MBB: University Athletic Association

[TheFence]

I'm a CMU fan in New England and I agree the UAA is tougher than people realize.  Anyway in New England you get alot of D3 hoop to watch. You have the NEWMAC, NESCAC, LEC, MASCAC, GNAC, CCC, NAC and some UAA with Brandeis. Some of it good and some of very bad.  Anyway this year I have seen WPI twice who has some respect from the voters. After watching CMU play Brandeis and NYU this week-end I would say in my biased opinion that CMU and NYU are better than WPI.  NYU is good dispite a cupcake schedule and CMU's record and performance speaks for itself.

Anyway I'm new to this site and the poll, what are the chances of a 5-6 spot jump in the rankings in 1 week.  I see CMU jumping over WPI, Wartburg. Elhurst, Rochester, and York.  In my opinion NYU should take Rochesters place if there is one left for a second UAA team which there should be.

[ScotsFan]

I cant think of another conference that come close to that amount of travel. Most teams are going 2 or 3 hours tops for a road game let alone a 4 day trip. The Sunday afternoon games favor the home team because the visitors have been all over the country before coming to play. I think once people start to realize what the UAA does, the conference will get alot more respect.

Allegheny and Hiram made pretty tough road trips out of the NCAC this past weekend.  'Gheny had to travel almost 7 hours by bus from Meadville, PA to Crawfordsville, IN to play Wabash Friday night, and then turn around and take another 2 1/2 hour bus trip to Richmond, IN to take on Earlham on Saturday.  Hiram had to do the same thing only opposite of Allegheny.  

I know the UAA's road schedule is not ideal compared to other conferences whose teams are no more than maybe a long bus ride away, but I also think it isn't as big a deal as some make it out to be.  I'm not going to look at the tough road schedule and immediately give more credence to teams in the UAA.  Not taking anything away from CMU's win at NYU, but what has NYU done this year to erase doubts that people still might have about them compared to the past few years?  They have been known to jump out to fast starts against a weak non conference schedule, only to be humbled by their conference record.  So they beat Rochester on the road.  That seems to be a trend this season.  I say, the jury is still out on NYU.  One win at Rochester  (especially given the fact that everyone seems to be winning at Rochester this year) doesn't  automatically qualify you a spot in the top 25.   Maybe Rochester should finally be dropped from the top 25.  Maybe a win at Rochester this year just might not count as much this year than it did last year or in year's past.  If CMU continues to roll through the UAA, I'm sure people will take notice.  But I just don't see any other teams that have really proven themselves as being top 25 worthy, so I wouldn't exactly give high praise to the conference as a whole either.  That's how I see it anyways...

[hugenerd]

what has NYU done this year to erase doubts that people still might have about them compared to the past few years?  They have been known to jump out to fast starts against a weak non conference schedule, only to be humbled by their conference record.  So they beat Rochester on the road.  That seems to be a trend this season.  I say, the jury is still out on NYU.  One win at Rochester  (especially given the fact that everyone seems to be winning at Rochester this year)

Actually, NYU  beat Rochester by 18 at home, not on the road.  The only teams to beat Rochester at home are Wittenberg (by 2) and CMU (by 1).

[ScotsFan]

My bad, I thought it was at Rochester.  Still, that doesn't change my opinion.

[TheFence]

I think this years UAA is probably better than people think but the problem is that the good teams are new faces.  In other words if Wash U, Rochester, or even Chicago was having the year that CMU was having they would be top 10.  If those teams were having the year that NYU was having they would be Top 25 as well.  I think in D3 because people don't get to see many teams from all across the country they hold alot of wieght on past seasons performance.

If Wooster is Top 5 and beat  #18 Rochester by 1 point and Rochester is now 1-2 in the conference I would think the UAA  is deserveing of 2 Top 25 teams especailly since those teams both have 1 loss each to top 25 teams.

[PowerBall]

CMU has gotten better over the last three years as there record will attest.  This year is the result of hard work that has gone into the program.  The team is deeper than they've ever been so when players foul out there is a better than average replacement ready to play.  That has not always been the case.  Having good talent also makes  for harder practices as players are competing all the time which keeps everyone sharp for game time. 

