MBB: Little East

7express · January 15, 2012, 07:54:23 PM

Keene over RIC 92-91.
RIC got outscored 22-11 the final 3:43 of the game. They had a 4 point lead with 15 seconds to play. If they don't turn the ball over, they win, simple as that.

Eastern creams Boston 82-52.
They've won 11 straight after starting 1-1. They beat Western Tuesday, their officially in the drivers seat for the time being, but I'll talk more about this Monday.

Dartmouth 61-48 over USM
Huskies lead 29-27 at halftime. Lance Greene lead the Corsairs with 15, Jeremy Jackson lead the HUskies with 16. Nice win for Dartmouth, they've had a tough start since the calendar turned to 2012.

Plymouth state with the upset against Western 82-72
What's not noticed in the boxscore is on a free throw in the first half, DaQuan Brooks became Western's all-time leading scorer, he now officially tops the school scoring chart. As for this game: no consistant 2nd option behind DaQuan (Gary Robinson had 13 no one else had more than 8), Mark Redding got hurt late in the first half and didn't return, while Michael Jensen was in uniform and didn't play, so we were already short handed. Early in the game, Brooks got hit hard by a PSU player, not making excuses, and might not be why he shot bad, but he really didn't shoot the ball well, and I wonder if that was the problem. Also, Plymouth got 2 free throws that occured as the first half buzzer founded on an absolutely horrible foul call on Micahel Kennedy. PSU was down 1 at the time, and converted both free throws. Instead of trailing by 1 at the break, they lead by 1 at the break and never trailed again after that. I also stopped by the Brandeis Rochester game Friday night on the way up, and this game was the EXACT carbon copy of that game: both Brandeis and Plymouth are a lot better then their record indacte (Brandeis 7-5, Plymouth 4-8 at the time). Both had lost to all the teams they were expected to (Brandeis lost to RIC, Clark and Salem state, Plymouth lost to Amherst and Salem). Both teams had a good win on their schedule (Brandeis home against Amherst, Plymouth on the road at Elms and Tufts), and each team had a questionable loss that is a head scratcher (Brandeis home against Lasell, Plymouth @ Boston). However, both teams played tough schedules, so their records are deceiving, but with that said, Rochester was a better team overall then Brandeis and Western is better overall than Plymouth. Each team played a good first half (Rochester was up three, Western down 1), and each team got knocked out in the 2nd half, and once they fell couldn't stand up. There was 1 point in the 2nd half where Brandeis converted on 8 of 10 field goals which inluded 7 straight in a stretch, and with free throws scored at least 1 point on I believe 12 or 13 possessions down the court to really blow out Rochester. In the Western Plymouth game, Plymouth had an answer for everytime we would get it to within one possession, and late in the second half only down 5 or 6, Plymouth state was driving, player got fouled, threw up a total circus shot that miraculously went in, hit the free throw to go up 8 or 9, and Western was never a threat after that. It's remarkably scary how much of a coincidence those two games were.

Tuesday schedule (rivalry day):
Dartmouth @ RIC
Plymouth @ Keene
Western @ Eastern
So Maine @ Boston. Will post predictions tomorrow.

7express · January 16, 2012, 02:40:07 PM

Tuesdat rivalry predictions:

Dartmouth 56 @ RIC 92.
Dartmouth hasn't been very good against the top teams. Got absolutely destroyed @ Keene, lost by double digits at home to Eastern, and played Western tough on the road but albeit suffered a loss. RIC will be hungry at home after coming off a loss, and I think really amp up the defensive pressure after giving up a shockingly high an uncharactoristic 92 points last time out.

PLymouth 72 @ Keene 89.
Plymouth is better then the 5-8 record indicates, but Keene just has too many weapons.

USM 65 @ Boston 62.
Currently the only LEC team without a win, they change that.

