MBB: University Athletic Association

[BUBeaverFan]

It might seem weird in a game that you give up 70 but I was impressed with Wash U's defensive intensity today.  There was a stretch early in the second half where Wash U's defense simply did not allow CMU's offense to get started.  AT's 30 was obviously a highlight as well.

[Marty Peretz]

Jc Delass (not sure of spelling) unambiguously declared WU the best team in the country and also said that he thinks they may be better than last year. I understand how my saying this since last April doesn't carry as much weight, as I am, admittedly, a partial observer. That said, JC is very respected and I think his statements should be taken as valid.

Gregory, I've been going back through the archives, per your request. I apologize for directing my wrath your way, as I now realize that it was DBlock who was making what have now amounted to woeful predictions and statements. There were some of yours that I still take issue with (and will touch on when I find more time), but DBlock's were the most egregious.

[Titan Q]

Jc Delass (not sure of spelling) unambiguously declared WU the best team in the country and also said that he thinks they may be better than last year. I understand how my saying this since last April doesn't carry as much weight, as I am, admittedly, a partial observer. That said, JC is very respected and I think his statements should be taken as valid.

He said Wash U is the best that he has seen.  I wonder how many Top 25 teams he has seen this year though.

Wash U is outstanding, but I just don't see any separation between the Bears and the WIAC's best, CCIW's best, St. Thomas, etc, etc.. 

Also note, the head coach at Anderson said on the show tonight that UW-Platteville is the best team he has seen (they played Wash U and Platteville on back-to-back nights).

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Yeah - talk about confusing... on Hoopsville last night (since no one mentioned the show's name! :-)), JC DeLass says Wash U is the best team he has seen this season (and mentioned he hadn't seen the likes of St. Thomas) and that he thought they were better than last year's championship team; Anderson coach Tom Slyder says he thinks UW-Platteville was the best they faced (and they saw Elmhurst and Wash U. as well); and we have had different opinions from others who have seen some of the top teams in the country. I would say that this season is easily the toughest at the top of the Top 25 we have seen in awhile. There could be five teams that people could argue should be #1. Of course, St. Thomas remaining undefeated is tough to argue against for many.

[Ethelred the Unready]

Jc Delass (not sure of spelling) unambiguously declared WU the best team in the country and also said that he thinks they may be better than last year. I understand how my saying this since last April doesn't carry as much weight, as I am, admittedly, a partial observer. That said, JC is very respected and I think his statements should be taken as valid.

He said Wash U is the best that he has seen.  I wonder how many Top 25 teams he has seen this year though.

Wash U is outstanding, but I just don't see any separation between the Bears and the WIAC's best, CCIW's best, St. Thomas, etc, etc.. 

Also note, the head coach at Anderson said on the show tonight that UW-Platteville is the best team he has seen (they played Wash U and Platteville on back-to-back nights).

Wash U, Ithaca and CMU I believe.  And UR beat Wash U at home and lost by 1 (I believe) at Wash U, so yeah, Wash U looked better to me this year too.  Marty, it seems like you are hoping that the powers that be will just declare Wash U the "best" and hand them the Championship.  Relax and enjoy the rest of the season.  You really don't have to work so hard to convince people that Wash U is one of the best teams in the country.  We get it.

[dblock]

Jc Delass (not sure of spelling) unambiguously declared WU the best team in the country and also said that he thinks they may be better than last year. I understand how my saying this since last April doesn't carry as much weight, as I am, admittedly, a partial observer. That said, JC is very respected and I think his statements should be taken as valid.

Gregory, I've been going back through the archives, per your request. I apologize for directing my wrath your way, as I now realize that it was DBlock who was making what have now amounted to woeful predictions and statements. There were some of yours that I still take issue with (and will touch on when I find more time), but DBlock's were the most egregious.

