MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[algernon]

Other great stat - bench scoring H-SC 26 Guilford 2 - running down Guilford quickly - they look tried

Guilford's had several key players hurt since Christmas - an 8 man rotation is not enough when some of those are also not at 100%.

Bench scoring was actually HSC 45, Guilford 6, but HSC's bench has included Harrison George ever since HSC's loss on 1/5 at Guilford.  Bench scoring since then:

1/9: HSC 31, Lynchburg 18
1/12: HSC 25, W&L 24
1/16: HSC 28, RMC 13
1/19: HSC 51, EMU 30
1/23: HSC 42, Randolph 9
Today: HSC 45, Guilford 6

[algernon]

Again, the difference when Harrison is on the court is remarkable.  The Tigers go 5-5 against GC in the first 4 minutes; Harrison enters the game and the team outscores Guilford 16-5 over the next 6 minutes.  Then the Tigers go 10-10 against GC in the next 6 minutes; Harrison enters the game and the team outscores Guilford 10-1 over the last 4 minutes of the first half.  Their 20-point lead going into the locker room is the product of staying even with Guilford, 15-15, during the 10 minutes Harrison is on the bench, while outscoring Guilford 26-6 when Harrison is on the floor.

In the 2nd half, the Tigers are outscored by GC in the first 4 minutes, 2-8; Harrison enters the game and the team outscores Guilford 11-6 over the next 5 minutes.  With a 19-point lead and 11 minutes to play, Harrison leaves for the rest of the game and the Tigers outscore Guilford without him, 22-17.  In summary, the Tigers outscored the Quakers, 37-12, during the 16 minutes that Harrison was playing, and lost by a single point, 39-40, when Harrison was on the bench.

[algernon]

The Quakers' top player played 35 minutes, reflecting what hasa referred to as the team's lack of depth, as well as Josh Pittman's super conditioning.  Pittman played 18.5 minutes of the first half and the Tigers led, 34-19, when he was on the court, and by a score of 7-2 when he was off.  Pittman played 16.5 minutes of the second half, finally leaving the game with 54 seconds left.  The Tigers led, 29-24, when he was on the court, and the Quakers led by a single point, 7-6, when he was off.

[HSCDad]

H-SC depth is really showing.  Almost 3 rotating teams that can run with anyone in the conference. Number of payers are also playing different positions which must really throw others off.  Also the 3 pointers yesterday from, I know at least, seven players makes defense hard on others.  In W&L/VWC game, JD Ey's block of what looked like an easy VCW layup that would have given VWC the lead in the closing seconds was a play of the year award candidate!

[algernon]

This is my current estimation of what the NCAA's Regional Rankings might look like, based upon regional records (included below) and SOS, through yesterday's games:

1.  Christopher Newport  (USAC)   14-2   
2.  Hampden-Sydney  (ODAC)    13-2   
3.  Mary Hardin-Baylor  (ASC)   16-3
4.  Concordia (Texas) (ASC)    12-3
5.  Emory (UAA)     12-4
6.  Virginia Wesleyan  (ODAC)   10-4   
7.  Lynchburg  (ODAC)   12-3
8.  Randolph  (ODAC)   10-3            

[DeWayneCarter]

H-SC depth is really showing.  Almost 3 rotating teams that can run with anyone in the conference. Number of payers are also playing different positions which must really throw others off.  Also the 3 pointers yesterday from, I know at least, seven players makes defense hard on others.  In W&L/VWC game, JD Ey's block of what looked like an easy VCW layup that would have given VWC the lead in the closing seconds was a play of the year award candidate!

That was indeed a huge play! I just KNEW VWC had the game won when Teasley made that steal! But that was a heck of a play, especially considering what was at stake!

[algernon]

My picks for Wednesday:

Randolph @ Emory and Henry, 6:00 PM - Emory and Henry might win another game before the end of the season, but they won't get it against Colton Hunt and the Wildcats.  Great name for a band, huh ....  "Colton Hunt and the Wildcats"?

Guilford @ Roanoke, 7:00 PM - Possibility that the Maroons will win at home, but I expect that Guilford will bounce back from 3 straight losses and improve to 15-5.

Lynchburg @ Hampden-Sydney, 7:00 PM - Should be very tight, but the Tigers are more than capable of getting the win at home, even against a team that is 16-3.  (Lynchburg is 16-3?!?!?!  What is the world coming to?!  Both of Scottie Too Hottie's teams are now on a roll!)

Shenandoah @ Eastern Mennonite, 7:00 PM - Shenandoah's best chance for an ODAC win was 2 weeks ago, when they hosted the Wasps, who had to travel 5 hours up the valley.  They seem almost certain to be the 1st ODAC team in years to fail to get a single conference win.  My bet is that they'll get the the #12 seed and finish their season on 2/19 on the court of the #5 seed.

Washington and Lee @ Bridgewater, 7:00 PM - This game could easily go either way.  Both teams' seasons have produced real surprises:  W&L beat both Guilford and VWC at home, but lost to RMC by 35 on the road; Bridgewater beat RMC in Crenshaw, but lost to Emory and Henry.

