Sunday, January 30, 2005
KNOW WHEN TO HOLD EM KNOW WHEN TO FOLD EM
There are two things that can happen when you start writing and predciting sports, world events, or yahtzee tournaments:
1) You could be right, and then you can brag about how awesome and smart you are
2) You could be wrong, and then you can make excuses
This post is a little bit of the latter. You may have read my pimping of Bucknell as the best team in league history. Now that's a bold statement-- there have been a few very good squads to play in the league. The reasons I said such a thing were pretty basic: they had the best win in league out of conference play (something that isn't up for debate), they have four remarkably good players, a deep bench, and they were on an 11 game win streak. Seems like a good resume to me.
And I still stick to it: before this weekend, BU probably was as good a basketball team as has existed in the PL 5 games in. They were beating opponents by vicious margins, and looked pretty unstoppable to me. But, as the old, annoying cliche goes, that's why they play the games. It appears BU is not unstoppable, but struggling; not vicious, but withering.
Does this mean they won't be the "best team ever" by seasons' end? Not neccessarily. They could rattle off 11 wins en route to the NCAA tournament and show up with a pretty decent record. But that doesn't seem likely anymore, given
THIS WEEK'S HOLY SHIT MOMENT,
Navy's victory over the Bison. After the Bison's loss at AU, I immediately thought of the 2002-2003 season when a very good Holy Cross team got thumped in Bender Arena in their only loss during a 16-1 PL season. I thought the Bison would bounce back like the Crusaders had with a 63-39 win over 5-0 Lehigh. But apparently Pat Flannery's absence is taking a real toll on BU.
Flannery's disappearance alone, however, cannot account for a loss like this. And the story that is going to get overshadowed here is the emergence of the USNA as a legitimate threat in the Patriot League. Navy didn't luck into this win. They have been a much better team than their record shows, and they're starting to play like it, with a home sweep of Colgate and Bucknell. At this point, I'd rank them higher than Colgate, Lafayette, and Army. They're a team of young guys who, as previously noted here, hustle more than any other team in the league. They are a year or two from being serious contenders in the league, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them get a PL tournament victory this year.
And so, at the halfway point in league play, we are left again with what has been a familiar sight in the last few years for anyone that follows the league: Holy Cross in first place. There are still seven more sets of games to play however, and it seems unlikely that the Saders will win thirteen straight. They aren't the HC of 2002, but they've gelled (is that how you spell it?) offensively, and if they can keep winning the close ones they will be in good shape to host some tournament games come March. They make a long trip to Annapolis and DC next week, and with a sweep of those two games, would be hard to overtake as the #1 seed. But that's why they play the games.
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There are two things that can happen when you start writing and predciting sports, world events, or yahtzee tournaments:
1) You could be right, and then you can brag about how awesome and smart you are
2) You could be wrong, and then you can make excuses
This post is a little bit of the latter. You may have read my pimping of Bucknell as the best team in league history. Now that's a bold statement-- there have been a few very good squads to play in the league. The reasons I said such a thing were pretty basic: they had the best win in league out of conference play (something that isn't up for debate), they have four remarkably good players, a deep bench, and they were on an 11 game win streak. Seems like a good resume to me.
And I still stick to it: before this weekend, BU probably was as good a basketball team as has existed in the PL 5 games in. They were beating opponents by vicious margins, and looked pretty unstoppable to me. But, as the old, annoying cliche goes, that's why they play the games. It appears BU is not unstoppable, but struggling; not vicious, but withering.
Does this mean they won't be the "best team ever" by seasons' end? Not neccessarily. They could rattle off 11 wins en route to the NCAA tournament and show up with a pretty decent record. But that doesn't seem likely anymore, given
THIS WEEK'S HOLY SHIT MOMENT,
Navy's victory over the Bison. After the Bison's loss at AU, I immediately thought of the 2002-2003 season when a very good Holy Cross team got thumped in Bender Arena in their only loss during a 16-1 PL season. I thought the Bison would bounce back like the Crusaders had with a 63-39 win over 5-0 Lehigh. But apparently Pat Flannery's absence is taking a real toll on BU.
Flannery's disappearance alone, however, cannot account for a loss like this. And the story that is going to get overshadowed here is the emergence of the USNA as a legitimate threat in the Patriot League. Navy didn't luck into this win. They have been a much better team than their record shows, and they're starting to play like it, with a home sweep of Colgate and Bucknell. At this point, I'd rank them higher than Colgate, Lafayette, and Army. They're a team of young guys who, as previously noted here, hustle more than any other team in the league. They are a year or two from being serious contenders in the league, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them get a PL tournament victory this year.
And so, at the halfway point in league play, we are left again with what has been a familiar sight in the last few years for anyone that follows the league: Holy Cross in first place. There are still seven more sets of games to play however, and it seems unlikely that the Saders will win thirteen straight. They aren't the HC of 2002, but they've gelled (is that how you spell it?) offensively, and if they can keep winning the close ones they will be in good shape to host some tournament games come March. They make a long trip to Annapolis and DC next week, and with a sweep of those two games, would be hard to overtake as the #1 seed. But that's why they play the games.
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QUICK PICKS
Here are some snap predicitons about today's action before I head out to AU/Colgate.
-Lafayette over Army, by at least 10
-HC over Lehigh, with neither team shooting well (Lehigh because they don't shoot well, and HC because Stabler makes everyone shoot bad)
-AU over Colgate, in a close one
-Bucknell runs over Navy @ 1:14 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Here are some snap predicitons about today's action before I head out to AU/Colgate.
-Lafayette over Army, by at least 10
-HC over Lehigh, with neither team shooting well (Lehigh because they don't shoot well, and HC because Stabler makes everyone shoot bad)
-AU over Colgate, in a close one
-Bucknell runs over Navy @ 1:14 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Saturday, January 29, 2005
SHOW US YOUR SAGACITY
Sometimes talent, speed and skill get thrown out the window in college basketball, and the one cardinal rule takes place: Seniors win ballgames. AU has four who play serious minutes: Jason Thomas, Matej Cresnik, Raimondas Petrauskas, and Patrick Okpwae. Bucknell doesn't really have any. The AU seniors took control in the absence of Andre Ingram's jump shot, and got a big win that puts them back into contention for the PL title.
Also absent was Kevin Bettencourt's jump shot. He and Ingram covered each other for most of the evening, and both had open looks that they just plain missed. Otherwise, BU got beaten in every aspect of the game-- on defense, on offense, and in transisiton. Chris McNaughton showed flashes of taking over when he was in one on one play, but those chances were rare.
Of note was Jason Thomas getting crazed throughout the game. Thomas showed up sporting a miniature mohawk, and played with the passion of freaking Geronimo. He ended up talking too much shit after a BU offensive foul, and got into it with BU freshman and Toronto Blue Jays right field prospect John Ford Griffin.
A quick aside about Griffin-- he's going to be good, but he would do well to not wear freaking hair gel while playing basketball. It's the hair equivelant of an earring of those dangling cross earrings Deion Sanders used to wear. OK off the court, not okay on it. Especially as a freshman.
AU was in control for the entire game, with the exception of the last 3 minutes, when Bucknell put on a full court press and surprisingly enough, AU's press break sucked. It's sucked for a while now. Enough on that, since you've read it in every game report I've written in the last year.
Other things of note:
- After the win, Jeff Jones gathered the team on the court and sent them into the crowd to give high fives in the student section, the first time I ever saw such a thing. Usually it's the crowd that rushes the team, not vice versa. A very cool and classy move by JJ.
- The crowd was probably one of the best I've seen at AU, with the student section on its feet and loud for nearly the entire game. That may not sound like a lot, but I'm used to crowds of 600 or so at AU games, so anything resembling enthusiam for the program is welcome. They were also mean spirited, implying certain things about where the "product" that Griffin was using in his hair came from. Nice.
Before the game I said these things would be important:
1) Contain McNaughton. They did this pretty well, utilizing a good zone defense.
2) Limit BU free throw attempts. They didn't do this very well, although it had a lot more to do with the refs than with anything else.
