MBB: State University of New York Athletic Conference

[magicman]

Oneonta State defeats Fredonia State 70-62.

[AllStar]

My long North Country Nightmare is over...Plattsburgh State defeats Geneseo  76-72.

The teams didn't hit my projected scores of 91-87  but my margin of victory was right on the money.

magicman, happy to see your Cardinals snap their losing streak.  I was very surprised to see them struggling like they were.  Maybe they can make a run down the stretch here.

[magicman]

My long North Country Nightmare is over...Plattsburgh State defeats Geneseo  76-72.

The teams didn't hit my projected scores of 91-87  but my margin of victory was right on the money.

magicman, happy to see your Cardinals snap their losing streak.  I was very surprised to see them struggling like they were.  Maybe they can make a run down the stretch here.

Thanks AllStar, I think we needed to beat Brockport on Friday to have a real shot at making the playoffs. We need to go 6-2 in our final 8 conference games for a chance to make the SUNYAC playoffs as the 6th and final seed. That would give us a 9-9 conference record and even that is no guarantee that we'll come in 6th. It may take a 10-8 record or we could lose a tiebreaker at 9-9.  At any rate making the playoffs is going to be hard to do with our final 5 conference games all on the road. We're not done..yet...but the odds are not in our favor. I've got my fingers crossed and lots of hope.

[All-Time]

3 Games on Tap tonight in the SUNYAC

The Featured Game is Buffalo State against Geneseo. I think the Bengals are starting to play like the team we all projected them to be. I have Buffalo State beating Geneseo by double digits.

Brockport all over Fredonia. Is Ian Helps playing? He didn't play against Oneonta on Saturday. That will make a little difference in the score, but Brockport by double digits as well.

Plattsburgh seems to have their Swagger Back. As I predicted Jon Patron was let out of the Dog House on Saturday and had a big game against Geneseo. Look for more of the same tonight as the Magicman's Cardinals are drinking his Cool Aid in a run away.

Enjoy the Games

[magicman]

Jan. 24    Six teams playing tonight in three conference games.   

Buffalo State  at  Geneseo State        5:30 PM   Featured Game of the Day

These two teams played at an NBA pace the last time they met just 11 days ago in the Queen City. If Geneseo wins they move into 4th place all by themselves with a 7-4 record. If the Bengals win they move up a notch into 5th place all by themselves. The loser will be in 6th place.

The Bengals are coming off a weekend sweep and have won 5 of their last 7 SUNYAC games after starting out 1-3. The Knights are 3-3 in their last 6 conference games after a 3-1 YAC start. It would appear that the Bengals have the momentum going into this game and the oddsmakers have made them a slim 1 point favorite over the Knights. I don't think Geneseo wants to lose a second straight game at home. I can see them trying to slow the Bengals down by working the clock deeper into their possessions. A Bengal win here will be their 3rd straight in the series. The teams split last year each winning on the other's home court. I think they split again this year and the Knights take this one by a 88-84 final score.

   
Fredonia State  at  Brockport State        5:30 PM

Brockport is looking to move into sole possession of first place by a half game over Oswego with a win tonight. The Blue Devils need a win to keep pace for a playoff position. The question is will they have to do it without their top player Ian Helps who didn't play in the last game against Oneonta State.

The Golden Eagles have reeled off 5 conference wins in a row and once again look to be the team we thought they were. They need to focus on tonight's game, however, and not look ahead to the big showdown on Friday at Oswego State, that will give the winner of that game a leg up for the top seed in the YAC tournament. It was slightly more than a year ago when the Golden Eagles had this same Fredonia-Oswego back to backer, that the Blue Devils pulled off a shocker and beat Brockport in overtime.

The point spread favors the Eagles here by a 12 point margin and I'm not sure why it's not more. Port won at Fredonia by 29 points I think they win this one by at least 20...maybe more if Helps doesn't help. Brockport 92 Fredonia 67. 

   
Potsdam State  at  Plattsburgh State        5:30 PM

The Battle of the North Country Round One. The Cardinals finally ended what must have seemed like a bad dream. Losing 8 games in a row after starting 6-1 wasn't something too many people saw coming. Especially this follower of Cardinal hoops. But it is what it is and now all the team can do is play like there is no tomorrow,  because...well...there ain't. The reality of making the SUNYAC playoffs is slowly slipping away and to catch Buffalo State or Geneseo or Cortland or whoever holds down the 6th and final playoff spot as the season winds down will be extremely difficult. To finish with 5 straight conference games on the road will only make it that much harder. The Cardinals got a reprieve when they managed to come away with a win at Geneseo over the weekend. Now they need to win a game they are supposed to win.

