Monday's game:
Binghamton 67, Stony Brook 60
A battle of two of the hottest teams in the conference didn't disappoint as Binghamton had enough to hang on for the win at home in a tightly-contested matchup. With the win, the Bearcats (9-4) ran their winning streak to five games as they once again finished with five scorers in double figures. D.J. Rivera led all scorers with 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting, while Tiki Mayben connected on 3-of-4 from downtown. Stony Brook (8-5), which had its four-game winning streak snapped, was led by Tommy Brenton, who recorded 14 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. SBU's Dallis Joyner made a layup to pull the Seawolves within one point, 56-55, with 2:17 remaining in the second half, but Dwayne Jackson followed with an offensive rebound and a put-back and Chretien Lukusa converted a layup after a timeout by SBU to put Binghamton up by four with 1:10 left. Next on the horizon for Binghamton is a battle against (arguably) the best team in the conference in Vermont on Thursday.
Wednesday's games:
Hartford vs. New Hampshire, 7:00 p.m.
Monday, January 5, 2009
State of America East
It's conference season. There are no more freebies -- these games count. Teams that succeed will be thankful come tournament time, while those who falter here will regret it when the brackets are set. As Bruce Buffer says before a big UFC fight, ladies and gentlemen, it's time!
America East Power Rankings (records versus D-I opponents):
1. Vermont Catamounts
9-4 (0-0 AE), RPI 104, SOS 226
Last week: L 82-76 vs. Colorado State (neutral court), W 84-59 vs. Colorado (neutral court), W 73-47 vs. New Jersey Institute of Technology
This week: 1/8 at Binghamton, 1/11 vs. Albany
Vermont lost a winnable game versus Colorado State, but two out of three in Hawaii is a good result for an AE school. Two wins by a combined 51 points have the Catamounts rolling into conference play with a chance to assert themselves against two major contenders for the league title. Mark your calendars for both Vermont games this week -- they're both big ones.
2. Binghamton Bearcats
7-4 (1-0 AE), RPI 116, SOS 267
Last week: W 73-71 vs. Marist, W 70-62 at Maine
This week: 1/5 vs. Stony Brook, 1/8 vs. Vermont, 1/11 at Utah Valley
Surprise! The Bearcats have won four straight and are streaking into conference play. A road win is a good way for Binghamton to start conference play. The Bearcats will need to ride this hot streak for as long as they can, because the schedule is packed full of games over the next few weeks. Saturday's defeat of the Black Bears began a stretch of eight games in 20 days with no more than two consecutive days off at any time. That's what happens when only six games are scheduled during the first semester.
3. Albany Great Danes
8-6 (0-1 AE), RPI 107, SOS 244
Last week: L 79-43 at Kansas, L 64-54 at Hartford
This week: 1/8 vs. Boston University, 1/11 at Vermont
It was not a good week for the Great Danes. The Kansas game was bad enough, but at least the result was somewhat expected. Losing to Hartford, on the other hand, may pose some problems for the Great Danes. Albany enjoyed a significant edge in the paint and on the boards but let the Hawks get to the line too frequently. Albany's perimeter defense wasn't atrocious (Hartford shot 35 percent from beyond the arc) but free throw attempts will take even the best defense and render it useless. Expect Will Brown to make some adjustments for the second game in the series.
4. Boston University Terriers
5-7 (0-0 AE), RPI 260, SOS 289
Last week: L 89-59 at Cornell, L 68-49 vs. Holy Cross
This week: 1/8 at Albany, 1/11 vs. New Hampshire
The Terriers' outlook has changed for the worse, and it's done so in a hurry. All of a sudden BU has dropped four straight contests, the last two by ugly margins. None of those games count towards the conference record, but the Terriers have to generate their own momentum now and do so in conference play against hungry opponents. With Albany coming off a disappointing loss of its own, Thursday provides a good chance -- we'll see how the Terriers respond.
5. Stony Brook Seawolves
7-5 (1-0 AE), RPI 157, SOS 261
Last week: W 67-64 at Air Force, W 69-61 at Maryland-Baltimore County
This week: 1/5 at Binghamton, 1/8 vs. Maine
Stony Brook continues to impress, reeling off three straight including a road win to begin conference play. A road win against the Bearcats might be too much to ask -- but is it? We know the Seawolves are good. What we don't know is how they'll stack up against the big guns in the conference. Part of that answer will be revealed by tonight.
6. Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers
5-7 (0-1 AE), RPI 197, SOS 166
Last week: L 81-60 at Saint Louis, L 69-61 vs. Stony Brook
This week: 1/10 vs. Maine
The Retrievers still have their statement win from Nebraska, but the luster of a non-conference victory fades awfully quick once January arrives. Everyone's favorite preseason doormat reminded UMBC that a new conference hierarchy is being established. The Retrievers would do well to reverse their momentum with a win on Saturday before things go farther south.
7. New Hampshire Wildcats
3-7 (0-0 AE), RPI 285, SOS 282
Last week: W 58-54 vs. Santa Clara
This week: 1/7 vs. Hartford, 1/11 at Boston University
The Wildcats keep finding themselves in close games but found themselves on the right end of the result for a change. The reason why? Alvin Abreu hit seven threes and the defense helped produce 19 Santa Clara turnovers. There are a million ways to win a basketball game, but the vast majority of them involve taking and making more shots than your opponent. New Hampshire's turnover advantage gave the Wildcats five extra shot opportunities, a major factor in a game decided by just two possessions. More performances like that will give UNH some wins in conference play.