3) Lots of Linas Lekavicius. Again, I was wrong
4) Matej Cresnik 3pt shooting. He did a good job here, freeing up the post for one-on-one play for Petrauskas and Okpwae.
5) Pray. I really meant that they need to hit their jumpers here, which doesn't really have anything to do with strategy. They did that, shooting ~50% if you take out Andre Ingram's terrible 1-13.
Holy Cross is now tied for first, with LU and AU back a game. Looks like we have a race on our hands.
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Sometimes talent, speed and skill get thrown out the window in college basketball, and the one cardinal rule takes place: Seniors win ballgames. AU has four who play serious minutes: Jason Thomas, Matej Cresnik, Raimondas Petrauskas, and Patrick Okpwae. Bucknell doesn't really have any. The AU seniors took control in the absence of Andre Ingram's jump shot, and got a big win that puts them back into contention for the PL title.
Also absent was Kevin Bettencourt's jump shot. He and Ingram covered each other for most of the evening, and both had open looks that they just plain missed. Otherwise, BU got beaten in every aspect of the game-- on defense, on offense, and in transisiton. Chris McNaughton showed flashes of taking over when he was in one on one play, but those chances were rare.
Of note was Jason Thomas getting crazed throughout the game. Thomas showed up sporting a miniature mohawk, and played with the passion of freaking Geronimo. He ended up talking too much shit after a BU offensive foul, and got into it with BU freshman and Toronto Blue Jays right field prospect John Ford Griffin.
A quick aside about Griffin-- he's going to be good, but he would do well to not wear freaking hair gel while playing basketball. It's the hair equivelant of an earring of those dangling cross earrings Deion Sanders used to wear. OK off the court, not okay on it. Especially as a freshman.
AU was in control for the entire game, with the exception of the last 3 minutes, when Bucknell put on a full court press and surprisingly enough, AU's press break sucked. It's sucked for a while now. Enough on that, since you've read it in every game report I've written in the last year.
Other things of note:
- After the win, Jeff Jones gathered the team on the court and sent them into the crowd to give high fives in the student section, the first time I ever saw such a thing. Usually it's the crowd that rushes the team, not vice versa. A very cool and classy move by JJ.
- The crowd was probably one of the best I've seen at AU, with the student section on its feet and loud for nearly the entire game. That may not sound like a lot, but I'm used to crowds of 600 or so at AU games, so anything resembling enthusiam for the program is welcome. They were also mean spirited, implying certain things about where the "product" that Griffin was using in his hair came from. Nice.
Before the game I said these things would be important:
1) Contain McNaughton. They did this pretty well, utilizing a good zone defense.
2) Limit BU free throw attempts. They didn't do this very well, although it had a lot more to do with the refs than with anything else.
3) Lots of Linas Lekavicius. Again, I was wrong
4) Matej Cresnik 3pt shooting. He did a good job here, freeing up the post for one-on-one play for Petrauskas and Okpwae.
5) Pray. I really meant that they need to hit their jumpers here, which doesn't really have anything to do with strategy. They did that, shooting ~50% if you take out Andre Ingram's terrible 1-13.
Holy Cross is now tied for first, with LU and AU back a game. Looks like we have a race on our hands.
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Friday, January 28, 2005
SAG' DEINER MAMA ICH BEZAHLE SIE SPATER
Bucknell makes a trip down to our nation's capital today, where they will find an AU team that is sorely in need of an upset win. This game is as much of a "must win" as one can find in AU's shrot PL history. Dropping to .500 in league play would be a signal that they're ready to take third place and go home.
I've been brushing up on my German (you don't want to know what the above says) in hopes of insulting Chris McNaughton poorly in his native tounge. Saugen mein shwanse, McNaughton! Wer hat gefurzt? McNaughton ought to match up against AU's Raimondas Petrauskas, who is big and likes to pummel people in his spare time. That's right, I'll be watching a Lithuanian battle a German at American tonight. What a cosmopolitan evening! Petrauskas (as well as PG Linas Lekavicius and friendly bench player Arvydas Esomething) should keep in mind the brutal occupation of their homeland by those warmongering German bastards during both world wars. Do it for Vilnius, boys! This concludes the history portion of the blog.
Here's what needs to happen for AU to get a victory tonight:
1) Put some bodies on McNaughton. AU's post guys go four deep, so it doesn't hurt to work them hard and sub them in and out as need be.
2) Don't let BU get to the line. The Bison are a good free throw shooting team, particularly Bettencourt (92%), and Lee (74%).
3) Linas Lekavicius has to play lots of quality minutes, at least 30+. The team is not the same without the Lituanian Devil on the court.
4) Matej Cresnik needs to hit his 3pt shots, freeing up the post.
5) They need to pray.
On the balance, I don't see AU coming away with this one. Bucknell is good, scary good, and right now, at this moment, is probably the best team the league has seen. Whether that will remain true, I don't know.
OTHER ACTION
Holy Cross fans will be rooting for the Eagles today as well, hoping that an AU win and an away victory at Lafayette can put them in a tie for first place. This one isn't a lock by any means, but HC ought to win by a comfortable margin. Let's say HC by eight points.
Colgate is in Annapolis, for the first game of their mid-atlantic trip. They may be confused and disoriented by the lack of snow and icy roads in Maryland's capital city, and I think Navy will break through here and get their first victory. Navy is a great rebounding team, and Colgate is a lousy one. I think that's going to push this game in Navy's favor, as they will get a lot of second chance buckets.
Army travels to Lehigh with a one game winning streak on the line. My prediction: they will not have a two game winning streak.
If you are an AU fan, stop by the Tavern before the game and have a beer with me. I will be there signing autographs and waxing poetic about how terrible the Tavern looks now and how it was better back in my day.
Also, check out Hoop Time today, as Chris has about 2 dozen entries about a lot of interesting stuff, including Kermit Washington finally getting a coaching job.. in the NBDL. @ 10:21 AM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Bucknell makes a trip down to our nation's capital today, where they will find an AU team that is sorely in need of an upset win. This game is as much of a "must win" as one can find in AU's shrot PL history. Dropping to .500 in league play would be a signal that they're ready to take third place and go home.
I've been brushing up on my German (you don't want to know what the above says) in hopes of insulting Chris McNaughton poorly in his native tounge. Saugen mein shwanse, McNaughton! Wer hat gefurzt? McNaughton ought to match up against AU's Raimondas Petrauskas, who is big and likes to pummel people in his spare time. That's right, I'll be watching a Lithuanian battle a German at American tonight. What a cosmopolitan evening! Petrauskas (as well as PG Linas Lekavicius and friendly bench player Arvydas Esomething) should keep in mind the brutal occupation of their homeland by those warmongering German bastards during both world wars. Do it for Vilnius, boys! This concludes the history portion of the blog.
Here's what needs to happen for AU to get a victory tonight:
1) Put some bodies on McNaughton. AU's post guys go four deep, so it doesn't hurt to work them hard and sub them in and out as need be.
2) Don't let BU get to the line. The Bison are a good free throw shooting team, particularly Bettencourt (92%), and Lee (74%).
3) Linas Lekavicius has to play lots of quality minutes, at least 30+. The team is not the same without the Lituanian Devil on the court.
4) Matej Cresnik needs to hit his 3pt shots, freeing up the post.
5) They need to pray.
On the balance, I don't see AU coming away with this one. Bucknell is good, scary good, and right now, at this moment, is probably the best team the league has seen. Whether that will remain true, I don't know.
OTHER ACTION
Holy Cross fans will be rooting for the Eagles today as well, hoping that an AU win and an away victory at Lafayette can put them in a tie for first place. This one isn't a lock by any means, but HC ought to win by a comfortable margin. Let's say HC by eight points.
Colgate is in Annapolis, for the first game of their mid-atlantic trip. They may be confused and disoriented by the lack of snow and icy roads in Maryland's capital city, and I think Navy will break through here and get their first victory. Navy is a great rebounding team, and Colgate is a lousy one. I think that's going to push this game in Navy's favor, as they will get a lot of second chance buckets.