There has been a myriad of players stepping up and making it happen both on the scoreboard and others who contribute but don't have the stats show there contribution.  This season is truly a team effort by all. 

"All for One - One for All"
Go Tartans

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I've got CMU in my top ten and NYU in the poll near the bottom.  It's a very good year for the UAA.

[PowerBall]

I don't see NYU getting into the top 25 even with a win over Rochester.  They are one dimensional using the post to run their offense.  Don't get me wrong, not a bad strategy with the right player.

Boone is the real deal but he should be playing D1.  I noticed that he's lazy and doesn't really run the floor.  A guy his size should be able to dominate smaller teams which I'm sure he has until yesterday. 

NYU is 1-4 vs. CMU the last three years as they've had the answer for this game strategy.  Boone fouled out for the first time this season yesterday.  He gets lots of calls that should go the other way with offensive charges.  If he can develop a mid-range jumer then watch out.  Overall his stats are better than last year.

Again, NYU will not see top 25.

[Rhodes Scholar]

I watched Carnegie Mellon @ NYU and, as the score indicates, the game could have gone either way. Nate Maurer struggled, but Marques Johnson more than picked up the slack. The Violets had very little success defending him. Clayton Barlow-Wilcox, although playing injured, also put in a fine effort for the Tartans.

NYU was led by Jason Boone. He was very aggressive down low, rebounded well, and played good defense. Although he was visibly winded at times, he maintained good intensity throughout the game. The only negative was that he missed some free throws down the stretch. Michael Corso and Jared Kildare also played well for the Violets.

I think Carnegie Mellon is a top 25 team and NYU gave them all they could handle. At the moment I don't believe that NYU is a top 25 team, but they certainly merit consideration. Let's see how they do in conference play--especially on the road.

A footnote: It should be noted that NYU played virtually the entire second half without their starting center/power forward Daniel Falcon, who left the game with an injury at the start of the half.

[PowerBall]

Barlow-Wilcox played one handed and shot 7-13. Clayton had several uncharacteristic turnovers due to his hand but it was understandable.  He eventually fouled out against an aggressive Boone.  Boone went to the line for 17 charity shots scoring 10 the rest - 16 came in the paint.  Clayton is a player and gave Boone all he could handle that afternoon. 

[hugenerd]

If you look at last year's game at NYU between CMU and NYU, it is funny because the stat lines of Boone and Wilcox are exactly switched (when they were both healthy).  Last year CBW had 26 points and 10 boards and Boone had 16 and 11, this year Boone had 26 and 14 and CBW had 17 and 10.  To me, they are both great players and pretty evenly matched, which is amazing when you consider CBW is 6'4" ~210 lbs. and Boone is 6'6" ~250 lbs.

[bouttime]

Barlow-Wilcox is listed at 6'4" but that might be a stretch. He does however put up the numbers no matter who is guarding him. His lack of size is made up by his quickness. He was able to score on NYU's Boone by moving off the lane and making quick moves to the basket.

[Pat Coleman]

Anyway I'm new to this site and the poll, what are the chances of a 5-6 spot jump in the rankings in 1 week.  I see CMU jumping over WPI, Wartburg. Elhurst, Rochester, and York.  In my opinion NYU should take Rochesters place if there is one left for a second UAA team which there should be.

York didn't lose so I don't know why CMU would jump them. CMU might or might not jump WPI. Elmhurst is a definite, as is Rochester.

[TheFence]

Pat,

Your right, I read it wrong. York shouldn't move even if they haven't beaten anyone yet.

I've seen WPI twice and CMU should move ahead of them.  WPI had a bad loss at home this week.  CMU should also move ahead Rochester and Elmhurst.  I think they should sneak ahead of Wartburg as well.  I great week-end by CMU should be rewarded in the rankings and I think the poll will show that.

Time will tell.

[Pat Coleman]

That would be true if the poll existed in a vacuum, but fact of the matter is, no matter how great a win Sunday's was against NYU, there are three teams who had much better weeks, and their rises will be greater than CMU's.

You can never accurately assess the poll by looking at one team in isolation. The results of the other 40-some teams receiving votes are also important, especially to teams in the middle.