NEC

Northeast Conference Tournament Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:31:48 -0800

Robert Morris the favorite to win automatic bid By Raphielle Johnson After a season in which the race for the regular season crown came down to the last week, the Northeast Conference Tournament gets underway on Thursday. Robert Morris, regular season champions, is the favorite on paper after defeating both Sacred Heart and Wagner over the last ten days to lay claim to their first title since 1992. That year also marks the last time the Colonials qualified for the NCAA Tournament, but they will have some serious challengers for the league’s automatic bid. Wagner earned the two seed, and has an experienced nucleus with all five starters tallying at least 700 points in their careers. Sacred Heart caught fire from mid-January to early February, winning eight in a row during that period. Quinnipiac features the conference’s best scorer in DeMario Anderson, but the Bobcats will have their hands full with the conference’s best defense when they visit Mount St. Mary’s. And you can’t talk NEC Tournament without mentioning defending champion Central Connecticut State, led by senior guard Tristan Blackwood. Long Island has one of the hottest players in the league in guard Jaytornah Wisseh, and they also beat Wagner by twenty earlier in the season. Monmouth, who needed some help on the season’s last day, rounds out the eight-team field. Unlike other tournaments that play straight through, the NEC reseeds its teams after the quarters to make sure that the team with the lowest seed takes on the highest remaining seed in the semifinals. The higher seeds have home court throughout, with the semifinals on Sunday and the championship game coming on Wednesday night. Here’s a preview of the upcoming Northeast Conference Tournament. Conference computer numbers (courtesy of kenpom.com): RPI: 23rd, Average non-conference SOS: 29th, Average non-conference RPI rank: 25th. Tournament Schedule (all games played at higher seed) Quarterfinals: #8 Monmouth @ #1 Robert Morris (Thursday March 6 7 PM) #7 Long Island @ #2 Wagner (Thursday March 6 7:30 PM) #6 CCSU @ #3 Sacred Heart (Thursday March 6 7 PM) #5 Quinnipiac @ #4 Mount St. Mary’s (Thurs. March 6 7 PM) Semifinals: Sunday March 9th at higher remaining seeds, times TBA Final: Semifinal winners, Wednesday March 12 7 PM (ESPN2) #8 Monmouth @ #1 Robert Morris Category Monmouth Robert Morris Points per game 59.5 (11th in NEC) 75.5 (1st) PPG allowed 67.2 (2nd) 68.0 (4th) Field goal % 40.2 (11th) 46.7 (1st) FG % defense 43.9 (t-3rd) 43.9 (t-3rd) 3PT % 32.6 (9th) 38.4 (2nd) 3PT % defense 33.3 (3rd) 31.1 (1st) Rebound margin - 8.8 (11th) + 2.8 (3rd) Turnover margin + 0.57 (5th) + 1.94 (2nd) Category Monmouth Robert Morris Points per game Whitney Coleman (12.2) Jeremy Chappell (15.0) Rebounds per game Coleman (4.1) Tony Lee (6.9) Assists per game James Hett (3.27) Lee (6.42) FG percentage Nick Deltufo (50.0) Chappell (51.3) 3PT percentage Alex Nunner (37.8) Jimmy Langhurst (42.1) Assist/Turnover ratio Hett (1.56) Langhurst (1.86) Regular season meetings: Robert Morris 99, Monmouth 44 (January 3rd at Robert Morris) and Robert Morris 61, Monmouth 60 (January 31st at Monmouth). For Monmouth’s sake, let’s hope the third meeting this season ends up closer than the first. All signs seem to point towards a blowout, and the only shot the Hawks have at avoiding such a fate is to control the tempo for all forty minutes. That responsibility falls upon the shoulders of James Hett, who led the team in assists this season as was third in the NEC in assist-to-turnover ratio. The best offensive option for Dave Calloway’s team is junior guard Whitney Coleman, who averaged nineteen points and seven boards in two games last week. But besides Coleman, this team has had serious trouble this season putting the ball in the basket, ranking dead last in both points per game and field goal percentage. And they haven’t been too good on the boards either, ranking last in rebounding margin as well. On the other side is a hot Robert Morris squad that has won a school-record thirteen straight games for conference Coach of the Year Mike Rice. NEC Player of the Year Tony Lee leads the way, as he is the team’s best rebounder and assist man (he led the entire conference in assists per game). Besides Lee, two other Colonials average double figures in scoring: leading scorer Jeremy Chappell and A.J. Jackson (13.8 ppg). Robert Morris is the antithesis of their quarterfinal opponent on offense, leading the NEC in both points per game and field goal percentage. With their twenty-five victories, the Colonials set a school record while making Coach Rice the most successful first-year head coach in league history. It’s been fifteen years since Robert Morris last appeared in the NCAA Tournament; this team has a very good shot at ending that drought. #7 Long Island @ #2 Wagner Category Long Island Wagner Points per game 72.8 (3rd) 72.3 (5th) PPG allowed 71.7 (6th) 71.8 (7th) Field goal % 40.8 (9th) 44.7 (4th) FG % defense 44.5 (5th) 41.5 (1st) 3PT % 33.1 (8th) 32.1 (10th) 3PT % defense 31.8 (2nd) 33.4 (5th) Rebound margin + 2.6 (4th) + 5.3 (1st) Turnover margin + 0.90 (3rd) - 1.31 (8th) Category Long Island Wagner Points per game Jaytornah Wisseh (15.6) Durell Vinson (13.7) Rebounds per game Eugene Kotorobai (7.1) Vinson (11.3) Assists per game Wisseh (5.14) Mark Porter (5.55) FG percentage Kellen Allen (53.8) Vinson (55.6) 3PT percentage Kyle Johnson (38.9) Doug Elwell (37.1) Assist/Turnover ratio Wisseh (1.55) Porter (1.34) Regular season meetings: Long Island 85, Wagner 65 (January 17th at LIU) and Wagner 68, Long Island 65 (January 31st at Wagner). This quarterfinal should be a hotly-contested affair, with the two teams splitting their regular season meetings. Wagner has the advantage in regards to experience, with three senior starters in the lineup. Durell Vinson has been the catalyst this season, helping lead the Seahawks to twenty-two wins after missing all of 2006-07. The conference’s leading rebounder averages a double-double, but his one glaring weakness is the charity stripe. Vinson shoots a frigid 33.6% from the line, so if the Blackbirds have some fouls to spare they’ll be better off making him earn his points from there. Along with Vinson, Wagner’s other first-team all-conference