburg Freelance-Star).
Army, which lost at Notre Dame last time out, faces another difficulty test at 11-2 Michigan (matchup) and
Hard to image saying this, but perhaps the weakest opponent for a league team tonight is Temple, which hosts Lafayette (matchup). The Owls are 5-4 in their first season under former Penn coach Fran Dunphy. It is the 12th straight season Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon has faced off against his old boss' teams. The other 11, of course, were against Penn, which despite being an Ivy League power, was never as athletic as this Temple team. It will be a toigh task for the Leopards, who will be without Jamaal Hillard (stress fracture in a foot, out another 2-4 weeks) and 6-7 freshman Jesper Andersson (sprained ankle). Lafayette freshman forward Andre Hines is also questionable with a stomach virus. (Morning Call preview -- includes some HC notes)
Labels: Army, AU, CU, HC, Laf, previews
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Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Conference play begins in less than two weeks, and early indications are this should be one of the most competitive seasons in Patriot League history.
There have been plenty of seasons of parity in the league. In 1994, four teams finished the regular season at 9-5 in conference play, resulting in a pair of semifinals decided by a total of 5 points (including one overtime game) and a final that Navy won at home by 2 (over Colgate the year before Adonal Foyle arrived). That was the only season a team with five league losses managed to claim the top seed for the tournament. (An interesting note: That season Navy placed nobody on the first or second All-Patriot teams despite being the top seed).
The next two seasons Colgate won the conference, but each year the Raiders finished with three losses in conference play and needed a tiebreaker to gain top seed for the postseason.
In 2002, American won the regular season despite four conference setbacks, with four other teams over .500 in league play.
Looking around the league, it would not be surprising to see this year's regular season champs with four or even five losses. With the marked improvement at both of the service academies, Lafayette is the closest thing to a gimme in the league, and Fran O'Hanlon's Leopards have always had a knack, even in their down years, for pulling off an upset or two at home.
Here are a few team-by-team thoughts, done in alphabetical order (so please Lehigh fans, no hate mail for listing the Mountain Hawks seventh):
AMERICAN: A veteran team with a proven star in Andre Ingram, a talented point guard in Derrick Mercer, scoring off the bench in Arvydas Eitutavicius and as much size up front as anybody in the league, the Eagles 7-4 start has done nothing to take away from their preseason status as a contender.
Paulius Joneliunas and Brayden Billbe already can claim the titles of the league's biggest frontcourt and the frontcourt with the most unusual names. If they can also rank among the league's toughest, this could be teh Eagles year.
Cornelio Guibunda is as athletic as they come in the Patriot League, but still lacks polish. It will be interesting to see how far his athleticism can take him in league play. If he is a factor off the bench, AU's threesome could potentially challenge Bucknell's trio of Chris McNaughton, Donald Brown and Darren Mastropaolo as the league's best three-man rotation in the frontcourt.
ARMY: Dramatically better, the 9-3 Black Knights have already won more games than they did the last three seasons combined. Jarrell Brown might be the best offensive player in the league. Matt Bell is healthy and back to form. And freshman Chris Walker's 6-8 presence in the middle gives Army the legitimate post player it has lacked in Jim Crews first four seasons. It's worth noting that although Walker is a freshman, he had the equivalent of a redshirt season at Army's prep school last year. Walker is one of seven players on the Army roster who have spent a year at USMAPS, making the Black Knights a more mature team than the roster might indicate at first glance.
No doubt the 9-3 record reflects more than just Army being better. The wins have come against a mix of weak Division I and mediocre Division III sides. Still, Army will be a tough out this season, especially in Christl Arena.
BUCKNELL: The Bison need to sweep two games at Marist's tournament this weekend to avoid entering conference play below .500. That will be a challenge; Marist, Bucknell's likely opponent in the final (assuming the Bison get past a very weak Central Arkansas team in the opener), is unbeaten at home, 8-3 with two wins over top 100 RPI teams.
Even a game below .500 in the preseason, the Bison are probably still the favorite to win the league. The level of competition Bucknell has faced is clearly a notch above most of the rest of the league and all but two of their non-conference games have been away from home. Bucknell's wins over George Mason and Xavier are easily the league's best wins to date.
That said, this is definitely not the Bucknell juggernaut of the past two seasons. They have been inconsistent on both sides as Pat Flannery has struggled to find a set rotation. The inability of Donald Brown to adjust to playing the three has kept Flannery from being able to put his best five players on the floor at the same time, a problem that has been exacerbated by guys like Chris McNaughton and Abe Badmus getting into foul trouble. Badmus also has to begin contributing more on offense. He has the ability to get into the paint with dribble penetration, but has seemed to lack the confidence to finish when he gets there. If Badmus would start getting himself to the foul line instead of sending opponents there, it would be a huge plus.
COLGATE: Home losses to sub-.500 teams like Stony Brook and Canisius have folks around the league wondering if it is possible they have misjudged the level of talent on the Raiders roster. The injury loss of a guy like Kyle Roemer certainly has not helped. But Roemer's spot on the wing was a spot where Colgate seemed to have a lot of depth. In fact, in the preseason the bigger problem facing coach Emmett Davis seemed to be finding enough minutes for all his perimeter talent.
On paper, Colgate seemed to have the talent to contend for the league title. On the floor they have seemed like it will be a challenge for them to finish ahead of the service academies in the league standings. Until somebody other than Jon Simon starts to perform well on a consistent basis, Colgate will continue to struggle.
HOLY CROSS: When healthy, the Crusaders starting five is as good as any in the league. But Holy Cross has not been healthy and the lack of depth exposed by the latest rash of injuries is taking its toll. At this point HC seems two healthy players away from being the league favorite and a Keith Simmons injury away from going the complete opposite direction.
Pat Doherty will return during conference play, but how effective will he be down the stretch after missing almost all of last season to his foot problems and now a month or so of this season to the broken hand. Lawrence Dixon's knee has his status for the remainder of the season in doubt. The only good news about freshman Andrew Keister's stress fracture is that he has only played four games and should be eligible for a medical redshirt.
Simmons' sprained knee should be O.K for conference play if he does not reinjure it, but the reappearance of his cramping problems in the 'Saders last game (George Mason) is a huge concern. With the limited bench Ralph Willard has available, anything that greatly limits Simmons' minutes will be a real problem. And then there is Torey Thomas, who is playing 40 minutes a game on a knee not fully recovered from off-season surgery.
As long as Simmons and Thomas can still walk, Holy Cross will remain one of the top teams in the league. Without them, things could get ugly in a hurry in Worcester.
LAFAYETTE: Scholarships finally arrived in Easton, but it will take more than one recruiting class for the 'Pards to catch up to folks who have had them for years. Six-seven freshman Jesper Andersson has emerged as a threat on the wing, adding to a plethora of outside shooters available to O'Hanlon, but up front the Leopards are as thin as cheap wrapping paper. Matt Betley has given a yeoman's effort as an undersized (6-4) four, but how he will hold up to the constant banging against bigger, stronger guys over the course of the season remains to be seen.
At their best, Lafayette can rain threes. When they don't fall though, the 'Pards are in trouble because they just are not big enough or strong enough to get it done on the boards, as evidenced by the way they have been outrebounded to the tune of almost 10 per game.
The good news for Lafayette fans: Wait until next year actually means something for the 'Pards, who ought to quickly become competitive when O'Hanlon has the talent to compete.
LEHIGH: Just when it seemed Jason Mgebroff was finally realizing the potential he showed as a freshman, the Mountain Hawks big man got hurt. He will return around the second half of the conference schedule, but without him, a young Lehigh team will struggle to compete inside with some of the better frontcourts in the league.
Lucky for Lehigh, those "better frontcourts" are not a commodity much of the conference is blessed with. Luckier still, it was not Jose Olivero who got hurt. At the risk of seeming redundant, as long as the Mountain Hawks have Olivero, they always will have a chance of shooting down any team in the league.
Freshman point guard Marquis Hall has more than lived up to high expectations, giving Lehigh, when Mgebroff is healthy, as good a first five as there is in the league. Depth remains a big question mark though. Add in an inability to win on the road and the Mountain Hawks appear to have their work cut out for them if they want to remain ahead of Army and navy, ;et alone if they want to challenge the league's top teams.
NAVY: Like Army, the Mids are markedly better. Also like Army, their nine non-conference wins thus far have included two over Division III foes and none against any real quality foes. Six of the seven wins over D-Is came against teams with RPI's over 200.
The similarities with their archrivals don't end there. Like Army, Navy has benefited from the presence of a freshman in the post. In this case it is 6-10 Trey Stanton who has filled the void in the middle.
Greg Sprink continues to show he is one fo the league's top offensive threats. Kaleo Kina and Corey Johnson combine with Sprink to form a very good backcourt.
Alumni Hall continues to be one of the league's toughest road venues. The Midshipmen are unlikely to contend for the championship, but they likely will have a lot to say about who will.
All in all, it is shaping up like a very competitive year for a conference that certainly appears to be on its way up.
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There have been plenty of seasons of parity in the league. In 1994, four teams finished the regular season at 9-5 in conference play, resulting in a pair of semifinals decided by a total of 5 points (including one overtime game) and a final that Navy won at home by 2 (over Colgate the year before Adonal Foyle arrived). That was the only season a team with five league losses managed to claim the top seed for the tournament. (An interesting note: That season Navy placed nobody on the first or second All-Patriot teams despite being the top seed).
The next two seasons Colgate won the conference, but each year the Raiders finished with three losses in conference play and needed a tiebreaker to gain top seed for the postseason.
In 2002, American won the regular season despite four conference setbacks, with four other teams over .500 in league play.
Looking around the league, it would not be surprising to see this year's regular season champs with four or even five losses. With the marked improvement at both of the service academies, Lafayette is the closest thing to a gimme in the league, and Fran O'Hanlon's Leopards have always had a knack, even in their down years, for pulling off an upset or two at home.
Here are a few team-by-team thoughts, done in alphabetical order (so please Lehigh fans, no hate mail for listing the Mountain Hawks seventh):
AMERICAN: A veteran team with a proven star in Andre Ingram, a talented point guard in Derrick Mercer, scoring off the bench in Arvydas Eitutavicius and as much size up front as anybody in the league, the Eagles 7-4 start has done nothing to take away from their preseason status as a contender.
Paulius Joneliunas and Brayden Billbe already can claim the titles of the league's biggest frontcourt and the frontcourt with the most unusual names. If they can also rank among the league's toughest, this could be teh Eagles year.
Cornelio Guibunda is as athletic as they come in the Patriot League, but still lacks polish. It will be interesting to see how far his athleticism can take him in league play. If he is a factor off the bench, AU's threesome could potentially challenge Bucknell's trio of Chris McNaughton, Donald Brown and Darren Mastropaolo as the league's best three-man rotation in the frontcourt.
ARMY: Dramatically better, the 9-3 Black Knights have already won more games than they did the last three seasons combined. Jarrell Brown might be the best offensive player in the league. Matt Bell is healthy and back to form. And freshman Chris Walker's 6-8 presence in the middle gives Army the legitimate post player it has lacked in Jim Crews first four seasons. It's worth noting that although Walker is a freshman, he had the equivalent of a redshirt season at Army's prep school last year. Walker is one of seven players on the Army roster who have spent a year at USMAPS, making the Black Knights a more mature team than the roster might indicate at first glance.
No doubt the 9-3 record reflects more than just Army being better. The wins have come against a mix of weak Division I and mediocre Division III sides. Still, Army will be a tough out this season, especially in Christl Arena.
BUCKNELL: The Bison need to sweep two games at Marist's tournament this weekend to avoid entering conference play below .500. That will be a challenge; Marist, Bucknell's likely opponent in the final (assuming the Bison get past a very weak Central Arkansas team in the opener), is unbeaten at home, 8-3 with two wins over top 100 RPI teams.
Even a game below .500 in the preseason, the Bison are probably still the favorite to win the league. The level of competition Bucknell has faced is clearly a notch above most of the rest of the league and all but two of their non-conference games have been away from home. Bucknell's wins over George Mason and Xavier are easily the league's best wins to date.
That said, this is definitely not the Bucknell juggernaut of the past two seasons. They have been inconsistent on both sides as Pat Flannery has struggled to find a set rotation. The inability of Donald Brown to adjust to playing the three has kept Flannery from being able to put his best five players on the floor at the same time, a problem that has been exacerbated by guys like Chris McNaughton and Abe Badmus getting into foul trouble. Badmus also has to begin contributing more on offense. He has the ability to get into the paint with dribble penetration, but has seemed to lack the confidence to finish when he gets there. If Badmus would start getting himself to the foul line instead of sending opponents there, it would be a huge plus.
COLGATE: Home losses to sub-.500 teams like Stony Brook and Canisius have folks around the league wondering if it is possible they have misjudged the level of talent on the Raiders roster. The injury loss of a guy like Kyle Roemer certainly has not helped. But Roemer's spot on the wing was a spot where Colgate seemed to have a lot of depth. In fact, in the preseason the bigger problem facing coach Emmett Davis seemed to be finding enough minutes for all his perimeter talent.
On paper, Colgate seemed to have the talent to contend for the league title. On the floor they have seemed like it will be a challenge for them to finish ahead of the service academies in the league standings. Until somebody other than Jon Simon starts to perform well on a consistent basis, Colgate will continue to struggle.
HOLY CROSS: When healthy, the Crusaders starting five is as good as any in the league. But Holy Cross has not been healthy and the lack of depth exposed by the latest rash of injuries is taking its toll. At this point HC seems two healthy players away from being the league favorite and a Keith Simmons injury away from going the complete opposite direction.
Pat Doherty will return during conference play, but how effective will he be down the stretch after missing almost all of last season to his foot problems and now a month or so of this season to the broken hand. Lawrence Dixon's knee has his status for the remainder of the season in doubt. The only good news about freshman Andrew Keister's stress fracture is that he has only played four games and should be eligible for a medical redshirt.
Simmons' sprained knee should be O.K for conference play if he does not reinjure it, but the reappearance of his cramping problems in the 'Saders last game (George Mason) is a huge concern. With the limited bench Ralph Willard has available, anything that greatly limits Simmons' minutes will be a real problem. And then there is Torey Thomas, who is playing 40 minutes a game on a knee not fully recovered from off-season surgery.
As long as Simmons and Thomas can still walk, Holy Cross will remain one of the top teams in the league. Without them, things could get ugly in a hurry in Worcester.
LAFAYETTE: Scholarships finally arrived in Easton, but it will take more than one recruiting class for the 'Pards to catch up to folks who have had them for years. Six-seven freshman Jesper Andersson has emerged as a threat on the wing, adding to a plethora of outside shooters available to O'Hanlon, but up front the Leopards are as thin as cheap wrapping paper. Matt Betley has given a yeoman's effort as an undersized (6-4) four, but how he will hold up to the constant banging against bigger, stronger guys over the course of the season remains to be seen.
At their best, Lafayette can rain threes. When they don't fall though, the 'Pards are in trouble because they just are not big enough or strong enough to get it done on the boards, as evidenced by the way they have been outrebounded to the tune of almost 10 per game.
The good news for Lafayette fans: Wait until next year actually means something for the 'Pards, who ought to quickly become competitive when O'Hanlon has the talent to compete.
LEHIGH: Just when it seemed Jason Mgebroff was finally realizing the potential he showed as a freshman, the Mountain Hawks big man got hurt. He will return around the second half of the conference schedule, but without him, a young Lehigh team will struggle to compete inside with some of the better frontcourts in the league.
Lucky for Lehigh, those "better frontcourts" are not a commodity much of the conference is blessed with. Luckier still, it was not Jose Olivero who got hurt. At the risk of seeming redundant, as long as the Mountain Hawks have Olivero, they always will have a chance of shooting down any team in the league.
Freshman point guard Marquis Hall has more than lived up to high expectations, giving Lehigh, when Mgebroff is healthy, as good a first five as there is in the league. Depth remains a big question mark though. Add in an inability to win on the road and the Mountain Hawks appear to have their work cut out for them if they want to remain ahead of Army and navy, ;et alone if they want to challenge the league's top teams.
NAVY: Like Army, the Mids are markedly better. Also like Army, their nine non-conference wins thus far have included two over Division III foes and none against any real quality foes. Six of the seven wins over D-Is came against teams with RPI's over 200.
The similarities with their archrivals don't end there. Like Army, Navy has benefited from the presence of a freshman in the post. In this case it is 6-10 Trey Stanton who has filled the void in the middle.
Greg Sprink continues to show he is one fo the league's top offensive threats. Kaleo Kina and Corey Johnson combine with Sprink to form a very good backcourt.
Alumni Hall continues to be one of the league's toughest road venues. The Midshipmen are unlikely to contend for the championship, but they likely will have a lot to say about who will.
All in all, it is shaping up like a very competitive year for a conference that certainly appears to be on its way up.
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, notebook
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Sunday, December 24, 2006
(Updated with additional links at 8:29 a.m.)
You hear the cliché “less is more” tossed around in a lot of different contexts, but seldom is it used when talking about defense in a basketball game.
That was the case Saturday afternoon in the University of Maryland's Comcast Center, though, where the host Terrapins turned a close game into a 66-54 win over visiting American by applying less defensive pressure on the visiting Eagles.
For most of the first half, the Terrapins employed a variety of full court traps against American, often to good effect. The Terps' first-half pressure resulted in 11 American turnovers, which Maryland converted into 18 points.
The problem for Maryland was, when American managed to beat the traps, the result usually was an open look at the basket. Shooting 50 percent (14 of 28) from the field in the first 20 minutes, all that separated the Eagles from the big boys from the Atlantic Coast Conference was five points, thanks mainly to some kind officials that sent Maryland to the foul line 9 times in the first half, where the Terps scored 5 of the 6 points that constituted their lead at the break.
