So I mentioned that I wanted to see if this could be done for the 59 team field, Pat said it could not be done, I set out to prove we as a Message Board Community can achieve this, if everyone can try to put unbiased info about their school and perhaps some other schools they have watched/listened to a few times over the course of the season we can definatly do it...
Brandeis:
Starters: Steve Deluca, Kwame Graves-Fulgham, Steve Hill, Florian Rexhepi, Joe Coppens. All Jrs
Key Reserves: Terrell Hollins (broken foot), Kevin Olson, Andre Roberson
19-6 (9-5 UAA) Key wins: Wash U, @NYU, NYU, Key Losses: @Carnegie Mellon, @Rochester, Chicago
Outlook: Toughest test will come in the first round against Trinity, If the Judges can get past the Bantams, they could sail rather smoothly to a regional final vs. Amherst. With the injury to Hollins, the Judges lose a key reserve down low to give Deluca a rest or if he gets into trouble. Brandeis has been down a number of times at halftime, however during the tournament they will need to make sure they do not put themselves in too much of a hole, just incase the guard driven offense does not drain the outside shot, and does not get many steals to score on the transition.
Unfortunately, I have only managed to make it to one Hampden-Sydney game this year where they barely escaped with a win at hom against Eastern Mennonite (a team that was in the bottom of the conference at the time). HSC just got back from a loss at Bridgewater the day before and looked sluggish for the first 30 minutes of the game. They played flat and played down to the level of EMU. However, with about 10 minutes to go, they managed to put together a defensive clinic and push ahead with about 2 minutes to go, to go on and win by 7. It was a scary game, and one that made me think that this was just another rebuilding year for the Tigers. However, I can say that HSC is a very team oreinted team. With the exception of the ODAC Tournament where Edwards took over, it is typically a different Tiger each night who leads the team to victory. They are very balanced, but a little weak in the middle, playing a three guard, two forward scheme. The Tigers can play lights out, or just down right awful depending on which team decides to show up. If they continue the run from Salem at the ODAC tournie, they will be tough to beat. Furthermore, HSC travels well, and the game at the Batten Center will be a HOME game for the Tigers (I have my tickets already) and HSC plays well at HOME and in big games.
I think this is the best I can do, and I believe it is completely unbiased
This might be a bit ambitious some 18 hours or so before the first games start... It definately would be something that would be feasible for the Sweet 16, though, I would imagine.
I'm not trying to burst your bubble... I think it would be neat to see as well, but I know, for one, that I don't have the time to READ previews for all 59 teams, let along create them, before the first 5 games tomorrow...
Quote from: ILive4This on March 01, 2007, 12:05:55 AM
So I mentioned that I wanted to see if this could be done for the 59 team field, Pat said it could not be done, I set out to prove we as a Message Board Community can achieve this, if everyone can try to put unbiased info about their school and perhaps some other schools they have watched/listened to a few times over the course of the season we can definatly do it...
Interesting idea... surely this is feasible with so many posters... we just each have to do one...
Well, lets give it a whirl
Catholic University Cardinals:
Starters: Mike Wasilenko, Steve Papageorge, Scott Fumai, Pat Dwyer, Stephen Wheeler (all seniors)
Reserves: Nick Olivero, Sean Stolzenthaler, Matt Fazzini, Danny Quinn
22-5, 11-5 CAC, CAC Champions Key Wins: @Scranton, @Hood, @Hood, Villa Julie Key Losses: Gallaudet, Goucher
The Cardinals won 20 games for the 10th consecutive season behind a strong senior class. They are led by a excellent inside game with Dwyer and Wheeler, both All-CAC selections. Dwyer is also capable of playing further away from the basket, and was 6-7 from 3 to beat Hood in the CAC final. Wheeler is the fastest big man in the league and frequently beats his opponent down the court for easier buckets. Both are great rebounders. Fumai can play both the 3 and the 4 and is a strong clutch shooter and the Cardinals leading scorer. Football player Nick Olivero is a shutdown defender who held Hood's Ryan Junghan's, their outside threat, to precious few attempts in the CAC championship game.
They key for the Cardinals is to pound the ball inside and hit some outside shots to open things up. Catholic can be streaky from outside and from the line. When they are hitting their shots, they are unbeatable. When those shots don't fall, they are still capable of gritting out tough wins (such as in the CAC semifinals against Mary Washington, a 69-67 win) but its tougher. The seniors have tremendous chemistry. Wheeler in particular is an emotional leader who has grown as an offensive player.
The Cardinals will be hosting a regional with Messiah, Lincoln and Alvernia at the DuFour Center.
Hood College Blazers:
Starters: Tim Abercrombie, Ryan Junghans, Darrell Edmonds, Jesse Gutekunst, Sean Robine
Reservers: Anthony Bennett
21-7, 12-4 CAC Key wins: @Catholic, Messiah, @York Key losses: Catholic, Catholic, @Marymount
It just its fourth year of existence, the Hood Blazers took the CAC by storm, finishing as the top seed during the regular season. Led by CAC Coach of the Year Tom Dickman, Hood plays its home games at Governor Thomas Johnson High School, lacking its own facility. The only team to win there this year was Catholic, who beat Hood for the CAC Championship and also won its regular season road contest.
Hood is led by Ryan Junghams and Jesse Gutekunst. Junghans, a sophomore, is a deadly shooter from beyond the arc that is also comfortable taking the ball to the rack. Very quick, poised guard. Guteknust is a physical monster with good hands, and is an excellent free throw shooter. He's both tall and wide and plays a physical game inside. Hood likes to play inside-out, and works to free up Junghams for 3's on screens.
Hood faces Hampden Sydney in the first round at Virginia Wesleyan, who plays Averett in the first round. In order to win, the Blazers will need to keep Gutekunst out of foul trouble--he is prone to pushing smaller defenders out of the way and can pick up quick fouls, depending on the officiating crew.
Would the poster that follows me please make sure that "Tourney" is spelled right in the subject line? Thanks.
Yep! It is! ;)
UMHB: ASC West Co-champ. 22-5 overall/17-4 in conference/22-5 in-region for 7th best.
Key wins: vs. Virginia Wesleyan 63-62 on Dec 29th; split with McMurry in season series to capture ASC-West co-championship.
Other wins of note: Trinity 63-49 Nov 21st; Southwestern 72-66 Jan 2nd; Ripon 86-72 Dec 30th; 16 game win streak starting with VWC ending with 76-80 OT loss at McMurry. Coach DeWeese went after quality in-region opponents non-conference opponents to boost his QOWI.
Lost to Hardin-Simmons in ASC tourney Semi-finals and lost to Mississippi College on the road in November, 47-75.
Personnel: UMHB has All- ASC (and Josten finalist) Kevin Guyden 6'0" (G Sr. Houston, TX) and All-ASC-West Honorable Mentions Ryan Burgart 6'10" (P Jr. Huntsville, TX HHS), Matt Dickey 6'5" (W Jr. Leander, TX Liberty Hill), Neiman Ford G 6'3" (G Sr. Fort Worth, TX Polytechnic HS). Burgart was also first team all-Defensive team in the ASC-West.
Well-coached team. Solid leadership from upper classmen. Burgart is tough inside. Guyden is an exciting player; Neiman Ford a reliable guard.
Mississippi College: ASC-East and ASC Champion. Record 25-2 overall/19-1 ASC/ 23-1 South Region, best.
Key wins: Hardin-Simmons 77-64 in ASC Tourney Finals.
Losses: Wesley MS (NCCAA in opener, 82-84 OT) and LeTourneau on a highlight-quality buzzer beater, 62-64.
Personnel: Led by All-ASC 6-3 G DJ Jones, 6-8 G/F Timothy Broomfield and HM 6-6 Tyler Winford (who missed 4 games with a mid-season injury). Solid team that has 10 players getting double-digit minutes.
Well-coached, experienced team. MissColl has been to the playoffs the last 3 years with a record (2005 -- 1-1 plus a bye; 2006 -- 2-1) I like the bracket away from the Great Lakes Sectional for a change.
University of St. Thomas
Key Wins: Occidental
Key Losses: UW-LaCrosse
Record: 24-3, regular season and MIAC playoff champs (back to back). Earned first round bye.
Key Players:
-Isaac "Ike" Rosefelt - "All American" (Pre-season,NABC) starting senior center. 44 career double-doubles.
-Mike Keating: senior ultility guy. 10 double doubles this season. Averaging 15 ppg and 9 rebs. Transfer from D2 St. Michaels (Vt.)
-Bryan Schnettler: senior 3pt ace. has made 100+ 3s this year at 45+%
Coach Steve Fritz: Only one losing season in 25 years of coaching. Took a 1994 team to the final four. Last year's team lost in 2nd round to Lawrence.
The Tommies are in a tough bracket. They should be well-equipped. In addition to a tough MIAC (generally sends 2 teams to the dance, a Gustavus team made it to the championship game a couple years ago, this year St. John's is also in tournament) they have had experience with other tough WIAC teams. They have only lost once at home (site of first game in tourney) to UWLaCrosse in a game they played without Rosefelt.
St. John's University Pool C bid 20-7 record
Key Wins: St. Thomas Gustavus (2x)
Key Losses: St. Thomas (2X) Bethel St. Mary's
Key players: Tyler Westman leading scorer at 14 points a game, Ryan Lieser 13 points per game, Craig Schaffer 12 ppg 64%fg Brady Brink, 6th man of the year in MIAC.
Coach Jim Smith: Winningest collegiate coach in Minnesota history 43 years at SJU (670-462) 10th 20-win season in career, 1st time back in NCAA playoffs since 2000-2001 team went to Sweet Sixteen.
The Johnnies have had a resurgence of sorts, last year they were 16-10, but the two previous years they were 8-17 each year. They have a tough bracket with perrenial powers Stevens Point, Augustana, and St. Thomas. They tend to shoot better at home than on the road, senior ladden team needs to play with a sense of urgency.
Hope
They've had a guard jumping at center all year, they can't be that good. :D ;)
......but he does win most of the tips.
Did I make a spelling error, I am very sorry Pat please forgive me, spelling and grammar have never been my strong points.
Williams College Ephs
Starters:
Chris Shalvoy, 5'10 Jr. PG, Kevin Snyder, 6'3 Soph. SG, Blake Schultz, 6'3 Fr. SF, Chris Rose, 6'5 Jr. PF, Joe Geoghegan, 6'8 Fr. C
Key reserves:
Matt Weisbrot, 6'7 Jr. F/C, Tommas Golia, 5'11 Soph. PG, Brian Nelson, 6'0 Sr. G., Grant Meyer, 6'5 Sophomore F, Alex Rubin, 6'4 Fr. G.
It's been a tale of two seasons for Williams. Chris Rose, their top player and a dead-eye shooter, missed several games and was ineffective in many others playing with a broken non-shooting hand. Weisbrot was coming off back surgery and Geoghegan raw so they had virtually no inside game, forcing them to basically shoot 3's willy-nilly, leading to some terrible losses. Defense was also inconsistent.
Half-way through the season, they inserted Blake Schultz, a talented frosh with an effective mid-range and penetration game into the starting line-up and Rose returned to form. At that point they began to play much better and ended the season on a major roll, beating Tufts, Trinity, and Amherst to win the conference title. They became much more balanced and starting getting, and making, much better 3 point looks. PG Shalvoy has been the best player this year, taking care of the ball and hitting clutch 3's in big games, particularly in the conference tourney when he averaged 25/per.
The Ephs push the ball and run a motion offense that looks for open shots. When they are playing well, Geoghegan gives them just enough post offense to free up shooters. Almost everyone in the rotation are outstanding shooters, other than the center combo of Weisbrot/Geoghegan.
Ephs tend to struggle against bigger, stronger teams with stellar post play. Occidental ate them up inside as the Ephs' bigs are either thin, short, or both. Ephs don't force a ton of turnovers but they also give up very few open looks, particularly from 3. Williams often struggles on the boards against stronger, more experienced front courts. Williams has a lot of talent but many of their best players have little experience, as evidenced by two frosh starters.
UW-Stevens Point 25-2 Overall 15-1 WIAC
Won regular season conference title and conference tournament title
Beat 8 teams ranked at the time by D3 Hoops:
@ #17 Carroll College; @ #13 Lawrence U; @ #19 UW-Oshkosh; vs #25 UW-Whitewater;
vs #8 Augustana; @ #22 UW-La Crosse; vs #18 UW-La Crosse
Lost to @ DII Northern Michigan and vs #8 UW-Oshkosh
Lead NCAA DIII (and all other Divisions as well) in Free throw shooting percentage, fewest turnovers per game and Assist/Turnover ratio (2.04) Averages over 10 made 3-point shots per game.
Leading scorers Pete Rortvedt (17.3), Jon Krull (16.8) and Steve Hicklin (13.7). All five starters are capable of scoring 20 and can all hit the three. Normally go 7-8 players deep, but can insert anyone for a few capable minutes. Can run with you, play half court, beat the press, man-to-man defense or zone (BIG mistake).
You know you're in for a long night if: The 3 point shooting opens up the lane for cuts to the basket from the motion offense OR the cuts to the basket from the motion offense opens up the 3 point shooting.
You stand a chance if: You have a tall mobile front line with shot blocking capabilities and a velcro type defender to hound Rortvedt OR you have a mobile big man that can back their smaller interior defenders up to the basket and can step outside as well.
Pointers win if: Krull can score inside and out and you can't cover Rortvedt.......or Hicklin.......or Beamish....well, you get the message.
Pointers lose if: You hold them to less than 41% shooting and you shoot better than 50% yourself.
This board is super neato.... I wonder if we can get them all done before the tourney... I might even be willing to compile them into a pretty document if we get them all in time...
Quote from: diehardfan on March 01, 2007, 02:02:02 PM
This board is super neato.... I wonder if we can get them all done before the tourney... I might even be willing to compile them into a pretty document if we get them all in time...
When is the DIEHARDFAN report on Oxy coming?
Quote from: Jordis Rocks on March 01, 2007, 02:33:11 PM
Quote from: diehardfan on March 01, 2007, 02:02:02 PM
This board is super neato.... I wonder if we can get them all done before the tourney... I might even be willing to compile them into a pretty document if we get them all in time...
When is the DIEHARDFAN report on Oxy coming?
It would seem more appropriate if an Oxy fan did it. :)
Nice work Frodotwo.
Alright, a little nerdy, but I want to keep track of the ones we've gotten. I'm going to go solicit from conferences we haven't gotten a team preview from now. :)
| Team | Preview |
| Alvernia | N |
| Amherst | N |
| Augustana | N |
| Averett | N |
| Brockport State | N |
| Aurora | N |
| Brandeis | Y |
| Calvin | N |
| Capital | N |
| Carroll | N |
| Catholic | Y |
| Centre | N |
| Chicago | N |
| Coast Guard | N |
| DePauw | N |
| Elms | N |
| Fontbonne | N |
| Guilford | N |
| Hampden-Sydney | N |
| Hood | Y |
| Hope | N |
| John Carroll | N |
| Johns Hopkins | N |
| Keene State | N |
| King's | N |
| Lake Erie | N |
| Lincoln | N |
| Loras | N |
| Manhattanville | N |
| Maryville (Tenn.) | N |
| Mary Hardin-Baylor | Y |
| Messiah | N |
| Mississippi College | Y |
| Occidental | N |
| Plattsburgh State | N |
| Rhode Island College | N |
| Ramapo | N |
| Rivier | N |
| Rochester | N |
| St. John Fisher | N |
| St. John's | Y |
| St. Lawrence | N |
| St. Thomas | Y |
| Salem State | N |
| Stevens | N |
| UW-Stevens Point | Y |
| Transylvania | N |
| Trinity (Conn.) | N |
| Villa Julie | N |
| Virginia Wesleyan | N |
| Washington U. | N |
| Wentworth Tech. | N |
| Westminster (Pa.) | N |
| Whitworth | N |
| Widener | N |
| Willams | Y |
| Wooster | N |
| WPI | N |
| York (N.Y.) | N |
Quote from: diehardfan on March 01, 2007, 04:54:23 PM
Alright, a little nerdy, but I want to keep track of the ones we've gotten. I'm going to go solicit from conferences we haven't gotten a team preview from now. :)
DHF... seriously, do you have a table making obsession? ;)
LOL ;) :D ;D ::) :P
UW - La Crosse 19-8 Overall 12-4 WIAC
Lost in the finals of the WIAC Conference Tourney to #1 UW-Stevens Point
Significant wins: ranked UW-Oshkosh (x3)
Significant losses: NCAA tournament selection committee
Quote from: Jordis Rocks on March 01, 2007, 05:01:29 PM
Significant losses: NCAA tournament selection committee
LOL. :P
Quote from: Old School on March 01, 2007, 04:58:17 PM
Quote from: diehardfan on March 01, 2007, 04:54:23 PM
Alright, a little nerdy, but I want to keep track of the ones we've gotten. I'm going to go solicit from conferences we haven't gotten a team preview from now. :)
DHF... seriously, do you have a table making obsession? ;)
LOL ;) :D ;D ::) :P
LMAO!!!!!! I actually copied one of your tables on the Tourney board and changed the order of the teams and changed the A,B,Cs to N or Y... so thanks :P
Quote from: diehardfan on March 01, 2007, 05:10:49 PM
Quote from: Old School on March 01, 2007, 04:58:17 PM
Quote from: diehardfan on March 01, 2007, 04:54:23 PM
Alright, a little nerdy, but I want to keep track of the ones we've gotten. I'm going to go solicit from conferences we haven't gotten a team preview from now. :)
DHF... seriously, do you have a table making obsession? ;)
LOL ;) :D ;D ::) :P
LMAO!!!!!! I actually copied one of your tables on the Tourney board and changed the order of the teams and changed the A,B,Cs to N or Y... so thanks :P
Is that 'tablism'???
John Carroll 19-9, 13-6 OAC, Regular season OAC Co-Champs, OAC tourney runner up.
Starters: PG Pete Moran, G Chris Day, F Terry Walsh, F Rudy Kirbus, F Brandon Mimes
Key Reserves: The bench...most notably Derek Smith, John Curran...but the bench goes 10 deep.
The offense starts and ends with Brandon Mimes. He's one of the most athletic players in Division III and he is very difficult to stay with offensively. For example, he went to line more times than the entire Capital team in the OAC championship game. However, if defenses play off Kirbus and Walsh they can both hit it from deep (they struggled in the OAC championship game).
Defensively they can get a little lazy in the half court. They give up a lot of points (but usually score more). They play physical down low (par for the course in the OAC). I've noticed from watching some of their games that their defensive rotation is a step slow at times. Again, Brandon Mimes is a game changer. He has great timing and is an excellent shot blocker. They press often to force turnovers.
Carroll 16-8, 12-4 MWC. Regular season runner up. MWC Tournament Champion.
Nathan Drury MWC Player of the year.
Carroll favors an up tempo game and when they are on they are on. Very athletic team and can totally stroke it from the outside. They have put up some ridiculous shooting percentages this year. Excellent guard play with good quickness.
Down side. Not as much physical presence as they had last year and can struggle in a half court game. Inability to score the "needed" basket has hurt them at times this year.
University of Chicago Maroons
20-5 Overall, 11-3 UAA (t-1st)
How Earned Bid: Pool C (lost tiebreaker with Wash U)
Key Wins: Wheaton, at Illinois Wesleyan, at Rochester, at Brandeis
Key Losses: at NYU, Wash U, at Wash U
The Maroons are in the dance for the first time since 2001, when they reached the Elite Eight with Derek Reich. Chicago had been a middle-of-the-pack UAA team for three years prior to this season. UC's success in 2006-07 is even more surprising considering their starting center, Tim Reynolds, has been out since December with a broken foot or ankle.
The Maroons are undersized and have overachieved, but they are still a dangerous team. To earn the W, Hope will have to come into Illinois and take this game from the Maroons -- Chicago will not beat themselves. The Maroons consistently put points on the board (8 straight games with 74+) and take care of the basketball (only 10.5 TO per game). They play hard, they play smart, and they play together. This is an experienced team that is well-coached by Mike McGrath.
Brandon Woodhead (6'2" Sr.) moved to the off-guard this season and averaged a career-high 15.8 ppg. Woodhead is creative with the basketball and can score from anywhere on the floor. He has even been known to post up on occasion. In my opinion, Woody's development in his senior year is the main reason Chicago is in this tournament. He is a candidate for UAA Player of the Year.
Jesse Meyer (6'3" Sr.) is Chicago's all-time leader in three-point field goals -- and we've had some great long-distance shooters on the South Side over the years. Jesse had been on fire from downtown before going 1-12 in UC's last two regular-season games.
Drew Adams (5'10" Sr.) stepped into a much larger role as the starting PG in his senior year. Adams has turned the ball over only 20 times from the point all season and shoots 42% from three.
Nate Hainje (6'5" Jr.) is Mr. Do Everything for the Maroons. Hainje fills up the stat sheet every night out with points, rebounds and assists and also is one of Chicago's better defensive players.
Jason Vismantas (6'4" Sr.) holds it down for the Maroons in the paint. He has improved over the course of the season and has helped Chicago take down some much bigger teams, such as Rochester and NYU.
Jake Pancratz (6'1" Fr.) was so highly regarded when he stepped on campus that he was in the starting lineup for his first career game. Since then, Pancratz has become a sixth man, often spelling Drew Adams at the point. Jake's father played at DePaul, and he has two older brothers that went Division I. The kid can play.
Hope College---located Holland, Michigan
23-4 Overall, 13-1 MIAA (1st)
How Earned Bid: Pool C
Key Wins: at Calvin, at Calvin
Key losses: at Carthage, vs Wheaton, Calvin at home, Calvin at home
Hope's makeing its second straight appearance in the the NCAA tournament and 18th overall. This Hope team is much different from last years Sweet 16 team which graduated four Sr's, 3 of them starters.
This team also overachieved in some people's eyes, a slight underdog to win the MIAA (picked 2nd, 1 vote behind Calvin). This Hope team came together over the Christmas break and dominated the early weeks of MIAA play, winning by an average margin of 25+ points. As the conference season wore on, teams picked up how to play Hope better and the margins dwindled, but Hope still won by a comfortable 3 games.
Its fair to say Hope is not hitting the tournament on all cylinders, they've been unable to overcome poor starts in their last 2 Calvin matchups, and generally have not been quite as efficient offensively as their early games. Their last 2 first halfs were turnover riddled and lacking in energy.
Hope is primarily a perimeter team, most of its inside baskets come off broken defensive assignments. Hope led D3 in 3point shooting most of the season, but have cooled a bit in recent weeks. Hope has 10 guys who can shoot 3's but probably feel most comfortable with 7 carrying that load. They average 9 made 3's per game, and I believe have set a school record in that category.
Defensively Hope will press some, and double team alot, mostly they are a man for man defensive team. For this Hopester the success of this team has come from a bench that has at times this season been supperb, and will typically play better defense than its starting 5.
The starters:
G Derek VanSolkema 6-0 Jr---has been an outstanding floor general replacing a 4 year pt gaurd. Excellent 3 pt shooter, has wide eyes from deep.
G Stephen Cramer 6-2 Sr---Most athletic player on the team, and a big part of the offense, however most games your surprised he scored as many as he did. A very quiet player most nights. Smooth. Jumps center.
F Scott Richardson 6-5 Sr--As close to a center as Hope gets, will typically pick up that position of defense. A solid contributer on the boards.
F Jesse Reimink 6-4 So--Very important part of Hope's offense and defense, versatile offesively with several great 3pt shooting nights, plays the point when Hope presses. Scrappy player and seems to be involved somehow in Hope's best defensive plays.
F Marcus Vanderheide 6-7 Jr--Despite his size, doesn't post up often and can be found most often floating on the perimeter, has moments where he can mentally lift Hope with great hustle. Can put the ball on the floor and drive and is typically a good 3pt shooter, although has struggled from long range since Dec.
Bench
Ryan Klein 6-6 Jr--first off the bench and will play the most bench minutes, long arms, plays much taller. Has nice offensive touch and is most noticed on the defensive end. Will also play the point on the press.
Tyler Wolfe 6-3 Jr--Excellent 3 point shooter, can drive when available, always hustles
Tim Partridge 6-4 Sr--Also a good 3 point shooter, can get very hot
Steven Kratz 6-5 Fr--Similar to Klein without the experience, has played many good games. Paired with Klein they make a nice defensive combo.
Brett Jager 6-2 Sr--Steady point gaurd, not flashy at all, has hit some seriously momentum killing shots for Hope all year.
Zach Osburn 6-5 Jr--has not played much down the stretch for various reasons, a banger size wise. Will be used if Hope gets in foul trouble down low.
You will most likely see a 5 for 5 swap of players, although they've staggered the substitutions lately. But ultimately you'll end up with 2 groups of 5 players most nights.
Its a solid but not overwhelming team, to win in the NCAA's they'll have to win close games, something they've not been good at for the past 2 seasons.
If they can overcome the obvious fault of having a gaurd jump center. ;)They'll be competitive with just about anyone they face.
Holy ketchup and mustard on unicorns Scott, that's LONG!!!! :o Thanks. :-*
Wow never in my wildest dreams did I think so many of you would help me achieve my goal. Thank you very much, and an extra thanks to DHF for his future document compiling.
First off, I am female. ;)
Secondly, I am a HOFer, people do what I say. 8) :D JUST KIDDING!!! I think the people who are doing it are just doing it to be nice cause they like me. :-[ ;)
Thanks for the idea!
Quote from: OxyBob on March 01, 2007, 07:14:56 PM
Weaknesses: None that I care to reveal
Defending Amir Mazarei :o
(just givin' you crud Bob...good report...go Oxy!)
Quote from: Jordis Rocks on March 01, 2007, 07:51:57 PM
Quote from: OxyBob on March 01, 2007, 07:14:56 PM
Weaknesses: None that I care to reveal
Defending Amir Mazarei :o
(just givin' you crud Bob...good report...go Oxy!)
OB,
You shouldn't have even revealed their strengths. ;D Let opposing teams sweat in preparation. But then again, maybe you put in some misdirection.
Quote from: Gray Fox on March 01, 2007, 08:00:13 PM
Quote from: Jordis Rocks on March 01, 2007, 07:51:57 PM
Quote from: OxyBob on March 01, 2007, 07:14:56 PM
Weaknesses: None that I care to reveal
Defending Amir Mazarei :o
(just givin' you crud Bob...good report...go Oxy!)
OB,
You shouldn't have even revealed their strengths. ;D Let opposing teams sweat in preparation. But then again, maybe you put in some misdirection.
