MBB: Centennial Conference

[centfan]

i have seen virginia wesleyan play this year and they are extremely good...truthfully, they are a D1 mid major team playing in D3. they are alot stronger and deeper than F&M...they are more athletic, quicker, shoot better, play better "D". i am not knocking F&M, but Va Wesleyan is on another level.

[Reserved Seat]

Is John Hopkins for real?

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Virginia Wesleyan is good... but mid-major D1? That might be pushing it. That being said, I would put them up against some of the mid-majors in the Baltimore/DC area and they may win a fair share... though, that isn't saying much for the schools around here :-). VWC is very good and being athletic and quick has always been their bread and butter. And I would agree that VWC is deeper and better than F&M... and I don't think it is close.

I inserted F&M into my bottom three slots this week for the first time on my ballot all season. It came down to the fact I didn't have enough to keep them off anymore, despite my feelings they may be overrated. However, they continue to win which has already proven be wrong.

As for Johns Hopkins... their defense is for real. I stated many times to people that if Hopkins keeps team below 70 points, they will win most of those games. The problem is their offense isn't stellar, thus why their defense needs to shine.

[r.w. mcnickels]

i am not knocking F&M, but Va Wesleyan is on another level.

And I would agree that VWC is deeper and better than F&M... and I don't think it is close.

While I agree that VWC is better than F&M, I don't think the gap is quite as wide as you guys make it out to be. The Dips led the Marlins for most of an NCAA second round game on Virginia Wesleyan's home floor last March, and could have won if they shot better from the line. While F&M lost key seniors, this year's squad has not dropped off the way many expected - and has improved defensively. Milligan was the main reason they had a chance to win that game, and he's playing better this year. I think VWC would beat F&M if they played today, but it would be a game.

[Pat Coleman]

can someone from d3hoops explain why F&M is ranked so high? this has been a down year for the conference and F&M only has one win against anyone else in your poll.  dont fall into the same trap that the AP/USA today do with unbeaten teams, theyre barely a top 25 squad. 

hopefully when the Bears pull the "upset" F&M can head back to low 20's obscurity where it likely belongs.  thanks.

Well, I can only speak for myself. And they are not in the Top 10 on my ballot. So I guess the short answer is, I don't know why. If they're that overrated, go beat them, please.

[Gabriel]

Is John Hopkins for real?

Reserved Seat,

Sure JHU beat Muhlenberg but they lost to Ursinus Saturday 71-55 and none of you think Ursinus is good this year.  A better question is----Does Muhlenberg have some chemistry problems?  Are there enough balls for Liddic, Curry and Killing----and the rest of the team?

[Reserved Seat]

I don't know about Ursinus 'not' being good, but I've picked them most of the time.  I didn't expect much from John Hopkins after last year and then being picked to finish 9th by the coaches in the preseason poll.  I haven't been picking JHU. You might be right about Muhlenberg, because everyone seems to think highly of them.  I'll get to see them play on Thursday.

[centfan]

rw
i don't think that F&M can play with virginia wesleyan for 40 minutes this year. i would guess they would lose by 20, if not more.maybe they will meet in the tourney and we will see.

[centfan]

i haven't seen muhlenberg this year but it does look like the freshman guard has taken alot of shots away from curry, who was a good player and scorer last year. liddic is a special kid and player...senior. it is still early. they have enough weapons to come on strong this season.

[Gabriel]

Reserved Seat,

Ursinus has not played well enough this season to be judged "good".  But they seem to be improving after a miserable start.  Kevin Small predicted a rough early season given the young players he is using.  Last starting line up was one freshman, three sophomores, and one junior.

I don't know if you noticed or not, Reggie Kamara (the freshman from Cork, Ireland) had 10 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks and 4 fouls against JHU in just 22 minutes.  I know you were not thrilled with his play when they played F&M, but this kid is improving and will be an force I think.  He is the best interior defender we have had in a long time albeit he is a project on the offensive end.  The Bears need his toughness.

We will make our way to Gettysburg on Thursday and to Ursinus (vs McDaniel) on Saturday to see an improved Bears team---we hope.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

i am not knocking F&M, but Va Wesleyan is on another level.

And I would agree that VWC is deeper and better than F&M... and I don't think it is close.

While I agree that VWC is better than F&M, I don't think the gap is quite as wide as you guys make it out to be. The Dips led the Marlins for most of an NCAA second round game on Virginia Wesleyan's home floor last March, and could have won if they shot better from the line. While F&M lost key seniors, this year's squad has not dropped off the way many expected - and has improved defensively. Milligan was the main reason they had a chance to win that game, and he's playing better this year. I think VWC would beat F&M if they played today, but it would be a game.

F&M might not have fallen off nearly as much as everyone expected... but it isn't like their schedule is that challenging. Their schedule is not that challenging especially in the Centennial as we all know. Their win over SMC is okay... that team not only lost a lot from last year but injuries took out their top returning scorer for the year. The only other win that jumps out at me was Hobart... but Hobart started the season well, but their record may be better than they are.

VWC returned everyone from last year's team... everyone. They are far deeper and if those two teams faced off again this year I don't think it is nearly as close as last year. F&M had very talented size inside last year that contributed to plenty of inside-outside play which is always a challenge. F&M lost that major advantage and while they still have players inside... they are not as talented as in years past... but certainly could be with more playing - but not now.

[sunny]

I think Salisbury University would like to remind everyone that a one-game performance, good or bad, does not really necessarily prove what level one team is on in relation to its opponent ...

The argument really can't just be "how close did F&M play them last year?" or "how much would Va Wes win by this year," but "if the two teams played on a neutral court 10 times, how many games would Va Wes win and how many would F&M win?" 

[diplomaniac1]

Folks -

Here are my predictions for tomorrow (01/12) night's "Pick-Ems" games:

Franklin And Marshall over Muhlenberg
Dickinson over Washington (tough pick)
Gettysburg over Ursinus
Haverford over McDaniel (tough pick)
Johns Hopkins over Swarthmore

Regards to all.

Eric

[centfan]

hi sunny
you make a good point, as anyone can beat anyone on any given day if they are in the vicinity of being on the same level.i would say Va Wesleyan would win 8 out of 10 times against F&M this year.

[Reserved Seat]

Pre-season poll(current standings)
F&M(1)
Muhlenberg(4)
Dickinson(7)
Ursinus(4)
McDaniel(9)
Gettysburg(4)
Haverford(7)
Washington(3)
JHU(2)
Swarthmore(10)

Most of the teams are still bunched but this gives an indication who's off to a good/bad start.