MBB: University Athletic Association

[NYCHOOPER]

I stand firm in my proclamation that the NYU Men's Basketball coaching staff is the worst in the country. When a team consistently goes down 15-20 points to their opponent and then furiously comes back to lose by 6-8 points, all the blame is on the coach. Anyone that disagrees with me doesn't realize the importance of a head coach.

[Pat Coleman]

With 400 coaching staffs in the country, it seems unlikely that NYU's is the worst.

[Wydown Blvd.]

emory's video guys are hysterically awful

as awful as case's are good. loved the wustl/case broadcast. really enjoyed it. case always has one of the best broadcasts in D3.

[Wydown Blvd.]

I stand firm in my proclamation that the NYU Men's Basketball coaching staff is the worst in the country. When a team consistently goes down 15-20 points to their opponent and then furiously comes back to lose by 6-8 points, all the blame is on the coach. Anyone that disagrees with me doesn't realize the importance of a head coach.

I watched the Emory/NYU, WUSTL/NYU, and the Brandeis/NYU matchups. While you continuously harp on the coaching staff, imho I think you also overestimated the capability of the players.

[deiscanton]

Men's action is now final.

Recapping the final scores:

Chicago 77, Carnegie Mellon 71  (CMU live stats froze on me in the second half, so I watched the final minutes of that game on CMU's video stream)

Rochester 77, Brandeis 57

Emory 93, NYU 85

Wash U 80, Case 71

The NYU men are now officially eliminated from UAA title contention, while Brandeis and Carnegie Mellon are 5 games back of Rochester with 5 games left to play.

Rochester remains in first place in the UAA at 8-1 in the league, while Emory remains 1 game back of Rochester at 7-2 in the UAA.

Wash U and Chicago are 3 games back of Rochester, while Case is 4 games back of Rochester with 5 games left to play.

According to Rochester post game reports, Nate Novosel of Rochester hopes to be ready for Friday's game against Chicago.

[NYCHOOPER]

I stand firm in my proclamation that the NYU Men's Basketball coaching staff is the worst in the country. When a team consistently goes down 15-20 points to their opponent and then furiously comes back to lose by 6-8 points, all the blame is on the coach. Anyone that disagrees with me doesn't realize the importance of a head coach.

I watched the Emory/NYU, WUSTL/NYU, and the Brandeis/NYU matchups. While you continuously harp on the coaching staff, imho I think you also overestimated the capability of the players.

You're definitely entitled to that opinion... That being said explain to me how a school in the middle of New York City doesn't get better talent? Whose fault is that?

[Wydown Blvd.]

I stand firm in my proclamation that the NYU Men's Basketball coaching staff is the worst in the country. When a team consistently goes down 15-20 points to their opponent and then furiously comes back to lose by 6-8 points, all the blame is on the coach. Anyone that disagrees with me doesn't realize the importance of a head coach.

I watched the Emory/NYU, WUSTL/NYU, and the Brandeis/NYU matchups. While you continuously harp on the coaching staff, imho I think you also overestimated the capability of the players.

You're definitely entitled to that opinion... That being said explain to me how a school in the middle of New York City doesn't get better talent? Whose fault is that?

A lot of reasons.
High admissions standards. Lack of basketball history (relative to its peers or other schools in the NE). Lack of school spirit (with athletics). And I agree with you, bad recruiting.

They also play in one of the best d3 conferences in the country...
We can say the same about D1 St. John's can't we? (although thankfully they are having a decent season)

[deiscanton]

Op ed piece printed in the Brandeis Justice today (Feb. 8, 2011) regarding the lack of support this season in the Brandeis student community for the basketball teams:

http://media.www.thejustice.org/media/storage/paper573/news/2011/02/08/OpEd/Show-Your.Colors.Support.Brandeis.Basketball-3974714.shtml

I just wanted to comment that I am more concerned about how a lack of support this season is going to translate for the long-term future of the Brandeis basketball teams.  It must be harder to get good recruits to want to play for any school when the student body doesn't seem to care about the fate of its athletics teams, regardless of division or conference.

I would hope that there would be better support next season, regardless of the attendance on this last weekend of Brandeis home games coming up.  

I will be attending Sunday's Senior Day games vs Case, and perhaps some of Friday's games as well-- it is a little disappointing for me to have to be the most vocal Brandeis fan out there in Auerbach Arena this season...   (I'm in my 40's!!!)

