MBB: Little East

[amh63]

7express...Walzy  took up your request on the LEC vs. CAC games...check on board.

[ECSUalum]

Sorry ECSU, didn't mean to leave you out always like your contributions we've just lost a lot of pster on here it seems the last couple years: Used to be a few other Western fans that would post periodically, Argylle (RIC) guy I haven't seen in a while, LECFan still posts, but its usually only once a week or so, what happen to that Keene state fan from a few years back??  Now that Jamie's playing over in England Warrior doesn't chime in as much.  So for the most part it's just me doing the daily recap, and you doing Eastern bits.  Would like to have more discussions, but its hard to do when you can only be at 1 game a day and can only get so much from the boxscore.  I do try to watch every game on LEC.tv that I missed that week, but can't watch all 3 games in 1 night, however.

No problem bro, and I agree the posting has been a little light lately.  I saw warrior at the ECSU/RIC game, so he is still a big fan, but I sometimes think once a son/daughter graduates, some parents, lose interest in posting as regularly, although warrior mentioned he would post from time to time. I think the other Colonial fans may be a little frustrated with the team and are refraining from posting anything.

I tell you Coach Walsh and the Anchormen came out with a vengence on Sat, and you could tell their intensity by the way Walsh went ballistic a couple of times when a call went against RIC and he disagreed, so they were extremely focused to get the win vs Eastern. In a way this may be OK for the Warriors as they now will have to be fired up for the LEC Tourney.  Ives was missed, but this game was good experience for Preston, as he will have to learn to protect the ball better up against excellent pressure, (Ethan Gay), like he saw Saturday. Hopefully, Joe will be Ok for the next LEC game.  I do not think we will see him vs Wesleyan.

[7express]

Tuesday schedule:

Colby-Sawyer @ Plymouth.
After starting the season 1-1, Plymouth has lost 13 of their last 16 games to drop to 4-14 on the season.  Colby-Sawyer sits in 3rd place in the NECC with an overall record of 8-9 on the year, but have won 6 of their last 8.  Plymouth 69-68
Keene @ Middlebury.
Still a laxed team and a defense optional team for Keene.  Mid suffered their first loss of the season Saturday to Williams and last season ranked #1 and unbeaten Middlebury lost at Spaulding gymnasium, so Mid is hoping to rebound from both of those L's at home.  Points will probably be easy, Keene can score in bunches, and they still give up points in bunches, though they have been playing a lot better since the calendar flipped to 2013.  Middlebury 74-66
Amherst @ RIC.
This is a good test to see how far RIC's defense can take them in March.  Amherst has scored 64+ in all 19 games this season, have cracked 80+ 11 times, scored in triple digits twice, and ave averaging 82.4 ppg in their last 11 games.  RIC has only scored above 80 once in 18 games this season, and have only hit 70+ 3 times this season.  Even though the RIC defense is top 5 nationally in fewest points allowed, the offense HAS TO SCORE.  Amherst is good defensively, not as good as RIC.  Their only giving up 65.8 ppg in their last 11, but have given up 70+ 7 times this year.  Amherst probably wins anyways, because their more capable of scoring more consistantly then RIC is, but if RIC wants any chance, they need to find a way to keep this into the 50's.  If this gets into the 60's or 70's, Amherst is going to run them out of their own gym.  Amherst 60-52.
Western @ Conn College.
Both teams suck, Conn College probably more so then Western.  They are better on the road then at home, but all I need to know is this, however:
A) Each game, Western finds a new way to lose
B) Back to back home losses to TCNJ and WNEU and a neutral court loss to Penn state-Harrisburg
C).  We lost at Mitchell by 16 in a game that frankly wasn't even that close.  Conn College won @ Mitchell 8 days later by 9.
D) if Conn College can't beat us this year in their own gym then they might as well never schedule us again because they will NEVER have this good a chance to beat us, EVER.  Conn College 57-56
Tufts @ Dartmouth.
I still wanna know how this team beat Boston, that's the biggest mystery this year.  Since returning from a tournament in Missouri December 1 3-5, Tufts has won 9 of 11 to get their record to 12-7 and that started with a thrashing of Plymouth @ Plymouth.  Tufts 77-55
USM @ Colby.
The dreaded road sandwich game I loathe and talk about often.  USM had a hard faught overtime, come from behind victory @ Western Saturday and on Tuesday have a huge game with Keene state at home.  It's not often you get to use the "sandwich game" theory when talking about USM, but I'm afraid this is a game that won't be really up for.  Colby, under former Plymouth head boss Damien Strahorn, is 6-12 on the year and 1-7 in 8 games so far against schools from the state of Maine.  The only Maine schools they would have not played this season would be UNE & Maine-Presque Isle, but coming in they have losses to Maine-Farmington, Husson, Thomas, and lost twice to Maine NESCAC rivals Bates and Bowdoin each home and a away, and the lone Maine victory is against dreadful Maine-Maritime.  USM sleepwalks through the first, wakes up in time for the second.  USM 73-59.
 

[7express]

has been a little light lately.  I saw warrior at the ECSU/RIC game, so he is still a big fan, but I sometimes think once a son/daughter graduates, some parents, lose interest in posting as regularly, although warrior mentioned he would post from time to time. I think the other Colonial fans may be a little frustrated with the team and are refraining from posting anything.

I tell you Coach Walsh and the Anchormen came out with a vengence on Sat, and you could tell their intensity by the way Walsh went ballistic a couple of times when a call went against RIC and he disagreed, so they were extremely focused to get the win vs Eastern. In a way this may be OK for the Warriors as they now will have to be fired up for the LEC Tourney.   Ives was missed, but this game was good experience for Preston, as he will have to learn to protect the ball better up against excellent pressure, (Ethan Gay), like he saw Saturday. Hopefully, Joe will be Ok for the next LEC game.  I do not think we will see him vs Wesleyan.