It is hours (or less) until tipoff - if the coaches don't have better scouting reports than they'll get here, their team is in deep doo-doo! ;D
I think posters can feel safe in giving candid assessments to fellow fans!
Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on March 01, 2007, 08:12:58 PM
Quote from: Gray Fox on March 01, 2007, 08:00:13 PM
Quote from: Jordis Rocks on March 01, 2007, 07:51:57 PM
Quote from: OxyBob on March 01, 2007, 07:14:56 PM
Weaknesses: None that I care to reveal
Defending Amir Mazarei :o
(just givin' you crud Bob...good report...go Oxy!)
OB,
You shouldn't have even revealed their strengths. ;D Let opposing teams sweat in preparation. But then again, maybe you put in some misdirection.
It is hours (or less) until tipoff - if the coaches don't have better scouting reports than they'll get here, their team is in deep doo-doo! ;D
I think posters can feel safe in giving candid assessments to fellow fans!
I was thinking of the road to Salem. ;)
Ramapo College Roadrunners,
The mascot looks more like Woody Woodpecker than a roadrunner.
Key players are:
Antoine Pryor
Amhad Moseby
Two to watch:
Tim Wesley
Omar Alston
Wesley and Alston played the best games I have seen them have against NJCU in the NJAC championship game. If Wesley keeps his head in the game he is a very good defender and good shooter.
Alston is a surprisingly accurate shooter from downtown, his 3's are what killed NJCU in the end. You can't leave him alone outside they will get him the ball and he will hurt you.
Strengths:
Very athletic and extremely well conditioned. They move the ball well and have an excellent press that they are not afraid to use. They have several 6'5"-6" players and they quite often put a lot of length on the floor. Ramapo has a deep bench and Coach McBreen will use his bench.
Coach McBreen is a strength, he is one of the best game day coaches in the NJAC. He makes adjustments on the fly and recognizes matchups he can take advantage of during the game. They are excellent at making half-time adjustments.
They are a veteran team.
Weakness:
Ramapo can be taken advantage of inside, Alston is big but can be a little slow sometimes and plays too soft sometimes in my opinion.
Tim Wesley is a hot/cold player, when he puts it all together he has all-american talent but too often his head is not in the game.
If they get frustrated they tend to start turning the ball over because they start trying to force things.
Overall I believe the Roadrunners are as good as any team in their bracket and could make it to the final four. It appears that they peaked against NJCU in the NJAC championship game.
The split the season series with Lincoln, lost to NJCU twice in the regular season but won in overtime against them in the NJAC championship game. They have played a tough schedule as usual and are a tested team.
On behalf of MC, Maryville College fighting scots, i give you the starting five but also the important 6
Bobby Golden 6' 10" (Probably GSAC player of the year)
Andrew Shumate 6' 7" (can step outside and shoot the J)
Quinn "Q" Bradley 6' 4" (the defensive stopper)
Alex Bowers 6' 3" (the slasher and mr intangable)
Bo Mason 6' 1" (the shooter)
OFF THE BENCH
Bradley Blair 6' 9" (Probably the runner up player of the year)
_________________________________________________________
After that it starts to decline slightly but these are three other players that see substantial minutes
Jeremy Holliday 6' 7" (tough player)
Jared Laverdiere 5' 11" (quickness and smarts)
Brady Neal 6' 3" (good shooter and a good country boy)
Also you cannot overlook the experience of the coach Randy Lambert. Winning the conference finals gave coach Lambert 500 wins. He has had over 20 wins in all but one of his seasons. Maryville has made many straight appereances in the NCAA tourney. A very balanced team but will not run anyone out of the gym. They wont outflash anybody but be prepared for a good run by the real MC (Maryville) in the tournament.
Thanks KS, haven't even had a chance to post in your room yet! :)
This is cool, thanks guys! :)
Guilford College Quakers, Greensboro, NC 21-4, 15-3 ODAC (2nd of 10 teams)
Starters in all 25 games: Ben Strong, 6'11" Jr C; Jordan Snipes, 6'4" Sr Shooting Guard, Eric Belkowski, 6'3" Jr F; Thomas Burge, 6'1" Sr G; Caleb Kimbrough, 5'9" Jr PG
Key reserves: Tyler Sanborn, 6'10" Fr C; Justin Strickland, 6'0" Fr G; Clay Henson, 6'1" Fr G; George Neville, 6'3" So F; Ray Edmond, 6'1" Jr G; Barry Wells, 6'6" So F.
Other reserves: Sherrick Warren, 6'0" Fr G; Adam Gilbert, 6'0" Fr G; Tres Hendrix, 5'10" Fr G; Arthur Hamilton, 6'0" Fr G; Mat Stanley, 6'1" So G.
A "strong" season for Guilford, who began with an exhibition win at DI Elon, then won ten straight before losing soundly 75-55 at DIII defending champ VWC. Included in the streak were road wins over playoff teams HSC & Averett plus a win over cross-town rival & USASAC co-champ Greensboro. A 72-68 road loss to ODAC foe Roanoke & a nail-biter 72-69 home loss to VWC put the Quakers at 14-3, then they closed with 7 straight wins to finish the regular season at 21-3, 15-3 ODAC. Second in the ODAC & 15 league wins are school records. The E&H and W&L road wins were 1-point squeakers decided when the Wasps & Generals both missed key FTs with seconds or split seconds to go, but most were sound wins. Unfortunately, however, the Quakers had a terrible 1st half against #7 seed Bridgewater (VA) in the ODAC quarterfinals, trailing 45-21 at the half. GC pulled to within 6 a couple of times in the 2nd, but had to foul & lost 88-78. From there, a serious case of jitters until an NCAA Pool C bid on Sunday night.
The Quakers are clearly anchored by ODAC POY Ben Strong, who led the ODAC in points (23.6), rebounds (11.1) and blocked shots (2.44). Snipes, also All-ODAC 1st team, was 2nd in scoring in the ODAC (18). When they're both "on", the Quakers are tough. These two led the team in scoring in 24 of 25 games, with only Kimbrough getting 20 in the BC loss. Belkowski's also been a solid performer (8+) and once hit 6 for 6 threes - he plays with heart & soul. Burge is a solid complement & Kimbrough is a very capable PG. Kimbrough & Strong, btw, were HS teammates & have played together since middle school. Sometimes Caleb's passes to Ben prove how well they know each other.
Strickland was a 2000+ point HS performer & was recruited for DI. Henson is a good player still learning the college game & can shoot threes. Sanborn will spell Strong about 10-12 minutes a game & would probably start on many DIII teams - Strong's just that good. Edmonds & Neville are solid defenders who can also score & come off the bench when the starters need a rest or the team needs a spark. Expect the starters to get 22-28 minutes each.
The team improved dramatically in FTs this year. Strong is especially solid for a big man. Defensively, the team gets lots of blocks & almost always wins the boards, but can give up points in a hurry if an opponent is hot behind the arc. Turnovers are a problem at times. All in all, though, a very solid club.
Expect an up-tempo style from the Quakers - probably over 80 points. A hundred is not out of the question. Strong will get a lot of touches & Snipes will drive inside or pull up for a three. If Belkowski hits a few threes, it leaves the inside open for Strong & he's a DI center on a DIII team. One game this year he was 14 of 15 from the floor, but he can be double- or triple-teamed. If Strong's surrounded & Snipes is cold, then it could be trouble for GC.
Guilford's been ranked between 17th & 25th in the d3hoops.com poll the second half of the season & I believe they deserve it based on their record, close loss to VWC, wins over HSC/Greensboro/Averett and success in tough ODAC play.
York (NY) Cardinals
Conference: CUNYAC
Overall Record: 18-10
Conference Record: 10-3
Coach: Ronald St. John (19th year)
NCAA Opponent: Ramapo (at Ramapo)
York defeated Staten Island on a 40-foot buzzer beater by Teron Simpson to win the conference tournament and receive a Pool A bid.
Starters:
G Michael Salamanca
G Aaron Wilson
C Dennis Echols
F Jeffrey Boone
F Jonathan Christian
Key Reserves:
G Teron Simpson
C Andre Vincent
Best Wins: Christopher Newport, William Paterson, St. Joseph's (LI)
Best Losses: Wittenberg, Rutgers-Newark (both were competitive defeats)
Worst Losses: John Jay, New York City Tech
Salamanca is a saavy point guard, who is strong and can distribute the ball. Wilson is a very good outside shooter. Echols can score inside and is a good rebounder. Boone is a solid all-around player. Christian can score inside and hit a medium range jumper. Simpson is a very good long-range shooter. Vincent is physical and sets a good screen.
York lost at Ramapo, 81-62 on January 15. The Cardinals are a decided underdog against the Roadrunners. Ramapo has an edge in size, speed, athleticism and depth. York's best chance is to keep the game close and hope that Ramapo falters down the stretch.
Quote from: The Roop on March 01, 2007, 05:31:37 PM
Carroll 16-8, 12-4 MWC. Regular season runner up. MWC Tournament Champion.
Nathan Drury MWC Player of the year.
Carroll favors an up tempo game and when they are on they are on. Very athletic team and can totally stroke it from the outside. They have put up some ridiculous shooting percentages this year. Excellent guard play with good quickness.
Down side. Not as much physical presence as they had last year and can struggle in a half court game. Inability to score the "needed" basket has hurt them at times this year.
Oooopps, I forgot to mention that they are smart enough to play a half court game when the shots aren't falling. They will eventually figure it out, just like Augustana did.
The College of Wooster Fighting Scots (http://athletics.wooster.edu/mb/default.php) (25-3)
Key wins (http://athletics.wooster.edu/mb/schedule.php): vs. Georgetown, KY (26-3, ranked #3 in NAIA-I) 80-73; at Walsh, OH (24-5, ranked #7 in NAIA-II) 85-68; vs. Cedarville, OH (21-6, ranked #13 in NAIA-II) 104-95; at Wittenberg (22-5, ranked #17) 68-65; vs. Calvin (18-9) 98-82
Losses: vs. Ohio Northern (19-7) 91-84; at Cal Baptist (20-9, ranked #19 in NAIA-I) 94-89; vs. Wittenberg 74-71
Starters (http://athletics.wooster.edu/mb/profiles.php):
F Tom Port (6'5"/215, 5-yr sr.)—NCAC Player of the Year (http://www.northcoast.org/mb/mballncac.html) and 4-time all-conference honoree (1st team last three seasons). Per game: 16.7 pts., 6.5 reb., 3.3 ast. Very athletic, can drive and rebound, and is also deadly from long range (45.7% three-point shooter). Generally guards the center. An outstanding all-around player, solid candidate for All-America, one of the best players in Wooster's 100+ year history. Fourth team D3Hoops.com All-American last year (http://www.d3hoops.com/tow/06/menallam06.htm).
SG James Cooper (6'0"/170, jr.)—NCAC Player of the Year in 2005-06 (http://www.northcoast.org/mb/mballncac06.pdf); D3Hoops.com preseason 1st team All-American (http://www.d3hoops.com/tow/menpreallam07.htm) and NCAC all-conference 1st team 2006-07. Per game: 18.4 pts., 2.3 reb., 2.4 ast. Specialties are pull-up jumper and three-ball, both of which he hits with high accuracy (53.2% FG%, 45.0% 3PFG%). Has improved his defense this season, but is still mostly a shooter.
PG Brandon Johnson (6'2"/165, so.)—2nd team all-NCAC this season. Per game: 10.8 pts., 2.8 reb., 3.7 ast., 1.9 stl. A/TO ratio of 2.0. Runs the offense, and is adept at finding the lane to drive to the hoop. Solid point defender with very quick hands.
F Evan Will (6'6"/245, jr.)—Became starter when 2-year starter Tim Vandervaart was injured; either could start in NCAAs. Per game—6.7 pts., 5.3 reb. Post player with good defensive skills and improving on offense; is at least a threat from outside (39.1%). One of several floor-burn specialists on the team.
F Andy Van Horn (6'3"/175, sr.)—Defensive specialist, generally assigned to opponent's top scoring threat. Used to hit the long ball at 45-50% clip, but focus on defense has eroded offensive stats—now shoots 30% from arc.
Key reserves (http://athletics.wooster.edu/mb/roster.php):
F/C Tim Vandervaart (6'6"/210, sr.)—2nd team all-NCAC, recovering from broken wrist suffered 1/20. Per game: 13.4 pts., 8.2 reb. Almost always smaller than the man guarding him, still hits at 62.1% clip with great spin move.
G/F Devin Fulk (6'1"/185, jr.)—Top 3-point shooter on team, hitting an even 50%. Per game: 9.6 pts., 2.9 reb.
F Marty Bidwell (6'4"/185, so.)—Like Van Horn, a lock-down defensive specialist. Another floor-burn type of player.
Wooster plays an up-tempo game (http://athletics.wooster.edu/mb/stats.php), scoring 89.4 ppg (#6 in D3) on 52.0% shooting (#3), winning by an average margin of 18.9 pts (#2). Scots hit 41.7% from the arc (#6) and 76.6% from the line (#12), and average 18.6 assists/game (#8), recording one assist for every 1.77 made baskets. This is a very solid offensive team. Defense suffers from the up-tempo offensive style, as the Scots allow opponents to shoot 43.4% overall and 34.5% from the arc, but this has improved drastically down the stretch. Although undersized, Wooster outrebounds its opponents by 7.1 per game (#16).
The Scots are coached by Steve Moore (http://athletics.wooster.edu/mb/coach.php), who has an overall record of 550-171, including a record of 463-106 in his 20 seasons at Wooster. Under his tutelage, the Scots have won at least 20 games each of the last 11 seasons, reaching the NCAC tournament title game in each campaign, winning 7. This will be Wooster's 12th NCAA Tournament appearance in the past 13 years.
Wooster plays its home games in 3400-seat Timken Gymnasium and typically draws a good and fairly boisterous crowd. The Scots have been a fixture in the D3Hoops.com top 10, but have just one trip to the Final Four to show for it (finishing 3rd in 2003).
Quote from: OxyBob on March 01, 2007, 07:14:56 PM
Occidental College Tigers
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference AQ
Overall record 19-5, Conference record 12-2
Head Coach: Brian Newhall, 19th season
Key wins: Williams, Wisconsin Lutheran
I don't think it's a good thing when Wisconsin Lutheran is considered a key win, though it would be a lot worse if you were Aurora (tourney 1st and 2nd round host) to have them listed as a key
loss! :P
Coast Guard Bears
NEWMAC Tournament Champions
14-13 overall, 2-10 in league play (last place)
Head coach: Pete Barry, 17th season
Key wins: 3 straight in the NEWMAC Tournament vs Babson, Wheaton (Mass.) and then No. 13 WPI
Starters: G Al Sowers, G Grant Johnson, F Eric Hudson, F Jeff Prebeck, C Ryan Burgess
(Sowers, Johnson, Prebeck are Jrs., Hudson is a Fr., Burgess is the lone Sr.)
Key reserves: F Steve Blum, G Stefan Lewis, G/F Justin Church, F Frank Cheske
Details: Prebeck ranks 2nd nationally in rebounding at 12.3 per game, leads team in scoring at 15.9 points ... Sowers is right behind at 15.3, had 23 in the title game win over WPI ... Grant Johnson (9 3-pointers vs Babson in NEWMAC quarters) ranks 42nd nationally making 3 3-pointers per game.
Coast Guard averages 69.1 PPG, allows 64.4, has made a habit of playing close games all season. The Bears were up 19 on first-round opponent RIC on Dec. 12, but lost at home, 76-71. They've lost 5 straight to Rhode Island, including 3 in the last 2 seasons.
They are in the NCAA for first time since 1979 and the game against RIC will be played 28 years to the day of their last NCAA Tourney game, amazingly also against RIC
The Bears are one of the Cinderella stories of the NCAA Tournament and anything else you'd wanna know about their season can be found here
http://www.d3hoops.com/news.php?item=930
Fontbonne University, Clayton, MO. (16-11, 12-6)
How they got there: Coming off an 8-17, 4-10 season in 05-06, FU started the season 2-7. Fontbonnedoes not have a Senior of Junior on the roster. Five of the seven losses came on shots in the last possesion. After losing a well played game @ U of Tampa on Dec 29th, the Griffin's finished the season 14-4 and earned the #4 seed in four team SLIAC conference tournament. FU played host Webster Univ. (#1 seed ) winning 67-62. Fontbonne met #3 seed Eureka in the finals and won 88-79 in OT.
Starters:
Brian Fogerty - 6'5 soph F - 18.6 pts., 8.2 rbs. ranks 33 in nation in fg% 59.9 - 1st All - SLIAC
Trevor White - 6'5 fr. G/F - 15.3 ppg,, 5 rbs, ranks 10th in the country from 3's 47.8% SLIAC NOY
Patrick McCoy - 5'11 soph. PG - 11.7 ppg. and 128 assists - SLIAC Tourney MVP
Josh Branch - 5'11 fr. G - 13-3ppg.
Justin Storandt - 6'8 soph F - team defensive specialist and avg. 8 rebs
Bench:
Chad Fournie - 6'3 soph. G/F
Zach Dill - 6'2 G
Terrance Lovette - 6'7 fr. F (Featured in this weeks Around the Nation
Fontbonne is Coached by Lee McKinney. Coach McKinney (MO. Sports Hall of Fame 1994) starts the tourney with 753 wins and a consecutitive games coached streak of 1296. McKinney started the program -n 88-89 after having coached for 12 yrs at Missouri Baptist Univ.
Fontbonne's last appearance: 1996
Mascot - Griffin
enrollment - uder grads. 1350
Previous Wash U. meeting : a 15 pt. loss in December
Re: Augustana - too late.
In remorse over their treatment of the CCIW, the NCAA has granted the conference a mulligan. Carroll is to return to Illinois to face Elmhurst, 2:30 Friday afternoon. :o ;D ;)
University of Rochester Yellowjackets
18-7 Overall, 9-5 UAA (t-3rd)
How Earned Bid: Pool C
Wins vs. NCAA teams: Wash U, St. John Fisher, Brandeis
Losses vs. NCAA teams: Lake Erie, at Wash U, St. John Fisher, at Brandeis, at/vs Chicago
The 'Jackets are back in the tournament two years after reaching the NCAA championship game (winning @Amherst and vs. Calvin along the way), where they fell to WI-Stevens Point. A number of key players return from that squad, including starters Jon Onyiriuka, Uche Ndubizu, Tim Brackney, and Jeff Juron.
Rochester is known for a methodical, grind-it-out, efficient halfcourt offense (lots of deadly three-point shooters as well as dunks and layups in the post), attacking the boards, and stingy defense. They have a balanced game but don't score a ton, though they don't give up much either (opponents' 35% FG shooting). Rochester plays a tough schedule (finishing #9 in the men's RPI as reported on the front page earlier in the week) in a tough league, and have plenty of tournament experience. They are coached by veteran Mike Neer, who has an NCAA championship plus three Final Fours under his belt.
Starters:
F Jon Onyiriuka (6'7/230 Jr.) - 12 pts/8 reb/2 ast per game, 49% FG shooter
F Uche Ndubizu (6'6/245 Jr.) - 10 pts/7 reb/1 ast per game, 59% FG shooter
G/F Mike Chmielowiec (6'3/190 So.) - 13 pts/3 reb/2 ast per game, 44% 3PT shooter
G Tim Brackney (6'1/180 Sr.) - 11 pts/1 reb/2 ast per game, 42% 3PT, 80% FT shooter
G Jeff Juron (6'1/160 Jr.) - 9 pts/2 reb/4 ast per game, 83% FT shooter, 2:1 ast/TO ratio
Key Reserves:
F Eric Snider (6'7/215 Sr.) - 55% FG shooter
F Dan Millbrand (6'6/215 Jr.) - 46% FG shooter
G Rob Dominiak (6'3/165 Jr.) - 46% 3PT, 92% FT shooter
G Max Kaplan (6'0/170 So.) - 44% 3PT shooter, 2 ast/game in 13 min/game
Salem State Vikings
24-2 (14-0 MASCAC)
Key Wins : WPI , do Gordon or Bridgewater qualify?
Key Losses : Roger Williams, Wheaton
Starters:
Eric Downie : Senior 6'4'' swingman, 2 Time MASCAC Player of the Year. Averages of : 21.1 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 45.3 FG %, 44.1 3PT FG %, 1.56 STL.
Brandon McCombs: Senior 6'5'' plays 3/4. Well Built, has some range, runs the floor well.
AVGS: 15.2 PPG, 9.7 RPG (1st in Con.), 46.5 FG%.
Dylan Holmes: Sophomore 6'7'' F/C.: Fundamentally sound big man who is still improving.
AVGS: 12.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 52.8 FG%, 2.35 BLKS.
Marquis Victor: Junior Plays both backcourt slots. Athletic, can shoot it, active defensively.
AVGS: 9.3 PPG, 2.4 APG, 1.4 STLS, 33.6 3PT FG %.
Nick Tokarski: Freshman Point who had a great rookie campaign.
AVGS: 6.4 PPG, 4.9 APG, 1.87 STLS, Assist - Turnover : 1.92 (2nd in Conf.).
Key Reserves
Guard Alex Finn brings offense off the bench (8.1 PPG) as a deadly 3 pt shooter: 47%, good for first in the MASCAC.
Guard Ramon Cruz handles the ball well and can push it as well as run the half court sets effectively.
Forward Rawleigh Preaster brings a big body and rebounding tenacity.
Pretty much an 8 man rotation, Downie, McCombs, and Holmes all average 30+ minutes.
Coach Sean Doherty has compiled an impressive 91-19 record in 5 years at the helm of SSC, including a 51-4 mark in MASCAC play. He has yet to reach a Sweet Sixteen, twice eliminated in the 2nd Round. He was an assistant at Holy Cross for 4 years prior to his present head coaching post.
Outlook: Salem is very athletic and has pretty good size. The guard play is erratic, but at times very good. It is easy to fall in love with them when they run the floor and share the ball, but can sometimes appear disinterested. The biggest knocks on them are: how weak their conference is this year, and their lack of quality wins (aside from WPI). Ive seen them six times this year, and if they play together they will give any team in NE trouble. I have never seen teams from other regions, so I couldnt even guess about what could happen if they advance out of their bracket.
Here's my seven minute scouting report on JHU to help the cause...
Johns Hopkins University Blue Jays
23-4 overall, 15-3 Centennial Conference regular season and tournament champions
How earned bid: Pool A (AQ)
Wins vs. NCAA teams: None
Loses vs. NCAA teams: Mississippi College (75-51 in California)
The Jays are in the tournament after losing in the Conference finals last year to Ursinus. They flew out to a comfortable lead in the conference standings by winning 13 of first 14 Centennial contests. JHU also won the Provident Pride of Maryland tournament which features eight Division III teams from that state. The Centennial has been eliminated in a Thursday evening game the last two tournaments (Ursinus loses at home vrs NYCCT and Farmingdale State). Most of the conference's NCAA postseason success belongs to Franklin & Marshall.
Likely starters
F - #55 Matt Griffin (17.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg): Jostens Award finalist...profiled in this week's "Around the Nation"...a very strong post player who has become a better jump shooter but is still most dangerous around the rim...decent defender, very good rebounder...second biggest arms I've seen on a player this year to...
F - #45 Danny Nawrocki (12.3 ppg, 10.8 rpg): Very similar to Griffin...biggest threat to score near the basket, but offense will run through Griffin and him on the perimeter...pretty sure his biceps are bigger than my thighs
G - #05 TJ Valerio (12.6 ppg): Good outside shot and maybe the key to Blue Jays' success...needs to shoot threes to extend defense so Griffin and Nawrocki can work inside.
G - #02 Colin Kamm (4.3 ppg, 2.3 apg): Sophomore guard who has started all but one game...only 86 FG attempts all season
F - #35 Kevin Roach (2.5 ppg, 2.8 apg): Tall enough to play forward but fast enough to defend guards...likely will be used in tandem with Morley and Armen
Key reserves
G - #43 Doug Polster
G - #22 Pat O'Connell
F - #33 Chris Morley
F/C - #32 Zach Armen
Things are going well when:[Griffin and Nawrocki are not just passing the ball around the perimeter but creating open looks for each other off those passes...Valerio and Polster are hitting open shots to prevent defenses from playing zone...Armen and Morley can contribute with rebounds and defensive intensity and don't have to worry about scoring a lot
Capital University Crusaders
(19-8, 13-5 OAC)
OAC Pool A Bid Representative
Capital sports a varied attack with varied personnel. 10 players average over 10 mpg, and only leading scorer Nate Stahl (14.2 ppg) averages above 30 minutes per contest. Stahl anchors the guard attack; he leads all of Division III with 52% shooting from distance. Two others, Ross Niekamp and Ryan Wood, shoot nearly 40% from 3. Steve Kyser anchors the inside attack, with 12.9 ppg and 5.1 boards. I've also been impressed with the agility and defense that reserve Quintin Mitchell brings in the post. Capital likes to move the ball quickly upcourt, but can settle down into a traditional half-court offense if a quick shot isn't available.
Defensively, Capital seems to use man-on-man defense exclusively. They like to put a lot of pressure on guards out front. Brian Alge and Ryan Wood tend to draw the opponent's best. Alge in particular will hound a guard all over the court, denying passes all the way out near the mid-court line. Cap's deep rotation helps them be able to put forth tons of effort, since a fresher body is always available on the bench. They can switch in and out of a full-court press several times during a game, so offenses need to be aware or else be caught off-guard.
Weaknesses? An off-night shooting could sink Capital. I've seen them take over games via the 3- including a memorable 21-7 run that featured 6 straight made 3 pointers in their OAC quarterfinal victory. To shut down Stahl you have to mark him all over the court- but Niekamp and Wood are good enough that you can't leave them open, either. Also, Capital could be hurt by a team with an exceptional post, as evidenced by the OAC final: Cap essentially had no answer (other than to just outscore him) to John Carroll's Brandon Mimes, who logged 34 pts. and 8 boards in the OAC final against them.
Capital is alreadly riding something of a mini-cinderella run. They weren't supposed to be the winners of the OAC anything this year- the preseaon OAC poll had them fifth in the conference. In a trend that both #23 Centre and #2 Wooster hope fails to continue, this season Capital has gone 3-1 vs. teams ranked in the d3hoops Top 25 at the time Cap played them. That includes two victories over ONU (as #2 and #19), Baldwin-Wallace (#13), and a double OT loss to #10 Wittenberg.
