Well it's that time of year again... AMCC play has begun and the first five games were played on Wednesday.

Let's lead off with defending champion Lake Erie, who pulled off one of the best wins in conference history in beating #8 Wooster. The Storm traveled to Hamburg to take on Hilbert College and the Hawks made a game of it, trailing by only a bucket at halftime. LEC shot just 37 percent in the second half but was aided by Hilbert's complete ineptitude at the free throw line. 4-for-15 for the game will not get it done in an upset bid, but give the Hawks credit, they hung in there against one of the top 25 teams in D3 (in my opinion). Four players reached double-figures for the Storm in a balanced effort. Reigning Player of the Year Dallas Reinard led the Hawks with 23 points, while freshman Andy Marchand added 17, 15 of which came in the first half.

An interesting game developed in rural Pennsylvania as Mount Aloysius upset Penn State Behrend in a low scoring affair by the Mounties' standards. Mount Aloysius built a 13-point advantage at the break, led by sophomore Richard McNutt. The British center had a game-high 19 points while neutralizing Behrend's top gun Kevin Buczynski, who had just two points before fouling out. Good win for the Mounties, who proved they can play a slower tempoed game as well as the up-and-down contests we've seen in the past.

Suprisingly undefeated Medaille took on Pitt Bradford at home and saw an 11-point halftime lead slip away as it fell, 67-64. Jess Whelan had a, what I'm assuming to be, career-high 32 points, including seven three-pointers and a go-ahead trifecta with just under 30 seconds left in the game. Highly-touted recruit Zach Moore was the only other player in double-figures with 11. Scoring machine James McNeil had just seven points and was a miserable 2-for-15 from the field.

Pitt-Greensburg, who finished last in the league last season, started out the 2007-08 campaign with a victory over Frostburg St. The UPG Bobcats shot a blistering 59.1 percent from the floor in the second stanza, including eight from long range. Six players had 10 points or more for UPG, including freshman Dino Tessani. Tessani had 15 points and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor, including 4-for-4 from downtown. Brian Anderson led the FSU Bobcats with 17 points.

Finally, La Roche dropped Penn State Altoona, 59-53. The Redhawks fought back from 10 down with 14:33 to play for the win. Dylan Grazier had 13 points while Nate Davis added 12. The Lions, who begin the Tyler Franklin-less era this season, got 14 points from Colin Geiger off the bench.

It's very early in the season, so it's tough to say who is going to be at the top of the AMCC (or should I say, under Lake Erie?). The Storm are clearly the class of the conference and the win against Wooster validates the quality of play in the league. Too bad they chose to go D2... I think it's going to end up being a huge mistake due to lack of scholarship money, facility issues and lack of on-campus housing. But if that's what administration feels is best, then by all means. It's just too bad that the AMCC will now be viewed even worse in many people's eyes and the little respect that they did have will be diminished even more.

Interesting news about the addition of Franciscan and D'Youville. There will be three Buffalo schools in the AMCC, which seems to me like a bit of an overload. Both DYC and Franciscan seem to have a lot of work to do to be competitive in the league, but I know D'Youville has a coach in Brian Miller who is just now starting to get his players in there.

Overall, I'm really not that thrilled with the additions. Losing Lake Erie is going to be a big blow for the conference as far as national credibility is concerned. Frostburg hasn't been as strong in recent years but I feel like they have more potential to be a good D3 basketball team if they had the right pieces in place (i.e. coaching). We'll see, I guess...

As for the season, anyone have any information on newcomers, transfers, etc.? I'm excited for the basketball season to get started.

Quote from: Toph on March 04, 2007, 08:28:32 PM
I disagree with this statement entirely.  While LEC played tough and led nearly the entire game, the "better team" would never blow a 16 point lead with 11 minutes to go, so don't give me that.  Now, I would've loved to see LEC at full strength.  JCU probably would've lost.  LEC was the faster, more athletic team, but they were also the sloppier, more careless, and more out of control team.  Again, it has to be said, the "better team" doesn't blow huge leads, they crush their opponent.  Answer this question:  Does Wooster let Carroll back in, how about Stevens Point, or any of the other D3 powerhouses?  You had a big lead, and you blew it in a big way.  Congrats on a good season, and thanks for the hospitality in that middle school sized gym.

