MBB: State University of New York Athletic Conference

[magicman]

Jan. 24   Four games on tap for today in a big weekend of SUNYAC games.   

Cortland State  at  Plattsburgh State        7:30 PM

The Red Dragons bring the top rebounder in the nation, Austin Grunder, into Memorial Hall tonight and I have a feeling he'll continue to grab his average of 16.7 rpg and 22.9 ppg. They lost 2 games last week to Oswego and Oneonta to fall 2 games out of first place and won't want to drop any further behind, especially with another big game looming tomorrow against first place Potsdam.

Stopping Grunder will be hard so Plattsburgh will have to try and limit the other Cortland options and protect the three point line above all. The Red Dragons will hoist more from long distance, than they will from inside the arc and they have the shooters to do it. They make it hard to cover them all, as six players have made 16 or more three pointers. They have already made 173 triples this season and with a 40% success rate. By comparison, Plattsburgh has made only 102 three pointers. Oswego another team that loves the three point shot has 119.   

The Cardinals split last weekend and missed a golden opportunity to take over sole possession of the 6th playoff spot when they lost to Fredonia on Saturday. Now they have to work extremely hard, as Oswego follows the Red Dragons into town tomorrow. I've got no illusions about this weekend as the Cardinals are up against the proverbial wall. I will be extremely happy if we could somehow gain a split of these two games. The Cardinals need to get big games out of Travis Cox,Nick DeAngelis and Axel Rodriguez if they have any hope of pulling off upsets this weekend. Those 3 players combine for 57% of Plattsburgh's scoring and when they aren't getting their averages the drop off in scoring is noticeable. Other players aren't picking them up enough to make a difference.   

The teams have met 15 times in the last 7 years and the Cardinals have a 9-6 record in the series, during that time. Plattsburgh has won 3 of the last 4 and last year both games were decided by a total of just 6 points. The oddsmakers have made the Red Dragons a 12 point favorite in this one. I hope the Cardinals can cover the point spread. I think that Cortland wins this one by an 87-76 final score. Sure hope I'm wrong.         


Buffalo State  at  New Paltz State        7:30 PM

The Bengals haven't won in a while and are on a 5 game skid. Unfortunately all five games are conference losses and after today's game they will face 4 of the top 5 teams in the YAC, in succession. They have to have a win here.

The same can be said of the Hawks. Winless in the conference and with the top teams headed their way for a 2nd meeting they have to get some wins from the also rans. So far they are 0-2 against teams in the bottom half of the standings. They have 6 games left with those teams and have to make the most of those chances. They also need to  pull off a few upsets of some contenders along the way, if they have any hopes of making the playoffs.

The Bengals are 9-5 over the last 7 years against New Paltz, but the Hawks have won 3 of the last 4, including both games last season. The point spread has New Paltz favored in this game by a slight margin of 2 points, perhaps because of their inspired effort against Brockport in the first half last Saturday. They will need to play well for both halves tonight. I think the Bengals win in a close game by an 81-77 final score.   



Fredonia State  at  Oneonta State        7:30 PM

Oneonta came back down to earth after Brockport snapped their 7 game winning streak last Friday night. After they dusted themselves off, the Red Dragons have come right back to tie for the lead in the YAC once again, by starting another streak with wins over Geneseo and Oswego. It's conceivable that after tomorrow, Oneonta could once again be in first place all by themselves. Of the teams tied at the top, they have an easier schedule than Potsdam, while Brockport only has 1 game this weekend and even with a win could still be a half game behind the Red Dragons.

Fredonia has won 3 of the last 4 games and is now all alone in 6th place and hopes to keep control of the final playoff spot. They will be pressured by Geneseo, Plattsburgh and possibly Buff State to do so. A game tomorrow against New Paltz will be huge for the Blue Devils. Oneonta looks to be a step up and Fredonia will need to play their very best, and then some, if they hope to pull off the upset in this matchup.

The Red Dragons are 12-2 in the last 7 years against Fredonia but the Blue Devils did pull off an upset 2 years ago in Fredonia. The experts don't think that will happen tonight and have made Oneonta a solid 19 point favorite in this one. I don't think that's enough. Last year the Red Dragons won by 43 points in Fredonia and 26 points at home. I think they win tonight's game by an 89-72 final score.       