selection was senior guard Mark Porter, who led the team in both scoring and assists this season. Mike Deane essentially employs a seven-man rotation, and their ability to hit the boards and limit the number of quality shots their opponent gets has resulted in a 22-7 mark. Long Island has four players averaging double figures in scoring, led by second-team all-conference selection Jaytornah Wisseh. Wisseh led the Blackbirds in both scoring and assists on the season, and has been playing some good basketball of late. Kellen Allen has come off the bench in every game this year, but is second on the team with 13.8 points per contest. Freshmen Kyle Johnson and David Hicks were both selected to the league’s all-rookie team, and Eugene Kotorobai led the Blackbirds in rebounding. In the twenty-point win over Wagner, LIU hit half of their shots from behind the arc (10-for-20), took 43 free throws and Eugene Kotorobai went for 24 and 11 in the win. This should be a close affair, but I like Wagner to advance to the semifinals. #6 Central Connecticut State @ #3 Sacred Heart Category CCSU Sacred Heart Points per game 69.8 (7th) 72.3 (4th) PPG allowed 67.9 (3rd) 72.4 (8th) Field goal % 45.6 (3rd) 44.4 (6th) FG % defense 44.5 (6th) 45.2 (8th) 3PT % 35.3 (5th) 34.7 (6th) 3PT % defense 36.5 (8th) 34.6 (6th) Rebound margin + 2.0 (5th) - 4.2 (9th) Turnover margin - 1.03 (7th) + 2.55 (1st) Category CCSU Sacred Heart Points per game Tristan Blackwood (16.4) Brice Brooks (12.5) Rebounds per game Marcus Palmer (5.8) Drew Shubik (5.6) Assists per game Blackwood (5.28) Shubik (5.48) FG percentage Ken Horton (54.9) Ryon Howard (52.7) 3PT percentage Blackwood (37.1) Corey Hassan (39.8) Assist/Turnover ratio Blackwood (1.49) Shubik (1.51) Regular season meetings: Sacred Heart 68, CCSU 52 (December 6th at CCSU) and CCSU 100, Sacred Heart 87 (March 2nd at Sacred Heart). Just four days after the Blue Devils spoiled Sacred Heart’s “Senior Day”, the two will meet again on the same court for the right to move one step closer to an NCAA berth. While Central was the NEC’s representative last season, Dave Bike’s Pioneers have never made an appearance in the Division I Basketball Tournament. Coming into postseason play with a two-game losing streak, the Pioneers were preseason favorites to win the conference. Then they lost Joey Henley before the season even began due to a knee injury. But thanks to the trio of Brice Brooks, Drew Shubik (a second-team all-conference selection) and Chauncey Hardy, Sacred Heart was still in the thick of the conference race through the last week of the season. Ryan Litke and Corey Hassan supply some scoring off the bench. After losing three key seniors from a championship team, CCSU finished right where the preseason predictions said they would. Howie Dickenman is considered by some to be the league’s best coach, and rightfully so. But this team gets nowhere without the play of senior guard Tristan Blackwood, the NEC’s Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection. Blackwood led the Blue Devils in nearly every offensive statistic, but he did have some help from a couple of freshmen. Rookie of the Year Shemik Thompson averaged 8.8 points and 3.2 assists per game, and fellow all-rookie selection Ken Horton led the conference in blocks (2.1 per game). Horton also led the Blue Devils in field goal percentage. Joe Seymore and Marcus Palmer are the other two CCSU players averaging double figures in points. The two rivals played in last season’s championship game, won by the Blue Devils. But that game was in New Britain, and I don’t think they’ll put together another performance like they did on Sunday at Sacred Heart’s floor. #5 Quinnipiac @ #4 Mount St. Mary’s Category Quinnipiac Mount St. Mary’s Points per game 74.3 (2nd) 68.2 (8th) PPG allowed 75.0 (10th) 66.8 (1st) Field goal % 46.3 (2nd) 44.4 (5th) FG % defense 44.7 (7th) 42.0 (2nd) 3PT % 39.2 (1st) 36.7 (3rd) 3PT % defense 36.6 (9th) 33.4 (4th) Rebound margin + 5.0 (2nd) - 1.7 (8th) Turnover margin - 2.55 (10th) + 0.79 (4th) Category Quinnipiac Mount St. Mary’s Points per game DeMario Anderson (21.7) Chris Vann (15.1) Rebounds per game Anderson (6.4) Markus Mitchell (5.9) Assists per game Anderson (3.19) Jeremy Goode (5.64) FG percentage Justin Rutty (59.2) Sam Atupem (52.4) 3PT percentage Bryan Geffen (40.9) Vann (40.4) Assist/Turnover ratio Casey Cosgrove (1.35) Goode (1.65) Regular season meetings: Quinnipiac 70, Mount St. Mary’s 59 (January 10th at Quinnipiac) and Mount St. Mary’s 77, Quinnipiac 70 (February 16th at The Mount). Defeating Quinnipiac usually boils down to one task: stop DeMario Anderson. Well, many have tried and failed in this mission, as the senior led the conference in scoring and the Bobcats in both rebounds and assists as well. His latest claim to fame was a half-court game-winner at Central Connecticut State, spoiling the “Senior Night” of his former school. The only other player to average double figures for Tom Moore was freshman Evann Baker (11.1), a member of the league’s all-rookie team. But that doesn’t mean that these are the only two scorers for QU. Six players average between 6.5 and 8.2 points per game this season. Quinnipiac has the conference’s second-best offense, and they lead the league in three-point shooting. But they can sometimes show indifference on the defensive end, something that has gotten them in trouble at times this year. Mount St. Mary’s, on the other hand, is the conference’s premier defensive team. The Mountaineers led the conference in points per game allowed and were second behind Wagner in field goal percentage defense. On offense, Milan Brown’s squad is led by the backcourt tandem of Chris Vann and Jeremy Goode. Goode, the team’s second leading scorer, was The Mount’s leading assist man as well. Will Holland is second on the team in three point attempts, and only 98 of his 258 shot attempts this season came from inside the arc. The key in this game will be the offensive production of Vann. In the first meeting, Vann went 2-7 from the field as the Bobcats won at home. In the rematch, Vann scored twenty points on 6-13 shooting from the field. If he’s involved, The Mount can negate Anderson’s scoring (he averaged 22 points per game in the two meetings). If not, then QU can pull out the road win. My pick to win the tournament: Robert Morris.