Then came the second half, when Maryland abandoned the traps to play more of a straight-up man-to-man defense. The result: a 13-2 run to start the half that gave Maryland a double-digits lead it would hold the rest of the game.
“There was less pressure,” said American coach Jeff Jones. “But one of the things if you do handle a trapping defense, there are open plays. We didn't have those opportunities. They just kind of played a more grind-it-out defense there in the second half.”
Without the open looks they got in the first half, American found it much harder to score. The Eagles had one bucket the first 5:59 of the half and only two field goals the first 9:38 after the break. By then Maryland's lead was 16 and the suspense was over.
“Going into halftime, we thought we were right there, a bucket or two from keeping the pressure on them,” Jones said.
“We emphasized how important the first five minutes of the second half were going to be. Maryland was very good during that stretch. They made shots. They executed their offense. They were very aggressive defensively.”
Jones was right. Even though Maryland took off the trap, they didn't really let up on defense. That was particularly true in the paint, where the Terps simply dominated. The official box score shows each team with 26 points in the paint, but that is a misleading stat.
American's big men were never a factor offensively. The trio of starters Brayden Billbe and Paulius Joneliunas, and first big man off the bench Cornelio Guibunda, finished with a combined 8 points on 4 of 16 shooting. Billbe, who was shooting over 50 percent on the season coming in, was 2 for 10 from the field.
“They took away Billbe inside. His first shot, he took it pretty strong. Having it blocked – that had a psychological effect. He wasn't a factor in the game,” Jones said.
Offensively, neither was anybody else for AU, with the exception of Andre Ingram, who finished with 24 of AU's 54 points, despite sitting a seven minute stretch of the first half after picking up two fouls.
Ingram was 9 for 16 from the field. Take his shots out of the equation and American's already icy 34.9 percent (22 of 63) shooting percentage in the game drops to a frigid 27.7 percent.
The struggles were pretty much across the board. Arvydas Eitutauicius, usually a dependable source of offense, was 2 for 8 from the field, 0 for 4 from the arc, finishing with 4 points, less than half his season average of 10.8 points per game. Linas Lekavicius was 3 for 10 and Garrison Carr, American's best perimeter shooter, was 0 for 6, including 4 missed treys.
“It was kind of like, where is the offense going to come from,” Jones said. “We really did struggle.”
It didn't help that it seemed every time the Eagles tried to take it to the hole, a Maryland defender was there to swat the ball away.
“I don't know how many blocks they had, but they had a bunch of them,” Jones said.
The answer, by the way, is nine; five in the second half. It seemed like more.
In the end, Maryland's defense and free throw shooting were the difference. American actually held its own defensively, especially in the second half, when Maryland turned the ball over 9 times (20 for the game total) and went 9 for 23 (39.1 percent) from the field. If American had been able to make more than 8 buckets while taking 35 shots, it might have been different. That Maryland shot 21 free throws to AU's 8 would have been a bigger factor if the Terps were halfway decent from the foul line. They made just 13 (61.9 percent), but that still was a significant edge over the 6 American made.
“We just were not good enough. It is that simple,” Jones said.
“Maryland is bigger, more athletic, more talented. For us to be able to pull off one of those upsets, we needed to shoot a little better and execute better,” he added.
The loss was American's second in a row, following a loss at Yale back on Dec. 9, before finals. It won't get any easier for the Eagles after the holiday. AU returns to action Dec. 28 at 7-3 Virginia, which has not lost a game at home thus far this season.
NOTES: Maryland now leads the all-time series between the two schools 14-1 . . . Details on AU's only win are a little sketchy . . . It came in the first meeting between the two, back in the 1926-27 season . . . The exact date of AU's 21-16 win is uncertain, as is where the game was played . . . Of the other 13, 12 were played at Maryland, one on a neutral floor . . . The loss leaves Jones tied for third on AU's all-time wins list with 95 . . . Eitutavicius's streak of consecutive free throws is still intact. He never got a chance to extend it or to end it, failing to get to the line for just the third time in 11 games . . . Maryland's bench outscored AU's bench 15-9 . . . It was the first time an opponent's bench managed that feat since AU's first game of the season at Fairfield . . . Ingram, who was leading the Patriot League in defensive rebounds entering the game (4.9 per game) had just one defensive board against Maryland . . . Guibunda's block on an Ekene Ibekwe jumper at the 15:10 mark of the first half kept alive his streak of games with a blocked shot . . . Guibunda, who has 12 blocks in the nine games he has played in, has rejected at least one in the Eagles' last seven games.
Box score | Gameblog | Postgame audio with Jeff Jones and Gary Williams | AP | Montgomery County Sentinel | Baltimore Sun | Washington Post | Washington Times
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You hear the cliché “less is more” tossed around in a lot of different contexts, but seldom is it used when talking about defense in a basketball game.
That was the case Saturday afternoon in the University of Maryland's Comcast Center, though, where the host Terrapins turned a close game into a 66-54 win over visiting American by applying less defensive pressure on the visiting Eagles.
For most of the first half, the Terrapins employed a variety of full court traps against American, often to good effect. The Terps' first-half pressure resulted in 11 American turnovers, which Maryland converted into 18 points.
The problem for Maryland was, when American managed to beat the traps, the result usually was an open look at the basket. Shooting 50 percent (14 of 28) from the field in the first 20 minutes, all that separated the Eagles from the big boys from the Atlantic Coast Conference was five points, thanks mainly to some kind officials that sent Maryland to the foul line 9 times in the first half, where the Terps scored 5 of the 6 points that constituted their lead at the break.
Then came the second half, when Maryland abandoned the traps to play more of a straight-up man-to-man defense. The result: a 13-2 run to start the half that gave Maryland a double-digits lead it would hold the rest of the game.
“There was less pressure,” said American coach Jeff Jones. “But one of the things if you do handle a trapping defense, there are open plays. We didn't have those opportunities. They just kind of played a more grind-it-out defense there in the second half.”
Without the open looks they got in the first half, American found it much harder to score. The Eagles had one bucket the first 5:59 of the half and only two field goals the first 9:38 after the break. By then Maryland's lead was 16 and the suspense was over.
“Going into halftime, we thought we were right there, a bucket or two from keeping the pressure on them,” Jones said.
“We emphasized how important the first five minutes of the second half were going to be. Maryland was very good during that stretch. They made shots. They executed their offense. They were very aggressive defensively.”
Jones was right. Even though Maryland took off the trap, they didn't really let up on defense. That was particularly true in the paint, where the Terps simply dominated. The official box score shows each team with 26 points in the paint, but that is a misleading stat.
American's big men were never a factor offensively. The trio of starters Brayden Billbe and Paulius Joneliunas, and first big man off the bench Cornelio Guibunda, finished with a combined 8 points on 4 of 16 shooting. Billbe, who was shooting over 50 percent on the season coming in, was 2 for 10 from the field.
“They took away Billbe inside. His first shot, he took it pretty strong. Having it blocked – that had a psychological effect. He wasn't a factor in the game,” Jones said.
Offensively, neither was anybody else for AU, with the exception of Andre Ingram, who finished with 24 of AU's 54 points, despite sitting a seven minute stretch of the first half after picking up two fouls.
Ingram was 9 for 16 from the field. Take his shots out of the equation and American's already icy 34.9 percent (22 of 63) shooting percentage in the game drops to a frigid 27.7 percent.
The struggles were pretty much across the board. Arvydas Eitutauicius, usually a dependable source of offense, was 2 for 8 from the field, 0 for 4 from the arc, finishing with 4 points, less than half his season average of 10.8 points per game. Linas Lekavicius was 3 for 10 and Garrison Carr, American's best perimeter shooter, was 0 for 6, including 4 missed treys.
“It was kind of like, where is the offense going to come from,” Jones said. “We really did struggle.”
It didn't help that it seemed every time the Eagles tried to take it to the hole, a Maryland defender was there to swat the ball away.
“I don't know how many blocks they had, but they had a bunch of them,” Jones said.
The answer, by the way, is nine; five in the second half. It seemed like more.
In the end, Maryland's defense and free throw shooting were the difference. American actually held its own defensively, especially in the second half, when Maryland turned the ball over 9 times (20 for the game total) and went 9 for 23 (39.1 percent) from the field. If American had been able to make more than 8 buckets while taking 35 shots, it might have been different. That Maryland shot 21 free throws to AU's 8 would have been a bigger factor if the Terps were halfway decent from the foul line. They made just 13 (61.9 percent), but that still was a significant edge over the 6 American made.
“We just were not good enough. It is that simple,” Jones said.
“Maryland is bigger, more athletic, more talented. For us to be able to pull off one of those upsets, we needed to shoot a little better and execute better,” he added.
The loss was American's second in a row, following a loss at Yale back on Dec. 9, before finals. It won't get any easier for the Eagles after the holiday. AU returns to action Dec. 28 at 7-3 Virginia, which has not lost a game at home thus far this season.
NOTES: Maryland now leads the all-time series between the two schools 14-1 . . . Details on AU's only win are a little sketchy . . . It came in the first meeting between the two, back in the 1926-27 season . . . The exact date of AU's 21-16 win is uncertain, as is where the game was played . . . Of the other 13, 12 were played at Maryland, one on a neutral floor . . . The loss leaves Jones tied for third on AU's all-time wins list with 95 . . . Eitutavicius's streak of consecutive free throws is still intact. He never got a chance to extend it or to end it, failing to get to the line for just the third time in 11 games . . . Maryland's bench outscored AU's bench 15-9 . . . It was the first time an opponent's bench managed that feat since AU's first game of the season at Fairfield . . . Ingram, who was leading the Patriot League in defensive rebounds entering the game (4.9 per game) had just one defensive board against Maryland . . . Guibunda's block on an Ekene Ibekwe jumper at the 15:10 mark of the first half kept alive his streak of games with a blocked shot . . . Guibunda, who has 12 blocks in the nine games he has played in, has rejected at least one in the Eagles' last seven games.
Box score | Gameblog | Postgame audio with Jeff Jones and Gary Williams | AP | Montgomery County Sentinel | Baltimore Sun | Washington Post | Washington Times
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Saturday, December 23, 2006
Notes and observations from American's loss at Maryland, recorded for posterity as it happened this afternoon in the Comcast Center.
After a slow start -- for us, not the game -- after conflicting directions sent us a half-dozen places before we could find our game credentials, we are finally booted up and ready to go here at Marlyand's Comcast Center.
Through the first seven minutes, AU hanging right with the Terps, despite having trouble with Maryland's full court pressure early. Maryland jumped out to a quick 9-5 lead, but after a quick AU timeout, the Eagles right back in it, thanks in no small part to Andre Ingram, who has 10 of AU's first 12 points, including two treys.
To stay in it, though, AU will need to start doing a better job on the glass. Maryland got three shots its first possession and has been dominating the boards.
At the second media timeout, its AU 18, Maryland 16, 10:36 to go in the half.
Fouls are mounting for AU, they get their 7th at the 9:56 mark. Ingram with two is on the bench. Maryland with two team fouls at this point.
Not sure how long Jeff Jones can afford to sit Ingram. Other than a couple nice penetration layups by Derrick Mercer, offense has been scarce for the rest of the Eagles.
Expect the Lithuanian duo of Eitutavicius and Lekavicius to try to pick up the slack. They have acounted for the last four AU points. AU 21, Md. 21, 7:24 to go in the half.
A pair of back door layups, the first by Eitutavicius, the second by Paulis Joneliunas, gets Gary Williams off the bench for a quick time out. AU up 27-25. 5:30 to play first half.
Interesting use of the instant replay in the Comcast Center scoreboard. Whenever there is a call against the Terps, like a pair of charges that have wiped out Martyland baskets, the instant replay quickly brings a roar from the crowd.
When AU's Brayden Billbe has a shot blocked that sure looked like an uncalled goaltend, or when two, maybe even three, Eagles get hammered on an offensive possession that results in three shots, but no points, there is no reply to even watch.
Still, with 3:48 to go in the first half, AU up 27-26.
With 3:41 to go in the half, Jones rolls the dice with Ingram and sends him back on the floor, replacing Eitutavicius, who just got his second foul, the team's 9th.
AU getting no breaks from this ACC crew.
Just that quick, Maryland gets on a run, scoring 12 straight points to take a 37-27 lead with 1:40 to go in the half.
AT THE HALF:
Ingram scores at the buzzer to cut Maryland's lead to 37-31, AU scoring the last four points of the half -- the other coming on a tough layup by Mercer on the break after a steal.
Mercer, who stands 5-9 on his tip-toes, now with 6 points, all in the paint among Maryland's trees.
Ingram leading all scorers with 14 points in just 13 minutes of action.
AU shooting 50 percent from the floor (14 of 28) with 2 treys on 5 tries. Maryland 14 of 29, 3 for 6 at the arc.
Both teams with 11 turnovers in the first half. Maryland better at converting those, has scored 18 off AU giveaways. Au has 15 off Maryland turnovers.
The biggest differences right now: Maryland with a 19-12 edge on the boards -- including 7 offensive. The Terps also have been to the foul line 9 times, making 6; AU has shot two free throws, making one.
Scoreboard watching: Navy trails Georgetown by 10, 33-23, at the half.
Catching up on some tidbits missed by arriving on press row just moments before the tip: The Comcast Center is maybe three-quarters full, with a huge block of red seats empty at the one end, presumably where the students usually sit.
Despite break, Maryland's pep band is out in full force. That's the difference between real hoops schools and wannabes like Penn State, where break usually means a high school band in free t-shirts filling in for the departed college students.
Second half to follow.
Maryland's first bucket of the second half comes on a slam following am AU giveaway. After an empty possession for AU, a three=pointer puts the Terps back up by 11.
Hard as it is to believe, the refs actually called a travel on Maryland at the 17:02 mark. Most of the game they have been allowed drives that NBA players would envy. The last time somebody around here carried a ball that far, he was wearing a Redskins uniform.
At the other end, an Eitutavicius bucket that would have cut the lead to 10 (maybe nine if he converted a free throw) is wiped out by an official away from the play, who comes in to overrule the guy under the basket, turning potential AU three-point play into Eitutavicius' third personal and another AU turnover.
Meanwhile, D.J. Strawberry is heating up at the arc. His back-to-back threes (part of three treys in a row by the Terps) have pushed the Maryland lead to 48-33 with 15:34 to play.
With 13:09 to go, Jeff Jones inserts Garrison Carr in an effort to find some offense. The Eagles have scored only 5 points through the first 7 minutes of the second half.
It is not the turnovers killing AU on offense as much as it is Maryland's lack thereof. AU has just two giveaways, but Maryland only has two, also, and the Terps are making shots, forcing AU to play halfcourt offense instead of getting some points in transition.
The result, American's shooting percentage has plummeted to 38 percent for the game. Do the math at home for the second half -- AU is 2 for 14 so far. that is why the score is Maryland 56, AU 38 with 11:22 to play.
Elliott from Basketball U. is seated next to us. At the last timeout, he observed, "It's like watching ninth graders against seventh graders."
After Ingram hits his fourth trey of the game, he has more than half AU's points (22 of 43). Ingram is 8 for 14 from the field; the rest of the Eagles a combined 10 for 33.
With 8:18 to go, it's Maryland 57, American 43.
If you have never been to the Comcast Center, you ought to try to catch a game there some time. It is a beautiful facility, seating 17, 950 without sacrificing that close to the court feel for most of the seats. The seating areas behind the one baskets is a steep single deck, with an upper deck on the sidesand behind the other basket.
One nice feature is a little hidden from most of the crowds who enter from the front of the building. In a hallway that leads to the Terps' weight room and wrestling facility, the wall is lined with the center of the floors from the Final Fours where the Maryland men's and women's teams won national title.
The media is behind one basket on risers, much like they were in Cole Field House, with premium seats for high-rollers along courtside.
AU is trying to sneak back into this one. A little 10-3 run has cut the Maryland lead to 57-46 with 6:55 to play.
AU is getting nothing in the paint. The trio of Cornelio Guibunda, Brayden Billbe and Paulis Joneliunas has a combined 8 points on 4 of 15 shooting. Maryland has blocked 9 shots.
Maryland up 66-52 as the crowd empties with 1:38 to play.
AU fans looking for a moral victory (and you know Jeff Jones is not), Gary Williams still has three starters on the floor with a minute to go.
FINAL SCORE: Maryland 66, AU 54
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After a slow start -- for us, not the game -- after conflicting directions sent us a half-dozen places before we could find our game credentials, we are finally booted up and ready to go here at Marlyand's Comcast Center.
Through the first seven minutes, AU hanging right with the Terps, despite having trouble with Maryland's full court pressure early. Maryland jumped out to a quick 9-5 lead, but after a quick AU timeout, the Eagles right back in it, thanks in no small part to Andre Ingram, who has 10 of AU's first 12 points, including two treys.
To stay in it, though, AU will need to start doing a better job on the glass. Maryland got three shots its first possession and has been dominating the boards.
At the second media timeout, its AU 18, Maryland 16, 10:36 to go in the half.
Fouls are mounting for AU, they get their 7th at the 9:56 mark. Ingram with two is on the bench. Maryland with two team fouls at this point.
Not sure how long Jeff Jones can afford to sit Ingram. Other than a couple nice penetration layups by Derrick Mercer, offense has been scarce for the rest of the Eagles.
Expect the Lithuanian duo of Eitutavicius and Lekavicius to try to pick up the slack. They have acounted for the last four AU points. AU 21, Md. 21, 7:24 to go in the half.
A pair of back door layups, the first by Eitutavicius, the second by Paulis Joneliunas, gets Gary Williams off the bench for a quick time out. AU up 27-25. 5:30 to play first half.
Interesting use of the instant replay in the Comcast Center scoreboard. Whenever there is a call against the Terps, like a pair of charges that have wiped out Martyland baskets, the instant replay quickly brings a roar from the crowd.
