MBB: State University of New York Athletic Conference

[Bucket]

Since they're playing Amherst, I doubt they will have Western Mass refs at all. They'll have refs who haven't seen either team this year.

Not necessarily true, Pat. For Midd-Curry, one of the officials was reffing his 4th consecutive Middlebury game. He had previously officiated the NESCAC semifinal vs. Williams (at Amherst), the NESCAC quarters against Wesleyan, and the triple OT game against Amherst.

Last year, we also had officials we saw often in the regular season. Perhaps a fact of reffing life in New England?

[Pat Coleman]

I don't know -- I just know it's not supposed to be, and with just one game at each site this should be solvable.

[magicman]

Well I got my wish about this weekend's games. They are going to be starting at 2 different times so for all those that are interested you'll be able to see both games.

Middlebury at Cortland State   Saturday afternoon at 3:00 PM      Hopefully their will be a video feed for this game.  Help me Fran!


Plattsburgh State at Amherst   Saturday evening  at 7:00 PM       Pretty sure Amherst will have a video feed for this game

Edit:  Fran Elia has confirmed to me that there will be a video broadcast of the Cortland-Middlebury game on Saturday. Thanks Fran.

NOTE: TIME CHANGE

Major change in the time of the Amherst-Plattsburgh State game. The game has been switched from a 7:00 PM start on Saturday and will now have a 4:00 PM start time. The Amherst women are also playing that weekend and are hosting a Sectional with 4 teams. The Sectional Final women's game has been scheduled for 7:30 PM Saturday evening 

Amherst has confirmed that there will be a video webcast and live stats.


So the Saturday schedule is:

Middlebury at Cortland State 3:00 PM      Video and livestats available

Plattsburgh State  at Amherst   4:00 PM    Video and livestats available

[thebear]

Once again, helps to be a "NAME" school. 

In past years if the women were hosting at a site (rotates by years) the men would have to travel.

But of course the top rated Liberal Arts College in the country (with most of their players on "academic" scholarships) gets to host.

LeFrak isn't even that good a venue, bad lighting, small sideline seating. 

Certainly isn't up to the standard of any of the better SUNYAC gyms, Maxcy, Corey, Dewar, Buff State Sports Arena, Steele Hall, Tuttle North, Hawk Center, Max Ziel.  'burgh & Geneseo have large venues but choose to play in their "wood" gyms because of injury concerns on the synthetic floors.

I hope in my increasingly short lifetime that the NCAA will get real about the financial aid fraud these NESCAC and UAA schools commit to buy low level D-I players.  When a student-athlete can go to Rochester/SLU/Amherst for less cost than a state school, as Shakespeare once said "Something is rotten in Denmark".

[Pat Coleman]

Once again, helps to be a "NAME" school. 

In past years if the women were hosting at a site (rotates by years) the men would have to travel.

But of course the top rated Liberal Arts College in the country (with most of their players on "academic" scholarships) gets to host.

Also not true. The only reason this gets to happen is because of the one-year happenstance in the men's bracket that has teams playing one game a weekend instead of two. More than a couple of schools got to do the same last weekend.

In addition, the NCAA has a robust reporting mechanism in place for financial aid. There have been citations and punishments handed down. None to the NESCAC so far.

Not everything is a conspiracy.

[bearnation]

Bear, I agree with your assessment of Division III  liberal Arts schools. Example Ithaca's roster, not one of their players is from the State of New York.  Its like a Division I roster.  All out of state players.  Go figure!  At least their assistant coach is a Potsdam Alumni.  I hope both SUNYAC schools and Morrisville make a deep run at the title in Atlanta.

[Ethelred the Unready]

Bear, I agree with your assessment of Division III  liberal Arts schools. Example Ithaca's roster, not one of their players is from the State of New York.  Its like a Division I roster.  All out of state players.  Go figure!  At least their assistant coach is a Potsdam Alumni.  I hope both SUNYAC schools and Morrisville make a deep run at the title in Atlanta.

I'm not sure what your point is?  Should Ithaca not recruit outside of NY?

And if the cost of an Amherst or U of R education with financial aid were the same as an  education from Potsdam, are you saying you'd choose Potsdam for your child?

