MBB: Centennial Conference

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I watched the live stream the whole time.  F&M's defense was fantastic; they never let Swat get comfortable on offense.  Eggers had as good a game as I've ever seen him play.  I still tend to think Swarthmore is the better team, but Robinson had his guys more prepared to play in this game - maybe there's a reason he's won 900 games?

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Believe it or not, but we are pretty much halfway through the 2015-16 season and there are plenty of teams still surprising and records being rewritten.

Tonight on Hoopsville we chat with the fourth person to reach the 900 wins in men's college basketball, a woman who keeps herself very busy even when she isn't coaching, and several other teams who are surprising everyone by leading their conference races.

Hoopsville hits the air at 7:00 PM ET and you can watch it here: www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2015-16/jan10

Guests include ( in order):
- Glenn Robinson, #17 F&M men's coach - won career game 900 Saturday
- Pat Manning, #18 Williams women's coach - WBCA Center Court segment
- Amanda Crockett, North Park women's coach
- Mac Brown, New Jersey City men's coach
- Kendal Wallace, LaGrange men's coach

You can tune into the podcast after the show airs here::
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087

And don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com
Twitter: @d3hoopsville or #Hoopsville
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Email: hoopsville@d3hoops.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/d3hoopsville

[Reserved Seat]

Where's the board for LBC?

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

They are in the NEAC so thus the East Region... but no one is chatting NEAC as of late.

[Reserved Seat]

Not much of a game at Haverford.  F&M placed 5 players in double figures.  Most of the starters played about 1/2 of the game.  Haverford struggled to get off shots as they had 29 turnovers.  F&M's subs seemed out of sync during the last 10 minutes of the game when all subs were in.

[Gabriel]

Tough night for Ursinus first losing Matt Knowles 4 minutes into the game  and then losing to Dickinson 69-63.  Bears led by as much as 15 in the first half and 9 at the half.  Matt Knowles loss was major.  He is the reigning POW his loss hurt big time on both ends of the floor as he led the conference in scoring and is a top notch defender and ball handler as well.  Hope the injury is not season ending.

Ursinus was already thin with Patrick Mekongo and Zack Muredda out with leg injuries.  Need the freshmen to step up now

[Reserved Seat]

In a wild game at F&M, F&M held on for a 63-60 victory over JHU.  Despite getting numerous calls from the referees, JHU was unable to convert fouls hitting only 13-26.  F&M only managed 5 for 11.  Federici hit shooting in the first half gave F&M a 2 point lead at the lead.  Several missed lay ups and unforced turnovers keep JHU in the game in the first half.  JHU got balanced scoring from Curran, Billups, and Gordon who each had 14 points. Williams was held to 10.  F&M got 20 from Federici, 14 from Tate and 12 each from Moune and Eggers.  Billups had one of his best games of the year with the 14 points and 5 blocks.  Owana struggled for much of the game but called a key time out on a scramble to give the possession to F&M.  The last 22 seconds seemed to take forever as several fouls and turnovers stretched out the time.  The second half was extremely physical.

[diplomaniac1]

Folks -

The following is a link to an article on GRob from today's Lancaster Newspapers issue:

http://lancasteronline.com/sports/basketball/franklinandmarshall/duke-s-coach-k-to-lnp-f-m-s-glenn/article_8bfbe5ee-bb38-11e5-8508-33632284ee4b.html

It is an interesting read. Enjoy. Congrats to Coach Robinson!

Go Diplomats. As always, best regards to all. Enjoy the rest of the season.

Eric

[CCD3Basketball]

Almost halfway through conference season now. Some thoughts as I see it:

-F&M has had a couple close calls, but keeps finding ways to win

-Swarthmore looks like they have all the pieces to compete for not only a playoff berth, but maybe more. They looked like they were ready to take the next step last year, and this year they have.

-Same for Gettysburg. All their pieces are coming together too. Did not see them being 6-1 in the league right now. They head to The Mule Barn tomorrow, and then they have a big one at home next week to F&M.

-I figured Dickinson was going to take a step back this year (they lost a LOT), but I didn't expect them to come back to the pack as much as they have

As for tomorrow's games, every matchup seems to be a compelling one (you might be able to throw Dickinson/Haverford out of that mix, but with the Red Devils going on the road, you never know). Anyone heard about Matt Knowles' status for Ursinus? Also, keep an eye on Chestertown. Glenn Robinson can pass Bob Knight for 3rd on the NCAA wins list with his 903rd win tomorrow if F&M can beat Washington, but, as seen in recent years, the Diplomats struggle there (WAC has beaten a nationally ranked F&M 2 out of the last 3 years in Chestertown, once while WAC was 0-14, the other time while they were 2-18).