Quote from: mattapn02126 on March 02, 2007, 12:20:21 AM
Salem State Vikings
24-2 (14-0 MASCAC)
Key Wins : WPI , do Gordon or Bridgewater qualify?
If Wisconsin Lutheran qualifies for Oxy, then yeah!
Quote from: OxyBob on March 02, 2007, 01:10:30 AM
diehardfan posted on the SCIAC board that she'd appreciate a capsule report of the Oxy team, so I took a stab at writing one.
Ignore my tablemakeing friend :D ... and thanks! :)
St. John Fisher College Cardinals 22-5 11-3 Empire 8
Key Wins: Utica x2, UofR, Brockport
Key Losses: UofR, Brockport, Alfred
Starting 5
G Frosh. Matt Newman
G Sr. Dan Mueller
F. Frosh Chris Baltz
F. Jr. Justin Beigel
C. Sr. Dan McSweeny
Key Reserves
Adrian Fenyn
Isiah Smalt
Fisher plays an Inside outside game...if Mueller and Baltz are hitting 3's they are tough to beat. McSweeny and Beigel are tough on the inside glass. Beigel tends to be a key to this team as he needs to have a good team. Smalt is a good tough big man to come off the bench and releave the starters. Fisher will try to win the game in the first 8 minutes of each half. They will try and usually do make big runs to start off the game.
Weakness-Fisher is putting a lot of pressure on two freshman. If you pressure Newman on the way up he is prone to throwing the ball away. Don't let Mueller get an open look because he can kill you from behind the arc.
P.S. PLEASE feel free to ad to my assesment of Fisher or call me an idiot if you want
Oxybob,
I was trying to be funny...apparently it wasn't a good effort.
Anyway, I have nothing against Oxy and your post was informative. No big deal, don't take my sarcasm the wrong way...hence my " :P " in that post.
I was there to see WLC upset Aurora, and yes Aurora is in the tourney, but I still wouldn't consider that a "key win". Like I said, you took my post too seriously, sure it was a little jab at Oxy, but in a friendly manner.
Anyway, frodotwo already put in a review for my team that I support.
Lincoln University (PA)
Mascot: Lions
Conference: Independent
2006-2007 Record: 18-8
Head Coach: Garfield Yuille, 3rd Year (64-20), Lincoln Univ., Class of 1991
Key Wins: North Central, NJCU (2x), Ramapo
Key Losses: Ramapo, Richard Stockton, PSU-Altoona
Likely Starters: Sami Wylie, Dwight Dean, Tyreek Byard, Darryl White, Thomas Lahart.
Key Reserves: Vincent Carter-Bey, Dante Blanton, Earl Miller, Garrick Wooten, Lavine Grimes
Last NCAA Appearance: This is Lincoln's second consectutive NCAA appearance followind a 1 point loss to eventual national champion VA Weselyan at Norfolk, VA during the sweet sixteen.
Details: Lincoln is 23-3 on neutral courts the last three years, and are 7-1 this season. The Lions key defensive players are Darryl White (shot blockings) and Vincent Carter-Bey & Thomas Lahart (steals). Sami White is the "trey speacialist" , with Dwight Dean cleaning the backboards.
The Lions go 10 deep in their rotations, without any fall-off in talent. Unfortunately, Lincoln has had tendencies to get out of the gate too slow and has had rallies fall short. Lincoln's most successful rally was at NJCU when after giving up 51 points in the first half, the Lions only allowed 25 points in the final 20 minutes. The Lions forced the Gothic Knights into 20 turnovers including seven in the final 77 seconds. Of the eight Lion losses, four were to DII and NAIA teams on the road.
The Lions have received at least two points from 23 of it's 24 players who have played at least once this season. The Lions lost one player (Kyle Myrick) from last years NCAA participants. This will be Lincoln's last DIII NCAA appearance, as the Lions will be moving to DII next season.
I'm not from Wentworth, but I'm guessing no one else will give a preview for them.
Wentworth is a young team on a big run right now. They've been a perennial joke in the relatively weak Commonwealth Coast Conference for some time now. Last year, they began recruiting well and the results have shown the second half of this year.
Due to some construction delays they only played 3 games on campus this year, playing the majority of their home games at other gyms around Boston. The team finally came together with the return of Weonard Bynes who sat out the fall semester due to monetary constraints, which allowed for a three guard line-up, moving Sophomore PG Todd Doyle to shooting guard and giving the playmaking responsibilities to Junior Ed Bolton.
The Leopards are led by Sherrad Prezzie-Blue (Affectionately called PBJ to those of us on the CCC Board) a junior who also won Conference Player of the Year for the CCC this year, due in part to his leadership of WIT's massive turnaround.
Starters
PG - Ed Bolton, Jr. (6'0" 188) 6.8ppg, 4.5rpg, 2.67apg
SG - Todd Doyle, So. (6'0" 180) 15.4ppg, 50% FG, 47% 3ptFG, 2.8apg
G - Sherrad Prezzie-Blue, Jr. (5'11" 165) 20ppg, 57% FG, 46% 3ptFG, 2.9apg
F - Brian Gaine, Sr. (6'2" 200) 11.1ppg, 54% FG, 6.5rpg, 2.1apg
F - Weonard Bynes, So. (6'3" 200) 9.1ppg, 49% FG, 6.8rpg, 2.4bpg
This team is small and quick, relying on timely passing and good shooting. They struggle on the boards, but all five of their major players can pass the ball very well. They have proven the ability to stay with teams even when their defense doesn't get stops. If the shots are falling they can be dangerous, but there is little chance they'll be able to compete with St. John Fisher. Next year will be their better shot to compete. This bid was an unexpected and welcome surprise.
Not sure if this is too late but:
Trinity College Bantams: 21-4 (8-3 NESCAC)
Starters: F: R. Martin (15 pts 5 rebs) Reserves: F: R. Taylor III (13 pts, 5 rebs)
F: M. Hoar (4 pts 6 rebs) F: P. Rowe
F: A. Westbrooks (4.5 pts, 2.5 rebs) F. S. Dunn
G: Kino Clarke (13.3 pts, 4 rebs) G: P. Hasuik
G: P. Martin (11.5 pts, 5 asst)
Team: The Bants are a well balanced, athletic, deep team that looks to push the temp when possible and extend pressure on the defensive end. Will often play the entire game with full court pressure defense with all of these 9 guys play meaningful minutes. Offensively they are paced by their guards and their big man R. Martin. Martin is a 6' 8" forward with excellent post skills and all around game, able to shoot out to 20 ft. P. Martin is the point guard of the team looking to distribute. He will also put the ball on the floor and get to the hoop and is not hesitant to shoot the 3 to a distance. K. Clarke is an explosive scorer who has had 30+ points more than once this season. A. Westbrooks and M. Hoar provide the defense for the starters. Off the bench R. Taylor is an extremely athletic G/F with a solid shooting touch. The rest of the bench are all athletic guys who contribute in different ways.
The Brandeis matchup with be v. tough, and it will be interesting to see if trinity wants to go up and down with the judges (who have a lot of good athletic guards) or use their size advantage and pound the ball inside. The bantams get into trouble when they stop running and rely too heavily on outside shooting with out getting R. Martin or R. Taylor touches in the post.
Should be a great game
The Washington University Bears return to the tournament as champions of the University Athletic Association and the #8 team in the country according to D3Hoops.com.
Starters
F Troy Ruths 6'6" Jr, 19.2 PPG, 7.8 Reb
F Tyler Nading 6'6" So, 15.2 PPG, 6.2 Reb
F Nick Nickitas 6'5" Sr, 6.4 PPG
G Sean Wallis 6'2" So, 13.6 PPG, 7.4 Assists
G Aaron Thompson 6'3" Fr, 7.2 PPG
Key Reserves
F Cameron Smith 6'5" Fr, 4.7 PPG in 21.4 minutes/game
none of the other reserves see over 10 minutes/game
Strengths
Troy Ruths, an Academic All-America, is the focal point of the Bears offense in the post. As he frequently draws the double-team, many of the points are actually generated by finding Nading or Wallis open outside.
The Bears are solid defensively, not allowing any opponent over 75 points in regulation this year and yielding only .420 field goal percentage.
Weaknesses
Depth is a major problem for the Bears, who lost starting guard Danny O'Boyle in game 4 of the season, and do not have the bench that most teams at the top level have. They are only 2-3 when they have a player foul out.
As a result, look for the Bears to play a very controlled game, with very deliberate offensive and defensive sets.
Outlook: The Bears went 5-3 against tournament teams, plus 1-1 against near miss NYU, so they have a lot of experience against top level schools. Look for that experience and patience to wear down their opponents this weekend, and potentially be the most dangerous challenger to UW-Stevens Point run to the title next weekend.
Alvernia College Crusaders
Qualified: Pool A, Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (Loosely referred to as the PnAC)
Record: 23-4, 16-2 PAC
First Round: 6:00 p.m. vs. Lincoln University (Pa.) @ Catholic University | Game Notes (http://athletics.alvernia.edu/Pdfs/mbball/2007/3/2/070302%20NCAA%20Game%20Notes.pdf)
Alvernia College Tournament Page (http://athletics.alvernia.edu/Sports/mbball/2007/070217mbpostseason.asp)
Starters (ppg, rpg)
04 Garrett Etzel Sr., G (17.5, 3.2) - PAC Player of the Year
14 Ryan Finger Sr., G, (9.1, 5.2)
20 Matt King Fr., F (11.3, 4.9)
22 Terrence Shawell So., F (17.6, 6.8 )
23 Tyrone Bradley So., C (6.1, 5.9)
Key Reserves (ppg, rpg)
03 Zach Westmoreland Fr., G (4.2, 1.6)
Clearly depth isn't listed under strengths for the Crusaders, but the first six have done well to lead the team to 23 wins entering the NCAA Championship for the second consecutive season. Terrence Shawell and Garrett Etzel are the top finishers, but the offense runs through Ryan Finger.
Three players have totaled more than 140 3-point attmepts this season led by Etzel who is 64-150 from behind the arc, a .427 percentage. Shawell and Matt King have both taken 141 attempts from long range. Shawell has hit 59 (.418), King has 55 (.390).
Alvernia shoots .472 from the floor and is holding opponents to .386. The Crusaders have knocked down 96 more total field goals than opponents while taking 79 fewer shots. Alvernia is 197-500 from the 3-point line as a team shooting .394 while opponents hit just .287 from long range. The team averages 71.0 points with a +11.9 scoring margin.
The hot shooting will need to continue for the Crusaders to succeed. The team is -0.6 in rebounding margin.
Finger is also the leader of the defensive efforts. Etzel has the team lead in steals, but Finger is usually charged with wrapping up the opposition's top threat.
Keene State College Owls: 24-5(after 1 NCAA game)
Pool C bid
After finishing second in the LEC regular season and LEC tournament behind RIC they hosted Rivier College in the NCAA tourney last night winning by 34 (81-47)
Key Wins: RIC X2, Williams
Losses: RIC in championship game, UMass Dartmouth, ECSU, UMass Boston, Tufts.
Starters:
Nate Anderson 6'6"
Tyler Kathan 6'5"
Travon Little 6'6"
David Sontag 6'
Matt Hickey 5'11"
Notable Subs:
Nick Drouin 6'4"
Shiwon Davis 6'1"
Kevin Ritter 6'
Anthony Licitra 5'11"
Brandon Robinson 6'6"
A very fast/athletic squad that can go deep in most positions. Many scoring options both inside and out. They look to push the ball for open transition shots inside and out.
Defensively they use mostly man to man, usually pressuring the guards up the court and getting into passing lanes.
Strengths: Multiple scoring options and verstatility. Good rebounding and solid FT shooting all around.
Weaknesses: Lapses in defensive pressure. Difficulty defending quicker ball handlers getting into the middle.
Outlook: Keene is very capable of getting deep into the tournament with their athleticism and scoring ability. Struggles defending penetration into the middle will cripple them.
Messiah College Falcons
Located in Grantham, PA... Messiah College's basketball program continues to be on the rise. After winning the MAC tournament and gaining the first NCAA bid in school history last year, Messiah returns this time as a Pool C addition. After going 13-1 in the MAC Commonwealth and 19-6 overall.
Likely Starters --
PG - Jason Miller. Soph 5'11" (6.2 ppg, solid, strong pg)
G - Mat Henninger. Senior 6'3" (15.2 ppg, 50% from 3, 6.3 rpg)
G/F - Daryl Brown. Junior 6'3" (8.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
F - Ryan Witmer. Soph 6'4" (6.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
F - Jared Yoder. Senior 6'6" (14.5 ppg, 7 rpg) - Commonwealth Player of the Year
Reserves --
PG - Drew Sneeringer. Soph 5'10" (5 ppg)
G - Johnathan Boyd. Junior 5'11" (6.1 ppg, 45% from 3)
F - Andy Hawk. Fresh 6'5" (5 ppg, 52% from 3)
Messiah does not put up a ton of points. When their shooters are in the game they have the ability to light up the scoreboard but get it done on the defensive end of the floor where they limit their opponents to 60 ppg compared to Messiah's 71. Messiah also relies on their rebounding to win games, outrebounding their oppenents by 8+ per game.
The key to a Messiah College win is team play and limit turnovers. Yoder is tough because when guarded one on one he scores consistantly and when doubled he passes out of the post better than any big I have seen in a while. All of the players are unselfish and will make the extra pass. Henninger, Boyd, Hawk, Sneeringer can shoot the 3 very well. As a team they shoot nearly 40% from 3.
Rick Van Pelt, Messiah's coach has done a tremendous job of getting his players ready for games. Messiah's offensive sets are solid and they get the right people the ball in the right situations.
Their weakness may be the ability to close out tight games which is what the tournament is all about. At times the guards may struggle with pressure (young guard play) and vocal leadership is something that lacks at times.
Very good team. Has the ability to make a short run in the tourney (maybe Sweet 16 if they play their game), but not an elite 8 team. Tough first game against Catholic. Program on the rise... but loss of Yoder and Henninger could hurt next year.
Man, they sound a lot like Catholic.
This is going to be a great game tonight.
Stevens Ducks
Conference: Skyline
Overall record: 21-6
Conference record: 13-3
Coach: Josh Loeffler
Tied for first place with Manhattanville for regular season title. Lost to SUNY-Old Westbury, 83-80 (OT) in conference tournament. Receive a Pool C bid.
Best Wins: Tufts, SUNY-Farmingdale, SUNY-Old Westbury
Best Losses: NYU, Manhattanville, FDU-Florham (competitive defeats)
Worst Loss: Mount St. Mary
Had six- and 11-game winning streaks during the season. Lost back-to-back games once. Had a relatively weak schedule.
Starters:
G Floyd Morris
G Anthony Passalacqua
C Michael Collins
F Virgil Gray II
F Waleed Farid
Key Reserves:
G George Greco
F Matt Higgins
C Joseph Ayodele
Morris is a quick guard who can disrupt the opposition. Passalacqua is an outstanding three-point shooter. Collins is a good rebounder. Gray is a versatile scorer, who is diffiicult to defend. Farid is a good ballhandler, scorer and the team's leading rebounder.
Gray and Farid were both first team all-conference. Stevens is a small team with some pretty good athletes and a decent bench. They are well-coached but are clear underdogs against Worcester Polytech.
deleted in favor of Oldknight post.
Since diehardfan politely requested a preview of Calvin (and in order to save any Hope fan the trouble), let's see what I can do to help.
The Knights have had an uneven year and have had some tough but important lessons to learn this season. They're a team that is largely guard dominated and even though they won't call their offense a three guard system that's essentially what it is. The point is run by Dustin Smith, a small (5'9"), speedy but physically strong player who displays absolutely not a bit of emotion during games. Although his job is to distribute the ball he's not afraid to fire up from the arc if open. He's in only his second season of ball at Calvin and is still learning the game. He can be a pest on defense.
Caleb Veldhouse (6'2") leads Calvin in scoring at 15.0 and is only a sophomore. Last year he made the biggest basketball splash for a freshman at Calvin since Jeremy Veenstra in 2000. Caleb really gained notice with a last second 3 pointer against Hope last year but he hit big shots late in games several times as a freshman. His shooting and his overall play this year has not been as consistent--mirroring the team's play--but he plays with a lot of confidence and isn't afraid to take the big shot. Calvin needs him to play well.
Derek Griffin (6'3") is the third guard (though he is introduced as a forward) and has been Calvin's best player down the stretch averaging 14.9 points for the season. Some have called him a transfer (:-X) but that's not quite right since he completed his two years at Muskegon Community College before enrolling at Calvin last fall. He's been a tremendous addition to Calvin's team and, like Veldhouse, is not afraid to take the big shot. In the MIAA conference tournament he scored 21 points in the second half of Calvin's comeback win over Tri-State hitting 8 of 11 second half shots (5-8 from the arc). He then singlehandedly willed Calvin to victory against Hope in the conference tourney final last Saturday hitting big shot after big shot down the stretch, including the game winner by way of a runner in the lane with 4 seconds left. He's Calvin's best 3 point shooter, has excellent body control and is very good in transition.
The two inside positions are manned by Eric DeVries (6'5") and Josh Meckes (6'6"). Eric is primarily a defender and rebounder who gives Calvin the hardnosed minutes that most teams look for from one of their interior defenders while Meckes is a very quick and athletic big man who rebounds and runs the floor very well. Meckes isn't a classic scoring post player but does manage to score 10.1 per game, largely on putbacks and beating his defender to the basket. Meckes is one of the best post defenders in all of D3 basketball with the versatility to handle post players who are big as well as those who rely more on quickness.
Calvin subs quite generously and often. Key subs include freshmen Matt Veltema, a 6'5" wing player, and John Mantel, a 6'7" post who, I think, is destined to become a very good and high scoring big man. Kyle Snoeyink (6'6") is a strong and experienced post who has been playing better as the season has progressed. I've been told his foot was not healthy earlier in the year and that his improved play later in the year can be attributed to improvement in his foot. He's a dependable rebounder and defender who has shown more scoring of late.
Veltema can be the wild card off the bench for Calvin. He's got a sweet lefthanded stroke from the arc and played a key role in Calvin's two wins over Hope with some timely 3 point shooting. He averages 6.3 points in no more than 15 minutes per game and can score quickly if defenses ignore him.
As a team, much of Calvin's inconsistency can be attributed to their defense which has been an on-again, off-again affair this year. When playing poorly they typically get hurt by failing to rotate to the open player on the arc and have been vulnerable to the three point shot all year. I can usually tell in the first two possessions of a game--and the intensity they do or do not show on defense--whether Calvin will struggle. With Aurora apparently a team that relys a lot on perimeter shooting the Knights will obviously have to bring their best defensive effort to win. Calvin likes to double team the ball in the corners and in the low post and when their defense comes out aggressively and rotates quickly to the person left open Calvin is a tough team to beat. When not, they get their heads handed to them as happened at Wooster when Wisconsin LaCrosse and the host team taught the young Knights some valuable lessons.
Calvin generally rebounds quite well but they have shown occasional lapses in ball handling fueled largely by some frustrating inability to quickly see and deal with double teams out top. If they defend, take care of the ball, and shoot reasonably well they are very good. Calvin's coach is very good at make in-game adjustments and the troops seem to have confidence in their leader.
Quote from: realist on March 02, 2007, 12:05:02 PM
deleted in favor of Oldknight post.
Hey, I liked your post. Yours was written in more summary form than mine but it was very good. Not everyone wants to read the tome-like post I put down. :-\
Amherst College Lord Jeffs
25-2, NESCAC Regular Season Champions
Wins vs. tourney teams: vs. Brandeis, at RIC, vs. Williams (2X), vs. Elms
Losses: at Trinity, vs. Williams
Starting Lineup:
G Andrew Olson - Jr - 5'10"
G Tim McLaughlin - Sr - 6'3"
F Brian Baskauskas - So - 6'6"
F Dan Wheeler - Sr - 6'4"
C Dan O'Shea - Sr - 6'7"
Key Reserves
C Kevin Hopkins - Jr - 6'10"
C Brandon Jones - Jr - 6'7"
G Mike Salerno - Sr - 6'1"
F Fletcher Walters - Jr - 6'7"
Amherst has a high-scoring offense that revolves around the fast break and excellent perimiter shooting, led by NESCAC player of the year Andrew Olson at the point (one of two D-3 candidates for the Bob Cousy award). Olson set a school record this year in assists (200, 7.4/game). The primary beneficiaries of these passes have been Dan Wheeler, a finalist for the Josten's award (13.8ppg, 50% FG), and Brian Baskauskas (10.9ppg, 5.1rpg, 58% FG). Kevin Hopkins logs the majority of the minutes at center. He has developed a strong low-post game to go along with his solid defensive presence (49 blocks). Tim McLaughlin anchors the improved Lord Jeff defense. He guards the best perimiter player and has 60 steals on the season.
When the Lord Jeffs are shooting well, they can't be beat. But their defense has improved over previous seasons, so that they still have a shot even when they're cold. Against RIC, Amherst shot under 30% in the first half but held the Anchormen to similar numbers. Mike Salerno, the reserve guard in the rotation, is one of the best on-the-ball defenders in the region.
Amherst statistics are deceiving because of the blowouts. In big games, Olson plays 35+ minutes, and the scoring is more concentrated in the hands of few. Amherst has so many offensive weapons, however, that it is tough to predict who will be the leading scorer. Wheeler takes the most shots, but McLaughlin, Walters, Hopkins, Baskauskas and others can all take over a game when they are on.
The Lord Jeffs have general enjoyed a size advantage at virtually every position in the majority of games that they have played this season. It remains to be seen how they will fair against a big, strong, out-of-region team, but I feel that they are better equipped this season to handle a midwest team than last year's Final Four squad.
Quote from: tballs on March 02, 2007, 10:02:08 AM
Not sure if this is too late but:
Trinity College Bantams: 21-4 (8-3 NESCAC)
How many points is a nickname like "Bantams" worth? I say at least 5. Awesome.
Since there are no Elms fans, I'll take this one as well.
Elms is a surprise visitor to the NCAA tournament this year, beating a previously unbeaten in conference Husson squad at Husson (which is way up there in Maine and long drive from Elms, near Springfield) in the NAC final. Husson definately deserved to be here, but Elms earned it's bid and plays St. Lawrence in the first round.
Elms has traditionally produced competitive teams, so this isn't like they're total newbies here. They've got nine guys averaging 5ppg or more (all averaging 12 minutes or more per game) with their top scorer only at about 13. This a deep and balance squad, and have recovered from losing their best player Renato Lindmets in January. (I don't know why, but Lindments is no longer listed on the roster, so I assume he left the team entirely and it was not due to injury).
It's tough to know who the starters will be for Elms, but here are the guys who started during the conference tournament:
Nathan Hawes is the only player to have started all 28 games for Elms this season. Hawes is a 6'6" Junior Forward from Minnesota, averaging 8.7ppg and 7.8rpg, while shooting 51% from the field. The ability of Elms to play with St. Lawrence will be directly dependent on Hawes controlling the paint.
David Williams is a 6'2" Senior Guard from Hartford, CT. He's averaging 13.5ppg and nearly 5 boards. He is the best defender and will use his size to try and stifle opposing teams' guards.
Bill Beauregard is a Senior Guard from Ware, MA. He's come on late in the year and is a good FT and 3pt shooter.
Malakie Berry, a Soph Forward (6'4") from Enfield, CT. He's a low-post scorer and shotblocker shooting 54% from the field.
Juan Galdon, a 5'4" freshman guard from nearby Holyoke, MA has been starting of late at the point. He's shooting 45% from deep and averaging nearly 9ppg.
Reserves
Senior PG John Ancrum started most of the games for Elms this year, but had an injury just before the tournament and has been coming off the bench the last few weeks. He leads Elms in assists with nearly 5 per game and will probably be starting tonight.
Justin Davis is a 6'1" Senior Guard from Huntington, NY; Randy Hite, a 5'9" Junior Guard and Joe Esile, a 6'3" Sophomore Guard from Ct will all probably see big minutes off the bench.
Again, I don't know a whole lot about them, but they score in the 80's most games and like to play aggressively. I think St. Lawrence is a favorable match-up for them, but I'm not too confident on their ability to win.
Rhode Island College: 24-3
LEC Champions beating Keene State in the final.
Notable Wins: Keene State, Coast Guard :-\
Losses: Keene State X2, and Amherst
Starters:
Kinsey During 5'11"
Tirrel Hill 5'10"
Bobby Bailey 6'
Kaseem Johnson 6'6"
Anthony Pierlioni 6'9"
Subs:
Cameron Stewart 6'1"
Kamari Williams 5'10"
Brian Stanko 6'5"
John Weir 6'9"
RIC is very, very athletic yet undersized at many of their positions that play substantial minutes. With the exception of Kaseem Johnson they have a few big men that play when they are ahead but they can't rely on them to score if they fall behind. Especially late in the game. That proved to be a problem in their loss to Amherst. When guards are able to penetrate they are very good at finishing or dishing off. Guards will need to be able to consistently penetrate for this team to go far in the tourney. They will struggle against teams with talented big men whereas they didn't see many of them over the course of the year except Keene and Amherst.
Defensively they aim to pressure the guards and front big men down low. When successful, this disrupts entry pass angles to post players and slows down perimeter ball movement.
RIC is a very capable team and could advance a few games but their skill in the down low positions is limited
Hampden-Sydney College Tigers: 18-10
ODAC Champions beating Roanoke College in the Championship Game
Notable Wins: Virginia Wesleyan (ODAC Semis); Randolph-Macon (rivalry game)
Notable Losses: Virginia Wesleyan x2, Guilford x2, Averett
Probable Starters
Mike Edwards 5'10" 14.6 pts/gm
Matt Green 5'10" 9.0 pts/gm
Turner King 6'3" 12.5 pts/gm
Tyler Murray 6'3" 11.4 pts/gm
Lane Medlin 6'6" 4.8 pts/gm
Subs
Drew Prehmus 6'5" 11.5 pts/gm
Jyri Laakso 6'6" 4.9 pts/gm
Byron Lawton 6'1" 1.5 pts/gm
Fitz Robertson 5'9" 0.4 pts/gm
Hampden-Sydney had some struggles over the course of the season because of an injury to Troy Kasse, their best inside player. It took them a while to adjust and create cohesion with the players that were asked to pick up the slack. In fact, the coaching staff experimented with many different lineups. Hampden-Sydney finally appeared to hit their grove coming out of the Macon game on February 17 and went on to win the ODAC tournament the following weekend. The difference down the stretch of the season appeared to be a more concerted effort to pressure the defense with dribble penetration and then either get to the hoop, the foul line or set someone else up for an easy shot. The team shots the ball very well from downtown with 7 of the players listed above shooting .333 or better. As a team, the Tigers make just over 40% of their 3s and about 48% of their field goals. They shot a decent .718 at the charity stripe, but this is an area that could hurt them.
