MBB: Centennial Conference

[Swat Fan #1]

Huge win for Swarthmore against Ursinus today! Well played game with Ursinus going to a box and one and some big shots hit down the stretch by Carmichael and Kober who were left alone to shoot all day. Swarthmore is steadily getting better with big contributions from this year's freshman class. I think they may actually start three freshmen and two sophomores at some point this year. This should be a very interesting year in the conference!

[highhoops]

congrats to swat.( i heard ursinus played a triangle and 2 against swat; not a box and one). haverford also had a nice team win against gettysburg. i imagine those 2 outcomes are surprising some folks. the conference is all upside down at this point...makes it interesting.

[Swat Fan #1]

It actually was a triangle and two, you are correct. I think they put the other one on a freshman who hasn't scored much and got his first start. I originally thought it was a triangle and two but his defender really played a ton of help defense, that is why I then thought it was a box and one. I am shocked at the number of junk defenses I have seen at the college level. I thought that was only high school stuff.

I think that F&M is the clear frontrunner with everyone else beatable especially when playing on the road. This should make for a really fun year. Haverford is the surprise team of the year I think and may finish as high as third in the conference (although I am picking forth).

[highhoops]

true, swat dad,about some use of junk defenses here and there, but not often. when you have a team like swat that heavily relies on one kid to score, a box isn't a bad idea. (not sure why ursinus played a triangle; maybe they thought the freshman would turn it over alot with pressure). i think swat has a top scorer in the league and then nobody else on the top 25 list (unusual), so a box is a decent gamble. swat fights hard to get their wins. they are a spoiler team.still early... i agree about F&M and then everybody else, though i do think gettysburg is the second best team in the league, regardless of how it all ends up.( it's tough to beat a dominant point guard and big man combination and F&M certainly has that.) this board is pretty quiet....where are all the centennial basketball people?

[Gabriel]

My picks for this week.

12/6
Haverford over Moravian---could go either way but Fords tough at home.

12/7
JHU over McDaniel---again, the home team prevails

12/8
Swat over Washington---Garnet tough at home
F&M over Gettysburg---tough match up for F&M but I go with the home court
Dickinson over Muhlenberg---another tough call but home team gets the nod
Ursinus over Haverford---I am betting that Hilton emerges from his season long shooting funk.  He is too good to be shooting blanks.

12/11
McDaniel over Washington----tough at home
F&M over Haverford---Fords will be tough but home court  gives advantage to Dips
Gettysburg over Catholic---go with the CC
Ursinus over Dickinson---need 40 minutes of smart ball.  Hilton and Ward need to lead and will.

Go Patriots!!!!

[Gabriel]

It actually was a triangle and two, you are correct. I think they put the other one on a freshman who hasn't scored much and got his first start. I originally thought it was a triangle and two but his defender really played a ton of help defense, that is why I then thought it was a box and one. I am shocked at the number of junk defenses I have seen at the college level. I thought that was only high school stuff.

I think that F&M is the clear frontrunner with everyone else beatable especially when playing on the road. This should make for a really fun year. Haverford is the surprise team of the year I think and may finish as high as third in the conference (although I am picking forth).

Swat Dad,

I'm sure you remember that Swat played a triangle & two against Ursinus last year.  Coach Wimberly has long used gimmicks because he has not had the talent to match up with most other teams.  This year seems to be an exception.  Kevin Small typically does not use gimmicks and does not like to play zone at all.  This year,  Ursinus is struggling defensively against quick players as they clearly lack defensive quickness and experience.

Regarding junk defenses, remember this is D III basketball----not that far removed from the quality of good high school basketball.  Don't get me wrong, I love D III sports because I am a fan of the true student athlete.  However, most of the kids in D III are not as good athletically as the players in D I/D II.  They cannot be expected to execute the same kind of offensive and defensive plays as the upper divisions.  The successful D III teams do what they do very well, they are fundamentally sound and execute.  They try not to over complicate it offensively or defensively.  A classic example is Washington U (St Louis) year in and year out.

Agree that F&M is the team to beat but doubt that they will run the table.  What separates F&M from the rest is experience and defense.  Although they lost their best defender in Brooks, they are still much better than the rest defensively. 

[Pat Coleman]

Regarding junk defenses, remember this is D III basketball----not that far removed from the quality of good high school basketball.  Don't get me wrong, I love D III sports because I am a fan of the true student athlete.  However, most of the kids in D III are not as good athletically as the players in D I/D II.  They cannot be expected to execute the same kind of offensive and defensive plays as the upper divisions.

With all due respect, bull. D-III kids lack in size and speed but they're not dumber by basketball standards at all.

