MBB: Conference of New England

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Just to keep you in the know budcrew.  GC can run with people, but they do have a pretty good lock down defense.  They also have bunch of shooters and one quickly developing big man.

I think these teams are really very similar. (The low scoring comes from the rest of the CCC generally being bruisers).  It should be a very fun game to see.

[roy_williams]

props to EC winning three straight conference tourneys. that is a tough feat, especially in d3. much respect. they did it with a new coach this year, and i think have truly cemented themselves as one of the better programs in the Northeast. GC won the conference regular season title, and thus earned a better bid to the dance. no worries, both are in, it's great for the CCC.

cstrike, that is fine i agree with your simple point. new england college basketball isn't as good at any division with that of the rest of the country. we have our UConn's, our bryants, or williams, and our amherst, but overall we can't match up (haha--unless you are talking about women's basketball but digress into realms no one talks about). this is simply because there aren't as many new england schools; it is not a tough concept to grasp---more teams-more chances to win. so, i'm fine with that. if that was your only point for spouting off, then i wish you could have saved us all the headache. bravo. right now the CCC is a conference where teams main goals are to win the CCC, make the dance, then see what happens. in that order. that is the way it is and we like it. we are a small conference and realize our chances aren't good when stacked up against the best in the land. but as you watch championship week next week on ESPN, you will see the same thing in D1. kid's dreams just go to dancin'. maybe that will change down the road; we'll see. so back to the WIAC, debate which of those teams has the best final four chance. we have fun seeing if we can get in the way of a tufts or utica and just enjoy the experience and exposure. and maybe, just maybe, hope one of the teams in this year's field can pull an Anna Maria. 

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Most of the small schools in NE are d3, which is not the case in other parts of the country.  That is one reason why we seem to suffere versus Midwest schools.  If all those crappy NAIA teams out there were in d3, all the regions would be just as full of bottom-feeders.


You are right , Roy, the NE has to fight a lot of basketball prejudice and do more to prove themselves.  Let's hope this year is another step for the CCC.

[akirk]

Great work Hoops.  Let's just hope GC can play better than they have in their last 2 and a half games.  I don't know what it is but the last three or four years GC has just run out of gas at the end of the year.  Maybe they should let Deluca play a little more.  In the CSC game, GC made a little run when he finally got into the game.  He brings a lot of energy and hustle.  I just don't think Coach Schauer likes to put in young players even if they have contributed.

[roy_williams]

agree the CCC has its best chance ever in the first 1st round. EC can def hang with Tufts. They have hung with alot of similar schools this year; beating bates, staying with WPI, Hamilton, and Amherst. They are tested and definitely capable of the upset.

Gordon and Utica seems to me to be an even match up, with one team (Utica) likes to get out and run, vs a team like Gordon who is bruising on defense and slows the tempo a bit. So, it looks like whoever can force the other to play their style will probably win. Again, good chance for GC to win. Wouldn't be surprised if both teams were left after 1st round.

some glaring omissions i felt from the All-Conf teams.

Stickney from UNE needed to be on a team. he averaged 12 and 9 good for 15th and 2nd in the league respectively. He was also second in blocked shots, and honestly the fact he isn't on a team is revolting.  

Jaziri from NEC was 7th in the league in scoring. It appears statistically he didn't do too much else, but he could have gone either way being on a team or not.

And Jasmin from ENC should have got a good look as well. He led the conference in FG%, averaging 12 and 5.

I would say Bray doesn't deserve to be anywhere near a team. Grendal would be the one i switch with any of the other two i listed. but not necessarily. And I think George you could flip flop with Coute on the 1st and 2nd teams, as Matty turned it on late and really did for 2+ years.

ultimately, like Hoops, i wish they picked the best 3 at each position (or close enough) for all the teams, rather than the top 15 players.

[Maq Diesel]

akirk, Deluca is good but his defence is lacking, much improved but still suspect at times.  As for Scahuer not liking to play young kids, what was last year an aberration.  I just think he is a defensive minded coach and he is going to play the best players at a position and Deluca although exciting and athletic is not there yet.  But don't be suprised if he sees some minuets especially if this Utica team is athletic as I am hearing.

[roy_williams]

kirk,

good point about Deluca. He did provide that spark off the bench on Thursday. However, I think it was more a case of just no one else on GC could get anything going. i don't agree that Schauer doesn't play his bench, Thursday he was looking for any spark he could get. plus, ultimately you have go to with what you got you there.

