MBB: MAC Freedom League

[d3hoopstories]

DeSales Dominates
The Bulldogs (9-0) were easy winners yesterday and now feature eight players averaging between 6.5 and 11.1 points per game. This team gets after it on the glass as well, with a +8.5 margin in rebounding on the season. In sum, their top 4 three points shooters connect on nearly 40% of shots from long range. As a team, they assist on 55% of made field goals. If there is one weakness to watch, it would be that their two most frequent free throw shooters are just 59 of 105.

Lycoming Loses
The Warriors (6-3) suffered a heartbreaking loss on a last-minute tip in by Arcadia's Jalen Watkins yesterday. The turning point in the game was a 5-minute Lycoming drought in the middle of the second half, which allowed Arcadia to move ahead by 6. That drought coincided with Steven Hamilton picking up his fourth foul with about 12 minutes to play. Hamilton had picked up two fouls in the first six minutes of the game and was limited to just 2 of 9 field goals overall. In addition, Arcadia enjoyed a 42-28 advantage on points in the paint.

Wilkes Waits
The Colonels (5-3) had Saturday off to prepare for a Wednesday trip to Williamsport to face Lycoming, exactly eight weeks after a 34-point win over the Warriors, a game in which Wilkes limited the Warriors to just 29% shooting and led 35-15 at half. We expect a tighter affair this week with the winner emerging as the favorite for the #2 seed and a home semifinal in the MAC tournament. The Colonels are 7-2 when they reach 70 points but just 3-5 when they fall short of that mark.

Stevens Struggles to Start (Again)
Stevens (5-4) was once again plagued by a slow start and lost its fourth straight. The Ducks went 2-12 from the field to begin the game, with four missed layups and two turnovers in the first 6:30, after which they trailed 13-5. This continued a trend that began in the loss to Arcadia on January 11. During that four-game stretch, Stevens' starting guards are just 4-25 with five turnovers in the opening seven minutes. On the whole, the Ducks have been 7-20 on layups during those opening stretches. Look for Hurley to tinker with the starting lineup when the Ducks host Delaware Valley in Hoboken on Wednesday night. Reserve guard Alex Ratner provided a spark yesterday and it would not surprise us to see him get the nod. Goodall, a decent driver and defender, could then play off the ball.

[d3hoopstories]

Bulldogs' Bid Gets a Boost

DeSales (11-0 in conference) will be the #1 seed heading into the MAC Freedom tournament. But could the Bulldogs snag an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, if needed? Now 17-3, they will be heavy favorites in all five games remaining in the regular season. Winning out and adding a MACF semifinal victory would have them at 23-3 heading into the title game. Currently 27th nationally in Matt Snyder's efficiency ratings, the Bulldogs would certainly be mentioned among teams on the bubble at that point with a winning percentage above .850 even if they lose the championship game. The largest concern is that the remainder of the conference is relatively weak this year, leaving DeSales with just two or three "quality" wins on its resume.

Lycoming Limps Home from DeSales

After a huge OT win at home over Wilkes on Thursday, Lycoming (7-4) had a quick turnaround before a two-hour bus ride to DeSales for a Saturday afternoon game. Fatigue was evident at the start of the game, with the Warriors falling behind 15-4 and 29-12. For the game, the Warriors went 4-23 from behind the arc and lost 90-47 to the top team in the league. The good news? They get a bye on Wednesday and therefore have a week to rest and prepare for a home game against Delaware Valley next Saturday. That will be the first of four in which the Warriors are likely to be favored. Win all of those and they will lock up the second seed and be home for a MACF semifinal.

Cardiac Kids from Castle Point

How big was the Ducks' win at Wilkes yesterday without their top player Jack Spellman? It gave them sole possession of third place when a loss would have dropped them into a tie for sixth. More importantly, it means that Stevens has a season sweep of the Colonels, which could come into play to determine seeding for the MACF tournament. Now at 6-5 in conference play, Stevens remains one game back of Lycoming for second place. The two teams meet on February 18 in the final regular season game. But that is only a battle for second if the Ducks are tied or a game back. The more likely scenario is that a battle for 3rd place might come down to Stevens and Wilkes, which makes yesterday's win crucial for the Ducks to avoid the 4/5 play-in game. The Colonels still have four games left against top-7 teams, including two road games. The Ducks have just three games remaining against that group and two of those happen to be in Hoboken.

What a Week for Wilkes

The Colonels suffered two heartbreaking losses this week and now sit at 5-5 in conference play. On Thursday night, the Colonels trailed on the road at Lycoming 52-40 with 12:27 remaining and used a 20-4 run to grab a 4-point lead with 4:48 remaining. Perhaps because of the energy expended during that stretch, they managed only one more field goal in regulation and lost in OT when Lycoming's Steven Hamilton hit a tough shot in traffic at the buzzer. Less than 48 hours later, in their own gym, the Colonels led Stevens by 9 with 1:46 to play but could not manage another point. The Ducks capped an 11-0 run with a 3-pointer at the buzzer by freshman Matt Leming to win 65-63. The road for Wilkes gets no easier as DeSales visits Wednesday.

Game to watch this week:

Arcadia at Delaware Valley (Wednesday, 6:00pm)
These two met at Arcadia on December 7, with the Aggies prevailing 53-51 in a defensive game in which the Knights turned it over 24 times. The rematch feels like an elimination game. Now sitting at 5-6 in conference, the Knights cannot afford to lose this one, especially given their remaining schedule which includes road games at Stevens and Wilkes before the home finale versus DeSales. The Aggies, 5-5 and winners of three straight, also need to stockpile wins as they are likely to be underdogs in three of their final five games.

