Empire 8

[dcahill44]

6PM 2.Plattsburgh State vs 3.Geneseo at Cortland... Plattsburgh wins by 7
8PM 4.Oswego State at 1.Cortland... Cortland wins by 9
6PM 4.Utica at 1.Stevens... Stevens by 5. Utica has chance tonight but dont think they will be able to guard Stevens.
8PM 2.Ithaca vs 3. St John Fisher... this game will be the best of the night i think Ithaca wins by 3

Tommorrow
1.Hobart vs 3.RPI... Hobart wins by 13 and gets the automatic bid. think they can make a run in the NCAAs depending on the matchup.

[thebear]

+K Magic.

One other tidbit, in his senior year '73-74, coach Welsh played Mike as a small forward, so that they could run the delay game (pre shot clock days) when they got a lead.

If Potsdam got the lead, they would run an offense called four to score, where Deane would run four corners brilliantly until someone made a mistake and their man was open, then bang the ball was there for a layup or easy open shot.

In 1973-74 as a 6-0/6-1 guard, he had over 150 rebounds in a 27 game season.

[magicman]

Stevens buries Utica College 102-66. This game was close for the first 15 minutes but the Ducks went on a 22-7 run in the final 5 minutes of the 1st period  to open up a 16 point halftime lead at 48-32. They quickly widened it to 20 in the early 2nd half and just kept building it to a 30 plus MOV. 

[bomber3]

Haven't made it on here in a while...

Here's hoping IC can pull it out against Fisher.  Lets go Bombers.

[magicman]

Ithaca defeats Fisher 70-63 to advance to the title game against Stevens in what will be the rubber match between the 2 E8 leaders.

[Bombers798891]

Bombers take care of St. John Fisher, 70-63. Down 31-30 at the break, Ithaca comes out roaring, opening the second half on a 10-1 run. Fisher never gets closer than six the rest of the way. Ithaca hits their free throws down the stretch to close it out and improve to 18-8 on the season.

With Warech and Oztemel back, I expect a great E8 Title game. Don't forget, a full-strength Bombers team beat Stevens earlier this season (albeit in Ithaca). I think Ithaca can pull it off tomorrow.

Sean Rossi sets the all-time Division III record for assists, finishing with 9. He'll get a chance to pad the total further tomorrow. Frank Mitchell leads the way with 21 points.

[bomber3]

Bombers take care of St. John Fisher, 70-63. Down 31-30 at the break, Ithaca comes out roaring, opening the second half on a 10-1 run. Fisher never gets closer than six the rest of the way. Ithaca hits their free throws down the stretch to close it out and improve to 18-8 on the season.

With Warech and Oztemel back, I expect a great E8 Title game. Don't forget, a full-strength Bombers team beat Stevens earlier this season (albeit in Ithaca). I think Ithaca can pull it off tomorrow.

Sean Rossi sets the all-time Division III record for assists, finishing with 9. He'll get a chance to pad the total further tomorrow. Frank Mitchell leads the way with 21 points.

Agreed.  They were outmatched two weeks ago but Warech is a difference maker.  Jones was a beast for Stevens today, IC will need to contain him.

Rossi the all time D3 assists leader and a playoff win against Fisher.  Nights don't get too much better than this for the men's program.  Great night.  Lets get another one tomorrow. 

[Bombers798891]

At the start of the year, I predicted a 20-win season, regular season and conference crowns for the Bombers, and an NCAA win. While injuries cost them the regular-season crown, the rest looks like it may happen.

The Bombers essentially lead wire-to-wire and take care of Stevens 70-55. Stevens' fans got a taste of what was missing the last time the Bombers came to town, as Travis Warech puts up 25 points and 10 rebounds. Seven more assists for Sean Rossi, as he continues to pad his totals.

This Ithaca team is legit. They're 19-8, and would probably be 22-5 if the lineup they have now is healthy all season. Don't sleep on them in the NCAAs...

