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Quote from: deiscanton on March 11, 2009, 04:15:00 AM
I just wanted to post here to say that my friend Mr. Robert C. Paul of Sharon, MA (Harvard '44-- college classmate of former Brandeis athletic director Nick Rodis) passed away as of Monday, March 9, 2009 at approx. 12:45 AM Eastern. That corresponds to Adar 13, 5769 on the Hebrew calendar. To me, Mr. Paul was most involved in my life as the one who drove me to Brandeis basketball games for the past few years and as the one who would give me Fig Newtons as my snack to fuel me up before the big games. Mr. Paul was also known by many as the #1 women's soccer fan of Brandeis University, just as I am known by many as Brandeis's #1 basketball fan. His obituary is printed in the Boston Globe for March 11, 2009. I will deeply miss him and his companionship.
Quote from: ichouse on March 05, 2009, 07:56:12 PM
Any word on ticket prices at the Brandeis pod?
Quote from: deiscanton on March 05, 2009, 01:56:28 PM
Which is why Mark Simon will do the games live, and for those wanting to hear a Brandeis crew do the women's game, they can listen to it after hearing Mark Simon do our game live.....
(Of course, for those who want to listen to the Brandeis men's game live and who are not near the Brandeis campus, you can do so too..... However, I will be at Auerbach Arena supported the Brandeis women this weekend.
After this weekend, I financially may not be able to do any travelling, however.... This would have to be the year that Brandeis is predicted to make a deep run-- both men and women!
Quote from: deiscanton on March 05, 2009, 03:09:23 AM
Hello, Atnwriter...
Glad to see that you will be at Auerbach Arena this weekend, especially with WBRS making the trip to Pennsylvania to do the Brandeis men.
With both the Brandeis men and women making the NCAA, I may have to make some financial sacrifices to save money for upcoming purchases. For example, I did buy T-shirts from the NCAA that had the names of the teams in the field in the past, but in order to save money for future weeks, I may not be able to buy these T-shirts right now. The company that sells these T-shirts for the NCAA charges up to $30 a pop for these T-shirts! Unfortunately, although the NCAA has an on-line shop, I do not know if the Division III tournament shirts will be made available on the shop in the future, or whether the t-shirts will be sold exclusively to people who personally attend the NCAA games at the tournament sites. I would like some of these ready made T-shirts to be sold through the NCAA shop just in case there are some people who financially can't afford these shirts right now in this economy.
Quote from: pradam on February 28, 2009, 11:53:31 PMQuote from: pabegg on February 28, 2009, 11:35:36 PM
Locks for Pool C
Locks for Pool C for eliminated teams (7)
UW-Whitewater
UW-Platteville
Elmhurst
Capital
Rhode Island College
Ithaca
Worcester Polytech
Locks for Pool C if loses (2)
Puget Sound F Sat
Middlebury F Sun
So there are 7 to 9 Pool C locks, leaving 9 to 11 bids
Probable Pool C
Probable Pool C for eliminated teams (9)
Buena Vista
Guilford
Randolph-Macon
St. Mary's (Md.)
Hamilton
Salem State
SUNY-Farmingdale
St. Lawrence
Trinity (Texas)
Probable Pool C if loses final (3)
Texas-Dallas F Sun
Franklin and Marshall F Sun
Centre F Sun
There are 9 to 12 Pool C bids here. That's almost certainly too many.
In Contention if there are any bids left
In Contention eliminated teams (5)
Augustana
Calvin
McMurry
McDaniel
Carnegie Mellon
In Contention and Pool A underdog (2)
Whitworth F Sat
Amherst F Sun
This may also be my "homerism" talking, but what distinguishes Augustana/Calvin/McMurry/McDaniel from Brandeis? I get that Carnegie has a leg up, but why those four? (I'm asking honestly, not being mean or anything). Calvin, McMurry and McDaniel all have eight regional losses, like Brandeis, but lower OWP numbers (I'd guess). Glancing quickly at the schedules, the only win against a currently regional-ranked opponent between the three of them is McDaniel's win over F&M (and that was a split). Brandeis beat RIC and Amherst, plus Carnegie twice.