When AU's Brayden Billbe has a shot blocked that sure looked like an uncalled goaltend, or when two, maybe even three, Eagles get hammered on an offensive possession that results in three shots, but no points, there is no reply to even watch.
Still, with 3:48 to go in the first half, AU up 27-26.
With 3:41 to go in the half, Jones rolls the dice with Ingram and sends him back on the floor, replacing Eitutavicius, who just got his second foul, the team's 9th.
AU getting no breaks from this ACC crew.
Just that quick, Maryland gets on a run, scoring 12 straight points to take a 37-27 lead with 1:40 to go in the half.
AT THE HALF:
Ingram scores at the buzzer to cut Maryland's lead to 37-31, AU scoring the last four points of the half -- the other coming on a tough layup by Mercer on the break after a steal.
Mercer, who stands 5-9 on his tip-toes, now with 6 points, all in the paint among Maryland's trees.
Ingram leading all scorers with 14 points in just 13 minutes of action.
AU shooting 50 percent from the floor (14 of 28) with 2 treys on 5 tries. Maryland 14 of 29, 3 for 6 at the arc.
Both teams with 11 turnovers in the first half. Maryland better at converting those, has scored 18 off AU giveaways. Au has 15 off Maryland turnovers.
The biggest differences right now: Maryland with a 19-12 edge on the boards -- including 7 offensive. The Terps also have been to the foul line 9 times, making 6; AU has shot two free throws, making one.
Scoreboard watching: Navy trails Georgetown by 10, 33-23, at the half.
Catching up on some tidbits missed by arriving on press row just moments before the tip: The Comcast Center is maybe three-quarters full, with a huge block of red seats empty at the one end, presumably where the students usually sit.
Despite break, Maryland's pep band is out in full force. That's the difference between real hoops schools and wannabes like Penn State, where break usually means a high school band in free t-shirts filling in for the departed college students.
Second half to follow.
Maryland's first bucket of the second half comes on a slam following am AU giveaway. After an empty possession for AU, a three=pointer puts the Terps back up by 11.
Hard as it is to believe, the refs actually called a travel on Maryland at the 17:02 mark. Most of the game they have been allowed drives that NBA players would envy. The last time somebody around here carried a ball that far, he was wearing a Redskins uniform.
At the other end, an Eitutavicius bucket that would have cut the lead to 10 (maybe nine if he converted a free throw) is wiped out by an official away from the play, who comes in to overrule the guy under the basket, turning potential AU three-point play into Eitutavicius' third personal and another AU turnover.
Meanwhile, D.J. Strawberry is heating up at the arc. His back-to-back threes (part of three treys in a row by the Terps) have pushed the Maryland lead to 48-33 with 15:34 to play.
With 13:09 to go, Jeff Jones inserts Garrison Carr in an effort to find some offense. The Eagles have scored only 5 points through the first 7 minutes of the second half.
It is not the turnovers killing AU on offense as much as it is Maryland's lack thereof. AU has just two giveaways, but Maryland only has two, also, and the Terps are making shots, forcing AU to play halfcourt offense instead of getting some points in transition.
The result, American's shooting percentage has plummeted to 38 percent for the game. Do the math at home for the second half -- AU is 2 for 14 so far. that is why the score is Maryland 56, AU 38 with 11:22 to play.
Elliott from Basketball U. is seated next to us. At the last timeout, he observed, "It's like watching ninth graders against seventh graders."
After Ingram hits his fourth trey of the game, he has more than half AU's points (22 of 43). Ingram is 8 for 14 from the field; the rest of the Eagles a combined 10 for 33.
With 8:18 to go, it's Maryland 57, American 43.
If you have never been to the Comcast Center, you ought to try to catch a game there some time. It is a beautiful facility, seating 17, 950 without sacrificing that close to the court feel for most of the seats. The seating areas behind the one baskets is a steep single deck, with an upper deck on the sidesand behind the other basket.
One nice feature is a little hidden from most of the crowds who enter from the front of the building. In a hallway that leads to the Terps' weight room and wrestling facility, the wall is lined with the center of the floors from the Final Fours where the Maryland men's and women's teams won national title.
The media is behind one basket on risers, much like they were in Cole Field House, with premium seats for high-rollers along courtside.
AU is trying to sneak back into this one. A little 10-3 run has cut the Maryland lead to 57-46 with 6:55 to play.
AU is getting nothing in the paint. The trio of Cornelio Guibunda, Brayden Billbe and Paulis Joneliunas has a combined 8 points on 4 of 15 shooting. Maryland has blocked 9 shots.
Maryland up 66-52 as the crowd empties with 1:38 to play.
AU fans looking for a moral victory (and you know Jeff Jones is not), Gary Williams still has three starters on the floor with a minute to go.
FINAL SCORE: Maryland 66, AU 54
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The "General" barks orders back in his Indiana days |
Unless you live in a cave (and then how the heck are you here?), you know the whole storyline for this afternoon's Bucknell-Texas Tech game (4:30, ESPN2) (matchup). Bobby Knight, love him or hate him, going for win No. 879, which would tie him with former North Carolina coach Dean Smith as the all-time winningest coach in Division 1 hoops.
A few weeks ago, this would have seemed like a "pencil it in" win for Knight. But Bucknell has recovered from its 0-4 start to win five of its last six, including picking up a big-name scalp at Xavier the Bison's last time out.
We plan to get to a TV as soon as we can this afternoon, but first we'll stop in College Park, Md., where American takes on Maryland (matchup)in a 1 p.m. tip.
On the other side of town, Navy visits Georgetown (matchup), also a 1 p.m. tip.
A win by any one of the three league teams would be a tremendous early Christmas present for the Patriot League.
Labels: AU, BU, Navy, previews
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Monday, December 18, 2006
Holy Cross stays at No. 18, but for the first time this season, Bucknell has dropped out of the Mid-Major Top 25.
The Bison are still in the "others receiving votes" category, with 34 points (unofficially No. 35). The voting in the poll rather curious in some respects. Navy, which was beaten soundly at home by Penn, received 53 points (unofficial No. 31); Penn only got 18. Army was the top others receiving team with 74 points. American also received 6.
In the other polls: Army again received a vote in the AP poll; No Patriot League votes in the ESPN-USA Today poll.
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The Bison are still in the "others receiving votes" category, with 34 points (unofficially No. 35). The voting in the poll rather curious in some respects. Navy, which was beaten soundly at home by Penn, received 53 points (unofficial No. 31); Penn only got 18. Army was the top others receiving team with 74 points. American also received 6.
In the other polls: Army again received a vote in the AP poll; No Patriot League votes in the ESPN-USA Today poll.
Labels: Army, AU, BU, HC, Navy
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Friday, December 15, 2006
Here are links to the latest news and notes about the Patriot League:
Tom Housenick's weekly college hoops column in The Daily Item breaks down Bucknell's 3-4 start, which he blames primarily on inconsistency.
Ron Snyder checks in with a look at Navy's strong start in the Washington Examiner. There is also a brief Navy mention in an article about local college team in the Examiner's Baltimore edition.
Recruitniks everywhere can start working themselves into a lather over Neil Hollingsworth, a 6-8 (or 6-7, depending who is writing the story) kid from Judge Memorial, Utah's defending 3A champions. Hollingsworth has a 3.95 GPA and a desire to major in computer science and electrical engineering, and while Stanford would be his first choice, he is realistically looking at unnamed Patriot and Ivy League schools, according to Matt Thurber, writing in the Salt Lake City tribune.
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Thursday, December 14, 2006
More than once we have lamented the Washington Post's lack of interest in any D.C. area teams not named after obscure Latin phrases or reptiles of the order Testudines (you are Patriot League types, you don't need me to tell you that means "turtles").
The D.C. area is actually a hotbed of college hoops, and as George Mason showed last season, it goes well beyond Georgetown and Maryland. Yet night after night, the Post seems content to treat most of the other teams in town like glorified high schools, packing all their games into a wrap. From time to time they actually cover one of the games (and their Steve Goff does a nice job with American and Navy when given the chance). Most of the time, though, the Mids and the Eagles seem to be relegated to one paragraph under a headline that doesn't even mention their game.
Somebody at the Post, or at least somebody at its affiliated Web operation, is starting to take more notice. Dan Steinburg writes the Web site's blog, or Bog as he calls it in deference to Washington's swamps.
Steinburg has begun a Washington-area Top 11 poll (the definition of Washington-area extends as far south as Norfolk-- which is actually about the same distance from D.C. as Lewisburg and the Lehigh Valley -- making pretty much every team in Virginia eligible). This week, the poll's 66 voters ranked Navy No. 9, American No. 11.
It's not to late to become a voter in the Bog's poll. Earlier in the season Steinburg posted an appeal for more voters from the Patriot League, so if you are interested, nominate yourself by e-mailing Steinburg. Be sure to tell him we sent you.
Meanwhile, here are two particularly interesting posts from the Bog's recent achivess:
American at Howard Blog (Poll Voters, Pay Attention)
BB&T Observations
Other links:
If somebody figures out what this blog has to do with Bucknell basketball (aside from its name), please let us know.
This slow finals week might be a good time to catch up on the exploits of Bucknell alum Brian McGlinchey's 10-games-in-10-days version of Kyle's 100-games project.
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The D.C. area is actually a hotbed of college hoops, and as George Mason showed last season, it goes well beyond Georgetown and Maryland. Yet night after night, the Post seems content to treat most of the other teams in town like glorified high schools, packing all their games into a wrap. From time to time they actually cover one of the games (and their Steve Goff does a nice job with American and Navy when given the chance). Most of the time, though, the Mids and the Eagles seem to be relegated to one paragraph under a headline that doesn't even mention their game.
Somebody at the Post, or at least somebody at its affiliated Web operation, is starting to take more notice. Dan Steinburg writes the Web site's blog, or Bog as he calls it in deference to Washington's swamps.
Steinburg has begun a Washington-area Top 11 poll (the definition of Washington-area extends as far south as Norfolk-- which is actually about the same distance from D.C. as Lewisburg and the Lehigh Valley -- making pretty much every team in Virginia eligible). This week, the poll's 66 voters ranked Navy No. 9, American No. 11.
It's not to late to become a voter in the Bog's poll. Earlier in the season Steinburg posted an appeal for more voters from the Patriot League, so if you are interested, nominate yourself by e-mailing Steinburg. Be sure to tell him we sent you.
Meanwhile, here are two particularly interesting posts from the Bog's recent achivess:
Other links:
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Tuesday, December 12, 2006
In Monday's update of the Mid-Major Top 25: Holy Cross down one spot to No. 18; Bucknell drops to No. 22. Still receiving votes: American, Navy and Army.
No league teams in either the Army receiving one vote in the latest AP poll. No votes for league teams in the ESPN/USA Today polls. (Correction thanks to Ken D., who noticed ESPN.com had cut off Army on its list of others receiving votes in the AP poll.)
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Labels: Army, AU, BU, HC, Navy
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Sunday, December 10, 2006
The basketball gods were not smiling on the Patriot League Saturday. Lehigh and Colgate both lost, not unexpectedly, to big time schools. American's loss to Yale was somewhat less anticipated.
Yale 70, American 53 -- Casey Hughes put Yale ahead with a alley-oop dunk 11 seconds into the second half and Yale never again trailed, ending AU's four-game win streak and Yale's six-game losing streak.
American led 29-28 at the half. But Hughes' dunk was followed by six more Yale points, part of a 10-0 run that spanned the intermission. AU closed to within 4 with 11:10 on the clock, but Yale answered with a three-pointer and the Bulldogs lead was never fewer than 6 points the rest of the way.
Yale shot 15 of 29 (51.7 percent), including 4 of 8 from the three-point arc, in the second half. Au was under 40 percent from the field each half, finishing 19 of 55 (34.5 percent) overall, 3 of 18 (16.7 percent) from the arc.
The Bulldogs dominant inside, outscoring AU 28-10 in the paint and outrebounding the Eagles 44-32. Yale had 15 offensive boards, yielding 14 second-chance points. Brayden Billbe lead AU in rebounds with 6, despite his fouling out in just 16 minutes of playing time.
In Billbe's stead, Georgetown-transfer Cornelio Guibunda saw an extended run and hit a career-high 13 points. Arvydas Eitutavicius led AU with 14 points. Andre Ingra added 10.
It was Yale's first win over a Division I team this season. The Bulldogs lost at home to Bucknell and Holy Cross during their losing streak.
Box score | AP | New Haven Register
(21) Syracuse 79, Colgate 52 -- Colgate managed to hang around for a half, then Syracuse turned on the jets. At the break it was 35-30 Syracuse. But while the Orangemen came out on fire and hit 64 percent of their shots (16 of 25) in the second half, including 8 of 14 from the arc, Colgate managed to make but 8 of the 31 (25.8 percent) shots it put up in the second half.
The Raiders were 1 of 10 from three-point range in the second half, 2 of 16 for the game.
Kyle Chones led Syracuse with a career-high 18 points. Jon Simon, who averaged 14.3 ppg coming in, was held to 5 points on 2 for 11 shooting and Kendall Chones managed just one point, almost 10 below his average.
The win was Syracuse's 41st in a row over Colgate, the longest such streak in the nation.
Box score | AP | Syracuse Post-Standard | Utica Observer-Dispatch
Miami (FL) 79, Lehigh 58 -- The Mountain Hawks managed to hang with the Hurricanes for a half, trailing 36-33 at the break, but could not keep pace with the ACC school in the second.
"We simply ran out of gas," said Lehigh coach Billy Taylor, who again juggled his starting lineup, with Phil Anderson replacing Bryan White at the strong forward spot, which has been a revolving door for Lehigh.
Lehigh's offense was not the problem. The Hawks shot 50 percent (24 of 48) from the field and were 7 of 18 (38.9 percent) from the arc. But Miami shot even better, going 50 percent (14 of 28) from the field the first half, 55.6 percent in the second (15 of 27). Miami also outrebounded Lehigh 33-23 and went 12 for 21 at the foul line. Lehigh shot only 6 free throws, making 3.
Jason Mgebroff led the Hawks with 12 points. Jose Olivero added 11 for Lehigh, which is still looking for its first win away from Stabler Arena.
Box score | AP | Sun-Sentinel | Miami Herald | Canes Time
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Yale 70, American 53 -- Casey Hughes put Yale ahead with a alley-oop dunk 11 seconds into the second half and Yale never again trailed, ending AU's four-game win streak and Yale's six-game losing streak.
American led 29-28 at the half. But Hughes' dunk was followed by six more Yale points, part of a 10-0 run that spanned the intermission. AU closed to within 4 with 11:10 on the clock, but Yale answered with a three-pointer and the Bulldogs lead was never fewer than 6 points the rest of the way.
Yale shot 15 of 29 (51.7 percent), including 4 of 8 from the three-point arc, in the second half. Au was under 40 percent from the field each half, finishing 19 of 55 (34.5 percent) overall, 3 of 18 (16.7 percent) from the arc.
The Bulldogs dominant inside, outscoring AU 28-10 in the paint and outrebounding the Eagles 44-32. Yale had 15 offensive boards, yielding 14 second-chance points. Brayden Billbe lead AU in rebounds with 6, despite his fouling out in just 16 minutes of playing time.
In Billbe's stead, Georgetown-transfer Cornelio Guibunda saw an extended run and hit a career-high 13 points. Arvydas Eitutavicius led AU with 14 points. Andre Ingra added 10.
It was Yale's first win over a Division I team this season. The Bulldogs lost at home to Bucknell and Holy Cross during their losing streak.
Box score | AP | New Haven Register
(21) Syracuse 79, Colgate 52 -- Colgate managed to hang around for a half, then Syracuse turned on the jets. At the break it was 35-30 Syracuse. But while the Orangemen came out on fire and hit 64 percent of their shots (16 of 25) in the second half, including 8 of 14 from the arc, Colgate managed to make but 8 of the 31 (25.8 percent) shots it put up in the second half.
The Raiders were 1 of 10 from three-point range in the second half, 2 of 16 for the game.
Kyle Chones led Syracuse with a career-high 18 points. Jon Simon, who averaged 14.3 ppg coming in, was held to 5 points on 2 for 11 shooting and Kendall Chones managed just one point, almost 10 below his average.
The win was Syracuse's 41st in a row over Colgate, the longest such streak in the nation.
Box score | AP | Syracuse Post-Standard | Utica Observer-Dispatch
Miami (FL) 79, Lehigh 58 -- The Mountain Hawks managed to hang with the Hurricanes for a half, trailing 36-33 at the break, but could not keep pace with the ACC school in the second.
"We simply ran out of gas," said Lehigh coach Billy Taylor, who again juggled his starting lineup, with Phil Anderson replacing Bryan White at the strong forward spot, which has been a revolving door for Lehigh.
Lehigh's offense was not the problem. The Hawks shot 50 percent (24 of 48) from the field and were 7 of 18 (38.9 percent) from the arc. But Miami shot even better, going 50 percent (14 of 28) from the field the first half, 55.6 percent in the second (15 of 27). Miami also outrebounded Lehigh 33-23 and went 12 for 21 at the foul line. Lehigh shot only 6 free throws, making 3.
Jason Mgebroff led the Hawks with 12 points. Jose Olivero added 11 for Lehigh, which is still looking for its first win away from Stabler Arena.
Box score | AP | Sun-Sentinel | Miami Herald | Canes Time
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Friday, December 08, 2006
Three Patriot League teams in action today -- all on the road. Lehigh, still looking for its first road win, is at Miami (Fla.) (matchup), Colgate makes its annual visit to Syracuse (matchup, preview) and American seeks to continue the Patriot League's domination of Yale (matchup).
BONUS LINKS:
SU should be cranky for annual brush with Colgate (Syracuse Post-Standard)
Colgate at a glance (Syracuse Post-Standard)
With King out, team must step up, (Miami coach) Haith says (Sun-Sentinel)
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Thursday, December 07, 2006
Holy Cross gave Duke a scare and Lehigh lost a heart breaker at Princeton as league teams broke even in games against Division I opponents Wednesday night. The news was better for Army and American.