Classy post.  Thanks for stopping by.

Who knows, but thats why they play the games.... We'll see tomorrow, wont we?

Cry me a river.  John Carroll lost nine games, and if they beat Lake Erie, so be it.  But LEC earned the right to host with only one D3 loss. 

Quote from: ScotsFan on February 18, 2007, 06:38:24 PM
Why was LEC without the services of those 2 starters?  Was it injuries and if so, how serious were the injuries?

Harris has a broken big toe and is probably going to give it a go in the playoffs.  Campbell has a broken hand and is questionable for the rest of the season.

The AMCC concluded its regular season this weekend, and it looks as though it will be a two-team race to the tournament title this week. 

Up until last week, Lake Erie looked unbeatable and was cruising along on a 19-game winning streak before dropping an overtime decision to Penn State Behrend.  The Storm recovered to win their final conference contest against Frostburg and will host the AMCC tournament this weekend.   One thing to keep in mind is that LEC has been without the services of starters Jacjen Harris and Darnell Campbell in each of the last two games.  They lost against Behrend in large part because they were outrebounded 46-32 and will have a tough time again if these two players aren't mixing it up inside.

Penn State Behrend enters the tournament as the second seed after finishing the regular season with an 18-6 record and 16-2 in the AMCC.  Kevin Buczynski has had another fabulous year, averaging 18.1 points and 7.0 rebounds while shooting almost 60 percent from the field!  This Behrend team relies a lot on freshmen and sophomores, and has no seniors on the roster.  Will be interesting to see how they handle the road trip to Cleveland.

Pitt-Bradford was maybe the surprise team of the season this year, having been picked to finish in 7th place in the preseason coaches poll.  Dan Thomas has had a tremendous senior season, leading the team in scoring (15.2 PPG) and assists (3.7/game).  Ryan Race has had a rough go-about in his final year at Bradford, but has fought through injuries and has rebounded effectively in his last two games with double-digit efforts.  The Panthers will face Penn State Altoona in the first round of the tournament.

The Hawks of Hilbert have had an up-and-down year, winning five out of six games to start the new year before dropping five straight conference games, including two by two points.  HC has bounced back to finish strong at the end, winning four out of its final five contests.  Dallas Reinard has had an MVP-type season, leading the conference in scoring at nearly 22 points per contest while shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc.  Hilbert lost a viable low-post scoring threat midseason when Corey Vander Sluis was dropped from the roster, but they have played well of late and will have a home game against Frostburg State in the first round.

Frostburg lost its final four games and five of its last six and enter as the #5 seed in the tournament.  Antione McCall leads the team in scoring and rebounding but the Bobcats had a lot of their victories early in the season and have not been playing all that well of late.  They will face Hilbert in the opening round.

If not for Pitt-Bradford, Penn State Altoona's emergence as a playoff team would be the story of the AMCC.  Last year, the Lions had a lot of close losses but definitely had the talent to play with the big boys, having beaten Behrend by two late in the year.  This season, they have again relied on star Tyler Franklin, a first-team All-AMCC selection a season ago.  He's averaging a team-best 18.1 PPG but has also had help this year as Colin Geiger and Quinton Dziabo have taken some pressure off Franklin.  Altoona will face Bradford in the first round.

The rest of the conference teams saw their seasons come to a close this weekend.  Medaille finished the season with 11 wins, seven in the AMCC, and if they could've knocked off Hilbert in the season finale, would've found themselves in the tournament following two years that saw the Mavs go 4-46.  Mike MacDonald should be commended for the job he did this season.  Watch out for Medaille in future years.

La Roche finished out of the playoffs for the first time since the AMCC expanded, finishing with a 6-11 mark in conference.  Stacey Grady will be considered for first team honors after finishing sixth in the conference in scoring, but he didn't have nearly enough help from others this year.