Oswego State  at  Potsdam State         7:30 PM  Featured Game of the Night

Like Oneonta, the Bears are hoping to be in sole possession of first place after this weekend. They will have a much harder route to get there and even if they take care of business on their end, could still find themselves locked into a battle with the Red Dragons who currently own the tiebreaker over them. The Bears have quietly put together a nice 5 game winning streak, all conference wins, and now face two of the top teams for the first time.

The Bears have missed one of their new weapons who has been out since mid November and may not play again this season. Which is too bad because he was off to a great start. Coach Jim Bechtel uses the old Alfred E Neuman mantra... "What me worry?" Not a chance...he just went out and got another 6'6" athletic player who has stepped right into the spotlight. Isaiah Brown, the reigning SUNYAC Player of the Week is averaging 23 ppg and 9 rebounds per game, after signing on in early January. He was added to a roster that featured returning double digit scorers Jayquan Thomas and Danny Delsol-Lowrey. Coach Bechtel also brought in another exceptional player, 6'6" freshman big man, Tyrese Baptiste. Those three players, plus Brown account for 68 points per game and 27 rebounds per game. The Bears have 4 other players averaging double digit minutes per game. They will be a force to reckon with all season long as Brockport found out two weeks ago when Brown made his Potsdam debut and put 26 points and 7 rebounds up on the scoreboard enroute to an 86-70 win over the Golden Eagles. This weekend we'll see how real the Bears really are with back to back contenders coming to town.

Of interest is the fact that Potsdam lost to Oneonta 62-60, in Oneonta, back on December 7th on a last second shot. Potsdam didn't have their two top scorers in that game or their new addition Isaiah Brown. It's the only blemish on the Bears' conference record to date. I'm sure the rematch in Potsdam, on February 21st, is circled on Potsdam's calendar.

Oswego has suffered 2 tough losses in the YAC to Brockport and Oneonta. The loss to Brockport was by a single point in the final seconds when the Golden Eagles went to the line with 8 seconds to play and made 1 of 2. Oswego couldn't get the game winner on their final shot as Justin Summers got a block on the play and the game ended. Oneonta broke open a tight game on Tuesday night with 9:30 left to play. Up 50-48 The Red Dragons' Dylan Trombley hit 3 shots from downtown to power Oneonta to a 17-6 run that gave them the 76-66 win. It was the latest installment of a rivalry that has the Lakers leading 5-4 since Coach Conover took over the reins of the Oneonta program at the start of the 2016-17 season.

It was always tough to come North and sweep the weekend. it didn't happen too often. In the past it was Plattsburgh that was the main reason for that. This year it's the Bears that will keep opposing coaches working late. Coach Leone will have his troops ready for this battle, he always does when he comes North. The Lakers are 12-2 over the last 7 years against Potsdam but Coach Bechtel got his first win against the Lakers in his 2nd year as the Bears' coach. He broke a Potsdam losing streak to Oswego in 2018 and now will be looking for more. Tonight he may get it.

The oddsmakers have made Potsdam a slight 3 point favorite in this game and I'm going to have to agree with that assessment. I think the Bears may win by a few more. I've seen both teams play a number of times, but Potsdam has put a number of different lineups on the floor so it's hard to get an accurate picture. I know one thing though...this latest combination has been darn good and they've ripped off 5 straight double digit wins. Potsdam 80 Oswego 75.         

[magicman]

I've been off the grid for a while.

Right Now it looks like My Oneonta Red Dragons will be Playing the Magicman's Potsdam Bears for the SUNYAC Championship.

I know there is still plenty of basketball to go, but this is wishful thinking on my part.

Would love to sit right next to my man at the Championship game.

Lets GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

You never know...we may just be able to do that! 

[scooterman]

Thanks for all the pertinent information regarding the playoff system. I am looking forward to today's Bport- Geneseo matchup. I see that Geneseo has been down a little from year's past, but I certainly hope my Eagles aren't looking past them. They have that patient style that has always given them problems and keeps the game close. Hopefully, we come to play and pick up another win. Go Eagles!!!