(7) Duke 57, Holy Cross 45 -- For 20 minutes Holy Cross was in control -- of the tempo and, to some extent, of the game. Forcing 12 turnovers and holding Duke to 8 of 25 shooting in the first half, the Crusaders were up 28-22 at the half.
"They took control of the tempo of the game and made us play every possession," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. "Their defense was not a pressing defense, but it forced us into standing."
Holy Cross stayed in the game for a while after the intermission, too. With 14:07 to play, HC was still up 4 after a Tim Clifford layup and after Clifford blocked Lance Thomas' shot at the other end, the 'Saders had a three-on-one break at the other end, with a chance to push the lead to 6.
Then came two charges. The first was of the personal foul variety, a whistle on Lawrence Dixon trying to finish the break. The second charge came in the form of Duke's 16-2 run that carried the Blue Devils from 4 down to a double digits lead. HC never got closer the 8 the rest of the way.
In the end, Duke simply wore the shorthanded Crusaders down. Pat Doherty, who moved into the starting lineup next to Torey Thomas at guard, played 33 minutes. That was the least minutes by any HC starter other than center Tim Clifford, who fouled out after 22 minutes of action.
After shooting 10 for 22 (45.5 percent) from the field in the first half, Holy Cross scored only 17 points in the second, shooting 7 for 24 (29.2 percent). Duke, in the meantime, went 11 for 18 (61.1 percent) in the second half.
As HC coach Ralph Willard told Jen Toland of the T&G:
Box score | Game notes | Duke quotes | Duke photo gallery | AP Photo gallery | AP wrap | AP gamer | Telegram & Gazette (gamer) | T&G notebook | Durham Sun-Herald | Wilmington (NC) Star-Journal | Greensboro News-Record | Winston-Salem Journal
Princeton 44, Lehigh 43 -- Princeton freshman Marcus Schroeder hit a free throw with no time left to give Princeton a win in its first home game, keeping Lehigh winless on the road. It was Princeton's 23rd straight win over Lehigh.
Schroeder was fouled while taking a desperation shot as time ran out (maybe after, according to Corky Blake of the Express-Times, but there was no TV replay available to check) after gathering in an offensive rebound.
Lehigh led 23-16 at the half, and played good enough defense in the second to win, holding Princeton to 7 for 18 (38.9 percent) shooting. But five of Princeton's seven field goals were three-pointers and the Tigers got to the foul line 14 times in the half, making 9. Lehigh was 9 for 14 at the line for the entire game.
The Mountain Hawks' problems came at the offensive end. Lehigh went 16 for 49 (32.7 percent) from the field and made only 2 (of 11) three-pointers. Leading scorer Jose Olivero was held to 10 points on 4 for 17 shooting and freshman point guard Marquis Hall did not make a shot (on 4 tries).
Strong forward Bryan White, back into the starting five as Billy Taylor struggles to find the right guy for that spot, did not even take a shot, his box score line a row of zeroes, save his 2 rebounds and 2 fouls.
Kyle Neptune led Lehigh scorers with 15 points. Center Jason Mgebroff turned in a 12-points, 11-rebounds double-double.
Box score | AP | Daily Princetonian | Trentonian | Trenton Times | Morning Call | Express-Times
Army 60, N.J.I.T. 40 -- Freshman Chris Walker posted his first career double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to lead Army to the win.
Matt Bell added 12 points and Jarrell Brown 19 for the Black Knights (7-2). The seven wins is the most in a single season for Army under coach Jim Crews.
Box score | Army recap
American 85, Howard 75 -- American started the game up 1-0 and was never tied, never trailed in improving to 7-2, its best start in 25 years. The Eagles began with a lead thanks to an Andre Ingram free throw after Howard got hit with a technical for dunking during pregame warmups.
Ingram went on to put up 21 points, going 7 for 9 from the field, 3 of 4 from the arc.
Ingram was not the only one making shots for AU. Arvydas Eitutavicius had 17 first-half points en route to a 23-point showing. Eitutavicius was 6 for 6 at the foul line, extending his made free throws streak to 27 in a row. Derrick Mercer added 9 points and dished 8 assists for AU, which shot 59.6 percent from the field (31-52 and outrebounded Howard 42-23.
Paulius Joneliunas also in double figures for Au with 13 points.
Box score | AP | Washington Post
Colgate 82, Elmira 34 -- Everybody ran, everybody scored. Who cares?
Box score | Colgate wrap
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(7) Duke 57, Holy Cross 45 -- For 20 minutes Holy Cross was in control -- of the tempo and, to some extent, of the game. Forcing 12 turnovers and holding Duke to 8 of 25 shooting in the first half, the Crusaders were up 28-22 at the half.
"They took control of the tempo of the game and made us play every possession," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. "Their defense was not a pressing defense, but it forced us into standing."
Holy Cross stayed in the game for a while after the intermission, too. With 14:07 to play, HC was still up 4 after a Tim Clifford layup and after Clifford blocked Lance Thomas' shot at the other end, the 'Saders had a three-on-one break at the other end, with a chance to push the lead to 6.
Then came two charges. The first was of the personal foul variety, a whistle on Lawrence Dixon trying to finish the break. The second charge came in the form of Duke's 16-2 run that carried the Blue Devils from 4 down to a double digits lead. HC never got closer the 8 the rest of the way.
In the end, Duke simply wore the shorthanded Crusaders down. Pat Doherty, who moved into the starting lineup next to Torey Thomas at guard, played 33 minutes. That was the least minutes by any HC starter other than center Tim Clifford, who fouled out after 22 minutes of action.
After shooting 10 for 22 (45.5 percent) from the field in the first half, Holy Cross scored only 17 points in the second, shooting 7 for 24 (29.2 percent). Duke, in the meantime, went 11 for 18 (61.1 percent) in the second half.
As HC coach Ralph Willard told Jen Toland of the T&G:
"We really labored in the second half, probably because we had too many guys playing too many minutes."Keith Simmons led HC with 13 points. Simmons also had 4 steals and 7 rebounds. Torey Thomas, who was held to 6 points, had 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals. But Simmons (5 TO) and Thomas (9 TO) combined for 14 of the Crusaders' 20 turnovers.
Box score | Game notes | Duke quotes | Duke photo gallery | AP Photo gallery | AP wrap | AP gamer | Telegram & Gazette (gamer) | T&G notebook | Durham Sun-Herald | Wilmington (NC) Star-Journal | Greensboro News-Record | Winston-Salem Journal
Princeton 44, Lehigh 43 -- Princeton freshman Marcus Schroeder hit a free throw with no time left to give Princeton a win in its first home game, keeping Lehigh winless on the road. It was Princeton's 23rd straight win over Lehigh.
Schroeder was fouled while taking a desperation shot as time ran out (maybe after, according to Corky Blake of the Express-Times, but there was no TV replay available to check) after gathering in an offensive rebound.
Lehigh led 23-16 at the half, and played good enough defense in the second to win, holding Princeton to 7 for 18 (38.9 percent) shooting. But five of Princeton's seven field goals were three-pointers and the Tigers got to the foul line 14 times in the half, making 9. Lehigh was 9 for 14 at the line for the entire game.
The Mountain Hawks' problems came at the offensive end. Lehigh went 16 for 49 (32.7 percent) from the field and made only 2 (of 11) three-pointers. Leading scorer Jose Olivero was held to 10 points on 4 for 17 shooting and freshman point guard Marquis Hall did not make a shot (on 4 tries).
Strong forward Bryan White, back into the starting five as Billy Taylor struggles to find the right guy for that spot, did not even take a shot, his box score line a row of zeroes, save his 2 rebounds and 2 fouls.
Kyle Neptune led Lehigh scorers with 15 points. Center Jason Mgebroff turned in a 12-points, 11-rebounds double-double.
Box score | AP | Daily Princetonian | Trentonian | Trenton Times | Morning Call | Express-Times
Army 60, N.J.I.T. 40 -- Freshman Chris Walker posted his first career double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to lead Army to the win.
Matt Bell added 12 points and Jarrell Brown 19 for the Black Knights (7-2). The seven wins is the most in a single season for Army under coach Jim Crews.
Box score | Army recap
American 85, Howard 75 -- American started the game up 1-0 and was never tied, never trailed in improving to 7-2, its best start in 25 years. The Eagles began with a lead thanks to an Andre Ingram free throw after Howard got hit with a technical for dunking during pregame warmups.
Ingram went on to put up 21 points, going 7 for 9 from the field, 3 of 4 from the arc.
Ingram was not the only one making shots for AU. Arvydas Eitutavicius had 17 first-half points en route to a 23-point showing. Eitutavicius was 6 for 6 at the foul line, extending his made free throws streak to 27 in a row. Derrick Mercer added 9 points and dished 8 assists for AU, which shot 59.6 percent from the field (31-52 and outrebounded Howard 42-23.
Paulius Joneliunas also in double figures for Au with 13 points.
Box score | AP | Washington Post
Colgate 82, Elmira 34 -- Everybody ran, everybody scored. Who cares?
Box score | Colgate wrap
Labels: Army, AU, CU, games, HC, Leh
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Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Following a rare night off for all league teams, five games on tap tonight.
Topping the bill is Holy Cross at Duke on ESPN2. The Crusaders with their hands full (and then some) playing their fourth road game in 10 days against No. 7 Duke (matchup, preview) in front of the Cameron Crazies, a bunch HC coach Ralph Willard calls "a student section against which all others are measured." It's a challenge for even the top teams in the nation, let alone one with both leg and rotation issues; Duke has won 46 straight games in Cameron against nonconference opponents.
PREVIEWS: Durham Herald Sun | Devils Den (Scout.com) | AP
Another one to watch involves Lehigh, still looking for a road win, at Princeton (matchup), worth watching if only to check out the matchup between the Mountain Hawks' outstanding freshman point guard Marquis Hall and Princeton freshman Marcus Schroeder, one of three freshman starting for Princeton.
Elsewhere, it's NJIT at Army, American crosstown at Howard and Division III Elmira at Colgate
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Topping the bill is Holy Cross at Duke on ESPN2. The Crusaders with their hands full (and then some) playing their fourth road game in 10 days against No. 7 Duke (matchup, preview) in front of the Cameron Crazies, a bunch HC coach Ralph Willard calls "a student section against which all others are measured." It's a challenge for even the top teams in the nation, let alone one with both leg and rotation issues; Duke has won 46 straight games in Cameron against nonconference opponents.
PREVIEWS: Durham Herald Sun | Devils Den (Scout.com) | AP
Another one to watch involves Lehigh, still looking for a road win, at Princeton (matchup), worth watching if only to check out the matchup between the Mountain Hawks' outstanding freshman point guard Marquis Hall and Princeton freshman Marcus Schroeder, one of three freshman starting for Princeton.
Elsewhere, it's NJIT at Army, American crosstown at Howard and Division III Elmira at Colgate
Labels: Army, AU, CU, HC, Leh, previews
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Tuesday, December 05, 2006
League teams were expected to win all three games they were involved in last night and they did not dissapoint, despite Navy being pushed into two overtime periods.
Navy 79, Howard 75, 2OT -- It turned into a free throw shooting contest in Annapolis, where both Navy and Howard made more foul shots than field goals in a double-overtime marathon.
The Midshipmen opened the game with a 12-2 run, but Howard came back with an 8-0 spurt to tie it, setting the tone for a game that saw 13 ties and 6 lead changes.
It was 57-57 at the end of regulation. It 66-66 after the first extra period, even though Navy had gone up by 2 five times in the first OT. Then Navy held Howard without a field goal on its first 10 possessions of the second OT, leading to an 11-2 run that put the game away. Navy made just one field goal in each overtime, but went 18 for 24 at the line in the extra periods.
It is Navy's second straight overtime win, coming on the heels of Friday night's OT win at Longwood.
The two teams were whistled for a combined 54 fouls and shot 71 free throws between them. Navy was 24 for 32 at the line, with Greg Sprink (16 points, 9-10 FT) leading the way. Howard went 25 of 39 at the line.
By comparison, the Mids made 23 field goals (23 of 52, 44.2 percent). Howard made 23 field goals on 56 attempts (41.1 percent). Navy was 9 for 24 (37.5 percent) from the arc, but made no three-pointers in the overtime periods.
Kaleo Kina led the Midshipmen with 20 points. Corey Johnson added 17 and Troy Stanton had 11.
Howard outrebounded Navy 42-30 and had 15 offensive boards, leading to 22 second chance points.
Box score | AP | Wash. Post
American 60, Longwood 49 -- American remains unbeaten at home after holding off Longwood. The Eagles, who shot a scorching 16 for 26 (61.5 percent) from the field in the first half, were up by as many as 18 points before Longwood mounted a late run that cut the lead to 6 with 4:19 to play.
At that point, American put on the clamps defensively, allowing just 1 point the rest of the way. AU held Longwood to 20 of 60 shooting from the field (33.3 percent), the Eagles' best defensive effort of the season.
Brayden Billbe and Andre Ingram each had 13 to lead AU. Derrick Mercer added 12 for the Eagles, who are off to their best start since the 1989-90 season.
Box score | AP
Lafayette 76, N.J.I.T. 57 -- Not as easy as the score makes it look for the Leopards, who won for the second time in a row after an early season six-game losing streak.
NJIT actually led most of the first half and it was still a 4-point game with 13:43 to play when Lafayette went on an 11-0 run to pull away.
Lafayette shot 50 percent or better each half and pured in 13 three-pointers, but it was defense that made the difference. After allowing NJIT to shoot 11 of 22 in the first half, Lafayette held the Highlanders to 9 for 29 (31 percent) in the second half. The Leopards had 14 steals and forced 25 NJIT turnovers, leading to 23 Lafayette points.
Andrew brown led Lafayette with a career-high 20 points. Brown went 6 for 8 at the arc. Freshman Jesper Andersson added 11, his second straight double figures performance.
Box score | AP | Express-Times
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Navy 79, Howard 75, 2OT -- It turned into a free throw shooting contest in Annapolis, where both Navy and Howard made more foul shots than field goals in a double-overtime marathon.
The Midshipmen opened the game with a 12-2 run, but Howard came back with an 8-0 spurt to tie it, setting the tone for a game that saw 13 ties and 6 lead changes.
It was 57-57 at the end of regulation. It 66-66 after the first extra period, even though Navy had gone up by 2 five times in the first OT. Then Navy held Howard without a field goal on its first 10 possessions of the second OT, leading to an 11-2 run that put the game away. Navy made just one field goal in each overtime, but went 18 for 24 at the line in the extra periods.
It is Navy's second straight overtime win, coming on the heels of Friday night's OT win at Longwood.
The two teams were whistled for a combined 54 fouls and shot 71 free throws between them. Navy was 24 for 32 at the line, with Greg Sprink (16 points, 9-10 FT) leading the way. Howard went 25 of 39 at the line.
By comparison, the Mids made 23 field goals (23 of 52, 44.2 percent). Howard made 23 field goals on 56 attempts (41.1 percent). Navy was 9 for 24 (37.5 percent) from the arc, but made no three-pointers in the overtime periods.
Kaleo Kina led the Midshipmen with 20 points. Corey Johnson added 17 and Troy Stanton had 11.
Howard outrebounded Navy 42-30 and had 15 offensive boards, leading to 22 second chance points.
Box score | AP | Wash. Post
American 60, Longwood 49 -- American remains unbeaten at home after holding off Longwood. The Eagles, who shot a scorching 16 for 26 (61.5 percent) from the field in the first half, were up by as many as 18 points before Longwood mounted a late run that cut the lead to 6 with 4:19 to play.
At that point, American put on the clamps defensively, allowing just 1 point the rest of the way. AU held Longwood to 20 of 60 shooting from the field (33.3 percent), the Eagles' best defensive effort of the season.
Brayden Billbe and Andre Ingram each had 13 to lead AU. Derrick Mercer added 12 for the Eagles, who are off to their best start since the 1989-90 season.
Box score | AP
Lafayette 76, N.J.I.T. 57 -- Not as easy as the score makes it look for the Leopards, who won for the second time in a row after an early season six-game losing streak.
NJIT actually led most of the first half and it was still a 4-point game with 13:43 to play when Lafayette went on an 11-0 run to pull away.
Lafayette shot 50 percent or better each half and pured in 13 three-pointers, but it was defense that made the difference. After allowing NJIT to shoot 11 of 22 in the first half, Lafayette held the Highlanders to 9 for 29 (31 percent) in the second half. The Leopards had 14 steals and forced 25 NJIT turnovers, leading to 23 Lafayette points.
Andrew brown led Lafayette with a career-high 20 points. Brown went 6 for 8 at the arc. Freshman Jesper Andersson added 11, his second straight double figures performance.
Box score | AP | Express-Times
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Monday, December 04, 2006
You thought the only e-mails we get are those black market viagara spams and forwarded jokes from the brother-in-law. You thought wrong. We get lots of e-mails. The ones think you will find interesting, along with the ones we can think of a smarmy reply to, we share with you from time to time. Here's what some folks have written about since the start of the season:
Matt from Bucknell writes:
First of all, my compliments to the Bucknellian (Matt is a staffer there). The past two seasons you guys have really picked it up in terms of your coverage of the Bison. In the not so distant past, a place reserved for The Bucknellian along press row was a place you could sit your laptop case because nobody ever sat in it.
You were there Saturday, Matt. Surely you could have checked off one or two on the excuse list.
Bottom line, we don't care much for excuses. Not from the musicians in recitals or the acolyte for the candlelight service. We don't care about finals that are five days away, or papers, or studying, and neither do the folks at real basketball schools.
You don't find some Dukie saying he didn't spend the week before the Carolina game in Krzyzewskiville because they could watch the game on TV.