UAA PRESEASON POLL-
 
1. Washington 47 10-4 25-6
2. Chicago 43 11-3 18-8
3. Brandeis 39 10-4 23-6
4. Carnegie Mellon 28 6-8 19-9
5. Rochester 25 9-5 22-6
6. NYU 20 6-8 16-11
7. Emory 10 3-11 10-15
8. Case 9 1-13 8-17

MY PREASON PICKS-

1. Brandeis
2. Chicago
3. NYU/ Wash
4. NYU/ Wash
5. CMU
6. Rochester
7. Emory
8. Case

Maybe my vocabulary is struggling these days but I'm pretty sure that my picks weren't egregious at all. First of all I think that the season is still quite early and I like to keep my thoughts about every team to myself until the midway point of the UAA Schedule. Second of all, as it has been mentioned...over and over again, nobody, not even the great, omniscient, and UAA Guru Marty Perez foretold the unfortunate start that Chicago has gotten off to. The one thing that I have come to realize over the last 4 seasons is that the UAA is quite competitive and at any moment the fate of a team can be changed immediately. As a freshmen at NYU there was no doubt in my mind that Jason Boone was going to lead us two Back-2-Back National Championships, followed by a rebuilding year my junior year and a tourney run my senior year. That obviously has not happened. I learned my lesson quite quick of how a promising season can come to a screeching halt, my freshman year (05/06) we dropped 5/6 to miss the tourney. I would not count all of your chickens before they hatch Marty. I don't know what ties you have to the program Marty, but I'm pretty sure that the Bears don't like that you give teams bulletin board material every week. You act all high and mighty as if it's you scoring 30 a night, but it isn't. So do yourself a favor before Karma turns around and kicks in you the teeth, try rooting for your team with elegance and dignity. Try analyzing games from an objective point of view. If you notice with my EGREGIOUS picks, I backed up every pick with some logic. Though I may be wrong as of today in my picks, lets watch the rest of the season and see if some of my predictions don't come to fruition.

Now let's look at the recent games...

Friday-
Wash v Rochester- Quite honestly the Wash U victory at Rochester by thirty without their two best players means nothing to me. Yes the Bears went on the road into a hostile environment and put a beat down on Mr. Neer and co. but I have witnessed in person what Mike C. and Labanowski are capable of. The fact that you were compelled to think that a win versus a team without the main components in their system is something to brag about is quite EGREGIOUS.

Brandeis v CWRU- 16-point lead at half time? OUCH. As a player I always am of the mindset that a 15+ lead should be a definite win... ALWAYS. How did Kevin Herring drop 33? That is what I really would like to know.

Chicago v CMU- Tough loss for U of C. Holding Einwag to 7 probably should have earned them the w, but O'Rourke picked up the slack. Good win by CMU. I still fear Chicago. I think that they will rally around their awful start and end up beating teams that need crucial wins come tourney time.

NYU v Emory- Remember what I said about a 15+ lead? Yea we almost blew that. Emory is a gritty team and for sure they are no pushover. Fernandez is a scrappy undersized big who inspires his team and will get his buckets. Hixon showed some swagger dropping 16 alongside Fernandez. I see them upsetting the first team that sleeps on them.

Sunday-

Wash vs CMU- good win for Wash on the road at CMU. AT is a straight stroker apparently. We're going to make sure who ever guards him is in his powerliners all game long. LOCK AND TRAIL BABY! What surprises me about this game is that CMU's bigs didn't go to work. CMU impressed me with the development of Bouldin-Johnson and Rife, I think that they need to be featured more in that offense.

Brandeis v Emory- When Brandeis attacks you with 4 different guys its really hard to compete with them. They are talented and they continue to put together great games. They are going to be a force in the UAA and in National Scheme of things. (Allen, I'm not holding your predictions for two NYU losses against you and the Judges)

Chicago v Rochester- I thought this was Chicago's shot to turn the season around. Big showing by Mike C., the kid is a gamer. Corning really didn't come through in the clutch. Good win for Rochester. Tough loss for Chitown.

NYU v CWRU- Tough game. CWRU came out firing; Reid Anderson (D1 Transfer from U of Albany) was stroking it, dropping 12 in the first half. CWRU shot 48% to NYU's 24%. The second half showed NYU really buckling down and playing great team ball. John Mish dominated in the post drawing foul after foul, Keith Jensen locked up Anderson in the 2nd half holding him to 3 points while pouring in 16 including a pretty one handed flush down the middle of the paint with Anderson on his hip in traffic. The team defense spurred a 15-0 run by NYU and CWRU was obviously frustrated. Freshmen Tom Sommers had a nasty foul on Mish and was tossed by the Ref but somehow NYU wasn't awarded any Techs or a Flagrant Foul. NYU ended up shooting 57.7% in the 2nd half including 75% from long distance. It was a HUGE win for the Bobcats.

