MBB: Little East

[MeOak21]

Fair enough. My comment regarding Holbrook was based on how Keene State did against him (he had 13 and 7 vs. Keene) and I figured RIC might do better given that  RIC has bigger post players than KSC. I think you could probably agree with me that that makes at least a little sense even if it turned out to be wrong.
Either way, hindsight is 20/20. What do you think about the upcoming string of games for UMD?
home vs. UMass Boston- not a likely challenge but recently beat RIC
home vs. USouthern Maine- impressive of late with 2nd semester additions
at Tufts- struggling in the NESCAC but dangerous
at Keene- struggling but dangerous
home vs. RIC- loses to UMB somehow but obviously capable

Any of these game worry you in particular?

modified to add game locations

[broke_ya_ankles]

if im umd im trying to take things 1 game at a time but thats much easier said than done, UMB should be nothing of a challenge whatsoever but if for whatever reason dartmouth is looking past them it could be a bit of a game, USM gave dartmouth a game up in gorham 1st semester final score being 58-50 i believe and this was before the addition of the 2nd semester stars, with that being said i still think dartmouth will take care of this game 10+ at least.  @ tufts, now that game should be a dandy, its very safe to say they would not be 9-7 if they were in any other new england conference other than the nescac.  this team is very very dangerous and i personally think has a tremendous chance of knocking off dartmouth call it an actual prediction, darmouth will suffer their first loss of the season @ tufts.  it will be tough to come back and rebound against a talented keene team but I dont see that game being as much of a challenge as it could be, and then with RIC visiting I think UMD will be back into form and again hold off the visitors

a little more reasoning as to why I think tufts will win, they recently had an 8 game roadtrip and recently returned home for a 7 game homestand which they lost the first one to bates in OT.  they have a very winnable but potential tough game vs WNEC, followed by a very difficult game with red hot conn college before getting to beat up on wesleyan before their game against dartmouth.  so tufts should be more than settled in at home feeling comfortable, should have a decent crowd and a tough gym to play in as is, add that to the opportunity to play the spoiler and its got the makings for a great night for tufts fans

[eclinchy]

I love what I've seen from UMD this year, but I think Tufts is a bad matchup for them.  Holbrook's a great big man but he's got to contain two Tufts bigs in Pierce and Weitzen, and also Tufts has three great athletic defenders at guard (Black, O'Keefe, Gallant) to slow down Freeman.  UMD-Tufts should be a very close game.

Tufts, Keene and RIC, two of the three on the road, is one hell of a week.  I'd be really impressed if the Corsairs made it through that exhausting stretch unscathed.

[MeOak21]

I'm not disagreeing that Tufts could beat them but looking at some of the reasons you gave brought these few things to mind.
Weitzen is not really a "big man" and Holbrook won't have to guard both Pierce and Weitzen. You are right though that they are unique players that could cause matchup problems for most teams. I'm not very familiar with UMD's other post/forward defenders so I can't comment on that. If anyone has some input on that I'd be glad to hear it.
Freeman is faster/quicker than any of the guards that Tufts will defend him with. He should cause more problems for them defensively than they'll cause for him. He is averaging around 3.5 steals a game and leading the LEC in that statistic.
If Tufts can keep Freeman out of the paint or force him to pull up and take his own shot once he gets there then they will have a much better chance to beat them. If Freeman is in the 6-10 assists range and finishes with his usual 10 or so points, it could be rough.

modified for grammar

[eclinchy]

I'll admit that I haven't seen that much of UMD, but I get the impression that Tynes, being 6'5, 210, isn't the strongest guy to have in the paint against a massive force like Weitzen.  Maybe he isn't a "big man" in the strictest definition of the term, but he's as much of a big man as a 6'3" guy can ever be.  He's a force to reckon with on the boards.  I'd warn UMD fans to worry about Holbrook competing with Pierce and Weitzen for rebounds.

Don't underestimate Jeremy Black -- he's very, very quick and should make for a great matchup with Freeman.

[MeOak21]

Yes, Weitzen is a strange combination of talent and unusual body frame and I won't disagree that he is capable of using that frame to move people around in the paint to secure some rebounds. "Massive force" is a bit much but I like the enthusiasm.
I don't think anyone will underestimate Black. He's a good player but he's just not quicker/faster than Freeman. He can, on the other hand, shoot the 3 ball way better. It'll be a good one.
In all honesty, I want UMD to win for 3 reasons.

1. So Keene can get another shot to break their streak.
2. To help spotlight the LEC
3. I get sick of hearing about the NESCAC all the time

[Pat Coleman]

You'll like Around the Nation:
http://www.d3hoops.com/nation/

[eclinchy]

You'll also like today's Tufts Daily...

[/shamelessplug]

[MeOak21]

Thanks for the heads up on the Around the Nation article and the Tufts Daily. Good stuff.

It'd be nice if there were some USM posters on here to give their two cents about whats going on in Gorham right now. I know they probably aren't used to checking out this forum on the men's side of things.

[KSCfan]

UPSET ALERT! you heard it here first for no reason other than a hunch(and an overtime loss at home) i am picking keene to knock off ric this weekend in RIC.  I know its in RIC and keene struggles in that gym but im going on a hunch that keene will continue the solid play that they showed at eastern on tuesday and knock off the Anchorman.  Also looking forward to seeing UMD in person a week from saturday as the corsairs come rolling into keene.  Buzz around keene has already started about that one. 

on a side note what is a corsair.  The mascot is a pirate but i thought it was a wwII fighter plane, but the pirate and the plan dont match anyone know?  Maybe corsair is just a fancy name for a pirate?

[eclinchy]

Maybe corsair is just a fancy name for a pirate?

Yep.

[KSCfan]

My big upset alert was a big bust as keene lost at RIC.  I watched the game on RIC's tv webcast which is done very well may i add.  I thought they had good announcers and an amazing picture so it was nice to be able to watch the game from home.  I am now convinced that Keene plays to the level of thier competition.  They now have an overtime loss to RIC and overtime loss To UMD and a very close loss to RIC from yesterday.  It seems that when they play good teams like RIC an UMD they play up to thier level and when they play weaker teams they play down to their level.  If the owls want to be contenders they need to maintain a higher level of play.   

[ILive4This]

Want to show your support for UMD, RIC and more? well then why not vote in the regional poster's poll. Send your top 10 to me by 8pm tonight!

[hoops]

So far who's going to win POY? I believe its between Holbrook and Kathan. holbrook is the best player on the best team and one of the best players in the conference. While Kathan is on a good team but the best player in the conference. Any others worth mentioning?

[broke_ya_ankles]

best player on best team doesnt mean anything when it comes to individual honors, for instance a couple years ago when the pistons were the best team in the league they didnt have a single person worth mentioning as a top 10 finalist for MVP.  It should hands down go to the best player in the conference, obviously part of being a great player is leading you're team to a winning record, with that being said.

I dont think there is any doubt or argument for anyone outside of Holbrock.  Not only has he led his team to wins, but he is:
7th in scoring at 14.7ppg
1st in rebounds at 10.7 (2nd place is a 2 rebounds/game behind him)
3rd in FG % at 54%
4th in Assists! at 3.26
11th in blocks at .68
3rd in assists/turnover ration at 1.82


no one even comes close to matching what he does in terms of production, it really shouldnt even be close in voting