MBB: Centennial Conference

[Gabriel]

Picks for 1/19/2011

Washington College over JHU---home court prevails
McDaniel over Gettysburg---after what they did to F&M & Ursinus on their home court they get the nod
Dickinson over F&M---another upset but at Carlisle this time
Swat over Haverford---Garnet due to win one and they are at home
Ursinus over Muhlenberg---Bears figure out how to close one out---I hope

Picks for 1/22/2011

Muhlenberg over Washington College---in the dungeon, nuff said
Ursinus over Swat---home court this time and they will not blow it again
Dickinson over JHU---Dickinson tough at home
F&M over McDaniel---Dips won't let it happen again
Gettysburg over Haverford---should be a real good game

Ursinus is having its worst season in eleven years.  Hopefully, they will turn it around.  The frustrating thing it that they should be better than they are.  It is too easy to say that their inconsistent play is due to their youth.  Yes, they are young---but they have talent and should be better.  Having said that, two below average recruiting years have come back to bite them.  The juniors and seniors except for Matt Hilton are contributing very little and that makes it really tough.  The bottom line---they simply are not executing well on either end of the court.  They will continue to see double teams on Ward and Hilton and they must learn how to deal with them.

[highhoops]

sat
muhlenberg over washington
ursinus over swarthmore
dickinson over hopkins
F&M over Mcdaniel
Haverford over Gettysburg

[highhoops]

i think ursinus will turn things around. they lost 5 conference games by 5 points or less (3 were losses of 3 points or less), and 2 of them were overtime. they haven't been able to win close games but i think they are better than several teams that are currently ahead of them in the standings and certainly better than their record. i wish them luck. they are  a terrific program, as we all know. the loss of cousart was huge...he filled up a stat sheet!!!

[Swat Fan #1]

I agree, Ursinus is a good team and very well coached. I am still scratching my head over some of the wins/losses this year by everyone. But, it has made the season interesting not knowing who will win on any given night.

The one game that is most interesting/troubling to me is the F&M vs Ithaca College game. As an alum of I.C. and living very close to the college, I didn't see them being within 20 of F&M. I still can't believe they scored over 100 points in the game. I had egg on my face after that one because I told everyone around here that not only would F&M beat I.C., but they would probably beat this year's Cornell team. =)

The second half of the conference season will bring more surprises. I do hope Swarthmore won't finish last but at this point I have thrown out any predictions. I picked F&M to go undefeated in league play. Here is to a great second half!

[Reserved Seat]

Gabriel can you offer an insight into how and when to pick Ursinus.  Ursinus is killing my picks.
Here goes-
Picks for 1/19/2011

Washington College --JHU is struggling
Gettysburg--continue to surprise even with the loss of 4 players
F&M---can't afford another loss
Haverford---tough pick but Haverford seems more scrappy
Ursinus --come up strong at home if they stop Curry

Picks for 1/22/2011

Muhlenberg--dungeon seemed brighter this year
Ursinus--not twice in one season
Dickinson--see above re JHU
F&M--hopefully revenge
Gettysburg---avenge their loss at Haverford

[Gabriel]

Gabriel can you offer an insight into how and when to pick Ursinus.  Ursinus is killing my picks.
Here goes-
Picks for 1/19/2011

Washington College --JHU is struggling
Gettysburg--continue to surprise even with the loss of 4 players
F&M---can't afford another loss
Haverford---tough pick but Haverford seems more scrappy
Ursinus / Muhlenberg--come back to this one later

Picks for 1/22/2011

Muhlenberg--dungeon seemed brighter this year
Ursinus--not twice in one season
Dickinson--see above re JHU
F&M--hopefully revenge
Gettysburg/ Haverford---come back to this one later

Reserved Seat,

They are killing my picks too.  To be honest regarding Ursinus,  I tend to pick with my heart instead of my head.  They have been decent on offense this year except for the turnovers, primarily by the post players who have not learned to move the ball back outside against zones and double teams.  When they learn, the will be much more effective, particularly with 3 point shooters like Hilton, Donahue, Vasturia etc.