Augustana's only win against a regionally-ranked team was Elmhurst, if I'm not mistaken. They have the high OWP, but no real wins to show for it.
Also, I'm confused as to why Hamilton is such a lock. They have six regional losses in a weak region and only one win against a regionally-ranked opponent (Utica). What am I missing?
Just curious. I'm sure there are explanations that I'm missing.
Quote from: pabegg on February 28, 2009, 11:35:36 PM
Locks for Pool C
Locks for Pool C for eliminated teams (7)
UW-Whitewater
UW-Platteville
Elmhurst
Capital
Rhode Island College
Ithaca
Worcester Polytech
Locks for Pool C if loses (2)
Puget Sound F Sat
Middlebury F Sun
So there are 7 to 9 Pool C locks, leaving 9 to 11 bids
Probable Pool C
Probable Pool C for eliminated teams (9)
Buena Vista
Guilford
Randolph-Macon
St. Mary's (Md.)
Hamilton
Salem State
SUNY-Farmingdale
St. Lawrence
Trinity (Texas)
Probable Pool C if loses final (3)
Texas-Dallas F Sun
Franklin and Marshall F Sun
Centre F Sun
There are 9 to 12 Pool C bids here. That's almost certainly too many.
In Contention if there are any bids left
In Contention eliminated teams (5)
Augustana
Calvin
McMurry
McDaniel
Carnegie Mellon
In Contention and Pool A underdog (2)
Whitworth F Sat
Amherst F Sun
Quote from: hugenerd on February 28, 2009, 11:24:17 PM
Also I dont know why you consider Brandeis a bad lost, they were ranked NE#8 last week. It is obviously bad head-to-head, but its not a tremendous upset. I would say CMU has one bad loss, while Brandeis has 3 bad losses.
It's bad only in the sense that the committee will consider H2H results. I didn't really know where to put that information, so I put them in the "bad loss" category even though they really aren't.
I'd agree that CMU has only one bad loss, while Brandeis has three.Quote from: hugenerd on February 28, 2009, 11:24:17 PM
The one positive for CMU is that they may be first on the board in the GL. Last week, Capital was ranked #2 and CMU was ranked #3. Capital lost to JCU again, meaning their record against in-region ranked oppents will be 1-2, while CMU will be 2-0 (they beat JCU and Wooster). CMU will also have better OWP and OOWP numbers than Capital. Capital will be 22-4 (0.85 winning%) and CMU will be 15-5 (0.75), but will that be enough to keep Capital over CMU. IF CMU is ranked first in the GL, then that means they would be on the board before Brandeis, but would they get off the board before Brandeis came on? To ponder that question we can look at the NE rankings. Using last weeks rankings, the teams ranked ahead of Brandeis that definitely need a Pool C are WPI, RIC and Salem State. How does RIC and Salem State match-up against CMU? RIC also lost to Brandeis, has similar OWP, slightly lower OOWP and also has 5 regional losses. Salem State has not played Brandeis, has 6 region losses, and will have slightly higher OWP, and slightly lower OOWP. If CMU is ranked ahead of one of these teams, that means they will come off the board before Brandeis gets on which could make all the difference for CMU.
That's interesting, though Carnegie has a lot in winning% to make up the gap. I'd guess that Capital would stay in front of Carnegie, but barely.
As far as the Northeast, if Carnegie can go before RIC and Salem, why not Brandeis? RIC now has fiven regional losses. They have good wins over UMD (twice, who beat Brandeis) and Bridgewater, but also has bad losses to Colby, Springfield and Keene (not to mention Brandeis) and a lower OWP than Deis. RIC tops Deis, but it's not as wide a gap as I originally thought. Salem's probably going to be easier for Brandeis to pass. They have one marquee win (WPI, who beat Brandeis) and a higher winning %, but a lower OWP. Brandeis' win over Amherst trumps Salem's win over MIT (and Bowdoin too). Both teams lost to Framingham State. Salem is 2-3 against the likely NE top 10 (Bowdoin will drop out), Brandeis is 2-2. Could Brandeis not pass Salem?
