MBB: Landmark Conference

[cugrad]

Catholic played well for the first 15 minutes of each half.  They did all they could to give it away.  Cards were up by about 13 with about 4 minutes left.   USMM  missed an open three with less than 10 seconds left.  Lot of turnovers in the last few minutes.  The freshmen played well, but RJ is carrying the Cards!   Good win for Catholic, though.  I see that SU shot quite a few more free throws than Scranton.  They must have borrowed those "Catholic homers"  to officiate the game!  GO CARDS!!!

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Considering I have been covering the Ravens for 9 years in my capacity at my paying job... I know not to bet on the Ravens this season... when things start to go wrong, they struggle to right the ship. They needed a fast start... and that didn't materialize.

[susiddad]

Anyone who saw the cards game know the refs weree the difference....the numbers dont tell the story here.  Momentum shifts were all cardinals..i assume.

on a more serious note, watching SU play is not a thing of beauty, but sweeping a weekend is something us perennial landmark playoffs have a tendency to do.  The way SS can get going at anytime, I am confident we can beat anyone in the league.  Not that I think we are the best team, but when the goes into the last 6 or 7 minutes and is tight, SS can go for 8 points in a minute and even if he's off, doesn't mean SU loses.  Still think we are uncertain about our lineups though, but we'll see.  If we gel and these guys stick together we got just as good a shot as anyone unless we have to play 7 on 5 again at Catholic.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Well... if you are talking about the Merchant Marine game against CUA... the Cardinals nearly blew the game considering they where up 12 with a couple minutes left and went to the line several times late to ice the game and could. If you are talking about the Drew game... when you are shooting 61% from the floor midway through the second half and 47% from beyond the arc... refs aren't a determining factor.

As for SU... they had to sweep this weekend... after getting swept last weekend. And how can you have confidence they can beat anyone in the league? Last week proved they struggled with Goucher and didn't do well against Catholic. I am sure when thy get those two teams at home it may be a different story, but one again you are staying things that simply are not true and blatenly wrong. Remember... SS was held to four points by Goucher. While he shows on occasion he can take over a game and play well... he is VERY inconsistent and that leaves burden on other teammates that can't shoulder as much.

And the reference to 7 on 5 against CUA... enough already! I am tired of you using every excuse, including the refs, for why you lose. And if you really knew anything... it would be 8 on 5 since there are three refs on a court at a time.

When SU starts playing consistently good basketball and shows they can play well as a team instead of when they want to... then we can talk about them contending for a title.

Right now... CUA and Merchant Marine are two best teams in this conference... period. SU, Scranton, Juniata, and even Moravian are playing for the #3 and #4 slots... while Goucher and Drew play spoiler - something both teams are capable of doing on the right night.

[Matt Letourneau]

Anyone who saw the cards game know the refs weree the difference....the numbers dont tell the story here.  Momentum shifts were all cardinals..i assume.

on a more serious note, watching SU play is not a thing of beauty, but sweeping a weekend is something us perennial landmark playoffs have a tendency to do.  The way SS can get going at anytime, I am confident we can beat anyone in the league.  Not that I think we are the best team, but when the goes into the last 6 or 7 minutes and is tight, SS can go for 8 points in a minute and even if he's off, doesn't mean SU loses.  Still think we are uncertain about our lineups though, but we'll see.  If we gel and these guys stick together we got just as good a shot as anyone unless we have to play 7 on 5 again at Catholic.

Well, you're right about the 7 on 5 part...or at least 6 on 5...you neglect to mention that SUS had the extra help.

Silliness aside, I do think you are right about SUS.  However, CUA totally dominated Drew today--including a 19-0 run.  Nice to see them really stop on somebody and keep the foot on the accelerator.   78-51 was the final.

[Matt Letourneau]

Well... if you are talking about the Merchant Marine game against CUA... the Cardinals nearly blew the game considering they where up 12 with a couple minutes left and went to the line several times late to ice the game and could. If you are talking about the Drew game... when you are shooting 61% from the floor midway through the second half and 47% from beyond the arc... refs aren't a determining factor.

