MBB: State University of New York Athletic Conference

[magicman]

Thanks to all the well wishes for my Cardinals from the posters on this board and from posters on other boards as well. I have lots of plus K's to be handing out before the night is through.

Now to  post some news and I'll try to answer some questions that have been asked of me by different posters.   

Winter Storm Vulcan (Didn't know they gave them names now) arrived at 10 AM this morning and the intensity of the storm has steadily increased throughout the day. The weather forecast is for the snow to continue to come down the rest of this evening, all through the night and finally ending early Thursday afternoon. Total accumulation is expected to be around 12 to 18 inches here in the Champlain Valley. We have already received 12 inches by 11 PM tonight.

I spoke to Coach Curle around 4 PM today and the team is leaving at 10 AM Thursday morning. That will give them plenty of time to get there, get rid of the buslegs and get a decent night's sleep. After watching the Cardinals practice this week I think I know most of the Lord Jeffs' plays by heart.

The good news is that the Cardinals will be at full strength for the game against Amherst for the first time since the last regular season game against Buffalo State. Shamoy McIntosh made his return to the lineup this past weekend against MIT and Eastern Conneticut to take right up where he left off. Shamoy was the leading scorer on the team through the first 20 games averaging 14.3 ppg but an injury in mid February limited his floor time and then he went down early in the Buffalo State game and missed the SUNYAC playoffs completely. His average tailed off to 12.9 ppg but in the 2 NCAA games he scored 15 against MIT and 14 against Eastern Connecticut.

Plattsburgh's leading scorer Shavar Fields (14.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg) is back with the team after missing the past 4 games with a personal issue. Fields is 11 points shy of the magic 1000 career points achievement  and I hope he gets that milestone against Amherst. That should answer AmherstStudent05's question about Field's availability.

amh63, I did go to the Amherst website to look at the preview about the Cardinals and LJ's. It seems to cover all the important points about both teams. Plattsburgh is an extremely quick and athletic team, but Amherst also has some very athletic players. I think the reason that Amherst was able to beat Williams 3 times this year was because the LJ's were more athletic than the Ephs. The advantages that Plattsburgh has had on most opponents this year will be negated somewhat by the same attributes for Amherst.

The Massey Ratings has Amherst ranked #7 and Plattsburgh ranked #11. This matchup has the LJ's favored by 5 points with the game in LeFrak. The LJ's home court edge is worth 3 points so if you take that away, then a 2 point basket is all that separates these teams on a neutral court. I expect a closer game than the 2nd round game these teams played last year when Plattsburgh was missing their top inside scoring threat John Perez. Perez was the go to guy in the Cardinals win over Eastern Connecticut last Saturday and his ability to score on the interior should be a major factor in this game. Once again 3 point shooting will be huge with both teams possessing multiple long range gunners. If Aaron Toomey has one of his monster games the Cardinals will be in trouble. That will just open things up for the rest of the Amherst scorers. Connor Green didn't play in the LJ's win over York on Saturday and an injury in practice during the week was cited as the reason. Still don't know what the injury was and if it will limit him this weekend. As AmherstStudent05 stated I would prefer that both teams play the guys that got them where they are. (Besides Connor Green was my top pick on my Fantasy team and so far has gotten me 0 points.   Of course if my Cardinals were to limit him to just a few points and we win the game I wouldn't mind that at all. ) The Sectional preview didn't indicate that Green would be missing in action this weekend so I'm guessing that he'll be in the lineup.

I copied the Sectional Preview that was on the Amherst website and it is in the post immediately following this post. It is fairly comprehensive and covers most of the important players. it also saves me a lot of typing.            
       

[magicman]

Here is the Sectional Preview from the Amherst website that amh63 mentioned.


SCOUTING AMHERST (25-3)
Capturing an unprecedented third-consecutive NESCAC Championship (seventh overall), the Jeffs earned a first round bye to the NCAA tournament for the third-straight year. Making its 16th championship appearance, Amherst is now 34-15 all-time in tourney play after defeating York (N.Y.) in its NCAA opener, 63-51.