Western 73 @ Eastern 70.
Best game of the day by far and could be one of the games of the year. If Eastern wins, they'll be in the drivers seat for the conference; they'd be at least 2 up on both RIC & Western. Even though Eastern still has to play road games at those two teams the second half of the season (and Keene twice after this), RIC & Western still have yet to play each other, so at least 1 of those teams is guaranteed at least a 3rd loss in the conference by 10:00 PM next Tuesday night (if Eastern wins). This game will have the best offensive player on the court for either team (DaQuan Brooks for Western), and the best defensive player on the court for either team (Jamie Kohn for Eastern), I'd assume Geitner puts Kohn on Brooks, so whichever side can come up with more plays that side will win. Eastern has a more balanced scoring attack then the Colonials do, but if DaQuan is shooting the ball well (and he's showed up to play in big games), he can single handily carry the team on his back by him. This could end up being the biggest regular season game in Eastern's history under Geitner, lets see how they come out. Students move in the 17th (which is that day), so hopefully they pack the place because classes don't start until the next day, so there's no excuse for the students not to show up if their back at school. I know Western can bounce back from a tough loss to defeat a good team on the road, how will Eastern handle being expected to win, that could be the difference?? If Eastern comes out flat like Keene did last week they lose no doubt, if they come out firing, shut down DaQuan, they could win in a blowout. I think it'll be somewhere between the 2; neither team has a lead greater then 8 points the entire game, but Brooks rallies the Colonials from five down with 2;00 minutes left to escape Willimantic with the win (..........hopefully, sorry ECSUalum and Warrior

)

Massey ratings:
RIC 70-57 (90%)
Keene 87-75 (90%)
USM 69-66 (62%)
Eastern 78-69 (84%). I know it's an arbitrary number and has no bearing on how the game will play out, but that seems kind of high.

ECSUalum · January 16, 2012, 05:03:43 PM

Quote from: 7express on January 16, 2012, 02:40:07 PM
Tuesdat rivalry predictions:

Dartmouth 56 @ RIC 92.
Dartmouth hasn't been very good against the top teams. Got absolutely destroyed @ Keene, lost by double digits at home to Eastern, and played Western tough on the road but albeit suffered a loss. RIC will be hungry at home after coming off a loss, and I think really amp up the defensive pressure after giving up a shockingly high an uncharactoristic 92 points last time out.

PLymouth 72 @ Keene 89.
Plymouth is better then the 5-8 record indicates, but Keene just has too many weapons.

USM 65 @ Boston 62.
Currently the only LEC team without a win, they change that.

Western 73 @ Eastern 70.
Best game of the day by far and could be one of the games of the year. If Eastern wins, they'll be in the drivers seat for the conference; they'd be at least 2 up on both RIC & Western. Even though Eastern still has to play road games at those two teams the second half of the season (and Keene twice after this), RIC & Western still have yet to play each other, so at least 1 of those teams is guaranteed at least a 3rd loss in the conference by 10:00 PM next Tuesday night (if Eastern wins). This game will have the best offensive player on the court for either team (DaQuan Brooks for Western), and the best defensive player on the court for either team (Jamie Kohn for Eastern), I'd assume Geitner puts Kohn on Brooks, so whichever side can come up with more plays that side will win. Eastern has a more balanced scoring attack then the Colonials do, but if DaQuan is shooting the ball well (and he's showed up to play in big games), he can single handily carry the team on his back by him. This could end up being the biggest regular season game in Eastern's history under Geitner, lets see how they come out. Students move in the 17th (which is that day), so hopefully they pack the place because classes don't start until the next day, so there's no excuse for the students not to show up if their back at school. I know Western can bounce back from a tough loss to defeat a good team on the road, how will Eastern handle being expected to win, that could be the difference?? If Eastern comes out flat like Keene did last week they lose no doubt, if they come out firing, shut down DaQuan, they could win in a blowout. I think it'll be somewhere between the 2; neither team has a lead greater then 8 points the entire game, but Brooks rallies the Colonials from five down with 2;00 minutes left to escape Willimantic with the win (..........hopefully, sorry ECSUalum and Warrior )

Massey ratings:
RIC 70-57 (90%)
Keene 87-75 (90%)
USM 69-66 (62%)
Eastern 78-69 (84%). I know it's an arbitrary number and has no bearing on how the game will play out, but that seems kind of high.

7,

Nice write-up as usual. Should be a great game. Lets hope everyone on the Colonials are healthy.

Eastern really has something to prove here, ie that they have become the dominant team in the LEC for the first time in a long while. We still have a ways to go, but I like ECSU's defense these days, and the balanced scoring not only among starters but good scoring off the bench, (Hundley shot 5 straight 3,s last game!!!), makes them more dangerous. And if Salzillo can get hot, he can go toe to toe with Brooks, and if that happens..... the boys can put a lot of points on the board in a hurry.