Of Hampden-Sydney's 10 Losses this year, 4 came against Guilford and Virginia Wesleyan. The other six were to Averett by 7 (at the beginning of the season), Shenandoah by 1, Randolph-Macon by 1, Bridgewater by 3, Emory and Henry by 8, and Roanoke by 1. They have played a lot of close games this year and this could help them in the tournament.
The Tigers major weakness is the lack of a dominant post player due to Kaase's injury. The subs have filled in admirably, but they do not provide some of the scoring that the Tigers lost. Defensively, the Tigers play a predominantly man-to-man defensive scheme, but will switch into a zone on occassion to throw off a teams rhythm. In fact, this is how they went on a 19-0 run against Virginia Wesleyan to win their semifinal matchup in the ODAC tourney. At the ODAC tourney the defense looked as good as it has all year.
Hampden-Sydney has the ability to make a run in the tournament, but Edwards, King and Murray will all have to play extremely well with some contributions from other players.
Starters for Centre:
Matt Nestheide Guard 6'0"
Thomas Britt Guard 5'11"
John Patterson Center 6'91/2"
Matt Jacobsen Forward 6'4"
T. C. Thomason Forward 6'2"
Manhattanville Valiants
Conference: Skyline
Overall record: 23-5
Conference record: 13-3
Coach: Pat Scanlon
Tied with Stevens for the best record (13-3) during the regular season. Defeated SUNY-Old Westbury to win conference tournament. Received a Pool A bid.
Have won their last nine games. First NCAA tournament appearance in 28 years.
Best wins: Rutgers-Newark, William Paterson, Stevens
Losses: Kean, Scranton, Kings Point, SUNY-Old Westbury, St. Joseph's (LI)
Starters:
6'0" Donte Chisolm 11.5 ppg; 5.9 apg; Skyline defensive player of the year
6'2" Brian Fink 11.6 ppg; Hit 57 three's this year
6'3" John DiBetta 13.3 ppg
6'3" Cody Moffett 13.9 ppg; 6.0 rpg
6'5" Justin Morris 8.5 ppg
Key Reserves:
5'10" DeVon Barnett
6'1" Brendan Flynn
6'2" Joe Cooke
6'4" Eduardo Huezo
Manhattanville is a pretty clear underdog against Guilford.
Scouting report: None. I didn't see them play this year. ???
If someone can offer an eyewitness account, please do so. I will delete this post.
OK -- here goes! Might not be perfect, but it sounds like I'm all you've got here. ;) Hope it's not too late!
Whitworth Pirates
Conference: NWC
Overall record: 23-3
Conference record: 13-3
Coach: Jim Hayford/Rodney Wecker
Tied with Lewis & Clark for the best record (13-3) during the regular season. Defeated Lewis & Clark in conference tournament to earn NWC AQ. Only losses to UPS (2) & LC. Last NCAA tournament appearance in 2003.
Best wins: Wheaton, Cal Lutheran, Lewis & Clark :)
Key Losses: UPS
Starters:
6' 1" Bryan Williams 11 ppg; 7.3 apg; NWC player of the year
6' 5" Ryan Symes 15 ppg, 5.2 rpg
6' 4" James Jones 16 ppg
6' 3" Jon Young 11.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg
6' 7" Kevin Hasenfus 11.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg
Key Reserves:
6' 5" Colin Willemsen
6' 5" Calvin Jurich
Scouting report: I robbed this from the Whitworth site:
The Pirates: Whitworth (23-3) earned a share of its first NWC title since 2003, sharing with L&C, then won the conference tournament for the first time since that same season. The Pirates started the season on a school-record 13 game winning streak. They have won four in a row heading into Friday's game.
Last week the Pirates used a strong defense to overcome Lewis & Clark in the NWC tournament final. Whitworth held L&C to 34.8% (23/66) shooting from the field and 20.6% (7/34) shooting from three point range in a 69-62 win in the Fieldhouse. With the scored tied 53-53 with 7:20 to play, the Pirates did not allow another Pioneer field goal until Whitworth led by 10 with 19 seconds left.
Whitworth is still making a remarkable 52.8% of its shots from the field this season, including a hot 40.4% from three point range. The Pirates have outscored opponents by more than 14 points per contest so far this season.
Whitworth has been very good defensively as well, holding opponents to an NWC-lowest 40.8% shooting from the floor. The Bucs have outrebounded opponents by 4.4 boards per game (33.7 - 29.3) and have forced almost 9 steals per game.
My apologies if I left someone out of the Whitworth players that should've been included. Was rushing to get this done so it could be included. Truth is, the team is deep -- good shooters & defenders. Fun to watch! Fast paced style of play.
Alright, here's where we stand:
| Team | Preview |
| Alvernia | Y |
| Amherst | Y |
| Augustana | too late |
| Averett | too late |
| Brockport State | Y |
| Aurora | too late |
| Brandeis | Y |
| Calvin | Y |
| Capital | Y |
| Carroll | Y |
| Catholic | Y |
| Centre | Y, sort of |
| Chicago | Y |
| Coast Guard | Y |
| DePauw | too late |
| Elms | Y |
| Fontbonne | Y |
| Guilford | Y |
| Hampden-Sydney | Y |
| Hood | Y |
| Hope | Y |
| John Carroll | Y |
| Johns Hopkins | Y |
| Keene State | Y |
| King's | too late |
| Lake Erie | N |
| Lincoln | Y |
| Loras | too late |
| Manhattanville | Y |
| Maryville (Tenn.) | Y |
| Mary Hardin-Baylor | Y |
| Messiah | Y |
| Mississippi College | Y |
| Occidental | Y |
| Plattsburgh State | Y |
| Rhode Island College | Y |
| Ramapo | Y |
| Rivier | too late |
| Rochester | Y |
| St. John Fisher | Y |
| St. John's | Y |
| St. Lawrence | Y |
| St. Thomas | Y |
| Salem State | Y |
| Stevens | Y |
| UW-Stevens Point | Y |
| Transylvania | too late |
| Trinity (Conn.) | Y |
| Villa Julie | too late |
| Virginia Wesleyan | Y |
| Washington U. | Y |
| Wentworth Tech. | Y |
| Westminster (Pa.) | too late |
| Whitworth | Y |
| Widener | Y |
| Willams | Y |
| Wooster | Y |
| WPI | too late |
| York (N.Y.) | Y |
N = 1, Y = 48, too late = 10... Woo, we're at 4/5! :)
Plattsburgh State Cardinals 20-8
SUNYAC Champs beating Brockport State 80-75 in championship game.
Finished 2nd in regular season to Brockport with 11-5 conference record
Started season slowly. Record was only 5-6 on Jan. 12 but won 15 of 17 including 9 in a row at one point and won SUNYAC tournament for 2nd straight year.
Young team, only 2 seniors(1 starter) may be a year away from full potential but playing their best at the right time.
Starters:
Anthony Williams 6' 1" shooting guard 20.4 ppg 4.56apg SUNYAC player of year
Jerrad Dumont 6'0" point guard 5.7 ppg 6.1apg
Travis Gorham 6'6" forward 13.2ppg 10.6rpg 2nd team all conf.
Khylan Hunt 6'5" forward 13.6ppg 8.9rpg
Ricky Rider 6'2" guard 4.5 ppg
Bench:
Antwane Miller 6'0" guard 9.7ppg super quick instant offense
Mike Dietz 6'3" forward good all-round game
Darrell Lynch 6'5" forward good rebounder
Coach Tom Curle Plattsburgh State grad. 4th year SUNYAC Coach of the year
Tough draw against Univ. of Rochester in what is basically a home game for UofR and not many giving the Cards much of a chance but this team lost a tough one last year at Hamilton 66-65 and just might pull off the upset here.
In response to the Manhattanville post, I saw them play this year. The biggest thing with them is that they are small. They got a couple guys about 6'5 220 that can bang, but no real depth. Theyre strength is guard play. The kid chisholm is a product of st raymonds in the bronx and can play. hes quick and can get in the lane pretty much at will and is very good at finding people when he does (6apg). fink is a little inconsistent, but when hes hot you dont wanna let him get a good look. dibetta and moffett are both solid all around players. can handle the ball, shoot, post up, d-up. off the bench theres not much to speak of. not a very deep team, from a weaker NY conference, but they are well-coached, smart, and feed off the play of chisholm. contain him and you beat them.
but im an LL guy, and since it looks like noone is gonna post on st lawrence, i figure i might as well.
record - 22-5 (10-4-2nd in Liberty league) ranked third is east region is latest poll.
beat hamilton in conference final to win auto bid.
they play about 8-9 deep, but only 7 get significant minutes, and all have started at some point this year
31 SF 6'4 wopperer - 12ppg, 5rpg - 2nd team all LL
34 PF 6'6 williams - 11ppg, 7rpg - 2nd team all LL
33 C 6'6 vonnak - 11ppg, 7rpg - hon men all LL
03 pg 5'6 blue - 10 ppg, 50% 3pt - hon men LL
30 2g 6'2 shaver - 8ppg
10 pg sharlow - 5apg LL rookie of the year
00 F/C augliano
St lawrence is a very good team. alot of size, alot of shooters, and a couple good point guards. you do not wanna let this team get open looks from three - blue, shaver (allconference a year ago, not as much time this year i think he got hurt), sharlow, and wopperer are all deadly. williams and augliano are as athletic as they come and williams has been playin out of his mind down the stretch. vonnak is big (260lb) and has a soft touch. he plays soft at times, but knows how to use his body well. won conference rookie of the year last year. sharlow might be a better pg than blue, and they play together alot. sharlow is a jitterbug and can get in the lane against anyone, but hes tiny - 'listed' at 5'9, where can handle the ball, he is an unbelieveable 3pt shooter - dont let him get a look within 30ft - im serious.
this is just a solid arround team. theyre very well-coached and know how to play together. not alot of t/o's, good freethrow shooters, good defenders, etc. a different guy can step up any night. get to 3pt shooters, keep their bigs from gettin to the glass, and dont let them get hot.
Alright, I've copied all the posts into a document now, so if you make edits to your post, it doesn't do any good. Send additions and edits to me. :)
Hopefully we'll still get the ten or so remaining teams!
I can do a WPI rundown quick if you need me to, although I'm a bit of a hater, so it might not come out so well.
LOL.... if you want, go ahead... right now there's nothing! If their fans don't like it, they can always write their own darn preview, right? :)
Just try to stuff the hatred a little... ;)
April,
If you want to see my take on the Pointers, sort of, if you look in the MIAC page 3-4 back from the current page, you can see how Point lost to Oshkosh... but it has an overview of their team in general.
This belongs here:
Quote from: thebear on March 02, 2007, 07:55:37 PM
Profile
Brockport
24-5, 14-2 conference
Depth, Depth, Depth. Their second five could start for most D-III teams. They routinely have four or 5 in doubles, and at least 8 players on the roster are capable of doubles an any given night
Starters
Sherod Harris - 5-9, JUCO from Monroe CC. If he was 6-1, he'd be playing high D-I. Can dominate a game on defense, offense, and especially in transition
Mychal Wilkes - 5-11 So. Deadly shooter, draws tough defensive assignment, hard nose, in your face.
Brandon Williams - 6-2 220 - the SUNYAC's version of Charles Barkley. Can shoot from the outside, and uses his strength and athleticism to dominate in the paint. Runs very well for his size.
Cantrel Parish - 6-7 Freshman - long and athletic. Wonder how s mid-major missed this guy. he can shoot, run, and especially rebound.
Aaron Poles - 5-10 Jr. G, unselfish, role player, does what it takes to win.
This team can beat you any way you want. If it's a track meet, they can run with anyone. In halfcourt, they have great athletes who are all strong, quick, and competitive.
Very deep bench. As I said their second five could start at a lot of D-III Schools.
They beat SLU by 30 earlier this season. Only an upset in the SUNYAC tournament kept them from hosting the Rochester area pod in the NCAA's.
Diehard- Bear did another profile for the LL rep St Lawrence on the LL board. I'd try to get it over here but I'm computer challenged. By the way I'm drooling over this board, if I knew how to send Karma over to you I would!!!
I saw that, thanks. :)
April, this is one of the coolest things I've ever seen in Posting Up. +K! ;D
Oh, but it just got much, much cooler:
Hey guys, I've got the previews up on my Wheaton fan site, as well as a PDF copy. I think next year we can work on making it more uniform, and getting the word out in time to get all the teams in on time. This could eventually be super cool. A BIG HUGE GIANT THANK-YOU TO ALL WHO SUBMITTED ENTRIES!!! :)
http://wheatonhoops.googlepages.com/ncaatourney
The following teams can still submit information for me to add!!! :)
Augustana out, no info yet
Averett out, no info yet
Aurora out, no info yet
Centre more info desired!
DePauw out, no info yet
King's out, no info yet
Lake Erie INFO NEEDED
Loras out, no info yet
Transylvania out, no info yet
Villa Julie out, no info yet
Westminster (Pa.) out, no info yet
I'm actually surprised how many posters contributed. It must be that special female influence you have, April.
This ended up being really cool...definitely.
diehard, I am impressed. You win my vote for MVF (Most Valuable Fan). Great job getting after this in such a short time.
DHF (and everyone else),
I posted this on the NESCAC board. I'm Amherst's play-by-play announcer tonight so I did a little legwork on Widener. I can't verify how correct I am based on reading media guides and stat sheets, but this is what I could come up with:
I don't have too much on Widener, but here's what I know for those who care:
Widener is an undersized, perimiter-oriented team. They have one guy over 6'4" in their rotation. Amherst should have a size advantage at at least two positions at any time during the game. Thier two leading scorers are seniors, Malcolm Thomas and Essein Ford, both guards who love to shoot the outside jumper. Thomas is making 52% of his field goals. Ford has taken more than half of his shots from three this season (32%). Thomas has a lot of rebounds for a perimiter player, though, so he must crash the boards. Terry Smith is their one big man in the rotation, listed at 6'8", and averaging in double-figures with Ford and Thomas. Smith is a regular threat to foul out, with five expulsions this season. That could be a huge factor tonight against Amherst's bigs.
One major weakness for Widener as a team and for Thomas and Ford in particular on the perimiter is a negative assists/turnovers ratio. Thomas specifically has close to a 2:3 ratio! However, these guys have logged a lot of steals over the course of the season (253 as a team). It seems as if they play high-turnover games.
Amherst's Achilles' Heel has been free-throw shooting. Well, Widener is no better. They shoot 71% as a team. Only Ford is above 80% among the starters.
The teams have no common opponents. They are 2-4 (counting Thursday's win over King's) against teams in the NCAA tournament.
nice! thanks! :)
I figured that someone would post the defending champions scouting report but I will do so. Virginia Wesleyan is currently 24-4 and went 17-1 in conference with their only loss coming to Emory & Henry which plays a Grinnell (run and gun) style offense. VWC lost in the semifinal of ODAC tournament losing to Hampden-Syndney. VWC controlled the first half of play and took a ten point lead, but did not show up for the first fifteen minutes of the second half falling into a double-digit hole and subsequently losing by three. I will give HSC credit for playing an inspired brand of basketball but VWC did not play anywhere near their potential. VWC advanced yesterday with a 3 point win over Averett (Guilford and HSC also advanced meaning that 3 of the final 32 teams are from the ODAC). VWC, as they did last year in their run to the national championship, got well behind in the first half and made a furious run in the final eight minutes to steal a game that Averett could have easily won. Balenga was terrible shooting 3-15 from the floor and 1-10 from beyond the arc. Adair was doubled often (as always) and managed to scored 19 and became the first player in school history to surpass the 2000 point mark.
Starters:
Brandon Adair (6'5 215) [Sr. F] (17.8pts, 7.9rbs)
Tyler Fantin (6'6 210) [Jr. F] (9.3pts, 7.0rbs)
TonTon Balenga (6'2 190) [Jr. G] (15.6pts, 4.7rbs)
Thomas Sumpter (5'9 160) [Sr. G] (5.0pts, 3.3ast)
Terrell Dixon (5'10 165) [So. G] (6.1pts, 1.9rbs)
Reserves:
Stephen Fields (6'2 175) [Fr. G] (8.7pts, 3.3rbs)
D'Juan Tucker (5'9 160) [Jr. G] (7.0pts, 3.1ast)
Rodney Young (6'4 195) [Sr. F] (4.6pts, 1.7rbs)
Norman Hassell (6'6 200) [So. F] (3.0pts, 1.6rbs)
Head coach Dave Macedo will play a nine man rotation until his tenure at VWC is done. Unless they are up by 40 or in EXTREME foul trouble he will stick to those 9 players. Brandon Adair is the most complete player in Division III basketball. At 6'5, he doesn't appear as someone who can dominate in the post, but he will either out-muscle, out-quick, or out-think whatever defensive scheme you throw at him. Although he averaged about 18 points per game during the regular season, expect him to be closer to 25 points per game in the post-season. He is option 1, 2, and 3 on every play that they run. He will not shoot the 3 (although I feel he could shoot a decent percentage from the if he had to), but anything inside the arc is fair game. Plays both with his back to the basket as well as facing up. Quick, strong and finishes around the basket very well. He will exploit the double-team with regularity due to the fact that the other four guys on the court can all knock down the 3 consistently. He is one of the more special Division 3 basketball players that I've ever seen and it was a privelege watching him play over the past 4 years. TonTon Balenga is the clear number 2 option and almost always steps up in the big games (except for last night). Strong guard who can get all the way to the rim and has a very impressive mid-range game. His clear strength is shooting the trifecta. Although he went 1-10 last night from beyond the arc, he has the ability to go 9-10 from that range as well. Didn't shoot as good of a percentage this season as in years past but this guy is a proven champion and is known for hitting the big shot (for those of you who were at last year's Final Four, you know what I mean). Tyler Fantin is the third option on the court. Versatile 6'6 player who can post-up and hit the 3 either in transition or out of a half court set. A lot of his production comes because Adair demands so much attention. Fantin's biggest contribution comes on the defensive end because he will always guard the opponent's best big man so that Adair can avoid foul trouble at all costs. He is the perfect compliment to Adair. Thomas Sumpter is the point guard and holds the school record for steals. He is a tenacious defender both on and off the ball and really sets the tone for VWC on that side of the ball. On offense, he is strictly a penatrator and distributor. He gets the team into the offense very quickly and efficiently. He gets most of his points either out on the fast-break or driving to the rim in the half-court set. Terrell Dixon is the shooting guard who is more than capable of knocking down the 3. Solid defender who is essentially the "role player" out on the court. The guards coming off the bench are D'Juan Tucker and Stephen Fields. Tucker is an electrifying point guard who will spell Sumpter at times and play the shooting guard position when he and Sumpter are in the game together. He is an intense defender and a solid 3 point threat. Fields is the only freshman who will see any playing time. He is essentially a hit or miss with respect to being a spark off the bench. When he comes in and provides a lift, VWC can be incredibly tough to beat, but Fields has a tendency for being invisible on the court. It's not easy going out there with 4 experienced players who have a national championship in their back pocket, but more times than not he will come in a provide a spark. Good slasher and an excellent shooter if left open. The forwards off the bench are Rodney Young and Norman Hassell. Young simply does it all, he can play 4 different position on the floor (everything except point) and best of all, he is a senior and provides veteran leadership. Great defender who is not much of an offensive threat. Gets most of his points in transtion, but capable of making the 3 if left open. Hassell is the other reserve forward who will spell Adair for a few minutes each half. Good shooter for a big man and is usually fairly productive in the few minutes he sees on the court.
There is no reason that they should not win another championship. If they lose, it will be because they beat themselves. The keys to beating VWC are: 1)Attack inside - you need to try and get Fantin or Adair in foul trouble. 2) When you double Adair, do so with whoever is guarding Sumpter. He is not a shooting threat and it will ultimately give your defense time to scramble and recover. 3) Try and force Adair to go right. He is left-hended and loves to spin left, but do not get the impression that he is one dimensional because he is anything but. 4) Pray. You need to hope that Balenga and the other perimeter players have a bad day from the field. Adair & Fantin are good for 30pts and 15 boards every night and that won't be stopped. Averett had their chance, but they let it slip away and that could spell National Championship #2 for VWC in back to back years.
Alright guys, I've updated the website and the PDF to include the information from Widener and Virginia Wesleyan. While I doubt that we'll ever get any posters to submit information for the 11 teams that did not submit previews, it does include previews from 48 of the 59 teams in the tournament, and all of the teams in the Sweet Sixteen. Check it out!
http://wheatonhoops.googlepages.com/ncaatourney
Enjoy! :)
Quote from: diehardfan on March 05, 2007, 02:16:57 PM
Alright guys, I've updated the website and the PDF to include the information from Widener and Virginia Wesleyan. While I doubt that we'll ever get any posters to submit information for the 11 teams that did not submit previews, it does include previews from 48 of the 59 teams in the tournament, and all of the teams in the Sweet Sixteen. Check it out!
http://wheatonhoops.googlepages.com/ncaatourney
Enjoy! :)
dhf, I volunteer!
Please assign me a team to submit!
Thanks :)
I would suggest that you do one of the schools it would be impossible to get otherwise, like Lake Erie or Transy, as both have basically no posters.... and the one Transy lurker/occasional poster actually told me no! :D
Quote from: diehardfan on March 05, 2007, 02:54:40 PM
I would suggest that you do one of the schools it would be impossible to get otherwise, like Lake Erie or Transy, as both have basically no posters.... and the one Transy lurker/occasional poster actually told me no! :D
What's the list of the missing? I've actually seen both Transylvania and Lake Erie (once each), so those might be the top of my list if I decided to contribute.
LOL! Okay, never mind Ralph! :D
Here's the current list... it's actually on this page (page 7) ;) :P
Quote from: diehardfan on March 03, 2007, 12:18:03 AM
The following teams can still submit information for me to add!!! :)
Augustana out, no info yet
Averett out, no info yet
Aurora out, no info yet
Centre more info desired!
DePauw out, no info yet
King's out, no info yet
Lake Erie out, no info yet
Loras out, no info yet
Transylvania out, no info yet
Villa Julie out, no info yet
Westminster (Pa.) out, no info yet
For Aurora, can't you just type "Larry Welton" and be 85% covered?
Quick and dirty method: here's what Wooster's outstanding SID Hugh Howard published as tournament capsules for Transy and Centre, to which I have added some additional information:
Transylvania University Pioneers (19-8 entering tournament, 10-6 HCAC)
Location: Lexington, KY
Enrollment: 1100
How they qualified: Pool A, winning the HCAC tournament as the #2 seed.
Key wins: Maryville (TN), at Franklin (HCAC champs), Defiance (HCAC tourney title game)
Key losses: at Wittenberg, at Centre, Franklin
Sixth-year mentor Brian Lane has directed Transylvania into the NCAA Tournament again, despite losing seven seniors from last season's "Elite Eight" squad. Although the personnel may be different, the Pioneers possess a similar stylle, primarily the ability to get hot from 3-point range. As a team, Transylvania is 20th in the country in 3-pointers made (9.3 per game) and 16th in percentage (.400). The 1-2 punch of senior forwards Nick Feagan and Joey Searle lead the way, as they were both first-team all-HCAC selections. Feagan is pumping in 16.1 points a game, to go along with additional team-highs in rebounding (5.1 rpg) and blocks (1.0 bpg), while Searle averages 14.8 points. Feagan and Searle are the Pioneers' top 3-point threats, having made 50-of-116 (.431) and 48-of-96 (.500), respectively, but four of their teammates have also connected on 20-plus throughout the 2006-07 campaign.
Transylvania is in its second-straight Div. III tourney since going to four in a row from 1975-78. The Pioneers, who later joined the NAIA but are now back with the NCAA, own a 7-5 record [ed.; now 7-6] in tournament play, advancing as far as the quarterfinals just last year when they knocked off Bethany College 75-56, Wooster 91-88, and Mississippi College 76-64 before losing to Wittenberg 74-61.
Starters:
F Joey Searle (6'6"/185, sr.)--14.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 0.6 apg; First-team all-HCAC
F Nick Feagan (6'7"/185, sr.)--16.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.2 apg; First-team all-HCAC and HCAC Tournament MVP
G Stephen Gabbard (6'4"/205, jr.)--2.6 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 0.2 apg
G Nick Music (6'1"/185, so.)--1.3 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1.1 apg
G Gary Mouser (6'2"/170, sr.)--6.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.4 apg
Key reserves:
G/F Joey Verax (6'5"/195, so.)--10.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.0 apg; Honorable Mention all-HCAC
F Blake McCowan (6'5"/230, fr.)--2.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.5 apg
G Aaron Cash (5'11"/180, so)--9.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.3 apg; Honorable Mention all-HCAC
G Matthey Parton (5'10"/155, fr.)--3.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.3 apg
G Tim Tierney (5'11"/160, fr.)--8.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.6 apg
Centre College Colonels (23-4 entering tournament, 12-2 SCAC)
Location: Danville, KY
Enrollment: 1130
How they qualified: Pool A, SCAC co-champions and tournament champions
Key wins: Transylvania, DePauw, Trinity (TX) (SCAC tourney title game)
Key losses: at Maryville (TN), at DePauw, at Millsaps--their only loss after Dec. 2
Centre's success, which was recognized this week as it came in at No. 23 in the NCAA Div. III poll (D3hoops.com), has been the direct result of defense. In fact, head coach Greg Mason has the Colonels rated third in Div. III in scoring defense (57.5 ppg) as well as eighth in defensive field-goal percentage (.381). One key player to those statistics, which also includes limiting opponents to a .291 3-point percentage, is senior center John Patterson, who has utilized his 6'9", 240 pound frame to average 2.2 blocks per game en route to SCAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. The overall Player of the Year also hails from Centre in junior guard Matt Nestheide, who runs an offense that puts up 71.3 points on the scoreboard on average. Nestheide's typical stat line includes 15.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.1 steals, and he's almost automatic from the free throw line (.836). Another player to watch is senior forward Matt Jacobson, who contributes 13.5 points and is the Colonels' second-best 3-point threat (.335; 43-of-121), only behind Nestheide (.459; 61-of-133).