There is no question that NESCAC and UAA schools have endowments the size of some countries, but I'm not sure how that puts them at a competitive advantage.  The kid still has to get into the school and if the cost of the education is the same, it comes down to what the school can offer educationally/professionally.

[thebear]

Sorry Pat, beg to disagree.

When one of the secretaries [who happened to work in our admissions office] at the college I work at has a child who can go to SLU (~50K per year) and be a solid four year starter for less that the cost of a state school, don't tell me that games aren't being played with financial aid. 

It's been going on since the 70's at least.  We had the best D-III program in the country at Potsdam from 79-89, [275 wins, 51 losses - you can do the math ] but trust me we lost many players to the private schools because of financial aid gimmickry.

Yes, the Amhersts, Williams, Middlebury's Rochester's have endowments out the wazoo, but games are clearly being played in the financial aid offices, not to mention the opportunities these schools provide to their student athletes.

In addition can you guarantee me that the entire roster of the NESCAC and UAA [among others] are at least at the midpoint of the incoming class, I doubt it.  All of these schools have "special talent" provisions, which come into play if you are 6-8 and can play hoops.

The NESCAC, in particular and UAA are Patriot/Ivy league in D-III clothing.

P.S.  Your argument about this amherst/mens women's being a one-time event with scheduling falls on deaf ears, when a team that was 60-0 had to go on the road to play an elite 8 game. 

This entire tournament is fixed, from my perspective, and I've been involved with/following D-III basketball from the beginning.

Go Cardinals, rooting for you hard.

[Pat Coleman]

P.S.  Your argument about this amherst/mens women's being a one-time event with scheduling falls on deaf ears, when a team that was 60-0 had to go on the road to play an elite 8 game. 

In what year? Seriously? Surely nobody who made that decision has been involved with the process in decades. This is the kind of thing I'm talking about. Let go of the '80s already.

[with age came?]

Must admit I was "shocked" by Mo State's win over Ramapo.  All in all a tremendous week for the East.  I was perfect in the "bracket of death" on only missed Cabrini & Randolph Macon on the right side but boy did I screw my left side -seven losses but I still have 15 of 16 teams alive in my sweet 16 alive and all of my elite eight.  That being said I hope my bracket goes down the tubes because I picked with my head not my heart!  GO CARDS BOMBERS DRAGONS AND MUSTANGS!!!

[magicman]

Must admit I was "shocked" by Mo State's win over Ramapo.  All in all a tremendous week for the East.  I was perfect in the "bracket of death" on only missed Cabrini & Randolph Macon on the right side but boy did I screw my left side -seven losses but I still have 15 of 16 teams alive in my sweet 16 alive and all of my elite eight.  That being said I hope my bracket goes down the tubes because I picked with my head not my heart!  GO CARDS BOMBERS DRAGONS AND MUSTANGS!!!

The East ended up with the best record of any region (tied with the Mid Atlantic at 5-2).  I went 27-3 in the 1st round and I'm tied for 1st place. But this next round could be a killer. Easy to go from 1st to 150th with all the close matchups that are taking place. This really is a wide open tournament I think. 

GO CARDS

GO BOMBERS

GO RED DRAGONS

GO MUSTANGS

[Bengalsrule]

Ditto
Go BOMBERS

Go MUSTANGS

Go RED DRAGONS

Go CARDS


I LOVE NY!!!

[Ethelred the Unready]

Ditto
Go BOMBERS

Go MUSTANGS

Go RED DRAGONS

Go CARDS


I LOVE NY!!!

And yet no love for Rochester?  Bummer....

[middhoops]

We're only looking at one edge of a double edged sword in the state vs. private school discussion.  How many great players can a school like Williams or RPI not recruit due to their very high admissions standard?  I've spoken with more than one NESCAC coach who, when you ask them if they're looking at a specific kid, say, "Too many B's."
Your basic point is correct, however.  If you have a super smart kid who is a good ball player from Utica and his family has no money; Amherst is a better financial deal than Cortland.  You can feel bad for Cortland but you gotta be happy for the kid.

[dcahill44]

Saturdays Games
Cortland vs Middlebury... Middlebury by 4
Plattsburgh at Amherst... Amherst wins by 14
Morrisville at Rhode Island.. Rhode Island wins by 8
Ithaca at Rochester... Rochester wins by 3