MBB: State University of New York Athletic Conference

[Bengalsrule]

Just a heads up on Cortland ....

RDragons without both C. Joseph and Z. Lydon. Virtal forces. Joseph went down in opening half of home date vs. Pburgh. Lydon exited Friday eve's contest at Bport with an ailment. Joseph's probably season-ending. As for Lydon ??

Newsflash.  Lydon is dressed and warming up for today's game vs BUFFALO STATE!

[magicman]

Feb. 21   Two first round games tonight to determine who will advance to the semifinals    

Geneseo  State  at  Oneonta State        5:30 PM

The 2 regular season games were decided by a total of 5 points. The Red Dragons won both games but had to overcome a 15 point 2nd half deficit to squeak out a 1 point 89-88 win at Geneseo. The only time they had the lead was after Frankie Kelly's bucket with 3 seconds left on the clock. The 2nd game was a back and forth affair with 10 ties and 14 lead changes that was also a 1 point game with under 2 minutes to go. Oneonta's Kevin Mackin hit a 3 pointer with 1:10 on the clock that proved to be the decisive basket as the Red Dragons won 83-79.

Can Geneseo finally get over the hump and come away with the W. The oddsmakers say they can't and have made Oneonta a 4 point home favorite. Oneonta was 7-2 at home in conference play. Geneseo was 4-5 on the road and their 4 wins were against the bottom 4 teams in the YAC. The big 3 of Oneonta, Kelly, McElroy and Coleman have never won a conference playoff game and today is their last chance. I think they get it done at home. Oneonta wins this one in another close game 86-83.     

   
   
Buffalo State  at   Cortland State        5:30 PM

The Red Dragons have already lost one starter for the season, Carrel Joseph, and last week another starter, Zach Lydon, missed the final regular season game with an injury. The question is will the big man play in today's game? With injuries to the ranks of their big men, Cortland could be at a disadvantage in this evening's contest. The teams split the regular season meetings each winning on their home court. The oddsmakers have made Cortland a 4 point home favorite in this game but I think the Bengals could pull off a minor upset in this one. Lots of seniors on this Bengal team who don't want this to be their last game. That and the questionable status of Lydon point toward a Buffalo State win by a final score of 84-80. 
   

[magicman]

Oneonta leads Geneseo by a 42-22 score at the half.

The Red Dragons were on fire from 3 point range, whcih is normally a Geneseo strong point. However it was Oneonta knocking down 8 of 13 from long range (61.5%) while the Knights only had 2 of 13 attempts from behind the arc find the bottom of the net (15.4%).

As usual Oneonta's Big 3 lead the way. Lawrence Coleman and Frankie Kelly with 12 points each and Mikey McElroy with 10 points.

Justin Ringen with 8 and John Decker with 6 lead the Knights. 

[magicman]

Cortland leads Buffalo State 28-25 at the break.

Both teams having trouble putting the ball in the hoop as they combine for 17x57 from the field. Bengals were 9x29 and Cortland was 8x28. Bengals 1x11 ffrom downtown.  Red Dragons were 2x10.


Justin Prendergast leads Cortland with 7 points. Michael Kelly and Justin Cooper with 6 each.

Lovell Smith tops the Bengals with 6 points. Mike Henry and Dom Grayer each have 5 points.

[magicman]

Oneonta defeats Geneseo 89-73 to advance to the semifinals.

[magicman]

Buffalo State defeats Cortland State 61-59 to advance to the semifinals.



Oneonta State will play Brockport State on Friday at 5:30 at Oswego

Buffalo State will play Oswego State on Friday at 7:30 at Oswego

[Bengalsrule]

 Whew.  Mama said that there would be games like this!! My BENGALS had gone 0-6 in their last 6 visits to Cortland. In fact their last victory at Cortland was in 2011. In fact 2011 was also the last time that Buff State beat Cortland in the playoffs !  And after that playoff win, in 2011, we went on to Oswego for the semi finals and then ultimately the last championship title that my BENGALS got! 

I gotta look up the definition of "Deja vu"

Go BENGALS !

[AllStar]

[magicman]

Oneonta State  89  Geneseo State 73

The only time the Knights were close in this game was in the very early going because at the 12:48 mark of the first half the Red Dragons opened up a double digit lead on a Mikey McElroy 3 pointer to make it 15-4. It just got worse from there. A John Decker layup cut the margin to 17-10 but Oneonta scored 10 unanswered points on a Lawrence Coleman triple, 2 layups by Frankie Kelly and another trifecta from McElroy. It was now 27-10 and the Knights took another time out to stem the tide. It didn't slow Oneonta down as they put 15 more points on the board to 12 for the Knights and went into the break with a comfortable 42-22 advantage.

The Knights needed to get something going right after the resumption of play and they slowly cut into the lead and were only down 11 points with 14 minutes left in the half at 51-40. Oneonta would have none of that. however, and outscored the Knights 13-5 over the next 3:14 to go up 64-45 with 10:30 on the clock. The Knights wouldn't quit, though and made several runs at getting back into the game but each time they did someone from Oneonta would step up and put more distance between them. The Knights' last hurrah came with 5 minutes left after 5 straight points by Justin Ringen cut the lead to 11 points once again, at 72-61. A McElroy layup and a 3 pointer from Kevin Mackin put the Red Dragons back up by 16. A Geneseo turnover resulted in a dunk by McElroy and it was time to light the cigar. Frankie Kelly scored off another turnover and it was just a question of how large the final margin would be.

