MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[mybleedinghands]

Matt Drewer will not be playing for the Eagles the rest of the season.  Drewer has left Bridgewater College.  His absence will really put a dent in the Eagle's season.  Dan Cunningham's presence on the court this season is also currently questionable.  He did not travel to Ohio with the rest of the team. 

How disappointing! I thought Cunningham was poised to have a breakout season this year! After the game he had against us @ LC I was really interested in seeing what kind of a player he would turn out to be.

[ladyeagle]

Ladyeagle - What's going on? The Eagles are disintegrating.

I don't know...it's quite frustrating.  Different things are cutting into each player.  Still, I'm not totally pessimistic about the situation.  Even though the Eagles lost last night, the spark they showed at the end of yesterdays game gave me a little hope that this team can pull it together.

[algernon]

Friday, December 30th
Guilford defeats Heidelberg

[hasanova]

Friday, December 30th
Guilford defeats Heidelberg

May I assume this is a prediction and not a report?  I have the game down as a 5:30 pm start later this afternoon.

[jeloesel]

The game did start at 5:30.  At the half, Guilford is down by two, 33-31.  It sounds like they are running on three cylinders.   

[mybleedinghands]

Who is the best team in the ODAC right now?

Who is on pace to receive ODAC player of the year?


just curious of what you guys and gals think?

I don't really think any single team or any one single player has established themselves as head and shoulders above anyone else, but I think I would go with Macon as the best team so far. Their record isn't as good as Hampden Sydney, but Macon's SOS appears to be stronger based on the record's of the teams they have played.

As far as POY is concerned, I'd split my "vote" between Jason Sager and Troy Kaase. If Ben Strong continues teh strong play he has shown thus far in conference games, my vote might just swing his way. I was really impressed with his athleticism and shooting ability when we went down to play them. I definitely can see him as being a POY winner before he graduates.

[former rmcsid]

Final scores and links to stats from Ashland, Va., Friday, December 30th -- the 2005 Rees Jewelers Christmas Classic at Randolph-Macon College.

Consolation game:
#12 Randolph-Macon 70
Kenyon 48
http://www.rmc.edu/athletics/basketball/mens/BBstats/2006/RMC11.HTM

Championship game:
Farmingdale State 69
Fisk 51
http://www.rmc.edu/athletics/basketball/mens/BBstats/2006/FSU-FISK.HTM

All-tournament team:
Bryan Yelvington (Kenyon)
Justin Wansley (R-MC)
Chris Adams (Fisk)
Jeremiah Williamson (Fisk)
Kenny McMillan (Farmingdale)

MVP:
Dashawn Warren (Farmingdale)

HAPPY NEW YEAR ODAC HOOPS FANS!

[algernon]

Troy Kaase tied his career-high with 26 points and earned tournament most valuable player honors in leading the Tigers to an 85-71 victory over Wheaton College (Mass.)  Wheaton drops to 8-2 on the season.  Kaase was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Drew Prehmus and Mike Edwards.  Kaase leads the ODAC in points scored, with 20+/game.

Yes, my earlier post was a prediction, posted before game time today.  It looks like I should have kept my mouth shut, though, since the Quakers lost their 4th straight game.  (What's going on?)

Regarding who's the best ..... 
There's a good game coming up in 12 days -- between HSC and RMC.  Is it too early for a prediction on that game?  Oh, why not .... 

I'll bet that the Tigers will handily beat Bridgewater next weekend and then scrape by EMU to go into the RMC game with a 11-0 record and a national ranking of #15 or higher.  RMC will be ranked somewhat below that, given their recent loss to Fisk.  The Tigers will prevail in Fleet Gymnasium.

[hasanova]

The game did start at 5:30.  At the half, Guilford is down by two, 33-31.  It sounds like they are running on three cylinders.   

The game started too early for me to make the tip-off, so I got there with 19:01 to go in the game and GC down 35-33.  There were something like 13 ties and 14 lead changes in this game, but the Quakers, in my opinion, did not handle the ball well down the stretch.  Turnovers in key situations, poor FT shooting - you name it.  I know at one point the game was tied around the low 60's, Guilford gets 2 FT's and then the Heidelberg Coach gets a T.  We make one of the four FT's and then turn the ball over for a fastbreak the other direction on the ensuing inbounds play.  Sigh!  Snipes tied the game with a 3-pointer with 47 seconds to go, but that was the last time the Quakers scored in an 89-84 loss.  I am very disappointed ... 