The Bears always play the Cards tough and I expect they will give a good effort tonight as well. Still seeking a win in conference play has to be disappointing for the team and a win over their rivals will go a long way in helping the morale of the players.

The oddsmakers have made the Cardinals a 16 point favorite in tonight's game. I think they win by a few more. Plattsburgh 86 Potsdam 66. 
 

[magicman]

Geneseo State 92  Buffalo State 87

I had the Knights winning by an 88-84 final score. Each team put up a few more than my estimate but my MOV was only a point off.

John Decker did to the Bengals (41 points) what Mike Henry did to the Knights 11 days ago (42 points). The Knights broke on top in this game and held the upper hand throughout most of the first half. Decker got 21 of his points in this period to carry the Knights. The Bengals trailed by as many as 11 points with 6:50 to go, but Nico McLean and Dom Grayer brought them back from that 34-23 deficit as the pair scored the next 17 points for Buffalo State, 9 by Grayer and 8 by McLean. Each player had two long bombs as Grayer hit his two and McLean followed with his pair. Jordan Glover then got into the act with a threeball and the score was now 43-40 and the Bengals were in front. Decker made a pair of free throws but McLean had one more from long distance before the half ended and the Bengals who trailed for most of the period, went into the break up 46-42.

Buffalo State maintained a slight lead through the first few minutes until a Decker 3 pointer tied the score at 48. 3 ties and 4 lead changes would follow until Decker buried another trey and put the Knights up by a 60-59 score. Geneseo had scored 18 points in the 2nd half to that point. An opening 3ball from Kevin Crockett and then 8 points from Decker and 7 points from Justin Ringen. There was 13:14 left in the game and the Bengals were about to get a steady diet of the R&D show with a side of Crockett thrown in for good measure. The Knights were going to score 32 more points in the rest of the game and all but 4 of them would come from this triumvirate. 7 from Crockett, 9 from Ringen and 12 from Decker.

The Bengals, now down 60-59 failed to score on their next 7 possessions allowing the Knights to reel off 9 more points to give them a double digit lead at 69-59. Mike Henry finally ended the drought with a layup but Decker promptly hit another triple and Ringen hit a free throw and the lead was back to 12 points. Still down 9 points with 3 minutes to play the Bengals made a last ditch charge that brought them within 3 points at 90-87 with 8 ticks on the clock. They had to foul and Jack Eisenberg put the game away by making both free throws to get the final of 92-87.

The Knights
John Decker with another big game captured scoring honors with 41 points. He was 7x13 from long distance and 16x16 from the line. He completed his double-double with 12 rebounds which also was the high total for the game.

Justin Ringen just missed a double-double as he had 23 points and 9 rebounds. He added 4 assists and a steal.

Kevin Crockett had 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist.

Jack Manke had 6 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Jack Eisenberg had 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 points.


The Bengals
Nico McLean led the Bengals with 24 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and a block.

Dom Grayer had 20 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block off the bench.

Mike Henry had 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist.

Lovell Smith has 12 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal and a block.

Jordan Glover had 10 points, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 rebound.

Shooting stats were similar for both teams from the field but the Knights had 10 three pointers to just 3 for the Bengals. That was the big difference in the game. Geneseo owned the boards with a 42-28 margin but the Bengals caused 18 turnovers while only committing 12.

Geneseo, 12-6 overall, moves into sole possession of 4th place with a 7-4 SUNYAC record, a half game ahead of Cortland. They will travel to face those Red Dragons this weekend for the first time on Friday night at 5:30 PM. Then they will tackle Oswego State on Saturday at 2:00 PM. Needless to say it's a big weekend for the Knights with those two teams on the horizon.

Buffalo State drops to 12-6 overall and 6-6 in the YAC. They are in sole possession of 6th place and are off until Saturday when they travel down to Fredonia to take on their travel partner at 4:00 PM.         

[magicman]

Brockport State 97  Fredonia State 61

I had the Golden Eagles winning by a 92-67 final despite the oddsmakers favoring Brockport by a meager 12 points. I also said if Ian Helps didn't play the margin would be larger. I was courtside at the Plattsburgh game but the person with me had his tablet tuned into the Brockport game. We looked for Helps in the game but he wasn't on the court. I spotted him at halftime in street clothes talking and watching the players warm up. Without him the margin was larger and Brockport's coach substituted freely throughout the game.