Oneonta got another double-double from Lawrence Coleman who ended up with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Frankie Kelly had 20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.
Mikey McElroy had 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a block.
Kevin Mackin had 11 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 24 minutes off the bench.
Jack Kolosky had 7 points and matched the game high rebound total with 10 boards. He added 3 assists, 2 blocks and a steal.


Justin Ringen had a game high 26 points for the Knights and a team high 8 rebounds. He also had 2 assists and 2 steals.
Jack Eisenberg had 18 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.
John Decker also had double figures with 12 points.

Ringen and Decker may have played their last game for Geneseo (unless they get into the ECAC's) and both players went over the 1000 point mark in a Geneseo uniform in Tuesday's game. That shows what prolific scorers this pair could be as they each accomplished that feat in only 2 years at the school having transferred in as juniors.

Oneonta improves to 16-10 overall and will now take on #2 seed Brockport in the first semifinal game on Friday at 5:30 PM in Laker Hall at Oswego.

Geneseo falls to 14-12.     
     

[magicman]

Buffalo State 61 Cortland State 59

I'd a bet a lot of money that the over/under in this game would be somewhere north of 150 points. If you told me it was 121 I woulda  bet the farm. Funny thing this game of basketball. Sometimes you can't miss from 23 feet and other times you can't make from 3 feet.

There were 18 missed layups in this game. The 3 point shooting was not good for either side as they combined to make 9 of 42 attempts. That's 21.4% if you're counting. Turnovers...you betcha, 34 in all. 18 by the Bengals and 16 by the Red Dragons. Neither team had a big lead, 8 was Buff State's biggest advantage with 14:15 to play in the game, while Cortland was up 6 shortly after the 2nd half started.  There were 6 ties and 3 lead changes, and it looked like the Bengals had control of the game when they equaled their largest lead on back to back Lovell Smith baskets to make it 60-52 with 3:19 to play. Smith scored on a layup with 4:43 to go and Cortland turned it over on their possession. The Bengals' Dom Grayer missed a 3 pointer but Jordan Glover got the offensive rebound. He missed a 3 pointer and Smith got the offensive rebound. Jordan Chateau missed a short jumper and Smith again got the rebound and tip in to make that 8 point margin. He worked hard that trip and finally made it pay off.

The Bengals never make it easy on themselves, though, and proceeded to turn the ball over on 2 of their next 3 trips down, allowing Cortland to score twice and forcing a Bengal timeout  with 1:25 left to play. Cortland, with the ball, coming out of the time out, needed a score to make it a 1 possession game. They missed a layup and the Bengals got the rebound, but they turned it over once more with 55 seconds to go. Cortland returned the favor throwing the ball away and with 45 seconds left the Red Dragons had to foul.  Buffalo State made 1 of 2 to go in front 61-56 but Michael Kelly drained a long bomb for Cortland to make it 61-59. With 34 seconds remaining the Red Dragons fouled and the Bengals went to the line and missed the front end of a 1&1. Now Cortland had the last shot and I think everyone in the house knew it would be a 3 point attempt. It was and it didn't go down and the Bengals won in Cortland for the first time in like forever.

Lovell Smith had a game high 18 points and just missed a double-double with 9 rebounds. He added 3 assists, 2 steals and a block.
Mike Henry did have a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. He had 3 assists and 2 steals.
Jordan Glover had 9 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and a steal.
Jordan Chateau had 5 points and 8 rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench.
Dom Grayer had 8 points 2 rebounds and 2 steals.


Justin Cooper led the Red Dragons with 16 points and also had a team high 8 rebounds. He added 1 assist, a steal and a block.
Justin Prendergast had 13 points and 5 rebounds.
Michael Kelly had 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block.
James Morales had 11 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and a block.

The Bengals improve to 17-8 and will face the top seeded Oswego State Lakers in game 2 of the semifinals on Friday at 7:30 in Max Ziel Gym at Laker Hall.

Cortland completes their season at 17-9. Not sure if they are bidding for an ECAC berth. I heard they weren't.
     

[magicman]

Regarding the ECAC tournament that used to occur after the regular season ended for teams not getting an NCAA bid but having a winning record.

Interest in this tournament, which had been an annual fixture for quite some time, had died down so much in recent years (due to time and expenses I suspect) that last year there wasn't one. At least in our region.

This year I'm told that the ECAC wants to get 4 teams from 4 regions (16 total teams for you guys that have math problems) and after you play the first round games at the home of the higher seed (or team with the better record or team that wants to host, cause some teams don't) the remaining 8 teams will travel to a single location to compete in an overall championship. I'm also told the ECAC will pay for that trip. Sounds interesting and a way your team can end the year on a positive note. Great if you have a lot of seniors and want to give them a decent send off. Also great if you've got a young team and can give them a chance to build on something for next year.       