The Colonels enter tournament play on a 9-game win streak and have won 19 of 20 games since starting the season 4-3. Centre is a member of the NCAA field for the first time in several seasons, as the Colonels were last in it in 1992. This will be Centre's 10th overall appearance, highlighted by fourth-place finishes in 1979 and 1989. In 1992, the Colonels dropped a double-overtime affair to Hampden-Sydney College (88-83) in the second round.
Starters:
C John Patterson (6'9"/240, sr.)--8.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 0.6 apg; SCAC Defensive Player of the Year
F Matt Jacobson (6'4"/215, sr.)--13.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.7 apg; Second team all-SCAC
G Matt Nestheide (6'0"/170, jr.)--15.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.3 apg; SCAC Player of the Year
G T.C. Thomason (6'2"/185/so.)--8.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.0 apg; Honorable mention all-SCAC
G Thomas Britt (5'11"/175, jr.)--5.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.9 apg
Key reserves:
F Danny Noll (6'5"/195, fr.)--6.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.0 apg; SCAC Newcomer of the Year
F Beau Braden (6'1"/175, so.)--3.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.9 apg
G Ryan Crowdis (6'1"/170, so.)--4.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.1 apg
Quick and dirty from the Averett site.
Averett (20-6) earned the automatic bid by virtue of winning the USA South Conference Tournament and will play Virginia Wesleyan (23-4), who is ranked #2 in the current D3hoops.com and received an at-large bid. The Marlins lost to Hampden-Sydney in the semifinals of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday. AU defeated N.C. Wesleyan in the finals on Saturday 108-105 in double overtime. The Cougars are making their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1990, they advanced to the "Sweet 16" that season.
Averett defeated Virginia Wesleyan at the Grant Center by an 81-73 margin on Nov. 27.
Head Coach: Jimmy Allen
Assist. Coach: Andrew Gunderson, Sean Murphy, Rich Lyons
Student Assist.: Raymond Noel, Luke Hammond
Leading Scorers:
Name / games played/ FG-FGA-FG%/ 3FG-3FGA-3FG%/ FT-FTA-FT% / Pts / Avg.
BROWN, Damien 27 games / 110 193 .570 / 0 1 .000 / 108 156 .692 / 328 / 12.1
RUMLEY, Jonathan 20 games / 73 148 .493 / 12 26 .462 / 40 55 .727 / 198 / 9.9
MCDANIEL, Cory 22 games / 76 198 .384 / 28 100 .280 / 35 53 .660 / 215 / 9.8
HAGWOOD, Shaun 27 games/ 76 197 .386 / 51 151 .338 / 45 54 .833 / 248 / 9.2
BOOR, Andrew 27 games / 96 192 .500 / 0 4 .000 / 45 68 .662 / 237 / 8.8
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 05, 2007, 03:27:06 PM
For Aurora, can't you just type "Larry Welton" and be 85% covered?
No. Aurora had three other starters who averaged in double figures, and two other players who averaged 9.6 and 9.5 points, respectively. Plus, Welton wasn't the leading rebounder for the Spartans.
The Spartans weren't even close to being a one-man band.
Quote from: Gregory Sager on March 06, 2007, 04:53:07 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 05, 2007, 03:27:06 PM
For Aurora, can't you just type "Larry Welton" and be 85% covered?
No. Aurora had three other starters who averaged in double figures, and two other players who averaged 9.6 and 9.5 points, respectively. Plus, Welton wasn't the leading rebounder for the Spartans.
The Spartans weren't even close to being a one-man band.
I know. That's why I picked them to go to the final eight only to see them lose in the first round. It's just the bitterness coming out.
Lake Erie Storm (25-2 entering tournament, 17-1 AMCC)
Location: Painesville, OH
Enrollment: 564
How they qualified: Pool A, AMCC regular season and tournament champion
Key wins: at Rochester, Penn St.-Behrend (2x, including AMCC tourney final)
Losses: at Findlay (Div. II), Penn St.-Behrend (in OT)
In just their 13th year of existence, the Lake Erie College Storm came very close to a perfect D3 season, losing only their last regular-season game to AMCC runner-up Penn St.-Behrend, and that in overtime. The Storm, coming off a 21-7 season which included their first-ever conference championship and trip to the NCAA tournament, opened the season by defeating Geneseo St. and the University of Rochester to win the U of R's Resler Tournament. After losing at D2 Findlay University (which finished the regular season with a 28-1 record and #3 national ranking), the Storm swept through the AMCC like, well, like a Storm, winning both the regular-season and tournament titles while compiling the best record in Div. 3 (tied with 4 other teams.)
Lake Erie is a strong team at both ends of the floor, recording national top-50 performances in both field goal percentage offense (47.8%) and defense (41.1%). The Storm average 81.2 points per game (29th nationally) and outscore their opponents by 12.9 points per game (13th in D3.) Their aggressive defense led to 11.9 steals (10th in the nation) and 3.8 blocked shots (45th) per game. Lake Erie has five players who average over 10 points per game, led by first-team All-AMCC forward Derrick Thornton's 16.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Thornton is complimented by point guard Robert Williams, the team leader in assists (5.2 per game, #39 nationally) and also a first-team All-AMCC performer. Lake Erie is a shallow lake but a fairly deep basketball team, with ten players averaging double-figure minutes over 20+ games. The Storm is coached by Cliff Hunt, a 1969 graduate of Hiram College who spent 24 highly successful years as a high school coach before taking over the Lake Erie program prior to the 2005-06 season. All he's done in Painesville is lead the Storm to the two most successful seasons in program history, compiling an outstanding record of 46-9 (.836) as a D3 head coach.
Regular starters:
G Robert Williams (6'0"/150, sr.)—11.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.2 apg; first-team all-AMCC
G Howard Washington (6'0"/165, sr.)—11.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.5 steals/game; honorable mention all-AMCC
G/F Derrick Thornton (6'4"/195, so.)—16.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 59.3% FG; first-team all-AMCC
F Darnell Campbell (6'6"/190, so.)—13.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg; second-team all AMCC
C Jajcen Harris (6'6"/230, sr.)—10.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.9 blocks/game; was a first team all-conference player as a sophomore
Key reserves:
G John Dickinson (6'1"/175, so.)—6.9 ppg, 1.9 apg, 17.3 minutes/game
G J.D. Johnson (6'2"/170, sr.)—2.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 15.0 minutes/game
C Mark Skopal (6'6"/225, jr.)—3.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 14.2 minutes/game
F Dan Purcell (6'4"/210, sr.)—3.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 12.7 minutes/game
F Matt Moore (6'5"/185, so.)—2.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 10.3 minutes/game
Wow, DC, you actually made Lake Erie sound formidable.
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 07, 2007, 08:41:24 AM
Wow, DC, you actually made Lake Erie sound formidable.
Yeah, it makes you wonder what Raptormania could do for his selected team! ;)
Quote from: Ralph Turner on March 07, 2007, 10:19:15 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 07, 2007, 08:41:24 AM
Wow, DC, you actually made Lake Erie sound formidable.
Yeah, it makes you wonder what Raptormania could do for his selected team!
That sounds like a challenge. Someone better let him know.
You know, they already lost, so I think it's okay if we stop dumping on them now. :P
What LEC did this year is historic, and they have a right to celebrate. Last year there was a lot of chest-thumping coming out of Painesville, but when LEC ran into their first tough opponent (Witt in the NCAAs) they got wiped out. This year in the NCAAs they took the OAC co-champions right down to the last shot and probably should have beaten them. That's a big improvement right there, and one that those of us who think we know everything should respect. Don't forget that LEC plays an 18-game schedule in the woeful AMCC, so there's not too much they can do about their schedule; playing Rochester and Findlay is a step in the right direction. Let's see if the Storm can improve further next season.
I say congratulations to coach Hunt and the Storm! :)
Alright, I've updated the site and PDF to include those four new teams and a spelling correction from Rhodes. We're at 52-59... not to shabby! :)
wheatonhoops.googlepages.com/ncaatourney (http://wheatonhoops.googlepages.com/ncaatourney)
The following teams can still submit information for me to add!!!
Augustana out, no info yet
Aurora out, no info yet
DePauw out, no info yet
King's out, no info yet
Loras out, no info yet
Villa Julie out, no info yet
Westminster (Pa.) out, no info yet
Incidentally... leave Lake Erie alone... I listened to most of the JCU-Lake Erie broadcast... they were up by 10 almost all that game... this is not a sucky team, they just let one go in the closing seconds.
How cool is it that a team from a school that has an enrollment of 564 students took it toe to toe with an OAC team?
Just merging topics from last year.
I'm glad to see this thread come back! I hope we get a lot of participation, as I think many of us enjoyed reading the team capsules from last season.
Quote from: kiltedbryan on March 03, 2008, 02:39:25 PM
I'm glad to see this thread come back! I hope we get a lot of participation, as I think many of us enjoyed reading the team capsules from last season.
So did the coaches.
Old School you are the man, bringing back two threads I started last year and totally forgot about.
I hope we can get some good participation from a good portion of the teams again this year.
Plattsburgh State Cardinals 26-2 SUNYAC (State University of New York Athletic Conference)
Home Court: Memorial Hall Capacity 1000 medium to skinny people :o
Home Court: 12-0 this season including sweep of SUNYAC championship series.
Almost 80 ppg vs 67 for opponents.
If they score over 70 points they win.
School records this year:
Most wins during the regular season.
Most wins in a SUNYAC season; fewest loses (ties that record for within conference)
A.Williams all time scoring record 1650+ points Top 10 in scoring average in NCAA Division III.
T. Gorham over 1000 points. Top 20 in NCAA Division III rebounding average .
Only undefeated Division III school for regional games.
SUNYAC Champions for the regular season with a 16-0 record.
SUNYAC Tournament Champions after wins over Fredonia 72-62, Geneseo St 65-57 and Oswego State 89-75.
SUNYAC Champions - 3 in a row.
NCAA appearances - 3 in a row. (Automatic bids)
2006-07 NCAA Beat U of R in 1st round in Rochester at St John Fisher, then lost to Fisher the next night.
Current: 19 game winning streak. Last lost to Gordon on Jan 4th.
Only losses to Occidental on road trip to California and to Gordon in 1st game out of winter break.
Came back from 22 points down in the 2nd half to WIN AT Middlebury.
Won at Chapman, at Middlebury, beat Brockport, St Lawrence, and Clarkson. Blew out Greensboro for first win.
Starters:
Anthony Williams Senior 6' 1" 170 shooting guard 24.0+ ppg 4.5 assists per game
SUNYAC player of year '06-07 moswt likely '07-08
3rd team All American 2006-07
Player of the year (top 10 nomination)
Ricky Rider Senior 6' 3" 175 guard/Forward 6 ppg
Travis Gorham Senior 6' 6" 220 forward/center averages a double double points/rebounds
SUNYAC 2nd team 06-07 most likely SUNYAC 1st team 07-08
Khylan Hunt Senior 6' 5" 210 forward 11 ppg 7.5 rpg
SUNYAC Honorable Mention 2006-07, most likely SUNYAC all star again
Antwane Miller Senior 6' 0" 170 point guard 8 ppg + 3 assits per game
Bench:
Chris Ruiz Freshman 6' 4" 180 forward/swing slasher and shooter 7 ppg
Errol Daniyan Freshman 6' 6" 200 forward inside threat 7 ppg
Tim Havens Freshman 5' 10" 160 point guard quick, defender, leader in waiting
Shawn Gutzman Junior 6' 3" guard/forward hard worker, DEFENSE
RJ Ponesse Freshman 6' 9" 260 center banger, learning from the old guys
Farris Thomas Soph 6' 5" 195 forward/guard
Jared Lowe Senior 6' 1" 190 guard
Danny Tangney Soph 6' 3" 205 forward
Lance Darrell Junior 6' 4" 200 guard/forward
Josh Bruno Freshman 6' 3" 195 guard
Coach Tom Curle - '82 Plattsburgh State grad.
5th year at Plattsburgh
over 200 NCAA wins
SUNYAC Coach of the year (most likely for 2nd year in a row)
NCAA Final Four in 75-76; Other appearances in 98, 05-06, 06-07, and 07-08.
Senior laden and on a mission.
Lawrence University
Key Wins: # 20 UW-Oshkosh 81-78,
Key Losses: @#4 UW-Stevens Point 75-56
(rankings at time of game)
Record: 22-2, regular season and MWC playoff champs (4th in 5 years).
Key Players:
- Ryan Kroeger, 6'2 junior guard. Avg 17.3ppg, shoots 45% from beyond the arc, 86& from free-throw stripe. Deadly accurate, major clutch player
-Andy Hurley: 6'7 senior forward. Avg 12.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg. Senior leader has exceled in the low block late in the season.
-Doug Kadison 6'2 junior guard. Starting point in LU's 3 guard offense. Averages 3.7 apg.
Lawrence has 6 players averaging 8 or more ppg this season. Will regularly go 10 deep. Runs 3 guard offense, team shooting over 40% from beyond the arc.
Coach Joel (JoJo) DePagter : First season as head coach of Lawrence after departure of John Tharp. Was an assistant on the last four LU NCAA Tournament teams inculding run to Elite Eight in 2004. Was starting guard and MWC Player of the Year on LU's Tournament team in 1997. Is seventh on LU's career scoring list. Was named interim coach in spring of 2007, given full-time job in December 2007. First MWC coach to win the Conference championship since 1957.
The Vikings are in a tough bracket. They have to take on a suprise entrant to the tournament in Wheaton in the first round, and should they get past the Thunder look to have to take on WIAC regular and playoff champion UW-Whitewater on thier home court. The Vikings will need a good shooting performance out of Kroeger and Kadison and will need Hurley and Chris Page to control the boards. If LU can shoot well they will have a chancde to advance to the sweet 16, but a bad shooting night will doom this squad. Their defense is strong, but will have a tough time stopping probable CCIW player of the year Most Outstanding Player Kent Raymond. This team could be one and done, but could suprise and content for a sectional berth.
[Edited by GS to reflect the fact that Kent Raymond has already been selected as the CCIW's Most Outstanding Player for 2007-08.]
Whitworth University
Spokane, WA
Homecourt is the Fieldhouse, 1620 capacity on campus.
20-6 record 12-4 in Conf.
NWC Champion 2 straight years
Coach: Jim Hayford, 7th season 139-45 record, 176-72 overall.
NWC Coach of the Year 2 straight years and 3x winner.
Players: F Ryan Symes, Sr. 6'5" NWC Player of the Year.
F Colin Willemsen, Sr. 6'6" 1st Team NWC team
G Ross Nakamura, Jr. 6'0" Honorable Mention NWC
G David Riley, Fr. 6'5" Tied School record for 3's made in game.
P Calvin Jurich, Jr. 6'6"
P Nate Montgomery, So 6'7"
G Tim Sellereit, Jr. 6'0"
Defeated University of Puget Sound 3 times, including Conf. Tourney final 96-69
SUNY-Farmingdale Rams
Farmingdale, NY
SKYLINE Conference
STARTERS
Damien Santana - JR. G : 6'2" - 21.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.6 SPG
Erastus Shannon - JR. F : 6'5" - 12.1 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.6 BPG
Peter Lipka - SR. G : 6'2" - 11.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG
Warren McAllister - SR. F : 6'4" - 7.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG
Brian Robinson - SR. F : 6'5" - 7.4 PPG, 7.0 PRG
RESERVES
Daniel Phillips - SO. G : 6'4" - 8.0 PPG, 14.7 MPG
Davon Jackson - JR. F : 6'6" - 5.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 13.8 MPG
Joe Cammarata - JR. G : 6'0" - 5.7 PPG, 13.4 MPG
Merlin Bass - SO. G : 6'0" - 5.2 PPG, 20.8 MPG
Terrence Howard - SO. G : 6'4" - 2.0 PPG, 6.9 MPG
JR. Damien Santana looks to be a lock for SKYLINE Player of the Year and scored his 1,000th point this season. SR. Peter Lipka is a 1,000 career point scorer.
Farmingdale led the Skyline in PPG, averaging 89.9 a contest. They allowed 72.4 PPG.
Farmingdale shot .673 from the line for the year, .483 from the field (led conference), and .389 from the 3 point line (led conference). They also led the conference in rebounding (45.0 PG), assists (16.07 PG) and finished 2nd in conference in blocks (3.70 PG) and 3rd in steals (10.22 PG). Farmingdale averaged 15.6 TOPG.
Farmingdale is an aggressive team and they will press on Defense. I saw them early in the season against NJCU. Here is what I wrote after that game.
Quote from: Knightstalker on November 29, 2007, 10:31:42 AM
Caught the NJCU Farmingdale game last night. The Knights looked decent and should improve. A couple of freshmen, Derrick Miller and Tom McDermott are getting a lot of playing time and both look pretty good. Miller has a nice shot and McDermott looks to be a good rebounder and defender. Dana John broke the schools 3 point record last night and should go over 1000 points for his career before the semester ends.
Farmingdale has a pretty good team it appears. Santana is the real deal, he does shoot his free throws from the middle of the circle. Lipka and Shannon are both good players and all three are good shooters. They have good depth and as the season progresses should play some good defense. They used the press but they need to improve it if they expect to be effective later in the season. I think the Rams should contend for the Skyline title. They have done a very good job of building a competitive program and are getting players from good HS programs.
Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders.
Belton, TX
Previous tourney record -- 0-1. Lost to Maryville TN 73-62 in 2007.
Pool A -- ASC (winner of the ASC-West and the Conference Tourney).
2008 record 25-3.
Key games -- Mississippi College 90-81. Also defeated AMCC Pool A PSU-Behrend (23-4/ 21-3/ 15-3) in Belton 71-65. Won the ASC tourney by defeating ETBU ASC-East #4 (9-17 overall/9-13 South Region /9-11) by 66-50, Hardin-Simmons ASC-West #3 (15-12/15-10/13-8) by 60-55, and Concordia-Austin ASC-East #2 (19-9/16-8/14-7) by 82-73.
UMHB won 11 of their first 12 games, then lost two games in Abilene to
Hardin-Simmons (http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2008/01/17/HSU+reins+in+UMHB/1911) and
McMurry (http://www.d3hoops.com/game-releases/2008/Jan/19/McMurry-vs.-Mary+Hardin-Baylor/nfohqq51uocgpari/23692).
That weekend trip was significant for UMHB's having a hard game against HSU and HSU's All-ASC post and ASC-West player of the year Mardochee Jean (Mar" duh shay' zhahn, pronounced French), and the weekend that McMurry had a healthy post
Travis Tennison (http://www.d3hoops.com/features/05/tennison.htm). UMHB had trouble with both of those classic big men. UMHB lost Jason Wagner guard in game 20 and Matt Dickey in game 19 with a broken hand.
I posted this on the Posters Poll board two weeks ago. Having seen a courageous UMHB try to plug the holes, I think that it is still pertinent.
QuoteNow that McMurry Men are out of contention, I am rooting for the ASC. Some of you have great expectations for UMHB. If you have not seen my postings elsewhere about UMHB, they have sustained two injuries that reduce their options as they encounter tourney foes.
What made UMHB so strong early is that their top 10 players were a versatile assortment of strengths and talents. They could answer various types of play. UMHB season stats (http://www2.umhb.edu/sportsinfo/cbasketball/teamcume.htm).
Ryan Burgart is 6'10" and a big traditional post. He could counter the "big men" that you see in the midwest. Michael Ivey is another 6'7" post, but the key to all of this was 6'7" Matt Dickey, a wing who could give inside support and had great athleticism when isolated on bigger players. Dickey has a broken hand.
UMHB's front court is quick and very athletic. The season stat sheet shows 11 different players have led in either game scoring or rebounding this season. There were many interchangeable pieces in that front court. I believe that the loss of Jason Wagner about 6 games ago was as devastating a single loss to UMHB as any one player. Wagner was very athletic, with great quickness and leaping ability.
Because of those two losses, UMHB is not as likely to advance in the tourney as one would expect from a #4 team. If they do, then ASC basketball as a conference is even better than I think, and national parity is closer than we know.
I hope the ASC does well, but UMHB's chances have been hurt badly by those two injuries.
Other capsules...
Who not to foul...Tim Lytle 31-36 this season 86.1%
Leading scorer...Tilmon Gaddy, 15.3 ppg.
Leading rebounder and shotblocker...Ryan Burgart, 7.0 rpg and 53 blocks this season.
Good luck, CRU. :)
Clarkson "the I can't believe an 11-16 team is in the tournament" Golden Knights ;D
Starters:
Elson Pickering 6'7" forward who averages about 13 pts and 7 rebounds. Quick for his size and can shoot the 3. Set school record for blocks. 2nd team all-league.
Brandon Linton 6'2" point guard who averages about 9 points and led Liberty League in assists. Honorable mention all-league.
Ryan Smith 6'6" center. Tough rebounder who averages about 5 and 5 per game.
Brian Salanger 6' 1" 2 guard who can really get hot from 3 point land. Sometimes is asked to play point too.
Keith Murray 6'2" 3 guard who shoots the ball well from 3 point land and is fearless. Also rebounds extremely well for his size. Averages about 10 pts and 5 rebounds.
Key Reserves:
Jonathan Hood 6'3" athletic 3 or 4. Can jump through the roof. Nicknamed Zeus (and this freshman deserves the nickname). Goes well to the hoop and rebounds extremely well. Averages about 5 and 5 per game.
Brandon Rigg-Reaves 6'2" slasher who is a defensive stopper. Averages 3 points and 3 rebounds but makes his presence felt on the defensive end.
John Chiero 6' 6" 4 man. Who works hard every minute that he plays. Has an uncanny ability to find seems against a zone defense for easy looks at the basket.
George Koduah 6'6" Athletic big who is learning the game. Rebounds well and can be a defensive force.
James Evans 6'2" 3 guard. Defends well and can shoot the 3. Good passer as assists for minutes are pretty high.
Kevin Linares 5'7" point guard. Very capable ball handler who gives very good minutes. Has been limited due to injuries but provides real leadership to this young team.
Zach Gostling 6'6" freshman good mid range jumper who plays long. Needs to "fill out" to be truly effective in college ball. When he does he will be a force.
Nikolai Marquis 5'9" freshman point guard. Can shot the 3 but is learning the college system. Very capable of running team in the future and gives good minutes now when called upon.
Shawn Lasalita 5'8" freshman 2 guard who can flat out shoot the 3. Also 14-14 from charity stripe for the season. Will become a force as he improves his defensive foot speed.
Eric Ingerson 5'10" freshman 2 guard who is a very good shooter. Is now learning the speed of the college game. When his turn comes he will produce.
Key Wins: Hamilton twice, St Lawrence once, Vassar Once, Hobart (without Pickering to get playoff spot)
Key Losses: you name it they've lost it. Numerous injuries caused 5 out of top 8 players to miss multiple games. Have a full roster now. Very well coached and disciplined. Extremely defensive minded. Held a good shooting Hamilton team to 2 for 20 from beyond the arc in league championship game (and one of those was a bank shot that wasn't called-though it did count). First NCAA tournament in school history.
Yes, how strange is it to have a team in the tournament from Potsdam, NY that doesn't call itself the Bears??
Brandeis University (Pool C Bid - UAA)
Record: 20-5, 10-4 UAA
Key Wins: #1 Amherst, @#4 Wash U, Rochester (I can not remember their rank at the time but I think #6)
Key Losses: Home and Home to Chicago (UAA Pool A winner), #4 Wash U, Then Unranked UMD (OT), @#1 Rochester
Three wins against teams that reached number 1 at some point in the season, all 5 loses to teams who would end the season in the top 25, all made the tournament. 5-5 record vs tournament teams, 3-5 above plus victories over Curry at home, and @ Elms (OT)
Hosting first round against Lasell, with Bowdoin and Curry also in the bracket.
Probable Starters:
Kwame Graves Fulgham - 5-10, 180 lbs. - 7 PPG, 3.6 RPG Needs 8 more steals to reach #1 in Brandeis History
Kevin Olsen - 6-4, 190 lbs. - 11 ppg, 2.5 rpg, over 85% from the line
Joe Coppens - 6-3, 180 lbs - 15.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 87% from the line, 44% from behind the arc
Terrell Hollins - 6-4, 225lbs - 13.6 ppg, 6 rpg, 53% from the field
Steve Hill - 6-6, 210 lbs - 7.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 57% from the field, 12 blocks
Reserves
Andre Roberson - G - 9.7 ppg
Christian Yemga - F - 10 blocks
Florian Rexhepi - G - 4.6 ppg, 50 steals, started during much of first semester
Overall Team shoots 70% from the line, score about 76 point per game, and lead their opponents in every category except blocked shots.
Outlook: Clearly I am a bit biased, but I think with a few road blocks on the way, the Judges should be at least in the sweet sixteen, with a decent shot at the elite eight and even the final four.
University of Chicago Maroons
18-7 overall, 11-3 UAA
How Earned Bid: Pool A (UAA regular-season champion)
Last Tournament Appearance: 2007 (lost 76-54 to Hope in 1st round)
Best Tournament Finish: 2001 Elite Eight
Head Coach: Mike McGrath (DePauw '92) – 9th year at UC, 4th tournament appearance
Key Wins: Illinois Wesleyan, at Brandeis, at Rochester, Wash U
Key Losses: at Wheaton (IL), at Loras, at Carnegie Mellon
Key Stat: Chicago ranks 9th nationally in three-point field goals per game (10.0).
Nate Hainje (6'5" Sr.) is one of the best all-around players ever to wear the maroon-and-white. Hainje finished among the conference leaders in scoring (4th), rebounding (4th) and assists (9th). He has notched double-doubles in five of the Maroons' last six games (all wins). He just does so many things that help the team win. Hainje apparently is versatile in the classroom as well. I learned on Senior Day that Nate is concentrating in religious studies and economics – a quintessential U of C double-major if I ever heard one. :D
Matt Corning (6'4" Jr.) has had an outstanding season (17.8 ppg, .554 FG%) after being hurt much of last year. Corning is a good shooter, but he also likes to take the ball to the hoop and draw contact.
Jake Pancratz (6'1" So.) makes plays from the point and is a terrific defender. He will shoot the three at any time. Pancratz played all 40 minutes in Chicago's last two wins over Brandeis and Wash U, which indicates how important he is to this team (this is especially impressive in D3 with no TV timeouts).
Adam Machones (6'5" Jr.) has come on strong late in the year and poured in a career-high 18 points in Saturday's conference-title game against Wash U. Machones is a Duluth native who will be opening tournament play in his home state.
Tim Reynolds (6'7" Sr.) gives the Maroons a stronger post presence than they had last year, when he was hurt. Reynolds also can step out and shoot the three -- he went 4-4 from beyond the arc in UC's win at Rochester.