Either way, your point is a good one. I've always felt Carnegie's overall resume was better than Brandeis', except for Brandeis' two H2H wins. If the committee thinks its way better, it may render the H2H games meaningless.
Quote from: hugenerd on February 28, 2009, 10:53:58 PMQuote from: pradam on February 28, 2009, 09:15:10 PM
So Brandeis routs NYU 63-44, a very good end to the season.
Upsets around the country make it seem unlikely to me that the UAA will get three bids. So, if there's a second team from the UAA (an open question in and of itself), who goes, Carnegie or Brandeis?
A quick comparison:
Brandeis - 17-8 in region, currently 8th in Northeast
-10th in OWP
-Wins against regionally-ranked teams: NE4 Rhode Island College, NE9 Amherst, GL3 Carnegie Mellon (twice), E5 Rochester (split),
-Manageable losses: MW2 Wash U (twice), NE1 WPI, NE5 Umass-Dartmouth
-Bad losses: Lasell, Framingham State, Chicago
-10-4 in UAA
Carnegie - 19-5 in region, currently 3rd in Great Lakes
-(not sure their OWP, but I'm sure Brandeis is way betteR)
-Wins against GL1 John Carroll, GL5 Wooster, E5 Rochester (twice)
-Manageable losses: MW2 Wash U (twice), A1 Richard Stockton (out of region, so doesn't count)
-Bad losses: Chicago, twice to Brandeis
-9-5 in UAA
The Chicago/Wash U situation cancels itself out. Carnegie did better against Rochester, but Brandeis swept Carnegie and they have the better UAA record (FWIW). Brandeis' OWP is better, but they have more losses in region. Carnegie's wins over John Carroll and Wooster slightly trump Brandeis' wins over RIC and Amherst, but not by much. Carnegie was home both times, while Brandeis won at Amherst (though, to be fair, the RIC win should mean less than it does because Bobby Bailey was out for RIC).
So, it's close. Carnegie's advantages are fewer bad losses, a better signature win (John Carroll>RIC) and a better regional record, albeit in a weaker region. Brandeis' major advantage is the OWP. Carnegie seems to have the edge, but it's slight.
And since it's slight, I'm wondering how the committee can possibly ignore the head-to-head situation and Brandeis' superior UAA record. I know neither is supposed to play a major role in the committee's decision-making process, but I'd think Deis and Carnegie would be on the board at about the same time. If so, how can you ignore those factors?
Am I off base here? Thoughts?
You missed one significant win for CMU on the road, against Averett. They are now 17-5 in the South, won the USAC AQ, and have a very good chance of being ranked in the unpublished final rankings. By the way, CMU did not lose to Chicago, but rather Case Western.
In terms of a Pool C, I think CMU may face some problems if Brandeis is on the board at the same time as them, but that is not a given.
Quote from: hugenerd on February 27, 2009, 10:26:21 AMQuote from: ILive4This on February 26, 2009, 10:23:28 PM
I actually think it has more to do with playing style. Starting Kenny smalls puts a faster paced, shooting heavy offense on the floor. I do not know what team rule yemga broke, and he is a good ball player and an all around nice guy, but the team that made the trip to UR without him was a completely different team and since then they have been shooting the ball hot and putting up big points and big wins.
I dont understand your comment completely. Specifically having to do with putting up big points and big wins since playing at Rochester. They have put up big points in one game (108 vs. Case) and have only played two games since playing at Rochester (Emory and Case, in the Emory game they scored 65 points). Those two wins arent that big either.
The weekend of the Rochester game they did have two nice wins, at CMU and Rochester, that they really needed to have, but that was after a horrible weekend where they lost to Chicago, (then something happened where 1/3 their team was suspended), and then were blown out by WashU.