8. Hartford Hawks
5-9 (1-0 AE), RPI 175, SOS 88
Last week: L 69-55 at Stanford, W 64-54 vs. Albany
This week: 1/7 at New Hampshire, 1/10 at Yale
Two months ago a Hartford victory over Albany would have surprised few. The Hawks' 10-point triumph, however, comes as somewhat of an eye-opener given both teams' performance to date. It's not easy to play defense without rebounding well, but holding Tim Ambrose scoreless allowed Hartford to do just that. Work on the boards still has to be a priority for the Hawks, but a win is a win.
9. Maine Black Bears
4-9 (0-1 AE), RPI 265, SOS 209
Last week: L 56-43 vs. Canisius, L 70-62 vs. Binghamton
This week: 1/8 at Stony Brook, 1/10 at Maryland-Baltimore County
Maine is losing, but that's not particularly surprising. The problem is the strength of some of Maine's opponents. Canisius is not a good team, but the Black Bears lost to the Golden Griffins by double digits. Given a performance like that, the real surprise with Maine is that the Binghamton game was even competitive. Other than defending perimeter shooters, the Black Bears don't do anything particularly well, and the offense is downright awful. A turnaround is possible -- it's just hard to see where the improvement will come from.
Conference Performance
OOC record: 50-55 (Last 7 days: 5-7)
Conference RPI: 16 (out of 31)
Conference SOS: 23 (out of 31)
With non-conference play all but over, it's difficult for America East teams to do much to affect conference RPI. We'll continue to track these numbers -- RPI has a major impact on how analysts unfamiliar with the conference perceive America East's level of play -- but where the numbers go from here is largely out of the teams' hands.
Overall Efficiency
With nearly seven more points per 100 possessions than any other team in the conference, Vermont has established itself as the class of the conference. The surprise continues to be Stony Brook. The defense has come back to earth slightly -- 93.2 points per 100 possessions is not significantly better than either Vermont or Albany -- but the offense has picked up the slack. The Seawolves now rank fifth in the conference in raw efficiency and are closing in on BU for fourth. Turnovers are at the heart of Steve Pikiell's team's success this season. Stony Brook's average turnover margin is +4.38 heading into tonight's game at Binghamton. BU's mark is next best, but the Terriers' +1.33 mark is more than three turnovers per game worse than that of the Seawolves. As UMBC proved last year, extra possessions make a team very difficult to beat. The ability to maintain that turnover margin will be critical if Stony Brook hopes to make some noise in America East this year.
America East Power Rankings (records versus D-I opponents):
1. Vermont Catamounts9-4 (0-0 AE), RPI 104, SOS 226
Last week: L 82-76 vs. Colorado State (neutral court), W 84-59 vs. Colorado (neutral court), W 73-47 vs. New Jersey Institute of Technology
This week: 1/8 at Binghamton, 1/11 vs. Albany
Vermont lost a winnable game versus Colorado State, but two out of three in Hawaii is a good result for an AE school. Two wins by a combined 51 points have the Catamounts rolling into conference play with a chance to assert themselves against two major contenders for the league title. Mark your calendars for both Vermont games this week -- they're both big ones.
2. Binghamton Bearcats7-4 (1-0 AE), RPI 116, SOS 267
Last week: W 73-71 vs. Marist, W 70-62 at Maine
This week: 1/5 vs. Stony Brook, 1/8 vs. Vermont, 1/11 at Utah Valley
Surprise! The Bearcats have won four straight and are streaking into conference play. A road win is a good way for Binghamton to start conference play. The Bearcats will need to ride this hot streak for as long as they can, because the schedule is packed full of games over the next few weeks. Saturday's defeat of the Black Bears began a stretch of eight games in 20 days with no more than two consecutive days off at any time. That's what happens when only six games are scheduled during the first semester.
3. Albany Great Danes8-6 (0-1 AE), RPI 107, SOS 244
Last week: L 79-43 at Kansas, L 64-54 at Hartford
This week: 1/8 vs. Boston University, 1/11 at Vermont
It was not a good week for the Great Danes. The Kansas game was bad enough, but at least the result was somewhat expected. Losing to Hartford, on the other hand, may pose some problems for the Great Danes. Albany enjoyed a significant edge in the paint and on the boards but let the Hawks get to the line too frequently. Albany's perimeter defense wasn't atrocious (Hartford shot 35 percent from beyond the arc) but free throw attempts will take even the best defense and render it useless. Expect Will Brown to make some adjustments for the second game in the series.
4. Boston University Terriers5-7 (0-0 AE), RPI 260, SOS 289
Last week: L 89-59 at Cornell, L 68-49 vs. Holy Cross
This week: 1/8 at Albany, 1/11 vs. New Hampshire
The Terriers' outlook has changed for the worse, and it's done so in a hurry. All of a sudden BU has dropped four straight contests, the last two by ugly margins. None of those games count towards the conference record, but the Terriers have to generate their own momentum now and do so in conference play against hungry opponents. With Albany coming off a disappointing loss of its own, Thursday provides a good chance -- we'll see how the Terriers respond.