NYU hasn't fallen apart ladies and gents. We had a tough beginning to our UAA season but we're back on track and looking forward to our first BIG game at Coles on Friday Night.

[BUBeaverFan]

Regardless of pre-season predictions, by any posters and pollsters, I think the Bears themselves have been going into each game with a healthly level of respect for each opponent.  You are never quite as good or as bad as you think you are.  If my math is correct Wash U is 3 and 1 versus NYU the past two seasons with Wash U scoring 254 points in those games and NYU scoring 253.  Wash U is 2-2 versus Brandeis the past two seasons with the Judges scoring 282 points and the Bears scoring 280.  Those are razor thin margins and I expect nothing less this coming weekend, when the Bears visit the east coast and the following week when NYU and Brandeis travel to St. Louis.  From my screenname it's obvious that I follow AT's career closely.  Again if my numbers are correct he has averaged 6.6 pts/game in those eight contests.  NYU and Brandeis have kept a very close eye on AT and have defended him very well and I'm sure that he and the Bears expect the same in the upcoming games. 

:)I don't care about series history prior to that and haven't looked at those numbers.  When AT finishes his career at Wash U I'll go back to following the Bluffton University Beavers. That is until AT2 makes his college choice in 2013.

[Gregory Sager]

Jc Delass (not sure of spelling) unambiguously declared WU the best team in the country and also said that he thinks they may be better than last year. I understand how my saying this since last April doesn't carry as much weight, as I am, admittedly, a partial observer. That said, JC is very respected and I think his statements should be taken as valid.

He said Wash U is the best that he has seen.  I wonder how many Top 25 teams he has seen this year though.

Wash U is outstanding, but I just don't see any separation between the Bears and the WIAC's best, CCIW's best, St. Thomas, etc, etc.. 

Also note, the head coach at Anderson said on the show tonight that UW-Platteville is the best team he has seen (they played Wash U and Platteville on back-to-back nights).

Another coach with whom I spoke (who shall remain nameless), who has seen Wash U, UW-Platteville, and Wheaton (with a healthy Raymond), put the Pioneers at the top of his list as well. He hasn't seen St. Thomas, though. The Tommies are the great unknown at this point. I'd like to hear from some of the WIAC people who may have seen UW-River Falls @ UST or UW-LaCrosse @ UST (or both) as to how the Tommies compare to the Pioneers.

[Marty Peretz]

DBlock,
If my posts are bulletin board material, then UAA teams have a hard time getting up for games. Furthermore, the only people I've given bulletin board material to are you and Sager, so if you want to dock me karma points and put up my posts in your cubicles, go right ahead. I hope you feel emboldened and that somehow your teams will be inspired to beat Wash.U. for the sake of message board pride.

Apparently friendly trash talking about your weak analysis now serves as motivation for UAA opponents? With the exception of the infamous Mike "Tyson" DeCorso, I don't think there's a single UAA player I've ever called out on this board. I've stated that some are inferior to others, but I have seldom talked smack about a UAA hoopster.

[dblock]

DBlock,
If my posts are bulletin board material, then UAA teams have a hard time getting up for games. Furthermore, the only people I've given bulletin board material to are you and Sager, so if you want to dock me karma points and put up my posts in your cubicles, go right ahead. I hope you feel emboldened and that somehow your teams will be inspired to beat Wash.U. for the sake of message board pride.

Apparently friendly trash talking about your weak analysis now serves as motivation for UAA opponents? With the exception of the infamous Mike "Tyson" DeCorso, I don't think there's a single UAA player I've ever called out on this board. I've stated that some are inferior to others, but I have seldom talked smack about a UAA hoopster.

COACH Mike 'Tyson' Decorso sends his best Marty. As for Bulletin Board material? whenever someone says that a team is out of the picture for the conference race, 4 games into the season, that's worth mentioning...

Sean Wallis told me that he would introduce us on Sunday, I can't wait to give you big hug!