[magicman]

Friday's final scores:

Oneonta State 81  Fredonia State 40

New Paltz State 83  Buffalo State 64

Potsdam State 77    Oswego State 67

Plattsburgh State 76  Cortland State 72

[magicman]

Jan. 25     Full slate of games today in the SUNYAC

Not a lot of time today so just some quick picks


Brockport State  at  Geneseo State        4:00 PM

Brockport favored by 13 points in this one but may not have their big gun. Justin Summers was absent in the last game and I'm not sure if he's back. Port's a deep team and can win without him. Brockport 80 Geneseo 64.
   
Oswego State  at  Plattsburgh State   4:00 PM

Lakers coming off a loss and won't want to go home with an 0-2 weekend. Plattsburgh coming off a much needed win with the upset over Cortland. Can they pull off another one? My heart says yes, but I know the odds are against it. The experts have Oswego listed as a 12 point favorite. The Cardinals were dogs yesterday by that same spread. I hope lightning strikes twice but the Lakers love to play in Memorial Hall, having won there 4 times in recent years. I think Oswego wins this one 79-69, but I hope I'm wrong. (It worked yesterday so I'll try it again )   


Buffalo State  at  Oneonta State        4:00 PM

I thought the Bengals would go 1-1 on the weekend but the 1 in the win column was supposed to be yesterday's game. Oneonta will be a much tougher challenge. The oddsdmakers have the Red Dragons listed as a 17 point favorite. Hard to argue with that. It could be worse and I think it will be. Oneonta 102 Buffalo State 75.


Cortland State  at  Potsdam State            4:00 PM Featured Game of the Day

These Red Dragons need a win to stay in touch with the YAC leaders, one of which is Potsdam. Losing to Plattsburgh last night wasn't in the plans. Neither was going back home 0-2 on the weekend. The Bears better bring their A game because the Dragons will be breathing fire. Plattsburgh held Cortland below their averages in several key areas. These things tend to equal out so the Bears could be on the wrong side of that. Still I like the Bears in this game, as they are on a 6 game winning streak, all in the conference, and all by double digits. Potsdam listed as a slim 3 point favorite here but I think they win by a few more. Potsdam 85 Cortland 75.


Fredonia State  at  New Paltz State        4:00 PM

New Paltz got the monkey off their back with their first conference win last night. Now they are looking to start a streak. They may be in the right spot at the right time. The Blue Devils came crashing back to earth last night as Oneonta put a whooping on them 81-40. Still Fredonia can move back into playoff position with a win today and tie Plattsburgh for the 6th and final spot. They currently hold the tiebreaker over the Cardinals as well. The point spread for this game favors the home team Hawks by 4 points. I think the Hawks will win this one as well,....by a final score of 76-67.

[thebear]

Potsdam completes a weekend sweep by handling both Oswego and Cortland at Jerry Welsh Gymnasium.  Soph Isaiah Brown had 59 points in the two games to go with 22 rebounds, as he led the Bears to two convincing wins; defeating the Lakers on Friday 77-67, and handling the C-Dragons on Saturday afternoon 83-73.

Bears finish the first half of the SUNYAC season at 8-1, tied for the lead with Brockport and Oneonta. 

Bears hold a convincing 86-70 home win over Brockport and lost at Oneonta to the O-Dragons 60-62 on a Ian Schultz jumper with :04 left. 

Bears played that December game in Oneonta without their two leading scorers, Isaiah Brown [25ppg 10 rpg] who joined the team in January, and Jayquan Thomas, [18 ppg 38 assts] who are both playing well these days.

Two Bears recorded milestones this past weekend as the senior backcourt duo of Danny DelSol-Lowry and Jayquan Thomas, both joined the 1,000 point club; Lowry on Friday and Thomas on Saturday.

Second Half of the season starts out with the Bears traveling to the Rochester area to take on Brockport next Friday and Geneseo on Saturday.  Brockport game could have a lot to say about who finishes atop the SUNYAC standings.

The weekend of Valentines day, the Bears have another tough road trip as they travel the I-81 corridor to face Cortland on Friday and Oswego on Saturday.

The weekend of February 21st hosts the final regular season home games for the graduatiing seniors, and a marquee matchup on Friday 2/21 sees the O-Dragons visiting Jerry Welsh Gymnasium. That is basketball alumni weekend at Potsdam.

Nice to see the Bears back in the hunt.  Second semester starts tomorrow so students will be back on campus and hopefully will turnout in force for the four remaining regular season home games.

