MBB: Conference of New England

[AJ]

Just wanted to say that Gordon would have been blown out last night if it wasn't for Kaufman.  He hit every big shot to keep the game in striking distance for Gordon.  Towards the end no one on Nichols could stop him and he was scoring on almost every possession.  The kid is coming into his own right now.  As for Nichols, that team could definitly be scary in a couple years.  They have some solid young players that were giving Gordon a fit all night.

Roy any word on getting the video from last night up on a website?...I'm gonna have to run to schauer's office today to check it out if its not up soon

Rumor is Hayes Murray could be in the house on Saturday if Gordon advances....all the legends will be coming out for that one

[roy_williams]

picked this up in the drive home....

i agree with AJ that Kaufman is coming into this own; becoming a leader. at one point last night, after he banged a three, he told his teammates to get him the ball. obviously, the comeback was total team effort, but it was spearheaded by the play of Kaufman. twice in the last three minutes when the GC offense was struggling to find a shot, he broke his man off the dribble and split the help defenders for easy lay-ups. also, twice in the 2nd half run's he had big rebound plays after his missed three's. both times he made a beeline to follow his shot and once forced a jump ball and the other time made a steal after the rebound had been secured by Nichols. that kind of effort and intensity is just contagious.

the video is more of an edited/montage and def amateur shot with some "crowd' announcers but hoping to get that up later today.

i don't really see why everyone is hyping this win as a reason for why Gordon will lose on Thursday. anyone who has seen basketball knows this is just a classic case of a hungry/nothing to loose Nichols team playing a tight Gordon team. It is the classic 1 v 8. The perennial 1st round scare, if you will. before last night i didn't think a CSC-GC match up would be more than a 10pt game, and i don't now either. the game also didn't change my view of who will win. During Gordon's win streak, they haven't had any tests like this down to the buzzer, let alone games where they trailed big late.  so in my estimation, since they won, this was a good experience. if anything Gordon proved they could win the tight ones, win ones where they were down. if you were a Gordon hater, i think before last night your only platform to stand on would have been "Gordon hasn't had a test, hasn't been forced to the wire."  hoops, i don't agree with the "find weakness assessment." you couldn't garner much if you are Foti. Gordon just played a little tight to start, and then had to play catch-up the rest of the game. All Nichols did was play hungry and take advantage; i don't think that they exposed anything. obvi if CSC plays that hungry they could win, too. they "don't have any vets, never been there before" arguments were ALL erased last night. That team was thrown right into the fire of play-off basketball and survived. the first one is always the toughest. and they survived. they don't have to go on the road for a new test; they will be at home, again, playing another opponent. now they can relax and play Gordon basketball. i don't see this team being tight again or having jitters. i don't see the CSC vets having a huge leg up now. you quickly become a veteran when you play in a game like that. Gordon is a better team, playing at home, and now you can say they are play-off tested. I like them by 6.

Doyle for ROY.

i think having 4 from each conference is division is a good way to keep it a fair balance (look at d1 conferences) but couldn't they do 1-2 N/S winner, then 3 best teams from each division and then seed them by record? This would help good teams from having to play on the road in the first round. maybe it isn't possible. either way, having seen a 13-3 Gordon team have to play a 1st round road game is very tough, but if nothing can change i still think having 4 from each division is fairest way when you have unbalanced schedules.

hoops i liked your point about d3 not being d1. i like how d3 does the at-large by regional rank. this again, i feel is the fairest way. d3 athlete's are just playing for the love of the game, there are no scholarships and certainly not enough in the school budget to have teams crisscrossing the nation for weekday games to boost an RPI. you can't have bracket buster Saturday. you can't have a fair judge of national talent for pool C teams because a NE power can't just play a W power on a daily basis and so on and so on. the only way to judge is to base it regionally and take basically the same amount from each region for the at-large bids. fyi, WPI must have an advance scout team because i seen them everywhere lately including EC-CC last night.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I think I was the one who said I'm picking CSC, not because of the results last night.  GC played a close game with a good offensive team at the top of their game.  CSC beat a team pretty good that was struggling all night.  I still just think this CSC team has rounded into form and that they have an advantage if they continue to get the ball inside.  GC can stay in things because of guard play.  There might be a lot of action on the interior, but the game will be decided by the play on the perimeter.

