Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 29, 2020, 04:39:55 PM

I'm watching Georgio Milligan play PG for the US Virgin Islands basketball team on ESPN+ right now.

Man, what a nightmare that guy was when he played against your team, but fun to watch otherwise

Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 07, 2020, 10:36:27 PM

Quote from: jmcozenlaw on March 07, 2020, 08:03:47 PM
I don't want to take anything away from Landry (especially given that he's coaching my alma mater) BUT.........................I'm not sure that I've ever seen a coach, especially one with the best team in the country, on their home court, bitch and bitch and bitch at the refs.

Jay Wright's future replacement?? Oh Lord, no way in you-know-where!!

He's not normally so vocal; although they rarely have games that are allowed to be that physical either.

Landry had every right to be extra vocal last night, because the refs didn't do the greatest job of keeping things under control. They didn't call a lot of fouls that they could have and made a couple of really, really questionable calls. Landry had every right to be upset......but at the end of the day, they found a way, again.

A lot of the players he mentioned were Honorable Mention players and not even Second Team players like he claimed they were, so I don't put any stock into the post

I also like how he puts an (LOL) next to the WAC guys....neither one of which was on the second team, as he claims, by the way...when they both were pretty much the reason why the team made back to back postseason appearances for the first time in literally 20 years

But, I digress. Let's all just enjoy the tournament, shall we?

Quote from: Ron Boerger on March 01, 2020, 08:33:45 PM
To whomever's bubble Trinity(TX) burst today, my sincere apologies.  What a time to go 4-31 on threes ...

Y I K E S. Yeah, that'll do it.

Swat will still host a pod next weekend, no question. Depending on whose left, as long as they take care of business, I suspect they've got a good chance at hosting all the way until the Final Four also.

Same can be said for JHU; I think the win last night certainly helps their hosting cause. All depends on travel and matchups.

Also, Swat/JHU, Round 4 in the NCAA's. Who says no to that?

It's all relative and different based on whose looking at it, I suppose. I just look at it from the standpoint of, Delaney's numbers are outstanding and he elevates the play of everyone around him, while also carrying the team at times when he has to. Whereas with O'Dell, the Garnet can have him off the floor for a while and they still click and roll along because that team is so incredibly deep.

I'm only mentioning these two, by the way, because I think it's between those two as to who wins it

And honestly, O'Dell might wind up being the guy who wins it, and I also wouldn't argue with it either. It's just, for me watching as many games as possible from afar (and seeing all of these guys in person once a year when they come to my gym), and for really anyone whose closely paid attention to the Blue Jays the last two years, I think we all know just how drastically different the Blue Jays have been, with and without Delaney on the floor, and that alone combined with his numbers is enough to push it over the top for me. But again, if it winds up being O'Dell, it wouldn't surprise me, and I couldn't argue too terribly much about it.

Player Of The Year: Delaney. He's the most important player in the entire league, and it's not even close. Take him off of JHU and they aren't in the position they're in. Swarthmore is so deep that even if they lose O'Dell, they would still be okay. Not the same, sure, but not a dramatic drop off.

Rookie Of The Year: Yeah, it has to be DeAngelo. He's been the guy now whose been pegged to fill the shoes of Cam Wiley and he's responded well.

Coach Of The Year: Doherty. Yes, if the Garnet finish off the undefeated regular season he'll get a lot of looks, and he should, but the Garnet were SUPPOSED to be good this year. But did ANYONE see Haverford being two wins shy of their school record, in the season after they graduated not one, but TWO 1,000+ point scorers? For that, it has to be Doherty, for me.

Quote from: Ron Boerger on February 11, 2020, 04:38:11 PM

The close loss to Tufts is by itself better than anything Scranton has done all season, but that defeat of Bowdoin is precisely what Scranton lacks - a signature win - and justifies the confidence the voters have placed in the Mammoths.

Praise

Wednesday night is coming! Another very important night in the CC. Lets get to it....

McDaniel @ Gettysburg: The Bullets are in need of a big win as they try to keep pack with Ursinus and Washington in the race for the 5 seed and are still licking their wounds after a couple of losses in a row. Getting McDaniel at home should be the remedy they need heading into another big matchup with Washington on the road on Saturday.

Dickinson @ Franklin & Marshall: These two teams go to battle with both pretty much out of the playoff picture. When's the last time that happened? We saw the Bryce Allen effect for Dickinson on Saturday as the Red Devils got up by 20 and held off a rally to hand a surprising loss to Ursinus. Will it be enough to lift them over an underpowering F&M team this year? This one came down to the wire the first time these teams met this year in Carlisle (F&M needed double OT, but picked up the win), and I think this one will be close too. Allen will be the best player on the floor, but Kupa I think will get a little bit more help and F&M completes the sweep (which means Dickinson will probably win now).