Brockport was up 27-10 with 9 minutes to go in the first half. The Blue Devils got a little momentum and cut the lead to 8 points at 31-23 but 4 points from Devonn Gavin and a pair of 3 pointers from Hamed Shamseldin pushed the lead back to 16. Malick Sylla got into the act and buried a three to make it 44-25 with 1:44 left in the half. The Blue Devils got a pair of free throws from Dante Williams to go into the break down 44-27.

The teams traded baskets for the first 2 minutes of the 2nd period and Fredonia scored with 18:35 to cut the lead to 49-33. That was as close as they would get the rest of the way. Brockport exploded with a blistering run of 22 straight points to jump in front 71-33. It was 6 minutes of... whose turn is it... by the Brockport players. First Marcus Blythers scored 3 straight baskets, a tip in and 2 layups. Then Hamed Shamseldin scored 6 straight points on a layup, a steal that led to 2 free throws and then another layup. Then Devonn Gavin trumped them both by scoring the next 8 points on a triple, 2 free throws and another one from long distance. Justin Summers scored the final bucket of the run before Fredonia finally put points on the board after their long scoring drought. The closest the Blue Devils got the rest of the way was 30 points.

The Golden Eagles
Malick Sylla came off the bench and was the game's high scorer with 25 points. He was 7x11 from long distance

Hamed Shamseldin had 21 points, 6 steals, 5 assists,and 3 rebounds.

Devonn Gavin had 17 points, 3 assists 1 steal and 1 rebound in 16 minutes off the bench.

Marcus Blythers had 10 points, 3 steals, 2 rebounds and a block.

Matthew Smith had 6 assists, 4 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal.

David Clark had a team high 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 points, 1 assist and a steal in 17 minutes off the bench


The Blue Devils
Justin Tapper led the team with 9 points, a game high 6 rebounds, 1 assist and a steal.

Tommie Banks also had 6 rebounds and 7 points in 21 minutes off the bench.

Nicc Johnson had 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal in 19 minutes off the bench.

Christian Marinez and Dante Williams both had 8 points.

Brockport won every statistical category on the sheet with the two that stand out...hitting 12 three pointers to 4 by the Blue Devils and getting 42 points off 25 Fredonia turnovers.

Brockport inproves to 15-3 overall and 10-1 in the SUNYAC. They temporarily have sole possession of first place and will travel to Oswego on Friday evening to gain a deeper foothold. That game will tip off at 5:30 PM.

Fredonia falls to 8-11 overall and 5-7 in the YAC. They remain a full game behind Buffalo State for the 6th and final playoff spot. They will play those Bengals on Saturday to try and get back into the win column.   
         

[magicman]

Congratulations to Mikey McElroy who was named Player of the Week last week. Here's the write up from the SUNYAC website.

Jan16th 2017

Mikey Mcelroy,    Oneonta

In the only game this past week, McElroy scored a game high 31 points in leading Oneonta past New Paltz 100-87. In the process of scoring his 31 points, McElroy became the all-time leading scorer for the men's program surpassing the 1,455 points that was set by Zack Mager in 2015. McElroy currently has 1,458 points in his three plus years at Oneonta.

[magicman]

Congratulations to Mike Henry who was named Player of the Week this week. Here's the write up from the SUNYAC website.

Jan 23, 2017

Mike Henry, Buffalo State

Henry shot 68 percent from the field and averaged 24.0 points and 7.0 rebounds as Buffalo State reached 100 points in each of its two SUNYAC wins over the weekend. Henry had 25 points, nine rebounds and four assists in Friday's 101-94 win over Oneonta, and then had 23 points and five boards in Saturday's 104-67 win against New Paltz.

[magicman]

Plattsburgh State 113 Potsdam State 100

I didn't know I'd be attending an NBA game at Memorial Hall tonight but that's what it felt like with the pace of this game. They could have played using a 24 second shot clock and I don't think there would have been any shot clock violations.

I had the Cards winning this one by an 86-66 margin but the Bears played a good game and after falling behind by 21 points midway through the first half fought back to get within 4 points on several occasions in the latter part of the 2nd half. I'll say one thing about Potsdam...they are maybe the best 1-16 team in the country.