As for SU... they had to sweep this weekend... after getting swept last weekend. And how can you have confidence they can beat anyone in the league? Last week proved they struggled with Goucher and didn't do well against Catholic. I am sure when thy get those two teams at home it may be a different story, but one again you are staying things that simply are not true and blatenly wrong. Remember... SS was held to four points by Goucher. While he shows on occasion he can take over a game and play well... he is VERY inconsistent and that leaves burden on other teammates that can't shoulder as much.

And the reference to 7 on 5 against CUA... enough already! I am tired of you using every excuse, including the refs, for why you lose. And if you really knew anything... it would be 8 on 5 since there are three refs on a court at a time.

When SU starts playing consistently good basketball and shows they can play well as a team instead of when they want to... then we can talk about them contending for a title.

Right now... CUA and Merchant Marine are two best teams in this conference... period. SU, Scranton, Juniata, and even Moravian are playing for the #3 and #4 slots... while Goucher and Drew play spoiler - something both teams are capable of doing on the right night.

Uhh--D-Mac--SUS beat CUA last weekend.  And they looked really, really good doing it.   I came away really impressed and wondering how they had laid such a stink bomb the night before.  I think the comparison to Marymount back in the day is apt.  Same kind of team--lots of talent.  Just have to bring it night after night.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Matt - as I wrote that I thought to myself... wait a minute, let me check that... but I never did... thanks for the correction. I remembered that SS came into the game, but I forgot what it resulted in. Sussiddad.... sorry about that... my mistake (I need to get my head rebooted and reformatted apparently).

That being said, while they beat CUA, they lost to Goucher and that kind of inconsistent play is what worries me. And the comparison to Marymount may be a very good comparison.

Again.. very sorry for the mistake... got too much on my mind these days.

[Matt Letourneau]

Oh, I can relate.  Understandable.

Nevertheless, your comments and SUSdad's  hit on the enigma that is SU.  Catholic/Goucher have Scranton and Moravian next week.  Wish I could get to Scranton--never been there.   But on a Friday night--no chance.

BTW--when CUA scores 71 or more in regulation, they are 12-0.  That seems to be the magic number.  The defense has been very good--they are holding opponents to .402 FG percentage (.317 from 3).

BTW--George Fountain got his first minutes (I believe) with CUA today.  He had an outstanding HS career and was one of the best 3 point shooters in the state coming out of Montgomery County.

[susiddad]

The ref stuff is just developing a rivalry within the conference.  As a perennial powerhouse in the lnadmark we at SU are looking for a little more juice at the games.  I will let the ref stuff go (untilwe get jobbed in the playoffs there)...I have also made some comical remarks on the 9 assts...and undersold jb in the past.  Has to be tough to muddle through the jokes and find the nuggetts of wisdom. 

No worries on thinking we lost to CUA last week...

The inconsistency scares me.  Lot of questions as to what is next.  I know what we are getting out of CUA and USMMA and probably Juniata in a good way.  The others in a bad way with the exception of Scranton.  I was not too impressed with the, this year, but they are not out.

5 teams vying for 4 playoff spots.  End of story. 

Are there any real rivalries in the conference yet? 

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

susiddad - thanks for the understanding. However, how do you consider SU a perennial powerhouse? Scranton has won the most Landmark titles and represented the conference every year in the NCAA tournament. SU hasn't been there... in fact they have lost in the first round of the Landmark tournament the last two seasons.

I do like how Coach Marcinek coaches and his teams are always competitive, but when you have players like Spencer not playing consistently... the team suffers as well. No ill will... just being realistic to who I think will be battling for the Landmark crown.

And real rivalries... now sure how CUA feels, but I have always thought Goucher versus CUA is a rivalry, though Goucher has to get better to really make this a true rivalry. I also wonder if SU versus Scranton is heading towards a rivalry.

[TheGrove]

Uhh--D-Mac--SUS beat CUA last weekend.  And they looked really, really good doing it.   I came away really impressed and wondering how they had laid such a stink bomb the night before.  I think the comparison to Marymount back in the day is apt.  Same kind of team--lots of talent.  Just have to bring it night after night.

I just have to chuckle at this because I was at Marymount in those "back in the day" days. Maybe it's me. 

[susiddad]

SU has a share of the Landmark Regular Season title since it's inception.  I didn't say we dominated the conference, but no one in the league circles the SU game and puts a "w" next to it.