Haverford @ Muhlenberg: If the Mules are going to have ANY chance of a first round bye, they have to win this game....and probably the rest of their games too (they are currently three games behind Haverford with four games to go). A win by the Fords locks up a first round bye and most likely the 3 seed (barring a collapse by JHU or Swat). The Mules should be safe in terms of the playoffs (two games ahead of 5th) and are still in the drivers seat for being the home team in the 4/5 game, so a loss to the Fords here won't necessarily kill them. Which is a good thing, because I think Haverford wins. Speaking of Haverford, Coach Doherty has to be the CC Coach Of The Year, right? He graduates a pair of 1,000+ point scorers from a season ago and still has the Fords two wins shy of the school record for wins in a year with four games to go. Yes, I know the Garnet haven't lost yet, but they were expected to be really good. Haverford, on the other hand, was NOT expected to be the 3 seed.

Now, for the two biggest games of the night.....

Ursinus @ Washington: The frustrating season for the Bears continues. Top two scorers in the Centennial in Ryan Hughes and Ryan McTamney, and yet this group is so all over the place on a week by week....heck, even a game by game basis. Saturday was another example of that. As for Washington, a 4-2 stretch, with the losses coming in games in which they were right in it to the end against Muhlenberg and Swarthmore...have been followed up by two straight losses to Haverford and Johns Hopkins in which the Shoremen were down by 20 in the opening half in both and never recovered. The good thing is that everyone around them took losses as well, so as a result Ursinus is just one game ahead of the Shoremen for the 5 seed, and also level with Gettysburg in the standings as well. Three teams for one spot, separated by one game. How about that? Anyways....I know I've said this before but it's going to come down to which Ursinus team shows up. If the Bears make shots and build a lead early, it might be tough for WAC to recover. If the Shoremen make a couple big plays early and get what's sure to be a fired up student section into it, it's game on. Washington hasn't beaten Ursinus at home since Rob Nugent was still the head coach, but that's a streak I think comes to an end tomorrow night. I'll take Washington in an extremely close affair, and one that can honestly go either way. If the Bears win, it's probably game over for WAC in terms of the playoffs (they would be two back of Ursinus with three games to go, plus the Bears would have the season sweep). If WAC wins, it's a tie with three games to go, and if Gburg takes care of business against McDaniel, the Bullets are only one game behind.....oh and yeah by the way, WAC hosts Gettysburg on Saturday. C-Town can change everything in the course of four days!

#1 Swarthmore @ #7 Johns Hopkins: As important as Ursinus/WAC is for the last spot in the playoffs, this is the game of the year in the CC and it's at the opposite end of the spectrum. Swat can virtually lock up the one seed with the win, while JHU can pull into a tie for first with three games to go. But, this game is much bigger than that. This game features the two teams that have been the class of the Centennial all year, the nations number one and last undefeated team, traveling into what is expected to be a VERY hostile environment to take on the #7 team in the country that has only gotten better and better since their loss to Swat back on December 10th, and even that was just a five point affair that could have gone either way. While Swat has still been winning, they've gotten quite a few scares lately...WAC, Ursinus, Gettysburg and Muhlenberg in the last two weeks, just to name a few. Is that because the Garnet are showing signs of vulnerability, or because, like I've said before, they're just getting everyone's best shot because of that #1 in front of their name? As for Johns Hopkins, they have the best player in the Centennial Conference in Conner Delaney.....yes, I said it. While Zac O'Dell for Swarthmore is a fantastic player and an All-American, and rightfully so, might I add, is there any player in the conference...maybe even the country...more important to their team than Delaney is to the Blue Jays? We saw it last year, when Delaney went out, the Blue Jays were a completely different team. With him back and at 100% now? The Blue Jays are flying high and dangerous. This should be the game of the year and I would be surprised if it winds up in a blowout either way. The thing with Swat is, because of how disciplined they are, you have to be damn near perfect to beat them. And Johns Hopkins is a team that's almost perfect...these teams are 1-2 in the conference in virtually every statistical category....except for one thing: rebounding. Swarthmore is far and away the best rebounding team in the league, and while the Blue Jays are still technically 2nd, the margin is staggering. JHU is +3.9, while the Garnet are a staggering +10.4. All it takes is a couple of rebounds in a row here and there to kickstart a small 4-0 or 6-0 spurt, and while that doesn't sound like a lot, in a game as close as this it makes all the difference. I think Swarthmore wins, but man, the margin is close. if the Blue Jays can be even or close to even in the rebounding battle, I like their chances. But I think Swarthmore does enough work on the glass to eke out a close win.