NYC Metro Preview & Ranking

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 01:02:32 -0800
No one follows the team in the NYC Metropolitan area more than Raphielle Johnson. He previews the 19 local teams and ranks them throughout the season.

Click each link for a full preview.

1. Seton Hall

2. Fordham

3. Marist

4. Yale

5. Hofstra

6. Columbia

7. Fairfield

8. Wagner

9. Army

10. Manhattan

11. St Francis (NY)

12. St. John's

13. Iona

14. Sacred Heart

15. Stony Brook

16. St Peter's

17. FDU

18. LIU

19. New Jersey Tech

Early conference action...and Villanova steals one (or has one handed to them)

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 22:35:48 -0800
In the era of the "superconference", more leagues are tipping off conference games in the month of December. Tonight, the MAAC, NEC, Ohio Valley and Horizon all had at least one conference game on tap. And with this being a blog on the northeast, I'll focus on the MAAC and NEC openers. Niagara 89, Rider 77 Even with the losses of key players such as Clif Brown, Lorenzo Miles and J.R. Duffey, Coach Mihalich's Purple Eagles can still put some points on the board. To be frank, I'm not sure if anyone could have stopped Charron Fisher tonight. The senior forward, who to be honest may be closer to 6-2 than his listed 6-4, dropped 36 on the Broncs up in Niagara Falls. Two other telling stats from this one: Niagara shot 22-24 from the foul line, and of Rider's 30 rebounds the Thompson brothers had 22. Both put up double-doubles (Jason: 25 and 10; Ryan: 12 and 12), and Ryan should be right up there when you talk about some of the more versatile players in the northeast. But if they don't get more help on the glass (no other Bronc had more than two boards), they're going to have a tough time separating themselves in the middle of a practically wide-open MAAC. Mount St. Mary's 73, Long Island 55 Two questions concerning the Blackbirds in this one: how on Earth does Jaytornah Wisseh only take four shots; and do really expect to win a game when you shoot 13-29 from the charity stripe? Kellen Allen went a putrid 3-11, and Ronald Manigault wasn't much better with his 3-8. On all fronts, this was just a horrible shooting night at the Mount for LIU. 35% from the field and 4-18 from distance. With James Williams graduating, struggles on offense aren't a big surprise, but they've got to shoot better than this once NEC play hits full-tilt in January. Sacred Heart 68, CCSU 52 Just when I was ready to mail it in on the Crusaders, they soundly defeat the defending NEC champs up in New Britain. Of course, similar to the outfit at Florida it's unfair to compare CCSU this season to last year, but this is a good win for a team that lost one of its best players for the season in Joey Henley. Drew Shubik and Brice Brooks combined for 39 points in the win, an effort that the two may have to repeat quite often to offset the loss of Henley. Central will have to lean heavily on Tristan Blackwood for offense, but he was 2-10 from the field in this one. The Blue Devils will be able to defend, but where will the offense come from this year? Quinnipiac 90, St. Francis (NY) 79 Lots of scoring, lots of turnovers as well. The two teams combined for forty-three turnovers, but it was SFNY's poor shooting (37% from the field) combined with allowing Quinnipiac to shoot 55% that decided this one. No Terrier who took more than five shots shot the ball well. Jamaal Womack: 6-19, Robert Hines: 4-17 and Ricky Cadell: 4-12. But to focus on their shortcomings in this one would mean ignoring the solid all-around perfomance from Marcus Williams (10 pts, 7 rebounds, 7 assists). The Bobcats got 25 from DeMario Anderson, and three others reached double figures. I don't think it's a stretch to say at this point in the season that Anderson is the NEC's best perimeter scorer. So, what can we learn from these early conference games? To be honest, not sure if you learn too much more than you would with a non-conference game at this stage. Of course, there are some things that you can pinpoint, but with almost a month between the next conference game (some leagues will in fact have each member play two league games this month) the teams you see now may not look the same in a month. Lastly, still trying to make sense of the two Big East/SEC Invitational games in Philly tonight. Which Providence team will show up on a nightly basis is anyone's guess. Yeah, they had a shot to get the game to overtime, but they didn't play well at all against South Carolina. The Friars made a run in the second half thanks to ten minutes without a turnover combined with USC going 6 minutes without a field goal, but why can't they play with that kind of intensity for all forty minutes? It was an issue against BC as well as URI this past week, and if they want to think NCAA in March this has to be rectified. And I don't think it's as simple an answer as getting Sharaud Curry back when he returns. As for Villanova's comeback, they showed a good deal of mental toughness in coming back from 21 down. But let's be honest here: if LSU's guards show any kind of poise late, the SEC leaves Philly with a sweep. Anthony Randolph fouling out certainly didn't help the Tigers, but he and Chris Johnson can't be counted on to break the pressure as well as block shots. And I'm hoping that Antonio Pena sees a little more playing time as the season wears on. That's all I've got for now, good night.

