Empire 8

gobombers15 · December 14, 2005, 10:10:16 PM

Bamm, fair enough. Hope you're having a fine time in the ROC with your lady friend. I should have never told her about facebook, she's an addict now.

bamm · December 15, 2005, 10:44:58 AM

Don't worry about it. It's a chance for her to spy on old friends, gossip, and that sort of mischief. She loves it.

dewcrew88 · December 15, 2005, 01:48:41 PM

Quote from: fisheralum91 on December 14, 2005, 02:58:38 PM
Feb 3rd.
Ooooooo.
RTH thanks for the laugh!!

I agree.
Feb. 21
ooooo.

fisheralum91 · December 15, 2005, 02:21:54 PM

Hey bud crew-
This year's fisher UC game(s) should be pretty good!
Going to see any?

bamm · December 16, 2005, 09:44:49 AM

Fisher's got a chance to make some noise for the E8 this weekend down in Virginia. They play Lake Erie (6-1) on Saturday. Win or lose, they will play either Lincoln (8-2) or Randolph-Macon (6-1) on Sunday. Fisher, Lincoln, and RMC are all in the D3hoops.com top 25. I'll actually be cheering for the Cardinals this weekend.

fisheralum91 · December 16, 2005, 11:19:44 AM

I tip my hat to ya bamm!
Hope they do the e8 proud!

gobombers15 · December 16, 2005, 11:42:59 AM

Starting off, here's a press release about UC's Justin Cichon from the d3hoops.com's homepage.

http://d3hoops.com/pressreleases.php?release=185

The Randolph-Macon tourney is actually Sunday and Monday. Weird, I know, but I'm assuming it's because no schools have classes or finals this week before Christmas. I did a very small amount of research on Lake Erie and, based on a bunch of scores against various common opponents(I know this can be fallacious, but there isn't much else to go on with this team), and if I had to make a comparison between them and an E8 team, I would compare Lake Erie to a poor-man's Alfred. They should be a decent squad but Fisher should handle them. Lake Erie is 6-1 but five of those wins are against teams with awful records. The other win came against 6-4 Bethany...not exactly sure, but I don't think they're a basketball superpower.

My prediction for the 1st round of the Randolph Macon Tourney:

Fisher over Lake Erie by 14.

Randolph Macon over Lincoln by 4.

dewcrew88 · December 16, 2005, 12:49:38 PM

Quote from: fisheralum91 on December 15, 2005, 02:21:54 PM
Hey bud crew-
This year's fisher UC game(s) should be pretty good!
Going to see any?

It's a possibility. It all depends on the weather and my work schedule... just because I don't have a sked in front of me... when is the Fisher -UC showdown at UC?

dewcrew88 · December 16, 2005, 12:51:54 PM

Quote from: gobombers15 on December 16, 2005, 11:42:59 AM
Starting off, here's a press release about UC's Justin Cichon from the d3hoops.com's homepage.

http://d3hoops.com/pressreleases.php?release=185

The Randolph-Macon tourney is actually Sunday and Monday. Weird, I know, but I'm assuming it's because no schools have classes or finals this week before Christmas. I did a very small amount of research on Lake Erie and, based on a bunch of scores against various common opponents(I know this can be fallacious, but there isn't much else to go on with this team), and if I had to make a comparison between them and an E8 team, I would compare Lake Erie to a poor-man's Alfred. They should be a decent squad but Fisher should handle them. Lake Erie is 6-1 but five of those wins are against teams with awful records. The other win came against 6-4 Bethany...not exactly sure, but I don't think they're a basketball superpower.

My prediction for the 1st round of the Randolph Macon Tourney:

Fisher over Lake Erie by 14.

Randolph Macon over Lincoln by 4.

Thanks for that note on Justin. Pat C or anyone who might know... UC men's basketball was at a D-1 level for a few years in the 1980s when Larry Costello was coach. Do season, game or career records from those years count when talking about a player now passing on of those records?

fisheralum91 · December 16, 2005, 02:10:56 PM

budcrew-
looks like the game is jan 6 at uc.

gobombers15 · December 16, 2005, 03:07:28 PM

That's fairly anti-climactic that Fisher plays at Utica in the first league game of the year.

ricco1 · December 16, 2005, 03:19:28 PM

Fisher@Utica will be tight.The teams match pretty even in size, but not sure on talent. I know they have some good players and they always play good on their home court. They also have a very good coach and I mean good.Playing at home gives Utica the edge. If Fisher plays defense the way they did last year,they will win a close one. I hope Fisher's defense is ready.