Team Outlook: Six weeks ago, the D3Hoops Top 25 had Rochester at #1, Brandeis at #2 and Washington at #4. Chicago did not receive a single vote. Under those circumstances, for the Maroons to win the UAA title outright is a tremendous accomplishment. Mike McGrath had to replace three starting guards from last year's tournament team and has done a tremendous coaching job. The Maroons are playing with a confidence that is palpable. Having taken down the giants of the UAA, will Chicago be able to maintain that confidence against WIAC powerhouse Wisconsin-Stevens Point?
Quote from: Gregory Sager on March 04, 2008, 05:48:17 AM
Yes, how strange is it to have a team in the tournament from Potsdam, NY that doesn't call itself the Bears??
Quit rubbing it in. Still haven't had the guts to tell Coach Welsh.
Come on guys let us Clarkson guys "bask in the limelight" that you've held for about 50 years!!! :D Hey where are all the other posters?? I'd like some dirt on King's College please!! We've shared???
Hmm.... I am really tempted to do this again this year..... Hmmmmm.....
It would be cooler if all the teams information was filled in from a template that made the summaries look uniform.
If someone is willing to partner with me by deciding on a template of what you want in it, and spam conferences for submissions, I would be willing to edit and assemble it and post it on my now extremely inactive website.
For an example of what was done last year, see:
http://wheatonhoops.googlepages.com/ncaatourney
King's 19-8 (11-3 conference)
Pool A qualifier after winning the MAC freedom conference for second straight year
key wins deslaes x2, manhattenville x2,
key losses widener, baptist bible, york(pa), desales, manhattenvile
won lycoming tip-off to start year then stayed around .500 at 7-5 going into conference play, went 3-3 to begin conference play and hasn't lost since currently on a 9 game winning streak
10-3 at home this year (6 game winning streak at home) all 3 losses came during winter break to rival wilkes, york(pa) and lebanon valley
senior led team(8 seniors) 2 freshmen start, seniors have won 3 of 4 conference titles, went to elite 8 in 05 as freshmen, lost 1st round vs widener last year as juniors
senior John Soboleski- easily the most dominant player in the conference over the last half of the season wining player of the week the last four week, MVP of conference tournament averaging 18.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in two tournament games. for the season averages 15.3 points and 7.7 rebounds, but over the last six games has tallied an average of 20.2 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.2 blocks per-game
senior Jamie Cousart, a 6-4 point-guard, earned his third straight berth on the All-Freedom squad, including his second consecutive first-team choice. In 26 games this season, Cousart has averaged 15.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists, while shooting 51.0 (134-263) percent from the field and 77.0 (114-148) percent from the foul line while standing second in the Freedom Conference with a 1.96 assist-to-turnover ratio.
those would be the 2 biggest threats along with senior center vince scalzo but every starter is a pretty solid player and kings has good talent off the bench especially with seniors Kofi Dwebeng, Jim Welsh, and Ryan Nenstiel
2 freshmen are pretty solid and get quality playing time, but i haven't seen enough of them to give full analysis
Quote from: thebear on March 04, 2008, 02:25:36 PM
Quote from: Gregory Sager on March 04, 2008, 05:48:17 AM
Yes, how strange is it to have a team in the tournament from Potsdam, NY that doesn't call itself the Bears??
Quit rubbing it in. Still haven't had the guts to tell Coach Welsh.
I still half-expect Clarkson to show up on the court wearing skates and attempting to put the ball in the basket by using crooked wooden sticks.
Quote from: kcxc09 on March 04, 2008, 11:30:02 PM
those would be the 2 biggest threats along with senior center vince scalzo but every starter is a pretty solid player and kings has good talent off the bench especially with seniors Kofi Dwebeng, Jim Welsh, and Ryan Nenstiel
2 freshmen are pretty solid and get quality playing time, but i haven't seen enough of them to give full analysis
Isn't Vince Scalzo the host of "Idiots Delight" on Sirius Disorder?
"...I still half-expect Clarkson to show up on the court wearing skates and attempting to put the ball in the basket by using crooked wooden sticks...."
It works for Plattsburgh ;)
Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Ospreys
Record: 20-6, 12-3 in NJAC; NJAC regular season and conference champs
How they got here: Automatic qualifier (Pool A)
Wins versus NCAA teams: None
Loses to NCAA teams: @ Widener (69-67), vs. Whitworth (60-50), @ Moravian (67-65)
Likely starters
Jerome Hubbard (15.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg): Team's leading scorer...an outstanding outside shooter whose range extends well behind the three-point line...hit a critical three late against William Paterson in the NJAC title game to cut the Pioneers lead to one...in first game against WPUNJ, scored his only basket as the game winner and blocked potential game winning shot
Jon Greene (13.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg): Team's leading rebounder and best low post player...a broad shouldered forward who can bang underneath for rebounds and take his opponent off the drible...good on the offensive glass...hit the game tying and winning free throws in the NJAC title game...has to avoid throwing the ball away when passing...1,000 point scorer...one of just two players taller than 6-foot-3
Mario Lancioni (12.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 46.5 3pt%): Coach Matthews described him as the "heart and soul" of the team last year...a good ball handler and very good outside shooter...works well off screens and receiving passes from younger brother Santini...1,000 point scorer
Kai Massaquoi (5.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg): Took over starting point guard role in mid-season...an efficient shooter with the team's best field goal percentage (.646)...will likely split playing time with Santini Lancioni, Joe Albano and Fran Kelly
Chad Davis (4.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg): Started all 26 games...solid defensively...at 6-foot-3 plays a forward position on a team without a lot of size
Key reserves
Santini Lancioni (6.4 ppg, 2.6 apg, .460 3pt%)
Kevin Brown (6.3 ppg, .870 free-throw %)
Omar Smith (6.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
Fran Kelly (7.2 ppg, .452 3pt%)
Joe Albano (1.3 ppg, 1.5 apg)
Things are going well if: The Ospreys can push tempo, generating turnovers off their press that allow the Lancioni brothers to create in the open floor...the Ospreys hit their threes...Greene can neutralize whatever low post presence the opponent has...opposing team does not respect Hubbard's range and allows him to get hot early
I guess I'll chip in some NESCAC knowledge for you guys...
Amherst College Lord Jeffs
Defending champions; went 30-2 last year, best season in program history. Only two losses were to Trinity and Williams (both NESCAC rivals). Beat Wooster and Virginia Wesleyan in last year's Final Four to clinch program's first national championship.
23-3 this year; 9-0 in the NESCAC regular season. Losses were at Brandeis, at Florida Memorial (Div. II NAIA), and home against Bowdoin in the NESCAC Tournament this past weekend (Bowdoin then lost to Trinity in the final). Schedule was otherwise fairly soft, but a 9-0 regular season is impressive in a deep NESCAC that includes Trinity, Bowdoin and Middlebury.
Jeffs open with a first-round bye before taking on the winner of Moravian and John Jay.
Starting five
This is a team known for its ridiculous size. The only starter under 6'6" is the defending NCAA Tournament MVP.
Andrew Olson: The aforementioned MVP. Also a co-NABC Player of the Year and a two-time NESCAC POY as well (unanimously this year, the league announced today). Senior captain, point guard, 5'10". Holds every Amherst assist record you can name (single game, season, tournament, career, etc) -- 716 total. Also a 44 percent three-point shooter with a penchant for the clutch. Averaging 11.6 points and 7 assists this season.
Brian Baskauskas: 6'6" junior swingman, ridiculous three-point shot (53 percent this season). Very athletic on both ends of the floor... good defender. Not incredibly physical, but long enough to grab a fair number of rebounds. 12.2 ppg, 42 of 80 threes. Pretty lackluster numbers otherwise, but still a great player.
Brandon Jones: 6'7" senior forward. VERY athletic, great defender... can guard anyone on the floor. Decent range -- shoots 56 percent and can make the occasional three. Moved into the starting lineup in January and had a solid second half. Monstrous on the offensive glass, leads the team in offensive boards with 55. Averages 11.9 points and 5.2 boards.
Fletcher Walters: a well deserved All-NESCAC first-teamer. 6'8" senior power forward, great interior defender, great scorer in the post. Range isn't amazing (he led the team in missed threes), but he's a beast down low. Leading scorer and rebounder with 13.8 ppg and 7.2 rpg. Also led the team in steals (36).
Kevin Hopkins: senior center. Big but not that muscular -- just incredibly long. 6'10", 215. Known for his shot-blocking and rebounding, but also a solid scorer. Was a preseason All-American, and was a bit underwhelming this year with that in mind, but still good. Shooting 63 percent this season, good for 10.2 ppg; also 4.0 rpg and 1.7 bpg.
Key bench guys:
Hixon will probably only give 2-3 guys significant minutes in the tournament.
Matt Goldsmith: senior power forward, 6'6" 220. Good reliable backup for the starting bigs.
Steve Wheeler: 6'5" sophomore swingman. Big brother Dan Wheeler was first team All-New England as a senior at Amherst last year and had a big tournament last March. Little bro is very athletic and a great pure shooter.
Conor Meehan: freshman guard, backs up Olson whenever he's tired, which isn't often.
Overall this Lord Jeffs team is downright scary. Perhaps even better than last year's national champs. They should be a favorite to come out of their region to the Final Four, although Brandeis, Plattsburgh, RIC and Bowdoin would have something to say about that. We'll see.
Trinity College Bantams
NESCAC champions for the first time ever. 21-6, 6-3 in the NESCAC regular seasons. Key losses include Ursinus, Bowdoin and Amherst; key wins include Curry, WPI, Middlebury twice and Bowdoin once.
Bantams take on Coast Guard, an in-state rival, at home tomorrow night. Winner plays at UMass Dartmouth Saturday.
Starting five
Pat Hasiuk: 5'10" senior point guard, first team All-NESCAC and the consensus MVP of the conference tournament. Good ball handler. Puts up tons of threes -- only shooting 36 percent on the season, but he's had the hot hand recently.
Paul Rowe: 6'4" junior, plays the 2 but doesn't shoot much from outside. Decent mid-range scorer, not a very good ball-handler (61 turnovers), but a superb defender. Averages 10.1 ppg and 4.6 rpg.
Aaron Westbrooks: 6'4" junior forward. Similar player to Rowe. Not very good offensively, although he is a great passer. More importantly, he's a superb defender. Voted Defensive POY in the NESCAC today. His stats aren't flashy, but he's a solid player.
Robert Taylor III (RT3): 6'5" senior tri-captain, power forward. Not very good range, but on the interior, he's a great scorer and rebounder. Averages 13.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg, making for a great one-two post threat alongside...
Russ Martin: 6'7" senior tri-captain, preseason All-American center, second team All-NESCAC selection. Great big man on both ends of the floor. Good defender, leads the team in steals with 35. 14.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg.
Key bench guys
Ian Fels and Brian Ford: A solid pair of freshman backup guards
Steve Dunn: 6'8" senior center... does a great job spelling Martin off the bench. Excellent shot-blocker.
Luke MacDougall: 6'6" freshman forward... good bench scorer. Shoots 56 percent and averages 4.4 ppg off the pine.
This Trinity team isn't an incredible scoring machine, but they get the job done. They can win games with the little things -- stingy defense, good passing and relentlessly crashing those boards. Should be a threat to UMD in the second round if they win tomorrow.
John Jay Bloodhounds
Location: New York, NY
Region: Atlantic
Conference: City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC)
Record: 13-15 (overall), 6-7 (in conference)
Best wins: Montclair State, Ramapo, York (NY)
Coach: Charles Jackson
Possible Starters
#11 Emilio Gomez 5'9" PG
#25 Gary Brady 6'1" SG
#33 Hakeem Kased 6'4" C
#10 Robert Pierce 6'6" PF
#34 Vaughn Mason 6'3" SF
Key Reserves (Assuming they don't start)
#21 Chris Jaeger 6'5" PF/C
#12 Godfrey Mascall 5'8' PG
#15 Miguel Garcia 6'4" SG
#01 Alex Valerio 6'3" SF
Top Scorers: Mason 14.1 ppg, Garcia 10.1 ppg, Valerio 9.6 ppg
Top Rebounders: Kased 6.2 rpg, Jaeger 5.6 rpg
John Jay won their conference tournament as a sixth seed to receive a Pool A bid. This is the Bloodhounds' first-ever NCAA tournament appearance. This team is erratic but is pretty good when everyone is on the same page, and is capable of pulling off an upset. The team is currently on a four-game winning streak, their longest of the season, and has played well under pressure.
Kased is a saavy big man who understands how to play the game. Jaeger is very physical and can score around the basket. Mason is a superior athlete who can shoot from outside or take it to the hoop. Garcia is a streaky shooter who can put points on the board in a hurry when he's shooting well. Mascall is a lightning-quick point guard who is capable of making some astonishing passes.
UW-STEVENS POINT POINTERS
22-6 Overall
12-4 WIAC
1-2 vs. Whitewater
W vs. Lawrence
W at Augustana
L in OT at Cal. Lutheran (blew 15 pt halftime lead)
STARTERS
Steve Hicklin (6'4" Sr. G): 12.5 pts/2.7 rebs. Leading the Pointers in scoring, Hicklin is a very steady shooting guard that can hit the 3 (57-137) and excels at the lost art of the midrange jumper. A solid player that can be counted on to hit a big shot down the stretch. An impressive 73:31 Assist to turnover ratio.
Pete Rortvedt (6'5" Jr. F): 12.4 pts/4.3 rebs. 2nd in scoring, Rortvedt has come on strong after playing with lingering injuries throughout the year. He hurt his ankle pretty bad in the WIAC Final game on Saturday vs. Whitewater and his availability is unknown at this time (sounds doubtful though). Lately, he's been the heart and soul of the team, doing all the dirty work you usually don't see in the boxscore. He has led the team in scoring and also in rebounding numerous times, so if he can't go, it will be a big loss. He's also a great 3 pt shooter. He has struggled this year, but when he's on, watch out.
Bryan Beamish (6'6" Jr. F): 10.0 pts/4.6 rebs. Very versatile forward who can hit the ocassional 3, but uses his quickness in the post to get some easy layups. A solid ball hander, he sometimes brings the ball up and also led the team in assists with 93.
Khalifa El-Amin (5'8" Jr. G): 7.7 pts/1.7 rebs. A smart quick point guard that doesn't turn the ball over much (30) yet dishes it out well (80). He can really break down a defense with his penatration and kick out to a host of shooters.
Louis Hurd (6'5" Fr. F): 9.4 pts/3.3 rebs. Another forward that uses his versatility to his advantage. He isn't afraid to step outside the arc and hit a 3 or take it inside with a quick move.
Bench
Matt Moses (6'2" So. G): 6.4 pts/2.9 rebs
Jerome Wotachek (6'8" Jr. C): 6.3/3.2
Ross Rortvedt (6'3" So. G): 5.3/1.3
Scott Hoelzel (6'6" So. F): 4.3/2.1
Jared Jenkins (6'4" Fr. G): 2.9/0.9
Drew Jackson (6'5" Jr. G): 2.5/2.2
Offensively, it's hard to stop them. They will launch from anywhere and always have four shooters on the floor. They spread the ball around and are very patient in finding a shot. TEN players average double digits in minutes, so they rarely get worn down. There isn't much drop off when the "subs" come in. Ross Rortvedt is a solid shooter and Matt Moses likes to drive to the basket. Scott Hoelzel is an athletic big man that can crash the offensive boards while Jerome Wotachek is comfortable from 15-17 feet.
Point isn't a tall bunch, but they play very well as a team. They cut the passing lanes down, have solid help defense and nearly always play man-to-man. Players like Hoelzel, Drew Jackson and Jared Jenkins can come and add athleticism on the defensive end. If there is a real quick guard or a guy "lighting it up", one of these guys usually come in and play pretty well defensively. Matt Moses is also known for being a defensive stopper. I have yet to see Point go to a zone, so it's all man-to-man.
How to stop Point offensively: Have a big post player that can play with his back to the basket and back down our smaller forwards (Troy Ruths killed us last year). Bryan Beamish is probably the guy that is most hard to replace on our team, so if you get him into foul trouble, it hurts us on both ends of the floor. If you have a lightning quick guard, we might have problems slowing him down and/or him breaking down our standard man-to-man defense and dishing it out for an open 3.
How to stop Point defensively: Don't let us get open shots. There have been a couple of games when we have just missed open shots and it hasn't been our day, but that doesn't happen too often. Point passes the ball very well and they move without the ball very well. Box out and rebound. Point is a small team and doesn't seem to rebound very well, nor does it seem like Point "wants" to rebound sometimes (I think they just assume the shot is going in). Limit us to one shot. With so many different shooters on Point, it's impossible to focus on just one or two players.
Bowdoin College Polar Bears
Come into the tournament at 21-6, an identical overall record to that of Trinity, who beat them in the NESCAC final Sunday to avenge a 2OT loss a month ago.
Losses were to Elms, Bates twice, and Amherst/Trinity/Middlebury. Schedule was fairly soft. Biggest win was an upset of Amherst in the NESCAC semifinal Saturday.
Bowdoin plays Curry in Brandeis' gym Friday night. Winner takes on the Brandeis/Lasell winner.
Starting five
Jordan Fliegel: Senior tri-captain center, 6'5" or 6'6" depending on who you ask. Second team All-NESCAC. Very good defender in the low post, and a good scorer as well. Averaging 13.7 ppg and 5.3 rpg.
Andrew Sargeantson: Senior tri-captain forward, 6'4". One of the best defensive stoppers around, and an aggressive rebounder on both ends. Good scorer although not much range. 10.0 points, 7.7 boards, 3.1 assists per game. Shoots 62 percent, but hasn't attempted a three in over two years.
Kyle Jackson: Junior forward. Only 6'3", but he's physical -- he was a top-10 rebounder in the NESCAC as a sophomore last year with 6.1 boards a game. Slight drop-off in the rebounding this year (4.6), but he's a bigger force offensively (12.6 ppg), and he's 48 percent (39 for 82) on threes. Good all-around player.
Andrew Hippert: Senior tri-captain, 6'0" shooting guard. Second team All-NESCAC alongside Fliegel. Takes lots of threes. A big key to the Bears' success is this guy's shooting, and when he's on, he's really on. Led the Bowdoin team with 16.2 ppg, but missed part of the season with an injury. He's healthy now, and he's good.
Mike Hauser: Sophomore point guard, 5'11" 180. Inexperienced, but he's had a good year. Fourth in the NESCAC in assists (4.5) and 11th in steals (1.4). Not much of a scorer though.
Key bench guys:
Mark Phillips: Sophomore big man. And I mean BIG. 6'6" 250. Great shot blocker, decent scorer, and really crashes the offensive glass.
Randy DeFeo: 5'11" freshman guard. Can't shoot much, but good ball-handler/passer/defender.
Defensively, this Bowdoin team is one of the best teams I've seen in a long time. NESCAC Coach of the Year Tim Gilbride has led them to the program's best season ever, and they could do some damage if Hippert gets hot and their other two senior leaders step up. They've got definite potential.
Centre Colonels
Location: Danville KY; 1,175 students
Conference: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC)
Record: 25-2; 14-0 Conference Regular Season; lost to Millsaps in Conference Tournament Final
Coach: Greg Mason (8th season at Centre – career mark of 168-70) 1994 Centre graduate
Accomplishments: 25-game win streak; 1st team in conference history to go through conference slate regular season undefeated; Greg Mason, Coach of the Year for the 2nd year in a row; Thomas Britt, Player of the Year; last season Centre finished 24-5 in winning conference tournament and advancing to 2nd round of D3 tournament losing to final 4 participant, Wooster at Wooster. Ranked as high as #2 in the country this season, currently at #4
Key Wins: #14 Millsaps; DePauw (twice); Trinity (TX)
Key Losses: Rust
Centre will play a first round game at home against Franklin College (IN) on Friday, March 7. Winner will meet the winner of Ohio Wesleyan – Heidelberg game on Saturday, March 8.
Starting Five
Matt Nestheide; 6'0" senior point guard (12 ppg; 4 rpg); 1st team SCAC the last 2 seasons; SCAC Player of the Year 2006-07; runs the offense and scores from all over the court. Leads team with 112 assists; assist to turnover ratio of 2.20. Shoots 49% FG; 81% FT. 3-point shooting is down from last year because he's frequently doubled on the perimeter.
Thomas Britt; 6'0" senior 2 guard (14.5 ppg; 3 rpg; 41 steals); 1st team SCAC this campaign; SCAC Player of the Year 2007-08; quick release on the 3-ball with tons of accuracy - 50% during regular season; led league in 3-point % and FT% (86%). FG (50%). Best defender for his size on the team. Like Nestheide, extremely heady player and is part of one of the best tandem of guards in D3.
T. C. Thomason; 6'3" junior wing (12.7 ppg; 5.4 rpg); 3rd team SCAC performer, gifted athlete-plays above the rim; similar to other starters he can score the 3-ball and is effective on the dribble drive. Long arms and jumping ability allow him to play bigger. 49% FG; 74% FT; 2nd on the team in steals.
Danny Noll; 6'6" sophomore power forward (12.3 ppg; 5.1 rpg); honorable mention SCAC; balanced player with rapidly-improving post skills. Came to Centre as a 3-point specialist. Has developed an all around game in his sophomore season with some power on the low block and always solid 3-point shooting. Has been a consistent performer through Centre's 25-game win streak. 48% FG; 37% 3FG; 72% FT.
Ross Herman; 6'6" sophomore post (5.1 ppg; 3.4 rpg); improving 2nd year player filling the shoes left by the graduated 6'10" John Patterson. Physical and bangs in the low block effectively scoring mostly around the hoop. 50% FG shooter with range expanding over the course of the season.
Key Bench Players
Ryan Crowdis; 6'2" junior point & wing (5.6 ppg; 3 rpg; 34 steals); tenacious offensive player that takes the ball to the hoop while draining 3's at 36%. He will start in Nestheide's spot next season. Brings a lot of energy to both the offensive and defensive end of the floor. 2nd in assists on the team with positive assists/turnover ratio. Shoots 45% FG; 74% FT.
Chris Gowers; 6'4" freshman forward & post (3.9 ppg; 2.5 rpg); smart & poised for 1st year player. He's versatile playing both on the wing and in the middle. He frequently spells Herman in the post now that 6'8" freshman Alex Lloyd is injured. Excellent 3-point touch as well at 42%. 45% FG; 70% FT.
Others – Rob Matthews; 6'4" junior wing; good ball-handler who can score the 3-ball. Beau Braden; 6'2" junior combo guard/wing who likes to drive the ball. Kris Bentley 5'11" junior combo guard with perimeter shooting skills.
Summary
This is a smart, court-savvy squad that plays unselfishly. Key strength is guard play. Other strengths are patience, good passing, shooting and defense (opponents shoot under 41%). Rebounding is a weakness. Colonels frustrate opponents by their superior passing to generate high percentage looks.
This has been done the last 2 years, lets do it again. I'll start and if invdividuals could add thier teams we can attempt to get close to all 60.
Lawrence University Vikings
Rank as of last d3hoops.com poll: 20
Co-Midwest Conference Regular Season Champions
Midwest Conference Tournament Champions
19-6 overall 13-3 in the MWC
Head coach: Joel (JoJo) De Pagter, 2nd season
Key wins: Dec 2 75-59 win at home vs then #7 UW-Stevens Point, Jan 31 94-67 win at then # 24 Carroll, Feb 3, 75-52 win at then # 11 St. Norbert
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams 2-0 (UWSP, Cornell)
Starters:
30 Ryan Kroger 6'2 Sr. Guard- Preseason Street and Smith 1st Team All-American. Averages 17.7 ppg, shoots 53% 41% from behind the arc
3 Doug Kaddison 6'2 sr. Guard- Averages 5.8 assists, 9.1 points per game. 40% shooter from beyond the arc
23 Jayce Applegren 6'3 Sr. Guard- Averages 12.1 points per game. Shoots 65% from the field 52% from beyond the arc.
25 John Dekker- 6'6 Jr Forward- Averages 14.1 points, 6.2 rebounds per game.
15 Chris Page 6'6 Sr Forward- Averages 13.5 points, 8.4 rebounds a game.
Key reserves: 11 Dustin Lee- Guard, 44 Eric Borenson- Center, 24 Jamie DeMathew- Guard
Details: Lawrence Averages 83.4 points per game and only gives up 68.5 Averages 34.8 rebounds per game The teams shoots 52.8% from the field, 40% from beyond the arc, and thier achilies heel only 71.2 % from the free throw line.
Lawrence is in the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row and the 5th in 6 years. Lawrence's best finish in the NCAA Tournament is an elite 8 finish where they lost to eventual National Champion UW-Stevens Point 82-81 in Overtime in Tacoma, WA. Their overall record in the NCAA tournament is 5-5.
Guilford College Quakers, Greensboro, NC
Rank in last d3hoops.com poll: 19
Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Regular Season co-Champions
Lost to W&L, 82-76 (2OT), in ODAC quarterfinals
21-5 overall, 14-2 ODAC
Head coach: Tom Palombo, 6th season at Guilford
Key wins: at Averett 73-63 on Nov. 25, Virginia Wesleyan 74-54 on Dec. 6, at McDaniel 68-62 on Dec. 17, at Virginia Wesleyan 66-59 on Jan. 17, Roanoke 77-72 on Jan. 28, Randolph-Macon 71-66 on Jan. 31.
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 3-1 (2 wins over VWC, win over Averett, loss at UT-Dallas)
Starters:
11 Clay Henson 6'1" Jr. Guard- ODAC 1st Team. Averages 19.4 ppg, shoots .805 from FT line, 75 three-pointers this season, 70 assists.
34 Rhett Bonner 6'0" Jr. Guard- ODAC 2nd Team. Averages 16.2 ppg, shoots .831 from FT line, 65 three-pointers, 85 assists.
15 Tyler Sanborn 6'10" Jr. Center- ODAC 1st Team. Averages 14.9 ppg, 12.6 rpg, shoots .522 from the floor, 61 blocks.
21 George Neville 6'3" Sr. Forward. Averages 9.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg and shoots .786 from the FT line.
33 Mat Stanley 6'1" Sr. Guard. Averages 0.4 ppg, great hustle and unselfish play.
Key reserves:
32 Martin Stephenson 6'4" So. Forward. Averages 4.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg.
05 Gabriel Lowder 6'1" Fr. Guard. Averages 5.6 ppg, 18 steals, 23 assists.
Details: Guilford averages 73.7 ppg and yields 64.0. Rebounding margin is 41.6 to 34.7. FT .734 as a team.