[deiscanton]

True to Dave McHugh's predictions on Hoopsville a few weeks ago, it looks like the UAA title race is coming down to Rochester and Emory.  1 game separating those 2 teams....

First, here are the Emory attendance home figures for UAA men's basketball games at WoodPEC in Atlanta this season.   It is time for business to pick up!   Emory students, represent!  Get the WoodPEC to average over 1,000 for the next 3 home games!  This is a challenge from me!

1.)  Case-- 334
2.)  Carnegie Mellon-- 255
3.)  Brandeis-- 323
4.)  NYU--155

Here are Rochester's UAA home attendance figures for men's UAA home games at the Palestra this season:

1.)  Emory-- 325
2.)  Carnegie Mellon-- 903
3.)  Case-- 400
4.)  NYU-- 1,000
5.)  Brandeis-- 300



Second, the Emory Wheel came out yesterday with their February 7 edition.  Gina Chirillo's article on the Emory men's basketball team's 2 wins has comments from Emory player Alex Greven and Emory coach Jason Zimmerman:

http://www.emorywheel.com/detail.php?n=29297

From that Emory Wheel article, here are comments from Emory coach Jason Zimmerman about why Emory students should support the Eagles this upcoming weekend against Wash U and Chicago:

"I think that it is important this weekend that people come out and support our [Emory Eagles men's basketball] team.  We are in the conference race.... and we'd love to have a crowd, the student body there to help us.   When our students are there and they're rowdy and excited, that energy and that atmosphere is good for five to ten points on the scoreboard."-- Emory coach Jason Zimmerman.

Third, the "Eagle Watch" on the Emory Athletics men's basketball page has some post-game comments from Emory player Austin Claunch recapping Emory's home weekend at WoodPEC against Brandeis and NYU:

http://www.emoryathletics.com/sports/mbkb/index

[Ethelred the Unready]

True to Dave McHugh's predictions on Hoopsville a few weeks ago, it looks like the UAA title race is coming down to Rochester and Emory.  1 game separating those 2 teams....

First, here are the Emory attendance home figures for UAA men's basketball games at WoodPEC in Atlanta this season.   It is time for business to pick up!   Emory students, represent!  Get the WoodPEC to average over 1,000 for the next 3 home games!  This is a challenge from me!

1.)  Case-- 334
2.)  Carnegie Mellon-- 255
3.)  Brandeis-- 323
4.)  NYU--155

Here are Rochester's UAA home attendance figures for men's UAA home games at the Palestra this season:

1.)  Emory-- 325
2.)  Carnegie Mellon-- 903
3.)  Case-- 400
4.)  NYU-- 1,000
5.)  Brandeis-- 300

I think the CM and NYU games were friday night games and the Case/Brandeis games Sunday at noon.  The Sunday game times are no doubt dictated by travel but it is almost impossible to get college kids out of bed for a noon game on a Sunday.  I remember coach Neer getting on the PA system after a Friday night NYU game 3 years ago and imploring the 1800 fans in attendance to get up and come to the Sunday Brandeis game.  At that time U of R was #1 and Brandeis #2 or #3.  1750 people showed up for one of the best games I've ever seen.

[Pat Coleman]

I remember coach Neer getting on the PA system after a Friday night NYU game 3 years ago and imploring the 1800 fans in attendance to get up and come to the Sunday Brandeis game.

I remember him doing the same after a great game against Wash U.

[Ethelred the Unready]

I remember coach Neer getting on the PA system after a Friday night NYU game 3 years ago and imploring the 1800 fans in attendance to get up and come to the Sunday Brandeis game.

I remember him doing the same after a great game against Wash U.

If it was that same year, the WashU game was sent into OT on a 8-10 foot jumper at the buzzer, banked if I remember, from Uche Ndubizu.  Which was a good 8-10 feet outside his usual range.  And 1200 or so showed up Sunday for the Chicago game and saw a team that had nothing left.  The WashU game was one of the more intense contests I can remember

[deiscanton]

I think the CM and NYU games were friday night games and the Case/Brandeis games Sunday at noon.  The Sunday game times are no doubt dictated by travel but it is almost impossible to get college kids out of bed for a noon game on a Sunday.  I remember coach Neer getting on the PA system after a Friday night NYU game 3 years ago and imploring the 1800 fans in attendance to get up and come to the Sunday Brandeis game.  At that time U of R was #1 and Brandeis #2 or #3.  1750 people showed up for one of the best games I've ever seen.

