MBB: Centennial Conference

[swish]

F&M is still mathematically in the hunt. They can beat JHU tomorrow.

[patcummings]

And need Muhlenberg and Swarthmore to lose...

The CCBN will have live coverage of Swat/Haverford and JHU/F&M beginning this afternoon.  Go to http://www.centennial.org for more.

[outinamishland]

The unexpected happened today with the Mules defeating Ursinus.  If only Ursinus would have come to play today the dips would be in the playoffs.  I guess we'll have to wait until next year.

[fritzdis]

What's more, they did it without Stewart in the lineup.

[Reserved Seat]

3 out of 4 wasn't quite enough
5 points off
never thought Ursinus would lose

[r.w. mcnickels]

Intense defensive battle between F&M-Hopkins as is usually the case when these two get together.  The Dips committed a season-low six turnovers and outrebounded the Jays 41-35.

Nelson took two straight timeouts near the end of the game and not once talked to (or even looked at) his players -- he just glared at the officials, apparently trying to make a point about a bad call.  It was a strange sequence.  Hopkins hasn't won in Lancaster in 11 tries (counting CC and NCAA playoffs) dating back to 1998.

Outerbridge played one of his best games.  He scored only three points, but he ran the offense better than I've ever seen him.  Five assists to just one turnover.  He looked like a quarterback on offense, which he didn't earlier in the season.  The Dips will need a whole season of that from him next year.

Brandon Smith finished his career with a 19-point effort.  F&M hasn't had many players who could score so many different ways - scoop shots, threes, leaning jumpers, etc.  He was a fun player to watch.

[Amish Allstar]

Heard Ursinus took all the starters out so Muhlenberg would win and prevented F&M from making the playoffs.  Not sure that is true or not.

any thoughts?

[Pat Coleman]

I listened to the end of the game and Ursinus definitely had its starters on the floor. McGarvey took the three-pointer that would have tied the game with about seven seconds left.

[Leo]

I am a Bears fan, and was at the Sat. game between Bears/Mules. Give credit to the Mule players who just wanted it more. They played each possession as if it was their last, and the Bears were just tentative. A classic game where one team wanted it more. However, next week is a new season and I am sure that the Bears will be better prepared.

[Amish Allstar]

Gotcha.  Had heard something but wasnt exactly sure so i wanted to being it up here.

Good luck to the teams in the playoffs

[ohyeahbball]

How about giving the Mules some credit?  Scott had 27 points and Huber had 13 points (3-3 on treys).  They played like they needed to prove that they could win without Stewart, and that is exactly what they did. 

The post saying that Ursinus let them win so that F&M wouldn't make the playoffs sounds pretty ridiculous, don't you think?  And to the person that said that Ursinus didn't come out and play, you should have been at the game.  F&M wouldn't even have room in their gym for all of the fans that came out to see Muhlenberg and Ursinus play.  Ursinus played hard and is a class act. 

[patcummings]

Something Gordon and I discussed on our broadcast...

It wasn't in the best interest of Ursinus or Hopkins to take it easy this week and not give 100% since they were both locked in to the 1 and 2 positions. 

Both have now suffered another regional loss, which will hurt their chances of a Pool C bid which at least one of them will be up for.  Factor in that at least one of them will at least have one more regional loss and it further hurts their chances.

[bearsfan1]

I really do not think you can say that UC "took the week off".  They throttled Haverford on Wednesday at home to secure the number 1 seed.  From what it sounds like, Muhlenberg played an inspired game on Saturday in a win or go home situation. I am sure the last thing players from UC and Hopkins for that matter wanted was losses down the stretch, even if some games were meaningless.

[r.w. mcnickels]

Something Gordon and I discussed on our broadcast...

It wasn't in the best interest of Ursinus or Hopkins to take it easy this week and not give 100% since they were both locked in to the 1 and 2 positions. 

Both have now suffered another regional loss, which will hurt their chances of a Pool C bid which at least one of them will be up for.  Factor in that at least one of them will at least have one more regional loss and it further hurts their chances.

It's unfair to say Ursinus or Hopkins "took it easy" this week, but the point about regional wins and losses is important.

Fairly recent history as an example:  In 2004, F&M clinched homecourt for the CC tournament even earlier than Ursinus did this year but won a quality regional road game after the fact that helped secure a high seed for NCAAs.  The Dips won an extremely tight game at Hopkins in the last game of the regular season that was significant to their "quality of wins index" -- it was a win on the road against a team with a good record.  The game meant nothing in terms of CC playoff seeding, but it went a long way in helping F&M earn a bye in the NCAA 1st round and eventually the sectional.

Kevin Small has been on the NCAA committee before (he still may be) and he's well aware of how much each regional game matters for NCAA seeding.  I'm sure he made that clear to his team, and I doubt the Bears took Muhleberg lightly.

[sunny]

No one treated the last day of conference play as meaningless.

Ursinus, Hopkins, Gettysburg, and Washington were all locked into their playoff spots.

Seven Ursinus players accounted for all but nine minutes against Muhlenberg.
Seven Hopkins players accounted for all but 15 minutes against F&M.
Eight Gettysburg players accounted for all but less than one minute against Dickinson.
Eight Washington players accounted for all but two minutes against McDaniel.