5. Stony Brook Seawolves7-5 (1-0 AE), RPI 157, SOS 261
Last week: W 67-64 at Air Force, W 69-61 at Maryland-Baltimore County
This week: 1/5 at Binghamton, 1/8 vs. Maine
Stony Brook continues to impress, reeling off three straight including a road win to begin conference play. A road win against the Bearcats might be too much to ask -- but is it? We know the Seawolves are good. What we don't know is how they'll stack up against the big guns in the conference. Part of that answer will be revealed by tonight.
6. Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers5-7 (0-1 AE), RPI 197, SOS 166
Last week: L 81-60 at Saint Louis, L 69-61 vs. Stony Brook
This week: 1/10 vs. Maine
The Retrievers still have their statement win from Nebraska, but the luster of a non-conference victory fades awfully quick once January arrives. Everyone's favorite preseason doormat reminded UMBC that a new conference hierarchy is being established. The Retrievers would do well to reverse their momentum with a win on Saturday before things go farther south.
7. New Hampshire Wildcats3-7 (0-0 AE), RPI 285, SOS 282
Last week: W 58-54 vs. Santa Clara
This week: 1/7 vs. Hartford, 1/11 at Boston University
The Wildcats keep finding themselves in close games but found themselves on the right end of the result for a change. The reason why? Alvin Abreu hit seven threes and the defense helped produce 19 Santa Clara turnovers. There are a million ways to win a basketball game, but the vast majority of them involve taking and making more shots than your opponent. New Hampshire's turnover advantage gave the Wildcats five extra shot opportunities, a major factor in a game decided by just two possessions. More performances like that will give UNH some wins in conference play.
8. Hartford Hawks5-9 (1-0 AE), RPI 175, SOS 88
Last week: L 69-55 at Stanford, W 64-54 vs. Albany
This week: 1/7 at New Hampshire, 1/10 at Yale
Two months ago a Hartford victory over Albany would have surprised few. The Hawks' 10-point triumph, however, comes as somewhat of an eye-opener given both teams' performance to date. It's not easy to play defense without rebounding well, but holding Tim Ambrose scoreless allowed Hartford to do just that. Work on the boards still has to be a priority for the Hawks, but a win is a win.
9. Maine Black Bears4-9 (0-1 AE), RPI 265, SOS 209
Last week: L 56-43 vs. Canisius, L 70-62 vs. Binghamton
This week: 1/8 at Stony Brook, 1/10 at Maryland-Baltimore County
Maine is losing, but that's not particularly surprising. The problem is the strength of some of Maine's opponents. Canisius is not a good team, but the Black Bears lost to the Golden Griffins by double digits. Given a performance like that, the real surprise with Maine is that the Binghamton game was even competitive. Other than defending perimeter shooters, the Black Bears don't do anything particularly well, and the offense is downright awful. A turnaround is possible -- it's just hard to see where the improvement will come from.
Conference Performance
OOC record: 50-55 (Last 7 days: 5-7)
Conference RPI: 16 (out of 31)
Conference SOS: 23 (out of 31)
With non-conference play all but over, it's difficult for America East teams to do much to affect conference RPI. We'll continue to track these numbers -- RPI has a major impact on how analysts unfamiliar with the conference perceive America East's level of play -- but where the numbers go from here is largely out of the teams' hands.
Overall Efficiency
With nearly seven more points per 100 possessions than any other team in the conference, Vermont has established itself as the class of the conference. The surprise continues to be Stony Brook. The defense has come back to earth slightly -- 93.2 points per 100 possessions is not significantly better than either Vermont or Albany -- but the offense has picked up the slack. The Seawolves now rank fifth in the conference in raw efficiency and are closing in on BU for fourth. Turnovers are at the heart of Steve Pikiell's team's success this season. Stony Brook's average turnover margin is +4.38 heading into tonight's game at Binghamton. BU's mark is next best, but the Terriers' +1.33 mark is more than three turnovers per game worse than that of the Seawolves. As UMBC proved last year, extra possessions make a team very difficult to beat. The ability to maintain that turnover margin will be critical if Stony Brook hopes to make some noise in America East this year.
Stat of the Week
16/15
It's not your ordinary double-double. Reggie Fuller wasn't satisfied with the minimum requirements of 10 and 10 against Marist last Tuesday -- he wanted more. Fuller's 16 points and 15 rebounds (plus three blocks) is the conference's first 15-15 performance of the year. It was efficient as well: Fuller missed just four shots from the field. The result? A two-point victory for the Bearcats
The Binghamton big man is overshadowed by fellow conference bigs Marqus Blakely and Darryl Proctor. Even Binghamton's prolific scorer D.J. Rivera gets more attention than Fuller. But make no mistake, Fuller is a key ingredient. On a team lacking perimeter shooting, Fuller is the Bearcats' only proven option in the post. He is efficient, takes care of the ball, rebounds well, and blocks more shots than most players his size (Fuller stands 6-foot-6). Last offseason's influx of talent has given Binghamton the chance to take the next step, but without Fuller Binghamton wouldn't be nearly as competitive in this conference.