You obviously want to win every game, or as many games as you can, but I think losses on Saturday by both Eastern men and the USM women to their closest competition in the standings will actually help both of those teams moving forward if they meet up in the LEC tournament.  Eastern already beat RIC @ RIC, so if they play RIC there in the tournament they'll have motivation from the last defeat and confidence knowing they won at the same place earlier in the season.
in the USM women's case they got blown out as an undefeated, nationally ranked team, and only won the game in Maine by I think it was 5 points, so if that matchup occurs in Maine again the LEC finals, and especially if USM goes in with that 1 L on the left side of the ledger they'll be like sharks in the water smelling blood.

[7express]

RIC up to 18 in the poll, once again  the only LEC team ranked:

D3hoops.com men's Top 25, Week 9



Through games of Sunday, Jan. 27:



#

School (1st votes)

Rec

Pts

Prev.



1

Rochester (23)

18-0

623

2



2

St. Thomas (2)

18-1

566

1



3

Whitworth

18-1

560

4



4

WPI

19-0

551

6



5

UW-Stevens Point

18-2

528

7



6

Middlebury

16-1

464

3



7

North Central (Ill.)

16-3

439

5



8

Wooster

17-2

436

8



9

Williams

17-2

394

9



10

Amherst

17-2

378

14



11

Catholic

17-2

353

10



12

Illinois Wesleyan

16-3

351

16



13

Ramapo

18-2

320

11



14

St. Mary's (Md.)

18-2

299

12



15

UW-Whitewater

15-4

285

13



16

Christopher Newport

15-2

247

15



17

Calvin

17-2

230

17



18

Rhode Island College

16-2

206

21



19

Hampden-Sydney

17-2

186

23



20

Wheaton (Ill.)

15-4

128

25



21

Washington U.

14-4

114

24



22

Transylvania

15-4

108

--



23

Rose-Hulman

17-2

100

--



24

Wesley

16-4

45

--



25

Brandeis

14-4

37

19


Dropped out: No. 18 Albertus Magnus; No. 20 Stevens; No. 22 Ohio Wesleyan.

Others receiving votes: Augustana 24; Albertus Magnus 22; MIT 22; St. Norbert 21; Emory 13; Stevens 11; Albright 9; Ohio Wesleyan 9; UW-Stout 7; Carroll 6; DeSales 5; Randolph 5; Richard Stockton 4; Mary Hardin-Baylor 4; Adrian 4; Centre 2; Lycoming 2; Cortland State 2; Virginia Wesleyan 2; Alvernia 1; SUNY-Old Westbury 1; Lynchburg 1.

[LECFAN32]

still watching all of the games, toned it down a bit because I was being a tad bit harsh towards the colonials, they have gotten much, much better and is fighting to the end in every league game, most of the time holding a lead for a large amount of time. after losing groski, who was ineligible as a result of one class, and failed to get an incomplete which would allow him to continue to play (and has happened a hundred times before) I realized that its just not their year and there is just too much turnover to overcome. There is promise for the future if guys return and they plug some holes, with a couple potential all conference talents in groski and starks/payton. express what happened to pelletier? injury? or just in the doghouse and or off the team I havent physically seen him on the court or bench in a while.

very impressed with the scorer from usm, really took over in a tough place to shoot.


congratulations to coach colbert for putting your 6'10 big with a soft touch and can jump out of the gym and can very well make money playing for those attributes alone back in the starting lineup, maybe hes been reading the blog? martin has had a bit of a rough go around this year, which is kind of surprising but on the other hand, although a great player is predictable on the offensive end. mariano seems to have stepped up into the go to scorer role, which he has had the talent to be, surprising that this came when he off the bench.

warriors and ric appear to be going down to the wire in this down year for the league, ecsu is who im rooting for but, ric is rugged to say the least this year..not a great matchup, as guys like garrow and ives seem to struggle against athleticism in the half court.

[7express]

LECFan: Pelletier tore his meniscus earlier in the year that's why he had been wearing a brace.  He had surgery last Friday and is out for the season.  Ryan McLaughlin is also out for the season with hepatitis and liver problems.

[7express]

Joe Groski's grade for changed and he is back on the team.  Will play tonight vs Conn College, not sure about starting.  Only at Western.

[7express]

Michael Jensen back on the roster.  I think it's a couple games too late, but at least I'm confident we can make a late season run, and possibly enough to win the LEC as a 4/5 seed.

[7express]

Conn college leading Western 35-22 at last check

[7express]

RIC, Mid and Tufts all lead at half

[7express]

Western about to lose to Conn College down 86-75 with less then a minute left.  Season sweeps at the hands of USM and Boston and losses to Mitchell and Conn College a season to forget

[ECSUalum]

74-65 Lord Jeffs over the Anchormen of Rhode Island College on the sharp and free throw shooting of Aaron Toomey. Very good game until last 3 min when Amherst pulled away.  Toomey is unbelievable young basktball player!!!!  RIC gave them a good game for 17 min, but in the end, could not contain Toomey.

Again, nice job by Matt Lopes on the play by play/commentary!!!!

[7express]

Awful nignt for the conference as RIC gives up 74, Keene gets crushed, and Western gets rolled by the punch less conn College Camels.  Ill have a full recap when I get back from Danbury.

[amh63]

Tough battle by RIC but Amherst prevails.  Contest will be impacted by the last one minute and 31 seconds or was it 33 seconds with Amherst up by seven or was it 5.  Those last minute and a half took over ten minutes to play and will be talked about more for the ten minutes of delay than the contest on the floor, IMO.  Sad but it was a game that will have a touch of Home cooking.  Glad the two head coaches have a long standing relationship for this OCC game.