Preseason Poll: Who Will Win the Northeast Conference?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 20:42:07 -0700

Metro Basketball Report: NEC Championship

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0800
In tonight’s Northeast Conference championship game, Central Connecticut State and Sacred Heart will get together to determine who will represent the league in the NCAA Tournament. While the regular season champion Blue Devils have been in the position before, having won two of their previous four (2000, 2002) championship games, this is all new to the Pioneers. While Sacred Heart, led for the past 29 years by Dave Bike, has made thirteen appearances in the Division II NCAA Tournament, the two wins in this year’s NEC Tournament were the first two ever for the program at the Division I level. The game, which starts at 7 PM EST, will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 form Detrick Gymnasium in New Britain, CT as a result of CCSU winning the regular season crown.

Game: #2 Sacred Heart vs. #1 Central Connecticut State

The Road to the Championship: Sacred Hart defeated Wagner 100-68 in the quarterfinals and Quinnipiac 83-6 in the semis. Central defeated St. Francis (NY) 79-61 and Mount St. Mary’s 74-68 to reach this point.

Previous Appearances: CCSU is 2-2 all-time in NEC title games with wins in 2000 (Robert Morris) and 2002 (Quinnipiac), and losses in 1999 (Mount St. Mary’s) and 2004 (Monmouth). Tonight is Sacred Heart’s first appearance in the NEC title game.

Team Leaders: Sacred Heart: Points (Sr. G Jarrid Frye-13.2 ppg); Rebounds (Jr. F Brice Brooks-6.2 rpg); Assists (Drew Shubik-4.0 apg). CCSU: Points (Jr. G Tristan Blackwood-17.2 ppg); Rebounds (Sr. F Obie Nwadike-10.9 rpg); Assists (Blackwood-4.1 apg).

SHU is the deeper of the two teams, going with a rotation of nine or ten players as opposed to CCSU, who goes seven deep. With a league-high average of 78.8 points per game (81.2 in conference games), the Pioneers will look to get out and run at any opportunity in order to take advantage of their number of contributors. While CCSU has guys more than capable of putting the ball in the basket in Blackwood, Nwadike and senior guard Javier Mojica (NEC Player of the Year), they would much rather play this game in the half court and rely on their tough defense. Blackwood was also name Co-Defensive Player of the Year in the NEC, and the aforementioned Blue Devil trio made CCSU the first team ever to place three players on the league’s first team all-conference squad.

Tonight’s game will be a classic matchup between the league’s best offensive and defensive teams, but the game may hinge on what Sacred Heart can do defensively to slow down Central. The Pioneers had the worst scoring defense in the NEC in conference games, giving up an average of 77.4 points per game. But since this number is just as much a product of their up and down style, the more important number to look at would be the 46.7% that they allowed opponents to shoot in conference games. These are also the two best three-point shooting teams in the NEC in terms of percentage. This should be an exciting affair, but in the end I like Central’s defense and the home court advantage to carry the day. Blue Devils by 7.

Big East First Round: #11 St. John’s vs. #6 Marquette

Time: Approx. 9 PM EST (ESPN)

Team Leaders: St. John’s: Points (Lamont Hamilton-13.4 ppg); Rebounds (Hamilton-6.5 rpg); Assists (Eugene Lawrence-5.4 apg). Marquette: Points (Dominic James-14.9 ppg); Rebounds (Ousmane Barro-7.0 rpg); Assists (James-4.9 apg).

Two teams who did not meet in the regular season get together in the final opening round game of the day at the Big East Tournament in New York. Both come off home wins in their season finale, with Marquette getting twenty from reserve guard David Cubillan in their 75-71 win over Pitt, and St. John’s dealing a significant blow to Providence’s NCAA hopes with a 77-64 win on Sunday. When senior guard Daryll Hill was lost to a knee injury a month ago, it was thought that the Red Storm would have a tough time scoring sixty points on a consistent basis. But players like Avery Patterson and Qa’rraan Calhoun have stepped up for head coach Norm Roberts of late. Calhoun, a freshman from Hazlet, NJ scored twenty-one in the regular season finale. This team still has offensive issues, but how they defend the Marquette guards will be the story of this game.

Marquette counters with one of the deeper backcourts in the nation, led by a banged-up Dominic James. But in their win over Pitt last Saturday night, it was David Cubillan who came in and stole the show. Cubillan dropped twenty off the bench to supplement the twenty of Wesley Matthews, but it’s the health of Jerel McNeal that’s of the utmost importance to Tom Crean’s Golden Eagles. Due to a thumb injury in practice last Friday, McNeal missed the Pitt game and will most likely be out for the first round matchup tonight. Getting James untracked to go along with contributions from other players will have a major impact on how far Marquette can go in this tournament as well as their seeding for the NCAA Tournament.

Turnovers and rebounding will tell the story in this one. Marquette is second in the Big East in steals (9.3 spg); while St. John’s ranks thirteenth in the league in assist to turnover ratio (0.94). And despite their overall lack of height, the Golden Eagles rank second in the conference in offensive rebounds, pulling down 14.5 per game. With St. John’s ranking fourteenth in rebound margin, the Red Storm must control the defensive glass if they want to move on to Thursday. The winner will face the three seed Pittsburgh on Thursday. I like Marquette by 8.