Bottom line (and when you get out in the real world Matt, you'll learn it is all about the bottom line): The Bucknell students (and the townie types who did not use their seats, too) left their team down when they perhaps needed them most.
This was a big game, and given the team's early season record, was one where they really needed all the support their fans could bring. And where were all those kids with the old Bison's Sixth Man" T-shirts?
I remember a game back in old Davis Gym where a Colgate player once told me it was so loud they couldn't hear their play calls. Sojka was nowhere near that level Saturday. Heck, those studious types could have brought their books to the gym to study, it was probably quieter than the library.
You are right, the ticket system at BU is broken. We've written about that before, and probably will again. But BU officials assure me all the student allotment was claimed prior to the game. All that were left Saturday were about 100 Northern Iowa returned. This time the problem was not getting tickets in the students' hands, it was getting the student to hand them back.
As for them showing up in the spring, we will see. If the Bison get on a roll and are competing for the league title, crowds will probably come, at least for perceived big games.
The true sign of being a hoops hotbed, though, is showing up even when things are not going your way.
observer@lehigh.edu writes:
A couple of observations:
1) I have my doubts about your e-mail address. I suspect most Lehigh students can spell "handicap". They probably can spell "probably" too.
2) Though I never saw the Sporting News hoops preview, I did glance at the USA Today special edition. Having been in this business a little while, let me explain to you about braintrusts at newspaper sports departments: They don't exist. At least not in the manner you seem to think they do. In all likelihood, the so-called brain trust that made their picks is one guy. More than likely one guy who has never covered a single Patriot League game. I promise you in all the years I have covered the league, I have yet to see anyone from Sporting News on the press row seating chart. Can't recall anyone from USA Today either, though it is possible they have covered a game or two somewhere along the line.
Besides, who ya gonna believe? Them or the greatest mind ever to handicap the Patriot League?
Mike from Lehigh wrote:
(In response to comments wondering about the absence of sophomore center John Gourlay and freshman forward Paul Bayer from the box score after the Swarthmore debacle.)
Even though I am the greatest mind to ever handicap the Patriot League, I am not all knowing. So I put the question to another Mike from Lehigh -- Mike Stagnitta, the Hawks' hoops contact in the sports information office. Here is what that Mike told us about Gourlay and Bayer:
Joe (who might be from D.C.) asks:
Something tells me I was just there for the Bucknell-Mason game is not the answer you are looking for. I suspect Joe is an American fan who wants to know if I am coming to see the Eagles.
The short answer to that part of the question is: yes. In addition to last week's trip to Emmittsburg, Md. to see AU take on Mount Saint Mary's, our tentative plans have us heading to D.C. for six AU games -- seven if I get my Christmas shopping done in time to get to College Park (close enough) for the Maryland game Dec. 23.
As for what games I actually see, while certainly not on a pace to break Kyle's 100-games mark, the plans for the season are pretty ambitious. I have covered eight-and-a-half so far, and expect to see over 30 more before the league tournament ends, including at least two days where we are hoping to take in two games the same day.
Basically, our strategy is to get to as many games as we can, with proximity and importance of the game as the two biggest determining factors.
Hope that answers your questions.
Thomas Walker of Atlanta, Ga. writes:
And you would say that even if he were not your son, right?
Actually, I am eager to see Walker play since this is not the first time I have heard from his dad. I recall a nice message following a post about Army's prep school last season.
Seems everybody is anxious to see Army, wondering if they are for real of playing a weak schedule.
Reality is probably in the middle, but right now, anyhow, they are making a certain preseason pundit who suggested the Black Knights would escape the basement look like the greatest mind ever to handicap the Patriot League.
Ken (who we think is a BU fan) writes:
When I talked to Emmitt Davis in August for the Blue Ribbon previews, that was how he referred to Pounds (sophomore eligibility). Pounds is also listed as a sophomore on the roster in the Patriot League media guide and on the Colgate Web site.
I thought I understood the explanation, which was similar to the Chones brothers, except Pounds left school (for one semester if memory serves) due to a personal situation at home, not due to academics.
Before typing anything authoritative, though, we decided to check in with Bob Cornell, the Raiders SID. His answer was a surprise:
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Matt from Bucknell writes:
Some reasons for low attendance by the students (thought it was certainly more than half-full in their sections):Dear Matt:
1. It is the end of the semester. There is a ton of work to turn in before exams and then exams themselves start on Thursday.
2. There was a live feed of the game being broadcast around campus. People could do work and watch the game that way.
3. The ticket policy distribution by the University has not been great. It is still struggling to find the best way to do it. Also, there were was not a lot of advertisement for the game - at least not in the past week or so.
4. When it was announced that there were left over tickets, it was only posted on the athletics' Web site, which a lot of students probably don't use. It was said that there were less than 150 tickets left, and this was not announced until yesterday evening. There was no general e-mail announcement.
5. The wrestling and track teams both had events today. Both teams are large supporters of the basketball program and account for a bunch of the missing seats.
6. There were some musical recitals today, as well as the football team awards banquet. Also, the school is in the midst of having its three candlelight Christmas services. The students who participate sacrifice a lot of time for it over the last few days and the next few days. Time has to give somewhere.
That all being said, yes attendance was less than it should have been. I was sad to see it less than full, but that happens. The place will fill up again once league play gets going and the spring semester starts up.
First of all, my compliments to the Bucknellian (Matt is a staffer there). The past two seasons you guys have really picked it up in terms of your coverage of the Bison. In the not so distant past, a place reserved for The Bucknellian along press row was a place you could sit your laptop case because nobody ever sat in it.
You were there Saturday, Matt. Surely you could have checked off one or two on the excuse list.
Bottom line, we don't care much for excuses. Not from the musicians in recitals or the acolyte for the candlelight service. We don't care about finals that are five days away, or papers, or studying, and neither do the folks at real basketball schools.
You don't find some Dukie saying he didn't spend the week before the Carolina game in Krzyzewskiville because they could watch the game on TV.
Bottom line (and when you get out in the real world Matt, you'll learn it is all about the bottom line): The Bucknell students (and the townie types who did not use their seats, too) left their team down when they perhaps needed them most.
This was a big game, and given the team's early season record, was one where they really needed all the support their fans could bring. And where were all those kids with the old Bison's Sixth Man" T-shirts?
I remember a game back in old Davis Gym where a Colgate player once told me it was so loud they couldn't hear their play calls. Sojka was nowhere near that level Saturday. Heck, those studious types could have brought their books to the gym to study, it was probably quieter than the library.
You are right, the ticket system at BU is broken. We've written about that before, and probably will again. But BU officials assure me all the student allotment was claimed prior to the game. All that were left Saturday were about 100 Northern Iowa returned. This time the problem was not getting tickets in the students' hands, it was getting the student to hand them back.
As for them showing up in the spring, we will see. If the Bison get on a roll and are competing for the league title, crowds will probably come, at least for perceived big games.
The true sign of being a hoops hotbed, though, is showing up even when things are not going your way.
observer@lehigh.edu writes:
What up Big Dog?Dear Observer:
While you are proabably the greatest mind ever to handicapp the Patriot League...The brain trusts at USA Today and the Sporting News have released their own PL predictions and have a much more favorable outlook for Lehigh. I understand you have great disdain for our school's basketball program, but I still don't know why. Lose the bias, gain some respect.
A couple of observations:
1) I have my doubts about your e-mail address. I suspect most Lehigh students can spell "handicap". They probably can spell "probably" too.
2) Though I never saw the Sporting News hoops preview, I did glance at the USA Today special edition. Having been in this business a little while, let me explain to you about braintrusts at newspaper sports departments: They don't exist. At least not in the manner you seem to think they do. In all likelihood, the so-called brain trust that made their picks is one guy. More than likely one guy who has never covered a single Patriot League game. I promise you in all the years I have covered the league, I have yet to see anyone from Sporting News on the press row seating chart. Can't recall anyone from USA Today either, though it is possible they have covered a game or two somewhere along the line.
Besides, who ya gonna believe? Them or the greatest mind ever to handicap the Patriot League?
Mike from Lehigh wrote:
(In response to comments wondering about the absence of sophomore center John Gourlay and freshman forward Paul Bayer from the box score after the Swarthmore debacle.)
Gourlay was wearing a suit on the bench, and Bayer was missing from the bench. However, I'm not sure what ails either player.Dear Mike:
Even though I am the greatest mind to ever handicap the Patriot League, I am not all knowing. So I put the question to another Mike from Lehigh -- Mike Stagnitta, the Hawks' hoops contact in the sports information office. Here is what that Mike told us about Gourlay and Bayer:
Gourlay is out with an injury right now (foot). He played in the Notre Dame game and re-aggravated it, so he sat out the last two games last week. He's day-to-day, and will hopefully return soon. As for Bayer, he is no longer on the team. He has asked for and has been granted permission to transfer.As they say at the day job; Now you know.
Joe (who might be from D.C.) asks:
I just wanted to ask what games do you actually see? Are you coming down to DC at all?Dear Joe:
Something tells me I was just there for the Bucknell-Mason game is not the answer you are looking for. I suspect Joe is an American fan who wants to know if I am coming to see the Eagles.
The short answer to that part of the question is: yes. In addition to last week's trip to Emmittsburg, Md. to see AU take on Mount Saint Mary's, our tentative plans have us heading to D.C. for six AU games -- seven if I get my Christmas shopping done in time to get to College Park (close enough) for the Maryland game Dec. 23.
As for what games I actually see, while certainly not on a pace to break Kyle's 100-games mark, the plans for the season are pretty ambitious. I have covered eight-and-a-half so far, and expect to see over 30 more before the league tournament ends, including at least two days where we are hoping to take in two games the same day.
Basically, our strategy is to get to as many games as we can, with proximity and importance of the game as the two biggest determining factors.
Hope that answers your questions.
Thomas Walker of Atlanta, Ga. writes:
Enjoyed your comeback and early ROY post. Bell is going to have a sensational senior season for Army, being 100% healthy now. For ROY Hall is definitely the front-runner. I submit another candidate for your consideration if the team's record significantly improves: Army s Chris Walker (7.7 ppg, 4.3 rbg through 3 games). He's not going to put up sensational numbers his freshman year, because the offense Army runs is designed to get Bell and Brown the bulk of the shots, but his inside presence will help B & B get better shots than last year, and he is a difference-maker defensively.Dear Thomas:
And you would say that even if he were not your son, right?
Actually, I am eager to see Walker play since this is not the first time I have heard from his dad. I recall a nice message following a post about Army's prep school last season.
Seems everybody is anxious to see Army, wondering if they are for real of playing a weak schedule.
Reality is probably in the middle, but right now, anyhow, they are making a certain preseason pundit who suggested the Black Knights would escape the basement look like the greatest mind ever to handicap the Patriot League.
Ken (who we think is a BU fan) writes:
Very interesting piece on the Colgate game. I do have one question. On a couple of occasions, you have mentioned that Tim Pounds has sophomore eligibility. I know he chose not to play last year and under NCAA regulations would have three more years. However, Patriot League regulations ban redshirting, so why would he still be allowed three more years if he voluntarily chose not to play? (According to some Colgate people I have talked to, it was not a case of any injury.) I'd be interested in any feedback you could provide. Thanks.Ken:
When I talked to Emmitt Davis in August for the Blue Ribbon previews, that was how he referred to Pounds (sophomore eligibility). Pounds is also listed as a sophomore on the roster in the Patriot League media guide and on the Colgate Web site.
I thought I understood the explanation, which was similar to the Chones brothers, except Pounds left school (for one semester if memory serves) due to a personal situation at home, not due to academics.
Before typing anything authoritative, though, we decided to check in with Bob Cornell, the Raiders SID. His answer was a surprise:
He's still on schedule to graduate in Spring 2008 and therefore only has this year (06-07) and next year (07-08) of eligibility remaining.Cue the day job jingle.
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Pretty exciting to click into the Mid-Major Top 25 poll and find darned near the whole league represented.
Holy Cross (187 points) checks in at No. 17 in this, the first edition of the poll since the start of the season. The 'Saders one spot ahead of Northern Iowa, two ahead of No. 19 Bucknell (149), which slips from No. 6 in the preseason poll after a 3-5 start. The Bison are the only team in the top 25 with a losing record, a sign of respect for a schedule that has included two teams in the poll (UNI and No. 24 George Mason), in addition to teams from the Atlantic 10 (St. Joe's), the Big Ten (Penn State) and the ACC (Wake Forest).
In the others receiving votes: (unofficial No. 29) Navy 82 points, (33) American 65,(46) Army 24.
On the downside, no votes for any league teams in either of the two major polls this week.
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Holy Cross (187 points) checks in at No. 17 in this, the first edition of the poll since the start of the season. The 'Saders one spot ahead of Northern Iowa, two ahead of No. 19 Bucknell (149), which slips from No. 6 in the preseason poll after a 3-5 start. The Bison are the only team in the top 25 with a losing record, a sign of respect for a schedule that has included two teams in the poll (UNI and No. 24 George Mason), in addition to teams from the Atlantic 10 (St. Joe's), the Big Ten (Penn State) and the ACC (Wake Forest).
In the others receiving votes: (unofficial No. 29) Navy 82 points, (33) American 65,(46) Army 24.
On the downside, no votes for any league teams in either of the two major polls this week.
Labels: Army, AU, BU, HC, Navy
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Three games tonight, two involving transitional Division I teams. Lafayette is at first-year DI New Jersey Institute of Technology, Longwood -- also in transition -- visits American and Howard is at Navy. Fair to say anything less than a three-game sweep for the Patriot League teams will be disappointing.
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Labels: AU, Laf, Navy, previews
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Thursday, November 30, 2006
League teams had a good night Wednesday, going 5-0 in non-conference competition.
Holy Cross 63, Yale 58 -- With leading scorer Keith Simmons in foul trouble, Pat Doherty stepped up Wednesday night for Holy Cross, draining all four three-pointers he fired en route to a career-high 18-points. Doherty, who missed nearly all of last season with a foot injury, played 32 minutes, easily his most playing time since beginning his comeback. He also had 4 assists and 3 steals.
Simmons also was in double figures with 12 points, despite playing only 27 minutes. Simmons came into the game averaging better than 34 minutes per game.
The Crusaders led by 8 (28-20) at the half, after holding Yale to 36 percent shooting from the field. But the Bulldogs made a game of it in the second half, heating up to make 13 of 22 (59.1 percent) in the second.
Holy Cross struggled at the foul line much of the game, going 13 for 22. When they needed them, though, they made their foul shots, going 7 for 10 at the chairty stripe after Yale cut the lead to 3 late in the game.
Box score | AP | Telegram & Gazette | Yale Daily News | New Haven Register
Bucknell 60, St. Francis (PA) 56 -- A big comeback win on the road for the Bison, who won in Loretto for the first time since 1999.
Down as many as 15 in the second half, after shooting just 29.2 percent from the field in the first half, the Bison closed to within 8 with just under three minutes left. A three-point play by Donald Brown and a three-point shot by John Griffin cut it to 2. St. Francis' Bassirou Dieng hit a pair of free throws to stretch the lead back to 4, but that would be the last points SF would score.
Jason Vegotsky (11 points) hit a three to make it a one-point game, and following another defensive stop, Chris McNaughton hit a little hook shot with 40 seconds left to give Bucknell the lead for the first time all night.
Abe Badmus (10 points) had a key deflection and made three free throws in the final 26 seconds to seal the win for the Bison, who held Saint Francis to five field goals in the second half (5 of 22, 22.7 percent) after letting the Red Flash go 11 for 21 (52.4 percent) in the first.
Bucknell had a similar turnaround, going 7 of 24 (29.2 percent) in the first half, 13 of 25 (52 percent) in the second.
Box score | AP | Daily Item | Sun-Gazette | Altoona Mirror | Johnstown Tribune Democrat
Lehigh 96, Swarthmore 33 -- Every Mountain Hawk that got into the game scored, but curiously two guys did not play in a game won by 63 points: 7-foot sophomore John Gourlay and 6-5 freshman winger Paul Bayer. Bayer has not played at all this season, the only Hawk with that distinction. Gourlay has played in six of Lehigh's nine games.
Nothing in Lehigh's notes mentions either being injured.
Box score | AP
Colgate 80, Quinnipiac 71 -- Junior Daniel Waddy poured in a career-high 27 points to lead the Raiders to their second straight win. The transfer from St. Mary's also had 5 rebounds and 6 assists for the 'Gate, which has won back-to-back games for the firs time since this time last season, when they beat Dartmouth and Princeton in successive games.
Jon Simon added 18 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Tim Pounds also in double figures with 10 points.
Colgate's other transfer, sophomore Willie Morse, did not play due to an unspecified injury suffered in Monday's win over Binghamton. He is listed as day to day.
Box score | AP
American 75, NJIT 50 -- The Lithuanian contingent took care of business for AU. Arvydas Eitutavicius led the Eagles with 20 points. Fellow Lithuanians Linas Lekavicius (16) and Paulius Joneliunas (12) were also in double firgures for AU, which broke open a close game with an 8-0 run at the start of the second half.
Defense was the difference in the second half. After letting NJIT shoot 50 percent (12 of 24) in the opening stanza, the Eagles held the Highlanders to 7 field goals in the second (7 of 20, 35 percent).
Derrick Mercer also added 13 points for American, which won despite a scoreless night by the team's leading scorer, senior guard Andre Ingram. Ingram was 0 for 4 from the field, with 1 rebound, 1 steal and 1 turnover in 23 minutes. It was the first time in 95 career games Ingram went without scoring.
Box score | AP
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Holy Cross 63, Yale 58 -- With leading scorer Keith Simmons in foul trouble, Pat Doherty stepped up Wednesday night for Holy Cross, draining all four three-pointers he fired en route to a career-high 18-points. Doherty, who missed nearly all of last season with a foot injury, played 32 minutes, easily his most playing time since beginning his comeback. He also had 4 assists and 3 steals.
