MBB: New Jersey Athletic Conference

[phil]

The Philadelphia Big 5 (Penn, Saint Joseph's, Temple, La Salle, Villanova) originally played all their home games there. Now they'll play there from time to time when they play each other.

[NJBALLERZ]

NJCU @ TCNJ tonight. I am assuming this is a snow day makeup date. Looking forward to streaming this game tonight. I believe NJCU is the last team to win at TCNJ since they beat them in the NJAC semi's last year.

[irapthor]

NJCU @ TCNJ tonight. I am assuming this is a snow day makeup date. Looking forward to streaming this game tonight. I believe NJCU is the last team to win at TCNJ since they beat them in the NJAC semi's last year.

Yes, this is a makeup from December 9...we were the only game postponed in the NJAC that day so we have the fun of playing each other twice in six days this week.

[Knightstalker]

NJCU @ TCNJ tonight. I am assuming this is a snow day makeup date. Looking forward to streaming this game tonight. I believe NJCU is the last team to win at TCNJ since they beat them in the NJAC semi's last year.

Yes, this is a makeup from December 9...we were the only game postponed in the NJAC that day so we have the fun of playing each other twice in six days this week.

We were going to go to both the women's and men's games that day.  I wanted to see Nikki Schott play for the women, she was a really good player at Warren Hills, my old HS and the Stalkerettes HS.  I have also know her mom since kindergarten or first grade, was good friends with her uncle and have known her dad since HS.  Couldn't make it tonight, band booster meeting.

[ronk]

NJCU @ TCNJ tonight. I am assuming this is a snow day makeup date. Looking forward to streaming this game tonight. I believe NJCU is the last team to win at TCNJ since they beat them in the NJAC semi's last year.

Yes, this is a makeup from December 9...we were the only game postponed in the NJAC that day so we have the fun of playing each other twice in six days this week.

We were going to go to both the women's and men's games that day.  I wanted to see Nikki Schott play for the women, she was a really good player at Warren Hills, my old HS and the Stalkerettes HS.  I have also know her mom since kindergarten or first grade, was good friends with her uncle and have known her dad since HS.  Couldn't make it tonight, band booster meeting.

I remember Nikki from her AAU days(United-NJ); the band boosters couldn't get along w/o u tonight?

[NJBALLERZ]

Big win for TCNJ last night at home against NJCU. Luckily for NJCU, they do not have to wait very long to get their revenge since they play each other again this Saturday at NJCU.

[Knightstalker]

NJCU takes care of William Paterson 101-85 at William Paterson.  I was watching the video stream but it stopped with the score 58-45, finished on live stats.

[NJBALLERZ]

NJCU takes care of William Paterson 101-85 at William Paterson.  I was watching the video stream but it stopped with the score 58-45, finished on live stats.

Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the Gothic Knights. 101 points seems unusual for them... guess it was just one of those nights where they couldn't miss.

If NJCU is gonna score it like that, they will be incredibly tough to beat.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

NJCU should be scoring like that more often. I think their problem is they are inconsistent on offense and thus open themselves up to being exposed.

[daddyhoops]

TCNJ at NJCU this Saturday should be a battle.. TCNJ closing in on 20 win season.. Deserve some top 25 votes!
i watch a ton of NJAC hoops and they're tough team to play.. shoot 3's well and play tough D.
Fun team to watch.
Also think Montclair is playing great ball.. NJAC is very tough conference.
I watch a lot of Landmark and Centennial hoops.. NJAC much tougher!

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Honestly, I think it is hard to vote for TCNJ right now. Not because they may not deserve it, but NJCU and Ramapo have not done well once voters start buying in with them ... it then makes voters gun-shy as it where.

The NJAC has struggled to prove themselves, honestly, and I think voters, like myself, don't know what to make of yet another team in the NJAC rising to the top and beating two teams (sic) that now voters are no longer voting for.

As for the Landmark, Centennial, and NJAC... they are different leagues. Hard to compare. I see plenty of physicality in the Landmark and Centennial, but the NJAC tends to be a little faster up and down the court. The officials also tend to allow more physicality in the NJAC, which isn't necessarily a good thing. That is part of the reason, possibly, NJAC teams struggle once they leave the NJAC because most officiating (like in the Landmark and Centennial who have the same officiating assigner along with a couple of other conferences) is calling what is supposed to be called in terms of physicality. I will be interested to see how much of the NJAC style is changed by officials in the coming years now that there is a national coordinator whose job, among other things, is to make sure the game is called on somewhat of an equal plane across the country in Division III.

FYI of the three, I would put the order as Centennial, then NJAC, then Landmark in terms of possible success especially in the NCAA tournament this year. I would go NJAC, Centennial, and then Landmark in terms of competition level from top to bottom - though, I think it could be a pick 'em between the NJAC and Centennial in terms of depth this season.

[phil]

Frankly, I don't really care whether TCNJ gets any votes or not (OK, I'm lying. I do). They still have road games at Ramapo and NJCU – and they still have another game against WPU whom the Lions turned the ball over 20 times against in the their only NJAC loss. The important thing is that the program seems to (finally) be on the rise with their young coach. I don't know who expected much this year after the graduation of Brackett, but the potential of a 20 win season is a nice surprise. Lest we forget ... the Lions have not won an NCAA tournament game since Jordan Glover's father Jimmy, was pulling down rebounds for a guy named Greg Grant – who was scoring 30+ per game in 1989 – the year they made it to the DIII finals. Since Grant left Trenton State/TCNJ for the NBA, the Lions have been to a whopping TWO NCAA tournaments – where they promptly lost their first game each time. They haven't been to the NCAA tourney since 1998. Two NCAA appearances in 28 years, with no wins to show for it, is probably the most futile streak during that stretch of any NJAC team not named Rutgers Camden. So, it's nice to see TCNJ sitting at the top of the NJAC standings at this time of year for a change. I still don't have high expectations. Not when you have a squeaker against Bard, and lose to Albright and Utica – but usually they're busy flirting with .500 in February and I'm not even checking the scores of their games anymore.

One last thing Dave, if you can digest all of the D3 basketball information from last week and then cast an educated vote for NJCU as the number 15 team in the nation in this week's poll, then TCNJ certainly deserves a vote next week! 

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

You are assuming NJCU still will have my vote come Monday.

You are also assuming that I think TCNJ is better than NJCU despite one game and one coming (more to know this weekend).

Voting for one team doesn't mean one should vote for another.

[phil]

All tongue-cheek, Dave... especially with TCNJ's hoops history over the last 30 years... and given the fact the Lions still have road games against Ramapo and NJCU.

[NJBALLERZ]

Will be interesting to see what NJAC teams receive top 25 votes tonight. With NJCU and Ramapo both losing this week it will be interesting to see how the voters view those loses. Both loses for those teams were on the road. NJCU losing to the #1 seed as of now in the conference - The College of NJ. TCNJ almost swept NJCU this week losing by 1 on the road. Ramapo fell to Montclair on the road in a very tough gym to win in. The only home loss Montclair has this year is against TCNJ.