MBB: Coast 2 Coast Athletic Conference

[Pat Coleman]

As a national service academy, yes, Kings Point has free tuition. However, since you need an appointment to even get in the place I think it's not really comparable to offering free tuition at a normal college.

[ycp]

Final from Juniata...
The #6 Spartans bounce back with an 82-74 win at Juniata. I will post more details as they become available. York is now off until they host the White Rose City Classic on December 29 & 30. It will be nice to be back home in the kitchen!

[kitchenrat]

Looks like the CAC AD's may have had an eye toward this change when they made the schedule what with Wesley popping up on a few teams list of games. York also was set to play Hood for the first time ever.
   In tonight's game vs Juniata York lead 45-41 at the half and despite some issues with the zone D of the Eagles  in the second half they won 82-74. Chad McGowan had 19 to lead YCP and Brandon Bushey appears to be nearly back to one hundred percent. York goes into the Christmas break 6-1 (1-1) in much the same situation record wise as they did last year, only one loss on the road to a CAC team. They had three more wins last year, and lost one game to weather this year, and the biggest win in each semester was Albright.
   It doesn't look like the same team, however, as they seem to have a hard time putting teams away. In tonight's game foul shooting was an issue and they lacked the huge offensive run they used much of last year to distance themselves midway through the second half. This may just be a team that needs a bit of a reality check after having so much success last year or it could be emblematic of a group that needs to run wind sprints and shoot free throws for a few hours a day over the break. Either way I know Coach Gamber will have the boys ready to play for the White Rose City Classic on the 29th vs Mt. Union.
   As for tomorrow's poll my guess is that the voters will take the chance to drop York as far as 21, where they were last year. I don't think anyone really wanted to rank them as high as they have been but since they were returning almost all of their final four team some people were just waiting for the chance. I think a drop as low as 15 would be acceptable but a road loss to a division team who already has a win over a top 25 team should only cost you 5 or 6 spots.

[ycp]

Details from Juniata....

York was paced by Chad McGowan as the sophomore tossed in 19 points while he also had four rebounds, four blocks, and two assists. Brandon Bushey added 17 points , four rebounds, and three assists as he has been very good in the Spartans' last three games. Bushey was 5-for-10 from the floor including 3-for-6 from three while he converted all four of his free throw attempts. Brian Singer was the third Spartan in double figures with 13 points, a game-high eight rebounds and two blocked shots. Kenny Fass and Paddy Lee each added nine points and five rebounds. Lee also had two steals, two blocks, and two assists.

Box Score
http://www.ycp.edu/sports/mens_basketball/2005/YCPMBB07.HTM

And Kitchenrat, don't worry about your boys. Juniata is a solid team and this was York's third game in six days before exams get ready to start. The Spartans will be fine.
It's also different from last year as York gets everyone's best effort. Ask Catholic what it was like to play their season after their national championship. It's a whole different game when you are the marked team.

[kitchenrat]

Looks like York drops to #10 after the loss to Sal, which seems about right. The rest of the top 10 held in place so the Spartans just got put to the back of the line in the Top 10.
    My last post was not intended to show worry, because I realize that there is a target on the Spartans back. I trust in the guys on the floor and in Coach Gamber to put forth the best effort each night, and so far this season that is what we have seen. I think in a lot of ways the team is better than last year, but I have to admit that like the other teams they play this year I have stepped up my expectations as well. I can't have any qualms about a 6-1 start and with the only loss coming to a conference foe and the one team we have played more than any other. I am one person who believes that this group of players can step forward as one of the best teams in the nation, and I look for the signs of that ability in each game. I know that once finals are done coach gets to spend a little more time with the guys and I hope that will lead to more fluidity in their game which could result in pushing ahead of the pack in late February and on into March.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Looks like the CAC AD's may have had an eye toward this change when they made the schedule what with Wesley popping up on a few teams list of games. York also was set to play Hood for the first time ever.

I would argue that while it might "look" like that on paper... its not true. The conference talk only happened in the last month or two... and far too quickly and too late for coaches to schedule games against those opponents.

Now, while I do know that some coaches fill in their schedules at the last minute, I don't think they added teams in October when this chat started.

Now... the CAC might have been aware this was going to happen, but as Pat as pointed out in many places, this was a surprise as to when it was announced. Many suspected it wouldn't come up until after the NCAA vote. Also, you had to think the CAC knew about it since VJC has already agreed to jump into the CAC.

Oh, there are many people who think maybe YCP will re-evaluate thier position. The MAC is going to be looking for some schools and YCP is a great school to add (all-be-it without a football team). I would not be surprised to see YCP leave the CAC and join the MAC... and then just watch the dominoes fall.

