Empire 8

gobombers15 · February 07, 2007, 12:56:38 PM

Looks like it's going to be the same four teams in the E8 Tourney as it always is. Alfred seems to be fading a little bit and RIT is starting to play better. I really don't think it will matter in what order RIT and Ithaca make the tournament because, either way, I think both teams would be prohibitive underdogs in their semifinal games.

superman57 · February 07, 2007, 01:04:25 PM

well I for one am VERY intrested to see how utica bounces back and handles two tough games this weekend...I feel that if RIT can correct their league worst free throw shooting they should be able to give Utica a scare...and well naz is naz you never know what team is going to show up

gobombers15 · February 07, 2007, 01:22:14 PM

Utica will be fine. Naz isn't the same team on the road (except for Fisher) as they are when they play in Kidera Gym. I think Utica will thump them on Friday night. The RIT game will be a bit more difficult but, in Utica, I would have to think the Pioneers are still a substantial favorite. To beat a team like Utica, you have to do the little things well and something like a bad FT% could cost RIT dearly. I think Utica beats Naz by 15-20, and beats RIT by 8-12.

I think the Ithaca/Fisher game will be far closer this time around. Sure, I'm not really going out on a limb by saying that IC won't lose by 30 at home, but you get the general idea. If IC can keep Fisher close in the first 10 mins, it should be a good game. I still think Fisher wins by 5-8 points, though. They just have IC's number right now in men's hoops.

superman57 · February 07, 2007, 02:07:01 PM

GB15...the one thing I think is that Utica is better on the road than they are at home and RIT has wierdly not lost on the road yet.... so I think that RIT is just a huge wildcard... I'm also curious about the Ithaca-Fisher game... Fisher has done well vs. Ithaca the past couple of years

gobombers15 · February 07, 2007, 02:56:20 PM

Quote from: Superman57 on February 07, 2007, 02:07:01 PM
GB15...the one thing I think is that Utica is better on the road than they are at home and RIT has wierdly not lost on the road yet.... so I think that RIT is just a huge wildcard... I'm also curious about the Ithaca-Fisher game... Fisher has done well vs. Ithaca the past couple of years

Hm, interesting opinion considering we always called Utica on its inability to win in Rochester against RIT/Fisher for many years. The knock on them was always that they were a lot tougher at home than on the road. I do think they're probably better at home than on the road. I'm not prepared to say they're a better road team just because IC beat them at their place. From the sound of it, Ithaca played a great game and Utica did a lot of things they usually don't do that ended up costing them. I guess we'll see over the next couple of weeks.

On a different note, it's almost guaranteed that the men's and women's E8 Tourneys will not be at the same place. That's a good thing unless you enjoyed having the IC/UC game tip at almost 11pm last year. It lookes like the ladies will be somewhere in the Southern Tier as Elmira or Ithaca will likely be the host.

dewcrew88 · February 07, 2007, 02:58:34 PM

Quote from: gobombers15 on February 07, 2007, 02:56:20 PM
Quote from: Superman57 on February 07, 2007, 02:07:01 PM
GB15...the one thing I think is that Utica is better on the road than they are at home and RIT has wierdly not lost on the road yet.... so I think that RIT is just a huge wildcard... I'm also curious about the Ithaca-Fisher game... Fisher has done well vs. Ithaca the past couple of years

Hm, interesting opinion considering we always called Utica on its inability to win in Rochester against RIT/Fisher for many years. The knock on them was always that they were a lot tougher at home than on the road. I do think they're probably better at home than on the road. I'm not prepared to say they're a better road team just because IC beat them at their place. From the sound of it, Ithaca played a great game and Utica did a lot of things they usually don't do that ended up costing them. I guess we'll see over the next couple of weeks.

On a different note, it's almost guaranteed that the men's and women's E8 Tourneys will not be at the same place. That's a good thing unless you enjoyed having the IC/UC game tip at almost 11pm last year. It lookes like the ladies will be somewhere in the Southern Tier as Elmira or Ithaca will likely be the host.

I hope that Utica can get the host spot for the E8 tourney, because it might make life easier to get to the NCAAs not going through the gym at Fisher.

Adam the Bull · February 07, 2007, 03:02:09 PM

Quote from: Superman57 on February 07, 2007, 02:07:01 PM
GB15...the one thing I think is that Utica is better on the road than they are at home and RIT has wierdly not lost on the road yet.... so I think that RIT is just a huge wildcard... I'm also curious about the Ithaca-Fisher game... Fisher has done well vs. Ithaca the past couple of years

Huh....Utica has only lost one game at home all season and that was to Ithaca in overtime!

fisheralum91 · February 07, 2007, 03:08:03 PM

Adam,
Agreed- though the ride through Roch will be very telling!

UCgrad45 · February 07, 2007, 03:47:28 PM

Quote from: Superman57 on February 07, 2007, 02:07:01 PM
GB15...the one thing I think is that Utica is better on the road than they are at home and RIT has wierdly not lost on the road yet.... so I think that RIT is just a huge wildcard... I'm also curious about the Ithaca-Fisher game... Fisher has done well vs. Ithaca the past couple of years

In the last 3 seasons, Utica is 28-6 at home.

superman57 · February 07, 2007, 04:13:32 PM

and fisher is something like 51-3 at home....my reasoning was it has seemed like utica has struggled a little bit at home this year

bamm · February 07, 2007, 04:20:59 PM

Struggled how? Everything is relative, I suppose. But I think the lack of understanding comes from trying to figure out how you are defining that term. It just seems a stretch to call 10-1 struggling.

superman57 · February 07, 2007, 04:28:19 PM

I guess I come from the policy that if your the best team in the league that is having an overall down year...you need to be undefeated at home at blowing teams out...

sjfcards · February 07, 2007, 07:09:41 PM

I think UC is a good home team...however, RIT has been great on the road this year.

I agree with a lot of what gobombers had to say. I think Naz will keep it close early and end up throwing it away and lose by 15...
I agree that RIT will be an underdog on the road this weekend...but if they can figure out their free throw shooting (which was not all that bad the last 7-10 mins against Fisher...the rest of the game was garbage) I think they will beat UC.

Naz if nothing else will run a team for a while...RIT/Naz is never an easy weekend for any team, and I think that UC will drop one this weekend.

Hoaf · February 07, 2007, 08:54:45 PM

The first regional rankings are up.

East Region
1 St. Lawrence 18-3 17-3
2 Brockport State 16-4 15-4
3 Utica 17-3 16-3
4 New York U. 16-4 14-4
5 Rochester 15-5 15-4

superman57 · February 07, 2007, 08:57:17 PM

I think that Utica drops a close one to RIT....nothing against Utica...I think Utica is an ok team...they have not impressed me yet and beat a fisher team that played like cr*p in double ot