UMBC

Bracket Tactics: Sunday's Tip of the Day

Jon Teitel — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 20:23:39 -0700

Leading up to the 2008 NCAA Tournament, we'll be presenting daily tips to help you fill in your bracket.

Today's Bracket Tactic

FACT: While #15 seeds are 4-88 in the 1^st round of the NCAA Tournament since 1985, and 0-4 in the 2^nd round, the 4 Cinderellas who did win a game each entered the tourney having gone 9-1 in their last 10 games, and had an overall winning percentage of 80% or less.

BRACKET TIP: American, Austin Peay, and UMBC each fit these criteria, while Belmont exceeds it by virtue of winning each of their last 13 games.

So, if you are feeling lucky, feel free to pick 1 of these 4 teams to wear the glass slipper in round 1, but under no circumstances should you pick any of them to advance to the Sweet 16.

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Team of the Moment: UMBC

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 11:22:57 -0700

UMBC 24-8 (13-3 America East) Computer numbers (through Friday courtesy of kenpom.com): RPI 91, SOS 270. Result today: Defeated Hartford 82-65 to win the America East Tournament. In a game matching two programs who had never even played in a conference tournament final, the homestanding Retrievers rode 59% shooting from the field to wrap up their first-ever NCAA Tournament bid. Four players reached double figures, led by Darryl Proctor's 23 points. How hot were the Retrievers in this one? They outrebounded the Hawks 29-15, which underscores just how well they shot the ball. So where does this leave UMBC in regards to seeding tomorrow? I'd say a 15, with an outside shot at a 14 depending on what happens in the Big West, for example. If UC Irvine upsets Cal State Fullerton, that could create an opportunity for a team like UMBC to slide up a seed line. But hey, enjoy the moment. Congrats to the Retrievers on their title. One the clock: Virginia Tech. The Hokies are currently locked up with North Carolina in the day's first ACC semifinal. Tech currently leads 38-36 with about a minute left in the first half. Win and you're in. Lose...who knows what happens.

2008 NCAA Tournament Capsule: UMBC

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:30:08 -0700

Maryland Baltimore County Retrievers

America East (24-8, 13-3)

Big Wins: 11/17 at Richmond (70-68), 11/29 Morgan State (84-76), 12/1 at American (83-68)

Bad Losses: 12/11 at Central Connecticut State (54-58), 1/12 Maine (74-77), 1/19 at Binghamton (59-62)

Last NCAA Appearance: none

Coach: Randy Monroe (First NCAA appearance)

Probable Starters:

Jay Greene, Junior, Guard, 8.8 ppg, 7.3 apg

Ray Barbosa, Senior, Guard, 16.9 ppg, 2.1 apg, 4.1 rpg

Matt Spadafora, Sophomore, Guard, 6.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg

Darryl Proctor, Junior, Forward, 15.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg

Justin Fry, Sophomore, Forward, 4.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

Brian Hodges, Senior, Guard, 14.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg

Cavell Johnson, Senior, Forward, 13.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:

Much of UMBC’s success can be attributed to one simple number. The Retrievers commit just 9.5 turnovers per game. Of course everybody must contribute to keep the turnovers that low, but it all starts with point guard Jay Greene. The junior dishes out 7.3 assists and only turns it over 2.0 times per game. That is one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios in the nation. As long as that remains the case in March, UMBC will at least hang around even in games against much more talented competition.

Greene will not score too much, although he does average nearly nine points per game, but most of the scoring out of the backcourt will be done by Ray Barbosa and Brian Hodges. The wings average about five long balls per game between the two of them and will consistently score over 30 points per game.

Why They Can Disappoint:

Most of the time UMBC will get outrebounded by their opponents. At 6-4, Darryl Proctor is an undersized forward, but he does his part by grabbing 8.4 rebounds and adding 15.1 points per contest. Justin Fry, a 6-9 forward, may start at the five spot, but senior Cavell Johnson sees more minutes than Fry. Johnson can be an explosive scorer off the bench when he is not starting. He is also a solid rebounder. With no other frontcourt options, it is difficult to blame Proctor, Johnson or Fry for the rebounding concerns. As a team, the Retrievers will just have to want the ball more than an opponent who will likely have much more height than them.

