Got my first look at MIT this year after following them on this board, expecting to see a dominant team.   I was not impressed.  Liked the Kates kid a lot - very quick, good at both ends. And Tashman is tough on the glass.   But I thought Hollingsworth was pretty ordinary.  He got his 20 and 10, but it took 26 attempts, and half the rebounds were offensive recoveries of his own misses.  He was guarded by an assortment of players much shorter than him and got bodied off the block regularly.  I was also surprised at how sparingly Billy Johnson played; he has killed Wheaton in previous years.  Certainly a great win for Wheaton, and worrisome for the Engineers.

For Hugenerd and others, if you have not seen it already, check out the piece in the NY TImes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/sports/ncaabasketball/06mit.html?_r=1&ref=sports

HugeNerd:

Anyone who has seen Bartolatta play has to be impressed.  He is a complete player that makes his teammates better; he is really a D1 player.

I can't make the season opener at Wheaton (they are playing miserably at present), but wonder if you will be there (and thus will give us a full report)?  And where is Hamidou?

Wow!  CGA handles Rochester (with a tiny hiccup down the stretch) to earn an elite eight berth.  Sowers erupted for 9 straight points and the Bears never looked back.  Very good for the NEWMAC.  Hope they keep it going.

Great job by Coast Guard - when and how do the pairings work for the next round (of 16)?

Way to go CGA!  They win on the floor of NESCAC champs Trinity.  Go NEWMAC.  Wonder if Coast Guard will get some love in the national rankings now...

There are at least 5 players I would take over Coleman for POY (and even more I would take over him 1 on 1). 


Abovedarim - Are you being serious, or merely provocative?  Bartolatta is far and away the most complete player in the NEWMAC.  Teams do not shadow Coleman with their best defender, along with doubling him when he has the ball.  Don't get me wrong - AC is a terrific player, great competitor, should be a NEWMAC all star (second team), but he's not even the MVP of his own team; I'd give that to Kirkland.

Who are the league all stars?  My cut:

First team: Bartolatta, MIT, Kirkland, WPI, Alexander, CLK, Prebeck, CGA, G.Johnson, CGA
Second team: Etten, BAB, Sowers, CGA, Coppola, WHE, Coleman, WPI, Normandin, CLK

toughest vote: Normandin over Strawson and/or Soumare.
toughest ommission: G.Johnson

Honorable mention: K. MacDonald, BAB, Leo, WHE, Daly (heck all the starters), SPR

Comments?  When are the selections made?

It will be interesting to see how they can get after Capola on Saturday as I see he had a great game tonight.

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Interestingly enough, Coppola had a 'quiet' 27 points - not his usual long range bombing but more up-fake and drive layups.  Wheaton will be the underdogs vs. CGA, but they certainly could win, especially on a neutral court.  I think Babson (congrats to them on getting past a tough Springfield team) is a relatively tough match-up for WPI.  Should be a good doubleheader on Saturday.

BTW, Wheaton and Clark have played similar games all 3 times this season: close, taut, multiple lead changes, down to the final possession.  This time Wheaton hit all their free throws, and Clark did not make some plays down the stretch.  Ironically the Lyons got the break on a questionable charge call on Alexander with 11 seconds left (he'd been getting the calls when initiating contact all game).

>>MIT the sleeper team this year? I would think they would have the best shot to come from a lower seed and do some damage in the NEWMAC playoffs. Although they have lost 7 in a row. I think with everyone back healthy and not sick they should have a good chance...What are you thoughts on the playoffs?<<

Unfortunately for MIT, they have CGA in the first round, which I think is the toughest team not named WPI in the conference.  With everyone healthy, I give them the edge over the other two first round home teams - but I am picking CGA to make the championship round again this year.  I am hoping my Lyons can get past Clark, who has edged them twice already.  Babson-Springfield is a real toss up, but if forced I go with Springfield - a lot depends on how the game is officiated, whether Strawson is allowed to use his arm-bar to creat space in the post.  SO, I say WPI, CGA, Springfield and Wheaton advance.  Others?

I could not tell if WPI was that good or my Lyons were that dysfunctional, but that was the worst drubbing I have ever seen, at any level.  It seemed like the few shots WPI missed they managed to get the offensive board, while Wheaton was experimenting with the Duke spread offense, which ended up in a lot of (futile) one-on-one attempts.  It will be interesting to see if these guys can re-group and play well this weekend at Clark.

