MBB: State University of New York Athletic Conference

[magicman]

Nov. 28    Just a single game on the slate tonight.   

Alfred State        Buffalo State        7:30 PM

The Bengals coming off a nice victory over St. John Fisher to break into the win column. Fisher then went out and beat Liberty League favorite, Hobart, by 10 points, a week after losing to the Bengals. So that win by Buff State looks even better. Hopefully they can take the positives from that game and keep going forward.

Tonight they play the Pioneers of Alfred State, which is, I believe, the first meeting between these two schools. Alfred State comes into this game with a 3-3 record but hasn't beaten a DIII team with a win. The oddsmakers have made the Bengals a 9 point favorite but I think they win by a few more than that. Bengals 95 Alfred State 81.

[magicman]

Buffalo State 98  Alfred State 93

The Bengals tried hard to give this one away but managed to hang on and even their record at 2-2.  Buff State led at the half 48-40 and jumped out to a 21 point lead 5 minutes into the 2nd period. Up 67-46 the Bengals watched Alfred go on an 14-2 run that turned the big lead into single digits. Once more the Bengals built the lead back to 15 points on a 3 pointer by Zak Ciezki with 9 minutes left to play but the Pioneers wouldn't go away. Still down 10 points with 2:30 remaining, Alfred State scored 8 unanswered points to pull within 2 at 92-90 with a minute to go. It was now anyone's game and the Bengals were fortunate to get an offensive rebound on their next possession which   led to a Pioneer foul and the Bengals' Yosh Bernardez made both free throws. Bernardez then got a steal seconds later, was fouled again and made 2 more free throws. After the Pioneers went to the line for a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 4 points, Bernardez scored on a layup off an assist by Ciezki to give the Bengals the breathing room they needed to get the win. Bengals should have won this game by 20 points.

Sheldon Adams captured scoring honors for the game with 22 points. He added 5 rebounds, 4 assists, a block and a steal.

Dom Grayer had 20 points and 3 rebounds.

Zak Ciezki  had 13 points in 22 minutes off the bench.

Kay Grant and  Yosh Bernardez both had 10 points each. Kay added 6 boards, 2 assists and a block, while Bernardez had 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 rebounds and a block.

Christopher Jordan led the team with 10 rebounds to go with his 7 points.

Buffalo State will return to action on Saturday December 1st when they travel to Fredonia to open conference play against the Blue Devils. That game will tipoff at 4:00 PM. 

[magicman]

With conference play starting tonight I thought I would list my predictions for the conference standings at the end of the regular season.

1.   Plattsburgh State   The defending champs went 17-1 in the conference last year and their one loss came while All-American, Jon Patron, was sitting out the first semester. The Cardinals return a lot of talent from that team and Patron (22.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg) along with Brandon  Johnson (20.3 ppg, 4.5 apg), have been on fire in the early going. Throw in 6th man, Nick DeAngelis (16 ppg) and starter Chris Middleton (10.5 ppg, and Plattsburgh has a lot of options to throw at you. Every team will be looking to take down the Cardinals but I think these guys are up for the challenge. I see them repeating as regular season champions.


2.   Oswego State   The Lakers have added a pair of transfers to bolster their starting rotation and this has made them the top contender to topple the Cardinals. Senior, Quinn Carey, an all conference performer last year for Geneseo is leading the team in scoring with 15 ppg. Junior, Joe Sullivan, a DII transfer from Assumption College is averaging a double-double with 11.5 ppg and 10.5 rpg. Guard Brandon Gartland (13.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg), point guard Liam Sanborn (10.0 ppg, 8.75 apg), and center Tyler Pierre, (11.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg) give the Lakers a starting five that all average double figures. They displayed their versatility Tuesday night with their 15 point win over Nazareth, who was ranked 28th in the country in the D3hoops preseason Top 25 poll. I expect to see a few more of the classic  Plattsburgh State- Oswego State battles similar to the ones of the past few years.