Guilford is in the NCAA tournament for the 3rd year in a row ... earlier success as an NAIA team in 1960's-80's, including 1973 national champs.
Three solid juniors (Henson, Bonner and Sanborn) alternate on leading the charge. All can score and 6'10" Sanborn averages over a dozen boards ... had 21 in last game.
Elite 8 finish in '07 where they lost to eventual runner-up Va. Wesleyan. Senior-laden '08 team was d3hoops pick to win it all when tournament started, but were upset by St. Mary's (MD) in 1st round. The Quakers are 24-5, 24-5 and 21-5 since Nov. 2006.
Overall NCAA tournament record: 3-2
Franklin & Marshall College Diplomats
22-5, 14-4 CC, Centennial Conference regular season champions
Head coach: Glenn Robinson, 38th season at F&M
Starters:
G Georgio Milligan (Fr, 6'2") - 1st-team All-CC, 13.5 ppg, 5.4 apg, 2.4 spg
G Anthony Brooks (So, 6'2") - 10.2 ppg, .546 FG%, 2.5 apg, 1.8 spg
G Clay Scovill (Jr, 6'3") - 10.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.2 apg
F Mike Baker (So, 6'7") - 10.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg
F James McNally (So, 6'6") - 1st-team All-CC, 16.1 ppg, .545 FG%, 7.3 rpg
Key Reserves:
G Steve Tolliver (So, 6'2") - 7.0 ppg, .493 3FG%
F Dan Selig (Sr, 6'7") - 7.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg
The Diplomats are a young team (Scovill and Selig are the only upperclassmen to play at least 10 minutes per game) that has exceeded pre-season expectations. With all 5 starters for F&M averaging 10+ ppg, each is capable of leading the way on a given night. Despite making (and taking, I suspect) the fewest 3-pointers per game in D3, they have the an above average offense (76.6 ppg) thanks to a .494 FG%. While not a dominating defensive team (66.9 ppg), they are aggressive (9.6 S/G, 3.9 B/G) and usually manage to tighten up the defense when necessary.
F&M stumbled a bit down the stretch, losing 3 of their last 4, with 2 of those losses coming to Gettysburg (whose senior leadership and talent showed up at the end of the season). They're certainly capable of getting at least to the Sweet 16 if they can rediscover their play from earlier in the season (they looked close to it in the CC final). F&M makes its 20th NCAA tournament appearance after a 4 year absence.
Rhode Island College, Providence RI
Rank in last d3hoops.com poll: 17
Little East Conference Regular Season Champions
Lost to UMass Dartmouth in LEC Finals
23-5 overall, 13-1 ODAC
Head coach: Bob Walsh, 6th season at Guilford
Key wins: Bridgewater 86-80, @ UMass Dartmouth 69-66, Amherst 72-61, UMass Dartmouth 82-71
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams: 4-2
Starters:
G- Terril Hill 11.1 ppg
G- Antone Gray 11.0 ppg
G- Bobby Bailey 11.9 ppg
F- Kaseem Johnson 8 ppg and 7 rpg
C- Wil Lyons 10.6 ppg and 6.1 rpg
Key Reserves
F- Mason Choice 9.4 ppg and 5 rpg
G- Cameron Stewart 8.0 ppg
Third staight NCAA Tourney.
2007 Elite Eight
2008 Second Round
College of Wooster Fighting Scots, Wooster, OH
Rank Last in d3 hoops.com poll: Unranked
North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Outright Regular Season and Tournament Champions
22-6 Overall Record, 14-2 NCAC
Head Coach Steve Moore- 22nd Season
Key Wins: Dec. 6th, 82-65 vs. Ohio Wesleyan; Jan. 7th, 74-64 @ Kenyon; Feb. 4th, 89-87 @ Hiram; Feb.14th, 67-53 @ Wittenberg.
Record Against NCAA Tournament Teams- (0-2) L 66-74 @ Carnegie Mellon; L 67-76 Neutral Site vs. Wisc.-Platteville
Starters
22 PG- 6-1 175 So. Nathan Balch- 12 PPG, 90% FTA, 47% 3PA
33 SG- 6-3 175 So. Ian Franks- 15 PPG, 79% FTA, 39% 3PA
14 SF- 6-4 205 Sr. Marty Bidwell- 10 PPG, 71 % FTA, 42% 3PA
40 PF- 6-7 200 Fr. Justin Hallowell- 14.5 PPG, 89% FTA, 4.5 RPG, 52% 3PA
32 C- 6-6 205 So. Bryan Wickliffe- 7.5 PPG, 6 RPG, 71% FTA
Key Reserve(s)
12 G- 6-1 175 Jr. Dustin Geitgey- 5 PPG, 82%FTA, 3 RPG
20 G- 6-1 180 Fr. Matt Fegan- 5 PPG, 48% 3PA
42 F- 6-4 200 Fr. Mike Evans- 4.5 PPG, 37% 3PA
54 F- 6-5 205 Fr. Greg Ross- 4.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG
Other Notes
5th Straight Outright NCAC Championship
254-44 Record Since 2000 (85.2%) Winning Percentage...Best in ALL divisions
Final 4 Appearances in 2007 (4th Place) and 2003 (3rd Place)
Overall NCAA Record since 1990- (16-17)
7th Consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearance
To add to lebron's well done overview of the COW:
Wooster is also a very young team, but they are also very talented! I believe around 80% of their scoring comes from freshmen and sophomores! Their top 3 scorers are a sophomore, a freshmen and a sophomore DI transfer in his first season with the Wooster program. They only have one sr. on the roster total and that is starting forward Marty Bidwell. He is also the defensive stalwart for the Scots as he usually draws the opponents top offensive threat.
Wooster can also score the basketball as they are averaging 81.1 ppg while allowing 69.8 ppg. They are one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the country as they finished the season 2nd in the nation in 3-point fg % and 4th in 3-pointers made! They have 4 players who shoot better than 40% from beyond the arc led by freshman Justin Hallowell who broke the school record for made treys at 92 and also finished 4th in the country shooting them at a 51.7% clip! Not far behind was first year guard Nate Balch who made 47.1% from deep. Wooster's leading scorer, sophomore Ian Franks nearly made it 5 Scots above 40% as he finished the season a measley (note, sarcasm :P ;)) 38.5 from deep!
Wooster comes into the tournament having won their last 9 games to finsish the season and 17 of their last 19 as well. But, they also come into the tournament, both with heavy hearts and on a mission to keep winning for Corey Cline. He is asst. coach Doug Cline's 3 year old son who died tragically the Sunday before the NCAC tournament began in a car accident. I think it could be argued that Wooster played their best 3 games of the season during their run in the NCAC tournament playing for Corey! Here's hoping they can keep it up to make a deep run in the big dance!
One last note:
With Wooster's 22 wins, the Scots have now had a DIII best 13 straight seasons of 20 or more wins! And with all of the succes they have enjoyed with all the youth on this team, there really doesn't seem to be an end in sight for that streak anytime in the near future! 8)
Transylvania University-Lexington, KY
Rank in last d3hoops poll: unranked
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (Regular Season and Tournament Champions)
22-5 Overal Record, 13-3 HCAC
Head Coach: Brian Lane 8th Season
Key Wins
Bridgewater St (N) (MASCAC Champions), @ Center College (SCAC Champions), Maryville TN (GSAC Champions), Thomas More (PAC champions).
Record Against NCAA Tournament Teams: 4-0 (see above)
Starters
15 Aaron Cash G SR 5-11 190
5 Tim Tierney G JR 5-11 170
22 Matthew Parton G JR 5-10 165
33 Joey Verax F SR 6-5 215
40 Blake McCowan F JR 6-5 230
Key Reserves
3 Scott Bauman G SO 5-8 170
20 Chris Owens G/F FR 6-3 170
30 Brock Jones F SR 6-4 205
44 Matt Wise F SO 6-5 205
10 Drew Kring G SO 5-11 165
Other Notes
Appeared in NCAA Tournament 3 out of last 4 years
Elite 8 in 2005
Wow. I didn't realize Wooster was so young. That's one bright future there.
Amherst College Lord Jeffs, Amherst, MA
Rank in last in d3 hoops.com poll: 21
New England Small Colleges Athletic Conference (NESCAC) regular season and tournament runners up
21-6 Overall Record, 7-2 NESCAC
Head Coach David Hixon, 32nd season (598-231)
Key Wins: 12/2 104-77 vs. Lasell; 1/10 65-60 @ Williams; 1/30 73-52 @ Bowdoin; 2/14 71-64 vs. Middlebury; 2/28 86-74 vs. Williams (quasi neutral site)
Record Against NCAA Tournament Teams- (1-3) L 58-73 vs. Brandeis; L 61-72 @ Rhode Island College; W 71-64 vs. Middlebury; L 68-77 @ Middlebury
Starters
20 PG- 6-3 200 So. Conor Meehan - 10.9 PPG, 4.1 APG, 45% FG
23 SG- 6-5 205 Jr. Steven Wheeler - 12.2 PPG, 87% FT, 41% 3PTM (2.6 3PTM/G)
24 F- 6-6 225 Sr. Brian Baskauskas - 16.4 PPG, 51% FG, 6.4 RBS
21 F- 6-6 210 Fr. David Waller - 7.1 PPG, 47% FG, 41% 3PTM
40 F- 6-5 215 Sr. Mike Holsey - 5.0 PPG, 1.7 BLKS, 57% FG
Key Reserve(s)
11 G- 6-0 180 Sr. Marcus Bradley - 5.9 PPG, 2.0 APG
30 F- 6-7 205 Fr. Jeff Holmes - 5.9 PPG, 5.4 RBS
3 G- 6-5 200 Fr. Taylor Barrise - 5.8 PPG, 49% FG
5 G 6-3 210 Sr. Glenn Wong
Other Notes
10th Consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance
Final Four in 4 of the past 5 years (2004, 2006-2008)
National Champion 2007, National Runner Up 2008
227-40 record since 2000 (85% winning percentage)
Key questions: will Coach Hixon's 600th career win have to wait until Fall 2009 or can the Jeffs win 2 in the tournament?
Ithaca Bombers (Ithaca,NY)
Conference: Empire 8
Record: 24-2 (15-1 Empire 8 )
Empire 8 Regular Season Conference Champions (Lost in E8 semis)
Head Coach: Jim Mullins, 12th Season
Rank: #8
Record vs Tourney Teams: 2-1
W @St. Lawrence (95-89)
L @ Rochester Tech (84-87)
W vs Rochester Tech (101-74)
Other Key Wins
W @ Rochester (80-71)
Starters
G- #4 Sean Burton (5'9''), Sr: 22.4 PPG, 7.7 APG, 3.5 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 92% FT
G- #23 Chris Cruz (6'2''), So: 13.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 36% 3pt%
G- #32 Brendan Rogers (6'3''), Sr: 11.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.1 APG, 89% FT
F- #12 Sean Leahy (6'7''), Sr: 11.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.5 APG
C- #55 Jeff Bostic (6'5''), Sr: 10.1 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 1.8 BPG
Key Reserves
G- #21 Jordan Marcus (6'1''), Fr: 10.2 PPG, 38% 3pt%
G- #3 Scott Ruffrage (6'0''), Gr: 4.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 33% 3pt%
F/C- #52 Tom Brown (6'5'') Jr: 3.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 81% FT
Statistics
Points/Game: Ithaca (89.1) Opponents (73.8 )
Rebounds/Game: Ithaca (41.3) Opponents (37.0)
FG%: Ithaca (45.5%) Opponents (45.1%)
FT%: 78.7%
Details
-Sean Burton named E8 Player of the Year, First Team All-E8
-Jeff Bostic named to Second Team All-E8
-Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2002, Lost to Alvernia in 1st Rd (67-76)
Cornell College Rams
Rank as of last d3hoops.com poll: NR
2nd Place Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Regular Season
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Champions
21-6 overall 12-4 in the IIAC
Head coach: Mike DeGeorge, 5th season
Key wins: 2/28 Defeated Wartburg College to win IIAC Conference Tournament and secure Automatic Bid
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams 0-1 (Lawrence)
Starters:
0 Griffin LaDew 6'2 Sr. Guard Cornell's career scoring leader, all time 3 point goal shooter
23 Michael Tierney 5'10" Sr. Guard
22 Corey Dieser 6'5" So. Guard
34 Chris Handke 6'11" Jr. Center
31 Riley Larson - 6'8" Jr. Forward
Key reserves: Andre Rattray, J. Ryan Lott, Matt Lewis, Joe Newcomb
Details: Cornell shoots 46.1% from the field while holding opponents to 39.9%
Cornell is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 15 years. The Rams, who have set the school record for wins in a season, make their seventh overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
MIT Engineers/Beavers
NEWMAC Tournament Champions (1st time ever)/2nd in Regular Season behind WPI
20-8 overall 11-4 vs. NEWMAC opponents
Head coach: Larry Anderson, 14th Season
Record against NCAA Tournament Teams 0-3 (WPIx2, Salem State)
Starters:
25 Jimmy Bartolotta 6'4" Sr. Guard- 28 ppg (51% FGs, 45% from 3), 6 rpg, 3 apg, 2 spg, 1.5 bpg
33 Billy Johnson 6'8" Sr. Forward- 17 ppg (47% FG, 38% 3), 7 rpg
10 Brad Gampel 5'8" Sr. Guard- True point. 4 ppg, 7 apg, 3 spg
03 Jamie Karraker- 6'4" Fr Guard- 11 ppg (46% FG, 43% 3)
11 Eric Zuk 6'5" So Forward- 7 ppg, 4 rpg
Key reserves: 31 Billy Bender, 5 Travis Tucker, 14 Pat Sissman
Details: MIT is in the NCAA tourney for the first time ever. They have made it to the NEWMAC final 2 of the last 4 years and won 20 games two of the last 4 years. Their main strength is that everyone who plays can shoot it from anywhere on the court, but they do not play a traditional lineup consisting of bigs/guards. Positions 2-5 are all nearly interchangeable with Gampel being the true point. Bartolotta will shoot it from anywhere inside of half-court...and make it. Gampel has one of the nicest beards in all of division 3 basketball, which he will use to distract his opponents and steal the ball from them.
MIT has a player to coach ratio of 1.5.
Wheaton College Thunder, Wheaton, IL
Rank in last D3hoops.com poll: 4
College of Central Illinois and Wisconsin Regular Season and Conference Tournament Champions
Record: 24-3, (11-3)
Key Wins: 91-79 vs. Hope, 64-55 @ Augustana (to end the 3 game losing streak), 77-66 vs. North Central, 67-73 vs. Elmhurst (the last 2 were come from behind wins at home in the CCIW tourney)
Record Against Tournament Teams: 3-1 (Wins over Hope and (2) Elmhurst and a loss to Elmhurst)
Starters
24 Kent Raymond 6'3'' Sr G. 24.3 ppg, .507 FG, .889 FT (Go to scorer)
22 Ben Panner 6'4'' Jr G 12.7 PPG, .347 3FG (Lockdown Defender)
42 Andy Wiele 6'8'' Sr C 14.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG (Post threat)
30 Tim McCrary 6'6'' Fr F 9.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 1 SPG (Athletic/Creates Mismatches)
50 Jake Carwell 6'7'' Jr F 6.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, .7 BPG, 1.4 SPG (Energizer/Hustler)
Key Subs
12 Jeremy Pflederer 6'0'' Fr. G (Occasional Sparkplug) 5.6 PPG .472 3FG
10 Andrew Jahns 6'0'' So. G (Solid Defender) 5.4 PPG, 1 SPG
41 Brad Smith 6'5' So. F/C' (1st Big of the Bench... doesn't get much burn because of the 3 bigs that start)
Details: 77.3 PPG vs. 63.7 (opp.). The team is hungry after an elite 8 loss last March to Hope. The team returned all 5 starters (Jahns became a 6th man to make way for McCrary) and returns 3-time All-America 5th year Senior Kent Raymond, projected as D3hoops.com Preseason MVP, multiple CCIW MOP award. The team won 11 games without pre-season All-America C Andy Weile, who returned a game before Kent Raymond went down with a ankle injury that kept him out 3 games (Wheaton went 1-2). Raymond has shown the ability to dominate any opponent and can score from anywhere on the floor. Weile started slowly coming back from injury but has begun to look like his old self despite battling the flu in the CCIW tourney.
Centre Colonels (Danville, KY)
Rank in last d3hoops poll: 16
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (Reg Season Co-Champ & Tournament Champion)
23-4 Overall; 12-2 SCAC; Home 11-3; Away 10-1; Neutral 2-0
Head Coach - Greg Mason (10th season); Overall Record - 192-75
Key Wins
DePauw; Maryville TN (GSAC Champs) - 2; Thomas More (PAC Champs); Franklin (IN)
Record Against NCAA Tourney Teams - (3-2) W-Maryville twice; W-Thomas More; L-Transylvania; L-Trinity (TX)
Starters
11 Ryan Crowdis, Point Guard 6'1", Sr 84 FT%; 5 APG, 40 STL
5 Kris Bentley, Shooting Guard 5'11", Sr 10.1 PPG; 43 3PT%; 87.5 FT%
21 T C Thomason, Small Forward 6'3", Sr 11.5 PPG; 4.2 RPG; 24 STL
32 Danny Noll, Power Forward 6'6", Jr 15.9 PPG; 51 FG%; 44 3PT%; 5.9 RPG
33 Alex Lloyd, Center 6'8", So 59 FG%; 7.4 RPG; 48 BLK
Key Reserves
20 Jeff Mullaney, Guard 6'2", Fr 8.3 PPG; 42 3PT%
34 Ross Herman, Post 6'6" Jr 54 FG%
4 Chris Gowers, Forward 6'4" So 75 FT%
Statistics
Points/Game: Centre (70.1) Opponent (58.9)
Rebounds/Game: Centre (35.3) Opponent (30.0)
FG%: Centre (45.8) Opponent (38.8)
3PT%: (38.5); FT% (70.0)
Notes
Centre is in the tournament for the 3rd consecutive year; advanced to 2nd round the past 2 years
Brandeis University Judges
Rank in last d3hoops poll: NR
Pool C qualifier from the University Athletic Association
17-8 Overall; 10-4 SCAC; Home 9-4; Away 8-4
Head Coach - Brian Meehan (sixth season)
Key Wins
12-4 vs. Rhode Island College (75-61), 1-11 vs. Carnegie Mellon (69-57), 1-20 at Amherst (73-58), 2-13 at Carnegie Mellon (66-63)
Record Against NCAA Tourney Teams - (4-4) W-Rhode Island College, Amherst, Carnegie Mellon (twice); L-WPI, Umass-Dartmouth, Wash U (twice)
Starters
1 Andre Roberson, Point Guard 5'9," Jr 10.4 PPG, 4.7 APG, 79.6 FT%
25 Kenny Small, Shooting Guard 6'0" Jr 12.7 PPG; 59.1 3PT% (leads all of college basketball)
4 Kevin Olson, Small Forward 6'4", Sr 11.5 PPG; 4.2 RPG; 24 STL
2 Steve DeLuca, Power Forward 6'6", GRAD 15.2 PPG; 6.8 RPG
52 Rich McGee, Center 6'7", Jr 2.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Key Reserves
33 Terrell Hollins, forward 6'4", Jr 9.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG
5 Christian Yemga, forward 6'5" So 4.4 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 55.1 FG%
11 Tyrone Hughes, guard 5'9" Fr 3.2 PPG
Statistics
Points/Game: Brandeis (72.7) Opponent (63.4)
Rebounds/Game: Brandeis (32.1) Opponent (28.9)
FG%: Brandeis (48.7) Opponent (43.3)
3PT%: (45.4); FT% (72)
Notes
-Brandeis is in the tournament for the 3rd consecutive year; advanced to Round of 8 last year and 2nd round the year before that.
-Brandeis has had many different starting lineups this season, finally settling on Roberson/Small/Olson/DeLuca/McGee
-Hollins was a second-team all-UAA selection last season.
Quote from: pradam on March 03, 2009, 03:38:58 AM
Brandeis University Judges
Rank in last d3hoops poll: NR
Pool C qualifier from the University Athletic Association
17-8 Overall; 10-4 SCAC; Home 9-4; Away 8-4
Head Coach - Brian Meehan (sixth season)
Key Wins
12-4 vs. Rhode Island College (75-61), 1-11 vs. Carnegie Mellon (69-57), 1-20 at Amherst (73-58), 2-13 at Carnegie Mellon (66-63)
Record Against NCAA Tourney Teams - (4-4) W-Rhode Island College, Amherst, Carnegie Mellon (twice); L-WPI, Umass-Dartmouth, Wash U (twice)
Starters
1 Andre Roberson, Point Guard 5'9," Jr 10.4 PPG, 4.7 APG, 79.6 FT%
25 Kenny Small, Shooting Guard 6'0" Jr 12.7 PPG; 59.1 3PT% (leads all of college basketball)
4 Kevin Olson, Small Forward 6'4", Sr 11.5 PPG; 4.2 RPG; 24 STL
2 Steve DeLuca, Power Forward 6'6", GRAD 15.2 PPG; 6.8 RPG
52 Rich McGee, Center 6'7", Jr 2.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Key Reserves
33 Terrell Hollins, forward 6'4", Jr 9.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG
5 Christian Yemga, forward 6'5" So 4.4 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 55.1 FG%
11 Tyrone Hughes, guard 5'9" Fr 3.2 PPG
Statistics
Points/Game: Brandeis (72.7) Opponent (63.4)
Rebounds/Game: Brandeis (32.1) Opponent (28.9)
FG%: Brandeis (48.7) Opponent (43.3)
3PT%: (45.4); FT% (72)
Notes
-Brandeis is in the tournament for the 3rd consecutive year; advanced to Round of 8 last year and 2nd round the year before that.
-Brandeis has had many different starting lineups this season, finally settling on Roberson/Small/Olson/DeLuca/McGee
-Hollins was a second-team all-UAA selection last season.
Just a quick correction on the Judges stats:
Kevin Olson is averaging 12.7ppg and shooting an NCAA best 59.7% (80-134) from 3 (best in all divisons of college basketball)
Kenny Small is averaging 11.3ppg and 2.4rpg
Maryville (TN) Scots
unranked
Pool B from Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC)
20-6 overall; 6-0 GSAC; 16-6 D3 South Region
Head Coach: Randall D. Lambert (545 career wins)
11th consecutive NCAA appearance, winning at least one game each year except last year.
Scots have won 16 straight after pre-holiday losses to SCAC champ Centre (by 1 in first game of season, at home, and by 6 at Centre, and to Heartland champ Transylvania by 6 at Transy.
Key wins:
ODAC champ Virginia Wesleyan
USA South champ Averett
D2 Carson Newman
starters:
Andrew Shumate 6'6" F SR 17/6 min/g 3.8 ppg, 4 rb,
Dustin Brown 6' G SO 18.5 min/g 6ppg 51 assists/25 to
Jared Laverdier 5'10' G JR 19 min/g 4.4ppg. 68 assists/36 to
Eryk Watson 6'3" G SO 29.5 min/g 18.8 ppg 4.2 rb
Greg Hernandez 6'6" C JR 25.8 min/g 16.2 ppg. 6.5 rb
Key reserves:
Wes Lambert 6'1" G FR 23.3 min/g 10.5 ppg 55assists/41 to
Jordan Damron 5'11" G FR 21 min/g 10.5 ppg 72 assists/57 to
Tim Blaklely 6'4" F JR 15.4 min/g 2.8 ppg 4.5 rb
Maverick Willett 6'6" C FR 8.8 min/g 4.4 ppg. 2.8 rb
team stats
ppg. 82.7/ opp. 72
rb 38.4/ opp 35.5
shooting % .467/opp .427
3 point % .396/opp. .334
ft % .747
Fontbonne University (18-8 overall; 12-4 SLIAC)
Co-SLIAC Regular Season Champs
SLIAC Tournament Champs
Third straight appearance in NCAA Tournament
Team: 85.7 ppg (7th in the country)
52.7 FG % (4th in the country)
41.6 3-point FG % (5th in the country)
Starters:
Patrick McCoy Sr. G 5'11 15.1 ppg/130 assists/ 91% FT
Josh Branch Jr. G 6'0 14 ppg/ 39% from behind the arc
Chris Forrest Jr. G 6'4 15.7 ppg/ 62 % from the floor
Brian Fogerty Sr. F 6'4 19.9 pts/10.7 rpg ; 58.6 % from the floor
Justin Storandt Sr. C 6'8 7.4 pts/ 9 rebounds a game; 50 blocked shots
Player Notes:
Brian Fogerty - two-time SLIAC Player of the Year; Fontbonne's all-time leading scorer with over 1,700 points
Chris Forrest - SLIAC Newcomer of the Year; 12th in the country in FG %
Justin Storandt- SLIAC Tournament MVP; Fontbonne's career blocks leader
Rensselaer Redhawks (Troy, NY)
Unranked
Liberty League Tournament Champions (Third place in regular season)
15-12 Overall; 7-7 LL; Home 6-4; Away 7-6; Neutral 2-2
Head Coach - Michael Griffin (24th season)
Key Wins
Home versus St. Lawrence (78-72), versus Hamilton in LL Seminfinal (64-55), at St. Lawrence (LL Championship) (72-65)
Key Losses
Home versus Southern Vermont (73-75), at Skidmore (62-63)
Record Against NCAA Tourney Teams - (2-2), 2 wins versus St. Lawrence, 1 loss at St. Lawrence and at Middlebury
Starters
23 Rory Perner G 6'1" Sr 2.1 PPG 15 STL
52 Mike Brion G/F 6'4" So 7.6 PPG 31.0 3PT%
12 Tim Rupp G/F 6'3" Jr 10.7 PPG 5.4 RPG 80 FT%
54 Sam Simmons F 6'4" Sr 18.1 PPG 8.2 RPG 32 BLK
45 Ricky Philatre F/C 6'8" Jr 5.7 PPG 7.1 RPG 32 BLK
Key Reserves
5 DJ Blakemore G 6'1" So 7.4 PPG 45.2 FG%
15 Eric Anderson G 6'1" Jr 50.0 FG% 54.8 3PT%
24 Jeremy Colon F 6'5" Jr 45.5 FG%
Statistics
Points/Game: RPI (69.8) Opponent (65.4)
Rebounds/Game: RPI (40.4) Opponent (33.9)
FG%: RPI (44.1) Opponent (39.0)
3PT%: RPI (34.0)
FT%: RPI (68.5)
Notes
RPI is in the tournament for the first time since 1996. They are lead by senior forward Sam Simmons, who earned Liberty League Player of the Year Honors after an outstanding season.