It's not your ordinary double-double. Reggie Fuller wasn't satisfied with the minimum requirements of 10 and 10 against Marist last Tuesday -- he wanted more. Fuller's 16 points and 15 rebounds (plus three blocks) is the conference's first 15-15 performance of the year. It was efficient as well: Fuller missed just four shots from the field. The result? A two-point victory for the Bearcats
The Binghamton big man is overshadowed by fellow conference bigs Marqus Blakely and Darryl Proctor. Even Binghamton's prolific scorer D.J. Rivera gets more attention than Fuller. But make no mistake, Fuller is a key ingredient. On a team lacking perimeter shooting, Fuller is the Bearcats' only proven option in the post. He is efficient, takes care of the ball, rebounds well, and blocks more shots than most players his size (Fuller stands 6-foot-6). Last offseason's influx of talent has given Binghamton the chance to take the next step, but without Fuller Binghamton wouldn't be nearly as competitive in this conference.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Around the League: 1.04.09
Sunday's game:
New Hampshire 58, Santa Clara 54
The Wildcats score a big victory in their final game before they begin conference play Wednesday against Hartford, ending a four-game losing streak and getting an impressive win for America East over a West Coast Conference team. Alvin Abreu was unconscious as he connected on 7-of-7 from beyond the 3-point line, as well as 8-of-14 overall and 5-of-6 from the line for 28 points. Marc Trasolini led the Broncos with 24 points (7-of-8 from the field and 10-of-12 from the charity stripe) and 10 rebounds but it wasn't enough as the Wildcats held on at the end thanks to a pair of free throws by Abreu. UNH led for roughly the entire second half, but never by more than eight.
Monday's games:
Stony Brook (8-5) vs. Binghamton (8-4), 7:00 p.m.
What once could have been a very uninteresting matchup has now become a marquee one. The Seawolves, winners of their last three and seven of their last nine face off against an equally hot Binghamton squad that's won its last four and also seven of its last nine. Both teams were victorious in their conference openers against Maryland-Baltimore County and Maine, respectively.
New Hampshire 58, Santa Clara 54
The Wildcats score a big victory in their final game before they begin conference play Wednesday against Hartford, ending a four-game losing streak and getting an impressive win for America East over a West Coast Conference team. Alvin Abreu was unconscious as he connected on 7-of-7 from beyond the 3-point line, as well as 8-of-14 overall and 5-of-6 from the line for 28 points. Marc Trasolini led the Broncos with 24 points (7-of-8 from the field and 10-of-12 from the charity stripe) and 10 rebounds but it wasn't enough as the Wildcats held on at the end thanks to a pair of free throws by Abreu. UNH led for roughly the entire second half, but never by more than eight.
Monday's games:
Stony Brook (8-5) vs. Binghamton (8-4), 7:00 p.m.
What once could have been a very uninteresting matchup has now become a marquee one. The Seawolves, winners of their last three and seven of their last nine face off against an equally hot Binghamton squad that's won its last four and also seven of its last nine. Both teams were victorious in their conference openers against Maryland-Baltimore County and Maine, respectively.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Around the League: 1.03.09
Saturday's games:
Binghamton 70, Maine 62
Maine dropped its fifth consecutive game as the Bearcats (8-4) rolled to an easy victory. After Maine (5-9) took the lead 17-16 with 7:30 remaining in the first half, Brandon Hebert knocked down a 3-pointer and Binghamton never trailed again. The Black Bears were hampered by poor foul shooting as they missed 15-of-32 attempts. D.J. Rivera led the way for Binghamton with 24 points (9-of-16) as the Bearcats shot 24-of-47 on the afternoon (51.1 percent). Three other Bearcats reached double figures while Maine was led by Gerald McLemore, who had 16. Oddly enough, Bingamton (one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the conference) was 10-of-21 from beyond the arc (47.6 percent). If they keep that up, they're going to be a very dangerous team.
Hartford 64, Albany 54
One game into conference play and we've already got a feel of how wide-open the conference is going to be. Hartford opened its America East schedule at home against one of the hotter teams in the conference and without arguably its best players in Joe Zeglinski (sprained ankle) and led for the entire second half, en route to an eventual 10-point victory. The Hawks know what it takes to win in conference play as they reached the championship game last year. Neither team shot particularly well, as both were under 40 percent from the field on the afternoon, but Hartford (5-9) had three players in double figures compared to Albany's two. Sophomore Morgan Sabia led the way for Hartford with 16 points, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, while Albany's (8-6) Will Harris led all scorers with 17. Harris also grabbed 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
Stony Brook 69, Maryland-Baltimore County 61
Two games into conference play and we've already got a feel of how wide-open the conference is going to be. Okay, we just said that, but if this game isn't indication enough of the parody in America East, then you're never going to be convinced. Stony Brook (if they haven't already been considered so) is ever-so-close to becoming a real threat as their stud freshman Bryan Dougher scored a team-high 19 points (along with Muhammad El-Amin) on 7-of-9 shooting and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. In fact, it was the Retrievers lack of 3-point shooting and SBU's deadly daggers from beyond that made one of the biggest differences. The Seawolves (8-5) knocked down 8-of-13 from downtown (61.5 percent), while UMBC only hit 1-of-8. Darryl Proctor tried his best to will the Retrievers (6-7) to victory with a 26 point, 10 rebound performance (his sixth double-double of the season), but the only other scorer in double figures for UMBC was Justin Fry, who had 12.