The Cardinals didn't waste any time going for the jugular as they quickly opened up a 26-7 lead on the strength of six 3 pointers, by 4 different players. Eli Bryant and Chris Middleton both made a pair of treys while Jon Patron opened the game with one. Eric Mack came off the bench and swished one from downtown 3 seconds after he entered the game. Middleton made a layup and Patron hit another one from long distance and the Cardinals were in front 31-11 with 12:51 left in the half. The Bears fought to stay in the game as Nosa Onabor and Jayquan Thomas scored 15 points in a row for Potsdam, 10 by Onabor and 5 from Thomas, but the Cards kept draining the long ball and when Patron hit his third one of the period the Cardinals had a 41-20 lead with 9:29 still on the clock. The Bears cut the lead to 15 but Plattsburgh's Eric Mack jammed one down and was fouled. The Bears' Dante Langley hit a triple but Eli Bryant responded with his 4th 3 pointer of the half and the 11th one that the Cardinals had in the first half. I don't know if that's a record for Plattsburgh but it's easily the most 3 pointers they've had in a single period this season. Plattsburgh was still up by 18 points with 3:33 remaining but the Bears ended the half on a 12-3 run, finishing with a 4 point play by Thomas, that cut the lead to single digits at 62-53. What looked liked a blowout was now a ballgame.

The Cardinals scored the first basket of the 2nd half to restore the lead to double digits but the Bears answered with 3 straight scores and suddenly the lead was only 5 points. The teams exchanged scores over the next several minutes and when Nosa Onabor made one from long distance the Bears were within 4 points at 72-68. Twice more the Bears got the lead down to 4 points, the last time at 81-77 with 9:23 remaining, but could never get it down to a single possession. The Cardinals, behind a couple of Brandon Johnson drives and a pair of Isaiah Hill triples, quickly built the lead back to 11 points at 92-81, with 7 minutes to go. Hill's 3rd three pointer a few seconds later boosted the lead to 12 points and Eli Bryant's 6th long distance shot made it 100-86 with 5:50 on the clock. The Bears never got it back to single digits as the lead fluctuated between 10 and 15 points. They did manage to hit the century mark when Thomas scored with 32 seconds left. The Cardinals dribbled 30 seconds off the clock to end the game with the only shot clock violation of the night.

The Cardinals
Eli Bryant with his 6 three pointers led Plattsburgh with 23 points. He added 8 assists 2 rebounds and a steal.

Chris Middleton had a career high 21 points with 6 rebounds, 4 assists and a block.

Jon Patron had 19 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist and a steal.

Isaiah Hill also had a career high with 15 points. He added 3 rebounds, 1 assist and a steal in 17 minutes off the bench.

Brandon Johnson had 13 points, 2 blocks, 1 rebound, 1 steal and 1 assist  in 25 minutes off the bench.

Ian Howard managed the only double-double in the game as he had 11 points and a game high 11 rebounds.


The Bears
Nosa Onabor captured scoring honors as the sophomore fired in 32 points. He had 7 rebounds, 2 assists and a block.

Jayquan Thomas, a freshman, scored 17 points with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.

Danny Delsol-Lowry, another freshman, had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

Dante Langley, also a sophomore, had 11 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist.

Both teams shot well with Potsdam going 34x66 from the field (51.5%) and Plattsburgh shooting 41x81 (50.6%). The Cards were better from long distance as they made 16x31 (51.6%) to Potsdam's 9x21 (42.9%) The Bears went 23x26 from the line (88.5%) while the Cards were 15x19 (78.9%)  Plattsburgh edged the Bears in rebounds 37-36 and won the turnover battle as they only had 11 giveaways to 17 for Potsdam.

The Bears with 4 freshman and 5 sophomores on their 12 man roster will be a team on the upswing in the next several years. I was pleased with the play I witnessed tonight from the Bears and I have high hopes for the future. I wish them and Coach Bechtel all the best.

Plattsburgh improves to 8-9 overall and 4-7 in the YAC. They will host Oneonta State on Friday at 5:30 PM and New Paltz on Saturday at 2:00 PM

Potsdam drops to 1-16 overall and 0-11 in the conference. They will play the same two teams as Plattsburgh does this weekend in reverse order.                             

[Bengalsrule]

With the entire league past the half way mark now its time for the all SUNYAC  Mid Season  team!