Simmons also was in double figures with 12 points, despite playing only 27 minutes. Simmons came into the game averaging better than 34 minutes per game.
The Crusaders led by 8 (28-20) at the half, after holding Yale to 36 percent shooting from the field. But the Bulldogs made a game of it in the second half, heating up to make 13 of 22 (59.1 percent) in the second.
Holy Cross struggled at the foul line much of the game, going 13 for 22. When they needed them, though, they made their foul shots, going 7 for 10 at the chairty stripe after Yale cut the lead to 3 late in the game.
Box score | AP | Telegram & Gazette | Yale Daily News | New Haven Register
Bucknell 60, St. Francis (PA) 56 -- A big comeback win on the road for the Bison, who won in Loretto for the first time since 1999.
Down as many as 15 in the second half, after shooting just 29.2 percent from the field in the first half, the Bison closed to within 8 with just under three minutes left. A three-point play by Donald Brown and a three-point shot by John Griffin cut it to 2. St. Francis' Bassirou Dieng hit a pair of free throws to stretch the lead back to 4, but that would be the last points SF would score.
Jason Vegotsky (11 points) hit a three to make it a one-point game, and following another defensive stop, Chris McNaughton hit a little hook shot with 40 seconds left to give Bucknell the lead for the first time all night.
Abe Badmus (10 points) had a key deflection and made three free throws in the final 26 seconds to seal the win for the Bison, who held Saint Francis to five field goals in the second half (5 of 22, 22.7 percent) after letting the Red Flash go 11 for 21 (52.4 percent) in the first.
Bucknell had a similar turnaround, going 7 of 24 (29.2 percent) in the first half, 13 of 25 (52 percent) in the second.
Box score | AP | Daily Item | Sun-Gazette | Altoona Mirror | Johnstown Tribune Democrat
Lehigh 96, Swarthmore 33 -- Every Mountain Hawk that got into the game scored, but curiously two guys did not play in a game won by 63 points: 7-foot sophomore John Gourlay and 6-5 freshman winger Paul Bayer. Bayer has not played at all this season, the only Hawk with that distinction. Gourlay has played in six of Lehigh's nine games.
Nothing in Lehigh's notes mentions either being injured.
Box score | AP
Colgate 80, Quinnipiac 71 -- Junior Daniel Waddy poured in a career-high 27 points to lead the Raiders to their second straight win. The transfer from St. Mary's also had 5 rebounds and 6 assists for the 'Gate, which has won back-to-back games for the firs time since this time last season, when they beat Dartmouth and Princeton in successive games.
Jon Simon added 18 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Tim Pounds also in double figures with 10 points.
Colgate's other transfer, sophomore Willie Morse, did not play due to an unspecified injury suffered in Monday's win over Binghamton. He is listed as day to day.
Box score | AP
American 75, NJIT 50 -- The Lithuanian contingent took care of business for AU. Arvydas Eitutavicius led the Eagles with 20 points. Fellow Lithuanians Linas Lekavicius (16) and Paulius Joneliunas (12) were also in double firgures for AU, which broke open a close game with an 8-0 run at the start of the second half.
Defense was the difference in the second half. After letting NJIT shoot 50 percent (12 of 24) in the opening stanza, the Eagles held the Highlanders to 7 field goals in the second (7 of 20, 35 percent).
Derrick Mercer also added 13 points for American, which won despite a scoreless night by the team's leading scorer, senior guard Andre Ingram. Ingram was 0 for 4 from the field, with 1 rebound, 1 steal and 1 turnover in 23 minutes. It was the first time in 95 career games Ingram went without scoring.
Box score | AP
Labels: AU, BU, CU, games, HC, Leh
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Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Five games on tap tonight: Holy Cross gets a slight breather, visiting Yale before jumping back into the fire Saturday at Dayton. From there the Crusaders, who will play four road games in an 11-day stretch, head to Duke, with a game at Providence awaiting Dec. 19 after a break for finals. Crusaders need to avoid the trap game here.
Another tough one tonight is Bucknell's visit to St. Francis (Pa.). The Bison upperclassmen won't take the Red Flash lightly. The last time the two met, St. Francis beat Bucknell in Sojka (70-65 on Nov. 22, 2004) in the game that gave birth to this site. That was Bucknell's only home loss that season.
The Bison need a win to build off of the win at Yale as they head into a key weekend with back-to-back games against Northern Iowa and George Mason. Like Holy Cross, they cannot look past tonight's foe. St. Francis has won the last two meetings of these two and the Bison are 4-6 all-time in Loretto, where they have not won since Dec. 1, 1999.
Colgate is at home, hosting a 2-2 Quinnipiac team that lost two members when they were arrested Friday. American hosts a 2-4 NJIT team that does have wins over Rider and Manhattan. Lehigh is also home, against Div. 3 Swarthmore.
MATCHUPS: HC at Yale | BU at SF (Pa.) | Quinnipiac at 'Gate | NJIT at AU | Swarthmore at Lehigh
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Another tough one tonight is Bucknell's visit to St. Francis (Pa.). The Bison upperclassmen won't take the Red Flash lightly. The last time the two met, St. Francis beat Bucknell in Sojka (70-65 on Nov. 22, 2004) in the game that gave birth to this site. That was Bucknell's only home loss that season.
The Bison need a win to build off of the win at Yale as they head into a key weekend with back-to-back games against Northern Iowa and George Mason. Like Holy Cross, they cannot look past tonight's foe. St. Francis has won the last two meetings of these two and the Bison are 4-6 all-time in Loretto, where they have not won since Dec. 1, 1999.
Colgate is at home, hosting a 2-2 Quinnipiac team that lost two members when they were arrested Friday. American hosts a 2-4 NJIT team that does have wins over Rider and Manhattan. Lehigh is also home, against Div. 3 Swarthmore.
MATCHUPS: HC at Yale | BU at SF (Pa.) | Quinnipiac at 'Gate | NJIT at AU | Swarthmore at Lehigh
Labels: AU, BU, CU, HC, Leh, previews
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Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Cornelio Guibunda's nickname is Lio.
It's pronounced like the astrological sign.
It's doubtful anyone on hand at Knott Arena in Emmittsburg, Md. for last night's 59-46 road win over Mount Saint Mary's had reason to think they'd learn Cornelio Guibunda trivia when the night began.
The nickname is not in the media guide, though even if it were, what are the odds of anyone looking up a guy who had not even played in two of AU's first five games. Guibunda only played 12 total minutes in the three games he got in, and had yet to make a field goal or grab a rebound. His career stat line looked like this: 0-0 FG, 0-0 3P, 2-2 FT, 0 R, 2PF, 2 Pt., 1 TO, 2 B, 1 St.
Yet here it was, after the game, and the kid's name keeps coming up again and again in conversation.
"Lio changed the game," said AU's senior guard Andre Ingram, who changed it a little, too. Ingram finished with a game-high 15 points, with 7 rebounds and 2 steals.
Ingram had quite a night, but it was Guibunda who stole the show with his 8 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots performance. Guibunda only played 14 minutes, but those minutes were key minutes in the game, minutes that went American's way. Minutes when Guibunda was the answer for what ailed American in each half.
It almost didn't happen. If Brayden Billbe and Paulius Joneliunas had not picked up their second personals seconds apart, midaway through the first half, Guibunda would probably not have seen as more (14) minutes than he had played all season. Certainly even had he gotten in, Guibunda would have quickly found himself back sitting at the far end of the bench had either of AU's starting big men been available to re-enter the game when Guibunda blew a defensive assignment just after entering the game.
American coach Jeff Jones called a quick timeout and spent most of it right up in Guibunda's face. He got the sophomore Georgetown-transfer's attention. In the space of less than three minutes towards the end of the first half, Guibunda came alive, scoring three quick layups, grabbing three rebounds -- two offensive -- and blocking a shot. His ability to get out and finish on the break was a key to the 12-0 AU run at the end of the first half that proved to be decisive.
"I don't think he thought he was going to play. After our conversation he figured out maybe he was going to play," said AU coach Jeff Jones.
Guibunda's play in the first half allowed Jones to keep Billbe and Joneliunas on the bench so they would not risk picking up a third foul in the first half.
"He gave us a big lift in the first half. Lio helped us pull away," Ingram said.
In the second half, Guibunda stepped up again, playing three badly needed solid minutes of defense that helped stem any thought of a Mount comeback.
When Guibunda checked in at the 13:47 mark of the second half, AU's lead had been sliced to 35-31. Mount Saint Mary's was taking advantage of rebounding and some AU turnovers to get out in transition for easy buckets. Guibunda's athleticism helped stop all that. First he blocked Will Holland's runner. Then at the other end of the floor, Guibunda grabbed the rebound of his own missed layup and put it back in.
After Mount's Jeremy Goode drained a trey to make it a three-point game, Arvydas Eitutavicius missed a three, which MSM rebounded, giving them the ball with a chance to make it a 1-point contest when Goode headed to the bucket for a layup. But there was Guibunda again, picking up his third block.
"Lio did a solid job anchoring our defense. He did a good job on the boards," said Jones.
While Guibunda did contribute a few layups on the offensive end, it was Ingram who led the AU attack. Looking more confident of being able to let the game come to him than last season, when he seemed to force things on offense, Ingram went 5 for 13 from the field, including 2 of 5 from the arc..
Also in double figures for AU was point guard Derrick Mercer, who scored 9 of his 11 points at the foul line, including 5 of 6 in the last 52 seconds.
Although Jones complained about the way AU played it in certain stretches, overall the Eagles defense was solid. In the first half they held Mount Saint Mary's to 6 for 24 (25 percent) from the field. The Mount finished at 30.4 percent from the field after a slightly better 11 of 32 (34.4 percent) shooting second half.
The win pushes AU's record to 4-2, with a chance for win 5 when they host New Jersey Institute of Technology Wednesday night in Bender.
Gameblog notes
Box score
Andre Ingram postgame interview (audio)
Frederick News-Post
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It's pronounced like the astrological sign.
It's doubtful anyone on hand at Knott Arena in Emmittsburg, Md. for last night's 59-46 road win over Mount Saint Mary's had reason to think they'd learn Cornelio Guibunda trivia when the night began.
The nickname is not in the media guide, though even if it were, what are the odds of anyone looking up a guy who had not even played in two of AU's first five games. Guibunda only played 12 total minutes in the three games he got in, and had yet to make a field goal or grab a rebound. His career stat line looked like this: 0-0 FG, 0-0 3P, 2-2 FT, 0 R, 2PF, 2 Pt., 1 TO, 2 B, 1 St.
Yet here it was, after the game, and the kid's name keeps coming up again and again in conversation.
"Lio changed the game," said AU's senior guard Andre Ingram, who changed it a little, too. Ingram finished with a game-high 15 points, with 7 rebounds and 2 steals.
Ingram had quite a night, but it was Guibunda who stole the show with his 8 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots performance. Guibunda only played 14 minutes, but those minutes were key minutes in the game, minutes that went American's way. Minutes when Guibunda was the answer for what ailed American in each half.
It almost didn't happen. If Brayden Billbe and Paulius Joneliunas had not picked up their second personals seconds apart, midaway through the first half, Guibunda would probably not have seen as more (14) minutes than he had played all season. Certainly even had he gotten in, Guibunda would have quickly found himself back sitting at the far end of the bench had either of AU's starting big men been available to re-enter the game when Guibunda blew a defensive assignment just after entering the game.
American coach Jeff Jones called a quick timeout and spent most of it right up in Guibunda's face. He got the sophomore Georgetown-transfer's attention. In the space of less than three minutes towards the end of the first half, Guibunda came alive, scoring three quick layups, grabbing three rebounds -- two offensive -- and blocking a shot. His ability to get out and finish on the break was a key to the 12-0 AU run at the end of the first half that proved to be decisive.
"I don't think he thought he was going to play. After our conversation he figured out maybe he was going to play," said AU coach Jeff Jones.
Guibunda's play in the first half allowed Jones to keep Billbe and Joneliunas on the bench so they would not risk picking up a third foul in the first half.
"He gave us a big lift in the first half. Lio helped us pull away," Ingram said.
In the second half, Guibunda stepped up again, playing three badly needed solid minutes of defense that helped stem any thought of a Mount comeback.
When Guibunda checked in at the 13:47 mark of the second half, AU's lead had been sliced to 35-31. Mount Saint Mary's was taking advantage of rebounding and some AU turnovers to get out in transition for easy buckets. Guibunda's athleticism helped stop all that. First he blocked Will Holland's runner. Then at the other end of the floor, Guibunda grabbed the rebound of his own missed layup and put it back in.
After Mount's Jeremy Goode drained a trey to make it a three-point game, Arvydas Eitutavicius missed a three, which MSM rebounded, giving them the ball with a chance to make it a 1-point contest when Goode headed to the bucket for a layup. But there was Guibunda again, picking up his third block.
"Lio did a solid job anchoring our defense. He did a good job on the boards," said Jones.
While Guibunda did contribute a few layups on the offensive end, it was Ingram who led the AU attack. Looking more confident of being able to let the game come to him than last season, when he seemed to force things on offense, Ingram went 5 for 13 from the field, including 2 of 5 from the arc..
Also in double figures for AU was point guard Derrick Mercer, who scored 9 of his 11 points at the foul line, including 5 of 6 in the last 52 seconds.
Although Jones complained about the way AU played it in certain stretches, overall the Eagles defense was solid. In the first half they held Mount Saint Mary's to 6 for 24 (25 percent) from the field. The Mount finished at 30.4 percent from the field after a slightly better 11 of 32 (34.4 percent) shooting second half.
The win pushes AU's record to 4-2, with a chance for win 5 when they host New Jersey Institute of Technology Wednesday night in Bender.
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Monday, November 27, 2006
We have zero connectivity here at Mount Saint Mary's Knott Arena.
After 20 minutes trying to connect, downloading the "security client" (4 times) and rebooting, the guy says, "Oh ... you are using a Mac?"
So we can't live gameblog, but we can keep a little in-game notebook to post as soon as we reach the Internet, which we are pretty sure is located 50 miles back up Route 15.
About Mount Saint Mary's ... a version not found in the tourism books. This small, Catholic enclave of higher learning is located in rural, northern Maryland, It's about 25 miles north of Frederick, maybe 10 south of Gettysburg, Pa., which is the nearest place you'll find any Applebees, Damon's type national chain eateries.
There's a McDonald's about a mile north of campus ... nothing in walking distance, at least not as the term "walking distance" is defined in most locales. Who knows how far a college kid will walk when stranded in the Catoctin Mountains. It's a beautiful place to drive through, but a remote place to live.
This is our first trip to Knott Arena since the Charlie Woollum days at Bucknell, when we once did color with Bob Behler for a game against the Mount. Knot is a cozy place, with a high school gym feel brought on b y the wooden, pull-out bleachers.The announced crowd of 910 is scattered on both sides, with a fairly decent student contingent occupying the bleachers behind one basket.
A Mount sociology professor, dressed all in black plays what can best be described as a soulful, jazz interpretation of the national anthem on alto-sax.
A game of runs early. AU holds the Mount scoreless for the first 4:33, opening a 5-0 lead. Then, after going 0 for 3 with four turnovers to start the half, the Mount heated up, going on an 11-2 spurt the next four minutes, taking an 11-7 lead. Au came back with four unanswered to tie it.
AU's two big men, Brayden Billbe and Paulius Joneliunas each picked up their second foul in a span of 20 seconds midway through the first half. Billbe got his second at the 11:54 mark, sending Joneliunas scurrying to report in. At the 11:34 mark, Joneliunas gets his second. With both big men on the bench, AU grows stagnant on offense. By the 6:51 mark, Jeff Jones is calling a timeout , most of which he spends in the face of Cornelio Guibunda, the 6-8 sophomore transfer from Georgetown, who is going to have to give AU some minutes this half. At the 5:43 mark, Guibunda is called for offensive goaltending after he interferes with Travis Lay's layin, which probably would have dropped on its own. Jones just stands and stares. Jones is all smiles at the 3:13 mark, though, when Guibundacomes from the weak side to help on D and swats a shot out of the air.
Guibunda looks very good when he is doing things that come naturally -- the blocked shot, filling a lane on a 3 on 3 break that he finished with ease, putting back a miss. It's things like the halfcourt offense and defense that he still seems to struggle with. By the end of the half, though, he has made a strong contribution, with 6 points, 6 rebounds and a block. If Guibunds can give Jones that every time out, it will allow Billbe and Joneliunas to play a lot more aggressively.
Unless Garrison Carr is on the floor at the same time, Derrick Mercer is easily the littlest guy on the floor. He has been playing awful big, though. AU lists Carr at 5-11. There should be an asterisk saying *in heels, with a hat on. He probably has no business trying to take it to the hole on guys like Mount Saint Mary's 6-7 Sam Atupen. Don't tell Mercer that, though.
Three times in the first half, twice against Atupen, Mercer went strong, hanged in the air and drew fouls. When your guards get the other team's bigs in foul trouble, it makes life a lot easier for your own big men.
It also opens some things for yourself, like the little pull up junper that kick-started the Eagles' 15-0 end of the first half run.
Yes AU has other scoring options, but when Andre Ingram is on, it seems to take the AU offense to another level. When Ingram was off the floor, especially in the absence of the two starting big guys, AU's threat level is not the same. When he is on the floor, and clicking on all cylinders, Ingram just opens things up. He can shoot the three, drive the ball, or pull up for the little jumper.
It is no surprise that Ingram's return to the floor coincided with AU's end-of-the-half run. Six of AU's 15 points came from Ingram, including a rare four-point play when he was hammered while making a three from the left side of the arc.