[Warren Thompson]

Now... the CAC might have been aware this was going to happen, but as Pat as pointed out in many places, this was a surprise as to when it was announced. Many suspected it wouldn't come up until after the NCAA vote. Also, you had to think the CAC knew about it since VJC has already agreed to jump into the CAC.

Oh, there are many people who think maybe YCP will re-evaluate thier position. The MAC is going to be looking for some schools and YCP is a great school to add (all-be-it without a football team). I would not be surprised to see YCP leave the CAC and join the MAC... and then just watch the dominoes fall.

On the football board back in late August/early September, an official at FDU-Florham mentioned the upcoming football defections, and they proved to be the first falling domino. A month ago, the advent of the new "Interstate Eight Conference" (a great name, courtesy Webmaster Pat) was known to administrators at MAC institutions.

[Coach C]

W -

the MAC is REALLY looking hard for football schools though.  There are plenty of folks who want into the MAC who dont have football (look at the PAC for instance).  The other issue that YCP faces is its comparatively low tuition in comparision to the rest of the MAC, a sore point in terms of enrollment competition.

C

[Matt Letourneau]

York's ranking is fair...CUA dropped a bunch of votes, which I don't really understand because they didn't do anything to deserve it---beat a pretty good team on the road, and then lost to a good Division 1 team.  Maybe some voters just looked at the record and nothing else...

Yes, I can attest to how hard it is to repeat.  Ultimately, Catholic lost just 3 games that year, but one of them was in the Sweet 16 in a sectional they were hosting.  CUA had a rookie (freshman) point guard starting and, if memory serves, carried the #1 ranking in the nation into Marymount in Feburary and got upset (Catholic fans barely got out of that place alive)...

[Pat Coleman]

Matt,

I would say that if you can't name the poll in which Catholic was No. 1, and if it doesn't exist anymore, then it doesn't make a sound.

Catholic was never higher than No. 2 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 that season. If some fly-by-night organization thought it could create a poll that year that doesn't mean it's worth reading.

[Matt Letourneau]

This is from a Catholic press release from the game before the Marymount in February:

"as Catholic, ranked No. 1 in the nation in the Division III coaches' poll and No. 2 by D3hoops.com, improved to 20-1, 11-0 CAC."

A previous press release references 'D3 Basketball News.' as another (or maybe the same?) source of the #1 ranking.

But they were only ranked #2 in the D3hoops.com poll, and since that is the most credible go ahead and go with that one.  I did say 'if memory serves,' after all.  I thought they were #1 in the d3hoops.com poll, too, but apparently I was mistaken.  I was off by one.  Sorry.

But, really, I think you still get my point--they were ranked highly going into that game.

[patsfan18]

oh, when we beat catholic when they were #1...those were the days. that was when we had a competant coach and players actually playing the positions they were recruited to play...how i miss those days. we are some rowdy fans though i always love watching cua/mu games

[Coach C]

Matt -

There is only one poll in the D3 world that is universally recognized.  Pat has become the master of all he surveys.  (He still has to shovel the snow however.)

C

[Matt Letourneau]

Ahh, but J-Hov, you didn't beat Catholic when they were #1...they were only #2!  Yes, those were good games--rough games.  I remember Bobby Henning got tripped in that game and sprained his ankle--no foul but it didn't look incidental...

It was tough going into that place...borderline dangerous after that particular game. 

Yes, the d3hoops.com is THE poll.  No question.  Nobody on here has ever claimed otherwise. I just though Catholic was #1 in that poll, and it turns out they were #2....

[Pat Coleman]

This is from a Catholic press release from the game before the Marymount in February:

"as Catholic, ranked No. 1 in the nation in the Division III coaches' poll and No. 2 by D3hoops.com, improved to 20-1, 11-0 CAC."

A previous press release references 'D3 Basketball News.' as another (or maybe the same?) source of the #1 ranking.

But they were only ranked #2 in the D3hoops.com poll, and since that is the most credible go ahead and go with that one.  I did say 'if memory serves,' after all.  I thought they were #1 in the d3hoops.com poll, too, but apparently I was mistaken.  I was off by one.  Sorry.

But, really, I think you still get my point--they were ranked highly going into that game.

Sheesh.

There was no coaches' poll that year. What a joke.

Basketball Times was the other poll. They did D-III for almost a whole season. In fact, they offered GRACIOUSLY to take over our poll and put their name on it, and were somehow miffed when we declined.

Oddly enough, we're still here. Them, not so much.