I think last year's performance of ROY, Def. POY, MVP, and coach of the year does let you know who had the best team, just got a road jobber in the playoffs.

This year should be no different, in the playoffs and with a shot to win it all as in the last two years.  THe only irk is that I want all these issues resolved pre-season.  I want to know who my 3-5 are going into the season, not switching it up until the last week.

The athletic department is sending 2 busses for all the students to usmma for the game as a thank you for the students supporting the team at home.

[hoopit123]

SU hasn't been there... in fact they have lost in the first round of the Landmark tournament the last two seasons.

I do like how Coach Marcinek coaches and his teams are always competitive, but when you have players like Spencer not playing consistently... the team suffers as well. No ill will... just being realistic to who I think will be battling for the Landmark crown.

dave, you really are off of your game.  first of all, SU has the best 'conference' record of any team in the LC the first two seasons.  there must be some sort of consistency considered in that.  it is obvious they have been coming to play every weekend in conference play.  this year, well, a diff. story.  
also, SU lost in the conf. championship in OT @ scranton last year.  not the first round. but thats beside the point.

i may be taking this the wrong way, dave, but i hope you are not saying that marcinek fails to get the best out of his players  (or did u just mean SS?)

i dont think SS inconsistnecy can at all be correlated to marcinek; if anythjing, it has to be SS attitude itself.  look at the players/taems he has had the past few years.  starting with the J-Rob and Cuff year, when did those two guys not play their best (aside from a random bad game).  when has any of his teams and best players underachieved?  he had two players put up POY numbers, unfortunately only one could be the POY. then we turn to last season with players like patch and mcdevitt. mcdevitt was the hardest worker i have ever watched in the college game.  the kids body was always terribly bruised and battered from diving all over the ground and taking charges. and then patch, has anyone ever seen the kid have a BAD game, or one in which he didnt 'show up'?  the 3 years he started here, i personally never saw such a game from him, even when overshadowed as a role player behind JRob and cuff.  now, not to mention majors---kid is a defensive specialist...and thats what he does best and does so every game, hence DPOY.  ask any PG in the LC if they like playing against him.  

point of my story is marcinek himself does nto have a problem getting consistency out of his star players.  if anything, he has a tendency in craeting GOOD players and pushing them to be the best they can---i know patch and Jrob have been POY in LC, if SU is the only team to boast a POY, how can it be said there is an issue with the coach getting the best out of their better players?

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

hoopit123... I am not knocking Coach Marcinek at all. I really do like his style and what he gets out of his players. What I am getting at is that when SS is not playing consistently, it puts more pressure on everyone else to step up and play better with less mistakes. Marcinek gets a lot out of great player, but I think he has a handful with SS who can easily get out of a game mentally and instead of five guys on the floor... you essentially have four (game against Goucher, I would have probably benched SS because he wasn't providing anything to the team on the floor and another player might provide something).

As for SU's best conference record... tough to brag about considering they don't win when they have to. You can have the best record in the country, but when the must-win game is in front of you and you keep faltering, your record no longer means much (i.e. Dallas Cowboys). SU hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament in the two years of the Landmark Conference because they lost both times in the first round. Winning a lot helps... but winning when it matters means more when talking about success.

Again... no issue with the coach... the inconsistencies are with players on the court. From what I saw at Goucher, sometimes no matter what the coach is doing or saying, it doesn't sink in for a player and that leaves the coach simply scratching his head. For SU's fans and Coach Marcinek's sake... I do hope the inconsistencies can end and they can play as a unit.

On a side note, and in no reference to Coach Marcinek. A coach can make average players good... good players great... and great players dominating ones. But those individual efforts don't automatically create a better a team.. just better players.

[susiddad]

You can't knock Marcinek without mentioning SU was practically winless not too long ago and Marcinek built the program from nothing in a couple of years.  What is odd is with all the talent HE was able to bring in, where are the tourney trips?  This team has enough talent to win.  How SU didnt win with KC, JR, and JP is still somewhat of an embaressment.  But maybe this year is our year.  I know whose it is not Mr. (124 karma points) ohhhhhh! 

Also, it would be nice to see some of the bottom feeders to turn it around.