Meanwhile, WPI has earned their top seed, and any NEWMAC team hoping to upset them will have to play their absolute best game.  It does look like CGA is rounding into shape, and I would give them the best chance.  But everyone else is capable of winning, on any given night.

Missed the game in Springfield today, but sounds like it got ugly.  PrideFan, can you shed any light on the proceedings?  And congrats - Pride obviously played well down the stretch and your guy had a nice game.

<<babson got out to a 23-1 start over wheaton today and held on to a 4 pt win (77-73) thanks to Zach Etten shooting 12-12 from the stripe with 26 points... babson is now 4-4 in the conference looking to get that home court advantage in the first round of the newmac tourney. babson is very streaky, but when they playing thier best, they look pretty unstoppable..>>

This was a very exciting game (in response to PrideFan), but I would hardly call Babson unstoppable.  Hats off to Zach Etten, who played like the all-NEWMAC player many thought he would be when he first entered the league, and Kyle MCDonald is a really nice player - but Babson got a lot of breaks from the officials which, in my opinion, really helped to determine the final outcome.  One official called the last play an and-one, but was over-ruled and it was called a charge.  Wish I had the film to share.  Congrats to Springfield on winning on a last second heave - they used up Wheaton's karma with Clarke, who won on an Alexander 40-footer at the buzzer earlier this season. 

I still say that on any given night, any NEWMAC team is capable of beating any other - although WPI has certainly earned their first place position.

>>This game has huge implications for the NEWMAC tournament seedings.  If MIT had won, there would be a 3-way tie for first among WPI, Clark, and MIT.  With WPI's victory, they are now in command.  I don't see Clark as good enough to beat WPI in the coming rematch and pull themselves into a tie.  Babson is Jekyll and Hyde good, but so far only at home, and they must still travel to WPI for their rematch, as well as to MIT, to CG, and to Wheaton.  All the games among the "lower 6" are almost toss ups in this league.  The top seed in the NEWMAC tournament not only gets a bye but also the home court.  We have seen the home court is often all that separates teams in this league.<<

Absolutely agree that WPI seems to be emerging as top dog yet again this year - they were really committed on defense in the game I saw, and they have been very consistent in league play.  I do not understand how Coast Guard has gone only 2-4 on the first go-around.  They were so good at the end of last year, and added the better Johnson.

I'm wondering how PrideFan enjoyed the Coppola show last night.  Kid can score, eh?  Strawson is a very large presence insifde, and Springfield's starters run a very pretty flex offense, but its tough to win without any bench contribution.  It looked to me like they wore down at the end.

Quote from: pridefan on January 28, 2008, 07:02:21 PM
Any Lyons fans out there have an update on Wheaton's performance so far?  Springfield plays Wheaton this Wed and I'm curious about your opinion  and observations.

DiGiovanna seems to be playing fewer minutes this year vs last - why is that?  Coppola's emergence has reallocated minutes among the guards which can sometime cause chemistry issues.  How is it going?

What would you recommend for a fan to look for to tell if they are playing their intended game?

Just by watching their stats, it seems that Springfield faces another test to stop Coppola like they faced with K. McDonald at Babson.

This will be a big game for a Wheaton team that has dropped three straight.  From what I have seen, CGA and WPI are the top teams, but everyone else has a chance on any given night.  There are no easy games in this conference.  To answer your questions, DiGiovana suffered a leg injury in December, and has been building back since - he has started the last two games.  Coppola is one of four (three starting) freshman guards who have seen major minutes.  They are a talented group who will only get better, but they are freshmen.  Coppola is one heck of a scorer.  I am not sure they have determined a true identity as a team.  They win when they play solid defense, and minimize their turnovers.

Eric Johnston basically dropped out of Wheaton - seems it was not a good fit academically.

It will indeed be interesting to see how the freshmen guards handle the intensity and pressure of NEWMAC games.  There are no easy wins, no easy games, in the conference.  I would have to make Coast Guard the favorite to finish on top with the re-addition of the other Johnson, but everyone else looks good.  Even though they have poor records thus far, Babson and Springfield have played very tough non-conference schedules.

I will say this about Wheaton: Cappola is a heck of a scorer.