Pitt-Greensburg and Mount Aloysius comprise the bottom two teams in the conference.  Greensburg really struggled this season, and it really wasn't that unexpected as they have lost the best two players in the conference (Conlon and Cooper) in each of the last two years.  They also lost Scavincky before the year even began, further depleting the team of talent.  The Mounties have struggled since joining the conference, and while their style of play is fun to watch and fun to play in, it has not translated into much on-the-court success. 

Quarterfinal Matchups

#6 Penn State Altoona at #3 Pitt-Bradford - These two teams split the two games during the regular season, with each squad winning on its own home court.  Bradford beat the Lions, 75-63, in the first week of conference play back in December.  Jon Hannon had a team-high 21 points for the Panthers, while Tyler Franklin was nearly unstoppable, going 12-for-14 from the field and tallying 30 points in 35 minutes.  UPB led by 16 at halftime and led comfortably throughout the second half.

In the second matchup, Franklin tallied 18 points and Quinton Dziabo added 22 points and 10 rebounds as the Lions returned the favor at home with a 77-56 victory.  Shawn Spindler and Cameron Hubbard were the only UPB players in double figured with 11 and 10 points, respectively. 

I think this game is going to be a close game, but ultimately I think home court advantage and the play of Dan Thomas are going to be the deciding factors.  But Franklin can single-handedly win a game, and the Panthers really don't have anyone that can matchup with him, evidenced by his 24 PPG scoring average in the regular season. 

#5 Frostburg State vs. #4 Hilbert - The Hawks dominated the Bobcats in the regular season, winning the first game by 14 points at home and taking the second by 17 in Maryland.  The AMCC's leading scorer Dallas Reinard averaged 25.5 points per game against FSU.  Antoine McCall tallied 27 points in the second contest.  Hilbert has shot the lights out vs. FSU's defense, shooting nearly 53 percent from the floor in the two contests.   I think Hilbert takes this game and advances to the semifinals.

Postseason Awards:

Player of the Year:   There are a lot of good candidates, but I think you have to give the award to someone on Lake Erie.  They've had a tremendous year, and even though none of the players on the team really has unbelievable stats, I think you have to reward them.  Derrick Thornton leads the team in scoring and rebounding, but he's only a sophomore.  And the senior guards (Williams and Washington) are both averaging double figures, but neither has eye-popping stats.  Harris is a nice player, but not POY worthy.  So after much evaluation, I guess you have to give the award to Buczynski again.  I've already mentioned his numbers, and without him Behrend would be a completely different team.  Honorable mention to Dallas Reinard, Dan Thomas and Tyler Franklin, as well as the players from LEC.

Rookie of the Year:   Unless I'm missing someone, there really was not an impact rookie in this year's freshman class.  A lot of guys have come off the bench to provide depth, but they haven't been the focal point of an offense.  Justin Kovac of PSB might be the closest thing to an impact freshman, having started most of the Lions games and averaging 7.0 points per game.  Chris Moscato from Medaille has also had a good year.

Good luck to all the teams...

Well another year of exciting AMCC basketball is upon us and we have a lot of developing storylines already in the conference.

Let's start with Lake Erie College and its very impressive start to the season.  They defeated Geneseo State, who returns virtually its entire roster, and then came back the next day to defeat perennial power U of R.  Darnell Campbell looks to have stepped up his game, scoring a game-high 31 points against Geneseo.  Howard Washington and Rob Williams each had strong games against U of R.  Washington's performance earned him MVP honors of the tournament.  Lake Erie looks like it should be the team to beat this season.

Pitt-Greensburg entered the post-Duke Cooper era this weekend and as expected struggled.  The Bobcats lost to Dickinson, who was 6-19 a season ago, and then fell to Messiah by 20.  It might be a long year for UPG, but again its too early to tell.  Ed Montgomery had 23 points against Dickinson and had a team-high 16 against Messiah.

Penn State Behrend, behind preseason POY Kevin Buczynski, split its two games this weekend.  The 6'7" center tallied 28 points in the win over Elmira then had nine against a very good Ohio Weslyan team.  Dan Ziegler also had a strong weekend as he was named to the All-Tournament Team with Buczynski.