Leading the Jeffs against the Cardinals, David Kalema '14 pulled down a personal-best eight rebounds, while falling one point shy of tying a career-high with 21. After posting a triple-double in the NESCAC Championship, Aaron Toomey '14 netted 15 points, while ripping down a career-best 12 boards. Tom Killian '14 notched his fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while David George '17 anchored the Jeffs' defensive efforts down low with 11 boards and five blocks.

The catalyst for the NESCAC's highest scoring offense (84.5 ppg), Toomey was named the conference's Player of the Year for the second-straight season, joining former Jeff Andrew Olson '08 as the only players in league history to win the award in consecutive years. Leading the NESCAC in assists per game (6.3), the senior point guard sits second in the conference in points (20.3) and steals (1.9) per outing. Shooting 47.3 percent from the field, 39.5 percent from three and 90.5 percent from the free throw line, Toomey also averages 5.2 rebounds per outing.

A dynamic scorer, Connor Green '16 gives the Jeffs a formidable one-two punch, ranking fourth in the league in points per game (18.2). Knocking down 44.2 percent of his field goals, the sophomore standout shoots 35.0 percent from long distance and 76.3 percent from the charity stripe, while grabbing 5.7 rebounds per contest.

Kalema and Killian have also proven to be consistent contributors, joining Toomey as fellow senior captains. In the midst of a breakout season, Killian has posted career highs in points (14.8) and rebounds (6.3) per game en route to second-team All-NESCAC honors. Hitting 50.7 percent of his shot attempts, the swingman has shot 37.7 percent from behind the arc and 80.0 percent from the free throw line. Breaking into the starting lineup after three years as a key reserve, Kalema is averaging 12.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per outing as Toomey's backcourt mate, all while shooting 42.9 percent from the floor.

Making his biggest impact on the defensive end, George has been a pleasant surprise as a first-year, averaging 6.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest. Fourth in the conference in blocks per game (2.4), the rookie has swatted 69 shots this season, standing seven blocks shy of tying the program's single-season mark of 76 held by Pat Fitzsimmons '03.


SCOUTING PLATTSBURGH ST. (24-5)
Despite falling to No. 11 Brockport in the SUNYAC championship game, Plattsburgh St. earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships. Making their eighth tournament appearance, the Cardinals improved to 8-8 all-time in NCAA play with opening round victories over MIT and Eastern Connecticut State.

Ezra Hodgson '15 paced Plattsburgh in a 76-53 first round win over the Engineers, pouring in a career-high 27 points against what had been the nation's top-ranked scoring defense. Shamoy McIntosh '15 added 15 points and four assists, while Alan Siergiej '15 chipped in with 10 points and four boards.

Leading the Cardinals to a 70-60 triumph over the Warriors the following day, John Perez '14 posted a double-double with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Connecting on 7-of-10 free throws, McIntosh added 14 points, while Mike Mitchell '15 had 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting.

Second in the SUNYAC in three-point percentage (38.0), Plattsburgh sits third in field goal percentage (45.4) and scoring offense (78.3). Equally impressive on the defensive end, the Cardinals lead the conference in opponent three-point percentage (26.6) and ranked second and third, respectively, in opponent field goal percentage (39.7) and points allowed (67.2).

A second-team all-league pick, Shavar Fields '14 averages a team-high 14.5 points per game, while pulling down 6.2 rebounds and ranking fifth in the SUNYAC in field goal percentage (54.8). Joining Fields on the second team are Perez and Chris Manning '14. Perez is currently tied for second on the squad in scoring (12.9), while grabbing 9.3 rebounds. A versatile guard, Manning tops the conference in both assists (5.0) and steals (3.0) per game.

A third-team selection, McIntosh gives the Cardinals added depth in the backcourt, averaging 12.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per outing. Helping to spread the floor, Edward Correa '16 has averaged 10.9 points per game this season, while hitting a league-best 2.7 three pointers per outing.


What this preview failed to mention was the fact that we didn't have Shavar Fields over the past 4 games. It also doesn't mention Connor Green missing the York game last Saturday.

