MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[hasanova]

I think Randolph-Macon got bit by the road bug and a very good EMU team tonight.  It happens.
I didn't figure anybody to win that game by 23.

VWC, rest assured that nobody's looking past you.

sludge, I'm saving you a seat on Saturday!  As always, you and muckraker are also invited to the halftime Quaker Club reception!

[Jeremybozz]

 Awesome atmosphere at University Commons in Harrisonburg tonight.
Both teams played a great first half. My father said at halftime this was the highest quality half of basketball by both teams he had seen over the past 47 years of watching ODAC/Mason Dixon play.
EMU played great D in the 2nd half generating a bunch of steals with quick hands,often resulting in dunks.
Congrats to Kirby and the Runnin Royals and also the Bridgewater Eagles for the win over Roanoke as well. I spoke with several other Eagles fans who decided to skip the action at Nininger Hall to see the 2nd #1 ranked in the nation hoops team to play in Harrisonburg. Nancy Lieberman and the 1980 ODU Lady Monarchs were the other #1 team to play in Harrisonburg.

[deanslist]

I would say the atmosphere at University Commons tonight was one of the best that I've ever seen at EMU. Over an hour before tip, I would say 500+ were already in there seats and it eventually became standing room only with people lining the indoor track above the court! A great 6th man tonight!

I would agree with what Jeremybozz said about the first half play of both teams being very high. That was D3 hoops at its best! EMU's first two shot attempts got blocked, but the Royals continued to spread the floor and attack the paint. The Royals are a good three point shooting team and so I thought they might turn to the outside shot more, especially after those early blocks, but that was not the case. RMC and EMU are both extremely deep and athletic. The Royals got it done tonight on the defensive end. With only 10 minutes left in the game, EMU had only allowed 10 points in the second half! The Runnin' Royals D often created there offense. Even though EMU played very uptempo, they were under control and only turned the ball over 10 times. With the Royals up by 20 in the second half, I wasn't comfortable with the lead knowing Macon had come back twice from deficits of 16 already this season. Those were two really good teams on the floor tonight and it's amazing to think that Macon only has 2 seniors and EMU has 1. Hopefully the Royals can prevent a let down on Saturday at Randolph and maybe crack the Top 10! Congrats to the entire EMU team! Go Royals!

[yj424]

No doubt the Runnin Royals are for real. With their quickness, defensive pressure on the ball, quick hands and ability to drive and score.....they just beat the snot out of my Jackets BB Team. Interesting to see that 3 players for EMU combined for 73 points. What a packed house there tonight. Great atmosphere! Thought the officials did a great job tonight. No complaints. EMU is quite explosive. A force to be reckoned with. Look out Guilford, VWC(as you already know) and all the rest of the ODAC. These guys are very, very good!

[2RMCFans]

Wow, EMU played some great basketball!  It was a terrific 1st half but the Jackets just fell apart in the 2nd.  What can we say... we still love those guys!

Congrats to EMU on a well-deserved and big win!

GO JACKETS!!!

[algernon]

HASANOVA-  HOLY EMU IS RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    The real question is will EMU get any respect in the National Rankings, they have beaten VWC ranked 8th and RMC ranked #1. HOW HIGH WILL EMU GO?

A prediction .... barring upsets:

• EMU (13-1) will move up to #7
• The winner of Guilford/VWC #2 (15-1 or 14-1) will be ranked #8
• The loser of Guilford/VWC #2 (14-2 or 13-2) will be ranked #9
• RMC (14-1) will fall to #10

Results between these four teams to this point:
EMU by 3 over VWC
EMU by 23 over RMC
VWC by 3 over Guilford

Since Guilford's already #6, VWC's already #8 and RMC lost so badly, I respectfully disagree that the winner of the GC/VWC game will be #8.  I think the winner will be #5 (unless another member of the Top 5 loses - then several other things come into play).

Obviously, we're just having fun with speculation here, but I've got to argue that #6 theoretically SHOULD defeat #8 .... since they are higher in the ranking.  So maybe we just keep Guilford at #6, even with a win .....  But now I'm thinking that EMU is 1-0 against VWC, while Guilford (with a win) has only split with VWC.  So wouldn't EMU deserve to be higher than Guilford (especially after the Runnin Royals defeated #1 Randolph-Macon by 23 points, which Guilford has not yet accomplished)?  So put EMU at #5 .... but is there a place for them there?  Yes, with RMC and St. Thomas losing, there's a place as high as #4, with Stevens Point, Washington U, and Whitewater as #1, #2, and #3.  So how about this prognostication? ...... 

• EMU (12-1) moves up to #4
• Guilford (15-1) moves up to #5
• VWC (14-2) falls to #9
• RMC (14-1) falls to #10

This is good material for the Marlins' "caulkboard," of course .....   

[Jacketlawyer]

I think Randolph-Macon got bit by the road bug and a very good EMU team tonight.  It happens.

We got chomped by the road bug.  I wasn't expecting to win that game, but I didn't expect to get schooled.  And we did.

On the bright side, the pressure of the # 1 ranking is gone.  Hopefully we can go about our business in the ODAC and do well in the tournament.

Note that "do well" means win it.

[Brian Hamilton]

Jeremy,

HSC was probably #1 during the 1999-2000 season when they played in Harrisonburg.  Macon and VWC had been #1 other seasons as well and may or may not have been #1 when they came to Harrisonburg.  Just thought I would throw that out there.