Army travels to Lehigh with a one game winning streak on the line. My prediction: they will not have a two game winning streak.
If you are an AU fan, stop by the Tavern before the game and have a beer with me. I will be there signing autographs and waxing poetic about how terrible the Tavern looks now and how it was better back in my day.
Also, check out Hoop Time today, as Chris has about 2 dozen entries about a lot of interesting stuff, including Kermit Washington finally getting a coaching job.. in the NBDL. @ 10:21 AM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Thursday, January 27, 2005
LITHUANIANS LIKE LINUS
I missed this article about the Mizzou-AU Lithuanian connection
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I missed this article about the Mizzou-AU Lithuanian connection
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Wednesday, January 26, 2005
JORDAN NICHOLS SPEAKS OUT
If, for some reason, you'd like to watch a video of AU recruit Jordan Nichols and a couple of his classmates looking uncomfortable on National Signing Day, you can check it out here. Oh, to be 18 and akward again! To Nichols' credit, he comes out as the well spoken gentleman of the bunch. @ 11:53 AM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
If, for some reason, you'd like to watch a video of AU recruit Jordan Nichols and a couple of his classmates looking uncomfortable on National Signing Day, you can check it out here. Oh, to be 18 and akward again! To Nichols' credit, he comes out as the well spoken gentleman of the bunch. @ 11:53 AM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
WELL THAT SUCKED
AU got thumped by Holy Cross in the Hart Center after their two day delay there. There's not much to say about the game, other than that it got ugly early and stayed that way. It's still early, and a loss at Holy Cross on the road is not as bad as a loss to Lehigh at home for the Eagles. Nonetheless, this will be a rough one to get over. @ 11:53 AM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
AU got thumped by Holy Cross in the Hart Center after their two day delay there. There's not much to say about the game, other than that it got ugly early and stayed that way. It's still early, and a loss at Holy Cross on the road is not as bad as a loss to Lehigh at home for the Eagles. Nonetheless, this will be a rough one to get over. @ 11:53 AM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Monday, January 24, 2005
THE CREWS CREW CELEBRATES
Forget everything else that happened this weekend. The big story is that Jim Crews and company vanquished the Midshipmen, earning their very first (and maybe very last) DI win. Congratulations to them. You may recall that your faithful PL blogger's parents were classmates of Coach Crews back in their college days, so I really am happy for the guy.
KNIGHT NERVOUS?
Lehigh had a tough weekend, dropping two contests in a row and ending up in third place. Not to point fingers or anything, but both losses were totally Joe Knight's fault. Let's check out his line for the two games:
Friday vs Colgate
31 Minutes, 1-12 FG, 1-7 3PT, 4 RB, 5 A, 3 TO, 4 Fouls
Sunday vs Bucknell
32 Minutes, 1-11 FG, 0-5 3PT, 5 RB, 7 A, 2 TO, 4 Fouls
That's a combined 2-23 shooting. 8%. Yikes. At least he distributed the ball well, but when you're shooting so badly, what else is there to do? Knight will probably come around, but that's a tough weekend to get over.
MATT B'S TRAVEL TIPS or INSIDE THE BELTWAY ELITISM
So, this was the first time in three years that I haven't made it up to the AU/Holy Cross game in Worcester (a city I can never spell properly), and thank God I didn't. Let's be honest: no one on the AU basketball team is thrilled to be stuck in a city that is essentially the worst parts of New Jersey crammed together. Let's go over a comparison of Worchester and Washington, DC.
DC: The National Mall
Worcester: Kelley Square Flea Market
DC: The Kennedy Center
Worcester: The Lucky Dog Music Hall
DC: The Watergate
Worcester: Courtyard By Marriott
DC: Crack Addicts as Mayor
Worcester: Good old fashioned, non-mayoral crack addicts
I think you see where I'm going here. I would not have been happy to be stuck in Massachusetts the last two days, and I'm guessing the AU folks weren't either.
This Message Brought to You By the Washington, DC Tourism Bureau: Attracting Tourists by Slandering Other Cities
While I'm being a jerk, can someone please explain what the hell a Colgate/Lehigh game was doing being video broadcast over the internet? I actually tuned in, and it was very cool to be able to watch, but definitely a surreal moment, considering I probably doubled the audience watching the game, both live and online.
I'll be listening to the AU/HC game today at 3 here at work. If there's anything notable to say during the game, I'll probably throw a post up. @ 11:41 AM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Forget everything else that happened this weekend. The big story is that Jim Crews and company vanquished the Midshipmen, earning their very first (and maybe very last) DI win. Congratulations to them. You may recall that your faithful PL blogger's parents were classmates of Coach Crews back in their college days, so I really am happy for the guy.
KNIGHT NERVOUS?
Lehigh had a tough weekend, dropping two contests in a row and ending up in third place. Not to point fingers or anything, but both losses were totally Joe Knight's fault. Let's check out his line for the two games:
Friday vs Colgate
31 Minutes, 1-12 FG, 1-7 3PT, 4 RB, 5 A, 3 TO, 4 Fouls
Sunday vs Bucknell
32 Minutes, 1-11 FG, 0-5 3PT, 5 RB, 7 A, 2 TO, 4 Fouls
That's a combined 2-23 shooting. 8%. Yikes. At least he distributed the ball well, but when you're shooting so badly, what else is there to do? Knight will probably come around, but that's a tough weekend to get over.
MATT B'S TRAVEL TIPS or INSIDE THE BELTWAY ELITISM
So, this was the first time in three years that I haven't made it up to the AU/Holy Cross game in Worcester (a city I can never spell properly), and thank God I didn't. Let's be honest: no one on the AU basketball team is thrilled to be stuck in a city that is essentially the worst parts of New Jersey crammed together. Let's go over a comparison of Worchester and Washington, DC.
DC: The National Mall
Worcester: Kelley Square Flea Market
DC: The Kennedy Center
Worcester: The Lucky Dog Music Hall
DC: The Watergate
Worcester: Courtyard By Marriott
DC: Crack Addicts as Mayor
Worcester: Good old fashioned, non-mayoral crack addicts
I think you see where I'm going here. I would not have been happy to be stuck in Massachusetts the last two days, and I'm guessing the AU folks weren't either.
This Message Brought to You By the Washington, DC Tourism Bureau: Attracting Tourists by Slandering Other Cities
While I'm being a jerk, can someone please explain what the hell a Colgate/Lehigh game was doing being video broadcast over the internet? I actually tuned in, and it was very cool to be able to watch, but definitely a surreal moment, considering I probably doubled the audience watching the game, both live and online.
I'll be listening to the AU/HC game today at 3 here at work. If there's anything notable to say during the game, I'll probably throw a post up. @ 11:41 AM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Friday, January 21, 2005
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME LOW-MAJOR BASKETBALL
Is any self respecting sports fan going to be concerned about the Patriot League this weekend? The NFL playoffs are on for god's sake!
Okay, I'll actually care. And you can be sure Chris at HoopTime will care, or at least pretend to, since that's his job. But I feel bad for anyone who has to be at the games on Sunday instead of watching Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb be awesome. Sorry Chris.
Here's a preview of tonight's contests, with Sunday's preview coming tomorrow. Check it out while you're indoors hiding from the oncoming Alberta Clipper.
AU/ARMY
Here is your preview for every game that Army plays in for the rest of the season: I predict Army will lose.
LEHIGH/COLGATE
Lehigh hasn't beaten CU in snowy Hamilton in something like 400 years. I can understand it: when you have to go out to the North Pole to play a game, it can mess with your shooting touch. At the same time, playing in front of middle school JV squad type crowds has to be a bit disheartening as well. Yes, I am arguing that their lack of a home court advantage is an advantage. I am in charge here, I can make crap up if I want. I'm going to go with history and take CU in an upset here.
Navy/HC
The tempo is going to be everything in this one. If Navy scores less than 60, then HC wins, if they score more than 60, it's going to be a close one. HC has proven that they can run with teams at times, but I'm sure Ralph Willard will be happier with a half-court game. HC fans should watch for Biles and Fannin on the Navy team, both of whom are going to be (already are?) legit post players in the PL. If David Hooper gets hot from outside, Navy will win this one. I don't think HC will let him, and they should win by 7 or 8.