3.   Oneonta State These Red Dragons have made it to the SUNYAC Championship game in each of the past 2 seasons. Is the fact that Coach Cameron Conover became the Red Dragon coach 2 years ago just a coincidence of that fact? I don't think so. Oneonta became a better team the minute he was named their new coach, but making the championship in back to back seasons did surprise a lot of people...myself included.  I almost slotted them in the number 2 spot (and it wouldn't amaze me if they ended up there or higher) but I think my top two choices will ultimately end up there. Oneonta has a young team with no seniors in their 9 man rotation,so next year may be their year. They are led by junior guard Kevin Mackin with 19.3 ppg. Andres Rivera ( 15.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg), Harrison Deegan (11.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg),  and Sean Nolan 10.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.7 apg).


4.   Cortland State   The other Red Dragons lost 3 starters from last years' 3rd place finisher. As usual Coach Spanbauer has guys in the wings, waiting to move into primetime. As usual Cortland figures to make the YAC playoffs, the only question will be the slot. With Justin Cooper and Nicky Bonura back for another year, Cortland has two key players that can take the team for a ride. Bonura is leading the team with 23 ppg and he's hitting 50% from 3 point range. Cooper is averaging a double-double of 15 ppg and 11 rpg.  Throw in Ben Walters, Kenny Charles and Zach Lydon who are all averaging close to 10 ppg and you have a solid group that is capable of beating any team in the league. In 2015-16 Cortland did just that. A regular season 12-6 record meant nothing, as they won the conference tournament and missed the Sweet 16 by a single point on a lousy call at Amherst with just a few seconds on the clock that put Amherst on the line for the winning free throws. This year I expect Cortland will be right there with the top teams.


5. Brockport State The Golden Eagles lost 3 starters from last season's 2nd place team most notably Hamed Shamseldin and replacing him is no easy feat. Justin Summers is now the go to guy and he's averaging 21.7 ppg and 9.3 rpg. Backing him up is guard Tyler Collins with 14 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 4.6 apg.  Newcomer, Devonte Hagins, a 6'5" sophomore guard is averaging 14 ppg and 9.3 rpg.
Another new face that has been starting is Mongomery Stroman, a 6'4" junior who is averaging 9.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg. It looks like the Golden Eagles have positioned themselves for another run at the top prize but may have a period of adjustments until everyone gets on the same page.

6.   Buffalo State   The Bengals gained my pick for the final playoff spot by virtue of their solid win last week against a good St John Fisher team. I watched that game and was impressed with the Bengals (but didn't like their game against Brooklyn College or Alfred State) As Walt Kelly once said in his comic strip..."Pogo"... "we have met the enemy and he is us". Sometimes the Bengals worst enemy is themselves.  The team lost a lot of talent from last year and didn't have a very good year last year, missing the playoffs.

This is what I wrote earlier about the Bengals back in late October:

"The Bengals have many new faces with 4 freshman and what looks like 3 transfers on board. The team doesn't appear to have their big man back, 6'8" Junior Sir.Quintin Campbell. Sophomore forward, Bryan Harrel, who had a decent first year averaging 9 points a game is also missing. Couple that with 2 graduating seniors, both starters, All Conference forward Mike Henry and guard Malik Turner and the Bengals come up a bit short in the returning points category. Over 50 points of their 78 ppg average has left the building. It's not like the Bengals are coming off a great season either as they were down last year, so I think the coaching staff in the Queen City will have their work cut out for them this year in the conference. Coach Ansari has some good assistants, though and I'm sure they went out and found some excellent talent to pump new life into the Bengals. The question will be... how soon can this talent come together to try and grab one of the 6 playoff spots. Returning SUNYAC Rookie of the Year, guard Sheldon Adams, is a good beginning, but he will have to work with a new starting rotation to get the Bengals in the hunt."

So they replaced 4 starters and it looks like they have some solid new players. It will take time to sort things out and get the pecking order established. They should have the ammunition to grab a playoff spot, though, how high remains to be determined.

7.   Potsdam State  I was hoping to pencil in the Bears for a playoff spot this year and still have hopes that they will get one but right now I see them on the outside looking in. They have a solid starting five and several of their players could start for any team in the conference. Dante Langley leads the Bears with 18.2 ppg and 6.0 rpg.  Nosa Onabor adds 14.8 ppg and 3.3 rpg. Serigne Kane has 11.0 ppg and Jayquan Thomas adds 10.8 ppg. They each average 4 rpg. Point guard Danny Delsol-Lowry averages 9.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 3.2 apg. The Bears have the offense but struggle on the defensive end. They also need to learn how to win. Here' hoping they keep improving under Coach Bechtel.