1st team front runner in bold letters

1 - Point Guard ( qualities..Floor general....directs traffic...takes care of the ball...takes ball from opponents...scores when needed)
Jordan Glover- Buffalo State. Glover is the ONLY pt guard who is ranked in the top 6 in SUNYAC in assists, steals and assist to turnover ratio (A/TO). Brian Sortino - Oswego ranked 3rd in assists, 16th in assists to turnover (A/TO) and 5th in scoring. Jack Eisenberg - Geneseo and Frankie Kelly - Oneonta

2 - Shooting guard ( point guard qualities with more scoring and some intangibles)
John Decker - Geneseo. Decker is 2nd in scoring and 11 in assists! Nico Mclean- Buffalo State is 14th in scoring, 2nd in assists, 1st in steals and 4th in A/To. Eli Bryant - Plattsburgh and Jayquan Thomas - Potsdam

3 - Small Forward (score....rebound....fg%...steals...assists....blks )
Lovell Smith - Buffalo State. 4th in scoring and 4th in fg%....3rd in steals...13th in A/TO. Justin Ringen - Geneseo is 11th in scoring & 10th in steals. Andrew Seniuk - New Paltz and Clifton Lyerly - Brockport

4 - Power Forward (rebounds...score....block shots...fg%..assists)
Justin Cooper - Cortland  Cooper ranks in the top 15 of 6 categories.. 6th scoring..7th in rebounds..7th in assists... 8th in steals..11th in A/To and 13th in fg%. Front runner for SUNYAC POY. Mike Henry - Buffalo State is 7th in scoring, 5th in rebounds, 5th in steals, and 5th in fg%. Mikey Mcelroy - Oneonta and Eric Mack - Plattsburgh

5 - Center (rebounds...block shots...fg%....score)
Lawrence Coleman - Oneonta. Coleman ranks in top 15 in 4 categories....3rd in scoring.....1st in rebounds......10 steals....8th in fg%. Mykelle Krecko - Oswego is 2nd in rebounds, 1st in blocked shots and 15th in fg%. Jonathon Patron - Plattsburgh and Ian Helps - Fredonia

** Note: Stats were based on Tuesday 12 noon 1/24. Based on Conference stats only ( which are the only stats that SUNYAC considers when selecting all conference selections at end of season)

[amh63]

Magicman.....you are a busy man.  Was scanning the games yesterday for a game to watch.  Saw the high score of your team.  Sorry that I missed the game....was not broadcasted...as listed on d3hoops.
Is this a new trend this season in your league??
Did settled on a WBB game....Tufts playing an out of conference game.  Even a game with the No.1 team playing became boring....style and flow. 
One last question...did either team play any defense?

[magicman]

Magicman.....you are a busy man.  Was scanning the games yesterday for a game to watch.  Saw the high score of your team.  Sorry that I missed the game....was not broadcasted...as listed on d3hoops.
Is this a new trend this season in your league??
Did settled on a WBB game....Tufts playing an out of conference game.  Even a game with the No.1 team playing became boring....style and flow. 
One last question...did either team play any defense?

Run and gun amh634...run and gun!

[All-Time]

4 Games on Tap Tonight in the SUNYAC

Geneseo over Cortland, Ringen seems to have a little bit of his Swagger back and Decker is a scoring Machine.
These teams seem to be evenly matched, but Geneseo should prevail in a close high scoring game.

The Oneonta Red Dragons over the Magicman's Cardinals at Memorial Hall. The Magicman will have his Magic Wand out tonight as the Cardinals are hanging on for dear life in trying to make the playoffs, Look for this to be a high scoring affair.
This is Coach Conover's homecoming and McElroy, Coleman and Kelly will not disappoint in Getting Coach Conover a victory in a gym he has spend a lot of time in. The Red Dragons by double digits.

Brockport vs Oswego is the Featured game of the night. This is a battle of first place teams.
Look for Oswego to try and slow the pace tonight at home. There is a ton of talent out there for both teams.
Should be a great game if Oswego doesn't get into a track meet with Brockport.
I have the Lakers winning this one in a close low scoring game.


The other featured game tonight is New Paltz at Potsdam. What team will get their 1st conference win.
I think it's the Bears winning this one in another high scoring affair. Potsdam scored 100 points last weekend against Plattsburgh, so they can certainly score.

Enjoy the games

[magicman]

Jan. 27    8 teams playing in 4 conference games today all tipping off at 5:30 PM

Geneseo State  at  Cortland State     5:30 PM

Two teams that still have hopes of winning the regular season crown meet for the first time this season. Both have 4 losses but the Knights have a game up on Cortland in the win column. The winner will be all alone in 4th place and it's possible they could move up to 3rd place with a loss by Oneonta.