Vermont 73, New Jersey Institute of Technology 47
This one was never in question as Vermont, in a brilliant scheduling move to have a push-over team following a cross-country trip to Hawaii, rolled to an easy victory. Marqus Blakely had 15 points and nine rebounds, while Mike Trimboli contributed 10 points. Not much else to say about this one, other than UVM had an easy time of it. Gary Garris led NJIT with 17 points, while Isaiah Wilkerson chipped in 16.
Sunday's games:
Santa Clara vs. New Hampshire, 1:00 p.m.
Binghamton 70, Maine 62
Maine dropped its fifth consecutive game as the Bearcats (8-4) rolled to an easy victory. After Maine (5-9) took the lead 17-16 with 7:30 remaining in the first half, Brandon Hebert knocked down a 3-pointer and Binghamton never trailed again. The Black Bears were hampered by poor foul shooting as they missed 15-of-32 attempts. D.J. Rivera led the way for Binghamton with 24 points (9-of-16) as the Bearcats shot 24-of-47 on the afternoon (51.1 percent). Three other Bearcats reached double figures while Maine was led by Gerald McLemore, who had 16. Oddly enough, Bingamton (one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the conference) was 10-of-21 from beyond the arc (47.6 percent). If they keep that up, they're going to be a very dangerous team.
Hartford 64, Albany 54
One game into conference play and we've already got a feel of how wide-open the conference is going to be. Hartford opened its America East schedule at home against one of the hotter teams in the conference and without arguably its best players in Joe Zeglinski (sprained ankle) and led for the entire second half, en route to an eventual 10-point victory. The Hawks know what it takes to win in conference play as they reached the championship game last year. Neither team shot particularly well, as both were under 40 percent from the field on the afternoon, but Hartford (5-9) had three players in double figures compared to Albany's two. Sophomore Morgan Sabia led the way for Hartford with 16 points, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, while Albany's (8-6) Will Harris led all scorers with 17. Harris also grabbed 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
Stony Brook 69, Maryland-Baltimore County 61
Two games into conference play and we've already got a feel of how wide-open the conference is going to be. Okay, we just said that, but if this game isn't indication enough of the parody in America East, then you're never going to be convinced. Stony Brook (if they haven't already been considered so) is ever-so-close to becoming a real threat as their stud freshman Bryan Dougher scored a team-high 19 points (along with Muhammad El-Amin) on 7-of-9 shooting and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. In fact, it was the Retrievers lack of 3-point shooting and SBU's deadly daggers from beyond that made one of the biggest differences. The Seawolves (8-5) knocked down 8-of-13 from downtown (61.5 percent), while UMBC only hit 1-of-8. Darryl Proctor tried his best to will the Retrievers (6-7) to victory with a 26 point, 10 rebound performance (his sixth double-double of the season), but the only other scorer in double figures for UMBC was Justin Fry, who had 12.
Vermont 73, New Jersey Institute of Technology 47
This one was never in question as Vermont, in a brilliant scheduling move to have a push-over team following a cross-country trip to Hawaii, rolled to an easy victory. Marqus Blakely had 15 points and nine rebounds, while Mike Trimboli contributed 10 points. Not much else to say about this one, other than UVM had an easy time of it. Gary Garris led NJIT with 17 points, while Isaiah Wilkerson chipped in 16.
Sunday's games:
Santa Clara vs. New Hampshire, 1:00 p.m.
The Day After: Holy Cross 68, BU 49
Another game, another plethora of questions regarding BU coach Dennis Wolff's postgame comments. According to reporters who attended the press conference (nobody from FCP was there), Wolff said that there are internal issues affecting the team and that the junior and senior leaders' off-court actions are affecting what's happening with the team on the court.
It didn't seem possible for things to get worse after the Terriers' 89-59 loss to Cornell Monday, but their most recent effort against Holy Cross may have been. The Crusaders had never won a game on the road prior to their victory at Agganis Arena and had an RPI in the 300's. BU, however, seemed helpless against Holy Cross' matchup zone and it in the last three games of BU's four-game losing streak -- when opposing coaches really keyed in on stopping BU's 3-point attempts -- the Terriers have done nothing to adjust.
It's unclear as to whether the onus should fall on the coaching staff or players for not being able to react when their long-range shooting game is neutralized. The fact of the matter is that if it's not fixed, the Terriers won't win many conference games.
As for Wolff's comments, it's a shame that it appears the junior and senior classes aren't leading as well as they should be. There's no doubt all of the junior and seniors are of good character and appeared hungry to win/ready to prove doubters wrong and the beginning of the season. But now, at the slightest hint a collapse, the wheels have started to fall off. That would have been allowable when the Terriers were largely comprised of freshman and sophomores (as they were the last two seasons), but as an older team in the league, there's really no excuse for the lack of leadership, which seemed to culminate (in-game, at least) with Corey Lowe picking up his second technical of the game late in the second half and fouling out.