Lafayette/Bucknell
Bucknell is not going to lose at home to Lafayette. That said, Lafayette has a lot of big guys to throw out there, and Fran O'Hanlon is not afraid to play a deep bench. So this should at least be interesting, if not remarkable competitive. BU fans will want to remind sharpshooting Sean Knitter of LC that he is not, in fact, a basketball player, as basketball players typically can play offense AND defense. Watch and see if O'Hanlon subs him out on defense during the last 5 minutes as he did during the AU game.
That's it! There is a much more exciting tilt on tap for Sunday, but in the meantime I am going to try to get home before the storm hits. Stay warm. @ 5:15 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Is any self respecting sports fan going to be concerned about the Patriot League this weekend? The NFL playoffs are on for god's sake!
Okay, I'll actually care. And you can be sure Chris at HoopTime will care, or at least pretend to, since that's his job. But I feel bad for anyone who has to be at the games on Sunday instead of watching Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb be awesome. Sorry Chris.
Here's a preview of tonight's contests, with Sunday's preview coming tomorrow. Check it out while you're indoors hiding from the oncoming Alberta Clipper.
AU/ARMY
Here is your preview for every game that Army plays in for the rest of the season: I predict Army will lose.
LEHIGH/COLGATE
Lehigh hasn't beaten CU in snowy Hamilton in something like 400 years. I can understand it: when you have to go out to the North Pole to play a game, it can mess with your shooting touch. At the same time, playing in front of middle school JV squad type crowds has to be a bit disheartening as well. Yes, I am arguing that their lack of a home court advantage is an advantage. I am in charge here, I can make crap up if I want. I'm going to go with history and take CU in an upset here.
Navy/HC
The tempo is going to be everything in this one. If Navy scores less than 60, then HC wins, if they score more than 60, it's going to be a close one. HC has proven that they can run with teams at times, but I'm sure Ralph Willard will be happier with a half-court game. HC fans should watch for Biles and Fannin on the Navy team, both of whom are going to be (already are?) legit post players in the PL. If David Hooper gets hot from outside, Navy will win this one. I don't think HC will let him, and they should win by 7 or 8.
Lafayette/Bucknell
Bucknell is not going to lose at home to Lafayette. That said, Lafayette has a lot of big guys to throw out there, and Fran O'Hanlon is not afraid to play a deep bench. So this should at least be interesting, if not remarkable competitive. BU fans will want to remind sharpshooting Sean Knitter of LC that he is not, in fact, a basketball player, as basketball players typically can play offense AND defense. Watch and see if O'Hanlon subs him out on defense during the last 5 minutes as he did during the AU game.
That's it! There is a much more exciting tilt on tap for Sunday, but in the meantime I am going to try to get home before the storm hits. Stay warm. @ 5:15 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
CARR CRAZINESS
More Garrison Carr.
I am already excited about the possibilities of this kid, Lekavicius, and Ingram on the court in 06-07. I'm a forward thinking kind of guy. @ 3:04 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
More Garrison Carr.
I am already excited about the possibilities of this kid, Lekavicius, and Ingram on the court in 06-07. I'm a forward thinking kind of guy. @ 3:04 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
GARRISON GROOVY
Here's an article on AU's PG recruit, the size challenged Garrison Carr. @ 3:00 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Here's an article on AU's PG recruit, the size challenged Garrison Carr. @ 3:00 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Sunday, January 16, 2005
WHO AM I AND WHY AM I HERE: PONDERING EXISTENCE AND BASKETBALL IDENTITY
The four games this Saturday were an extension of the Patriot League season as a whole this year; a continual effort for teams to find their identity.
Is AU a three point shooting, tough defense squad? Or are they a team that can play off the dribble, with four legitimate big men off the bench to provide rebounding? Linas Lekavicius' development will decide that.
Is Holy Cross a guard centered, or post centered offense this year? Their offense (and defense for that matter) has always rotated around the 4 and 5 players, but they don't neccessarily have those parts this year.
Who is the leader of Lehigh? Is Joe Knight the new Austen Rowland? He seems up some nights (see 25 pts against Navy Saturday) and down others. Can Jose Olivero fill that gap?
And for the love of God, what in the hell is going on over at Army?
I don't have any answers to those questions, but it's going to be fun to see how they play out.
WEAK WEEKEND
All the games on Saturday turned out as expected: with the top four teams (AU HC BU and LU) beating the other four teams. But the games were actually made interesting. Bucknell only led by two at the half, as Army's defense actually decided to play. AU, HC, and LU all needed heroics in the last minutes to win their contests.
The most dramatic game was AU/Lafayette, where Andre Ingram hit an off-balance jumper with .4 seconds to go to win the game. This game never should have gotten to that point, with AU's previously discussed crappy press break (see below) causing serious problems in the last minute. Linas Lekavicius played a great game, but again, he's a liability in the last few minutes with his poor free throws. Otherwise, he was magnificent, making me think that my optimism about his abilities weren't completely out of line.
Other notes from AU/LC:
- Sean Knitter was subbed out on defense every time the clock stopped in the last five minutes. The guy runs like a girl, and has the speed of a crippled skunk. He is a great spot shooter, but not a ballplayer. That's why he's coming off the bench, rather than starting.
- George Mirsean (sp?) of My Giant fame (man Billy Crystal made some shitty movies) was in attendance, impressive because I'm pretty sure he was in his regular seat at the Wizards game later that night. George is a true hoops fan.
- According to some, a Lafayette player flipped the AU crowd the bird at some point.
- They probably deserved it, as the AU crowd is the meanest group of fans outside of Veterans Stadium. At one point I think they were chanting "you are ugly" at some guy.
- There was a good crowd in attendance at the game, and they gave out pizza and tshirts to the student sections. The tshirts are by far the best free swag I've gotten from AU, as previous shirts were pretty lame ("I Helped Phil Bender" being the worst").
That's all for today. Happy MLK day. @ 8:32 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
The four games this Saturday were an extension of the Patriot League season as a whole this year; a continual effort for teams to find their identity.
Is AU a three point shooting, tough defense squad? Or are they a team that can play off the dribble, with four legitimate big men off the bench to provide rebounding? Linas Lekavicius' development will decide that.
Is Holy Cross a guard centered, or post centered offense this year? Their offense (and defense for that matter) has always rotated around the 4 and 5 players, but they don't neccessarily have those parts this year.
Who is the leader of Lehigh? Is Joe Knight the new Austen Rowland? He seems up some nights (see 25 pts against Navy Saturday) and down others. Can Jose Olivero fill that gap?
And for the love of God, what in the hell is going on over at Army?
I don't have any answers to those questions, but it's going to be fun to see how they play out.
WEAK WEEKEND
All the games on Saturday turned out as expected: with the top four teams (AU HC BU and LU) beating the other four teams. But the games were actually made interesting. Bucknell only led by two at the half, as Army's defense actually decided to play. AU, HC, and LU all needed heroics in the last minutes to win their contests.
The most dramatic game was AU/Lafayette, where Andre Ingram hit an off-balance jumper with .4 seconds to go to win the game. This game never should have gotten to that point, with AU's previously discussed crappy press break (see below) causing serious problems in the last minute. Linas Lekavicius played a great game, but again, he's a liability in the last few minutes with his poor free throws. Otherwise, he was magnificent, making me think that my optimism about his abilities weren't completely out of line.
Other notes from AU/LC:
- Sean Knitter was subbed out on defense every time the clock stopped in the last five minutes. The guy runs like a girl, and has the speed of a crippled skunk. He is a great spot shooter, but not a ballplayer. That's why he's coming off the bench, rather than starting.
- George Mirsean (sp?) of My Giant fame (man Billy Crystal made some shitty movies) was in attendance, impressive because I'm pretty sure he was in his regular seat at the Wizards game later that night. George is a true hoops fan.