[deiscanton]

Dblock--

I have not made my predictions for the games on Saturday, Feb. 28 yet.  I remember what happened in 1989 very well, as I witnessed NYU win the rematch in 1989 at Brandeis's old home, the Shapiro Gym-- after Brandeis won by 27 at Coles Center.  I also remember that previous history in February Brandeis v NYU "Senior Day" games at Coles Center has NYU blowing out Brandeis most of the time.  The Feb. 2007 game at Coles Center was a very tough affair-- it turned out to be an NCAA elimination game-- the winner of that game (Brandeis) got a Pool C pick, while the loser (NYU) had to settle for winning the ECAC Metro Championship.

I also remember that the New York Comic Con and the American Anime Awards were also held on the same weekend that Brandeis won 2 years ago, so I had a good time there.  Those events will not be happening on the weekend that Brandeis travels to NYU this time around-- and I have been to the Coles Center many times and have seen both Brandeis teams get blown out at Coles many times over the years that I have been following the Judges-- so an NYU sweep on Feb. 28 will not surprise or shock me in the least.

Brandeis still has 5 road UAA games remaining, as well as the Wash U/Chicago pair for the next 2 weeks, so a lot could happen, and Brandeis could very well be out of Pool C contention by the time that Feb. 28 rolls around. 

To be honest, I am leaning against spending at least $100 for the Feb. 28 weekend for me to travel to New York and spend 2 nights in a hotel in New Jersey this time around only to see 2 NYU victories in this recession and in this go around.-- I want to make sure to take care of my personal health and my finances this time around.  I've been to New York many times to watch Brandeis v NYU in person, and the fact that NYU is declaring this game to be a "Tear It Up" event has me on edge-- I remember the first time that I went to Coles back in the late 80s-- early 90s as a Brandeis student, and the culture shock and the rowdiness of the NYU fans that I encountered there on my first visit made me avoid the Coles Center for years afterwards-- until 2001 that is, when I saw the Emmanuel women beat NYU at Coles in the NCAA tournament.  My decision could change if the Brandeis men win enough games between now and Feb. 28 to put the rematch at NYU into the same status that the game on Feb. of 2007 had-- right now, as good as Brandeis is playing right now, NCAA chances look to be very slim for Brandeis right now.

First things first though-- I have Wash U at Brandeis this Friday to get fired up about.

[Marty Peretz]

Allen,
Wish I could be there Friday, but the trip from NY is going to be too tough to make with work and other engagements. Good luck to your Judges; this one really worries me.

[deiscanton]

For people who can't make it to Brandeis on Friday, Brandeis is not yet putting their home games on streaming video, but there will be live stats and the WBRS audiocast for the Wash U at Brandeis game-- just a reminder.

As for Marty's situation, you can follow the Friday game on-line and catch Wash U at NYU in person on Sunday.

[pabegg]

Allen,

If you need a ride on Friday night (coming or going), let me know. I probably don't have the time to get down to Canton before the game but I'll be in Boston and can pick you up from the T.

That goes for anyone else, as well, subject to space.

[deiscanton]

Don't worry.

My friend will be able to make it and take me home to Canton, MA after the doubleheader, but I may be going to Brandeis early.  I spoke to him yesterday.

Anyway, my picks for this weekend:

Friday, January 30, 2009

1.)  Wash U at Brandeis-- Honestly, I don't know what to make of this one.  I wouldn't be surprised if Wash U wins this one easily this go-around.  Brandeis will give one heck of a game-- I'm hoping that this will be the case-- but based on my experience the past few years with this series, I'm picking Wash U to win. (On a rational basis.)

2.)  Chicago at NYU-- NYU, but the win will be by single digits.

3.)  Rochester at Case-- Rochester wins this one with Mike C back.  Case will put up a tough fight, and it would not surprise me if Case leads this one by double digits early.

4.)  Carnegie Mellon at Emory-- Carnegie Mellon

Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009

1.)  Wash U at NYU-- Wash U

2.)  Chicago at Brandeis-- Brandeis finally gets past the Chicago hump, but the game will not be easy.  The Maroons will fight until the end.

3.)  Rochester at Emory-- Rochester

4.)  Carnegie Mellon at Case-- Carnegie Mellon