8.   Geneseo State  Losing 4 starters is never a recipe for a good next season. It;s even less so when you don't think you're going to lose 4 starters. Geneseo had good news lat March when 2 of their underclassmen were named to the SUNYAC All Conference team. Several months later those 2 players were no longer attending Geneseo and opted to leave for various reasons. So instead of a solid nucleus to build on the Blue Knights were forced to regroup. The lone returning starter is a good one as  Zack Panebianco is averaging 15 ppg. Terrance Nichols has moved into a starters role and is leading the team with 20.3 ppg. He is also grabbing 6.0 rpg. Alex Merhige leads the team in rebounding with 8.0 per game along with 5.5 ppg. Jack Manke is averaging 8.0 rpg and 5.3 ppg.
The Knights are a disciplined team and work the ball looking for the best shot as Coach Minton's teams have always done. You can't take them lightly or they will quietly and efficiently simply beat you.  They may perform better than my projection and it wouldn't surprise me if they finish ahead of a couple of teams but based on the talent in this year's YAC this is where I have them.


9.   New Paltz State The Hawks continue to improve under new head coach Keith Kenny but I don't think they improve enough to make the playoffs this year. When you take over a program that was 1-23 it takes a while to turn it around. Getting 7 wins last year was a big turn around for the team and hopefully they can build on that a little more this season. They won 4 conference games last year after going 0-18 the year before. The Hawks are led by 6'5" junior transfer Scott Reisert, who is averaging 15 ppg and 6.3 rpg.
Tristan Wissemann with 14 ppg, Nick Paquette with 11.5 ppg and Jake Passaretti with 10.3 ppg are the others averaging double figures. Paddy Parr with 9.7 rebounds per game is also a starter. Last year the Hawks upset Geneseo and came close against Brockport, Oneonta. Buff State. and Potsdam.  They will make you pay is you don't take them seriously.


10.  Fredonia State Someone has to end up on the bottom. For the 2nd year in a row it looks like it will be the Blue Devils. Last year they were 2-16 in the YAC but both of those 2 wins were upsets over Buffalo State and Oneonta. They lost 4 starters from that team and will be hard pressed to match the 4 wins they had last year Returning starter Isaiah Ice leads the team with 15.5 ppg. De'Quan Smith os next with 10.7 ppg. The Blue Knights will struggle on the offensive end. With 6 freshman and 4 sophomores on the team it will be a while before they can put together some wins.

[magicman]

Nov. 30      Four games on the schedule as the SUNYAC kicks off conference play.   Only time for quick picks tonight    

Geneseo State at  Oswego State        7:30 PM

The Blue Knights will be overmatched in this one The oddsmakers have Oswego as an 8 point favorite. I think they win by double digits. Oswego 83  Geneseo71


New Paltz State  @  Plattsburgh State   7:30 PM

The Hawks lost to the Cardinals by an average of 31 points in last year's 2 games. The point spread is 22 in this one. Cards win by more. Plattsburgh State 97 New Paltz 70.


Brockport State  @  Cortland State        7:30 PM    The Featured Game of the Night

The outcome is always in doubt when these two teams go at it. Each won on the other home court last year. the oddsmakers have the Red Dragons winning this one by 4 points. I think that Cortland will also win at home.  Cortland 80 Brockport 75.




Oneonta  @   Potsdam  State              7:30 PM

Oneonta should win this one but the oddsmakers think it will be a barnburner and favor the Red Dragon by only 2 points. I think they win by a few more. Oneonta 87 Potsdam 78.

   

[thebear]

Final at Jerry Welsh Gymnasium Potsdam 98, Oneonta 86. 
Bears led nearly wire to wire. 

Jayquan Thomas led Potsdam with 31, and Danny DelSol-Lowry added 26, and Nosa Onabor with 18. 

Kevin Mackin led Dragons with 22.

