WBB: Little East

[7express]

Babson should have enough of a seating capacity and I *assume* they put in a bid to host, so I have no clue why they keep getting passed over.  Hopefully MVP can answer the question about the arena capacity and possible whether they put in a hosting bid or not.

[MVP]

As a fan of the Babson team and as like many of you posters ....I've been to more than a few gymnasiums over the years, most recently during the Babson 5 year run visiting most of the gyms in the NCAA northeast   The Babson campus is one of the most beautiful in the country, located in Wellesley, MA 8 miles west of Boston. The athletic facilities and specifically the Staake gymnasium at the Webster Center are top notch and gorgeous. The gymnasium is amazing. The gym floor, sound system, score board, home and away locker accommodations are all phenomenal. The spectator stands/ bleachers are excellent certainly with a capacity to host an NCAA crowd of up to 1500. There are plentiful hotel accommodations both local and in Boston for a wonderful visit to Babson/ Wellelsey and Boston. There are also plenty of wonderful restaurants and other things to do just steps from the Babson campus during the weekend of 2013 March Madness.

I searched for a picture of the gym and was only able to find this pic, from the facilities page on the babson web-site.


http://babsonathletics.com/information/facilities/staakegymnasium


 

[7express]

My picks for awards handed out later today:

Player of the year: Nicole Garland USM
Rookie of the year: Gonna be close between Vandell Andrade (RIC) and Olivia Murphy (Boston).   Think Vandell takes it
Coach of the year: Denise Bierly Eastern
Defensive POY: Kelsey Garrity Dartmouth

Thoughts??  Agree/disagree??

[7express]

Conference awards handed out earlier today: http://littleeast.com/sports/wbkb/2012-13/news/20130226-wbkb-all-conference

A couple of thoughts
1) Everyone was saying Colleen Moriarty for conference POY was a runaway selection, but I didn't see it.  The team finished a measley 8-6 in the conference and lost shocking road games to Keene, Boston & Eastern, otherwise their probably in the NCAAs right now.  USM was loaded I know and a ton of scorers so I can see not giving it to 1 of them (even though Garland or grant probably deserved it).  If you don't want to give it a USM player give it to Caroline Brasa.  I'd say she was the most valuable player in the league; how else do you explain Western losing as much as they did after she got hurt??  They were 16-5 in the games she played in, and finished the season 3-3 with her out of the rotation (including the game she got hurt in).
2) uhmmm...where is Kelsey Garrity on the all defensive team??  I don't know how you decide an all defensive team, but the conference's second leader in steals (percentage points behind the leader and since the leader still has a few more games left [Jordan Grant-USM] while Garrity's team is done for the year, Garrity could very well end up first in that category) should probably be on the list. 
3) co-coaches of the year??  First of all, you couldn't decide which person to pick, and then you chose the wrong 2.  USM was picked first finished first.  I didn't think they'd be as good as they were, but I figured they'd end the year in the 20-25 range/receiving votes in the poll, about 21-4, so I wasn't that far off, but at least I can see why Fifield was picked, Rybczyk I'm a bit more confused.  Western was picked second, finished second, dissapointed in my eyes (lost2 road games to sub .500 teams which likely kept us out).  Even though Bridgewater & regis finished a combined 29-1 in their conference this year we lost to both of those teams at home, in the process blowing a 13 point second half lead against Regis.  Probably win 1 of those, beat the 2 sub .500 road teams (Salem state & Eastern) and were preparing for the NCAAs instead of cleaning out lockers.  Don't know how that consitututes coach of the year, someone inform me.  Was it because we were the only team to beat USM??  I don't know how Denise Bierly DOESN'T win this award??  Eastern was picked 6th finished tied for 3rd (net gain of 3, Western & USM each had a bet gain of 0) and literally that whole team is filled with sophmores and freshmen, so less then a year after the team mutiny she takes one of the youngest teams in the country beats Western, Dartmouth & RIC with that young team, finishes in a tie for 3rd place and doesn't win coach of the year??  Might as well just abolish the award.  Gary Fifield shouldn't have even beaten her out, but if I was tie with Fifield and Bierly I could live with it, how Kim Rybczyk beat her out I have no idea.
4) Great pick for Rookie of the year.  I thought Vandell Andrade was more deserving and I was gonna state whether Courtney Mattingly was the only person doing voting for rookie of the year's, but Olivia Murphy beats her out in every statistical category except field goal percentage.

[joe8579]

Babson should have enough of a seating capacity and I *assume* they put in a bid to host, so I have no clue why they keep getting passed over.  Hopefully MVP can answer the question about the arena capacity and possible whether they put in a hosting bid or not.

It's relatively easy to figure out why USM got to host and Babson did not.

http://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/women/2013/womens-basketball-championships-handbook

All the criteria used to rank teams are there. USM beats out Babson because they have a higher strength of schedule and higher winning percentage. I'm betting USM jumped Babson in the last regional rankings.

[7express]

Babson should have enough of a seating capacity and I *assume* they put in a bid to host, so I have no clue why they keep getting passed over.  Hopefully MVP can answer the question about the arena capacity and possible whether they put in a hosting bid or not.

It's relatively easy to figure out why USM got to host and Babson did not.

http://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/women/2013/womens-basketball-championships-handbook

All the criteria used to rank teams are there. USM beats out Babson because they have a higher strength of schedule and higher winning percentage. I'm betting USM jumped Babson in the last regional rankings.