- According to some, a Lafayette player flipped the AU crowd the bird at some point.
- They probably deserved it, as the AU crowd is the meanest group of fans outside of Veterans Stadium. At one point I think they were chanting "you are ugly" at some guy.
- There was a good crowd in attendance at the game, and they gave out pizza and tshirts to the student sections. The tshirts are by far the best free swag I've gotten from AU, as previous shirts were pretty lame ("I Helped Phil Bender" being the worst").
That's all for today. Happy MLK day. @ 8:32 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Friday, January 14, 2005
MORE UNINTERESTING GAMES
Sheesh. There are four games this weekend and all four should be relatively straightforward.
-AU should dominate tempo against Lafayette, and shoot decent in their own gym.
-Holy Cross' D will clamp down on Colgate
-Bucknell will be another Army loss
-And Lehigh... will beat Navy?
I'm not sure about that last one. Navy looked real good on Wednesday when I saw them. Their guys hustle more than any other team I'm seen this year. Coach Billy Lange is a freaking madman, clapping his hands and yelling at his team to clap their hands. At one point I thought he was going to attack an assistant coach. The last few years I saw AU play Navy, there seemed to be little energy from their end of the bench. They'd play hard, sure, but they wouldn't play quick. These guys are not afraid to shoot, and one of these nights they're going to get hot and beat a top tier PL team.
There's not a lot to say about the Navy game, other than that AU's press break sucks. Someone has mentioned that on the message board before, but it's so true. The lack of a decent press break is what killed them in the UMD and Mizzou games, and it almost came back to bite them in this contest.
More after tomorrow's games...
@ 9:11 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Sheesh. There are four games this weekend and all four should be relatively straightforward.
-AU should dominate tempo against Lafayette, and shoot decent in their own gym.
-Holy Cross' D will clamp down on Colgate
-Bucknell will be another Army loss
-And Lehigh... will beat Navy?
I'm not sure about that last one. Navy looked real good on Wednesday when I saw them. Their guys hustle more than any other team I'm seen this year. Coach Billy Lange is a freaking madman, clapping his hands and yelling at his team to clap their hands. At one point I thought he was going to attack an assistant coach. The last few years I saw AU play Navy, there seemed to be little energy from their end of the bench. They'd play hard, sure, but they wouldn't play quick. These guys are not afraid to shoot, and one of these nights they're going to get hot and beat a top tier PL team.
There's not a lot to say about the Navy game, other than that AU's press break sucks. Someone has mentioned that on the message board before, but it's so true. The lack of a decent press break is what killed them in the UMD and Mizzou games, and it almost came back to bite them in this contest.
More after tomorrow's games...
@ 9:11 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
WAGERIN' WEDNESDAY
This Wednesday's matchups are pretty lousy. My guess is if you look back at this week at hte end of the season you'll see the top four teams (BU, HC, AU, LU) playing the bottom four (everyone else).
But there's always a way to spice things up, and it's called betting. Whether it's poker or ping pong, there's nothing to make sport interesting like cash. So in that spirit, I've set up a few lines for you to bet on with your friends (if you are really bored and willing to make bets on silly things set up by some doofus on the internet).
Dominant league force Bucknell leave all the NY Times and Washington Post hype behind and head to chilly Hamilton, NY. The forecast calls for rain and freezing rain! Super! BU is probably already there, enjoying the 11 degree wind chill. Your wager on this one: What will be the higher number: the combined score of this game, or the official attendance? It's a wash at this point. Look for BU to run all over Colgate, winning by at least 10.
Holy Cross also makes a trip to NY, visiting Army. Since I'm going with an over/under theme in this post, here's something to make this one interesting: Will Lafayette score more points than HC and Army combined in this one? Again, a wash. Holy Cross should win this, with a score of something like 34-20.
Your faithful PL blogger will make the annual trip to Annapolis to see AU take on Navy. You'll remember that last year, Andres Rodriguez had 19 assists against the hapless Midshipmen. Navy will try to run AU out of this one, and it should be closer than last year. AU has not lost to the USNA since 1991, however, and I don't see it changing here. The wager on this one: will the number of beers I drink before the game at one of the fine taverns in lovely Annapolis be more or less than the minutes AU bench hero and ESPN highlight machine Sekou Lewis gets in the game? I'll be sure to report back to you on that.
Finally, Lafayette and Lehigh will renew their rivalry in crappy Stabler Arena. They had the game of the year last year, with a 111-104 Lafayette OT victory. This is the one interesting game of the day, since both teams hate each other and seem to always put on a good contest. After seeing the half assed shooting of Lehigh at AU, I'm inclined to give LC the advantage in this one. Your bet on this one: How many games in a row will Lehigh have to win in this series before LC implements scholarships?
Enjoy the contests tonight. @ 11:33 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
This Wednesday's matchups are pretty lousy. My guess is if you look back at this week at hte end of the season you'll see the top four teams (BU, HC, AU, LU) playing the bottom four (everyone else).
But there's always a way to spice things up, and it's called betting. Whether it's poker or ping pong, there's nothing to make sport interesting like cash. So in that spirit, I've set up a few lines for you to bet on with your friends (if you are really bored and willing to make bets on silly things set up by some doofus on the internet).
Dominant league force Bucknell leave all the NY Times and Washington Post hype behind and head to chilly Hamilton, NY. The forecast calls for rain and freezing rain! Super! BU is probably already there, enjoying the 11 degree wind chill. Your wager on this one: What will be the higher number: the combined score of this game, or the official attendance? It's a wash at this point. Look for BU to run all over Colgate, winning by at least 10.
Holy Cross also makes a trip to NY, visiting Army. Since I'm going with an over/under theme in this post, here's something to make this one interesting: Will Lafayette score more points than HC and Army combined in this one? Again, a wash. Holy Cross should win this, with a score of something like 34-20.
Your faithful PL blogger will make the annual trip to Annapolis to see AU take on Navy. You'll remember that last year, Andres Rodriguez had 19 assists against the hapless Midshipmen. Navy will try to run AU out of this one, and it should be closer than last year. AU has not lost to the USNA since 1991, however, and I don't see it changing here. The wager on this one: will the number of beers I drink before the game at one of the fine taverns in lovely Annapolis be more or less than the minutes AU bench hero and ESPN highlight machine Sekou Lewis gets in the game? I'll be sure to report back to you on that.
Finally, Lafayette and Lehigh will renew their rivalry in crappy Stabler Arena. They had the game of the year last year, with a 111-104 Lafayette OT victory. This is the one interesting game of the day, since both teams hate each other and seem to always put on a good contest. After seeing the half assed shooting of Lehigh at AU, I'm inclined to give LC the advantage in this one. Your bet on this one: How many games in a row will Lehigh have to win in this series before LC implements scholarships?
Enjoy the contests tonight. @ 11:33 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
BUCKNELL BADASS
According to
Joe Lunardi, Bucknell would get a 13 seed if the season ended today. That's probably going to come down, since they're likely to lose a game or two before the season is over. If they did get the 13 seed, I believe it would be the highest a PL team has gotten (Holy Cross was a 14, right?). Someone will correct me if I'm wrong on that though. @ 12:19 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
According to
Joe Lunardi, Bucknell would get a 13 seed if the season ended today. That's probably going to come down, since they're likely to lose a game or two before the season is over. If they did get the 13 seed, I believe it would be the highest a PL team has gotten (Holy Cross was a 14, right?). Someone will correct me if I'm wrong on that though. @ 12:19 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Saturday, January 08, 2005
BUCKNELL RUMBLES, AU STUMBLES
The AU game today was maybe the ugliest I have seen in my years as a basketball fan. The stats say it all:
Take it from me, neither team deserved this game. Even the refs sucked. It's better that we jar this one up and pretend it never happened. There was a high school basketball team at the game, and I sincerely hope that they didn't soak too much of this game up. A friend said "I think I may be a worse basketball player having watched that game." Any other team in the league would have beaten these two teams had they switched places today.
