MBB: MAC Freedom League

[saratoga]

Susquejamma: It was a pretty entertaining game...some serious swings in momentum throughout the 40 minutes. It started out looking like the Crusaders would win by 30, then the Royals had their run. In the second half it went back & forth then the Royals kicked it in & went up by 8 & it lookes like Susq. was about to stand around stunned when they just regrouped, hit a few 3's., changed ol' mo once again & put the Royals on the ropes & just kept pouring it on inside & out. Meanwhile, Scranton had about 3 straight turnovers on their subsequent trips down & then another steal & feed to Patch for an uncontested dunk & an 8 pt. lead was suddenly a 9 pt. deficit & it was over. Two minutes of fouls back & forth & you end up with the final score. There is certainly no reason the Crusaders will not be in the thick of things on the Commenwealth side...and hopefully, the Royals will learn from their 3 tough losses and get a little stronger in the final minutes in order to now win these type of games...especially since 2 of their 3 losses are at the Long Center.

[ColonelJohn4Life]

Happy King's Day to one and all.  It's a holiday, people.  Enjoy it accordingly.

Firstly, good luck to "friend of the board" and King's SID Bob Ziadie, who has a full day ahead of him.  Wrestling meets at home at 12 and 3, women's basketball at 6, men's basketball at 8.  That's a 12-14 hour day, easy.

King's and Wilkes common opponents:
Ursinus: both won by 20+
Misericordia: both won by single digits
Baptist Bible: Wilkes by 16, King's wins in OT
Susquehanna: Wilkes by 1, King's loses in OT
Factoring in the gambler's "home three", I have this one as a pick 'em.

Good to see the Baptist Bible game went well, but buckle up Wilkes fans.  Next 3 games: at King's, DeSales, at Scranton.  A lot of questions get answered in the next 8 days.

Sounds like Scranton needs to take a lesson from Mamet.  "A-B-C.  A-Always.  B-Be.  C-Closing.  Always be closing.  ALWAYS be closing!" 

Jamma - thanks for the shoutout.  I still root for SWB for one reason - they're keeping the Grump.  Montage has become Sno Mountain, Turf has become grass, Red Barons have become Yankees.  If they get a new mascot, I'll get fitted for Buffalo Bisons jersey.  "The chalkboard of time has been written, erased, and written again, Ray.  One thing remains constant.  Baseball."

[ljk]

Col.,  Don't forget other Mamet lesson.  AIDA.  A-attention, I-interest, D-decison, A-action and most importantly, "coffee is for closers only".

[NEPAFAN]

One more Nenstiel

King's announced on Tuesday that Ryan Nenstiel, younger brother of current Monarch senior Bob Nenstiel, has joined the team.

Ryan Nenstiel is a 6-foot-5, 200-pound junior forward who unites with his brother on the court for the second time. Ryan originally played two seasons at Division II Bloomsburg, where Bob also started his collegiate career, before transferring to East Stroudsburg and — ultimately — King's.

[Leo The Lion]

Happy Rivalry Day to you CJ4L,

I'm not going to make any predictions tonight, just a guess that both teams will reach the eighty point mark the way King's has been defending this year.

The New Nenstiel is old news, as he was on the roster and bench for the Kean game.  Suprisingly he saw no time in a game where his brother sat out and Cousart played all 40 minutes.  Maybe it was because the Rick was in attendence?

[Leo The Lion]

Just got back from the Shelacking at Scandlon...

Immediate Thoughts:
King's didn't shoot particularly well, but Wilkes could have been outshot by the Saint Mary's Blue Biddy Basketball team tonight.
King's looked like they played with more energy then they have been, perhaps it was just fueled by the opponent.
Anthony Gabriel will likely become a player that I hate in future games, and coming from a King's guy, he should take that has a compliment

-Leo

[saratoga]

FDU holds previously unbeaten (MAC) Desales to 38 points in the massacre in Madison...ouch! And just a few weeks ago Desales ripped Kings...the tribulations of life on the road.

[ljk]

Wilkes 6 game winning streak came to an end last night at Kings.  Wilkes came out flat scoring just 3 points in the first 10 minutes and despite some spurts, never really recovered from the terrible start.   Wilkes ended up shooting 29% from the field and 12-22 from the free throw line.   Kresge really struggled, he couldnt throw it in the ocean, finishing with 2 FGs, and 7 points.   Gabriel had a nice game with 15 points.  Everytime I see Kings, it seems Jim Welsh is hitting big shots.  Last night was no exception.   The sharpshooter was 4 for 4 from 3 point land.  Wilkes has DeSales and then Scranton next.  We'll know more about this young Wilkes squad after those two tough opponents.

[ColonelJohn4Life]

Wow.  Didn't see that one coming.  A couple MAC-F teams are just licking their wounds this morning, and Wilkes is one of 'em.  Before the game there was discussion about what to expect when undefeated DeSales comes to town on Saturday.  Now, two teams will play having lost by a combined 55 on Wednesday night.  FDU, DeSales, Scranton, and King's are 2-1, everyone else is 1-2.