The Cardinals mentioned in the beginning of the Amherst preview were the York Cardinals not my Cardinals of Plattsburgh State.

[amh63]

Magicman...thanks for the response.  Real strange hours you Plattsburg supporters keep....4am...really.?
Not too worry that you or the Cardinals know the Amherst plays. . Even slow me can recognize some of the plays.  The question is can the Cardinals stop the execution of them...as you well know.  The key one is when Toomey or Kalema indicates that he will try to break their defender down and go from there....many good teams have tried to stop Aaron when he isolates his defender or defenders and it leads to assists or points for Aaron. 
I believe the game will hinge on who plays the best defense...team defense.  Both teams are underrated on their defensive abilities.  The York ...the other Cardinals ..game is a recent case.  York has quick athletic players and plays a tough zone press that caused Amherst problems.  They crushed RIC with steals, forcing TOs, etc.  they did that to Amherst in the first half.  Amherst adjusted after the half and pulled away from York.  Amherst did that in a number of games...including the last win over Williams where Williams' high power offense was shut down in the second half.
I expect a good close game.  If Your pick Connor Green is available and Connor Gach is on and Amherst's outside shots are good...lots of ifs, I know...I expect a repeat of last year..even if Toomey does not have a monster game.

Can not see...ignore my comment wrt to 4am....see it was 4pm after a re read of MM's post.

[AmherstStudent05]

Magicman, thanks as always for your usual, comprehensive analysis.  While I may be singing a different tune tomorrow evening, for now I am pleased to know that you guys will have your full arsenal at the ready in LeFrak.  Conner Green evidently suffered some kind of ankle injury in practice last week. (I for one, had no idea he would be out until the starting lineups were announced against York.)  Unfortunately, I have no idea what his status is for Saturday.  For all I know he could be 100% in, 100% out, or somewheres in between.  I hope your reading of the tea leaves is right and that he will suit up.  Either way, with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line, I am very confident (and hopeful) that you will get our best games.

Also, completely agree with amh63.  I have no doubt you will recognize all of the sets we will run on Friday night.  The trick, of course, is stopping them, especially when they are being run through Toomey!

[magicman]

So I'm plowing a friends driveway it's 7:35 PM and my phone jingles telling me I have a text message. I look and see it's from Coach Curle and he's telling me "I'm on Hoopsville in 10 minutes."  So I drive lickity split back to my store to hope I can catch the show.  Get into my office and get the computer turned on just in time to hear Dave McHugh introduce the Coach of Plattsburgh State. Yay!!

Dave started out by saying that Plattsburgh has flown a bit under the radar this year and Coach Curle responded by saying that he doesn't mind that at all. He stated that there are a few supporters of the Cardinal program that keep him informed of where they are in the rankings and where they should be and mentioned some guy named magicman as helping him out in that area.

Coach Curle explained a bit about why the conference got 3 teams into the Dance this year. He stated that Brockport, Plattsburgh, and Geneseo were led by a solid group of upperclassmen which enabled those three schools to get a little separation from the rest of the conference.  He also talked about how much he's enjoyed this year's group of players and how they have played as a team. He brought up the fact that there are so many different options on the team that it's hard to know where the points are coming from on any given night.

When pressed by the host to state Plattsburgh's advantages over Amherst, the Coach was fairly non-committal and compared the Lord Jeffs to Plattsburgh with regard to ability. He believes we will benefit from having played in the Amherst gym last year and the "awe" factor won't come into play as it may have last year. He said the bottom line is the SUNYAC still has to get past the NESCAC and we've struggled to do that but at some point it has to happen to give our conference a needed boost.

Overall another solid interview from Coach Curle, and a nice job by Dave to ask some good questions. 

[amh63]

Magicman....caught the show last night with the Cardinals coach.  Surprised he did not let you know earlier .  Good man...like his responses and avoiding any comments that maybe used by Coach Hixon.  At this stage and the quality of the coaches at the sectional, it really does't not matter much.  Did you get to see the Richard Stockton video on the sectionals?  Smart and wise "old" coach. 
Read the writeup on the Plattsburgh website of the game.  Maybe you should write ups/previews of the MBB games for the website?