I think, in general, whether it is Kenny Small or Roberson (Small is obviously the better scorer), they play better when they are a bit more up tempo because it tends to free up open shots for their shooters (other teams cant set up their half court D). Olsen is lights out from 3, but he isnt a guy who is going to make a move with the ball and pull up for 3, he usually needs to be set up. So anything that causes his, or other, defenders to have to rotate and help is a plus for their offense.
As for Brandeis, in general, I think they are a very good team. Whether they are deserving of a Pool C bid or not remains to be seen, depending on Pool A upsets and other things. With that said, I definitely thought that they should be ranked ahead of Amherst in the NE and was very glad to see that the committee had looked at the quality of Brandeis' schedule, wins, and losses when making their decision on the rankings this week and not just on the fact that they have 8 losses.
Quote from: theBroadcaster on February 28, 2009, 12:30:20 AMQuote from: pradam on February 27, 2009, 08:31:30 PMQuote from: Marty Peretz on February 27, 2009, 05:43:06 PM
Anyone think Meehan is regretting that decision to bench his studs for the Wash.U. game? If the infractions were as insignificant as some have conjectured, you'd have to think that somewhere deep down he'd question his decision if things didn't go according to plan on selection day. That issue aside, I was hoping some of our more numerically-inclined/aware of NCAA logistics could answer a few things for me.
Nah. Doubt Brandeis was winning at Wash U anyway.
The moments to regret were the home loss to Framingham, the road loss to Chicago and the two-point loss to Lasell to start the year. If they win that Lasell game, they're a lock, you'd think.
Agreed....the home loss to framingham was probably the most inexcusable. As for the benching/suspensions, i actually think they were a blessing in disguise. Seems to have lit a fire under a team that was languishing through a very disappointing, inconsistent season. They haven't lost since....and guys like kenny small are playing their best ball of the year
Quote from: Marty Peretz on February 27, 2009, 05:43:06 PM
Anyone think Meehan is regretting that decision to bench his studs for the Wash.U. game? If the infractions were as insignificant as some have conjectured, you'd have to think that somewhere deep down he'd question his decision if things didn't go according to plan on selection day. That issue aside, I was hoping some of our more numerically-inclined/aware of NCAA logistics could answer a few things for me.
-Does the committee take into account margin of defeat? If so, Deis' loss to Wash.U. could also help?
-Does the committee take into account suspensions, injuries, and other external factors? Again, if they did, Deis could benefit perhaps a TINY bit since the blow-out on the road to WU would carry a slight asterix.
Anyone headed to the NYU game tomorrow? I think I may check it out. Obviously I'd love to be in the STL but living in NYC, this one will have to suffice. Pissed I didn't get back to the Lou this year, but perhaps they'll host and I'll fly out. Still, Salem is probably the closest they'll get to me, so I'm already keeping the fingers crossed on that front...
Quote from: hugenerd on February 13, 2009, 06:45:50 PMQuote from: deiscanton on February 13, 2009, 04:30:23 PM
The situation on the Brandeis players, according to the Justice this week:
Andre Roberson, Terrell Hollins, and Kenny Small will be in uniform and have made the trip with the Brandeis team this weekend, but it is a game-time decision whether or not they play tonight against Carnegie Mellon.
Christian Yemga and Napoleon Lherrisson have been benched for this weekend as a result of the events from last weekend and will not play against Carnegie Mellon and Rochester.
Here is the link to the article if anyone is interested:
http://media.www.thejusticeonline.com/media/storage/paper573/news/2009/02/10/Sports/Mbball.Five.Players.Disciplined-3621682.shtml
Since they didnt break any university (and thefore legal rules), it is likely to do with a curfew/alcohol (if they are all of age) violation (although it could be something like having "unauthorized" people in their hotel rooms). I cant think of too many things that are legal, not against school rules, but against baskebtall team rules. Well, it is refreshing to see a coach hold his players accountable, especially 3 of his starters. A lot of coaches would not have been tough enough to come down that hard.