Enjoy the games everyone!

Quote from: Ron Boerger on February 11, 2020, 08:52:26 AM

Quote from: Rofrog on February 10, 2020, 07:22:06 PM
Please voters justify this how the hell does Scranton gain only 30 points over 3 weeks after beating the two teams that beat them early in the season?30 points but after 3 losses early in the season  you take 371 pts off them?

[disclaimer - not a voter]

Early season losses always cost more in any poll, and let's face it, beating Catholic (while a nice win) and .500 Elizabethtown are simply expected results given that Scranton is ranked and neither of them are.  The 1-point win at Susquehanna also didn't turn anyone's heads.  Losing to a team like Elizabethtown anytime during the season isn't a good look, and there are a lot of other 3-loss teams that don't have such a result on the resume. 

Let's have a look at the teams above you, who should voters rank Scranton above?

15.  Oglethorpe (23-1)?   One loss all season, early to 17-4 Emory & Henry.
14.  Augsburg (18-3)?   Similar early loss to 11-10 Puget Sound (after travelling to the West Coast), but other losses only to ranked one loss Bethel (by 4) and 16-5 Gustavus Adolphus.
13.  Trinity (18-3)?   Close losses to ranked UT-Dallas, ranked St Thomas (MN), and a 17-5 St Thomas (TX) team in the first year of their transition from NAIA to D3.  Also beat the George Fox team Scranton lost to by 19 to open the season.   
12.  Baldwin-Wallace (19-2)?   Losses to ranked Wartburg and ranked John Carroll, who have five losses combined.

I'm going to stop there.   

The other side of the equation are wins over ranked teams; unless I missed something, a win over #25 DeSales is Scranton's sole result over teams actually in the top 25 - there's no signature win screaming that the team deserves to be ranked higher.   When you look at the teams directly above you, it's hard to move Scranton up, and if you don't move up, you're not going to gain points in the poll.

Sums up my thoughts perfectly. When you're a team receiving quite a few preseason #1 votes and then lose to teams considerably below you in the rankings, you are going to tumble. Beating those same teams again doesn't mean you will rocket back up the polls, unless those teams also have high rankings, which they don't. As you said, those are teams they were expected to beat. Beating a team you are expected to beat doesn't turn heads of a lot of voters, especially when other teams around you in the polls are also posting wins over teams that are also ranked or above them in the rankings.

Not this year, that's for sure

Definitely going to shake my poll up this week, along with all my other top 25 losses that I have to sort out. What a week.

Let's take a peek at tonight's games, shall we?

Johns Hopkins @ Dickinson: Having Bryce Allen back and full go definitely changes things for Dickinson, but they still don't have enough horses to run with the Blue Jays.

Franklin & Marshall @ McDaniel: I don't know what to think of either one of these teams. The Dips should be the more talented team, but they have been so inconsistent this year that it's maddening from the outside looking in. 43 points at home over the weekend to Washington, who would have thought? McDaniel, they play hard, but they just don't have the pieces to run. I think F&M wins tonight, but honestly a Green Terror win wouldn't surprise me at this point.

Muhlenberg @ Swarthmore: While the Mules aren't locked into the 4 seed by any means, being 2 games clear of 5th and 2 games out of third pretty much solidifies their position at this point. The Mules are playing good ball, but Swarthmore is a whole different animal. What concerns me about the Garnet is that, even though they keep winning, they've looked real vulnerable against a couple of recent opponents (WAC, Gettysburg, hell Ursinus had them down by 10 with 10 minutes left). At some point I keep waiting for them to slip up, but they haven't done it yet. Could the Mules do it tonight? If they take care of the ball and shoot well, they've got a chance, but I still believe the Garnet win tonight.

And now, we get to the two biggest games of the evening.....

Gettysburg @ Ursinus: Two of the three teams scrapping for the 5th and final playoff spot clash tonight in Collegeville. The Bullets have cooled off a little after a hot start, but they are still a year ahead of schedule with a second year head coach and play some real good basketball. Ursinus, man, the Bears are maddening. They have the shooters and the talent to run with anybody.....it just depends on what night you catch them on. The Bullets won the first meeting this year by 12, and I think I like Gettysburg again tonight, but this is another game where if Ursinus won, especially at home, I wouldn't be shocked.