Despite a brief stretch early, when it seemed every Mount shot was going in (coinciding with their 11-2 run), AU played lights out defense in the first half, limiting MSM to 6 for 24 (25 percent) shooting from the floor. AU also had a 21-11 rebounding edge in the half and outscored the Mount 14-6 in the paint.
Jones starts a different lineup in the second half, with Jordan Nichols in place of Billbe. After MSM opens the half with a 9-4 spurt, Jones goes back to the twin towers alignment.
Guibunda comes in at the 13:47 mark, giving Jones more athleticism up front. Mount Saint Mary's has closed to within 35-31 at that point and most of their points are coming in the paint off of transition. Guibunda responds with two more blocks and another put back. Since he had only two points all season, Guibunda is having a career night. His 11 first half minutes were more than he had played all season. He didn't have a rebound all season and grabbed six in the first half alone.
Guibunda stays in about three minutes in the second half, then sits with 8 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. He resumes his spot at the very end of the AU bench when Billbe and Joneliunas return. If he keeps playing like this, though, Guibunda will soon be sitting a lot closer to Jones.
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After 20 minutes trying to connect, downloading the "security client" (4 times) and rebooting, the guy says, "Oh ... you are using a Mac?"
So we can't live gameblog, but we can keep a little in-game notebook to post as soon as we reach the Internet, which we are pretty sure is located 50 miles back up Route 15.
There's a McDonald's about a mile north of campus ... nothing in walking distance, at least not as the term "walking distance" is defined in most locales. Who knows how far a college kid will walk when stranded in the Catoctin Mountains. It's a beautiful place to drive through, but a remote place to live.
Guibunda looks very good when he is doing things that come naturally -- the blocked shot, filling a lane on a 3 on 3 break that he finished with ease, putting back a miss. It's things like the halfcourt offense and defense that he still seems to struggle with. By the end of the half, though, he has made a strong contribution, with 6 points, 6 rebounds and a block. If Guibunds can give Jones that every time out, it will allow Billbe and Joneliunas to play a lot more aggressively.
Three times in the first half, twice against Atupen, Mercer went strong, hanged in the air and drew fouls. When your guards get the other team's bigs in foul trouble, it makes life a lot easier for your own big men.
It also opens some things for yourself, like the little pull up junper that kick-started the Eagles' 15-0 end of the first half run.
It is no surprise that Ingram's return to the floor coincided with AU's end-of-the-half run. Six of AU's 15 points came from Ingram, including a rare four-point play when he was hammered while making a three from the left side of the arc.
Guibunda stays in about three minutes in the second half, then sits with 8 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. He resumes his spot at the very end of the AU bench when Billbe and Joneliunas return. If he keeps playing like this, though, Guibunda will soon be sitting a lot closer to Jones.
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How good is Holy Cross? After his team got spanked by Bucknell on Saturday, Yale head coach James Jones told a reporter the Crusaders, who visit the Bulldogs Wendesday, are probably the best team in the league.
Certainly their record would indicate that, but skeptics point out HC has spent the first two weeks of the season tuning up at home against the weakest part of its schedule. Four of the Crusaders'five games have been at the Hart Center. None of the five teams HC has beaten have a winning record. Combined the five are 6-19.
The next five are a different story. In fact, the next five-- beginning tonight at Syracuse -- are almost the mirror opposite -- five road games, four against teams with winning records. Only Yale (1-3) fails to measure up during that stretch. And a rested Yale, in New Haven, just two nights after a road trip to Syracuse, will not be an easy task. The four other opponents in the next five have a combined record of 18-3, the three losses spread neatly, one apiece, among Dayton, Duke and Providence.
A win over any of those four would get HC over that close-but-no-cigar-hump it could not quite get past against the likes of Kansas, Kentucky and Marquette in years past.
The challenge won't be hanging with the likes of Syracuse, Dayton, Duke and Providence. The Crusaders starting five has the talent to play with those guys. The tough part is avoiding being worn down in the second half by teams that are deeper, stronger and more athletic.
Suffice to say we will no a lot more about Holy Cross when this stretch is over than we know right now.
Elsewhere, Binghamton is at Colgate, Lehigh has a big-name foe of its own, with Billy Taylor taking the Hawks home to face his alma mater, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame in South Bend, and we get our first chance to see American when they travel up 270 to Emmittsburg to take on Mount Saint Mary's.
MATCHUPS: HC at Syracuse | Bing. at Colgate | Leh. at ND | AU at MSM
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Certainly their record would indicate that, but skeptics point out HC has spent the first two weeks of the season tuning up at home against the weakest part of its schedule. Four of the Crusaders'five games have been at the Hart Center. None of the five teams HC has beaten have a winning record. Combined the five are 6-19.
The next five are a different story. In fact, the next five-- beginning tonight at Syracuse -- are almost the mirror opposite -- five road games, four against teams with winning records. Only Yale (1-3) fails to measure up during that stretch. And a rested Yale, in New Haven, just two nights after a road trip to Syracuse, will not be an easy task. The four other opponents in the next five have a combined record of 18-3, the three losses spread neatly, one apiece, among Dayton, Duke and Providence.
A win over any of those four would get HC over that close-but-no-cigar-hump it could not quite get past against the likes of Kansas, Kentucky and Marquette in years past.
The challenge won't be hanging with the likes of Syracuse, Dayton, Duke and Providence. The Crusaders starting five has the talent to play with those guys. The tough part is avoiding being worn down in the second half by teams that are deeper, stronger and more athletic.
Suffice to say we will no a lot more about Holy Cross when this stretch is over than we know right now.
Elsewhere, Binghamton is at Colgate, Lehigh has a big-name foe of its own, with Billy Taylor taking the Hawks home to face his alma mater, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame in South Bend, and we get our first chance to see American when they travel up 270 to Emmittsburg to take on Mount Saint Mary's.
MATCHUPS: HC at Syracuse | Bing. at Colgate | Leh. at ND | AU at MSM
Labels: AU, CU, HC, Leh, previews
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Sunday, November 26, 2006
While Bucknell was picking up its first win, the rest of the league went 2-4 on a day that saw American, Navy and Lafayette each falling to big name opponents. Holy Cross won to stay unbeaten and Army downed Brown to go to 4-2. But any edge the league could gain in the Hoop Time-Basketball U Challenge series with the Ivy League was negated by Lehigh's loss at Harvard.
Holy Cross 66, William & Mary 57 -- Leading by 8 at the half, Holy Cross was feeling pretty good about itself. Later, after getting the win to improve to 5-0 on the season, the Crusaders no doubt felt pretty good, too.
In between, though, some moments of apprehension. After shooting 52 percent in the first half, HC found covers on the holes at the other end. The Crusaders shot just 25.7 percent in the second half. William and Mary actually managed to tie the game at 44-44 10:10 left.
Then the Crusaders went on a 14-2 run to take control.
Keith Simmons with another huge night -- 16 points, 8 rebounds, 7 steals, 2 blocks in 30 minutes of action. Torey Thomas had 10 points while dishing off four assists. Also in double figures were Pat Doherty (10 points) and Tim Clifford, who finished with 13 points and 6 boards.
Box score | AP | Telegram & Gazette (gamer) | T&G (column)
Xavier 86, American 68 -- Xavier's three starting forwards combined for 66 points as the Musketeers pulled away from AU in the second half.
Much of the damage came from the foul line. AU was whistled for 25 fouls, Xavier for 16. The Musketeers shot 32 free throws, making 26. AU was 16 for 19 at the stripe.
Paulius Joneliunas led AU with 15 points, most coming at the foul line, where he was 8 for 9. Arvydas Eitutavicius off the bench with 11 was AU's only other double figures scorer.
Andre Ingram was held to 5 points. Ingram was 2 for 3 from the field and made the only three he tried, but he played only 21 minutes.
AU's other starters also struggled. Derrick Mercer had 3 turnovers, 0 assists; Brayden Billbe was scoreless with 1 rebound and 3 turnovers; and Linas Lekavicius went 3 for 12 from the field.
American shot 39.7 percent for the game, Xavier 51 percent -- including a 57-percent second half when they broke open what had been a two-point, 35-33, game at the break. The Musketeers stroked 10 three-pointers in this one (10 of 20).
Box score | AP | Cincinnati Enquirer
Army 62, Brown 54 -- Matt Bell scored 11 of his 13 points in the final 7:42 to help Army hold off Brown for the win. Bell's first bucket in that stretch, a three-pointer that broke a 41-41 tie, might have been his biggest.
Army is now 4-2, its best six-game start since the 1994-95 season, when they were also 4-2 after six games.
The Black Knights held brown to 29.2 percent shooting in the first half, opening a 25-19 lead at the break. But Brown shot 55.6 percent in the second half to stay in the game, despite being outrebounded 33-18.
Jarrell Brown led Army with 21 points off the bench. Cory Sinning also a big contributor with 10 points, 6 assists and 2 steals.
Box score | AP | Times Herald-Record | Providence Journal
Miami (FL) 98, Lafayette 66 -- No day at the beach for the Leopards, who were out of this game after a 12-0 run gave Miami a double digits lead seven minutes in.
Lafayette pulled back to within 8 (31-23) ona three-pointer by freshman Jesper Andersson. That lasted only 17 seconds, though, and Miami would go on to build a lead of as many as 34 points.
Matt Betley, adjusting well to his shift to forward, had his second straight career high, finishing with 18 points to lead Lafayette. Paul Cummins hit five treys en route to his 15 points off the bench.
Box score | AP | Orlando Sentinel | Miami Herald
Harvard 83, Lehigh 75 -- Down as many as 22 points in the game, Lehigh rallied in the second half, pouring in 53 points after the break. But the closest they could get was 6 points.
Jose Olivero agains led the Mountain Hawks. Olivero with 17 points on 5 of 17 shooting. He was 1 for 7 at the arc.
Jason Mgebroff had 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks and Zahir Carringon came off the bench for 10 points and 8 rebounds. But the Lehigh biog men were negated by Harvard center Brian Cusworth, who had a game-high 20 points.
Also in double figures for Lehigh were Kyle Neptune (10) and sophomore Philip Anderson, who put up 11 points in the 14 minutes he played before fouling out.
Box score | AP | The Crimson
Villanova 70, Navy 61 -- Navy shot just 25 percent (7 of 28) in the first half, falling behind 33-19 at the break. That deficit, and officiating that sent Villanova to the foul line 24 more times than the Mids, was more than they could overcome.
The Mids shot much better the second half (48.5 percent) and held 'Nova to 38.1 percent from the field after the intermission. At one point, with just under 8 minutes to play, the Mids pulled within two (51-49) on a trey by Adam Teague, and they were still within 4 with 3:02 left when Villanova's Curtis Sumpter hit three free throws to stretch it back to a three possession game.
Those free throws were three of 35 taken (and 23 made) by Villanova. Navy was 4 for 9 at the line.
Greg Sprink had 6 three-pointers en route to his team-high 22 points for the Mids. Kaleo Kina added 13 points, 5 steals and 4 assists before leaving the game after a hard fall with 5:33 to play. No word on the extent of any injuries.
Box score | AP | Delco Times | Philly Inquirer
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Holy Cross 66, William & Mary 57 -- Leading by 8 at the half, Holy Cross was feeling pretty good about itself. Later, after getting the win to improve to 5-0 on the season, the Crusaders no doubt felt pretty good, too.
In between, though, some moments of apprehension. After shooting 52 percent in the first half, HC found covers on the holes at the other end. The Crusaders shot just 25.7 percent in the second half. William and Mary actually managed to tie the game at 44-44 10:10 left.
Then the Crusaders went on a 14-2 run to take control.
Keith Simmons with another huge night -- 16 points, 8 rebounds, 7 steals, 2 blocks in 30 minutes of action. Torey Thomas had 10 points while dishing off four assists. Also in double figures were Pat Doherty (10 points) and Tim Clifford, who finished with 13 points and 6 boards.
Box score | AP | Telegram & Gazette (gamer) | T&G (column)
Xavier 86, American 68 -- Xavier's three starting forwards combined for 66 points as the Musketeers pulled away from AU in the second half.
Much of the damage came from the foul line. AU was whistled for 25 fouls, Xavier for 16. The Musketeers shot 32 free throws, making 26. AU was 16 for 19 at the stripe.
Paulius Joneliunas led AU with 15 points, most coming at the foul line, where he was 8 for 9. Arvydas Eitutavicius off the bench with 11 was AU's only other double figures scorer.
Andre Ingram was held to 5 points. Ingram was 2 for 3 from the field and made the only three he tried, but he played only 21 minutes.
AU's other starters also struggled. Derrick Mercer had 3 turnovers, 0 assists; Brayden Billbe was scoreless with 1 rebound and 3 turnovers; and Linas Lekavicius went 3 for 12 from the field.
American shot 39.7 percent for the game, Xavier 51 percent -- including a 57-percent second half when they broke open what had been a two-point, 35-33, game at the break. The Musketeers stroked 10 three-pointers in this one (10 of 20).
Box score | AP | Cincinnati Enquirer
Army 62, Brown 54 -- Matt Bell scored 11 of his 13 points in the final 7:42 to help Army hold off Brown for the win. Bell's first bucket in that stretch, a three-pointer that broke a 41-41 tie, might have been his biggest.
Army is now 4-2, its best six-game start since the 1994-95 season, when they were also 4-2 after six games.
The Black Knights held brown to 29.2 percent shooting in the first half, opening a 25-19 lead at the break. But Brown shot 55.6 percent in the second half to stay in the game, despite being outrebounded 33-18.
Jarrell Brown led Army with 21 points off the bench. Cory Sinning also a big contributor with 10 points, 6 assists and 2 steals.
Box score | AP | Times Herald-Record | Providence Journal
Miami (FL) 98, Lafayette 66 -- No day at the beach for the Leopards, who were out of this game after a 12-0 run gave Miami a double digits lead seven minutes in.
Lafayette pulled back to within 8 (31-23) ona three-pointer by freshman Jesper Andersson. That lasted only 17 seconds, though, and Miami would go on to build a lead of as many as 34 points.
Matt Betley, adjusting well to his shift to forward, had his second straight career high, finishing with 18 points to lead Lafayette. Paul Cummins hit five treys en route to his 15 points off the bench.
Box score | AP | Orlando Sentinel | Miami Herald
Harvard 83, Lehigh 75 -- Down as many as 22 points in the game, Lehigh rallied in the second half, pouring in 53 points after the break. But the closest they could get was 6 points.
Jose Olivero agains led the Mountain Hawks. Olivero with 17 points on 5 of 17 shooting. He was 1 for 7 at the arc.
Jason Mgebroff had 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks and Zahir Carringon came off the bench for 10 points and 8 rebounds. But the Lehigh biog men were negated by Harvard center Brian Cusworth, who had a game-high 20 points.
Also in double figures for Lehigh were Kyle Neptune (10) and sophomore Philip Anderson, who put up 11 points in the 14 minutes he played before fouling out.
Box score | AP | The Crimson
Villanova 70, Navy 61 -- Navy shot just 25 percent (7 of 28) in the first half, falling behind 33-19 at the break. That deficit, and officiating that sent Villanova to the foul line 24 more times than the Mids, was more than they could overcome.
The Mids shot much better the second half (48.5 percent) and held 'Nova to 38.1 percent from the field after the intermission. At one point, with just under 8 minutes to play, the Mids pulled within two (51-49) on a trey by Adam Teague, and they were still within 4 with 3:02 left when Villanova's Curtis Sumpter hit three free throws to stretch it back to a three possession game.
Those free throws were three of 35 taken (and 23 made) by Villanova. Navy was 4 for 9 at the line.
Greg Sprink had 6 three-pointers en route to his team-high 22 points for the Mids. Kaleo Kina added 13 points, 5 steals and 4 assists before leaving the game after a hard fall with 5:33 to play. No word on the extent of any injuries.
Box score | AP | Delco Times | Philly Inquirer
Labels: Army, AU, games, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy
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Saturday, November 25, 2006
You hear the phrase a lot this weekend: "Home for the Holidays." Whoever came up with this one knows little about Patriot League hoops. With the notable exception of Holy Cross, which is hosting William and Mary this afternoon, nobody is home for the holidays. They are off to exotic locations like Miami, Cincinnati, New Haven, Providence, Boston or Philly. That AU at Xavier game in Cincinnati is probably the most interesting matchup on the slate. But it is a 500-mile road trip from here and we have never been fond of cinnamon in our chili, much less our chili over macaroni. New Haven, on the other hand, offers a less interesting matchup. But it's less than half the drive and the pizza alone is worth the trip, so we're off to this afternoon's Bucknell-Yale game.We'll update this afternoon (wonder if Sally's has wireless these days?). meanwhile, here are today's matchups:
AU at Xavier | Lehigh at Harvard | Army at Brown | Bucknell at Yale | W&M at HC | Lafayette at Miami | Navy at Villanova
BONUS LINK: Coach Ralph recaps Harvard and scouts W&M
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, previews
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Friday, November 24, 2006
HOOP TIME NOTEBOOK
The last time Bucknell was in New Haven, they arrived with a sub-.500 record. They battled their way to a 73-65 win over Yale in overtime and went on to win 11 in a row en route to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
That is not to say Bucknell is headed back to the tournament if they win at Yale. Pat Flannery is still trying to figure out how his pieces fit. By the time league play begins in January, Flannery will have his answers, for good or ill.
The point is simply that despite an 0-4 start, it is way too early to be counting the Bison out of anything. Those four losses have been to opponents with a combined record of 12-2. None of the four losses have been by more than 10 points. Two came in overtime, each by 3 points. The Bison even had decent leads in each, leads that wilted under rotation problems still to be resolved. Some combinations that have played thus far have really struggled to score. That has not been helped by the constant foul trouble the Bison have found, which has forced Bison coach Pat Flannery to use guys in roles he perhaps had not planned.