[magicman]

Jan. 28            Just two games on the schedule for today

Geneseo State  at  Fredonia State        7:30 PM

This is a big game for these two teams and could be a deciding factor in who gets the final playoff berth. Both teams have wins over Plattsburgh and New Platz, but the Blue Devils have a leg up with a win the first time these two met, back on January 14th. Geneseo needs to win tonight to even the tiebreaker or Fredonia, with a season sweep, will effectively add an extra game to their lead over the Knights.

Fredonia has won 4 of their last 6 games and is coming off their best stretch of basketball in 3 years. January of 2017 was the last time the Blue Devils won 4 of 6 games.

Geneseo has dropped 2 in a row to teams in the top spots and now has 3 games coming up against Fredonia, Plattsburgh and Buffalo State that are ones they'd like to win, to stay in the playoff race. They have lost 2 of the last 3 against the Blue Devils, one of them in double overtime and two weeks ago by a 64-62 score.

The experts see another close game and have made Fredonia a slim 2 point favorite on their home court. I'm not sure that the home court will matter here. I'll take Geneseo to win and split the season series. Final score... Geneseo 67  Fredonia 63
   

Brockport State  at  Buffalo State        7:30 PM

Brockport looking to move into a 3 way tie for first in the SUNYAC as they are currently 7-1. a half game behind Potsdam and Oneonta who sport 8-1 records. Buffalo State is searching for answers and with Port, Oswego and Cortland on the horizon I don't think they will find them for a while.

Last Saturday the Bengals fought back from an 18 point deficit, midway through the 2nd half against Oneonta, to tie the game at 70-70 with 3:30 to go. The Red Dragons got a go ahead bucket and the Bengals missed on their end. Oneonta hit 4 free throws down the stretch and Buffalo State missed all 4 shots they took. Oneonta won 76-70 and it was the 7th loss in a row for the Bengals, a team that started the season 3-2.

Brockport is streaking again with 5 straight conference wins and may have to deal with the loss of their best player as Justin Summers has missed the last 2 games, after leaving the Oneonta game with only 12 minutes of playing time. A huge loss for Brockport if he can't return anytime soon. I'm hoping that isn't the case but heard it might be so. The Golden Eagles are talented and deep so if any team can lose a player like Justin and still win in this conference, it's Brockport.

The oddsmakers have made Brockport a 15 point favorite in this one and of course they don't know that the Golden Eagles are missing their star. Brockport hasn't really missed a beat as they have won their last 3 games by double digits without him. The Golden Eagles also love to play in the Sports Arena as they have won in Buffalo for the last 8 years.  Make that 9 years...Brockport 87 Buffalo State 70.         

[magicman]

Geneseo leads Fredonia 31-22 at the break.

Michael Gannon leads Geneseo with 8 points. Alex Merhige has 7.

Tyler Roberts has 5 points to lead Fredonia.

[magicman]

Brockport leads Buffalo State 47-28 at the half.

Jahidi Wallace leads Brockport with 10 points. Tyree Grimsley has 9 points and Devante Hagins has 8 points and 4 rebounds.

Argjend Imeri has 7 points for the Bengals. Jordan Christopher with 6 points and 9 boards.

[magicman]

Geneseo State 58  Fredonia State 48    Final Score.

[magicman]

Brockport State 91  Buffalo State 68        Final Score

[magicman]

Potsdam State's Isaiah Brown has been selected as the SUNYAC Player of the Week for the period of January 20th through the 26th. It is the 2nd straight week he's received that honor.

Since he joined the Bears on January 10th, Potsdam has went undefeated and reeled off 7 conference wins in a row, all by double digits. There's no question he's been a big reason why. Averaging nearly a double-double with 24.9 ppg and 9.6 rpg he has never scored less than 21 points in his 7 games in a Bears' uniform. He also averages 2.2 steals per game and 1.8 blocks per game. Here's the write up from the SUNYAC website:

"Posted: Jan 27, 2020 
CORTLAND, N.Y. - The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) has named Potsdam's Isaiah Brown (Queens, N.Y.) the PrestoSports Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week.