[ladyeagle]

Eagles beat Grove City 69-67.  Clay Michael finished with 21 points again and Josh Maupin showed up with 15 points. 

As a clarification to my earlier comments on Drewer and Cunningham, because I know I made it a little vague, both are not playing strictly because of academic reasons. 

[jeloesel]

This morning's Roanoke Times carried a must-read story for the ODAC Pick'em contestants and may be of some interest to other readers.   

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/46498

[xcoach]

After reading the article Jim...I am reminded that I was ostracised last season when my "second" attempted to pay my debts with Dr. Pepper instead of RC. I feel cleansed by the good taste of Ruth Wills!
Although I have been AWOL for some time, rest assured that I have been keeping a close eye on the fulminations of the great minds on this board and I would like to wish you all a safe, happy, and prosperous New Year!

[jeloesel]

rest assured that I have been keeping a close eye on the fulminations of the great minds on this board

Stan,
Perhaps you should keep a closer eye on < instead.   

I am again looking forward to drinking an RC at your expense in the coming year. 

[mybleedinghands]

Instead of "an apple a day keeps the doctor away", its "three dr. pepper's a day keeps the doctor away" 
Whoever I gave that dr. pepper to last year at odac tournament will surely be living a long life now! 

[eagleslam]

It's good to see Clay Michael playing well.  With the losses of Drewer and Cunningham, he and Josh Fox will have to step it up in the post.

The Eagles are 4-5 headed into the ODAC season (1-2 in the league).  But I think things are better than they seem.  They are shooting 49% from the field, 37% from the line, and 71% from the line.  They are outrebounding their opponents by nearly four per game (30.2-26.5).  Their opponents are shooting 41% from beyond the arc, but that is mainly due to RC's hot shooting in the game they played.  Their opponents shoot 47% overall.  The difference is assists and turnovers.  BC has 125 assists to 145 TO's.  Opponents have 119-122.  This is obviously giving them more shots (432-468) than the Eagles, and this is causing them to be outscored by 1.5 points a game (64.5-66).

They are 3-1 when they win the assist/TO ratio and 1-4 when they lose it.  Their one loss came to Roanoke, and their win came against W&L.

I know the game against H-SC will be a blow out, because Algernon said so.  He also posted on here many times in the early going how all of the inexperience of the Tigers was effecting their slow start.  Funny how when something is bothering the Tigers, it is a plague-type problem.  But if it bothers another team, it is a minor glitch.  Turnovers and lack of chemistry led to the Tigers 5-4 start last year, but apparantly a lack of talent has led the Eagles to 4-5.  By the way, the Tigers scored 610 points after 9 games last year, and gave up 610 as well.  It's funny how last year the Tigers overcame those issues against Longwood (which as has been mentioned by Algernon on here , "D-I", but that is a whole different soapbox for me) to win, at home.  But the Eagles cannot possibly overcome those issues and beat H-SC at home.  When Brian Gunn left the team last year, the Tigers seemed to click.  No offense to Brian; just stating fact.  Again, there is NO WAY the Eagles can come together and click now that Drewer and Cunningham are not longer with them.  Different reasons why they left, but aren't with the team regardless.  

Blowout, maybe.  Who knows?  We'll see in a week.  But I will say that this Eagles' team has one thing the Tigers have yet to face this year: size.  Fox is 6-8 and Michael is 6-7.  Butler is 6-5, as is Oblitely, who gives the Eagles good athleticism on the wing, and the Tigers have had problems against guys like that this year.  If Cathlin plays, that is another 6-3 athlete.  His religion may prevent him from playing, I'm just not sure of the times he is inactive.  Maupin is a shooter as well thatFor that matter, the Tigers will not have seen size like EMU or R-MC.  Coach Smith has them playing great team basketball right now.  They are running their offense, looking for Kaase down low, and not taking quick three point shots.  But these next three games will be huge for H-SC, because it will show how well they play against teams with some size.