Looking forward to seeing how the season plays out!

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Also, keep an eye on Chestertown. Glenn Robinson can pass Bob Knight for 3rd on the NCAA wins list with his 903rd win tomorrow if F&M can beat Washington, but, as seen in recent years, the Diplomats struggle there (WAC has beaten a nationally ranked F&M 2 out of the last 3 years in Chestertown, once while WAC was 0-14, the other time while they were 2-18).

I've been there for both WC wins, missed the loss.  My attendance tomorrow is still up in the air, but perhaps it will determine the outcome?

[Reserved Seat]

Unfortunately, I, also, saw both of the losses, and I will be there tomorrow.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Unfortunately, I, also, saw both of the losses, and I will be there tomorrow.

Sorry to F&M fans.  Last minute decision to go.  I'm headed out the door now.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

So my presence didn't jinx F&M, but they didn't play very well.  It was just the trouble WC had on offense that made the difference though.

Impressed, as usual, with what WC is putting out there.  They have no post presence, which is what killed them today, but they did run through three or four tall freshmen who might develop into something.  The best players on the team are all coming back next year - really impressed with the growth and development of the PG.

As for F&M, interesting to see them on a day when Federici's shot isn't going in.  It just highlights how little he contributes in other parts of the game.  He gets the hype and is a truly gifted scorer, but he's certainly the third most important player on the Dips - Moune and Eggers are far more important to the overall success of the team.

This team is good, but they're not playing anywhere near potential.  If they do, they can go far; if they don't, last year is probably a good template for where their ceiling lies.

[Reserved Seat]

In a scary game at Washington, F&M looked ripe for the upset.  After going up by 18 points, F&M started to fall apart as Moune and Eggers picked up their fourth fouls.  Washington keep scrapping to get back into the game but couldn't cut into the lead enough to make the game more exciting..  The officiating was ragged both ways.  Federici and Moune had 19 points each, and Eggers added 18.  Moune added 10 rebounds.
I agree with Hoops Fan that F&M is a good team, but not a great team.  F&M needs more scoring in the paint.  Beins had a good game scoring 8 points.
I do disagree with Hoops Fan that Federici contributes little in other areas.  He contributes with numerous steals and blocks on a typical night.  He has a uncanny ability to make passes to get the open man.  Today was not a typical night.  Actually, this was a pretty typical night for Federici's shooting.  He is averaging right around 40%, which is right about where he was today.
For Washington Shelton had a great game with 20 points and 14 rebounds-high in both categories.  Knox had 16 points and Drury 14;\.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

In a scary game at Washington, F&M looked ripe for the upset.  After going up by 18 points, F&M started to fall apart as Moune and Eggers picked up their fourth fouls.  Washington keep scrapping to get back into the game but couldn't cut into the lead enough to make the game more exciting..  The officiating was ragged both ways.  Federici and Moune had 19 points each, and Eggers added 18.  Moune added 10 rebounds.
I agree with Hoops Fan that F&M is a good team, but not a great team.  F&M needs more scoring in the paint.  Beins had a good game scoring 8 points.
I do disagree with Hoops Fan that Federici contributes little in other areas.  He contributes with numerous steals and blocks on a typical night.  He has a uncanny ability to make passes to get the open man.  Today was not a typical night.  Actually, this was a pretty typical night for Federici's shooting.  He is averaging right around 40%, which is right about where he was today.
For Washington Shelton had a great game with 20 points and 14 rebounds-high in both categories.  Knox had 16 points and Drury 14;\.

I guess I should say Federici doesn't contribute as much in other areas as perhaps his reputation would lead one to believe.  He's not a strong on-ball defender.  He's good.  Very good - he's also tough as nails - he picked a huge three (I think his first of the second half) right after Eggers went out and just when the team needed his offense.

It was just a sort of revelation tonight that he's the third best player on the team and the third most important.  Nothing wrong with that - especially when he's able to step up and score 30 now and then - just interesting to the dynamic.


Sorry we didn't get to meet today.  I need to do a better job of looking around and trying to figure out who everyone is.  I was wearing a red t-shirt today.  I was sitting in front of Jared Wright's family.