LJK - yup, those stats pretty well tell the story.  Not gonna win too many games shooting 29 percent from the field.  And for every bit that Freshmen like Gabriel and Gulla shined, you could tell there were plays were they were caught looking on D, and not moving on O.  They're young, they'll be fine.  King's had experience and a good gameplan.

Only 6 days until Scranton Day...

[cold_case]

And for every bit that Freshmen like Gabriel and Gulla shined, you could tell there were plays were they were caught looking on D, and not moving on O.  They're young, they'll be fine.  King's had experience and a good gameplan.

Geez. When Wilkes loses, they're either young or got robbed. This time it's the former.
By the way, CJ, your pickem' prediction was waaaaaaaay off. A couple of my dealer pals in Vegas told me you're a bookies paradise.

[lefty2]

CC,

Who are you rooting for this weekend - the Colts or Baltimore?

[naismith]

CC,

re Wilkes,

No one I have heard or read is making any excuses. They got thumped.  End of story.
Everyone knows the Colonels play 4 freshman and a sophomore quite a bit.
Haven't heard anyone from Coach JR on down predicting anything--- other than the hope that the team will grow, progress and be better by seasons end than they are today.
   

Meanwhile, the line at the pre-game Senunas' mixer was Kings  (-5)...they covered easily. The wings were a bit spicy for me but the buffet was OK.

Sir James predicted a blowout either way......(I have witnesses)
---the feeling was that the Wilkes youngsters would come out with no fear and mucho talent and just dominate or they would be nervous and overly cautious and Kings veteran team would wreak havoc.


Just my observations,
  JP had Wilkes well scouted and took away many of the first and second options on offense.
Kresge was overplayed and hounded. He did miss some very makeable shots including ft's but, overall, give Vince S and the Monarch D a lot of credit for shutting him down.
  Buzz Kable was rushing his shots and  Kings made it a point to run defenders at him the entire game.
  Kline was in foul trouble and never got untracked offensively.
  Matt Gould had a terrific game all around and his shooting enabled a first half surge that cut a 14 pt lead or so to 5 or 6 at one point late in the half.
  Gabriel drained some 3' s and provided the normal energy boost... he was the 2nd half catalyst that had the game at 8pts with Wilkes in possession and still 10-12 mins to play.

Overall, the Kings defense just outplayed the Colonels. 

On the flip side, Wilkes did some good and bad things on defense. Cousart did not have his 'A' game.  Made far too many turnovers ...Gould had him visibly frustrated.
Thought that Soboleski, Nenstiel squared, Scalzo did an excellent job on the boards especially in the 2nd half. When, Wilkes deployed the 1-3-1 zone, Kings garnered multiple offensive rebounds.

Jim Welch tormented Wilkes in the first stanza draining 4 for 4 from long range. 
Kofi hit a few nice shots as well.

I think you have to give Kings the credit for taking Wilkes out of their comfort zone and attacking the Colonels 'D' where vulnerable.

My player of the game is Vince S. for his tireless D and hustle with very clse second to John S.

By the way CC, don't ever challenge Colonel John Sr. at pool. ....shuffleboard...that's another matter...lol

Naismith

[ColonelJohn4Life]

By the way, CJ, your pickem' prediction was waaaaaaaay off.

I'm still trying to find evidence, looking at recent results, that pointed to predicting King's by 21.  Most recent head-to-head was Wilkes winning, going away, in the playoffs.  Common opponents, PPG, defense PPG, Jimmy the Greek's legendary "Intangibles"... nothing pointed to this.  Pointing to youth seemed to be the only explanation.  That said, what was your bookie's line for the DeSales game last night?  Regardless, when they do the rematch at the Marts Center, anyone who wants to give me the Colonels +21 (or +18 minus the "home three"), I'll take it.

Dr. James did predict a blowout, one way or the other.  And nailed it saying that King's took away Wilkes's best options on offense.  55 points are what Wilkes was left with.

[NEPAFAN]

FDU holds previously unbeaten (MAC) Desales to 38 points in the massacre in Madison...ouch! And just a few weeks ago Desales ripped Kings...the tribulations of life on the road.

Wow. I can't get over that score. Everyone better prepare for FDU.

[cold_case]

CC,
Who are you rooting for this weekend - the Colts or Baltimore?

I'll be pulling for Baltimore's real team, the Colts. I expect the new version of Baltimore, the thug Ravens, to come out and taunt the Colts by screaming in the faces on every play.
They say the Colts are soft and have no chance against the gang from the Longest Yard.
They say Ravens defensive coordinator Rex (son of Buddy) Ryan can't stand pretty quarterhacks and hates Peyton Manning so he plans to do everything to have him messed up by game's end.
They say Ray Lewis (how this guy got away with murder is beyond me) is going to make rookie RB Joseph Addai cry and have him in a lot of pain.
That being said, I quote the legendary Johnny U before a big game with the Ram in 1968 when Deacon and Company were expressing their ambitions leading up to the game.
"If they have so much to say now, they're already beaten."