Ecch. Enough of that. Let's talk about how smart I am. (We'll get to my good looks in another post)
As I predicted, Bucknell ran over Holy Cross in Lewisburg, in front of the biggest Bison crowd of all time, 3897. From all accounts, it was a poor performance by the Crusaders, shooting 28% in the game and committing 24 fouls. Maybe they thought they were playing in Washington, DC.
What do these two games mean for the rest of the season? Well, not much, really. Bucknell has a head start on everyone else, but there is still a lot of basketball to play. HC, AU, and LU all seemed rusty today, and I'm not sure this performance in indicative of much, other than reinforcing how damn good Bucknell is.
NAVY NEUTERED, ARMY AMPUTATED
Navy got a nice performance from a couple of freshmen, Greg Sprink and Corey Johnson, but couldn't keep up with Lafayette in a 90-80 shootout. Both teams like to play uptempo, so there were no real surprises here.
Army was a layup away from getting their first DI win of the year, but couldn't pull it together. The notable stat in this game: Colgate's reported attendance was 150. Not exactly motivation to play at one's best. @ 7:20 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
The AU game today was maybe the ugliest I have seen in my years as a basketball fan. The stats say it all:
- Lehigh shot 38% from the field
- AU shot 34%
- Lehigh shot 8-17 at the free throw line, 47%
- The teams had a combined 34 turnovers
- There were 35 combined fouls.
- Joe Knight, Jose Olivero, Jason Thomas, and Andre Ingram, the four highest scorers on each team, had a total of four points, all from Ingram.
Take it from me, neither team deserved this game. Even the refs sucked. It's better that we jar this one up and pretend it never happened. There was a high school basketball team at the game, and I sincerely hope that they didn't soak too much of this game up. A friend said "I think I may be a worse basketball player having watched that game." Any other team in the league would have beaten these two teams had they switched places today.
Ecch. Enough of that. Let's talk about how smart I am. (We'll get to my good looks in another post)
As I predicted, Bucknell ran over Holy Cross in Lewisburg, in front of the biggest Bison crowd of all time, 3897. From all accounts, it was a poor performance by the Crusaders, shooting 28% in the game and committing 24 fouls. Maybe they thought they were playing in Washington, DC.
What do these two games mean for the rest of the season? Well, not much, really. Bucknell has a head start on everyone else, but there is still a lot of basketball to play. HC, AU, and LU all seemed rusty today, and I'm not sure this performance in indicative of much, other than reinforcing how damn good Bucknell is.
NAVY NEUTERED, ARMY AMPUTATED
Navy got a nice performance from a couple of freshmen, Greg Sprink and Corey Johnson, but couldn't keep up with Lafayette in a 90-80 shootout. Both teams like to play uptempo, so there were no real surprises here.
Army was a layup away from getting their first DI win of the year, but couldn't pull it together. The notable stat in this game: Colgate's reported attendance was 150. Not exactly motivation to play at one's best. @ 7:20 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
LITHUANIANS LOVE COOL JEFF JONES (LLCOOLJJ)
AU picked up 6'11" transfer
Paulius Joneliunas from South Carolina. Joneliunas is either 240 lbs or 260, depending on where you look. Regardless, he will get some serious PT next year with the departure of Cresnik, Okpwae and Petrauskas. He will also be the biggest player on the court for the Eagles.
Joneliunas speaks four different languages, a particularly useful skill on an AU team typically stocked with friendly foriegners.
Here's a couple links if you're interested in learning more:
USC Player Profile
An Old Article about his college choices @ 12:27 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
AU picked up 6'11" transfer
Paulius Joneliunas from South Carolina. Joneliunas is either 240 lbs or 260, depending on where you look. Regardless, he will get some serious PT next year with the departure of Cresnik, Okpwae and Petrauskas. He will also be the biggest player on the court for the Eagles.
Joneliunas speaks four different languages, a particularly useful skill on an AU team typically stocked with friendly foriegners.
Here's a couple links if you're interested in learning more:
USC Player Profile
An Old Article about his college choices @ 12:27 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Friday, January 07, 2005
ALL CONFERENCE OUT OF CONFERENCE TEAM
Here's your second annual Patriot League Blog All Patriot Out of Conference Squad:
POOOCHY (Player of Out Of Conference of the Half Year): Andre Ingram, AU - Not much to say here, he averaged 17 and 5, the most impressive numbers thus far. Bettencourt and Lee are somewhat penalized for sharing the points between them so much. Ingram gets the award partially based on his tremendous 38 point performance at VCU. AU is now actually considering moving all their home games to Richmond.
ALL PL OOC:
Andre Ingram, AU
Kevin Hamilton, HC
Kevin Bettencourt, BU
Chris McNaughton, BU
Matt Bell, Army
Reciepiants of this prestigious honor should keep an eye on their mailbox for their award, an invisible trophy. Congratulations! @ 3:43 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Here's your second annual Patriot League Blog All Patriot Out of Conference Squad:
POOOCHY (Player of Out Of Conference of the Half Year): Andre Ingram, AU - Not much to say here, he averaged 17 and 5, the most impressive numbers thus far. Bettencourt and Lee are somewhat penalized for sharing the points between them so much. Ingram gets the award partially based on his tremendous 38 point performance at VCU. AU is now actually considering moving all their home games to Richmond.
ALL PL OOC:
Andre Ingram, AU
Kevin Hamilton, HC
Kevin Bettencourt, BU
Chris McNaughton, BU
Matt Bell, Army
Reciepiants of this prestigious honor should keep an eye on their mailbox for their award, an invisible trophy. Congratulations! @ 3:43 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
GET YOUR UNION OLIMPIJA JERSEYS HERE
League plays starts tomorrow, with two particularly intriguing matchups, and two particularly boring ones. But that's the way it's going to be for all but two gamedays, when Army and Navy play each other.
The game I'll be at is Lehigh at AU (shocking, I know). But before I get into what is going to happen, let's take a look at what happened between these two squads last year.
Lehigh beat AU three times last year, with a thriller at AU, a blowout on Mountain Hawk Hill, and a game that was decided by a friendly bounce off Jason Thomas' foot in the PL final. The two standouts from all three contests were Senior point guards Andres Rodriguez and Austen Rowland.
Rowland, you may remember, is not my favorite player of all time. I think the words "punk" were used at one point. But my personal prejudices aside, Rowland is doing well for himself in Deutschland, averaging 19 PPG for FC Kaiserslautern.
Rodriguez is playing a little further east for a Slovenian team (I wonder if he is staying with Matej Cresnik's family?). Andres led his team to the "Slovenian Supercup", which we can only imagine is similar to a superbowl ring, except for basketball, and in a country that prefers soccer. Okay, that's downplaying it a bit. There is actually considerable interest in the team, and they participate in the Euroleague with teams like Real Madrid. You can follow Andres' Excellent European adventure at the Union Olimpija web site. The team seems to be struggling thus far. If you feel like gambling on something none of us really know anything about, then you can also bet on Rodriguez's squad. There's also a place on the Euroleague website where you can play fantasy basketball with a bunch of players you never heard of. Best of luck.
Onto the current stuff.
Lehigh-AU
Like I said earlier in the week, Lehigh has been disappointing so far, losing games it ought to win. While Jose Olivero is continuing to get better, both he and Joe Knight have terrible shooting percentages. Olivero is hitting 32% of his shots and Knight is getting 37%. Jason Mbegroff is doing well offensively, but is averaging only 3.2 rebounds in only 20 minutes of action per game. I'm curious why they would limit his minutes so much. It probably has something to do with his 3.5 or so fouls per game.
AU has lost three of four, two of which they should have lost, and one of which was the embarassment against LaSalle. The key for them in this game is to limit the perimeter play of LU. If it's a close game, then they might want to pull Linas Lekavicius at the end, since his <50% free throw percentage doesn't inspire confidence. I think AU will take this one, looking for revenge from last year.
HC-Bucknell
Chris at Hoop Time seems to think this is going to be a very close game, as do the stats (which he shows). And who am I to argue with Chris or mathematics?