UCgrad45 · December 17, 2005, 12:54:59 PM

Being around the UC program for years, I can honestly say this is the best UC team I have seen.

The attitude around the program is great. You can feel the winning atmosphere when you spend time near them. They are young, and will take time before they fully develop into the force that they can be.

The Freshmen and transfers are huge to this team. There are guys who started last year that are deep off the bench, and are just happy to be part of a winning program.

Herring at PG is a huge difference maker. The guy can shoot (7 3's against SUNYIT), throw it down, drive, pass, play great D, and is a quiet leader on the court. Probably the most athletic PG in the conference.

Bryant has been huge. His leadership and team play are amazing. He is truly a mature player who brings a lot more than his talent and athleticism (Which are great) to the table. Having a guy who is pretty much a guard at 6'5 has been a big help in adjusting to life without Tim Troy.

Cichon is poised for a great year. The team has 4-6 guys in double figures every night. Teams can no longer focus on Justin as there are so many scoring options. His passing has actually improved.

I could spend a great deal of time on every player on the roster. There are no weak links. With Lighthall, Lucas, and Brown down low, teams can plan on getting beat up. They may not be the tallest, but they play big. The fact that Lucas can play like a guard as well makes him even more dangerous.

When Brown was out at Caz, the freshmen Fleming got the start. After seeing limited time in the previous games, he scored 17.

Having Collier, Munch, Bitetto, Lucas, Fleming, and others on the bench makes this the deepest Utica team in years.

The team lacks in height, but makes up for it in athleticism, attitude, speed, hustle, and in my opinion, is by far the best passing team in the conference. They have an absurd percentage of assists to field goals.

The early season games against top teams in the league will be a great test. However, it is at the end of the season when this young team puts it all together, when this team will show what it can really do.

gobombers15 · December 17, 2005, 01:21:39 PM

UCgrad, thanks for the thorough report on the Pioneers. We all know about Cichon and his accomplishments, but you did a nice job covering some of the unheralded role players that make the team tick. I think Utica is locked into the #2 position in the E8.

However, if the Pioneers want to make "the leap" and challenge Fisher for the conference title, they need to learn how to win on the road. We all know UC is an elite home team; they gave Fisher a battle in the last conference game of the season in Utica. Unfortunately, they've looked like garbage on the road. They lost to Fisher by about 30 in Pittsford and never seem to beat RIT in Rochester, either. The Pioneers' last two trips to the South Hill to play IC have left a lot to be desired.

My point is this: Utica will be a very good team and an opponent will have to play a near-perfect game in Utica to beat them, but that doesn't matter if they are a .500 team on the road. Fisher isn't losing more than one or two conference games this season so unless Utica becomes a good road team, I think most E8 fans can plan on spending the E8 Tournament weekend in Pittsford for the third straight year.

UCgrad45 · December 17, 2005, 02:45:51 PM

Bombers,

Thanks for the reply.

The Road issue is one that is being stressed by coach Goodemote this season. To date UC is 4-1 on the road.

It isn't so much winning on the road that is the problem, it is winning in Rochester. There seems to be a different style of officiating and play there. It often times is frustrating to teams from out of the area.

Thats why UC is going to be fighting hard to host the tournament this year. Two seasons ago at this point the goal was to host, last year at this point it was to make the E8 tournament, this year it is again to host.

Either way, with the team structure entirely different than past seasons, I think it is to early to make judgement on how they will be over the course of the season on the road.

On another topic, I see a lot on here about Hartwick with views on the team from both extremes. After talking with other coaches and observing who they have played, I can honestly say that Hartwick is a much improved team that plays hard every game and will make you work.
That being said, they are a very young team with a lot of room for improvement. They are not yet to the level of a top 5 team in the conference, and probably no better than 7th or 8th. A few years down the line they may be contending for the 4th spot in the E8 tourny, depending on what happens in recruiting and transfers with the other teams.
However, dont be surprised if late in the season, they play spoiler to a team or two hoping to either make the conference tournament or fight for seeding in the tournament.