Atlantic 10 First Round: #12 Richmond vs. #5 Fordham

Time: Approx. 2:30 PM EST

Team Leaders: Richmond: Points (Dan Geriot-11.3 ppg); Rebounds (Gaston Moliva-4.0 rpg); Assists (Brian Morris-2.8 apg). Fordham: Points (Marcus Stout-15.5 ppg); Rebounds (Bryant Dunston-7.4 rpg); Assists (Kevin Anderson-4.0 apg).

Fordham looks to avoid a letdown in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament in Atlantic City, taking on a young Richmond club that gave the Rams all they wanted in a 58-55 Fordham win back on January 6^th. Both teams are relatively young, but the difference for Fordham is that the guys they’ve relied on all year are primarily juniors, while the top four scorers for the Spiders are freshmen. Leading scorer Dan Geriot was named to the league’s All-Rookie Team. Knowing this, it would be easy o count this as a win for the Rams, but keep in mind that over the last month Richmond has knocked off Duquesne, St. Joseph’s and Rhode Island. But all those games were at home, so it remains to be seen what a young team that’s gone 2-11 away from home this year can do in a tournament setting.

Fordham arrives in Atlantic City with the school’s highest seed ever for the Atlantic 10 Tournament, getting the five seed. Neither team is very proficient when it comes to rebounding, but while the Rams finished 12^th in that category (32.4 rpg), the Spiders were dead last with their 24.0 boards per game. If Fordham can take advantage of Bryant Dunston on the block, they should move on to face Rhode Island on Thursday. But then again, you never know what can happen this time of the year. I like Fordham by 12.

Northeast Conference Tournament Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0800
In what has been a topsy-turvy season for the majority of the Northeast Conference, it’s fitting that seeds along with who would play in the league’s conference tournament were not fully decided until the season’s last day. In a turn of events similar to the good fortunes experienced by the Kansas City Chiefs, St. Francis (NY) snagged the eight seed in the tournament by combining a win over Fairleigh Dickinson with losses by both Monmouth and Long Island. Sacred Heart got the two seed thanks to a win over Quinnipiac on the final day of the season, dropping the Bobcats to the three spot. And in a three-way tie for fourth in the league standings, Robert Morris was able to get the important quarterfinal home game over both Mount St. Mary’s and Fairleigh Dickinson. The only two teams that knew where they would be seeded were Wagner (seventh) and regular season champ Central Connecticut State. Just like the regular season, expect some surprises in this conference tournament.

Format: The top eight teams in the NEC qualify for this event, with the higher seeds hosting each game. After the quarterfinals, the four remaining teams are “re-seeded” so the highest remaining team plays the lowest remaining team in terms of seeding.

Dates: March 1^st, 4^th, 7^th

Quarterfinal Matchups: #8 St. Francis (NY) @ #1 Central Connecticut State (7 PM)

#7 Wagner @ #2 Sacred Heart (7 PM)

#6 Fairleigh Dickinson @ #3 Quinnipiac (7 PM)

#5 Mount St. Mary’s @ #4 Robert Morris (7:30 PM)

Semifinals (March 4^th): Lowest remaining seed @ highest remaining seed (time TBA)

3^rd Highest remaining seed @ 2^nd highest remaining seed (time TBA)

Final (March 7^th): At highest remaining seed (7 PM, ESPN2)

St. Francis (NY) @ Central Connecticut State

The Terriers found a way into the NEC Tournament when it looked like Brian Nash’s group was doomed to another year of missing out. They got some help in qualifying, but that would take away from the fact that the Terriers have been playing some good basketball down the stretch. They are the best rebounding team in the conference, something that they will need to rely on in order to compete with the tenacious Blue Devils. Forward Robert Hines has been one of the best players in the NEC over the past month, and the coaches took note of this in voting him second team all conference. The Terriers are the deeper team, but they’re going to have a tough time leaving New Britain with a win, but they did manage to go 4-5 on the road in league play.

CCSU boasts the league’s player of the year (Javier Mojica), two other members of the league’s first-team all conference squad (Tristan Blackwood, Obie Nwadike), as well as the coach of the year in the NEC (Howie Dickenman). As the top seed in the NEC Tournament, the Blue Devils are a perfect 6-0 all-time, and they went 9-0 at home during conference play this season. You don’t see much from this team in terms of sheer numbers when it comes to their depth, but they get quality out of each player expected to contribute. That’s why they’re the regular season champions. SFNY’s chances will hinge on how they contain Blackwood and Mojica, as well as the Terriers dominating the boards.

Wagner @ Sacred Heart

Wagner and Sacred Heart had two close encounters during the regular season with the home team winning both. This isn’t good news for a Wagner team that went 3-6 on the road in NEC play. Matt Vitale is the only member of the Seahawks to have won this tournament, but junior forward James Ulrich has been the team’s bell cow of late, and he averaged a double-double against the Pioneers this season. Wagner is a better rebounding team than the Pioneers, and this is an area that they will have to take advantage of if they want to have a chance to win.

Sacred Heart is the NEC’s best offensive team, leading the league in points per game (77.9) and three-point percentage (38.3%) while finishing second in the conference in field goal percentage (47.6%). First-team all conference selection Jarrid Frye has led the team in scoring, but he’s received help from freshman backcourt partner Chauncey Hardy. In their last game, and 87-84 win over Quinnipiac on Monday night, five Pioneers scored in double figures. SHU is a very gifted team on the offensive end with a plethora of options to turn to when they need a bucket. The Seahawks will have their hands full on the defensive end, but they should be able to score some points.

Fairleigh Dickinson @ Quinnipiac

In one of two games that are rematches of quarterfinals in last season’s tournament, FDU visits the Bobcats in a game that should go down to the wire like last season’s affair. A Gordon Klaiber bucket saved the Knights, but they head into this one as the underdog as opposed to the tournament’s top seed. Senior forward Andre Harris, a first-team All NEC selection, has scored in double figures in every game this season, so look for the Bobcats to focus their defensive efforts on him. Although head coach Tom Green lost the likes of Klaiber and Andrea Crosariol from last season’s regular season champs, he does have some experience on this team. Guard Cameron Tyler, third in the NEC in assists this season, was a part of last season’s success as well.