But I'm going to anyway. Chris points out that the season series last year was remarkably close, but I'm not sure that means much this season. In my opinion, BU is leaps and bounds above where they were last year, with three legitimate scorers, a deeper bench, and a hulked up Chris McNaughton.
I'm not sure HC is any better than they were last year. They have a little better perimeter game with the development of Keith Hamilton and Keith Simmons (why isn't Simmons starting?), but I'm not sure that offsets the loss of Jave Meade. And their frontcourt is no better than it was last year either, with Lufkin continuing to get into foul trouble and averaging only 25 minutes a game.
I'm sure the HC fans will get pissed, but I really don't see them winning this game, especially at BU. The Bison have too many weapons. I'm going to put out a trademark "prediction I may come to regret" and say that BU wins this one by at least 10.
ACADEMY APATHY
The bottom four teams in the league play each other Saturday as well. Army is at Colgate and Navy travels to Lafayette. Navy might give LC a scare, but neither game should be won by the academies. Not much else to say there.
The All OOC team is coming up later. Stay tuned. @ 9:40 AM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
League plays starts tomorrow, with two particularly intriguing matchups, and two particularly boring ones. But that's the way it's going to be for all but two gamedays, when Army and Navy play each other.
The game I'll be at is Lehigh at AU (shocking, I know). But before I get into what is going to happen, let's take a look at what happened between these two squads last year.
Lehigh beat AU three times last year, with a thriller at AU, a blowout on Mountain Hawk Hill, and a game that was decided by a friendly bounce off Jason Thomas' foot in the PL final. The two standouts from all three contests were Senior point guards Andres Rodriguez and Austen Rowland.
Rowland, you may remember, is not my favorite player of all time. I think the words "punk" were used at one point. But my personal prejudices aside, Rowland is doing well for himself in Deutschland, averaging 19 PPG for FC Kaiserslautern.
Rodriguez is playing a little further east for a Slovenian team (I wonder if he is staying with Matej Cresnik's family?). Andres led his team to the "Slovenian Supercup", which we can only imagine is similar to a superbowl ring, except for basketball, and in a country that prefers soccer. Okay, that's downplaying it a bit. There is actually considerable interest in the team, and they participate in the Euroleague with teams like Real Madrid. You can follow Andres' Excellent European adventure at the Union Olimpija web site. The team seems to be struggling thus far. If you feel like gambling on something none of us really know anything about, then you can also bet on Rodriguez's squad. There's also a place on the Euroleague website where you can play fantasy basketball with a bunch of players you never heard of. Best of luck.
Onto the current stuff.
Lehigh-AU
Like I said earlier in the week, Lehigh has been disappointing so far, losing games it ought to win. While Jose Olivero is continuing to get better, both he and Joe Knight have terrible shooting percentages. Olivero is hitting 32% of his shots and Knight is getting 37%. Jason Mbegroff is doing well offensively, but is averaging only 3.2 rebounds in only 20 minutes of action per game. I'm curious why they would limit his minutes so much. It probably has something to do with his 3.5 or so fouls per game.
AU has lost three of four, two of which they should have lost, and one of which was the embarassment against LaSalle. The key for them in this game is to limit the perimeter play of LU. If it's a close game, then they might want to pull Linas Lekavicius at the end, since his <50% free throw percentage doesn't inspire confidence. I think AU will take this one, looking for revenge from last year.
HC-Bucknell
Chris at Hoop Time seems to think this is going to be a very close game, as do the stats (which he shows). And who am I to argue with Chris or mathematics?
But I'm going to anyway. Chris points out that the season series last year was remarkably close, but I'm not sure that means much this season. In my opinion, BU is leaps and bounds above where they were last year, with three legitimate scorers, a deeper bench, and a hulked up Chris McNaughton.
I'm not sure HC is any better than they were last year. They have a little better perimeter game with the development of Keith Hamilton and Keith Simmons (why isn't Simmons starting?), but I'm not sure that offsets the loss of Jave Meade. And their frontcourt is no better than it was last year either, with Lufkin continuing to get into foul trouble and averaging only 25 minutes a game.
I'm sure the HC fans will get pissed, but I really don't see them winning this game, especially at BU. The Bison have too many weapons. I'm going to put out a trademark "prediction I may come to regret" and say that BU wins this one by at least 10.
ACADEMY APATHY
The bottom four teams in the league play each other Saturday as well. Army is at Colgate and Navy travels to Lafayette. Navy might give LC a scare, but neither game should be won by the academies. Not much else to say there.
The All OOC team is coming up later. Stay tuned. @ 9:40 AM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
OOC WRAPUP AND LEAGUE PLAY PREVIEW
With out of conference play nearly wrapped up (there are a few remaining games that will go into league play-- note Bucknell inexplicably playing Villanova Feb. 15), it's time to take a look at what we know so far and what each team has to look forward to getting into league play.
TOP FIVE
Here's the top five stories so far, as I see it:
1. Bucknell is the most formidable team going into league play that the PL has ever seen.
The Bison are on a tear, with six straight victories, including defeats of good teams like Niagara and Pittsburgh, a consistent A10 contender in St. Joes, and three teams they ought to beat, Yale, Robert Morris, and Cornell. (On a side note, schools named after people always bother me. George Washington, Johns Hopkins, James Madison.. they all sound silly. No one person knew enough for an worth entire institute of learning) BU has only one "bad" loss, a five point home defeat by St. Francis PA, the less crappy of the St. Franciseses. The Bison are for real.
2. Joe Knight ain't quite Austen Rowland yet
Lehigh has struggled to a 5-7 record (no, beating a DIII team doesn't count as a win), with their only victories coming over some of the worst teams in the country. Losses to Stony Brook, LIU, Columbia, Harvard, and Cornell indicate that there may not be a Lehigh dynasty in the making. Moreover, Joe Knight has not performed at the level many expected him to, with only 11.5 ppg, good for only 14th in the league. I'm not ready to discount the reigning champs just yet, but things aren't looking good on Mountain Hawk Hill.
3. The academies still suck
No nice way to say it, but Navy (3-8) and Army (0-9) are just plain lousy. Jim Crews better win both the games against Navy this year, or he may be out of the picture sooner rather than later. Not a lot of programs are going to put up with a winless season, and I don't see how Army is going to avoid it. FREE MATT BELL.
4. Lafayette is beginning a slow march to the bottom
Being non-scholarship, combined with a lack of anyone who can play defense, is killing the Leopards, and things aren't going to get much better when league play starts. They're 3-8 on the season, in stark contrast to their excellent performance out of conference last year and their clean sweep in the first half of league play.
5. The Cross Consistent
Holy Cross has won the games it should, and won one it shouldn't have. While they dropped contests when they were the underdog (Princeton, BC, Vermont, Minnesota), they won the contests they were supposed to (Harvard, Marist, Brown, etc). They also beat 8-3 Boston University, a tossup contest. That kind of performance bodes well for HC going into league play, where competition gets more intense, and it's easy to lose focus and get beaten by an Army or Lafayette when you shouldn't. If HC can continue to win the games they should, then they'll end up with no less than a three seed in the conference tournament, and may end up even better than that.
TEAM OOC RECAPS
American
6-4, RPI 118
Averaging 65 ppg, Giving up 66 ppg
Army
0-9, RPI 330
Averaging 59 ppg, Giving up 67 ppg
Bucknell
9-4, RPI 71
Averaging 63 ppg, Giving up 59 ppg
Colgate
2-8, RPI 285
Averaging 69 ppg, Giving up 71 ppg
Holy Cross
7-4, RPI 37
Averaging 63 ppg, Giving up 58 ppg
Lafayette
3-8, RPI 240
Averaging 68 ppg, Giving up 75 ppg
Lehigh
5-7, RPI 270
Averaging 59 ppg, Giving up 59 ppg
Navy
3-7, RPI 307
Averaging 70 ppg, Giving up 77 ppg
Stay tuned for your all-conference out of conference team (read it again, I swear that makes sense) and my predictions on this weekend's opening matchups. Probably tomorrow or Friday. @ 5:18 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
With out of conference play nearly wrapped up (there are a few remaining games that will go into league play-- note Bucknell inexplicably playing Villanova Feb. 15), it's time to take a look at what we know so far and what each team has to look forward to getting into league play.