For that game, it was a #1 v #2 match-- Rochester was #1 that game and Brandeis was at #2.  Had Brandeis not lost the game at UMass-Dartmouth before facing off against then #1 Amherst, Brandeis would have entered the game at #1 as an undefeated team.

To confirm Ethelred the Unready's beliefs, the higher attendance figures that I cited for this season's UAA games are Friday night games, and the lower figures are Sunday afternoon games.   If there are 5 games listed, then the first game was the travel partner game on a Saturday.

Great memories of the year that Ethelred the Unready mentioned-- 2007-2008 season, the season where Brandeis went to the Elite Eight at Plattsburgh, NY-- defeated the Plattsburgh St. Cardinals in the Sweet 16, but lost a rematch to Amherst in the Elite Eight.

Had Steve DeLuca not been forced to take a medical redshirt that season due to injury, Brandeis could very well have won the national title.

Here were some attendance figures from the Brandeis 2007-2008 season:

Saturday, December 8, 2007--  Home vs then #1 Amherst-- 1,750-- Brandeis def. Amherst, 72-62, in one of the best Brandeis games that I have seen-- the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons were the only seasons in recent memory where Brandeis played Amherst on a Saturday in the first semester.

(I understand Amherst's reluctance to play a weekend game vs Brandeis now.... )

Jan. 12. 2008-- Brandeis at NYU-- Coles Sports Center-- 1,350

Jan. 18, 2008-- Brandeis at Carnegie Mellon-- 1,153-- Brandeis at #2, CMU ranked at #24

Home UAA games in order for the 2007-2008 Brandeis season

Chicago-- 900

Wash U-- 1,200  (One of the best attended Sunday games among the Brandeis community in my memory-- Brandeis lost by 2 on this day, but in the 2006-2007 season, Brandeis had defeated Wash U in triple OT at the Auerbach Arena in a Sunday game.)

Emory-- 800
Case--600
Rochester-- 1,000
Carnegie Mellon-- 750
NYU-- 1,100

NCAA tournament home games at Auerbach Arena-- (First and second round at Auerbach Arena)

Lasell-- 2,000   (First round)

Bowdoin-- 1,300  (Second round)

NCAA tournament games at Plattsburgh, NY  (Sweet 16, Elite 8)

Plattsburgh State-- 950-- Full house at Plattsburgh-- Brandeis sent fan buses for both Friday and Saturday games-- I went up on the Friday bus, but the bus could not get on to the ferry and had to take the bridge to Rouses Point, NY-- Bus came within 1 mile of the Canadian border.  I spent money to fly home Sunday afternoon on Cape Air from Plattsburgh to Boston in a small 9 seat propeller plane because I had booked for a 2 night hotel stay in Plattsburgh at the Days Inn and did not want to be forced to sleep on the 5 1/2 to 6 hour journey back to Boston on a bus.

Amherst (@ Plattsburgh, NY)-- 550

It is very easy to support a team that can win a national championship-- the challenge comes when it comes time to support a team in a season where it is not likely to reach those heights.

I will always remember that 2007-2008 Brandeis season as probably the best ever season in Brandeis men's hoop-- notwithstanding last year's journey to the Elite 8 game vs Williams.

[deiscanton]

Game underway from LeFrak Gym in Amherst, MA tonight

Amherst 9, Brandeis 3  14:59 left in first half

Brandeis only shooting 1 of 7 to start the game-- 5 turnovers so far for the Judges in the first 5 minutes.

So far, it does not look like Amherst is going to have too much difficulty winning tonight....

[deiscanton]

Halftime from LeFrak Gym--

Amherst 40, Brandeis 24

Brandeis only shooting 9 of 29 from the field, 2-8 from 3 pt land, 4-9 from the FT line.

Leading scorer for Brandeis:  Tyrone Hughes, 5 pts.

Amherst shooting 13 of 28 from the field, 2-9 from 3 pt land, 12 of 14 from the charity stripe.

Leading scorers for Amherst:  Conor Meehan --14 pts, Allen Williamson-- 9 pts.

Amherst outrebounding Brandeis, 21-17 in the first half.   Brandeis committed 9 turnovers in the half, to Amherst's 6 turnovers.

(Maybe a wise choice for me to save the money and watch the game on live stats rather than spend $50 on a round-trip bus from Boston and a night in a hotel in South Hadley, MA on a Tuesday for this-- no one would have driven me out to western Mass tonight...)