MBB: State University of New York Athletic Conference

[magicman]

NCAA's first week of Regional rankings are out and Oswego is in the number 2 spot. No other YAC  team is listed. Hartwick is number 1.

Here's the East Region: The first record is in-region record, followed by overall record.

East Region
1 Hartwick 19-2 20-2
2 Oswego State 17-2 17-3
3 New York University 17-2 17-2
4 Hobart 15-4 16-4
5 Medaille 19-2 20-2
6 Nazareth 15-5 15-7

The complete regional rankings can be found at this link:
http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2012/02/08/2012-ncaa-regional-rankings-week-1/

[Bengalsrule]

  After all the waiting and this is what hits me today. Not sure what it takes to get in the top 6 other than keep winning!  17-3 (13-3 in region) just isnt good enough. Hopefully my BENGALS can add some more wins over the next few days.

  With 3 out of region victories against Capital (ranked 6th in Great Lakes), Wesleyan (ranked 9th in Northeast) and giving Catholic U. thier first loss of the season in thier (CUA) holiday tourney Championship game on New Years Day, I have reason to hope!. I'm hopeful that once the NCAA's "primary criteria" has been looked at, then their "secondary criteria" will bode well for Buff State - i.e. Out of region victories, overall strength of schedule and overall D3 winning percentage. That alone gives the BENGALS 3 more quality wins (see Capital, Wesleyan and Catholic above).

Cant wait until Geneseo comes to town friday. I'm hoping that my beloved BENGALS show up at 8p.m. Sharp!

[with age came?]

Bengals - I too, am mystified why Buff State is not ahead of Naz in the 6th spot?  May try to get over to see tomorrows game but nothing is for certain.  I've worked past midnight 3 days this week already so I've been away from the board a for a few days. Magicman my son is going up North for alumni weekend but I was not able to get it into my schedule.  I can only hope my "knights" make some sort of push in to the postseason and I'll try to see them at that point. 

[magicman]

I'm off to Potsdam early in the morning so I'd better do these prognostications now and get a few hours of sleep. Otherwise I'll be nodding off halfway through the women's game.

Full slate of games tonight as it's moving weekend in the YAC. All games tip off at 8:00 PM

Oswego State at Oneonta State

Oswego makes their last road trip of the regular season before winding up with 3 straight home games. They must have bribed the schedule makers. How else to explain a final road trip against two of the less fortunate teams in the league and then get the upper division teams at Laker Hall for the regular season finales. The Burridge family is happy. The next trip they have to make after this weekend will be for an NCAA game in all probability. Lakers could end up with 6 straight games at home. Three to end the regular season and three in the YAC tournament. Should they win out and get the automatic bid a 25-2 D3 record could find them hosting an opening round pod just like last year. I'd like to have the money Mr. and Mrs. Burridge have spent on food, gas and lodging to see Chad and his brother Mat, before him, play on the road. They've singlehandedly tried to revive the U.S. economy. I'm just sorry they won't be coming back to Plattsburgh next year. But I won't miss Chad.    Lakers trying to extend their regular season winning streak to 28 games and I can't see any reason why they won't. Red Dragons, all but eliminated from playoff contention, are playing for pride, but the Lakers don't want to take this team too lightly.(Can anybody say Cobleskill?)  Oh and one other little thing. The last team to beat Oswego in the regular season just happens to be these Red Dragons back on 1-11-11 by the score of 75-73 in Oneonta. Lakers don't need no deja vu.(Double negative, I know) Oddsmakers have Oswego favored by 15 points. I think it might be more. Lakers 75 Red Dragons 56. 

Geneseo State at Buffalo State

They say revenge is sweet. Tonight the Bengals will try and see just how true that old expression is. If there's one game Buffalo State could have a do over, it would be the last game against the Blue Knights back on Jan. 14th. They lost that game in overtime and a missed Bengal free throw with 5 seconds left in regulation proved to be costly. The overtime period was all Geneseo as the Bengals committed 5 turnovers and 4 fouls in the first three minutes of the extra session and this game was history. Buff State was also without the services of All Conference forward Justin Mitchell for the 2nd straight game and it came on the heels of a loss to Brockport the day before. It knocked the Bengals out of the D3hoops Top 25, put them in a big hole in their hopes to catch Oswego, and even haunted them on Wednesday when they found themselves unfindable in the first set of Regional Ranking released by the NCAA's Regional Advisory Committee. They now have to scratch and claw their way back up the rankings in hopes of acquiring a Pool C bid should they fail to win the conference tournament. And scratch and claw they've done, by reeling off 6 wins in a row since that lost weekend, by a 26 point average margin of victory. Mitchell is back, Jake Simmons has been on fire, and Nico McLean has been stealing people blind. Bengals running like a fine tuned Maserati. Geneseo comes into tonight's contest in sole possession of 4th place and the Blue Knights can still finish as high as 2nd place. Should they finish tied with Cortland for third place, that earlier win over the Bengals would probably give them the tiebreaker edge. Pointspread has the Bengals favored by 13 and if the Blue Knights play as good as they did the last time against Buff State then that's what they'll lose by. The two teams were tied at the end of regulation, with no Justin Mitchell for the Bengals. With Justin and his almost 13 ppg I see Buffalo State winning this one 85-72.