WPI hasn't had to play any games in a while and I doubt they have to scout their own conference.  They are a shoe-in for the NCAA's whether they win their conference tournament or not.  I'm sure they are just checking out the potential competition.  However, it might be a funny joke if they get shipped South again this year (although I doubt there is any way that happen), still it would be funny.

[ccc #1 player]

Man I would love to know what you all do for work, so I can get that job and play on D3hoops.com all day.

My year would be complete if St. Clair can get to 2000 and 1000 points and rebounds respectively.  What an accomplishment

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

The rebounds are going to be tough without a trip to the post-season (either NCAA or ECAC).  I'm sure he'll get the points tomorrow night, but he may need four more games to get the boards.

[24/7/365]

I don't want to exhaust the NC/GC game last night, although it might be already, but there was one thing that happened last night that made the difference.  While Herr's 4 point play was huge, and Marstallers lay-up from Vogelzang was miraculous, they did not have the same effect as when NC's Vallee fouled out.  

Valle is a very good player, not great yet, but has the potential to be.  He is very much like Adam Morrisson.  Moving with out the ball, with the ball, good defender, good perimeter player, makes the most difficult of shots, and has the long hair, but no stache.  This kid is only going to get better.  But when he picked up his 5th foul with 2:23 left to go, it was devistating.  It was defenitely offensive.  I was not but 3 feet away, he extended his arm, Logan sold it beautifuly, and the correct call was made.  Even after that NC didn't lose their air, but their talent and athleticism decreased 10-fold.

Had Vallee been in late, we would be talking about NC and CSC, while GC would have been forced to tink what could have been.  Credit to the Bison.  GC didn't win, NC just lost.  This team will be very good next year.  Props

[24/7/365]

This is my work.

I agree with Roy that last night was an NC team who had a win-win opportunity.  If they lost they were suppose to, and if they won, even better.  They had nothing to lose, at all.  GC, with the pressure of being #1 on them, played tight, and uncharacteristicaly shakey.  That being said, they know, with out a doubt, that if they play like that tomorrow, they are going to get run out of the gym, with no hope of clawing back.

CSC is a good ball club.  But why is everyone so quick to toss GC aside.  I still make the case that the game in New London was a formidable match-up.  Yet everyone casts it aside as CSC still playing bad.  They had just rattled off 6 straight... COME ON PEOPLE! 

This game is going to be close, you can count on that.  CSC will be well represented by their followers, in spite of that 2 hour drive from NH.  GC is already clearing student parking in anticipation of the over whelming amount of fans expected.  But the $2 admission will not deter GC fans from being present tomorrow either.

I love the match-ups at every position in this game, especially Bray and Kaufman.  Two "waterbug" players, so quick and agile, going at one another defensively and offensively, while Marstaller and The Saint bang down low, phenomenal.  This game is why we love the CCC.  Everyone outside of our conference may question us, and think we are something to blow off, but its game like this, and years like this, that will begin giving us recognition.  I love CCC basketball.

I still hate RWU... hate, hate, hate.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Actually, I passed the New London match-up off to CSC playing well and GC being at their best.  Right now it's hard to dispute that CSC is playing better than they were.  I think its a fairly even match-up, but I've had this nagging feeling about CSC getting it together and making waves in the big tourney.  I got stick with it until it fails me.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Gordon still at #4 in the regional rankings.  I think they may catch one more spot if they win out and Tufts falls to Trinity.

[24/7/365]

What happens, if say Amherst loses their conference championship?  Would they take GC's probable at large bid?

[617primetime]

anyone know how many seniors gordon has? and if so, how many contribute?

[24/7/365]

GC has 3 Seniors.  Aaron Vogelzang is their small forward/shooting guard, he's a starter.  John Beebe is their 6th man and is primarily a Point Guard, but can be a Shooting Guard if needed.  Lastly is Pete Hassler.  His minutes are limited, but when he's in he doubles as a Center/ Power Forward.

[Allworld41]

All the accounts of the end of the Gordon leave out the part about Vogelzang at best bear hugging and at work assaulting Butler that lead to the turnover. I mean I know Gordon is at home and Jesus is their boy and all that, but it was a foul no doubt about it.

[dwebbs]

Actually, the refs decided it wasn't a foul, but thanks for your input.

[The Biz]

I put together a lil video after the GC Nichols game, it has a couple of different camera angles and I believe it captures accurately the atmosphere of the Bennett center in the last 24 seconds of the game. Take it for what you will, here is the link.
http://homepage.mac.com/raptorfactor/iMovieTheater16.html


Scotty for Life