Quinnipiac has a pair of high-octane guards in senior Adam Gonzalez and junior DeMario Anderson, but they also receive notable contributions from forward Chris Wehye and center Victor Akinyanju. Head coach Joe DeSantis has gone about ten deep throughout the season, so foul trouble shouldn’t be too much of an issue for the Bobcats. Their issue will be finding points outside of Gonzalez and Anderson if those two have trouble hitting their shots. The two teams are about even on the glass, but Quinnipiac tends to turn the ball over more at a clip of sixteen per game. Turnovers and how much each team scores off their opponents mistakes will decide which team moves on.

Mount St. Mary’s @ Robert Morris

These two teams will meet for the sixth time in the past two seasons, and the games tend to be close affairs, including a 67-66 win for Robert Morris in last season’s NEC quarterfinals. Mount St. Mary’s went a putrid 3-14 on the road this season, with their only two road wins in the NEC being over two teams (LIU, St. Francis-PA) that didn’t qualify for the conference tournament. Senior guard Mychal Kearse is the team’s leader, and he scored twenty-one in their 81-78 loss at RMC earlier this season. Kearse, who was voted the league’s co-defensive player of the year, has help in the backcourt in the form of freshman Jeremy Goode. The question for the Mount will be how they do rebounding the basketball; they were the third worst team in the NEC in that category.

Robert Morris, preseason pick to win the NEC, has won the most conference tournament titles of any team in the league with five. Unfortunately for the Colonials, however, none of which have come after 1992. Sophomore guard Jeremy Chappell was the hero in last season’s quarterfinal win over the Mount with a three pointer late in regulation. But it was forward A.J. Jackson and guard Tony Lee who were voted onto the conference’s second team due to their play this season. Of the two teams, the Colonials do a much better job of holding onto the ball, and this along with having home court should help them out.

MAAC title on the line this morning

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 07:16:13 -0800
In a game that can be seen on ESPN2 at 11 am EST, Siena will visit Marist in hopes of winning a share of the MAAC regular season title. A Siena win today would also give surprising Niagara a shot at the title, so long as the Purple Eagles, winners of their last seven, take care of Rider on Sunday. Siena's Kenny Hasbrouck and Marist's Jared Jordan make up one of the better guard matchups in a game this season, but whichever team can get something from their bench today will win this one. Of the two teams, Marist (12-0 when their bench outscores the opponent's reserves) gets a little more on the average from their reserves, such as Wilfred "Spongy" Benjamin and Shae McNamara. Foul trouble, especially to the big men on both teams, could force both coaches to go past their comfort levels when it comes to how to use their bench. Due to the home court advantage, I like the Red Foxes to claim their first outright MAAC title ever. And if you're a Red Fox fan going to the game, be sure to wear white. The Ivy League race, if games go as expected today, will come down to Yale at Penn next Friday night. I, like many, expected the Quakers to simply run away with the league's automatic bid without much of a challenge (especially with the way that Princeton has played at times this year). But this could be a sign that the Ivy won't be "Penn, Princeton and the other guys" from now on. Yale head coach James Jones has to be up for consideration when voting for league coach of the year, and the duo of Casey Hughes and Eric Flato has played good basketball all season. All that's needed now is a Senior Night win over Columbia to set the stage for next Friday. In the NEC, Sacred Heart got themselves a huge win at Monmouth last night, led by a 16-0 second half run sparked by guards Chauncey Hardy and Drew Shubik. The Pioneers will play Quinnipiac in a battle for the two seed in the NEC Tournament, important due to the fact that the two position guarantees two home games (so long as you win of course). Who can challenge Central Connecticut State for the league's automatic bid? I'd probably look at the three right below them in the standings (SHU, Quinnipiac and FDU). While a Mount St. Mary's or Robert Morris is capable of pulling an upset, and Monmouth is the defending tournament champ, I don't see those three providing much of a challenge to the Blue Devils. As a matter of fact, Monmouth needs either a win or an LIU loss to make sure that they qualify for the tournament. A loss combined with an LIU win puts the Blackbirds into the NEC Tournament, thanks to their 82-78 win over the Hawks back on February 20th.

