MBB: Conference of New England

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

This is absolutely ridiculous...
W >:(hat in the world does UNE have to do to get rated in the top 25?

Sorry not to have responded to this more quickly.  UNE has no business in the Top 25 right now.

The CCC is in the bottom third of conferences nationally and UNE has barely been winning games here.

They also missed out on a decent non-conference schedule.

They're impressive and could get some play if they win an NCAA playoff game or three, but just having a good record doesn't equate to a quality team, given the massive strength of many of the schools and conferences out there.

The whole NE Region is way down this year and UNE is just now getting into the Top Ten here.

It's a very rare occasion when any team in the CCC could even be considered for votes in the Top 25.  It takes quality wins, no bad losses and a history.

I'm not saying UNE can't get there, but it won't be this year, not with this schedule.

They could be undefeated and not in the Top 25.

[YeahBoss]

I agree. UNE has had a great year. They have made huge steps in the right direction. Last year they made the conference tourney, this year #1 in the conference, ranked in their region, we'll see what happens in the conference tournament this year.  The conference is weak, if it gets better and UNE still dominates then it will be there time. Great story, team of the year, coach of the year, in conference, but slow down big fella! The best team in the Big Ten right now is just not a very good team overall. There are stronger conferences out there.

[YeahBoss]

Also, being close to Worcester, is NEVER a good thing. I guess Beverly is nice though. Just don't do meth! Bad reviews there.

[witfan]

I didn't look too closely but I'm glad to see that someone (ccc-talk) has WIT ranked #1!  Hard to beat a Huntington Ave address.  It's been a rollercoaster ride for WIT fans.  Looking forward to the tourney.  Whoever shows-ups, moves up.

Best guess on 1st round matchups:
UNE - WNEC
CS - WIT
N - RW
SRU - G

sorry CC, too little too late.

[backboard]

UNE up 1 spot in the Regional Rankings, putting them at #9, ahead of Brandeis.

Pretty interesting game for the Nor'easters tonight as well as they travel to Gordon.  The game could go either way but I wouldn't be surprised if Gordon came out on top

[scout]

At this point, the only team with any real confidence is UNE. They have proven they can beat anybody in the CCC, save for one... The one they will face tonight.

I am an outspoken Gordonite, but I have a feeling that despite the pressure on UNE, despite the ability of Coach Schauer to gameplan well, and despite the Gordon players having a chip on their shoulders... UNE will find a way to win.

Why?

Because they've done it with every CCC game thus far... Even beating RWU in a 47-44 matchup.

Either way, even if UNE loses, they will still enter the tournament as the one seed with the confidence of beating nearly everyone in the conference.

[scout]

Gordon pulls off the upset... 82-75.

It was quite a close game (UNE was leading 37-34 at the half), but Gordon had a significant advantage on the boards.

Stats will be forthcoming, but it has FINALLY been proven that UNE can be beat by a CCC team. Not saying that it will happen again or that it's probable... But at least we know that it certainly CAN happen.

It was a solid game to watch, and both teams played admirably.

[cccc-fanatic]

Hats off to Aaron Trigg....what a player.  He led a 13-0 run that took over a close game.
Great court presence...8 for 8 from the line.
He willed his team to win the game.

[YeahBoss]

I hope Gordon and UNE meet up again.  Just about any of the teams can beat anybody else in the conference, which makes for great drama. But it seems that Gordon and UNE have been playing some tight games with a little fire against one another as of late.  Its not a natural rivalry like Endicott and Gordon, I don't think its even a rivalry because of Gordon's continued success and UNE just recently stepping up their program. But when they met up last year, and this year with a good conference game, hopefully some playoff drama, this could be a lot of fun to watch.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

With one game left, we need to look at the playoff picture to see how much is riding on these final games:

UNE and CSC have the #1 and #2 seeds locked up.

The winner of Salve-Gordon will be the #3.

RWU plays ENC.  Nichols plays UNE.

If Gordon beats Salve, RWU is the #6, regardless of any other outcome.  (If Nichols wins,  NC is #4, if they lose, NC is #5.)

If Salve beats Gordon, we have a few different scenarios:

NC at 9-4; GC at 8-5; RWU at 7-6 - is an obvious NC #4, GC #5, and RWU #6.

NC and GC at 8-5; RWU at 7-6 - is GC #4, NC #5, and RWU #6.

NC at 9-4; GC and RWU at 8-5 - is NC #4, RWU #5, and GC #6.

NC, GC, and RWU all at 8-5 - is GC #4, NC #5, and RWU #6.

In the case of the three-way tie, when no team has a head-to-head advantage, the tiebreaker moved immediately to the top of the standings; Gordon would win the three-way tiebreaker as the only team to beat #1 UNE.  From there, the second two teams are considered a "new" tie and head-to-head results determine position.


At the bottom, WNEC is definitely in.  If Wentworth beats NEC, WIT is #7 and WNEC is #8 regardless of the WNEC outcome.  If Wentworth loses to NEC and Curry beats Endicott then WNEC is #7 and CC is #8 regardless of the WNEC outcome.  If both WNEC and WIT win or WNEC, WIT and CC all lose, WIT is #7 and WNEC is #8.  If WIT and CC lose, but WNEC wins, then WNEC is #7 and WIT is #8.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

As if that wasn't confusing enough, I thought I'd run down the possible seedings for teams at this point:

UNE - is #1

CSC - is #2

Gordon - could be #3, #4, #5, or #6

Salve - could be #3, #4 or #5

Nichols - could be #4 or #5

RWU - could be #5 or #6

WIT - could be #7, #8, or out of the playoffs altogether

WNEC - could be #7 or #8

Curry - could be #8 or out of the playoffs altogether

No other team has a chance to get in.

[scout]

Fantastic rundown...

From the seeds and possible matchups you have presented, what would be the top games in terms of gameplay... potential upsets?

I guess what I'm asking you Hoops... Who's looking the best to make a run in the tourney?

[GnacAlum55]

What happened to Endicott?  Have they already been eliminated?

[backboard]

Unfortunately the Gulls were eliminated when WNEC won last night.  Nevertheless, the conference tournament should be very interesting and hopefully the winner and represent the CCC well

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I guess what I'm asking you Hoops... Who's looking the best to make a run in the tourney?

I don't know that anyone is playing too differently at the end than the beginning, other than maybe Gordon is coming out of their slump?

I'd like to see Salve get the #3, if only because their likely opponent would be RWU and thus a good rivalry.

It would also put GC and UNE on course to play in the semi-final and I'm a sucker for making teams earn their shot at the title.

I would also like to see Curry slip into that last spot (although an NEC win is a tall order).  Curry just always seems to show up in the playoffs and you never know what might be in store.

I really don't know, though.  That Gordon-Salve game will determine a lot and I'm not picking a winner; it's going to be a battle.