The statement of yours that I bolded I agree with even less, but that's another story. D-III basketball is far, far closer to D-I than it is to high school.

[diplomaniac1]

My pick for tonight:

Haverford over Moravian.

Eric

[Swat Fan #1]

I remember the triangle and two used last year. I was just trying to make the point that at the college level you don't see much junk defenses. I have watched DIII basketball for over 30 years and had never seen it played until last year.  I however, strongly disagree with you about DIII hoop being like high school. It isn't on the same planet and DIII is closer to DI than high school. I think there will be many nights this year we are all scratching our heads saying we never saw that loss/win coming. =)

[Gabriel]

With all due respect, bull. D-III kids lack in size and speed but they're not dumber by basketball standards at all.

The statement of yours that I bolded I agree with even less, but that's another story. D-III basketball is far, far closer to D-I than it is to high school.
 

Pat,

I never said the kids were "dumber", indeed the kids I have met are impressive without exception.  I said that they lack the athletic talent of most D I players.  I stick with that as a general observation.  There is a difference between knowing what you want to do and being able to do it.

Regarding the comparison of D III to high school or D I, I disagree with you and that is just a matter of opinion, isn't it?  At least we stimulated some discussion and maybe others will weigh in.

"Bull"

[diplomaniac1]

Folks -

Here is the listing of games for the Pick-Ems through this Saturday's (12/11) games as follows:

Tuesday, December 7
McDaniel @ Johns Hopkins

Wednesday, December 8
Washington College @ Swarthmore
Gettysburg @ F&M
Muhlenberg @ Dickinson
Haverford @ Ursinus

Saturday, December 11
Haverford @ F&M
Gettysburg @ Catholic
Ursinus @ Dickinson

All selections are due by game time each day. Good luck. Enjoy! Regards to all.

Eric

With all this cold wind here in Lancaster, it sure feels like Winter is here to stay!

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Gabriel - I couldn't disagree with you more either... you use an athletic comparison to make a intellectual comment.

However, most of the kids in D III are not as good athletically as the players in D I/D II.  They cannot be expected to execute the same kind of offensive and defensive plays as the upper divisions.  The successful D III teams do what they do very well, they are fundamentally sound and execute.  They try not to over complicate it offensively or defensively.  A classic example is Washington U (St Louis) year in and year out.

You seem to actually contradict yourself. You say that they can't "execute the same kind of offensive and defensive plays as in the upper divisions" while also saying they are "fundamentally sound and execute."

Executing an offense or defense is more about thinking it through then it is doing it athletically. You have to know where you are going, what you are doing, and what to do when you get there. Yes, being a step faster or a few inches taller helps in some manners, but if someone doesn't have a good basketball IQ their athletic ability or advantage really isn't going to matter one bit.

And I am sure many coaches in Division III would argue their play sets can be just as complex as an upper level team and many plays I know come from Division I programs.

I would actually challenge that some of the better institutions in Division III have offensive and defensive sets that would challenge many D1 in terms of on-paper execution and complexity. Heck, I have many times seen some challenging defenses in the Mid-Atlantic. And I know I have seen offensive sets that rival plays from Top 25 D1 basketball programs.

[diplomaniac1]

Folks -

My pick for tonight's games is Johns Hopkins over McDaniel at Goldfarb in Baltimore.
Regards.

Eric

[diplomaniac1]

Folks -

The "Pick-Ems" standings through and including last night's games is shown below:

NAME   LAST NIGHT   TO-DATE   PERCENTAGE
         
Reserved Seat   0 – 0   14 – 4    .778
BRCE4   2 – 3    10 – 5    .667
Diplomaniac1   5 – 2    16 – 9    .640
HighHoops   0 – 0    3 – 2    .600
Gabriel   3 – 3    13 – 11    .542
         
Let me know if there are any inaccuracies. Otherwise, enjoy the rest of this week's games. Good luck! Regards to all.

Eric

[Reserved Seat]

Oops, I missed a couple chances to make my picks.
Jumping back on board.

Tuesday, December 7
Johns Hopkins--toss up--going with home team

Wednesday, December 8
Washington College
F&M
Dickinson
Ursinus

Saturday, December 11
F&M
Catholic--might regret this pick
Ursinus

F&M will have difficulty going undefeated unless they can improve on their foul shooting, hit a few more threes, and get some more production from the bench.  Freshman Jon Salandra looked good against Tsinghua.  Beckford has been solid in a starting role.  Brewer has struggled a little in the last few games, but is still a key player for F&M to have success this year.  Also, F&M has to cut down on the long passes.