MBB: Coast 2 Coast Athletic Conference

[ycp]

Live stats link for UMW/SMC

I had trouble pulling Dave's link up:

http://livestats.prestosports.com/umw/

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Congrats to SMC on the big win and their first berth into the NCAA's!

[CACsportsnut]

so with Mass-Dartmouth, Washington U, and Maryville (Tenn), who are the no.5 no. 10 and no. 20 team, and with either the no. 4 or no. 8 seed losing in the game where there matched together tonight, im guessing the hopes for york dwindle even more now?

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Yeah... getting pretty tough to sneak YCP into the tournament with so many favorites losing... and add Amherst to that list - losing by one to Bowdoin a few minutes ago.

Sorry!

[bbald eagle]

Good Luck to St. Mary's in the NCAAs! 

Represent the CAC well.

[Matt Letourneau]

Interesting discussion between D-Mac and ycp there.

Candidly, once Gutekunst went down, I considered York a mortal lock to win the conference and represent the NCAAs in the tournament.  There simply is not anybody else in the CAC that had the level of talent that York did.  Chad McGowan is far and way the best player in the conference, and if you have a guy that dominant in a league that even in a good year is average, well...it has to be a disappointment they didn't get it done, doesn't it?

That doesn't take anything away from what he accomplished individually.  I think part of the problem is that perhaps D-Mac expected him to take over and sort of 'will' wins, but my counterpoint to that is that its very difficult for a post player to really be able to do that.

And yes, you can certainly criticize me for not seeing CAC games this year, but I still do have familiarity with the players and teams.  Besides, let me defend McGowan a little bit on this front:

I think the epitome of what D-Mac is talking about is Pat Maloney...a kid that certainly didn't have the best talent, but my God...when you need points, when you needed something to happen, he just DID it.   I've never seen anything like his will to win and I probably never will.  But he was a guard.  He handled the ball most of the time, and if he had to, he had the ability to bring the ball across the line and then pull up for a three from seemingly in the stands.  Its very tough for a post player like McGowan to be able to dominate like that just by virtue of what his skill set is.  He's still reliant on his teammates, no matter how good he is.  (Btw...that's why I would have taken Kevin Durant over Greg Oden, but that's another discussion).

Congrats to SMC...wow. 

[mwcsid]

Hey, congrats to St. Mary's, they did a whale of a job and were the better team. If you'd told me Lesesne and Irmer would have 15 points COMBINED, I sure would have taken those odds that UMW would have won. The Seahawks hit big shot after big shot, and UMW couldn't get an open look, and when they did, they missed.
Coach Harney - best of luck in the tourney! Make a good run and represent the CAC well!!!

Now for the mushy stuff - Justin Baker, Jon Pierce, Eric Pearson, congrats on a great career. You guys are class individuals, who put in 100% from day one all the way through the end. Be very proud of getting to the final and spilling your guts for four years (sometimes literally, eh Justin?) to the final horn yesterday. I'd go to war with you guys any day, and you know if there's ever anything I can do for you, you know where I am.

[ycp]

First, congrats to St. Mary's and good luck in the tournament. You have a ton of talent and the ability to well represent the CAC.

Matt, you point about a post player vs. a guard are spot on. It is easier for a guard to "take over" than a post player who relies on his perimeter players to get him the ball. There is no question that the end of the season was disappointing but to call Chad's season disapointing is a little harsh and not completely accurate.

I was thinking about this last night. Maybe the best way to say what I wanted to regarding Chad boils down to this. Without Chad, this is a .500 team. To win 18 games with eight losses, to me, shows the value of his play. Having watched this team all season, I guess I would not say that we were any more talented than a number of other teams in the CAC. I think the perception that we were so much more talented than anybody else in the upper reaches of the league wasn't true.

Unfortuanately, I would guess with Saturday's results that the Spartans won't get a chance to add to those 18 wins this year.

Good luck to SMC in the tournament.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

For the record, I said I was disappointed in Chad's season, not that he had a disappointing season. There is a difference. A disappointing season is if everyone indicates that, including himself. I was just disappointed he wasn't able to do more.

Matt does raise a great point, but there are some interior players who are able to raise their level; and thus the team. One that quickly comes to mind is Ursinus' Nick Shattuck.

[Matt Letourneau]

Well, there's always the ECACs...

Don't knock it...the year that Catholic didn't make the tournament (I guess it was 2006), they went to the ECACs and played really well--got a couple of good wins on the road, and I really think it actually gave them something to build on for the following year when they had a very successful season.  Now, granted, McGowan won't be back, but that CUA team lost Sowden and Satalin.  Fumai, Dwyer, Was and Wheels all benefited from that trip though.

[Pat Coleman]

Is York a member?

[ycp]

No

[CACsportsnut]

My guess off the top of my head would be that No, York is not a memeber and able to attend the Ecacs. If they were a member, would they not have went to it last yeat? They were a 16-10 team, but 3rd in there conference, and the two teams ahead of them...Catholic and Hood, both made the NCAA tourney. Plus they were a top 8 team in the region if i remember correctly?

My question for Dmac is...who do you think get those 17 at large bids? or is it more then 17, because don't woemn's absketball get 20? 17 in Pool C and 3 in Pool B? either or...who do you thinik are those 17/20 teams?

Obviously:

Amherst, UW-Stevens Point, Massachusetts Dartmouth, Washington U, Capital, Wooster...

then highly likely the losers of

Millsaps and Centre game
Guilford and VA Wesleyan game
Gettysburg and Ursinus
Coast Guard and Worcester Polytech
Bowdion and Trinity
and if Concordia Austin wins Sunday against Mary Hardin Baylor, then Hardin Baylor most likely gets one

also im guessing that Roanoke, Randolph Macon, William Patterson, Occidental, Cal Lutheran, Emerson all get some looks

did i miss anyone, and do i sound sort of accurate dmac?

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

There are 17 Pool C bids in men's. Yes... less than women's... but the men's tournament has 59 teams while the women's has 63.

As for who gets the Pool C's... Amherst, UMass-Dartmouth, Wash U, Capital, Wooster, Guilford or VA Wes., Gettysburg or Ursinus, and Millsaps or Centre.

I don't think WPI or Trinty (CT) get in with losses - but others think they will.

Roanoke and RMC - doubtful either of them get in
Emerson isn't necessarily a lock
Cal Luteran - in trouble
Occidental is really on the outside
William Paterson, probably
UW-Stevens Point, probably

MHB if they lose, yes

You forgot about Brandeis, Rochester, and Capital - they are locks.
There is also Middlebury, Buena Vista, and maybe Brockport State who might get in.

Thanks to a lot of upsets this week... there are a lot of "locks" sitting in the Pool C pool right now.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I also forgot about UW-Platteville sitting in Pool C.