TOP FIVE
Here's the top five stories so far, as I see it:
1. Bucknell is the most formidable team going into league play that the PL has ever seen.
The Bison are on a tear, with six straight victories, including defeats of good teams like Niagara and Pittsburgh, a consistent A10 contender in St. Joes, and three teams they ought to beat, Yale, Robert Morris, and Cornell. (On a side note, schools named after people always bother me. George Washington, Johns Hopkins, James Madison.. they all sound silly. No one person knew enough for an worth entire institute of learning) BU has only one "bad" loss, a five point home defeat by St. Francis PA, the less crappy of the St. Franciseses. The Bison are for real.
2. Joe Knight ain't quite Austen Rowland yet
Lehigh has struggled to a 5-7 record (no, beating a DIII team doesn't count as a win), with their only victories coming over some of the worst teams in the country. Losses to Stony Brook, LIU, Columbia, Harvard, and Cornell indicate that there may not be a Lehigh dynasty in the making. Moreover, Joe Knight has not performed at the level many expected him to, with only 11.5 ppg, good for only 14th in the league. I'm not ready to discount the reigning champs just yet, but things aren't looking good on Mountain Hawk Hill.
3. The academies still suck
No nice way to say it, but Navy (3-8) and Army (0-9) are just plain lousy. Jim Crews better win both the games against Navy this year, or he may be out of the picture sooner rather than later. Not a lot of programs are going to put up with a winless season, and I don't see how Army is going to avoid it. FREE MATT BELL.
4. Lafayette is beginning a slow march to the bottom
Being non-scholarship, combined with a lack of anyone who can play defense, is killing the Leopards, and things aren't going to get much better when league play starts. They're 3-8 on the season, in stark contrast to their excellent performance out of conference last year and their clean sweep in the first half of league play.
5. The Cross Consistent
Holy Cross has won the games it should, and won one it shouldn't have. While they dropped contests when they were the underdog (Princeton, BC, Vermont, Minnesota), they won the contests they were supposed to (Harvard, Marist, Brown, etc). They also beat 8-3 Boston University, a tossup contest. That kind of performance bodes well for HC going into league play, where competition gets more intense, and it's easy to lose focus and get beaten by an Army or Lafayette when you shouldn't. If HC can continue to win the games they should, then they'll end up with no less than a three seed in the conference tournament, and may end up even better than that.
TEAM OOC RECAPS
American
6-4, RPI 118
Averaging 65 ppg, Giving up 66 ppg
- BEST WIN: Beat Vermont at home (RPI 42)
- WORST LOSS: Lost to LaSalle at home (RPI 188)
- THE GOOD NEWS: Andre Ingram continues to produce offensively, while Linas Lekavicius looks much better than he did early in the season. Can go four deep in the post, and surprising (although erratic) offensive output from Jason Thomas a welcome surprise.
- THE BAD NEWS: Lekavicius still looks like an underclassman at times, and when AU can't hit their three pointers, things get ugly. Same is true of teams they face- they can play excellent zone defense to limit post scoring (see Vermont) but when their opponent starts hitting outside jumpers, that defense becomes less valuable.
- PREDICTION I WILL COME TO REGRET:AU finishes league play with a 10-4 record, good enough for a #2 seed. Lekavicius finishes with the most assists/game and a assist/turnover ratio over 1.8.
Army
0-9, RPI 330
Averaging 59 ppg, Giving up 67 ppg
- BEST WIN: uh...
- WORST LOSS: At home, to Sacred Heart, SH's only victory thus far
- THE GOOD NEWS: Matt Bell is a diamond in the rough, second in the league in scoring, second in 3 point shooting %. He is also the reciepient of an awesome first name and last initial.
- THE BAD NEWS: They're really, really bad and may go winless on the season
- PREDICTION I WILL COME TO REGRET: Army will pull out at least one win, probably over Navy, and maybe one against Lafayette.
Bucknell
9-4, RPI 71
Averaging 63 ppg, Giving up 59 ppg
- BEST WIN: At Pitt (RPI 69 after the loss)
- WORST LOSS: vs. St. Francis PA (inflated RPI of 62) at home
- THE GOOD NEWS: Won the biggest game in school and league history. McNaughton dominant, Lee and Bettencourt sharpshooters.
- THE BAD NEWS: Won't matter if they don't win league tournament
- PREDICTION I WILL COME TO REGRET: McNaughton ends up with player of the year award, Flannery gets coach of year, but BU upended by whoever they face in the final game of the tournament
Colgate
2-8, RPI 285
Averaging 69 ppg, Giving up 71 ppg
- BEST WIN: At FAU (RPI 258)
- WORST LOSS: Either CCSU or Cal-Fullerton
- THE GOOD NEWS: Andrew Zidar and Jon Simon can score
- THE BAD NEWS: Choneses are gone, fans don't care, and they have to live in Hamilton, NY
- PREDICTION I WILL COME TO REGRET:They finish somewhere in the middle of the pack, at 6-8 or 7-7, and exit in the first round of the tourney. CU will not have a crowd larger than 500 this year.
Holy Cross
7-4, RPI 37
Averaging 63 ppg, Giving up 58 ppg
- BEST WIN: at Boston University (RPI 80)
- WORST LOSS: by 16 to Minnesota
- THE GOOD NEWS: Won games they should have won, good defense will keep them in any game they play. Kevin Hamilton and Keith Simmons are puting up points.
- THE BAD NEWS: Lack of legitimate post scoring threat (a staple of previous championship teams) may come back to haunt them.
- PREDICTION I WILL COME TO REGRET:HC ends up with the 3 seed in the tournament with a 9-5 record. Eliminated in 2nd round. HC fans rue the curse of Neil Fingleton.
Lafayette
3-8, RPI 240
Averaging 68 ppg, Giving up 75 ppg
- BEST WIN: vs Columbia (RPI 171) at home
- WORST LOSS: at Cornell, a team I totally overrated (RPI 304)
- THE GOOD NEWS: Jamal Douglas is hitting the boards like a beast, averaging 7+ rebounds per game.
- THE BAD NEWS: They can't shoot, and they can't play defense. They've got a terrible FG% (40%) and they give up a ton of points.
- PREDICTION I WILL COME TO REGRET: They finish sixth, but beat a couple of good teams while doing so. First round exit.
Lehigh
5-7, RPI 270
Averaging 59 ppg, Giving up 59 ppg
- BEST WIN: at home vs. Albany (RPI 235)
- WORST LOSS: at home vs. Cornell (RPI 305)
- THE GOOD NEWS: Jose Olivero is good and is going to be great.
- THE BAD NEWS: Joe Knight and Jason Mbegroff disappointments thus far in the season. Lehigh scheduled a bunch of softball games and then promptly lost half of them. Not performing as one would expect a league champ to.
- PREDICTION I WILL COME TO REGRET:Finish fourth in the league, with a 7-7 record, leave tournament early. Olivero averages 18 ppg in league play.
Navy
3-7, RPI 307
Averaging 70 ppg, Giving up 77 ppg
- BEST WIN: At home vs Morgan State (RPI 308)
- WORST LOSS: At home vs DIII Gettysburg (wow that's bad)
- THE GOOD NEWS: They beat 3 divison I teams, and are scoring lots of points. Hooper and Mergerson playing well. New coach's uptempo style will win them a few games.
- THE BAD NEWS: They lost to Gettysburg, a tough reminder of where they stand in the scheme of things.
- PREDICTION I WILL COME TO REGRET: They'll definitely be the 7th place finisher, but not without beating a Lehigh or Lafayette somewhere along the way.
Stay tuned for your all-conference out of conference team (read it again, I swear that makes sense) and my predictions on this weekend's opening matchups. Probably tomorrow or Friday. @ 5:18 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
CINDERELLA: A STORY IN VISUAL FORM
@ 3:38 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
@ 3:38 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Sunday, January 02, 2005