[bigrips77]

Jeremy - The ODAC's been around since 1976... is your old man counting some years twice?  j/k

[bigrips77]

Many folks around the ODAC would agree that a win like this was bound to happen for EMU.  The only people who might be surprised around the conference would be those who haven't seen this team play the last few years.  Their win at VWC was no fluke, and obviously neither was last night's game.  Regardless, a program-defining win for Kirby Dean and his team... way to make a statement. 

As for R-MC, I think many of us saw this one coming.  They had played a few games from behind lately, and it's hard to make up such a deficit to a team that can score in bunches.

Another narrow defeat for Hampden-Sydney at Virginia Wesleyan - just having a hard time winning the close games lately as they've now dropped 7 of 9... Turner King pulled a bit of a Chris Webber at the end of the game.  Tigers had cut the Marlins short-lived double-digit lead down to 3 within a minute to play.  Then, on the ensuing in-bound, Donald Vaughn threw behind Stephen Fields to turn it back to H-SC.  Funny thing is that Dee Vick called a TO with 12.1 to go, just as Karlis Trops knocked down a three that would've tied the game.  Tigers had a chance to tie it, missed from three, and King came up with the ball on his back under the basket and called timeout with 0.5 left.  Problem is... H-SC had no more timeouts, so Fields went to the line and knocked in a pair of FT's, and then Mudd banked home a trey at the buzzer.  If King had not called TO, the Tigers wouldn't have been able to tie the game since time was running out. 

As for the Marlins, Fields had 25 pts, 5 rebs, 5 assts, and went 11 of 12 from the line.  10th straight win for Virginia Wesleyan who heads to Greensboro for the Top 10 showdown with Guilford.  It hasn't been pretty in January for the Fish with the exception of Fields who is getting 24.3 a game this month but they are finding ways to win when it matters.

Other thoughts... Big big big win for Bridgewater over Roanoke... Don Burgess' boys badly needed that one.  W&L also badly needed a win in conference play, and they eeked one out over a tough Lynchburg team in OT. 

[rmc1982]

I think Randolph-Macon got bit by the road bug and a very good EMU team tonight.  It happens.

We got chomped by the road bug.  I wasn't expecting to win that game, but I didn't expect to get schooled.  And we did.

On the bright side, the pressure of the # 1 ranking is gone.  Hopefully we can go about our business in the ODAC and do well in the tournament.

Note that "do well" means win it.

Ditto Jacketlawyer! "Schooled " is a nice way to put it-I didn't see the game last night-Good Thing! I was in Suffolk with a lady friend having dinner at the Vintage Tavern but one of my friends came in and said we were getting smoked!This puts everyone on note that EMU is FOR REAL!.....but now the proverbial bullseye is starting to form on THEIR back-they won't sneak up on anyone  from here on out- they beat the living crap out of us last night ,and they deserve every kudo they get-they've earned them!Congrats to the boys from Harrisonburg!..... Great job!......now the Jackets have to pick up the pieces and move on.....now we'll see what they're made of....Shake it off and come right back fellas!

[Jeremybozz]

Jeremy - The ODAC's been around since 1976... is your old man counting some years twice?   j/k

You are correct, he actually competed in the Mason Dixon conference himself but I knew what he meant. Maybe I should have put Bridgewater/Eastern Mennonite games since he entered Bridgewater College in 1963.

[Jeremybozz]

Jeremy,

HSC was probably #1 during the 1999-2000 season when they played in Harrisonburg.  Macon and VWC had been #1 other seasons as well and may or may not have been #1 when they came to Harrisonburg.  Just thought I would throw that out there.

Perhaps the Daily News Record did not research it that thoroughly then.

[algernon]

Hampden-Sydney was #1 in 2000 for 8 consecutive weeks:  January 3 to February 26.

Randolph-Macon was #1 in 2003 for 2 polls:  February 23 and March 2

Hampden-Sydney was #1 in 2004 for 1 week:  January 11-17.

Virginia Wesleyan was National Champ in 2006 ... and #1 in the Final 2006 poll, the Preseason 2006-2007 poll, and after the first week, until December 3, 2007.

Now, Randolph-Macon was #1 in 2010 for 1 week:  January 10-16 -- much like the Tigers were in 2004.

So, my guess is that the Tigers were #1 when they visited Harrisonburg in 2000, but I can't say for sure.

[hasanova]

Hampden-Sydney was #1 in 2000 for 8 consecutive weeks:  January 3 to February 26.

Randolph-Macon was #1 in 2003 for 2 polls:  February 23 and March 2

Hampden-Sydney was #1 in 2004 for 1 week:  January 11-17.

Virginia Wesleyan was National Champ in 2006 ... and #1 in the Final 2006 poll, the Preseason 2006-2007 poll, and after the first week, until December 3, 2007.

Now, Randolph-Macon was #1 in 2010 for 1 week:  January 10-16 -- much like the Tigers were in 2004.

So, my guess is that the Tigers were #1 when they visited Harrisonburg in 2000, but I can't say for sure.

I tried to find 1999-2000 archives (that listed the game date) on EMU's site, HSC's site, d3hoops.com and the odaconline, but I was unsuccessful.  It's out there somewhere!