Still, if it weren't for Wolff's post-game comments, there wouldn't be much of a reason to press the panic button. As important as non-conference play is for boosting the team and America East RPI, it doesn't have a vast impact on the season as a whole, or BU's tournament hopes. Sure, it can toy with momentum, but the Terriers proved last season they're able to enter conference play on a dreadful losing streak where all appeared lost and then have an extremely successful conference campaign. The problem comes when the coach says there are "internal issues" hampering the team. In any organization, sports or otherwise, that's never a good thing.
If the Terriers can't overcome whatever issues are corroding practice and game preparation, as well as in-game execution, things won't get any better. Even with BU's two most recent losses (by a total of 49 points), all is not lost on the season. The schedule is 27 games long for a reason and despite the horrendous efforts by the Terriers in their last three games, as Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said at his press conference following a near loss against this very BU team, it's "college basketball, man."
Pros:
-- Jake O'Brien's discipline: O'Brien, for being a freshman, is a very savvy player and was one of the only Terriers on the court who appeared confident in what he was doing on offense and didn't get too far out of rhythm. He was BU's only player to score double digits in points.
-- Jeff Pelage's overall game: Pelage was impressive for the second-straight game as he scored a career-high nine points and grabbed five rebounds. He also looked steady more often than not on the defensive end. If he gets going, he could be a gigantic help to BU and its interior during conference play.
Cons:
-- Defense: As poor as the offense was against Holy Cross, the defense was just as bad. BU allowed 68 points (many of them easy) to one of the worst offensive teams in the nation. For a program that prides itself on defensive intensity, it's been nowhere to be found in BU's last three games.
-- Corey Lowe's performance: Not only the undisciplined technicals, but his entire game was off. He didn't make a 3-pointer for just the fifth time in his career at BU and didn't appear comfortable at any point in the game. Lowe is the undisputed key to BU's offense performing well and the Terriers can't afford many more poor outings from him the rest of the way.
-- John Holland's gameflow: Usually, there's only two pros and cons in this post, but there are bonus cons after the loss to Holy Cross. It was that bad. Holland hasn't appeared himself on offense since his hot start against Notre Dame. He's getting open looks a majority of the time, just not knocking them down. He, too, will need to step up if BU hopes to turn it around.
-- Scott Brittain's situation: Brittain didn't get into the game against Holy Cross and could be in Wolff's doghouse again. He was one of BU's best inside scorers over the last two seasons and has shown talent in the past. Even if O'Brien and Pelage are better options, Brittain should still be getting into games.
Links:
A holy mess
Road victory is first for HC
Crusaders roll over Terriers
It didn't seem possible for things to get worse after the Terriers' 89-59 loss to Cornell Monday, but their most recent effort against Holy Cross may have been. The Crusaders had never won a game on the road prior to their victory at Agganis Arena and had an RPI in the 300's. BU, however, seemed helpless against Holy Cross' matchup zone and it in the last three games of BU's four-game losing streak -- when opposing coaches really keyed in on stopping BU's 3-point attempts -- the Terriers have done nothing to adjust.
It's unclear as to whether the onus should fall on the coaching staff or players for not being able to react when their long-range shooting game is neutralized. The fact of the matter is that if it's not fixed, the Terriers won't win many conference games.
As for Wolff's comments, it's a shame that it appears the junior and senior classes aren't leading as well as they should be. There's no doubt all of the junior and seniors are of good character and appeared hungry to win/ready to prove doubters wrong and the beginning of the season. But now, at the slightest hint a collapse, the wheels have started to fall off. That would have been allowable when the Terriers were largely comprised of freshman and sophomores (as they were the last two seasons), but as an older team in the league, there's really no excuse for the lack of leadership, which seemed to culminate (in-game, at least) with Corey Lowe picking up his second technical of the game late in the second half and fouling out.
Still, if it weren't for Wolff's post-game comments, there wouldn't be much of a reason to press the panic button. As important as non-conference play is for boosting the team and America East RPI, it doesn't have a vast impact on the season as a whole, or BU's tournament hopes. Sure, it can toy with momentum, but the Terriers proved last season they're able to enter conference play on a dreadful losing streak where all appeared lost and then have an extremely successful conference campaign. The problem comes when the coach says there are "internal issues" hampering the team. In any organization, sports or otherwise, that's never a good thing.
If the Terriers can't overcome whatever issues are corroding practice and game preparation, as well as in-game execution, things won't get any better. Even with BU's two most recent losses (by a total of 49 points), all is not lost on the season. The schedule is 27 games long for a reason and despite the horrendous efforts by the Terriers in their last three games, as Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said at his press conference following a near loss against this very BU team, it's "college basketball, man."
Pros:
-- Jake O'Brien's discipline: O'Brien, for being a freshman, is a very savvy player and was one of the only Terriers on the court who appeared confident in what he was doing on offense and didn't get too far out of rhythm. He was BU's only player to score double digits in points.
-- Jeff Pelage's overall game: Pelage was impressive for the second-straight game as he scored a career-high nine points and grabbed five rebounds. He also looked steady more often than not on the defensive end. If he gets going, he could be a gigantic help to BU and its interior during conference play.