Who To Watch:

If rebounding becomes a major problem, 6-5 wing Matt Spadafora might find himself on the floor a little more than his usual 24 minutes per game. The team would need him to add another rebounding threat on the wing, but he does play at the four as well. However, that would do little to help in the rebounding department. Spadafora is not a great scorer, but he can knock down the long ball and his importance doing the dirty work cannot be underestimated.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 74.9 (68^th in nation, 1^st in conference)

Scoring Defense: 68.6 (162, 5)

Field-Goal Percentage: 45.0 (131, 2)

Field-Goal Defense: 7.5 (92, 4)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.5 (92, 4)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 39.0 (28, 1)

Free-Throw Percentage: 73.0 (60, 2)

Rebound Margin: -1.2 (220, 6)

Assists Per Game: 15.4 (50, 1)

Turnovers Per Game: 9.5 (1, 1)

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Some weekly honors in the Northeast

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:59:03 -0800

Team of the Week: Rhode Island Results: Providence (W: 77-60), @ Syracuse (W: 91-89) These two key wins put the Rams at 10-1 on the season, and truth be told they should have been ranked in both polls this week. But for the critics who pointed to their schedule as a reason to overlook their start, here are two impressive "resume" wins. Jim Baron, who has to rank up there with some of the more underrated coaches in the country (in terms of the mainstream), took a chance last season by letting these Rams run. The end result there was a trip to the Atlantic 10 final, and more success has come this season. Guard Jimmy Baron and forward Will Daniels lead a solid group of offensive options, one that would make Frank Keaney and his "two points a minute" teams quite proud. Overlooked in the polls, but people had better keep tabs on the Runnin' Rams. Player of the Week: G/F Charron Fisher (Niagara) Stats: 36 pts, 8 rebounds against Rider (W: 89-77); 31 pts, 12 rebounds at Towson (L: 75-72) To be frank, Fisher, a senior from Pennsauken, NJ was a man among boys this past week. In their MAAC opener, Rider had no answer for his versatility. The same goes for Towson, but they were able to get the hard-fought win. Think being 230 pounds relegates Fisher to being an undersized banger inside? Well, he went 8-12 from behind the arc against Rider. Teams within the MAAC have known for a couple of seasons that they've got their hands full with Fisher. Let's see if St. John's is up to the challenge on Saturday. Surprising Score of the Week: Iona 92, Loyola (MD) 68 Iona, in their first season under Kevin Willard, was expected to be an improved team. Well, when you only win two games the previous season, there really isn't anywhere to go but up. But to drop this kind of beating on a team picked by many to contend for the MAAC title is an eye-opener. Four Gaels reached double figures, led by Dexter Gray's 18 off the bench, and Iona shot 59% from the field while limiting the Greyhounds to 32.7%. Besides Gerald Brown, who put up 31, not much went right for Loyola in a game that got out of hand in the first half (halftime score: 49-24). Loyola went the first 4:49 without a field goal, and then topped that with a 5:46 drought to start the second half. One question to think about: what if Loyola doesn't go 27-33 from the charity stripe? Ouch. This win along with their close loss at Siena two days later (81-76) shows that Coach Willard has this program headed in the right direction, despite their 2-7 record. Some other notes on teams in the Northeast: - St. Francis (NY) has been relying too much on the three point shot. Heading into their game at Columbia tonight, the Terriers were 64-for-202 from distance, good for 31.7%. All of last season, SFC attempted 440. With a player the caliber of forward Robert Hines, there should not be this many attempts from beyond the arc. But Hines isn't absolved of any guilt in this either. In 06-07, Hines attempted 106 three-pointers. Through ten games, he's already attempted 52...and made 15. Until the Terriers as a whole commit to attacking the basket, they will have a hard time ending their four-game losing skid. - LIU has replaced the scoring of James Williams by committee. Quite a few people, yours truly included, didn't expect much from the Blackbirds with the graduation of James Williams. But after a win tonight at New Hampshire, LIU is 6-3. Four Blackbirds are averaging at least 10.6 points per game, led by senior forward Kellen Allen at 12.1. Last season, Allen averaged a meager 4.4 points per game. While it's too early to expect LIU to contend for the NEC crown, the wide-open nature of the league combined with their early start means that we shouldn't rule this team out just yet. - Also, keep an eye on Maryland- Baltimore County. The Retrievers have gotten off to a good start this season, possessing a record of 7-2 heading into their game at Central Connecticut State tomorrow night. UMBC holds wins over the likes of Richmond, George Washington and Morgan State, and while that may not be an impressive list, keep in mind that they won twelve games all of last season. Four Retrievers average at least fourteen points per game, led by guard Brian Hodges (18.8 ppg). Also, it doesn’t hurt to shoot 44.4% as a team from behind the arc. It’ll be interesting to see if they average of 79.7 points per game holds up in America East play as well.