None of the foul trouble has been more troublesome than that being experienced by6-11 senior center Chris McNaughton, who has found it difficult to stay on the floor for any extended stretches. The lack of run has hurt McNaughton's offense. He has found it difficult to find a rhythm in most games.
Meanwhile, the development of juniors Darren Mastropaolo and Andrew Morrison has done a lot to solidify the frontline rotation. Mastropaolo's ability to score in the post combines well with Morrison's ability to shoot the jumper when McNaughton comes out of the game and Mastropaolo slides over to the five.
Donald Brown's problems adjusting to the small forward role are another problem. Unless Brown starts hitting a few jumpers occasionally, at least enough of them to force people to guard him 10 feet from the basket, Rob Thomas and Jason Vegotsky will need to play a lot at the three, just to give Flannery some scoring options. Problem is, Thomas (6-3) and Vegotsky (6-2) are more third guards than small forwards. They lack Brown's size (6-6) and athleticism to defend bigger threes. Charles Lee (6-3) could get away with it because of his strength and athleticism.
Of course a lot of these pieces are easier to fit into place if McNaughton snaps out of the funk he has been in and point guard Abe Badmus finds some comfort offensively.
Badmus seems to be struggling with his role. Flannery insists Badmus has the offensive game to do the things being asked of him this season -- namely more scoring. But Badmus has seemed conflicted in that role. After three seasons unselfishly finding others for their shot, Badmus seems hesitant to take his own, especially early in the shot clock. Too many possessions have begun with Badmus passing on open jumpers and ended with him turning the ball over after desperately driving into a help defense double-team as the shot clock winds down.
If Badmus starts taking those open looks (and knocking a few down) earlier in the clock, it will open things up for the Bison inside. Badmus might also think about trying to finish on more of those drives. He is strong enough, and has the springs, to take it to the rack against bigger men. Might even draw few fouls, which could have the added benefit of forcing opponents to be more guarded in their aggressive physical defensive tactics employed against the Bison big men (especially McNaughton).
With McNaughton and Badmus both seemingly in a funk, it begs the question: Are they a little burned out? The two have spent the last two summers with national teams. Badmus was point guard for the Nigerian national team in 2005 when the D'Tigers qualified for the 2006 World Championships and was the last guy cut before the D'Tigers left for Japan this summer. McNaughton was also one of the last two cut from the German team that played in Japan. He played internationally with Germany's World University Games team in the summer of 2005.
Bucknell's schedule lightens considerably following the four games in eight days stretch that starts at Yale and ends with nest weekend's back to back games against Northern Iowa and George Mason. The Bison only have five games the remaining 28 days of the year. Maybe the lighter schedule and the lighter practice schedule during finals will help rejuvenate them.
We shall see.
In the meantime, it is definitely not a one-team league in the Patriot this season.
Here's some news and notes from elsewhere:
BIG MAN IS BACK: Lehigh's Jason Mgebroff is a big guy. At 6-10, 275-pounds, Mgebroff showed tremendous promise as a freshman, averaging 7 points per game. As a sophomore, Mgebroff started 27 games, and averages 8.7 ppg. Small progress, especially in a league without many quality big men, but at least some progress.
Last season, though, Mgebrioff was like the holes of those donuts he was rumored to be so fond of. He left nothing in the middle for Lehigh. Reports from Bethlehem indicated Mgebroff reported overweight and out of shape when practice began. A foot injury early in the season did not help matters any. Whatever the reasons, whatever the spin, the bottom line was simple. After starting 43 games his first two seasons, Mgebroff found himself unable to beat out a stiff like Mike Fischman for the starting center job. Mgebroff's minutes dropped from an average of over 22 per game his first two seasons to 12.9 per game as a junior. His scoring (3.7 ppg) and rebounding (2.4 rpg) were career lows. Averaging better than 54 percent shooting from the field his first two seasons, Mgebroff plummeted to a 44 percent showing as a junior.
So far this season, Mgebroff is showing signs of finally fulfilling the promise exhibited his freshman season, when he scored 42 points in three league tournament games, making the All-Tournament team and helping Lehigh to the title. Through six games, Mgebroff, who looks slimmer, and much quicker, than he did last season, is averaging 12.7 ppg and shooting 73 percent from the field. He is also grabbing 6.2 rebounds per game, by far a career mark should it hold up over the course of the season. his scoring and rebounding numbers are tops among league big men thus far.
Last season, Mgebroff scored in double figures one time against Division I opposition, scoring 10 against Lafayette. This season, Mgebroff reached double figures in each of the Mountain Hawks' first four contests, missing a combined total of just five shots from the field during that stretch.
HOME COOKING: Holy Cross has started the season 4-0 for the first time in the Ralph Willard era. The Crusaders will look to go to 5-0 for the first time since 1988-89 Saturday when they host William and Mary. The only unbeaten team in the league, Holy Cross is also the only team that has played three home games to date. Bucknell and Lafayette, the two teams with the worst records in the league, have played just one home game each.
Navy may have the most impressive early season record when homecourts are factored into the equation. The 4-1 Mids have yet to play in Alumni Hall. Navy's lone "home" game was played at the ShowPlace Arena in nearby Upper Marlboro, Md. because some Fillipino dance troupe was appearing in Alumni Hall that night.
NO SWEAT: Keith Simmons does not seem to be sweating those cramping problems that hobbled the Holy Cross winger last season. Through four games, Simmons is averaging 34.5 minutes per game. His 18.8 points per game are second in the league only to Lehigh's Jose Olivero. Simmons 6.2 rebounds per game are tied for fourth.
In the Patriot League, only teammate Torey Thomas (37 mpg) is averaging more minutes than Simmons.
NO MINUTES: Notable for their lack of early season playing time: Army's John Moonshower, who showed a lot of promise the end of last season, has played a total of two minutes, appearing in three of Army's five games. One-time starter Jimmy Sewell has also played in just three games for the Black Knights. Sewell has produced 2 rebounds and 2 points in his eight minutes of action.
Georgetown-transfer Cornelio Guibunda, touted as one of the nation's top recruits when he signed with the Hoyas out of high school, has appeared in two of American's four-games, playing 7 minutes and totaling two free throws, a turnover and a steal.
NOT SEEING DOUBLE: Only one team has nobody averaging in double figures scoring. That team is Bucknell, which is led by Darren Mastropaolo and Jason Vegotsky, each averaging 9.8 ppg. Lafayette, led by Matt Betley (12.4 ppg) is the only other team without at least two players averaging in double figures.
Lehigh leads the way with three players averaging in doubles -- Jose Olivero (league leading 20.2 ppg), Jason Mgebroff (12.7 ppg) and Kyle Neptune (11.3 ppg).
TAKING OFFENSE: Think of Billy Taylor-coached you think of defense first. The Hawks have consistently been among the league's top defensive teams under Taylor, and pride themselves on that style of play.
So it might come as a little surprise to notice the Mountain Hawks are averaging a league-leading 73.3 ppg and giving up 75 ppg, second most allowed in the league.
NAVY ON THE LINE: The Mids are hitting an impressive 66.5 percent from the foul line thus far. Much of the credit for that league-leading stat goes to plebes Trey Stanton (12 for 12) and T.J. Topercer, who are a combined 23 of 24. Sophomore guard Kaleo Kina (16 for 18) has also been impressive.
CAN'T MISS: Speaking of good free throw shooting, five league players have yet to miss from the charity stripe. In addition to Stanton, HC center Tim Clifford is 10 for 10, Bucknell guard John Griffin is 9 for 9. Colgate bench guys Willie Morse (8 for 8) and Alex Woodhouse (4 for 4) also have not missed.
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The last time Bucknell was in New Haven, they arrived with a sub-.500 record. They battled their way to a 73-65 win over Yale in overtime and went on to win 11 in a row en route to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
That is not to say Bucknell is headed back to the tournament if they win at Yale. Pat Flannery is still trying to figure out how his pieces fit. By the time league play begins in January, Flannery will have his answers, for good or ill.
The point is simply that despite an 0-4 start, it is way too early to be counting the Bison out of anything. Those four losses have been to opponents with a combined record of 12-2. None of the four losses have been by more than 10 points. Two came in overtime, each by 3 points. The Bison even had decent leads in each, leads that wilted under rotation problems still to be resolved. Some combinations that have played thus far have really struggled to score. That has not been helped by the constant foul trouble the Bison have found, which has forced Bison coach Pat Flannery to use guys in roles he perhaps had not planned.
None of the foul trouble has been more troublesome than that being experienced by6-11 senior center Chris McNaughton, who has found it difficult to stay on the floor for any extended stretches. The lack of run has hurt McNaughton's offense. He has found it difficult to find a rhythm in most games.
Meanwhile, the development of juniors Darren Mastropaolo and Andrew Morrison has done a lot to solidify the frontline rotation. Mastropaolo's ability to score in the post combines well with Morrison's ability to shoot the jumper when McNaughton comes out of the game and Mastropaolo slides over to the five.
Donald Brown's problems adjusting to the small forward role are another problem. Unless Brown starts hitting a few jumpers occasionally, at least enough of them to force people to guard him 10 feet from the basket, Rob Thomas and Jason Vegotsky will need to play a lot at the three, just to give Flannery some scoring options. Problem is, Thomas (6-3) and Vegotsky (6-2) are more third guards than small forwards. They lack Brown's size (6-6) and athleticism to defend bigger threes. Charles Lee (6-3) could get away with it because of his strength and athleticism.
Of course a lot of these pieces are easier to fit into place if McNaughton snaps out of the funk he has been in and point guard Abe Badmus finds some comfort offensively.
Badmus seems to be struggling with his role. Flannery insists Badmus has the offensive game to do the things being asked of him this season -- namely more scoring. But Badmus has seemed conflicted in that role. After three seasons unselfishly finding others for their shot, Badmus seems hesitant to take his own, especially early in the shot clock. Too many possessions have begun with Badmus passing on open jumpers and ended with him turning the ball over after desperately driving into a help defense double-team as the shot clock winds down.
If Badmus starts taking those open looks (and knocking a few down) earlier in the clock, it will open things up for the Bison inside. Badmus might also think about trying to finish on more of those drives. He is strong enough, and has the springs, to take it to the rack against bigger men. Might even draw few fouls, which could have the added benefit of forcing opponents to be more guarded in their aggressive physical defensive tactics employed against the Bison big men (especially McNaughton).
With McNaughton and Badmus both seemingly in a funk, it begs the question: Are they a little burned out? The two have spent the last two summers with national teams. Badmus was point guard for the Nigerian national team in 2005 when the D'Tigers qualified for the 2006 World Championships and was the last guy cut before the D'Tigers left for Japan this summer. McNaughton was also one of the last two cut from the German team that played in Japan. He played internationally with Germany's World University Games team in the summer of 2005.
Bucknell's schedule lightens considerably following the four games in eight days stretch that starts at Yale and ends with nest weekend's back to back games against Northern Iowa and George Mason. The Bison only have five games the remaining 28 days of the year. Maybe the lighter schedule and the lighter practice schedule during finals will help rejuvenate them.
We shall see.
In the meantime, it is definitely not a one-team league in the Patriot this season.
Here's some news and notes from elsewhere:
BIG MAN IS BACK: Lehigh's Jason Mgebroff is a big guy. At 6-10, 275-pounds, Mgebroff showed tremendous promise as a freshman, averaging 7 points per game. As a sophomore, Mgebroff started 27 games, and averages 8.7 ppg. Small progress, especially in a league without many quality big men, but at least some progress.
Last season, though, Mgebrioff was like the holes of those donuts he was rumored to be so fond of. He left nothing in the middle for Lehigh. Reports from Bethlehem indicated Mgebroff reported overweight and out of shape when practice began. A foot injury early in the season did not help matters any. Whatever the reasons, whatever the spin, the bottom line was simple. After starting 43 games his first two seasons, Mgebroff found himself unable to beat out a stiff like Mike Fischman for the starting center job. Mgebroff's minutes dropped from an average of over 22 per game his first two seasons to 12.9 per game as a junior. His scoring (3.7 ppg) and rebounding (2.4 rpg) were career lows. Averaging better than 54 percent shooting from the field his first two seasons, Mgebroff plummeted to a 44 percent showing as a junior.
So far this season, Mgebroff is showing signs of finally fulfilling the promise exhibited his freshman season, when he scored 42 points in three league tournament games, making the All-Tournament team and helping Lehigh to the title. Through six games, Mgebroff, who looks slimmer, and much quicker, than he did last season, is averaging 12.7 ppg and shooting 73 percent from the field. He is also grabbing 6.2 rebounds per game, by far a career mark should it hold up over the course of the season. his scoring and rebounding numbers are tops among league big men thus far.
Last season, Mgebroff scored in double figures one time against Division I opposition, scoring 10 against Lafayette. This season, Mgebroff reached double figures in each of the Mountain Hawks' first four contests, missing a combined total of just five shots from the field during that stretch.
HOME COOKING: Holy Cross has started the season 4-0 for the first time in the Ralph Willard era. The Crusaders will look to go to 5-0 for the first time since 1988-89 Saturday when they host William and Mary. The only unbeaten team in the league, Holy Cross is also the only team that has played three home games to date. Bucknell and Lafayette, the two teams with the worst records in the league, have played just one home game each.
Navy may have the most impressive early season record when homecourts are factored into the equation. The 4-1 Mids have yet to play in Alumni Hall. Navy's lone "home" game was played at the ShowPlace Arena in nearby Upper Marlboro, Md. because some Fillipino dance troupe was appearing in Alumni Hall that night.
NO SWEAT: Keith Simmons does not seem to be sweating those cramping problems that hobbled the Holy Cross winger last season. Through four games, Simmons is averaging 34.5 minutes per game. His 18.8 points per game are second in the league only to Lehigh's Jose Olivero. Simmons 6.2 rebounds per game are tied for fourth.
In the Patriot League, only teammate Torey Thomas (37 mpg) is averaging more minutes than Simmons.
NO MINUTES: Notable for their lack of early season playing time: Army's John Moonshower, who showed a lot of promise the end of last season, has played a total of two minutes, appearing in three of Army's five games. One-time starter Jimmy Sewell has also played in just three games for the Black Knights. Sewell has produced 2 rebounds and 2 points in his eight minutes of action.
Georgetown-transfer Cornelio Guibunda, touted as one of the nation's top recruits when he signed with the Hoyas out of high school, has appeared in two of American's four-games, playing 7 minutes and totaling two free throws, a turnover and a steal.
NOT SEEING DOUBLE: Only one team has nobody averaging in double figures scoring. That team is Bucknell, which is led by Darren Mastropaolo and Jason Vegotsky, each averaging 9.8 ppg. Lafayette, led by Matt Betley (12.4 ppg) is the only other team without at least two players averaging in double figures.
Lehigh leads the way with three players averaging in doubles -- Jose Olivero (league leading 20.2 ppg), Jason Mgebroff (12.7 ppg) and Kyle Neptune (11.3 ppg).
TAKING OFFENSE: Think of Billy Taylor-coached you think of defense first. The Hawks have consistently been among the league's top defensive teams under Taylor, and pride themselves on that style of play.
So it might come as a little surprise to notice the Mountain Hawks are averaging a league-leading 73.3 ppg and giving up 75 ppg, second most allowed in the league.
NAVY ON THE LINE: The Mids are hitting an impressive 66.5 percent from the foul line thus far. Much of the credit for that league-leading stat goes to plebes Trey Stanton (12 for 12) and T.J. Topercer, who are a combined 23 of 24. Sophomore guard Kaleo Kina (16 for 18) has also been impressive.
CAN'T MISS: Speaking of good free throw shooting, five league players have yet to miss from the charity stripe. In addition to Stanton, HC center Tim Clifford is 10 for 10, Bucknell guard John Griffin is 9 for 9. Colgate bench guys Willie Morse (8 for 8) and Alex Woodhouse (4 for 4) also have not missed.
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, notebook
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Tuesday, November 21, 2006
American took a 3-2 lead on an Andre Ingram three-pointer 32 seconds into the game and led the rest of the way, improving to 3-1 with an 81-74 home win over Loyola (Md.).
Ingram was just getting started. The senior from Richmond, who had an off night back home on Friday, went on to hit three more treys, and went 10 for 10 at the foul line, finishing with a game-high 22 points.
Those foul shots ate a sign of another big factor in this one. Loyola was called for 32 fouls, sending AU to the line for 48 free throws. The Eagles made 38. That is 17 more made free throws than the 21 Loyola took (they made 14).
Three Loyola players fouled out, including forward Michael Tuck, who finished with 15 points.Gerald Brown led Loyola with 31 points.
American's lead was 15 at the half and swelled to as many as 20 points before Loyola managed to close it to 6 late in the game. With Americsan hitting 10 of 14 free throws down the stretch, Loyola could never get closer.
Derrick Mercer finished with 11 points and 7 assists for AU. Brayden Billbe had 17 points and 5 rebounds. Also in double figures was Arvyda Eitutavicius, who scored 13 before fouling out.
Box score | AP
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Ingram was just getting started. The senior from Richmond, who had an off night back home on Friday, went on to hit three more treys, and went 10 for 10 at the foul line, finishing with a game-high 22 points.
Those foul shots ate a sign of another big factor in this one. Loyola was called for 32 fouls, sending AU to the line for 48 free throws. The Eagles made 38. That is 17 more made free throws than the 21 Loyola took (they made 14).
Three Loyola players fouled out, including forward Michael Tuck, who finished with 15 points.Gerald Brown led Loyola with 31 points.
American's lead was 15 at the half and swelled to as many as 20 points before Loyola managed to close it to 6 late in the game. With Americsan hitting 10 of 14 free throws down the stretch, Loyola could never get closer.
Derrick Mercer finished with 11 points and 7 assists for AU. Brayden Billbe had 17 points and 5 rebounds. Also in double figures was Arvyda Eitutavicius, who scored 13 before fouling out.
Box score | AP
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