Cons:
-- Defense: As poor as the offense was against Holy Cross, the defense was just as bad. BU allowed 68 points (many of them easy) to one of the worst offensive teams in the nation. For a program that prides itself on defensive intensity, it's been nowhere to be found in BU's last three games.
-- Corey Lowe's performance: Not only the undisciplined technicals, but his entire game was off. He didn't make a 3-pointer for just the fifth time in his career at BU and didn't appear comfortable at any point in the game. Lowe is the undisputed key to BU's offense performing well and the Terriers can't afford many more poor outings from him the rest of the way.
-- John Holland's gameflow: Usually, there's only two pros and cons in this post, but there are bonus cons after the loss to Holy Cross. It was that bad. Holland hasn't appeared himself on offense since his hot start against Notre Dame. He's getting open looks a majority of the time, just not knocking them down. He, too, will need to step up if BU hopes to turn it around.
-- Scott Brittain's situation: Brittain didn't get into the game against Holy Cross and could be in Wolff's doghouse again. He was one of BU's best inside scorers over the last two seasons and has shown talent in the past. Even if O'Brien and Pelage are better options, Brittain should still be getting into games.
Links:
A holy mess
Road victory is first for HC
Crusaders roll over Terriers
Friday, January 2, 2009
Around the League: 1.02.09
Friday's games:
None (except Holy Cross-Boston University).
Saturday's games:
Saturday marks the beginning of conference play for six teams in America East. Here are the first inner-conference matchups of the season:
Binghamton (7-4) vs. Maine (5-8), 1:00 p.m.
The other BU, the Bearcats have gone in the opposite direction of the Terriers as the season's progressed, winning their last three games, including a one-point victory over Tulane. Given BU's recent downfall, Binghamton could be considered one of the top three or four teams in America East and have perhaps the easiest opening draw for conference play against the Black Bears, who have lost their last four and eight of their last 10 games.
Albany (8-5) vs. Hartford (4-9), 2:00 p.m.
Much like Binghamton, the Great Dane are relatively hot entering conference play (despite a recent, yet expected loss to Kansas) as they won their last three before that loss. Hartford was dreadful to start the year, but has performed admirably in its last two games against tough teams in Baylor and Stanford, albeit without arguably its best player in Joe Zeglinski, who's sidelined with a sprained ankle.
Stony Brook (7-5) vs. Maryland-Baltimore County (6-6), 7:05 p.m.
Well this game is significantly more intriguing that many probably though it'd be at the start of the season. Stony Brook is easily the biggest surprise in the conference and could give the defending conference champions a run for their money. In UMBC's favor is that fact that the game's at the RAC Center, where the Retrievers went 12-1 last year and are 3-2 this season. Stony Brook has won it's last two and is off to its best start since becoming a Division I team in 1999.
If these three games are any indication, the conference is as balanced as its been in a number of years, and it should make for a very interesting few months prior to the America East tournament.
Also in non-conference action, win-less NJIT visits Vermont (fresh off its trip to Hawaii) at 1:00 p.m.
None (except Holy Cross-Boston University).
Saturday's games:
Saturday marks the beginning of conference play for six teams in America East. Here are the first inner-conference matchups of the season:
Binghamton (7-4) vs. Maine (5-8), 1:00 p.m.
The other BU, the Bearcats have gone in the opposite direction of the Terriers as the season's progressed, winning their last three games, including a one-point victory over Tulane. Given BU's recent downfall, Binghamton could be considered one of the top three or four teams in America East and have perhaps the easiest opening draw for conference play against the Black Bears, who have lost their last four and eight of their last 10 games.
Albany (8-5) vs. Hartford (4-9), 2:00 p.m.
Much like Binghamton, the Great Dane are relatively hot entering conference play (despite a recent, yet expected loss to Kansas) as they won their last three before that loss. Hartford was dreadful to start the year, but has performed admirably in its last two games against tough teams in Baylor and Stanford, albeit without arguably its best player in Joe Zeglinski, who's sidelined with a sprained ankle.
Stony Brook (7-5) vs. Maryland-Baltimore County (6-6), 7:05 p.m.
Well this game is significantly more intriguing that many probably though it'd be at the start of the season. Stony Brook is easily the biggest surprise in the conference and could give the defending conference champions a run for their money. In UMBC's favor is that fact that the game's at the RAC Center, where the Retrievers went 12-1 last year and are 3-2 this season. Stony Brook has won it's last two and is off to its best start since becoming a Division I team in 1999.
If these three games are any indication, the conference is as balanced as its been in a number of years, and it should make for a very interesting few months prior to the America East tournament.
Also in non-conference action, win-less NJIT visits Vermont (fresh off its trip to Hawaii) at 1:00 p.m.
Live Blog: College of the Holy Cross vs. Boston University
Tonight's game between the College of the Holy Cross Crusaders (4-9) and Boston University Terriers (5-6) tips-off at 7:00 p.m. at Agganis Arena.
Here are the projected starting lineups for tonight's game. John Holland has been confirmed as a starter by BU coach Dennis Wolff after Carlos Strong started at Cornell over the sophomore forward.
Also, please welcome a guest blogger for tonight's game, Brian Fadem, who's helping us out courtside for tonight's game as Matt and I are both still home for the holidays.