May the best team win!!!

warrior · January 16, 2012, 10:40:52 PM

New poll is out - ECSU #25 in the nation! Unfortunately, with a loss tomorrow, it could be one of the shortest visits ever in the top 25! A win, on the other hand would prove we belong. As ECSUAlum says, "May the best team win!"

7express · January 17, 2012, 01:57:57 AM

Eastern made a HUGE jump, IIRC they were #39 (going by # of votes) last week. I know a lot of teams in front of them lost this week, but is really beating Dartmouth, Presque isle & Boston enough to jump 14 spots in the poll?? Western & RIC both drop out of the poll with their losses Saturday; RIC falls to #26, Western falls to #31.

Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) · January 17, 2012, 07:46:39 AM

Quote from: warrior on January 16, 2012, 10:40:52 PM
New poll is out - ECSU #25 in the nation! Unfortunately, with a loss tomorrow, it could be one of the shortest visits ever in the top 25! A win, on the other hand would prove we belong. As ECSUAlum says, "May the best team win!"

There have been shorter. I forget the team, but one year a team got in at #24, but we didn't know it because they lost Monday afternoon before the poll even came out. Obviously they were in the poll for the whole week, but everyone knew the run was over.

augie_superfan · January 17, 2012, 09:42:15 AM

Quote from: 7express on January 17, 2012, 01:57:57 AM
Eastern made a HUGE jump, IIRC they were #39 (going by # of votes) last week. I know a lot of teams in front of them lost this week, but is really beating Dartmouth, Presque isle & Boston enough to jump 14 spots in the poll?? Western & RIC both drop out of the poll with their losses Saturday; RIC falls to #26, Western falls to #31.

Looking at it as jumping 14 positions is misleading Instead, look at it as them gaining 49 points, which averages only about 2 positions on the average ballot

ECSUalum · January 17, 2012, 01:51:02 PM

As I have been saying all along, just keep winning and the polls will come around to your favor. WCSU and RIC should be OK, Western will take a loss tonight

, but will then gain ranking later in the season,( ie keep winning!!). Lets hope all three LEC teams get ranked at some point as we go forward, this will be great for the conference. I am sure we already have the NESCAC/NEWMAC boys thinking ahead to the NCAA's and having to play one or more of the "LEC THREE"

http://nutmeg.easternct.edu/mt-static/athletics/2012/01/m-basketball-warriors-move-into-top-25.html

Congrats to Coach Geitner and the Warriors for their first D3hoops poll ranking!!!!

PS Also Congrats to the Wesleyan Univ. Cardinals for entering into the top 40. I see them moving up fast as we move toward the end of the season

ECSUalum · January 17, 2012, 01:59:27 PM

D3hoops.com men's Top 25, Week 7
Through games of Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012:

# School (1st votes) Rec/Pts/Prev.
1 Middlebury (22) 14-0 622 1
2 Virginia Wesleyan (2) 13-1 595 2
3 MIT (1) 16-0 575 3
4 Amherst 13-1 547 5
5 UW-Whitewater 15-1 500 9
6 Mary Hardin-Baylor 15-0 494 8
7 Hope 14-1 450 11
8 Emory 13-1 448 4
9 Whitworth 13-2 428 10
10 Cabrini 14-1 388 13
11 UW-Stevens Point 13-3 343 15
12 Claremont-M-S 14-0 319 17
13 Franklin and Marshall 14-1 310 7
14 Birmingham-Southern 14-1 266 19
15 Williams 13-3 237 12
16 Wabash 13-2 211 14
17 Illinois Wesleyan 13-2 206 25
18 William Paterson 13-2 159 --
19 Augustana 11-4 120 6
20 St. Thomas 10-3 103 --
21 Wittenberg 12-3 99 --
22 Wheaton (Ill.) 12-3 97 --
23 New York University 12-1 87 --
24 Wooster 12-3 60 16
25 Eastern Connecticut 12-1 57 --

Dropped out: No. 18 Puget Sound, No. 20 Rhode Island College, No. 21 Buffalo State, No. 22 Oswego State, No. 23 Western Connecticut, No. 24 WPI.