Bears 28x50 FG 10x19 3FG, and 32 x 40 from the stripe.

Dragons 33x64 FG; 10x26 3FG; 10x13 FT

[magicman]

Final scores:

Plattsburgh State 85   New Paltz State  75

Brockport State 78   Cortland State 69

Oswego State 68  Geneseo State 58

[magicman]

Plattsburgh State 85   New Paltz State  75

This was an exciting game as the Hawks came to play and actually led the Cardinals for a good part of the game. The teams jockeyed back and forth for most of the first period. The Hawks had the lead by as many as 5 points and the Cardinals would tie the score but couldn't get the lead from the 18:07 mark until the 9:42 mark. Finally a pair of free throws by Travis Cox put the Cards in front 23-22. 6 more lead changes and 5 ties would take place before Plattsburgh would go in front 41-40 with 38 seconds left in the half. With time winding down and Plattsburgh looking to take the last shot, the Cardinals got an offensive rebound and a putback by Chris Middleton, with 2 ticks on the clock, to go into the locker room up 43-40.

Plattsburgh opened the 2nd half with a jumper by Jon Patron to go up by 5 points, but the resilient Hawks went on a 10-4 spurt to regain the lead at 50-49. Patron drained a 3 pointer for Plattsburgh and Brandon Johnson followed with an old fashioned 3 pointer to put the Cards back on top 55-50. THe Hawks on cue, promptly reeled off an 11-1 run to reverse the situation and go in front 61-56 with 12:51 left to play. The Cardinals didn't panic and decided to put an end to the upstart Hawks as they went on a 14-0 run fueled by buckets from 5 different players. At the 8:16 mark the score was now 70-61 and the Cardinals were never seriously threatened after that. The lead reached a high of 14 at 80-66 before Plattsburgh closed the game out at the line.  The Cardinals had one of the worst nights I've ever witnessed from the charity stripe as they missed 26 free throw attempts. It was Hack-a-Shaq no matter who you put on the line. Plattsburgh shot 46.9% (23 for 49), from the line. If they had made their normal 65% from the line (what they were averaging going into this game) they would have won this game by 20 points. 

Jon Patron had a big night for Plattsburgh as he had a huge double-double, leading all scorers with 32 points and agame high 20 rebounds. He also had 3 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals.

Ian Howard also had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Chris Middleton had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.

Nick DeAngelis added 9 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, a steal and a block

Brandon Johnson had 8 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and a steal.


New Paltz got a team high 17 points from Scott Reisert. He grabbed  8 rebounds, had 1 assist and a block.

Isaiah Bien-Aise added 13 points, 7 rebounds and a block.

Tristan Wissemann had 12 points, a team high 9 rebounds and 3 assists

New Paltz is definitely an improved ball club and will be a team pulling off some upsets this season. They are well coached and on the offensive end, work the ball well, looking for the best shot. They hung with the defending champs for much of this game and I was impressed with how they came back a number of times throughout the game.

Shooting stats were pretty even but the Cardinals dominated the boards 54-41. Plattsburgh only had 8 turnovers to 11 for the Hawks. New Paltz was called for 32 personal fouls to only 16 against Plattsburgh but it was a case of the Cardinal players getting to the rim and getting fouled quite often.

Plattsburgh improves to 5-0 (1-0 in the YAC) and will take on Oneonta State Saturday afternoon at 4:00 PM.

New Paltz falls to  2-2 (0-1 YAC) and travels over to Potsdam to face the Bears today at 4:00 PM           

[magicman]

Dec. 1   All 10 teams in action today as the first weekend of conference play continues.   



Geneseo State  @  Cortland State              4:00 PM

The Knights gave the Lakers a closer game than I expected last night while the Red Dragons lost at home to Brockport. I don't think Cortland will go 0-2 at home this weekend. Neither do the oddsmakers who have listed the Red Dragons as a 7 point favorite in this one. I agree.  Cortland 77 Geneseo 71.