Randolph-Macon @ Virginia Wesleyan, 8:00 PM - This game could go either way, for sure!  However, the Marlins should have the advantage, given that the game is in the Batten Center.  The Yellow Jackets are 3-7 when not playing in Crenshaw this year.  The Marlins are 8-1 in the Batten Center.

[tigerfanalso]

The GC team I saw on Saturday cannot be the same team that beat HSC by 14 points. They were not very good at all. Must be some injuries/academic problems, etc. HSC would beat the GC team I saw 10 out of 10 times.

I was impressed with Pittman. What can you say about him that has not already been said 1000 times. Good, smart player that will kill you if he gets an open look.

I did not like the starting lineup used by HSC this past Saturday. I personally do not think HSC is as deep as everyone thinks. They will have a very difficult time playing that many players against a really good team. It is obvious who the best players are and I'm not sure they are in good enough shape to go 3o plus minutes if they are called on do so. I'm not a b'ball guy and I hope my observation is NOT correct. Good luck Wednesday nite against LC.

[baselinejam]

What in the nmae of George & Bob happened. When was the last time we won at the Batten Center? Way to go Generals! JD Ey was the man!

That game was at W&L: http://d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2012-13/contrib/20130126fy6si5

Right you are. I was overcome with a sense of enthusiasm I haven't had for a while.

[hasanova]

The GC team I saw on Saturday cannot be the same team that beat HSC by 14 points. They were not very good at all. Must be some injuries/academic problems, etc. HSC would beat the GC team I saw 10 out of 10 times.

I was impressed with Pittman. What can you say about him that has not already been said 1000 times. Good, smart player that will kill you if he gets an open look.

I did not like the starting lineup used by HSC this past Saturday. I personally do not think HSC is as deep as everyone thinks. They will have a very difficult time playing that many players against a really good team. It is obvious who the best players are and I'm not sure they are in good enough shape to go 3o plus minutes if they are called on do so. I'm not a b'ball guy and I hope my observation is NOT correct. Good luck Wednesday nite against LC.

Nothing academic, just injuries.  They're a bit hobbled at the moment, but I respectfully disagree with you about "ten out of ten". 

[algernon]

Clearly, there is a quality difference between the best five and the second five Tigers, but the so-called second-five Tigers are the best second-five we have had in the 19 years I've been following Tiger basketball.

I think that our best five players are certainly well-enough conditioned to go 30 minutes, if it makes sense for them to do so.  In the recent 16-point win over Randolph, Williamson, Lewis, Wetzel, Murray, and George each played 26-29 minutes.  No doubt they could have played over 30 minutes apiece if that had been needed.  With players on the bench like Lumpkin, Hargrove, and another 3-5 guys who have been contributing in a big way, it will rarely make sense for the Tigers not to have fresh legs on the floor.

[tigerfanalso]

Hasa: I thought you would disagree but you did so with class, as always.

Algernon: I certainly hope you're right. I understand saving the legs during the course of a long season. If the Tigers are fortunate enough to play in post season, the top 7/8 guys are going to get more minutes than normal. I trust your opinion that they are ready to do so.

Will the ODAC get two teams in the NCAA's ?

[algernon]

Given the quality of the teams in the conference, the ODAC should get 2-3 teams in the NCAAs.  As a very general rule, an ODAC team with no more than 5 regular season losses will probably get a Pool C bid, even after getting an additional loss in the ODAC tournament.  That's a very general rule of thumb that tends to be true a lot of the time.  A 6th regular season loss usually means that you have to win the tournament and get the AQ.

At this point, the Tigers have only 2 losses and will get a Pool C bid if they fail to win the ODAC tournament, unless they totally fall apart over the last 6 games of the regular season.  If they finish with 2-4 losses, they will probably host a 1st/2nd round "pod" .... but they have to win some upcoming big games to make that happen!

Lynchburg and Randolph have only 3 losses each, but their Strength of Schedule (SoS) is pretty lame.  Guilford and VWC have 5 losses, but VWC has only 4 in-region losses, and both have a stronger SoS than Lynchburg or Randolph.  There are a whole host of factors that get figured in, including Regional Record, when choosing among bubble teams that have failed to win their tournaments and have 5-7 losses on Selection Sunday.

Lots of info about selection of Pool C teams is at http://www.d3hoops.com/interactive/faq/ncaatournament

[tigerfanalso]

Would be nice to see mulitple ODAC teams in the tourney. You really think HSC has real chance to host even without winning the ODAC tourney ? That would be great for the program and a big step towards the goal of going deep into the tourney; Final Four ??

I know, one game at a time and let the rest take care of itself.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Would be nice to see mulitple ODAC teams in the tourney. You really think HSC has real chance to host even without winning the ODAC tourney ? That would be great for the program and a big step towards the goal of going deep into the tourney; Final Four ??

I know, one game at a time and let the rest take care of itself.

Don't forget that there is a one-time change in the format this year - no pods.  There will be 31 host teams in the first round, so as long as they have fewer than five losses, they should host.