I saw several games early in the season and their team defense was horrible  This was a problem up through the Dickinson game.  Since that time, their defense has improved markedly---but they just can't seem to put 40 minutes of good offense and defense together---maybe 35 minutes at best.  They are young with six freshmen/sophomores playing big roles but we are now well into January and they are not babies any longer.

I look for them to finish strong with Matt Hilton taking a bigger leadership role---as he should being the only senior who plays much.  They have talent, they are team oriented,  smart kids and they are well coached.  Hopefully this will add up to some wins.

[highhoops]

wed
hopkins over washington
gettysburg over mcdaniel
f&m over dickinson
haverford over swarthmore
ursinus over muhlenberg

[diplomaniac1]

Folks -

My picks for tonight's games as follows:

Washington over Johns Hopkins
Gettysburg over McDaniel
F&M over Dickinson
Haverford over Swarthmore
Ursinus over Muhlenberg

I am concerned that I have mostly picked road teams! I am getting ready to leave for Carlisle to see the Dips play. Regards to all.

Eric

[r.w. mcnickels]

Congrats to James McNally on becoming F&M's all-time leading scorer, topping Donnie Marsh's 32-year record. Lots of great players have come and gone in that time. Also, kudos to Baker and Milligan for recently topping 1,000.

What a night in the Centennial, with two OT games and another one that almost got there. A good race shaping up the rest of the way.

[Gabriel]

It was quite a night with so many close games.  Ursinus finally closed one out to defeat Muhlenberg by a point.  Mules prayer shot from the corner with one second on the clock was correctly called a 2 which saved the day for the Bears.  Again, Ursinus led by double digits much of the first half, leading by 13 at the break.  And again, they gave up the lead in the first four minutes of the second half----and the game was nip and tuck the rest of the way.

Both teams played good tough defense.  Mules used a zone and half court man to man defenses.  Ursinus used full court pressure effectively in the first half and some in the second period in an attempt to speed the game up.  As usual, Hilton and Ward were double teamed every time they touched the ball but they passed much better and Ursinus had "only" ten turnovers---good for them.  Interestingly,  only four players scored for Muhlenberg while nine scored for the Bears.  Guards Curry for Muhlenberg and Krasna for the Bears both played well.  As freshmen, they will face each other many more times. Both teams are young and fighting for play off berths.

[highhoops]

sat picks
ursinus over swarthmore
muhlenberg over washington
dickinson over hopkins
F&M over mcdaniel
haverford over gettysburg

[diplomaniac1]

Folks -

Here are my selections for tomorrow's Pick-Ems:

Ursinus over Swarthmore
Muhlenberg over Washington
Dickinson over Johns Hopkins
F&M over McDaniel
Gettysburg over Haverford

It is hard to believe that I have chosen all of the teams that are at home! I will be at Mayser tomorrow afternoon. If you are traveling - travel carefully and safely. Enjoy the games. Good luck. Regards to all.

Eric

[D.B. Cooper]

As expected the best game must have been an epic battle at Bream. As expected the Power-Bullets get the huge win at home.

I went to Mayser to see the Dips with great trepidation based on their recent results. I wasn't made feel any better seeing McNally in street clothes for the 1st time in his career I can recall. Without the new All-Time leading scorer for F&M what chance could have against the mob like Terror defense. However without McNally to focus on with physical defense McDaniel seemed to lose there chutzpah.

No McNally & Baker could muster only 2 points. Thankfully Beckford had a his most points ever (26) & Hayk filled in well. My favorate play was on a Dip fast break was Milligan on a Globetrotter-like behind the back dribble/drop pass to an expecting Salandra who made a tomahawk jam & got fouled. This may have been a break-out game for Salandra as he often was an exciting trigger that made things happen both good & some bad on offense & defense. I wonder how long McNally is out with the possible concussion. They might be able to get by against JHU but after that he would be sorely needed.

[pizzashop]

The Countdown is on to win #800: http://godiplomats.com/sports/m-baskbl/2010-11/800/index

[Reserved Seat]

McNally is hoping to back for John Hopkins.  He was suppose to get checked out today.
F&M moved the ball around the perimeter much better than they did at Westminister.
Hayk stuggled with foul trouble, but contributed well when he was on the court.
Beckford's athleticism was on displayed as he played a fantastic game.