They likely jumped them as I said on the previous page, but since they don't release the final rankings we never know and can only assume something happened.

[ronk]

Babson should have enough of a seating capacity and I *assume* they put in a bid to host, so I have no clue why they keep getting passed over.  Hopefully MVP can answer the question about the arena capacity and possible whether they put in a hosting bid or not.

It's relatively easy to figure out why USM got to host and Babson did not.

http://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/women/2013/womens-basketball-championships-handbook

All the criteria used to rank teams are there. USM beats out Babson because they have a higher strength of schedule and higher winning percentage. I'm betting USM jumped Babson in the last regional rankings.

They likely jumped them as I said on the previous page, but since they don't release the final rankings we never know and can only assume something happened.

Dave McHugh is going to interview the women's chair very soon; you could ask him to ask her why USM got to host.

[7express]

Is the interview going to be availiable??

[ronk]

Depending on when it takes place, I think he was either going to archive it on Hoopsville or play it on Hoopsville tomorrow night.

[Pat Coleman]

I don't know when it is scheduled for. This has been a tough get for us the past couple of years. The men's committee chairs have been much more willing to talk.

[7express]

Friday schedule.

Lone LEC game because it's the lone LEC team still playing is Smith @ USM.
Smith is 22-4 on the year, and 16-2 in the NEWMAC.  The Pioneers are 0-2 against Babson, and 22-2 against all other opponents on their schedule (3 point loss to RPI in November, 12 point loss in NEWMAC semifinals to Wellesley).  Besides Babson, the Pioneers have only plaayed 1 other ranked team this year and that was Williams who they defeated 53-49.  This is their first game against the LEC this year.  This is also going to be USM's first game against the NEWMAC this season.  Smith is lead by sophmore guard Paulina Solis who averages 15.1 ppg and is a all NEWMAC first team selection.  Senior guard Devon Quattrocchi pitches in 12.4 ppg, and junior forward Rose Drummond averages 11.9 points and a team high 6.5 rebounds.  Smith outscores their opponents by 14.5 ppg, however USM both averages more points per game and opponents points per game.  This will be Smith's first ever trip to the NCAA tournament while USM will be appearing in the NCAA's for the 26th time in the last 28 years and has 3 runners up finishes to their name, all in the last 14 years.  Between the NCAA expierence, the home crowd, being up in Maine, USM pulls away in the 2nd half to win by about 16 or so.
USM 74-58

[7express]

Both games at USM this evening: Ithaca vs Colby-Sawyer at 5:39 and Smith @ USM are available on littleeast.tv

[AllStar]

USM losing 41-28 at home to Smith at the half.  Not a good first half by the Huskies.  14 turnovers and being outrebounded 20-13.  Smith is shooting 51%.  All this via Live Stats.

[7express]

USM picks the worst possible to time to have their worst game of the season.  USM allows Smith to shoot 50% from the floor, turned it over 22 times and got outrebounded by 10 in a 80-58 loss to Smith.  Against Plymouth state USM can pull that off and probably win, but against a talented 23-4 Smith team you cannot have that stat line and expect to advance.  Once you get to the national tournament, there's no teams like Plymouth state.  Everyone of the 64 teams is a good team, and Smith wasn't going to roll over and die just because they were playing on the road against a top 10 rated team playing in their 26th NCAA tournament searching for their 4th final 4 in the last 13 years while Smith was playing their first ever tournament game.  You have to bring your A game to the table every game, and if you don't your going home a lot sooner then you had hoped.   Dissapointing for USM though, this bracket was set up to have them remain in Maine until the final 4, but like I said you can't expect to win when the opponent shoots 50% in the NCAA tournament.  Sure it does happen on rare occassions, but not often.

That officially ends the LEC season, definitely a lot sooner then I would have liked it.  Have to wonder how many people are going to be at Ithaca Smith tomorrow??  I haven't watched the USM/Smith game yet (I was at dinner), but saw about 15 minutes or so of the Colby-Sawyer Ithaca game and there weren't many people in the stands for that one.  Also, since USM is out are they still going to the game on littleeast.tv tomorrow??

[remsleep]

Watched Smith stun USM before a raucous ( for a while) crowd at Hill Gymnasium.   It was amazing to watch Smith absolutely run USM out of their own gym.  No one...and I mean no one....would have predicted this outcome.  An incredible coaching job by Lynn Hersey who imposed the high motor defense and get up the floor offense that Smith used so successfully during the regular season.  Thing is...I don't think anyone thought that would work against the Huskies.  Smith only has one kid who might crack the starting five of USM (Quatrocchi in place of McNamara)...yet their high intensity approach as a T-E-A-M completely shocked USM.   As one who has watched many NEWMAC seasons and is also very familiar with USM ( have seen them play innumerable times) it was one of the most incredible efforts I have seen in a long long time....Smith showed how much playing with enthusiasm and committment to the defensive end can do.  Incredibly-- and this is what really shocked me-- is how much mentally tougher Smith was than USM.  Typically the Mainers have a solid determination...not so tonight when compared to Smith's approach.   While Solis and Drummond received the lion's share of the credit in the post-game recap----and they certainly deserved some credit---the two players who won this game were the ubiquitous Quotrocchi and her whirlwind game along with Weston off the bench who did a great job of ensuring that USM generally only got one shot at the basket.  Outstanding effort by the Pioneers....still can't figure how Babson beat them twice.   Should be interesting tomorrow night v. Ithaca