Oneonta State  @  Plattsburgh State    4:00 PM           Co-Featured Game of the Day

Once again the Coach and his former assistant meet up with bragging rights on the line. Coach Curle is 5-0 against Coach Conover but that can't last forever. Some day Oneonta will defeat Plattsburgh and the braggin rights will be reversed. It just won't be this day. Oddsmakers have Plattsburgh favored by 11 points. That seems like a lot... but then again.... Plattsburgh 90 Oneonta 78.


Brockport State  @  Oswego State         4:00 PM            Co-Featured Game of the Day

The Golden Eagles went into the lair of the Dragon last night and came away with a W. Today they try to steal one in Max Ziel Gym.
These teams have split their last 8 games and they have all been nailbiters with the outcome in doubt right to the end. The margin of victory has been 2-4-3-5-OT-OT....well you get the picture. The oddsmakers have made Oswego a 5 point favorite today. I also like the Lakers to win by a final of 79-75.   


New Paltz State  @  Potsdam State         4:00 PM

The Hawks mean business and last night's game against Plattsburgh was proof but the Bears are no longer the pushover they were in the past. Last night's defeat of Oneonta once again showed how strong the YAC can be from top to bottom. Potsdam has won 5 of the last 6 in this series and would love nothing more than to be tied atop the conference after the first weekend of play. The oddsmakers have Potsdm favored by 8 points. I think it will be closer. Potsdam 82 New Paltz 77.


Buffalo State  @  Fredonia State         4:00 PM

Western New York rivals go at it with Fredonia looking to break into the win column. They will have to wait for another day. The point spread favors the Bengals by a 5 point margin. I'll be surprised if the Blue Devils can keep it that close.  Buffalo State wins this one 91-80.   

[thebear]

In a barnburner, Bears defeat New Paltz 73-71 at Jerry Welsh Gymnasium.

Jayquan Thomas with 21 points leads the Bears, who also got 15 from Nosa Onabor and 13 from Dante Langley.  Thomas had 52 on the weekend.  Serigne Kane just shy of a double double for the Bears with 12 Rebounds and 9 points.

Tristan Wissemann led 4 Hawks in double figures with 16.

Hawks kept it close by forcing 22 Potsdam turnovers.

Bears move to 4-3 2-0 SUNYAC.  They also just completed a 3 win week.

[magicman]

Saturday scores:

Geneseo State   65    Cortland State    74
   
Oneonta State   69   Plattsburgh State 84

New Paltz State    71   Potsdam State    73    

Brockport State    63    Oswego State    73
      
Buffalo State   88    Fredonia State 78

[AllStar]

Through first weekend of conference play:

[Bengalsrule]

With potentially 7 games left ( definitely 5 games left) vs Empire 8 and Liberty league foes, I noticed something pleasantly surprising.

Currently The SUNYAC is 7 - 0 vs liberty league. With 2 and possibly 3 games left (Fredonia may play Vassar in tourney) , the worse that the Yac can do against Liberty would be 7-3 ...The best 10- 0. Lets go Oswego and Brockport  (and possibly Fredonia)

Versus the Empire 8....Yac is 6 -1 with 3 , possibly 4 (Cortland may play St John Fisher in Tourney) games left vs E 8    The worse we could do is 6-5. The best we could do is 11-1. Lets go Brockport, Fredonia , New paltz (and possibly Cortland). In either case the SUNYAC has dominated to other 2 East conferences.

As many Yac observers know, post season bids are awarded to multiple teams in the same conference,  depending on various factors. I believe Conf vs Conf record will play a role. I hope so.

Go BENGALS!!

[All-Time]

What the Heck is going on in Bear Country.
Think the Magicman is using his Magic Wand over there at his Alma Mater.

The Ultimate SUNYAC Championship game would be the Cardinals of Plattsburgh vs Da Bears of Potsdam.
Very Happy for Potsdam after many years at the bottom of the SUNYAC.

Magicman must be in Heaven right now. When was the last time they swept a weekend series.

Lets GOOOOO BEARS

[magicman]

What the Heck is going on in Bear Country.
Think the Magicman is using his Magic Wand over there at his Alma Mater.

The Ultimate SUNYAC Championship game would be the Cardinals of Plattsburgh vs Da Bears of Potsdam.
Very Happy for Potsdam after many years at the bottom of the SUNYAC.