Brown averaged 29.5 points in a home sweep of SUNYAC powers Oswego and Cortland. He shot 47% from the floor going 6 for 12 from 3-point range and added a 17 for 21 performance from the free throw line. Brown grabbed 22 rebounds in the two games. On Friday night vs. 11-3 Oswego he scored 24 points, and on Saturday afternoon vs. 10-5 Cortland he scored a career high 35 points as the Bears swept two games to remain atop the SUNYAC standings with an 8-1 conference record at the halfway point of the season. Brown added 4 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocked shots in the two games. Since joining the Potsdam team in January, Brown has scored 20 or more points in all 7 games he has played."

Once again congratulations to Isaiah on a great week. Go Bears!

[magicman]

Jan. 31   Four games on the schedule for tonight.
   

Cortland State  at  Fredonia State      5:30 PM

The C Dragons were vying for the conference lead 2 weeks ago. Now they're fighting to just make the playoffs. Fredonia can match Cortland with 5 wins with a victory tonight.
Oddsmakers have Cortland listed as a 12 point favorite in this one. Cortland won by 30 points, the last time they met on January 11th. This one will be closer...Cortland 80 Fredonia 65.   



Plattsburgh State  at  Geneseo State  7:30 PM

The Cardinals need this game if they want to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot. If Geneseo wins they will hold the tiebreaker over Plattsburgh by virtue of their season sweep. So, in a sense, this is an early playoff game for the Cardinals. The question is will they be healthy and have their missing starters back for this one. Geneseo got a big win on Tuesday to keep Fredonia from sweeping the Knights. A win tonight could give the Knights a leg up for that final playoff spot. The experts have made Geneseo a 5 point favorite in this one. I'm taking the Cardinals (no surprise there) to pull off the mild upset and win by a final score of 66-63.     



Potsdam State  at  Brockport State      7:30 PM  Featured Game of the Night

This game may determine the #1 seed in the playoffs, although Oneonta still has plenty to say about that. Potsdam already owns a win over the Golden Eagles, a season sweep would give them a nice advantage. If the Bears win they would basically have a two game lead over Port.

The Bears are on a 7 game winning streak....all of them conference games and all by double digits. The last time Potsdam won 7 games in a row was 2005, and they went to the Elite 8 that year. This year they would just like to get back to the Dance.

Brockport's won 6 in a row,  also all by double figures and they haven't missed a beat, even with their top scorer missing. Their ppg has actually went up slightly since they lost him and they continue to use a 9 and 10 man rotation. The last time the Golden Eagles lost was to Potsdam back on January 10th. They had no excuses that night, they just got outplayed. The Bears may be in for a big dose of payback tonight.

The point spread favors the Golden Eagles by a 5 point margin. It's hard to sweep a good team like Brockport but I think the Bears might be able to do that with a win tonight. The Bears' big new acquisition, Isaiah Brown, played his first game with Potsdam when the Bears met Brockport in the earlier game. He's now had an additional half dozen games to mesh and get more familiar with his teammates. And Brockport is missing their top scorer, who played and had 19 points in that first game. Potsdam won the first game by 16 points....this one will be closer but I still see Potsdam winning...by an 83-79 final score.         


Oswego State  at  Buffalo State      7:30 PM

The Lakers still have hopes of getting the top seed. Currently in 4th place, they get to play 2 of the teams ahead of them at home, the second time around. After this weekend they finish with 4 of their final 5 games in Laker Hall.

The Bengals hope to gain some confidence by knocking off one of the upper tier teams this weekend. Now at the bottom of the standings, it's an unfamiliar place for Buffalo State and one they would like to vacate. With Cortland up next, this weekend won't give them much of an opportunity.

The experts have listed the Lakers as 13 point favorites. They won the previous matchup by 20 in Oswego so that seems to be a fair assessment. I think that Oswego will win this one by an 85-70 final score.

[magicman]

I see the D3hoops scoreboard is now showing the Buffalo State-Oswego State game as a 5:30 start instead of a 7:30 start.

Buff State's website is also showing it as 5:30 PM.

D3hoops showing Oswego-Fredonia as 4 PM start on Saturday but Oswego and Fredonia websites both showing that one at 2:00 PM.

Buffalo State-Cortland at 2:00 PM as well on Saturday.   

[magicman]

Oswego leads Buffalo State 42-28 at the half.

Joe Sullivan with 11 points and 4 rebounds to lead Oswego. Jamal Achille has 10 points and 2 boards.


Buffalo State gets 8 points and 2 assists from Sheldon Adams. Aaron Davis has 6 points and 5 reounds.