Cortland State at New Paltz State

These Red Dragons after hanging near the top spot most of the season now find themselves in third place a game behind the Bengals. They need to win this weekend on the road, against the lower echelon teams, to set up a showdown with Buffalo State in their final regular season game. In between they have Brockport and Fredonia coming to town and those two aren't about to roll over and die. With 4 losses they aren't going to catch Oswego, but they have to guard against falling behind Geneseo and Fredonia or Brockport. New Paltz has hopes of moving up the ladder to avoid a first round matchup against the Lakers or Bengals. Somehow I  don't think they'll get their wish. Posted odds have the Red Dragons favored by 7 points which would be a heck of a lot closer than the 27 point whipping the Hawks received in Cortland. I think it will be closer but Cortland still comes away with the win, 75-65.

Brockport State at Fredonia State

Brockport still has hopes of salvaging what has been a disappointing season. Coach Dunne has been known to work a few miracles before so you can never count out the Golden Eagles. Three years ago they limped into the playoffs with the 8th and final seed. Three games later they were dancing with the YAC's automatic bid. Last year they went 6-3 down the stretch to finish in 4th place and then handed the Lakers a loss in the semifinals of the tournament. The top two spots are out of reach but they could still finish in the upper division and host a first round game. They handled the Blue Devils the first time around and even though the oddsmakers have made Fredonia a slim 1 point favorite, I think the Golden Eagles will get the job done again. I like Brockport to win this one 72-66

Plattsburgh State at Potsdam State

Potsdam looking to avenge an earlier loss to the Cardinals in the Burgh. That game was a seesaw affair that found the Bears with the lead and 10 minutes left in the game. The Cards went on a 10-0 run however and the closest Potsdam could get after that was 4 points. Plattsburgh slowly pulled away in the final 6 minutes. Bear's Curtis Pierce injured his knee and had to leave the game for good with 9:33 left to play, which coincided with the Bear's downturn. A healthy Pierce tonight could pose problems for a Cardinal team that's struggled on the road, going 2-9 in their travels. With a win tonight Plattsburgh would clinch a playoff spot and with this young team that was their first goal. Bears in a must win situation to keep their playoff hopes alive. Pointspread has the Cardinals favored by 3 and that's about how I see it. Cards win a close one in Maxcy Hall tonight, 65-61.             

[Bengalsrule]

I'm off to Potsdam early in the morning so I'd better do these prognostications now and get a few hours of sleep. Otherwise I'll be nodding off halfway through the women's game.

Drive safe and tell Bear Fan "hello" for me!

[jdex]

At the half ....

Buffalo St. 42, Geneseo 33. J. Mitchell 10 reb, J. Simmons 9 pts for BS

Cortland 37, New Paltz 25. Corts K. McMahon off sideline for 10 pts. Dragons 5x10 3s

Oswego 33, Oneonta 18. Lakers 13x27fg, Ot 7x23fg

Potsdam 29, Plattsburgh 23

[jdex]

Geneseo's at it again .........held 10 pt. lead over Buffalo St. at 5' mark .....

Cortland by 11 at New Paltz late

Oswego about to dismiss Oneonta

Plattsburgh by 5 heading down the stretch at Potsdam

[thebear]

Bears with a huge surge, now up 59-50 and at the line with 2:48 left

[thebear]

Bears now lead 61-50

[thebear]

Cards now in hack-a-derby mode with 2:08 left, please bears, make your FT's

63-50 Bears

[thebear]

Bears 65-52 with 1:14 & THE BALL.

[thebear]

Final Potsdam 67- Cards 54.

Go Bears

[jdex]

Geneseo eludes Buffalo St. 84-82. Nearly gets away. Ten point lead shrinks to 81-80 at 0:50 on one of two J. Mitchell FTs. Gens C Fedge FTs at 0:26 make it 83-80 and his 1x2 at the line hikes to four at 0:15. Bengal A. Nagaya tip-in at 0:02 narrows it. Gens miss two free throws a second later. BS timeout .......but nothing further. R. Riefenhauser 24 pts, 13 rebs for winners. Mitchell 21 pts, 16 rebs

Cortland betters New Paltz 69-60. J. Smith 17 pts, B. Manning 14 ptss; K. McMahon 12 pts; H. Hefele 11 pts. S. Jenkins and M. Devine split 36 NP markers, Devine with 11 rebs

Oswego takes down Oneonta 68-55 in a brezze

[thebear]

Tough loss for the Bengals..

Really means they have to win the 'yac tournament to get to the dance.

As dad of a Geneseo alum, go Knights, but tough night for the Black and orange.

[jdex]

Brockport 79, Fredonia 60

Geneseo goes 24x37 from the stripe to Buff St's 9x16. Gens 29x58fg, BS 34x70. Riefenhauser also dishes 6 assists. Mike Hoy 18 pts, 5 assts; G. Lyons 14 pts, 8 rebs; C. Fedge 10 pts, 8 rebs. Mitchell goes 9x10fg, 4pf; J. Simmons 14 pts(5x14fg); A. Nagaya 14 pts; N. McLean 11 pts; N. Simmons 6 assts, 7 pts. Gens with 40-39 board edge

Oswego's H. Ward 13 pts; J. Delfino 12 pts; K. Monaghan  12 pts; C. Burridge 10 pts in Laker high 28' of court time. OSt 22x51fg, Oneonta 22x56fg. Dragon F. Kelly 12 pts, D. Lee 11 pts