[ECSUalum]

Good Luck to the Cardinals and the Lord Jeffs tonight!!! Should be an exciting 2 hrs tonight.   May the best team win!!

[magicman]

Magicman....caught the show last night with the Cardinals coach.  Surprised he did not let you know earlier .  Good man...like his responses and avoiding any comments that maybe used by Coach Hixon.  At this stage and the quality of the coaches at the sectional, it really does't not matter much.  Did you get to see the Richard Stockton video on the sectionals?  Smart and wise "old" coach. 
Read the writeup on the Plattsburgh website of the game.  Maybe you should write ups/previews of the MBB games for the website?

I did see the Richard Stockton piece. Stockton's coach Gerry Matthews is one of the top coaches in basketball. I watched him in action at the sectional in Plattsburgh in '08 when the Ospreys played against your LJ's. Amherst opened the game on  a 17-0 outburst and looked like they were going to run Stockton right out of the gym. Stockton's biggest player was 6'5" and the next biggest player was 6'3". Amherst towered over them and opened up an 19 point lead at 25-6. But the Stockton coach never panicked and after 2 early time outs Stockton came back to trail at the half by a 42-30 margin. Three minutes into the 2nd period the score was 44-42 and although the Ospreys could never gain the lead the LJ's knew they were in a game the rest of the afternoon. Amherst prevailed 85-77 and went to the FF that year as we discussed earlier but I think everybody in Memorial Hall that watched that game came away with a sense of just how good Gerry Matthews was as a coach, to even be in that game, after the start they had and the talent they were up against.

It's nice to see that years later Matthews is still the Stockton coach and the success of the program under him continues year after year. In the 6 years since the 07-08 season, Matthews' team has won 20 games in 5 of those 6 years.

On another note...there were 2 write-ups on the Plattsburgh website concerning the Plattsburgh-Amherst game. One was much longer than the other. Not sure if you spotted them both.

Hope the Lord Jeffs play a hell of a game tonight and come up just a bit short. My Cards will look to do what has no one else has done this year...beat Amherst at home.

I'll have my prediction posted in the next hour. 

[magicman]

Good Luck to the Cardinals and the Lord Jeffs tonight!!! Should be an exciting 2 hrs tonight.   May the best team win!!

Thanks for the good luck wishes ECSUalum but it looks like you're hedging a bit. Who are you rooting for? amh63 says he doesn't mind if you're really rooting for my Cards over his LJ's, even though you're good buddies. After all it is kind of like the good guys against the Evil Empire.


I noticed you have a definite preference for Albertus Magnus against Williams in the other NESCAC game, with your recent post on the GNAC board.

[Bengalsrule]

Magicman....caught the show last night with the Cardinals coach.  Surprised he did not let you know earlier .  Good man...like his responses and avoiding any comments that maybe used by Coach Hixon.  At this stage and the quality of the coaches at the sectional, it really does't not matter much.  Did you get to see the Richard Stockton video on the sectionals?  Smart and wise "old" coach. 
Read the writeup on the Plattsburgh website of the game.  Maybe you should write ups/previews of the MBB games for the website?

I did see the Richard Stockton piece. Stockton's coach Gerry Matthews is one of the top coaches in basketball. I watched him in action at the sectional in Plattsburgh in '08 when the Ospreys played against your LJ's. Amherst opened the game on  a 17-0 outburst and looked like they were going to run Stockton right out of the gym. Stockton's biggest player was 6'5" and the next biggest player was 6'3". Amherst towered over them and opened up an 19 point lead at 25-6. But the Stockton coach never panicked and after 2 early time outs Stockton came back to trail at the half by a 42-30 margin. Three minutes into the 2nd period the score was 44-42 and although the Ospreys could never gain the lead the LJ's knew they were in a game the rest of the afternoon. Amherst prevailed 85-77 and went to the FF that year as we discussed earlier but I think everybody in Memorial Hall that watched that game came away with a sense of just how good Gerry Matthews was as a coach, to even be in that game, after the start they had and the talent they were up against.