Hilbert opened their 2006-07 campaign with a 73-70 victory over Hobart.  The Hawks fell behind early, but came back behind Dallas Reinard's 23 points.  Fellow second team All-AMCC selection Corey Vander Sluis registered 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

La Roche got hammered in its first two games, losing to Kenyon and Mount Vernon Nazarene by a combined 41 points.  Stacey Grady didn't play in the first game against Kenyon and then had 12 points off the bench against Mount Vernon.  No other Red Hawk scored in double figures in the two games.

Frostburg was idle this week. 

Mount Aloysius also split this weekend, winning the first round of its own Coaches vs. Cancer tournament and then falling to Salisbury in the championship game.  Roman Mims and Sam Hanik led the charge in the first game against Gallaudet, scoring a combined 60 points.  Mims had 32 and Hanik had 28 for the Mounties.  Against Salisbury, Mims scored 28 points in 31 minutes in the 97-76 loss.

Pitt Bradford had a disappointing start to its season, dropping its first two games.  The Panthers lost to St. Lawrence and then got destroyed by Brockport State.  Ryan Race really struggled, scoring just 14 points over the two-game stretch.  Dan Thomas had 20 points against Brockport.

PS-Altoona also dropped its first two games, losing a heartbreaker in double-overtime to Bethany before falling to Franciscan on Saturday.  Colin Geiger led four players in double-figures against Bethany with 22.  Tyler Franklin, an all-conference selection a year ago, had only six points.  Franklin bounced back against Franciscan, scoring a team-best 25 points.

Medaille split this weekend, winning against UAA member Case Western before losing to Marietta (OH).  James McNeil had a very efficient game against CWU, scoring 19 points on only nine shots!  Scott Hack also had a strong game, scoring 20.  McNeil was back to his chucking ways against Marietta but wasn't quite as bad, going 4-for-13 for 12 points.  Brandon Beers had 14.

Good to have basketball season back.

Mike MacDonald, former D1 Canisius coach, named new Medaille head men's basketball coach.

Discuss.

Honestly, big guys are only as good as their guard play.

I have never seen Wittenburg's guards, nor have I seen their big people...

But I do know that Lake Erie has one of the best trios in the AMCC and the Northeast that I have seen in some time (Richardson, Williams, Harris)... If they didn't lose Washington to a broken ankle, they would have not lost 6 game and would have, I believe, received a better seed.

But so goes life.  Richardson is a very, very good D3 player, as good as anyone Wittenburg has on its team.  Harris played on a team with a D1 superstar in David Lighty, and was a featured player on the HS team.  He has a lot of talent and can produce.  Chad Hunt was a D2 player before he transferred to Lake Erie for his final season.  These guys can play.  Can they match a top-5 D3 team?  I really have no idea.  Should they have been seeded in this position?  That's up for debate.  But what is clear is that Lake Erie had a chance to top St. John Fisher, beat Bethany (a tournament team), beat Edinboro, a D2 team, and also had a chance to defeat a D3 tourney team, Lincoln, in which they were up 14 at halftime.

Anything can happen... And be very, very wary of the AMCC.... 

Wow.  What a great way to finish the conference season.  Lake Erie pulled out a couple of thrillers and they are to be commended. 

Tough loss for the Hawks last night but they have nothing to be ashamed of.  With Reinard, Reyes, Ufland and Vandersluis all coming back next season, look for Hilbert to be preseason top 3 if not favorites. 

Very exciting conference tournament and Lake Erie will hopefully make the conference proud in the tourney.

Well, an interesting night in the AMCC tonight.

In the shocker of all shockers, Frostburg State beats Penn State Behrend, 59-54.  I really did not see this one coming, but just goes to show that anyone can be beat in this conference on any single day.  I think losing Ferguson hurt Behrend a lot more than initially thought.  

Hilbert beat LaRoche, 77-63.  Good game for the Hawks, and congrats to everyone in Hamburg.  From where that team was two-three years ago to where they are now is truly a testament to hard work and determination.  Anytime a cellar-dwellar can go from 1 to 5 to 10 to 12 wins and still have a lot of room for improvement with every single player coming back next season, it's great to see no matter who you root for.