Schauer's first two years they really didn't have any bench and i while i somewhat agree Beebe and Co, and then later Hayes and Smith might have got a little tired and banged up toward the end, he really didn't have any choice. those teams weren't deep. this year's team is very deep and i think you will see some Deluca. Beebe (he did lead the league in 3pt% albeit a smaller sample size) and Schanks of the world will come off the bench first though. they have a little more experience. the only thing to watch as well, particularly with this matchup is that Deluca's D is not quite on the college level yet. so you have that trade off. and with the guard play at Utica appearing to be very strong with two all conference players, i don't think Gordon will be able to hide him and thus i think Deluca will not see more than a few 'sniper' minutes

[anECfan]

I do not know much about the Tufts match up at all but I do know that EC has hung with the tough teams as Roy previously mentioned.  I also know that Matt George is playing out of his mind and hopefully he can keep it up.  I do not believe he was putting up these numbers when they hung with those teams. So we'll just hope for the best, although EC seems to be clicking right now.

I know very little about the GC matchup either but I do know that Gordon looks like they can run, I am just limited to the number of games that I have seen.

I don't think comparing conferences is a valid argument.  There is no way to tell if they are a superior conference or not out west.  I think the CCC does pretty well and that the top teams such as Colby-Sawyer, Endicott, and Gordon do well by playing a tough out of conference schedule.  It should only be a matter of time before all of this balances out and that the NE regions catches up with the west.

These are just my feelings/opinions and I honestly do not know much about the midwest teams. I just think its not a valid argument to compare conferences that never play eachother.

[Maq Diesel]

Roy one thing about Utica having all-conference players.  One the Empire 8 is a better conference than the CCC but it is an 8 school league.  Gordon, CSC or EC could very well have two first teamers if we dropped 4 teams out.  Anyway should be a good one.  Does anyone know when EC, Tufts and Utica might travel?  Are they going out a day early or will they arive on friday?

[roy_williams]

not to stray...but caught this tidbit on college gamenight gym gems. i guess it was on sportscenter, too. depauw U hit a 61 foot shot to win their SCAC conf championship. the video and the shot are pretty amazing....and they have the best shot of some lady in the audience like nearly fainting becaue her team lost that way. the audio is pretty good too. pure elation. gotta love d3!

you can see the video http://www.depauw.edu/news/index.asp?id=17145

[roy_williams]

not sure if i agree with that assessment diesel. usually first teams are litterd with only the best players from the top teams, no matter how big the conference. i understand your point but bryant is a man child unlike anyone i think GC has seen. not sure on Cichon, but brewcrew says he is the second all-time leading scorer with 1,500. however, that begs the question; is that empire 8 that much better? i mean not go to just on pts scored but 1,500 is that much when you think about it. ultimately i don't really think the empire 8 is that much better than CCC. i mean utica has never been to the dance either. granted St. Johns is probably the best program in either conference by far, but after you throw out the bottom 4 of the CCC, i bet it would be close.

[Ulf_Tornstrom]

Ray Bryant will tear through your "D" baby.  Go Pioneers!

[anECfan]

Maq-

EC is leaving thursday morning for the 6 hour plus ride to Cortland.  Also I think it is supposed to snow thursday so that may make things interesting.  I'd assume Tufts would be in the same boat as well as it only makes sense.

[24/7/365]

For all those interested in listening to Hoopsville tonight, Head Coach Mike Schauer for the Gordon College Fighting Scots will be calling in at 9pm to begin his interview.  This will be a great chance to get insight into Fridays UC vs. GC game, as well as begin putting the CCC on the preverbial D3 map.

[24/7/365]

Let us not forget that the CCC has a 2,000 point scorer, and during the regular season, their team struggled, even when he was doing well.  It doesn't matter how well your GREAT player is doing, if he is getting his, and the roll players are all subpar, he can score 40+, and they will still lose, especially if the opposition is hitting on all cylinders. 

In a purely statistical analysis, UC does have the slight edge over GC, but numbers are meaningless in an NCAA Tournament, as seen in the past and current decades with #1's falling every year to a lower seeded team.  Because I am around the GC players more than most, I really get the feeling that these guys are just going to go out there and have fun.  They don't have the pressure of being #1 in the CCC playoffs, having to protect homecourt against their inner conference foes.  Rather they are playing a team they don't know, who doesn't know them, and who is in a similar situation by entering the tournament for the first time. 

I think GC likes playing as the underdog.  When they ran off there 18 wins in a row, they became public enemy number 1.  And the pressure, as seen in the CCC Tourney, noticabley got to them.    On Friday, they will be expected to lose, and that sits just fine with the GC men.

And lastly, anyone who knows GC, or has been following them this year, knows that they can torch it from the 3 point line.  This is a team that went 9-12 (75%) from the arc against EC in the first half.  If thats not hot shooting, I don't know what is.  Lets no disregard GC's shooting because it has been cold lately.  We all know shooters can be streaky.