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Regarding the ECAC tournament that used to occur after the regular season ended for teams not getting an NCAA bid but having a winning record.

Interest in this tournament, which had been an annual fixture for quite some time, had died down so much in recent years (due to time and expenses I suspect) that last year there wasn't one. At least in our region.

This year I'm told that the ECAC wants to get 4 teams from 4 regions (16 total teams for you guys that have math problems) and after you play the first round games at the home of the higher seed (or team with the better record or team that wants to host, cause some teams don't) the remaining 8 teams will travel to a single location to compete in an overall championship. I'm also told the ECAC will pay for that trip. Sounds interesting and a way your team can end the year on a positive note. Great if you have a lot of seniors and want to give them a decent send off. Also great if you've got a young team and can give them a chance to build on something for next year.     

So, the ECAC is happening in a two location, four round deal.  From what I know, they're going to take four teams from each region.  That'll be a little difficult, though, since only two teams from NE even applied (and one of them is likely to win the NAC) - http://www.ecacsports.com/documents/2017/2/17//2017_Men_s_Basketball_Declared_Teams5.pdf.  "Expenses" include a $4,000 stipend for the team that hosts the final eight teams, plus round trip bus costs for those eight teams - no remuneration for the first round.

Given that $4,000 won't cover the cost of hosting, I'm guessing few teams have applied to host that final weekend - I know at least one school very capable of doing it that explicitly didn't because of cost.

I think in one sense, it's a more exciting tournament than what they've done before, but I don't think there are enough teams willing to participate to make it really worth it.  Remember, teams have to be at least .500 against d3 competition to get in.  The women have the same format and even fewer teams that signed on - http://www.ecacsports.com/documents/2017/2/17//2017_Women_s_Basketball_Declared_Teams.pdf

[Bengalsrule]

Buffalo State 61 Cortland State 59

I'd a bet a lot of money that the over/under in this game would be somewhere north of 150 points. If you told me it was 121 I woulda  bet the farm. Funny thing this game of basketball. Sometimes you can't miss from 23 feet and other times you can't make from 3 feet.

There were 18 missed layups in this game. The 3 point shooting was not good for either side as they combined to make 9 of 42 attempts. That's 21.4% if you're counting. Turnovers...you betcha, 34 in all. 18 by the Bengals and 16 by the Red Dragons. Neither team had a big lead, 8 was Buff State's biggest advantage with 14:15 to play in the game, while Cortland was up 6 shortly after the 2nd half started.  There were 6 ties and 3 lead changes, and it looked like the Bengals had control of the game when they equaled their largest lead on back to back Lovell Smith baskets to make it 60-52 with 3:19 to play. Smith scored on a layup with 4:43 to go and Cortland turned it over on their possession. The Bengals' Dom Grayer missed a 3 pointer but Jordan Glover got the offensive rebound. He missed a 3 pointer and Smith got the offensive rebound. Jordan Chateau missed a short jumper and Smith again got the rebound and tip in to make that 8 point margin. He worked hard that trip and finally made it pay off.

The Bengals never make it easy on themselves, though, and proceeded to turn the ball over on 2 of their next 3 trips down, allowing Cortland to score twice and forcing a Bengal timeout  with 1:25 left to play. Cortland, with the ball, coming out of the time out, needed a score to make it a 1 possession game. They missed a layup and the Bengals got the rebound, but they turned it over once more with 55 seconds to go. Cortland returned the favor throwing the ball away and with 45 seconds left the Red Dragons had to foul.  Buffalo State made 1 of 2 to go in front 61-56 but Michael Kelly drained a long bomb for Cortland to make it 61-59. With 34 seconds remaining the Red Dragons fouled and the Bengals went to the line and missed the front end of a 1&1. Now Cortland had the last shot and I think everyone in the house knew it would be a 3 point attempt. It was and it didn't go down and the Bengals won in Cortland for the first time in like forever.

Lovell Smith had a game high 18 points and just missed a double-double with 9 rebounds. He added 3 assists, 2 steals and a block.
Mike Henry did have a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. He had 3 assists and 2 steals.
Jordan Glover had 9 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and a steal.
Jordan Chateau had 5 points and 8 rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench.
Dom Grayer had 8 points 2 rebounds and 2 steals.


Justin Cooper led the Red Dragons with 16 points and also had a team high 8 rebounds. He added 1 assist, a steal and a block.
Justin Prendergast had 13 points and 5 rebounds.
Michael Kelly had 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block.
James Morales had 11 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and a block.

The Bengals improve to 17-8 and will face the top seeded Oswego State Lakers in game 2 of the semifinals on Friday at 7:30 in Max Ziel Gym at Laker Hall.

Cortland completes their season at 17-9. Not sure if they are bidding for an ECAC berth. I heard they weren't.
   

Magicman....For what its worth, at least 3 of the BENGALS coaches were aware of your fortuitous prediction for Buffalo State yesterday! 

[AllStar]

That ECAC stuff is interesting!  Thank you for sharing.  Only two teams declared from New England?  Yikes!

[pg04]

Well, Brockport will avoid the team that was kryptonite to them this year, but the other Red Dragons should be a tough test again.