So now the semifinals begin with a pair of interesting matchups...

Frostburg has played Greensburg very tough the two times they have faced each other, falling by one on the road before dropping the final game of the regular season in overtime.  

Hilbert has also played Lake Erie relatively well, falling at home after being up by double digits and losing in Cleveland by nine.  Ask the Storm who they would not have wanted to face from the last nine teams in the conference and I think you would hear Hilbert's name more than once from both the players and the coaching staff.

Should be an interesting and exciting weekend.  Anyone know about internet broadcast availability?

Sorry... 29 and 12 for Vander Sluis... can't read apparently!

Nice game Hawks.

Hilbert beats Greensburg in convincing fashion, 102-89.  Hawks shoot 60.0% from the field in the victory.  Vander Sluis turning into a star, 23 pts., 13 rebs.  Reyes 2 rebs short of triple-double 14 pts., 10 asst., 8 rebs.  Hilbert playing really well right now...

Lake Erie destroys Altoona, 73-45.  Storm breeze with 16 players getting minutes.  Amazing.  Hunt with 15, Richardson (who, by the way, is my pick for POY) had 14.  Lions get 16 from Tyler Franklin.

Frostburg sneaks by Medaille, 80-78 in OT.  McNeil with 48! points on 19-43 shooting... interesting.  10 boards as well.  Kid's a player.  Bobcats have four in double figures, with Owen hitting a 3 w/ :15 to send it into OT.  Frostburg 8-8 in league.  Very nice after horrendous start.

LaRoche has no trouble with Mt. Aloysius, 110-81.  Kostorick w/ 22, 13 above season average.  Kostewicz w/ 19 and 10.  Aloysius falls to 6-9 with game against Lake Erie upcoming.

Saturday shaping up to be huge in race for playoffs...

Hilbert can solidify spot with win over Frostburg.

LaRoche can further its effort with victory over tough Altoona squad (although they played like crap tonight).

Bradford looks to give Behrend third straight loss and help its cause by evening its conference mark to 8-8.

Greensburg vs. Medaille should be a win for UPG but they must stop McNeil... Shouldn't be a problem.

Aloysius needs a win against top squad LEC if they want any chance at tournament berth.

AMCC at its finest...

I don't think you can call Hilbert a force quite yet, but it was a very impressive win that they had last night.

Granted, Behrend is a little discombobulated at the moment, but a win over an NCAA team from a year ago is pretty impressive nonetheless.

All of your other assessments are pretty much on.  I would say Greensburg is playing the best basketball out of anyone right now...  Lake Erie, no doubt, has more talent top to bottom but with Duke Cooper running the show he can make people around him better and take control of the game late.

Updated standings

1) Lake Erie (12-2) - Should be 2 easy wins this weekend w/ Aloysius and Altoona
2) UPGreensburg (12-3) - Playing great, on the road against Hilbert and Medaille - Should be two wins but Hilbert may hang tough after upset of Behrend
3) Behrend (10-5) - Struggling a little bit right now - Look to get back on track against Bradford on Saturday
4) Hilbert (7-7) - Fresh off upset of Behrend - Face Greensburg in tough matchup before rematch against Frostburg in a game they could and should win
5) Frostburg (7-8) - Medaille and Hilbert - I look for them to split this weekend
6) Bradford (7-8) - Can the Panthers hand the Lions their third straight defeat?
7) Mt. Aloysius (6-8) - Lake Erie and La Roche - The beat LaRoche earlier this season... is a huge game to keep their playoff hopes alive.
8) LaRoche (6-8) - Aloysius and Altoona - Both tough games with Altoona playing well... Will be crucial to their playoff chances.
9) Medaille (3-11) - Greensburg and Frostburg - A chance to get one against Frostburg... no chance vs. other Bobcats.
10) Altoona (2-12) - Lake Erie and LaRoche - I have no idea how Altoona is going to play but they could pull off the upset against either one of these teams.