Interesting interpretation of "bench decorum" in Omaha

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 22:52:28 -0800
Am I the only person watching the Drexel/Creighton game tonight that was confused about the emphasis on "bench decorum"? Each head coach, Bruiser Flint of Drexel and Dana Altman of Creighton, was T'd up in this BracketBusters game that the visiting Dragons eventually won 64-58. Altman's technical, in which he was called for being about six inches outside of the coaches box, brought back memories of Dean Smith getting a T for the same offense in the 1991 Final Four. Coach Altman said nothing to the official to warrant this call, just happened to do something that coaches throughout the nation have been doing for years. Drexel went on a run after this, and things seemed to be going well for the Dragons until Coach Flint found himself on the wrong side of the whistle when yelling at his player for a foolish reach-in foul. Jumping into the air and yelling at his guy wouldn't have been a problem (nor should it be) had an official not been right next ot Flint. Luckily for Drexel, they were able to hold on despite some horrific foul shooting (at one point they had missed five straight from the charity stripe). The actual turning point? Anthony Tolliver picking up his fourth foul with the Blue Jays firmly in control halfway through the second half. From there Frank Elegar took over inside, and Dominic Mejia knocked down some shots from the outside. Can Drexel grab an at-large out of the Colonial? This result definitely helps, but I think they need to at least win out in the regular season then make a decent run in the CAA Tournament. But while the Dragons helped themselves out in terms of an at-large resume, conference bretheren VCU did some serious damage to their hopes by losing to Bradley at home. VCU doesn't have the non-conference resume that shots "at-large", so getting that win at home on Saturday would have been huge. But thanks to Jeremy Crouch (22 points) and Daniel Ruffin (19 points), a chance to add a solid non-conference win to their credentials escaped VCU. Holy Cross and Hofstra got together on the Island and played an exciting game that was decided by Carlos Rivera in the end. The third memeber of the vaunted Hofstra attack (you don't hear his name as much as that of Loren Stokes and Antoine Agudio) knocked down two free throws with 1.7 seconds remaining, then blocked a Keith Simmons jump shot as time expired. Take nothing away from the Pride, but you have to wonder how this game would have gone had Holy Cross big man Tim Clifford not fouled out with nearly seven minutes left in the game. Both teams head back to conference play with hopes of winning an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. I like Holy Cross' chances in the Patriot League, especially if they can get the top seed, ensuring home court throughout the tournament. While all this was going on with BracketBusters, two things happened in the NEC. 1. Fairleigh Dickinson knocked off Central Connecticut State 66-60, ending the Blue Devils' 12-game win streak. It was a tale of two half, with CCSU sprinting out to a 34-21 halftime lead. FDU, led by Cameron Tyler, outscored the Blue Devils 45-26 in the second half. Of course it's too late for anyone to catch CCSU atop the conference standings, but at least this game puts to rest the idea that CCSU would go unchallenged for the league's automatic bid. They'll have home court throughout, but FDU moved within one game of Quinnipiac for second place, and that position would guarantee two home games. Next week is the end of the regular season for that conference, so we'll see what happens there. Happening #2 in the NEC: St. Francis (NY) 102, Robert Morris 97 in double overtime. After their disappointing effort at St. Francis (PA) on Thursday, you'd have a hard time convincing me that the Terriers would be able to knock off the Colonials, but behind Jamaal Womack's 31 points SFNY got it done. It's probably too late for the Terriers to get to eighth place in the NEC (only the top eight qualify for the conference tournament), but they look a lot better than they did last season. Look for SFNY to make a move in 2007-08. Lastly, Dwight Howard was robbed. If height is going to be the determining factor in how the judges view a dunk then they should put a height limit in the rules. If I were a talented big man in the NBA like Howard, I'd most likely sit out the dunk contest at this point. Good night. And Charles Barkley has a little gas left in the tank, but I'm not so sure about Michael Cooper.

I owe Yale an apology

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 22:11:30 -0800
I begin this blog with a quote from my last post: "Although you normally want to wait until a team plays more than two games to state that they are the clear favorite to win their conference, can anybody truly challenge Penn at the top of the Ivy League? Preseason prognosticators tabbed Princeton to finish second, but they're sitting in last place right now. Maybe Cornell or Yale? Who knows, but I'll take the Quakers over the field." (January 29th) Whoops. After this weekend's games (a sweep of Princeton and Penn), James Jones' Yale Bulldogs are atop the Ivy League with a 5-1 conference record. Yale is led by the tandem of guard Eric Flato and guard/forward Casey Hughes. This is an experienced ballclub that should hang around for the duration of the season and challenge for the league's automatic bid. They've played two more games than Penn, which explains the two-game lead in the win column (they're tied in the loss category), and they've got the Columbia/Cornell road swing this coming weekend. If they can get through that with at least a split, if not a sweep, the Bulldogs have their next four games at home. The season ends with games at Penn and Princeton, and those games could indeed decide who represents the Ivy in the NCAA Tournament. In the MAAC, preseason favorite Marist has gotten themselves into quite a jam in the standings. They're only one game behind Loyola (MD) thanks to their win over the Greyhounds on Saturday, but they're 2-3 record in the last five games has put them into a tougher spot when it comes to seeding for the MAAC Tournament. 2 1/2 games separate second place from eighth in the standings, and seeds 7-10 get to play on the first day of the tournament. With the improvement of teams like Niagara and Fairfield since the beginning of the year, the last weeks of the regular season will be a sight to behold. The only given at this point is that St. Peter's and Iona will occupy the bottom two spots in the standings. Also, congrats to the Iona Gaels, who got their first win of the season on Saturday in a 79-67 win over Rider. Given the mentality of head coach Jeff Ruland, the celebration on the court was probably short-lived, and look out for this team in Bridgeport. One and done scenario, a team that many won't expect much from...a recipe of an upset or two. Or maybe even a run to the tournament crown. The Duquesne story just gets better by the week. Given the offseason turmoil experienced by the Dukes in the first year of the Ron Everhart era, another year of futility was expected. But after wins over Xavier and St. Bonaventure, the Dukes are sitting in the middle of the Atlantic 10 standings at 5-4 in the league. Although they're only two games out of first place, a championship would be too much to ask. But as this program grows and they get players healthy, look out. Speaking of the A-10, Rhode Island head coach Jim Baron may be well on his way to claiming the league's Coach of the Year award. It's one thing to improve your conference win total from one year to the next. But to do it with a completely different style of play? URI under Baron had always preferred a half-court style of play, but this year they're getting it done with an up-tempo style. Jimmy Baron (yes, he's the coach's son), Will Daniels and Kaheim Seawright are the main offensive threats. But I have no way of explaining the 45-44 win at Fordham on Saturday. Let's just give them credit for finding a way to win in spite of shooting 28% from the field. Two games in the next week will go a long way in deciding the Patriot and America East: Holy Cross at Bucknell (2/9) and Vermont at Albany (2/11). In both matchups, so long as all teams involved take care of business, the first place team will visit the team right behind them in the standings. In the NEC, two games separate second place from eighth, but the actual story may be that eighth place (Wagner) has 2.5 games between themselves and ninth place. Keep in mind that only the top eight teams in the standings qualify for the conference tournament. In order for LIU to pass Wagner, they would need to finish a full game ahead of the Seahawks given Wagner's season sweep of the Blackbirds.