Geneseo holds a 6-5 edge in this series over the past 5 years and won both meetings last year in a pair of games that were decided by a total of 3 points. The Knights won in Cortland 77-76 and then won in Geneseo 92-89 in overtime. The Knights are coming off a win over Buffalo State on Tuesday while the Red Dragons look to get back on the winning track after dropping a pair of SUNYAC games last week to Oneonta and Oswego. This game will likely hinge on which team is knocking down shots from long distance. Mad bombers abound on both teams as Cortland has 7 players with double digit 3 pointers, led by James Morales with 47 triples. Geneseo counters with two of the top 3 point shooters in the YAC. Long distance specialist, John Decker, leads the conference with 75 treys and Justin Ringen is tied for 3rd with 44. Four other Knight players have made at least 10 three pointers. The two teams are 1 & 2 in the conference in made triples and have combined for 398 baskets from behind the arc...209 from the Knights and 189 from the Red Dragons.

The oddsmakers had a tough time deciding on a favorite in this game and ultimately made the Knights a slim 2 point favorite. I think that Geneseo will win another close game that could come down to the final possession. Geneseo 93 Cortland 90.         


Brockport State  at  Oswego State        5:30 PM The Featured Game of the Day

The big battle for first place Part 1. Both teams with just 1 loss in the conference and both teams on current 4 game winning steaks. The Lakers have reeled off 8 conference wins in a row after opening YAC play 1-1. Brockport suffered an inexplicable letdown at Geneseo and were handed their one loss by a double digit margin. The teams split last year's 2 games with each team winning on the other's home court, but the Lakers hold a 9-3 advantage over the last 5 years.

Brian Sortino leads 4 Lakers in double digits and he runs a disciplined offense that will be up against the quickness and relentless pressure defense that the Golden Eagles will throw at him. Brockport  comes at you in waves and hopes to wear you down. They have 11 players averaging double digit minutes with Clifton Lyerly and Hamed Shamseldin leading the way.

The oddsmakers had another tough choice in this game and decided to make Brockport the favorite by a single point, which means it's a toss up and you can flip a coin. I did and Brockport won the toss. Golden Eagles win a nailbiter 82-80.       


New Paltz State  at  Potsdam   State     5:30 PM

The battle of the basement. Two teams struggling this year but both are loaded with mostly young players. Their time will come but it may take another year before it arrives. This game is about little victories and you can bet that for the guys involved there's a lot on the line for them. No one wants to end up in last place and it's possible these team may split the season series and both end up there. Misery does love company though,  if that's the case. However for 3 weeks the winner of tonight's game won't be in the cellar. That will be cause for celebration.

The point spread favors the Bears by a whopping margin of 5 points. This is the first time they have been favored this year and after seeing them play this past Tuesday I think they come away with the win tonight in Maxcy Hall. Potsdam 75 New Paltz 69.     


Oneonta State  at  Plattsburgh State        5:30 PM

The Homecoming.  Coach Cameron Conover returns to the Burgh to face his old boss for the first time. The Red Dragons are enjoying a decent year both overall and especially in the SUNYAC. The foursome of Mikey McElroy, Lawrence Coleman, Frankie Kelly and Jack Kolosky have provided outstanding senior leadership and they will prove to be a tough challenge for the sophomores and juniors that the Cardinals will counter with.

Last year when the Red Dragons came north for their visit I predicted the Cardinals would win by 5 points and that the final would be 83-78. The actual score was a 92-87 Plattsburgh win and I teased Mr. McElroy after the game about my correct 5 point Margin of Victory. I'm not quite so confident this year. The Red Dragons also have Frankie Kelly back and he wasn't playing last year. Two years ago he sunk the winning basket in overtime as the clocked ticked down and he drove to the hoop, to beat the Cardinals in Plattsburgh. That was the sole victory Oneonta has had in the last 5 years as the Cardinals hold a 9-1 edge during that span.   

I do bleed Cardinal Red though and I'm thinking that the Cards don't want to let Coach Curle down and give his former assistant a leg up on him. The oddsmakers have made Oneonta a slim 2 point favorite. I wish I knew the status of one of Plattsburgh's leading scorers as he left the game on Tuesday with an injury and didn't return. Without him we could be in trouble. With him I think we pull off the minor upset. Plattsburgh 92 Oneonta 89.