Magicman must be in Heaven right now. When was the last time they swept a weekend series.

Lets GOOOOO BEARS

All-Time,

The Bears beating Oneonta and then New Paltz to start the conference campaign 2-0 is certainly cause for a bit of celebrating. Strange that you should ask... when was the last time the Bears swept a weekend series? That actually occurred on Friday, January 18th and Saturday, January 19th of 2013. The opponents? None other than Oneonta on Friday the 18th and New Paltz on Saturday the 19th. Being a history major at Potsdam State in my undergrad years, I was constantly reminded by my professors that "history repeats itself". I've known that to be true all my life, now even the YAC decides to follow suit.

I'm not going to overdo it on the celebrating because the Bears have to win on the road and they haven't proven to me they can do that yet against a decent team. The Bears won't go undefeated at home, I think the most they will win is 5 home games which means they will have to win 3 or 4 road games to get into the playoffs. I'm hopeful they will do that but it's going to be tough.       

[magicman]

Saturday's game: Plattsburgh State 84 Oneonta State 69

Jon Patron had his 3rd double-double of the week to lead the Cardinals to their 6th straight win to start the season. Patron could easily have 6 double-doubles as he grabbed 9 rebounds in each of the other 3 games the Cardinals played. He had 26 points and 11 rebounds to take game honors in both categories. His 5 assists were only topped by teammate Brandon Johnson who had 7 assists to go with his 15 points.

The Cardinals and Red Dragons played an exciting first half that had 3 ties and 4 lead changes and ended with Plattsburgh on top 36-34. Several time the Cardinals opened up a lead, first by 9 points at 24-15 with 9 minutes to play with a 7-0 run, only to have Oneonta go on their own 7-0 run to make it 24-22 with 7:47 remaining. Travis Cox and Nick DeAngelis both hit 3 pointers for Plattsburgh to open up a 6 point edge but a 3 pointer by Carson Jacobs would eventually tie the score at 32 with 3:36 to play in the period. The teams were tied again at 34 when Chris Middleton hit a pair from the line to provide the halftime margin for the Cards.

The teams continued their back and forth play through the first 8  minutes of the 2nd half. Up by 4 at 48-44, DeAngelis nailed another shot from downtown and Middleton got a steal and layup to increase the lead to 9 points. A short time later Middleton hit a jumper to give the Cardinals their first double digit lead at 55-45. Still up by 8 points, with 7 minutes left in the game, Travis Cox buried another threeball and then stole the ball which resulted in another 3 pointer by Brandon Johnson to put Plattsburgh up by 14 points and Oneonta couldn't recover from that quick turnaround. A jumper by Middleton and a layup from Patron boosted the lead to 20 and this one was over. Both teams emptied their benches for the final few minutes and the 23 point lead dwindled to 15.

In addition to Jon Patron and Brandon Johnson scoring in double figures the Cardinals also got 15 points and 6 rebounds from Chris Middleton.

Ian Howard had 7 rebounds along with 6 points, while Nick DeAngelis had 8 points and 3 rebounds.


Oneonta got 14 points from Andres Rivera and 13 points from Ian Schultz.

Joseph Bull had 8 rebounds, 5 points, 4 assists and a block. 

Harrison Deegan had 5 assists, 4 points and 2 steals.

Carson Jacobs had 9 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.

Sean Nolan had 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.

Plattsburgh outshot the Red Dragons in all 3 areas and had 39 rebounds to only 22 for Oneonta. Plattsburgh had 17 turnovers to just 12 the visitors.

Plattsburgh improves to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the conference. They will face Middlebury College on Tuesday night December 4th at 7:30 PM in a battle of Top 25 teams. Middlebury is currently ranked #18 after the new poll that came out on Monday night. The Panthers were #12 last week and Plattsburgh was #13 but the Cardinals 3-0 week boosted them into the #10 spot while Middlebury had a 2-1 week and dropped 6 spots. The Panthers will pose a serious challenge for Plattsburgh and the Cardinals need to bring their A game if they hope to remain undefeated.

Oneonta falls to 3-3 overall and 0-2 in the SUNYAC. They are off until Saturday when they visit their travel partner at New Paltz to take on the Hawks.