First Weekend of Conference Play Full of Surprises

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 21:32:14 -0800
The first college basketball weekend of 2007 has delivered some interesting results. First off, how many people expected Hartford and Maryland-Baltimore County to be on top of America East after the first weekend of play? The Hawks, led by first-year head coach Dan Leibovitz, won a 62-60 thriller at Maine on opening night, then followed that win with an 80-75 double-OT home win over Boston University. The Hawks only have two seniors on the roster, so it would be understandable if people looked to their future instead of the present. Of course the two seniors, forwards Bo Taylor and Alex Zimnickas, are important contributors, but the Hawks also have some solid youngsters playing a part in their success. Freshman guard Joe Zeglinski is the team's second leading scorer, and sophomores Jaret Von Rosenberg, Michael Turner and Fabrice Tafo combined for 26 points off the bench in their win at Maine. A young team has its bumps in the road, but the future could be now for the Hawks. As for the Retrievers of UMBC, at first glance winning their first two league games on the road would be a surprise. But when you factor in that they have played 11 of their first 15 games on the road this year, it's not such a shock. In their 72-53 win at struggling Stony Brook, the Retrievers outscored SBU 47-24 in the second half. Five players average at least 8.5 points per game, led by junior guard Brian Hodges' 15.4 per game. Just like Hartford, who can really predict whether or not the 6-9 Retrievers can keep this momentum rolling remains to be seen, especially for a team that essentially goes six deep (Chris Seaborn and Uwem Eshietedoho play less than 14 minutes per game each). I wish I would have suggested Uwem's name for our all-name team. St. Joseph's and Rhode Island lead the A-10 right now, but how about some love for the Duquesne Dukes, 73-63 winners at St. Louis on Saturday. We all know the story of the campus party shooting this past offseason and the depleted roster as a result. But give first-year head coach Ron Everhart and his staff credit, and the players as well, for competing and not feeling sorry for themselves. Will they compete for a league title? Doubtful, but things are looking up for this program and they will show up every night to play. Raise your hand if you thought that before the season started West Virginia and Providence would be two of the Big East's four undefeated teams (in league play) after the first full weekend of conference play? If your hand is raised you're either a fan of either team, or you're lying. Frank Young has played lights out in the Mountaineers' three Big East wins, games against UConn, Villanova and St. John's that haven't been close at all. Joe Alexander and Da'Sean Butler make for an imposing head of John Beilein's 1-3-1 zone due to their size and length, and Darris Nichols has been solid at the point. Do not sleep on this team come March. As for Providence, they hit a bump in the road against Florida State in their first game without suspended guard Sharaud Curry (92-62 is a significant bump), but they have recovered to take care of both Marquette and Seton Hall at home. Geoff McDermott is one of the more underrated forwards in the nation, for he can do it all. And big man Herbert Hill has improved substantially, an essential development for a team without the services of its best post player from last season (Randall Hanke). Next up for the Friars is a trip to inconsistent Louisville, and Curry reportedly (according to the Providence Journal-Bulletin) will be back for that one. Providence has a chance in their next four games (at UL, at Seton Hall, Rutgers, Villanova) to play themselves into good position for an NCAA Tournament bid, so long as Tim Welsh and his staff find a way to combine Curry's return with the improved play of his replacement, freshman Dwain Williams. In the CAA, did anyone expect to see George Mason tied for last at 0-3? The Patriots lost a lot from last season's Final Four team, so the early results should underscore just how important seniors are for programs in non-BCS leagues (Not that seniors aren't improtant to BCS leagues, but the nouveau riche programs seem to have an easier time recruiting). Of the four teams at the top of the CAA, whose schedule would I not want this week? Hofstra. The Pride get Old Dominion at home Monday night, then visit Drexel on Thursday. We'll see if Tom Pecora's bunch can do enough on the glass in those two showdowns, a signifcant change from their first three conference games against schools (Georgia State, UNC Wilmington and Delaware) with a combined league record of 1-8 to this point. Sacred Heart and FDU lead the NEC, but with only one winless team in league play (St. Francis NY), this should be a wild winter in that league. The top eight qualify for the conference tournament, and seeding determines home court for each round, so every game will be of the utmost importance. An interesting note on the NEC is that only Robert Morris (10-3) and Fairleigh Dickinson (7-6) have overall records above .500. Sacred Heart is currently 7-7, so the league winner could find themselves in the opening round game in Dayton (Ken Pomeroy ranks the NEC 30th out of 32 leagues in his conference RPI). Siena leads the MAAC at 4-0 in conference play, but unfortunately for Iona the watch continues. The Gaels, the nation's lone winless team at 0-13, visit preseason favorite Marist Tuesday night. I don't see them winning that one, but a home game with rival Manhattan may be enough to get this team going on Friday night. Not to mention the inconsistent play of the Jaspers this season, you never know what could happen. Just keep playing hard guys. Also, how many other teams in the nation are as thankful for their four-year transfers as Loyola (MD)? Gerald Brown (Providence)and Omari Isreal (Notre Dame) have been key contributors for Jimmy Patsos this season, and the Greyhounds could make some noise come MAAC Tournament time. I almost forgot to mention the fact that Providence honored Dave Gavitt on Saturday night, naming the Dunkin Donuts Center court "Dave Gavitt Court". For a man that played such an instrumental role in the success of the Providence program, as well as the members of the Big East, it is an honor well deserved. Thank you for your contributions to the game Mr. Gavitt. Lastly, a note on a team outside of the northeast. I'm glad that I once again drank the Oregon "Kool-Aid". They've burned me in the past, but I think things will be different this year. It remains to be seen how the return of Malik Hairston affects this squad when that time comes. Good night.