Haverford @ Washington: Washington comes in as the third team locked into that three team tie for the 5th and final playoff spot. Haverford has been dramatically better this year than they've been in a long time and find themselves in the 3 seed, two games clear of the Mules and 2 games behind JHU, so probably locked into that 3 seed you would think. They also handled WAC in the first meeting this year. Washington, meanwhile, has gone 4-2 in their last 6 games after enduring a 1-9 stretch and, much like last season when they snuck into the playoffs, are peaking at the right time. Daniel Brown has taken the giant leap this year and the consistent senior leadership around him is paying dividends. As far as the game tonight? On paper, the Fords should win. But anything can happen in front of a loud Cain Athletic Center crowd, and WAC has had a decent amount of success at home against Haverford lately. This game, to me, is truly a toss up. If the Fords play the way they want to play, they win. If there's any sort of deviance from that, I think WAC takes it.

Either way, it's a big night of implications for that 5 seed! Also, another note on that.....Ursinus and Gettysburg both have to travel to Washington next Wednesday and Saturday. Think those games will be big?

Quote from: noonhooper on February 02, 2020, 11:48:16 PM
In my experience being warned for a coach's box violation seems like a ref saying "I dont want to give you a T but I am tired of hearing from you" or "OK I blew a call, but I dont want to hear any more about it" 

Sounds about right!

Quote from: noonhooper on January 30, 2020, 01:24:31 PM
Well CCD3, you got me. But I think we both had a decent handle on the day's results.

I didn't realize that Bryce Allen had been out, he will definitely make Dickinson more competitive. When he and Hinckley were the guard duo that was a tough combo to beat.

Only thought on the Swat game is that refs are so inconsistent on verticality calls. I like the way WC plays, some of their off-ball cuts are really nice to open passing or driving lanes but when the guards go up into the air contact doesnt always have to be a foul. Washington's guards should try to negate height disadvantage with their speed, not with high school reffing.

Yeah, I agree. Looking at the stream of that game, both head coaches were hot with the refs and both actually got warned for being out of the coaches box, something that very rarely gets called. The game also played out virtually the same as the first meeting, WAC had a halftime lead, still led by 6 close to halfway through the second half, then Swat had basically one big run that swung the game.

Quote from: noonhooper on January 29, 2020, 03:07:12 PM
Anyone have any guesses for tonight's round of games?

Hopkins over McD
Mules over Devils
Swat over Wash
Those seem rather easy to predict, I never thought I'd see the day when McDaniel tried to slow the pace of a game against Swarthmore, they used to get DUDES up in Westminster. Curley still has them playing hard but they just dont have the edge they used to. And I feel a little badly for Seretti, he had a great squad for a long time then had chances to leave but decided to stay and now admissions is really holding them back (I believe). I think Swat will win but the midweek trek down to play at Washington is always tricky. Thats a long bus ride to play in a tough environment, so be ready for some bumpy moments early?

Bullets and Dips is such a strange game, both teams seem pretty up and down. But since Gburg won by 12 on the road I am going to go with... The Dips! Because picking upsets is fun.

Haverford at Ursinus is going to be fun. Every year the Bears have a five or six-game run where they win and everyone says "here we go! Bears are real!" This is the time- win this game and they have a chance for a nice run heading into the late season. I don't think the Bears should be considered a contender but I know people are going to be jumping on the bandwagon if they win tonight!

Johns Hopkins should roll. McDaniel, like you said, they play hard but they just don't seem to have the horses.

Muhlenberg should win, but Bryce Allen is back and at full strength for Dickinson and that kid is an absolute game changer. Red Devils will be better as a whole the second half of the year, strictly because of him.

Gettysburg seems to be a much better home team, plus the win over F&M earlier in the season I think gives them the confidence to go through and win tonight, but that should be close.

Haverford and Ursinus, well, depends on which Ursinus team shows up, the one with all the shooters or the one that looks incredibly average? My gut says Haverford but should be close either way.

Lastly, Swarthmore should win tonight, BUT, Washington led for the first 28-30 minutes or so the first time these teams played before Thanksgiving, and WAC is playing a lot better ball now than they were back then. But, Swat couldn't hit a shot to save their lives that night either. If the Garnet have even an average shooting night, that's better than most teams. My gut says the Garnet, but don't be surprised if this game is a little bit closer than expected. Nothing more than a gut feeling on that one. If WAC can hit some shots, they've got a chance. But if the struggle from the floor, watch out.