MBB: Centennial Conference

[Coach C]

It's a problem in most big cities.  No one in NYC, Philly, DC, Baltimore or the like draws very well.  When you get out in the sticks, teams tend to draw better becasue, well, what else is there to do?

C

[Warren Thompson]

When you get out in the sticks ....

C

"Out in the sticks"? I've not heard that expression since my dad died in 1961 .... 

[cc_fan]

I guess I am the only Ursinus fan and alumni on the board.  It is nice to see that they are having a successful year.  Hopefully they can keep winning and possibly take first in the Centennial Conference.

[sunny]

I think the focus is on Baltimore in Baltimore. Similarly, Catholic, in a big city, doesn't draw very well (though it draws better than JHU).

That's part of it, Pat, especially for the locals. I think the larger problem with fan support from the student body and college community is that lacrosse overshadows everything.  They aren't just D-I - they are scholarship in D-I and one of the most prominent programs in the country.  The Hopkins lax men averaged 4,359 in attendance at home last season. 

While having that program around does a lot of good for the school's other sports (for example, a Division I caliber support staff), it also makes the other sports at Hopkins seem like small potatoes in the eyes of many at the school, which is a shame, since they have some very good Division III programs. 

[bluejays]

JHU is without a doubt the best all around athletics program in the conference. Lacrosse does overshadow most at hopkins though. Another factor is that school is not back in session until January 30th and that is normal for it to be so late so the little student support there is was not even there. Lastly, let's just say the area surrounding Hopkins is very "urban". Besides there being so much more to do in the city, demographically the area right around the university just isn't going to go root for the JHU basketball team.

[cc_fan]

The centennial conference seems so wide open this year.  It will be interesting to see who makes the playoffs.  Ursinus is on a seven game win streak but they have been winning by very close margins.  They beat Hopkins by 3, Swarthmore by 5, F&M by 6, and Haverford by 1.  These scores are too close for comfort.

[r.w. mcnickels]

And Hopkins, the CC's highest-scoring team entering last night, puts up a whopping 41 points at the Battlefield.  You're right - it's wide open.

[gordonmann]

Don't look now, but guess who's climbing back into the race for the Centennial Conference playoffs?

Okay, you can go ahead and look.  It's Franklin & Marshall who now sits just one game out of the last playoff spot.  A win on Saturday would be huge, but the Ursinus College Bears are on a roll and focused on hosting the tournament in Collegeville.

If you can't make the trip to Helffrich Hall, please tune into the Centennial Conference Basketball Network broadcast on www.bcmonsters.com.  Pregame begins at 2:50 PM with tip-off scheduled for 3 PM.

[r.w. mcnickels]

Ursinus has been a difficult place for F&M to win, especially since Dennis Stanton canned a prayer from 40 feet in the 2003 CC championship to crush the Dips' hopes of an NCAA bid.

It's going to take a monumental defensive effort for F&M to win tomorrow.  In each of F&M's last three trips to Collegeville - ever since McGarvey has been running the show - the Dips have given up at least 91 points:

2003 (CC title game):  Ursinus 96, F&M 88 (OT)
2004:  Ursinus 104, F&M 92 (Stanton 55 points)
2005:  Ursinus 91, F&M 82

Will the trend continue, or will the Dips continue to play solid defense like they have the past 2 games?

[Warren Thompson]

Don't look now, but guess who's climbing back into the race for the Centennial Conference playoffs?

Ursinus 75, F&M 59. Did the Dips today climb out of the race for the Centennial Conference playoffs?

[Jin]

I went to Haverford tonight to watch game against Mcdaniel. They were good. It was a good game. Haverford won and looked very good. Dave Nowacki is a good player. John Elefterakis is a good shooter. It was a very good game. It pleased me watch it. Haverford should win conference. They are good at basketball. I look foward to my next Haverford basketball basketball game. They are good and fun watching. Coach Mucci should be president. I like him. His suit was good and his plays were good too. Go Haverford! Let us win Haverford! Thank you all.

-Jin

[r.w. mcnickels]

Ursinus 75, F&M 59. Did the Dips today climb out of the race for the Centennial Conference playoffs?

The Dips are two back of the last spot with six to play.  They're not "out" of the race, but they'll basically need to win the rest and hope for some help.  Not impossible, especially the way things are going in the CC and the Mid-Atlantic this year.  But Ursinus is clearly the class of the conference right now.

[patcummings]

That post from Jin might be the most amusing post on this board in a very long time...wow.

[cc_fan]

Ursinus did a good job of finishing the game strong yesterday but it did make me nervous when Outerbridge hit a three pointer then stole the ball and hit another three pointer.

[bearsfan1]

Hi, new to the boards.  I think that UC will end up hosting and winning the CC tournament.  I have a few concerns with this team however, there is a problem with shutting down good three point shooting teams like Gettysburg (open looks the entire first half) and Washington and even Swarthmore(why the game was only a five point win).  Also, I would like to see them start off games faster like the F&M game last weekend.  They have shown their ability to pull away from teams when needed, but I want to see a consistent game played wire-to-wire. But like I said before, this will be the last team standing in this conference because of there versatility with scoring from their starters(four in double figures) and ability to force turnovers in pressure situations. Go Bears!