Player of the Year Watch:

Eberly (DeSales) and Harward (Lycoming) are the front-runners. Watkins (Arcadia) and Lazdowsky (Misericordia) are the prime candidates to challenge them. Spellman (Stevens) has missed two straight games but remains in contention for all-conference honors.

[stlawus]

It should go up but DeSales currently has a sub .500 SOS.  I'm reminded of Utica last year.  Only lost 4 games but had an SOS that was around .507.   Better snag the AQ.

[Stretch4]

Congrats to Arcadia for capturing the MAC Freedom Championship. On the road to beat the #2 and #1 seeds in successive games is not an easy task, but they showed a lot of toughness and played really high quality basketball in bringing home the title. Watkins grabs the tournament MVP, but it could have just as easily gone to Money or Johnson who were outstanding in both tournament games. DeSales may have relied a bit too much on likely conference rookie of the year Nate Ellis in the championship game. After his big semi-final performance last Wednesday, Ellis struggled with his shooting and decision making in the finals.  Don't think DeSales can get an at-large, so while they probably over-achieved throughout the course of the season and have a lot to be proud of, I am sure they are disappointed in the finish to their season.

Based on their overall resume, I assume Arcadia will be the four seed in whatever pod they end up in for the NCAA's. They won't back down from anyone, so let's see if they can give some top seed in the pod a run. 

[Stretch4]

DeSales 2023-20024 roster posted and there is one very glaring omission. Last season's conference rookie of the year and (in my opinion) most talented player on their roster, Nate Ellis, is missing. DeSales still has a very strong roster with the bulk of the roster returning from last year, and one of the best coaches in D3 hoops, but if Ellis is truly gone that is a huge loss for them as he was there leading scorer as a freshman and I'm sure was a big part of their plans moving forward.

https://athletics.desales.edu/sports/mens-basketball/roster

[Greek Tragedy]

I just clicked on the link you provided and it lists Nate Ellis..

[jmcozenlaw]

DeSales 2023-20024 roster posted and there is one very glaring omission. Last season's conference rookie of the year and (in my opinion) most talented player on their roster, Nate Ellis, is missing. DeSales still has a very strong roster with the bulk of the roster returning from last year, and one of the best coaches in D3 hoops, but if Ellis is truly gone that is a huge loss for them as he was there leading scorer as a freshman and I'm sure was a big part of their plans moving forward.

https://athletics.desales.edu/sports/mens-basketball/roster

It was a song called, "The GPA Shuffle"....................Coval is very good at that as well.

[Stretch4]

I see that Nate Ellis has returned to the roster. He definitely was not originally included. That is good news for DeSales fans.

[d3hoopstories]

Arcadia notched a very good win over Susquehanna this week. The Knights trailed by 11 with 8:19 remaining and used a 15-0 run keyed by back-to-back threes from Nas Johnson to regain control. Jalen Watkins had 17 points and 12 rebounds, making up for an off night for Justin Money, who was 3-11 from the floor. The Knights were outrebounded 43-34, a concerning stat to keep an eye on given their athleticism.

Stevens opened the season at #17 Catholic and led by 7 early in the second half. But the Ducks failed to get stops during a crucial stretch, with Catholic scoring on 10 out of 11 possessions against a lineup that sometimes included a pair of freshmen. The Ducks surrendered 33 points in the final 12 minutes and lost by 5, making just 7 of 28 3-point attempts. Scranton transfer Braunstein led the Ducks with 18. Spellman finished with 16 points, 9 boards and 7 blocks. A home game Wednesday against NJCU and a road game Saturday at Scranton will require a better effort on the defensive end.

DeSales coasted in its opener, with five players in double figures. The Bulldogs have two good tests this week, hosting TCNJ on Tuesday and traveling to Swarthmore on Saturday.

[lefty2]

Misericordia Head Coach Will Chandler won his 100th career game tonight, likely becoming the first member of the 2,500 point/100 win club. 

[Stretch4]

Misericordia Head Coach Will Chandler won his 100th career game tonight, likely becoming the first member of the 2,500 point/100 win club.

All at the same school! Congrats to Coach Chandler.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Misericordia Head Coach Will Chandler won his 100th career game tonight, likely becoming the first member of the 2,500 point/100 win club.

Carthage's Steve Djurikovic should join him in 5-6 years.

[d3hoopstories]

Games to watch in the MAC Freedom this week, Part 1 --

Wednesday: DeSales hosts Widener at 7pm

Two of the top 40 teams in the country according to D3Datacast.

DeSales was picked second in the MAC Freedom preseason poll. Widener is the favorite in the MAC Commonwealth. The Bulldogs' only loss came at nationally-ranked Swarthmore, where a 15-7 run helped them tie the game with two minutes left before falling 68-64. Widener's only loss came at nationally-ranked Hampden-Sydney.

Key to the game: Can DeSales limit Widener's opportunities from behind the arc? The Pride average nearly 10 made threes per game. They spread the floor with multiple shooters who are capable of getting hot, including senior reserve Luke Mazur.

DeSales is 25-6 at home since the start of the '21-'22 season.

[Greek Tragedy]

Huge game. Widener is loaded with a few "5th" year guys back like Dunn and a couple of grad transfers like Rankine. DeSales, of course, has shown they can play with anyone with their close loss to Swat.

[Stretch4]

6th year in the case of Dunn!