It's nice to see that years later Matthews is still the Stockton coach and the success of the program under him continues year after year. In the 6 years since the 07-08 season, Matthews' team has won 20 games in 5 of those 6 years.

On another note...there were 2 write-ups on the Plattsburgh website concerning the Plattsburgh-Amherst game. One was much longer than the other. Not sure if you spotted them both.

Hope the Lord Jeffs play a hell of a game tonight and come up just a bit short. My Cards will look to do what has no one else has done this year...beat Amherst at home.

I'll have my prediction posted in the next hour.

America awaits!

[magicman]

The Sweet 16 Game

Plattsburgh State Cardinals 24-5  at   Amherst Lord Jeffs   25-3

The teams meet again in a rematch of a 2nd round game from last year. That game started out with the teams trading baskets for the first 4 minutes but with the score 8-7 in favor of the Cardinals, the Lord Jeffs' high powered offense kicked into another gear and the Cardinals couldn't keep up. Seven different Amherst players scored over the next 11 minutes and the LJ's outscored the Cardinals by a 37-10 margin to take a 44-18 lead with 5 minutes left in the 1st half. The 26 point advantage would be their largest of the night.  The Cardinals went 4x20 during that span which proved to be their undoing. They did outscore Amherst 19-6 over the final five minutes of the period as they knocked down 7 of their final 8 shots and made all 3 of their free throws. They managed to cut the lead in half and narrow the gap to 50-37 at the break. A three pointer to open the 2nd half got Plattsburgh within 10 points but the cards could get no closer and the LJ's won by an 89-72 final score.

It's been 370 days since that game and tonight the Cardinals have a chance to gain a measure of revenge. The positives for Plattsburgh is that they have the players back in the lineup that were absent during the SUNYAC playoffs. The return of their top 2 scorers, Shamoy McIntosh and Shavar Fields will give the Cardinals all of their weapons against a team where you need to bring all of your weapons. John Perez will play against the LJ's for the first time as he missed last year's contest with an injury. I expect the Cardinals to use an 8 man rotation in today's game with a starting 5 of Manning, Perez, McIntosh, Hodgson and Correa. Mitchell, Fields and Thomas will be the main subs with Siergiej possibly spelling the big men if any foul problems arise.

The Cardinals have a solid group that I would rate to be a better team than the one that faced off with Amherst last year. The addition of Perez will be a big difference for Plattsburgh and the team has the advantage of 3 games in NCAA play under their belt as opposed to last year when none of the players had ever been in a tournament game before.

This Amherst team is once again making waves in their attempt to go back to back  as National Champions. Last year they dominated most of the teams they came up against in the tournament and although they didn't dominate York in their first game this year, they did end up winning by double figures. They were missing their 2nd leading scorer Connor Green in that game but I expect to see him back in the lineup today. The LJ's should open the game with a lineup of Toomey, Green, Killian, Kalema and George. The main players off the bench will be Gach, (a player from my neck of the woods, Saranac Lake) Mussachia and Levine.

I don't think this year's edition is quite as good as the LJ's were last year. The loss of Willy Workman, Big Pete Kaasila, and Allen Williamson were 3 big holes to fill. Green, Kalema, and George have certainly done an admirable job though, but I think that last year's team was loaded.

The oddsmakers have kept the line on this game steady over the past week with the Lord Jeffs listed as a 5 point favorite. If this game was played in Plattsburgh, the Cardinals would be listed as a slight 1 point favorite, and the LJ's would get the nod on a neutral court by a 3 point margin. All of that tells me that this game is basically a tossup. A 3 pointer here, a couple of missed foul shots there, a key turnover down the stretch, a bad call (and I hope that doesn't happen) can all turn the game around. I know the Lord Jeffs haven't lost in LeFrak all year long and beating them there will take the best the Cards have to offer but I can't pick against my guys even if the spread was 20 points instead of 5. Somehow I think this team can get it done today. I believe if they can come out and stay in this game early and put enough pressure on Amherst to make the LJ's uncomfortable, then the upset that most people don't think will happen, can happen. Plattsburgh wins this one 77-74.   GO CARDS!!                     