College of the Holy Cross Crusaders
10 G R.J. Evans
22 G Andrew Beinert
33 F Colin Cunningham
34 F Andrew Keister
45 C Greg McCarthy
Boston University Terriers
02 F Matt Wolff
13 G Corey Lowe
21 F Jake O'Brien
23 F John Holland
24 G Tyler Morris
Final: College of the Holy Cross 68, Boston University 49
Leading scorers:
HC -- Andrew Beinert, 18
BU -- Jake O'Brien, 16
Leading rebounders:
HC -- Andrew Keister, 11
BU -- Jeff Pelage, 5
Leading assists:
HC -- Colin Cunningham, 4
BU -- Matt Wolff, 5
GAMEDAY: College of the Holy Cross vs. Boston University
If you're a fan of good timing, there's probably none better than tonight's opponent for a Boston University team struggling to find itself. After a fairly impressive/encouraging start to the season, the Terriers have hit a low point through 11 games, losing their most recent contest to defending Ivy League champion Cornell in embarrassing fashion (89-59). Following the game, BU coach Dennis Wolff challenged his team to start playing and practicing better or be exposed as a phony squad. A win against Holy Cross in BU's first game of the new year would go a long way to getting the team picked to win America East at the start of the season on the right track.While, historically, the Terriers have had more trouble against the Crusaders than any other team in their history, Holy Cross is experiencing a rough season thus far. The series between the intrastate teams dates back to 1903, with Holy Cross holding a 50-12 advantage, having won the last five meetings -- though BU has lost the previous two games by a total of six points. This year, despite all of BU's troubles, the Crusaders may be floundering even more, especially on the road where they're 0-6. Even more encouraging for BU is that Holy Cross has lost to three team's the Terriers have defeated -- Harvard, Northeastern and Yale.
Statistically, the Crusaders rank 340th in the nation in free-throw percentage (57.3) and 339th in steal percentage (14.2). [Sidenote: In a bit of an oddity, Holy Cross' Devin Brown is third in the nation in free-throw percentage at 94.6 percent]. The Terriers are fairly good at creating turnovers, so that -- coupled with the fact that Holy Cross can't -- means that if BU isn't careless with the ball, they should get more possessions than the Crusaders. That would be a good thing given the historically mediocre shooting performances the team has at Agganis arena. That said, BU's last outing at Agganis produced 80 points on the strength of a career-high 36 by Corey Lowe, so the "Agganis Curse" (as it's come to be known this season) shouldn't be an issue. The atmosphere, however, might as the students are still off and the arena will most likely feel very empty.
One cause for concern is Holy Cross' ability to rebound offensively. Their 40.5 offensive rebounding efficiency ranks 20th in the nation, so if the Crusaders are able to dominate the interior, BU could once again be overwhelmed by a talented group of big men like it was against Cornell. If, however, Jeff Pelage receives significant minutes for the second-straight game, the freshman forward could help immensely in establishing a physical presence in the low post. If the Terriers can hold their own and limit Holy Cross' inside buckets, the Crusaders don't have many shooters on the perimeter as only 27.1 percent of their shots are taken from beyond the arc (compared to 45.9 percent for BU). Holy Cross also has just one player averaging double figures in scoring -- freshman guard R.J. Evans (13.5 points per game) -- as its offensive is one of the worst in the country. The Crusaders have started nine different players through 13 games this year, but still haven't found the right combination.
By no means is this game a must-win in regard to the standings, but in regard to the mentality of the team before entering conference play, it's pretty close. With a difficult test against the University at Albany looming as the first conference battle for BU, turning around the negative aura surrounding the current three-game losing streak prior to that matchup would be extremely beneficial for the Terriers.
It has been confirmed by Wolff that John Holland has earned his starting spot back for tonight's game and will be one of the first five on the floor for BU tonight, pushing Carlos Strong back into his natural role of sixth man.
Projected starting lineups:
Thursday, January 1, 2009
A Century of Tradition: New Year's Edition
While the rest of the country is recovering from New Year's Eve festivities, the college basketball season continues on. There are ten games tonight, including a marquee matchup between 12-1 Villanova and 11-2 Marquette. But we aren't concerned with Big East basketball -- at least, we aren't for this feature. What has BU done on New Year's Day?Like a lot of other notable dates on the calendar, the Terriers rarely play on New Year's Day. In fact, there's only one game in BU's annals corresponding to January 1st. On the first of 1968, the Terriers trekked down to Philadelphia to square off against Penn in the two teams' only meeting to date. BU lost 75-56. If the Terriers have played other games to open the calendar year, they came in seasons where the records are incomplete -- and there are a lot of those. As late as the 1965-66 season, not all of the date information is complete.
As for New Year's Eve, the Terriers have played twice as many games on that day. Yes, that's two games, but still, it's something. BU's results in those games are somewhat better. The more recent result was a five-point loss to Oklahoma in the Rainbow Classic. The other result? The Terriers' only New Year's victory, a 69-63 win at Richmond.
We'll see what the new year brings for Dennis Wolff's team tomorrow when Holy Cross comes to town. Holy Cross and BU have a long shared history on the basketball court, but it's not one which favors BU. The Terriers are 11-52 all-time against the Crusaders; the 41-games under .500 mark is BU's worst against any team.
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