[dcahill44]

Coach Mullins and Ithaca has won the E8 championship the last 2 years... i think this years team is by far better than last year. with Sweeney starting for Healey Ithaca's starting lineup are All League Caliber players. I expect Ithaca to make a Run in the tournament and lose in the Sweet 16.

[Bombers798891]

So, IC takes on Springfield. Gotta say, I like Ithaca's chances. All of the following is based on never having seen Springfield, and basically is me scouting a stat sheet

1. Seems like the Pride struggle to score. 69 PPG isn't bad, but it seems like a lot of that was based on a few high-scoring games early and some OT games. If you look at the median number of points scored in regulation, Springfield is at 66, Ithaca at 74. Springfield has broken the 70 point barrier in regulation once in its last 15 games. I think the scoring disparity is wider than it may appear.     

2. Springfield is dreadful beyond the arc. Its three heaviest three point shooters are shooting a combined 25.8% from three. Nick Sienkiewicz seems to be the only serious deep threat (19-of-45). Ithaca's got a clear advantage deep. Seems like you're not likely to see Springfield get hot from downtown and win that way.

*Side note. I never understand teams that let guys who aren't great at three-pointers shoot them so much. Rote shot 26.5% last season on 102 shots, and is 22.4% of 99 this year. Considering  he shot 44% and 41% from the floor overall, it seems highly inefficient to have him shooting so frequently from three. Berthiaume was 33% and 27% on 126 and 99 these last two years. Altman was 21% last year, and 28% this season.

3. The Pride seem much more aggressive on defense, however (346 combined blocks and steals, compared to 266 for Ithaca). This is in line with their better defense, especially from two. Springfield's opponents are shooting 42% from inside the arc, compared to 48% from Ithaca. Neither team seems to have a clear advantage at the line.

I like the Bombers here. It just seems like Springfield struggles to top 70 points, something the Bombers have been able to do with regularity when they've got everyone healthy. This isn't like last years squad, which honestly, was overmatched and had to try and win a three-point shooting contest by having Oztemel and Marcus gun up 27 combined threes. This team is a 22-5 team masquerading as an 19-8 one.

Bombers win, 75-67

[NYHOOPS8]

Good luck to both E8 schools this weekend. Ithaca seems to be clicking at the right time. Stevens has a tough matchup with RMC but playing close to home could be the difference in the game.

[y_jack_lok]

Stevens is a good team that seemed to play tight the first 10 minutes and turned the ball over too much early in the game, giving Randolph-Macon a chance to keep a slim lead. Then after overcoming a 16 point deficit early in the second half and taking a couple of one point leads, Stevens couldn't maintain the momentum. Randolph-Macon was fortunate to do just enough to get the lead back then make clutch free throws at the end.

Very nice job by the Empire 8 announcers.

[jdex]

Randolph-Macon 69, Stevens 60

[Bombers798891]

Stunning.

Bombers trail 59-50 with 12 minutes to go, then go on a 15-0 run, and close it out to win 89-77. Travis Warech with 25 points and 15 rebounds in 39 minutes.

Jordan Rote did not play for Springfield, and that clearly hurt, but the Pride still had their chances. They went 11-of-21 from the line (Ithaca goes 25-of-28).

While the game would have gone differently if Rote had been playing, this is simply not the same Bombers team of years past. To go on a run like that in a situation like that, that's a veteran team showing composure. Ithaca's three best players (Warech, Mitchell, and Rossi) played 118 of 120 minutes and scored 61 points. Mitchell had 11 rebounds, Rossi 8 assists.

Alex Berthiaume did yeoman's work for the Pride, scoring 35 points.

You hate to see a team's season end with a great player watching from the bench, but credit to the Bombers for earning the win

[Bombers798891]

An added bonus: Sean Rossi continues to add to his all-time assists record. He's 24 ahead of the old mark, and still going