[magicman]

It's not looking good for the Cardinals as they trail 49-29 at the half. Amherst shooting 53%... Plattsburgh shooting 33 %. Cardinals getting killed on the boards doesn't help either. 

David George with 12 points and Connor Green with 11 lead the LJ's.  Killian with 9.    Toomey and Kalema with 7 each. Starters all shooting well.

Plattsburgh is led by Eddie Correa with 8 points and Ezra Hodgson with 7.

[magicman]

Amherst defeats Plattsburgh State 87-63. I believe that was the final score as the video feed and live stats cut out with about 35 seconds left in the game.

Plattsburgh narrowed a 20 point halftime deficit down to 13 early in the 2nd half but Amherst hit a pair of 3 points and quickly built it back to 20 points.  They increased the lead to 23 and the Cardinals started pressing and got it down to 16 with about 8 minutes left but once again a 3 point shot by Killian boosted the LJ's lead back to 19. The cardinals could get no closer than 17 after that and both teams brought in the bench players for the final few minutes of the game.

Amherst was the better team and it's easy to see why they just may pull off back to back national Championships.  Congratulations to Amherst on a well played game. 

Tom Killian with 22 points led the way for the LJ's. Aaron Toomey and Connor Green both had 15 points. Toomey had 12 assists and 3 steals, while Green added 7 rebounds. David George came up 1 block short of a triple double as he had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 9 blocks. Amherst fans are gonna love him for the next 3 years, along with Green for the next 2. David Kalema was the 5th starter to score in double figures with 12 points and 6 rebounds.

Plattsburgh was led by John Perez with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Eddie Correra, Shamoy McIntosh and Ezra Hodgson all scored 11 points each. Xavier Thomas had 6 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. Point guard Chris Manning had 8 steals, 3 assists amd 3 rebounds. Mike Mitchell had 5 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds. 

The Lord Jeffs shot 55.4% from the field (31x56), 44.8% from long range (13x29) and 80% from the line (12x15).
The Cardinals had an off night only shooting 34.8% from the field (23x66), 6x21 from beyond the arc (28.6%) and 64.7% from the line(10x17).

Amherst won the battle of the boards 45 to 27 but did have quite a few more turnovers than the Cardinals, 19 to 8.

Plattsburgh ends another successful season with a final record of 24-6. Gettin to the Sweet 16 was a great accomplishment for this group of players and I'm especially happy for seniors John Perez, Shavar Fields, Chris Manning and Anthony Baker. They went out with a great final season...one of the best in Cardinal History. I'm sure they'll remember it for a long time. To be one of the final 16 teams  still standing out of over 400+ schools is an accomplishment that doesn't happen all that often. Good luck to the seniors in their life's endeavors to succeed. To the rest of the players I'll be looking forward to another great year on the hardwood next year. Go Cardinals!

[middhoops]

The Lord Jeffs are scary good.  It's really tough to see anyone beating them.  Too many offensive tools for anyone to handle and Toomey didn't really push his own offense against you guys.  Plattsburgh had a great run this year.  Beat my guys in our barn.  Looking forward to returning the favor next January.
Thanks for the great analysis all season, magic.  Congrats on a terrific year, Cards.

[magicman]

The Lord Jeffs are scary good.  It's really tough to see anyone beating them.  Too many offensive tools for anyone to handle and Toomey didn't really push his own offense against you guys.  Plattsburgh had a great run this year.  Beat my guys in our barn.  Looking forward to returning the favor next January.
Thanks for the great analysis all season, magic.  Congrats on a terrific year, Cards.

Thanks middhoops,

I was happy, as my goals for the team at the beginning of the year was to make the Sweet 16. We accomplished that goal and I knew that beating the LJ's in Amherst was probably not going to happen. But I sure as hell wasn't gonna pick them to win. I did see your PM prior to tip off. I actually have the Lord Jeffs to win it all on my bracket. Well I have two brackets, one in my name where I picked Illinois Wesleyan to beat Amherst in the Championship game. Plus one in my wife's name where I picked Amherst to beat Stevens Point in the final game. Point just lost in OT to Emory. That was an exciting game to watch.