Others receiving votes: Rhode Island College 56; Oswego State 47; Transylvania 42; Washington U. 39; Bethany 37; Western Connecticut 26; Lake Forest 24; Worcester Polytech 18; Hampden-Sydney 16; Ohio Wesleyan 16; UW-River Falls 16; Hardin-Simmons 16; Wesleyan 10; Christopher Newport 6; Puget Sound 6; St. Joseph's (L.I.) 6; Mary Washington 6; John Carroll 5; St. Mary's (Md.) 4; Randolph-Macon 4; Grinnell 2; DePauw 1; North Central (Ill.) 1.

LECFAN32 · January 17, 2012, 10:14:36 PM

eastern tops western 74-61

western was without mark redding and mike jensen, two starters and guys that produce and also have high basketball iq's. after a quick start by western which saw them lead by double digits early one it was all eastern from that point forward. i know they were without key players but the colonials WILL NEVER beat good teams being so one dimensional, especially when those shots come without even making ONE pass being made as was the case on many occasions, this game could still have come down to the last couple posessions if played with discipline and a game plan. hopefully these guys get healthy and this team gets back to playing as team ASAP.

eastern was a pleasure to watch and run thir sets crisply and with precision. going to whoever had the best matchup at that moment.i.e.- robitaille when barnes was covering him in the first half on high lows, pushing the ball to levy on the break or on the perimeter vs robinson..or nedwick the whole game ( my opinion- the best OVERALL player on the floor, soon to be 3 time first team all lec and 4 time all defensive player, has led team in scoring, assists, and steals last 3 years without being a volume shooter which allows other players to develop which in turn has improved the team gradually). look of a team who will be playing well into febuary.

amh63 · January 17, 2012, 10:17:26 PM

ECSU...Contrats to your team for making the top 25...somewhat late I know.
Should also congrat. your school for beating WCSU tonight. Seems that your team's balanced offense overcame the 33 points from Mr. Brooks. Does anyone else on the WCSU team ever get the ball?
Yes, I'm hoping that ECSU will play Amherst at Amherst....as Amherst host one of the regional NCAA sites....like WPI did last year.
Wishful thinking since Amherst lost to Wes. at Wes. by 1 tonight. Amherst needs to work on its foul shooting if it wants to win their conference and host a post season game.

AllStar · January 17, 2012, 10:30:23 PM

Tuesday Results
Eastern tops Western, 74-61. As already mentioned, Brooks scored 33 but nobody else contributed much. ECSU continues to play very well.

Southern Maine clips UMass-Boston, 72-71 in Boston, as John Sewall hit a three with three seconds left to give the Huskies the 1-point advantage, and eventual victory.

Keene State drops Plymouth State, 71-61. Owls trailed 40-37 at the break, but took control in the second half, holding Plymouth to 21 points in the half.

Rhode Island College rebounds to down UMass-Dartmouth, 61-57. Akinrola scored 19 for the Anchormen.

Standings:
1. ECSU 6-0
2. KSC 5-1 (1 GB)
3. WCSU 4-2 (2 GB)
RIC 4-2 (2 GB)
5. UMD 2-4 (4 GB)
6. USM 1-5 (5 GB)
---------------
PSU 1-5 (5 GB)
UMB 1-5 (5 GB)

warrior · January 17, 2012, 10:36:47 PM

Oh my goodness! That one was scary for a while - especially when we were down 8-18 and 12-20 before an 11-0 run got us back on track. It was just another great win with everyone doing for us what they do best. As for Western, I have to hand it to them - they have a great team. Our league is really tough from top to bottom. On Saturday we have Southern Maine who we only beat on a last second steal and then Keene and RIC! There is just no rest! It looks like RIC and Keene had some close calls too! Unbelievable! Go LEC!

LECFAN32 · January 17, 2012, 10:45:05 PM

amh- the answer is no.. and even less with 2 starters out of the lineup.

eastern was definitely the better team tonight.

warrior · January 17, 2012, 10:55:58 PM

Holy Cow! I just checked out the RIC - UMD play by play. UMD was up by 1 with 3 minutes left and UMD missed 7 free throws down the stretch to allow RIC to win by 4! That would have been a devastating loss for RIC and a great win for UMD. Similarly, Western only shot 4-10 from the free throw stripe. Something must have been in the air! I'm glad we have found our way out of our slump at the line. We shot horribly from the line for the first 7 games or so, but have done much better recently.

LECFAN - Yes, we were the better team tonight, but anyone who underestimates Western, or any team in this league for that matter, will likely get burned.