Aurora University-Aurora, IL
Rank in last d3hoops poll: Unranked
Northern Athletics Conference (Tournament Champions)
16-12 Overal Record, 10-6 NAC
Head Coach: James Lancaster (15th Season)
*Started off 0-5*Lost 79-65 at Elmhurst*Lost 97-89(OT) vs. Wash. U*Lost to Bridgewater St. in Phoenix 78-88*Won last 7 of their 8 games*
Record Against NCAA Tournament Teams: 0-3
Starters
03 Lance Robinson, Jr., F
13 Dusty Magee, Jr., G
24 Chad Trudo, Sr., G
31 Skyler Ormsbee, So., F
33 Shane Roland, Jr., F
Key Reserves
15 Damian Lewis, So., G
23 Chris Lee, Sr., F
http://www.aurora.edu/scoreboard/rosters/basketball-m.htm
Other Notes
NCAA Tournament Appearances
2007-2008 | 2006-2007 | 2004-05 | 2002-03 | 2000-01 | 1997-98
NAC Championship Appearances
2006-2007 | 2007-2008
Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference (NIIC) Championships
2004-05 | 2003-04 | 1997-98 | 1996-97 | 1993-94 | 1988-89 | 1987-88 | 1985-86 | 1984-85 | 1983-84 | 1982-83 | 1979-80 | 1972-73 | 1971-72 | 1970-71
UW-Platteville Pioneers
ranked 5th (D3hoops.com)
WIAC 2nd Place
22-5 Overall; 13-3(WIAC)
Head Coach-Paul Combs (6th season with UWP)
Key Wins
Home: UW-Whitewater (86-78) (77-74 OT)
Away: UW-Stevens Point (55-52)
Neutral: Wooster (76-67)
Record against NCAA Tourny teams (4-3) Wins vs (see above) Losses
Stevens point (66-73 OT) (42-45) @UW-Whitewater (62-75)
Starters
52 C Jeff Skemp 6'10 Sr. 18.2ppg 5.7rpg
42 F Kyle Tetschlag 6'5 Sr. 2.6Ppg 2.8rpg
10 G Curt Hanson 6'1 Jr. 13.8ppg 3.8rpg
30 G Nick Allen 6'4 So. 6.0ppg 2.7rpg
32 G Charlie Lohoff 6'3 Sr. 9.3ppg 4.0rpg
Key Reserves
44 F Eric Wall 6'5 So. 4.7ppg 2.8rpg
22 G Bo Richter 6'1 Sr. 2.5ppg 1.8rpg
12 G Mike Shaw 6'1 Jr. 13.6ppg 3.2rpg
Team Stats UWP OPP
PPG 73.1 60.1
RPG 29.7 25.4
APG 14.0 10.9
TOPG 12.8 13.6
FG% .498 .448
3pt% .398 .306
FT% .767 .723
Fun Facts:
Platteville is making their 1st Tournament appearence since 1999 when they won it all, under current Wisconsin Badgers coach Bo Ryan.
Senior Center Jeff Skemp was a pre-sesaon All-American and a Jostens Trophy finalist.
UWP plays in the tough WIAC that sent 3 teams to the tournament.
Platteville defeated Division 1 Bradley 84-79 @Peoria in an exibition game
Washington University Bears
Rank in last d3hoops poll: 2
University Athletic Association (UAA) Champion
23-2 Overall; 13-1 UAA; Home 9-1; Away 11-1 Neutral 3-0
Head Coach – Mark Edwards (28th season) (Recorded 500th win against Chicago on 2-28)
Key Wins
11-22 Augustana (87-82 OT) 1-30 Brandeis (80-75)
Record Against NCAA Tourney Teams – (5-1) W- Brandeis (twice) Carnegie Mellon (twice), Fontbonne L-Elmhurst
Starters
12 Sean Wallis, Point Guard 6'2," Sr 10.3 PPG, 8.4 APG, 85.4 FT%, 36 STL
(Bob Cousy Award Finalist, 2nd in assists per game and 3rd in assist turnover ratio for DIII)
33 Aaron Thompson, Shooting Guard 6'4" Jr 17.8 PPG; 49 3PT% (5th best in DIII)
5 Cameron Smith, Small Forward 6'5", Jr 6 PPG; 4.4 RPG; 24 STL
21 Tyler Nading, Power Forward 6'7", Sr 13.3 PPG; 5.6 RPG
44 Zach Kelly, Center 6'7", Jr 7.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG
Key Reserves
10 Ross Kelley, Guard 6'1" Jr. 1.5 PPG, 1.6 APG
20 Dylan Richter, Guard 6'5" Fr. 4.1 PPG 2.7 RPG 1.5 APG
45 Alex Toth, Forward 6'6" Fr. 4.6 PPG 3.4 RPG
40 Caleb Knepper, Forward 6'6" So. 7.1 PPG 1.8 RPG
Statistics
Points/Game: Wash. U. (79.8 ) Opponent (66.5)
Rebounds/Game: Brandeis (34.6) Opponent (30.3)
FG%: Wash. U. (50.3) Opponent (43.0) 9th best in Division III
3PT%: (40.0); FT% (74.8 )
Notes
-Wash. U. is the defending national champion.
-Wash. U. has been to the Final Four in both 2007 and 2008.
-Wash. U. leads Division III with a 1.66 Assist to Turnover ratio
-Sean Wallis is a preseason first team All American.
-Tyler Nading is a preseason second team All American.
Puget Sound Loggers
Last D3 Poll Ranking: 7th
Record: 24-3 / 16-0 NWC
Conference: Regular Season Champion
Head Coach: Justin Lunt (3rd Season)
Key Wins:
1/16 at Whitworth 89-77
2/13 v. Whitworth 81-71
Key Losses:
2/28 v. Whitworth 90-80 OT (NWC Championship Game)
Notes:
Loggers went 21-1 in NCAA III Games (only loss to Whitworth in NWC Title game 90-80 in OT)
Loggers were 6th in the country in scoring (86.0 pg)
Starters:
2 Nadav Heyman 6'1" FR - 5.2 ppg - 22 steals
5 Jason Foster 6'7" SR - 15.0 ppg - 6.8 rpg
15 Antwan Williams 6'0" SR - 12.8 ppg - 5.3 apg - 71 steals
24 Austin Boyce 6'5" JR - 10.4 ppg - .517 FG%
32 Robert Krauel 6'4" SR - 14.3 ppg - .586 FG%
Keys from the Bench:
3 Steffond Brown 6'0" SR - 7.1 ppg - .440 3FG%
11 Kolin Koach 6'0" JR - 3.9 ppg - .342 3FG%
12 Conner Gehring 6'4" SO - 3.0 ppg
14 Bryce Levin 6'3" JR - 6.6 ppg
21 Kaleb Shelton 6'5" FR - 5.0 ppg
31 James Pinkney 6'5" SR - 2.0 ppg
Interesting Notes:
Loggers played all nine non-conference games on the road (opening games at local high school)
Loggers won 20-straight games and was undefeated during January and lost on the final day of February.
Loggers making their first appearance in the NCAA's since 2006. (lost in Elite 8 to IWU 113-99)
UW Stevens Point is the 2009 WIAC regular season champ, going 14-2 and won the conference tournament qualifier. The Pointers season record is 23-4 (12-2 home/10-2 away/1-0 neutral) and they have won 15 of their last 17 games.
Point is 5-3 versus NCAA tournament teams, beating Trinity TX (OT), Elmhurst, and Platteville (OT) on the road and Whitewater and Platteville at home. Losses include on the road to Lawrence and Whitewater (OT) and home loss to Platteville and Carroll College, which eventually was ranked as high as #24. Ranked in the top 7 of the D3Hoops.com Top 25 all season long, as high as #3 and lowest at #7 in week 1, currently #4.
Scoring offense 75.7
Scoring defense 63.6 #44 NCAA
Scoring margin +12.1 #22
FG Pct .492 #18
FG Pct defense .429
3-pt FG Pct . 382 #39
3-pt FG Pct defense .312 #51
Turnovers PG 10.0 #2
Opp Turnovers PG 13.6
FT Pct .743 #40
Assist/TO ratio 1.55 #3
Rebounds PG 31.9
Opp Rebounds PG 31.6
3-pt FG PG 8.0 #46
Starters:
Khalifa El-Amin Sr 5'8" 11.4ppg 50%FG .465% 3-pt 4.0 apg
Matt Moses JR 6'2" 13.0ppg 58%FG .500% 3-pt 4.4 rpg
Bryan Beamish SR 6'6" 10.5ppg 58%FG .458% 3-pt 4.0apg
Louis Hurd SO 6'5" 12.3ppg 55%FG .378% 3-pt 4.7rpg
Pete Rortvedt SR 6'5" 13.5ppg 36%FG .341% 3-pt 5.3rpg
Top reserves:
Jared Jenkins SO 6'4" 6.2ppg 64%FG 3.0rpg
Nick Krull SO 6'7" 4.3ppg 53%FG 3.2rpg
Evan Sweeney JR 6'2" 3.7ppg 39%FG 34%3-pt
Jerome Wotachek SR 6'8" 3.2ppg 47%FG 1.9rpg
Any of the 5 starters are capable of scoring 20 points (and have in at least one game this year), but all are unselfish and consistently make the extra pass to get a better shot. Rortvedt can hit 3-pt shots from just about anywhere on the court and doesn't need much time or free space to launch. El-Amin is the court general that makes the whole thing work, penetrating and dishing for assists or hitting a trey or a soft floater over defenders 6-12 inches taller. Moses is comfortable tossing in a soft jumper or slashing to the basket and Hurd has a sweet jump shot with range from 23 feet and in. The team is held together by the "glue", Bryan Beamish. Whether it's a slashing, spinning lay-up, or a soft jumper he can get points, but he's also adept at passing and always plays tough "D" against players bigger than himself. (Helped hold 6'10" Jeff Skemp to 2 pts in WIAC tourney clincher). Team can run, usually tries to inside first then looks to the 3 pt shot. Always plays a tenacious man-to-man defense. Weakest area is offensive rebounding but when you shoot nearly 50% on the year there aren't many of those anyway.
Middlebury Panthers
Pool A selection, NESCAC champion (defeated Amherst in conference title game)
Rank in latest D3hoops poll: No. 9
Record: 8-1 NESCAC, 24-3 overall
Head Coach: Jeff Brown, 153-143 through 12 seasons
Key Wins: 61-58 over Richard Stockton on Nov. 21; 62-46 over RPI on Dec. 30; 67-62 over Williams on Jan. 31; 77-68 over Amherst on March 1 to win NESCAC title.
Losses: 74-63 to Manhattanville on Nov. 22 (without Aaron Smith); 84-71 to St. Lawrence on Nov. 25 (still without Aaron Smith); 71-64 to Amherst on Feb. 14
Notes: 24 wins this season, a program record; NESCAC championship, a program first; hosting NCAAs for the first time, also a program first; No. 1 in the nation in blocks per game; No. 1 in the nation in opponents' lowest field goal percentage; won 17 straight games, also a program record, before losing their regular season game against Amherst; appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the first time last year, but lost in the first round, 56-43, to Rochester; will play their first tournament game this year at home on Saturday after a first-round bye
First-round opponent: Winner of St. Joseph's (Maine) vs. Bridgewater State
Starters:
Ben Rudin: senior co-captain, PG, 6-0, 175, heavy favorite to win NESCAC Player of the Year. (Some kid named Olson's won that the past two years.) Broke the all-time record for points in one NESCAC Tournament with 77. Leads the Panthers in points per game (16.7) and assists per game (4.5). Second in steals (1.4).
Kyle Dudley: senior SG, 6-1, 180. Teammate of Rudin's since elementary school (both are from Scarsdale, N.Y.). Good outside shooter. Team's second-leading scorer (10.1 ppg).
Tim Edwards: junior small forward, 6-4, 185. One of the best defenders in the NESCAC. 5.7 rpg, 2.3 (!!) spg.
Aaron Smith: senior co-captain, power forward, 6-6, 235. Second team All-NESCAC last season. Was injured for a few weeks earlier this year but came back to average 8.3 ppg and a team-high 7.2 rpg. Very skilled player on offense and defense alike.
Andrew Locke: sophomore center, 6-10, 215. Fourth in the nation in blocks (3.4 per game!). Still developing offensively but is a very high-percentage shooter inside (60.1 percent).
Bench:
Ryan Sharry: freshman power forward, 6-7, 215. Good offensive weapon off the bench, great rebounder.
Jamal Davis: sophomore forward, 6-5, 180. Good, physical defender.
Ryan Wholey: sophomore small forward, 6-4, 200.
Ashton Coghlan: sophomore shooting guard, 6-3, 160.
Bill Greven: junior forward, 6-5, 230.
edit: NESCAC awards were released today (Wednesday). Rudin wins POY, Edwards DPOY, Brown COY.
Carnegie Mellon Tartans
Rank in last d3hoops poll: NR (#26)
Pool C qualifier from the University Athletic Association
19-6 Overall; 9-5 UAA (3rd); 10-2 home; 7-4 road; 2-0 neutral
Head Coach - Tony Wingen (19th season)
Key Wins
11-25 vs. Wooster, 11-29 vs. John Carroll, 1-2 at Averett, 2-28 at Rochester
Record Against NCAA Tourney Teams - (3-5) W-Wooster, John Caroll, Averett; L-Brandeis (twice), Wash U (twice), Richard Stockton
Starters
12 Corey O' Rourke, Point Guard 6'2," Sr 7.8 PPG, 5.1 APG, 5.2 RPG, 27 STL; All-UAA Honorable Mention
22 Jack Anderson, Shooting Guard 6'3" Jr 14.5 PPG; 23 STL; All-UAA 2nd Team
10 Ryan Einwag, Small Forward 6'5", Sr 17.7 PPG (54.5% FG); 4.8 RPG; All-UAA First Team
41 Shane Rife, Power Forward 6'6", So 8.9 PPG; 3.7 RPG; 23 STL
52 Terrance Bouldin-Johnson, Center 6'7", Sr 6.4 PPG; 5.6 RPG; 62 BLK (Leads UAA); All-UAA Honorable Mention
Key Reserves
45 Rob Pearson, center 6'8", Sr 2.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG
24 Jon Wolleben, forward 6'5" Sr 5.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 77.8% FT%
5 Elliot Curtis, guard 5'11" Sr 1.1 APG
Statistics
Points/Game: Carnegie Mellon (70.8) Opponent (65.1)
Rebounds/Game: Carnegie Mellon (37.6) Opponent (33.0)
FG%: Carnegie Mellon (44.5) Opponent (41.1)
3PT%: (33.7); FT% (66.8)
Notes
-This is Carnegie Mellon's third trip to the NCAA Tournament, and 2nd in 4 years. They have yet to win a tournament game.
-Carnegie Mellon achieved a D3Hoops ranking of #11 after opening the season 8-0.
-Corey O'Rourke is Carnegie Mellon's all-time leading Passer; Terrance Bouldin-Johnson is 3rd all-time in Blocked Shots and has the highest single-season total (62) in team history; Ryan Einwag is the 16th Tartan to cross 1,000 points, and is now 2nd all-time with 1,322 points scored.
Hope Flying Dutchmen Holland, MI
Rank in last d3hoops poll: NR
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament Champion
21-7 Overall; 11-3 MIAA; Home 14-2; Away 6-4; Neutral 1-1
Head Coach - Glenn Van Wieren (312th season) Overall Record 660-217
Key Wins
Calvin 69-59
Record Against NCAA Tourney Teams - 0-1 lost at Wheaton
Starters
11 David Krombeen 6-2 Fr.
44 Peter Bunn 6-2 So.
10 Jesse Reimink 6-4 Sr.
4 Will Bowser 6-5 So.
32 Zach Osburn 6-5 Sr.
Key Reserves
21 Ty Tanis 6-2 So.
12 Scott Jungling 6-1 Jr.
22 Brandon Bosch 6-3 Sr.
33 Andy Venema 6-8 So.
34. Chris Nelis 6-4 Jr.
25 Daniel Cox 6-2 Jr.
Statistics
Points/Game: Hope 75.6 Opponent 67.1
Rebounds/Game: Hope 36.2 Opponent 33.6
FG%: Hope 46.9 Opponent 41.9
3PT%: 35.8; FT% 76.5
http://miaa.org/mbb/stats/0809/hopem.htm
Notes
19th NCAA Tournament Appearance; 4th year in a row, 6 of last 8. Advanced to D3 Final Four in 2008
We aren't supposed to be here. ;D
Quote from: sac on March 04, 2009, 08:31:28 PM
We aren't supposed to be here. ;D
Maybe it's time for a younger coach; holding a job since the 1697-98 season is impressive, but he may be slipping behind the times just a bit. :)
Quote from: David Collinge on March 04, 2009, 08:51:14 PM
Quote from: sac on March 04, 2009, 08:31:28 PM
We aren't supposed to be here. ;D
Maybe it's time for a younger coach; holding a job since the 1697-98 season is impressive, but he may be slipping behind the times just a bit. :)
I hope I don't have my official Hope Fan badge suspended, this our 20th NCAA Tournament appearance. :-[
Recruiting in the 1700's was tough David, and the bus rides were even more difficult.
(https://www.d3boards.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.flickr.com%2F36%2F98394031_2b55e81bd8.jpg&hash=c03bf01923f80ac675eeb5bb3ee7d76a48945b19)
Quote from: David Collinge on March 04, 2009, 08:51:14 PM
Quote from: sac on March 04, 2009, 08:31:28 PM
We aren't supposed to be here. ;D
Maybe it's time for a younger coach; holding a job since the 1697-98 season is impressive, but he may be slipping behind the times just a bit. :)
Actually, David, I think you forgot the three seasons Hope didn't have a team because of the Civil War, the three seasons of the Revolutionary War, and the season of 1813-14 was canceled but since word didn't reach the Northwest Territory in time, it was played anyway.
What Hope players in the 18th century put on their hot dogs (or knockwurft):
(https://www.d3boards.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi23.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb371%2Fdacollinge%2FYeOldeCondiments.jpg&hash=96f92faa9574cfd3bba686321fa24ecfdbc3e3e5)
You probably can't tell, but those say "muf tard" and "cat fup"
What's most amazing it that Holland didn't even exist until 1847. Yet GVW had already been coaching there for over a century and a half! :o ::) ;)
If that ain't Hall of Fame credentials, I don't know what is.
Scranton Royals
Last Ranking: NR
Pool B Landmark Conference
21-6(overall) 11-3(conference, 1st)
Head Coach - Carl Danzig(8th year, 141-75, NCAA appearances 2003/6/8/9)
Record against NCAA teams - (0-1) Richard Stockton 62-77 @ home
Starters
No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Pts/Rebs
22 Ryan FitzPatrick G 6-4 Sr. 12.4/2.9 Landmark 1st team
25 Zach Ashworth G 6-2 So. 13.9/4.5 Landmark 1st team
30 Luke Hawk G 6-4 So. 11.5/4.4
34 Paul Biagioli F 6-6 Sr. 13.2/5.0 Landmark 2nd team
44 Paul Hawk F 6-8 Sr. 6.8/5.4 Landmark DPOY
Key Reserves: Eli Londo, F, 6-5, Sr., 6.5 pts/3.2 rebs; Dan O'Connell, G, Jr., 5.7 pts/3.9
rebs; Brendan Fuller, F, 6-7, Sr., 2.7 pts/1.2 rebs; Dan Hilferty, G, 6-1, Fr., 0.7 pts/0.6 rebs
Notes
2008 NCAA - lost to Elms,1st round
Fitzpatrick - 2nd in nation 3-pt accuracy(52.9)
P. Hawk - 6th in blocked shots per game(3.2)
Team - 16th FT 76%
Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on March 04, 2009, 11:35:18 PM
What's most amazing it that Holland didn't even exist until 1847. Yet GVW had already been coaching there for over a century and a half! :o ::) ;)
If that ain't Hall of Fame credentials, I don't know what is.
Deep within the archives of VanWylen Library, way in the back in a dark corner is a small box. Inside it contains the written history of Hope's first true basketball rival .......the Singapore Saints. The rivalry was truely heated, but it had to be disbanded one day because of an ugly on court incident involving a butter churn and washboard. Dutchmen fans took revenge by burning the village of Singapore and burrying it under mountains of sand.
Here's the more widely publicly accepted version of what happened to Singapore.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore,_Michigan
....but we know what really happened. We don't speak of it often.
Hope moved on and found a new rival with the Graafschaap Tulpen Eters, but the students grew tired of trying to find creative ways of rhyming rythmicly with Graafschaap and the rivalry was disbanded by popular request.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Engineers
Rank in last d3hoops poll: NR (Tie - #29)
Pool C qualifier from the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC)
20-5 Overall; 11-1 NEWMAC (1st); 9-2 home; 10-3 road; 1-0 neutral
Head Coach - Chris Bartley (8th season)
Key Wins
11-20 At Rhode Island College, 11-22 vs. Brandeis, 11-25 Vs Lasell, 1-28 Vs. MIT
Record Against NCAA Tourney Teams - (4-2) W-RIC, Brandeis, MIT (twice); L-Salem St., Elms
STARTERS
3 Jerome Kirkland, Guard 5'10" Sr 13.0 PPG, 2.6 RRG, 1.8 APG, 57 STL; All-NEWMAC 1st Team
11 Adam Lirette, Guard 5'10" Sr 8.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.2 APG, 32 STL; All-NEWMAC 2nd Team
12 Kyle Nadeu, Guard 5'8" So 4.8 PPG. 2.1 RPG, 1.8 APG, 27 STL;
21 Ben Etten, Forward 6'2" So 9.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.5 APG; All-NEWMAC 2nd Team, NEWMAC All-Academic Team
24 NT Izuchi, Forward 6'2" Sr 5.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.5 APG;
BENCH
13 Jeff Robinson, Guard 6'1" So 11.0 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.0 APG; NEWMAC All-Academic Team
14 Todd Rapport, Guard 6'1" Fr 0.8 PPG, 0.3 RPG, 0.6 APG;
22 Fernando Perez, Forward 6'3" FR 7.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 0.5 APG;
23 David Brown, Guard 6'3" FR 0.9 PPG, 0.4 RPG, 0.4 APG;
31 Matt Carr, Center 6'7" FR 1.1 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.2 APG;
32 Will Lyons, Forward 6'4" SR 2.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.6 APG; NEWMAC All-Academic Team
33 Jerome Stewart, Forward 6'4" FR 5.4 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.4 APG;
42 Peter White, Forward 6'3" FR 0.9 PPG, 0.3 RPG, 0.1 APG;
45 Bennett Lessard, Center 6'8" JR 3.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG; 0.1 APG;
55 Ryan Stock, Guard 6'2" SO 0.7 PPG, 0.4 RPG, 0.1 APG;
Statistics
Points/Game: WPI (71.7) Opponent (62.8)
Rebounds/Game: WPI (36.2) Opponent (33.5)
FG%: WPI (44.9) Opponent (41.3)
3PT%: (30.1); FT% (69.4)
Notes
-This is WPI's 5th consectutive appearance in NCAA Tournament. They reached the Sweet 16 in 2005.
-WPI was ranked as high as 17th in the D3Hoops poll this year and 1st in the NCAA Regional Rankings for the Northeast.
-WPI will use it's deep bench a lot, as well as mix up the starting lineup to match up with the opposition.
University of New England Nor'Easters
Rank in last d3hoops poll: NR (NR All Year)
Pool A qualifier from The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC)
24-4 Overall; 12-1 TCCC (1st); 14-2 home; 9-2 road; 1-0 neutral
Head Coach – Jason Mulligan (2nd season; 39-16 Overall)
Key Wins
12-6 At Husson College, 1-6 at Bates
Key Losses
11-22 St. Joseph's (Maine), 2-18 at Gordon College
Record Against NCAA Tourney Teams - (1-1) W-Husson College; L-St. Joseph's (Maine)
STARTERS
24 Johnnie Jefferson, Forward 6'4" Sr 15.4 PPG, 4.8 RRG, 1.7 APG, 1.3 SPG;
00 Jaykyri Simpson, Guard 6'3" Sr 12.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.2 SPG;
10 Quentin Thompson, Guard 6'3" Fr 11.9 PPG. 5.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.9 SPG;
11 Anthony Johnson, Guard 6'0" Fr 9.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.6 APG; 1.1 SPG
04 Steve Belmonte, Guard 5'9" Sr 6.1 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 2.1 APG; 1.4 SPG
BENCH
23 J.J. Roseman 7.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.6 APG;
25 Marchale Robinson, Guard 6'3" Jr 6.9 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.9 APG;
15 Chas Rentrope, Guard 6'3" So 5.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.2 APG;
05 Victor Oruonyehu, Guard 5'11" FR 5.1 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 0.5 APG;
30 Ryan Knotek, Forward 6'3" FR 2.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 0.28 APG
22 Matt Thompson, Guard 5'10" FR 1.3 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.28 APG;
Statistics
Points/Game: WPI (79.8 ) Opponent (72.1 )
Rebounds/Game: WPI (33.8 ) Opponent (35.4 )
FG%: WPI (45.6 ) Opponent (46.7 )
3PT%: (35.8 ); FT% (66.4 )
Notes
-This is UNE's first ever appearance in the NCAA D3 Tournament.
- At one point in this season, UNE had a 19 game winning streak. It was snapped in an away loss to Gordon College.
-UNE made an appearance in the Northeast Regional NCAA ranking during that streak.
-UNE will use their deep bench a lot. They use the full-court press quite frequently and have 12.6 steals per game. They allow a better FG percentage than they boast, but because they have more possessions by virtue of forcing turnovers, they win in their transition game.
Quote from: scout on March 05, 2009, 03:03:54 PM
Notes
-This is UNE's first ever appearance in the NCAA D3 Tournament.
scout, someone from UNE should contact ESPN. They like stories like this, esp. with the angle of Texas players going to college in Biddeford with lobster traps floating next to campus. ESPN can cover the UNE story after they get done interviewing MIT. ;)
Brockport State Golden Eagles
Rank in D3Hoops Poll: Unranked all year
Pool A SUNYAC Tournament Champion
14-14 Overall 7-9 Conference Play
Head Coach-Greg Dunne 2nd season (35-22 overall) ECAC Upstate Champs 2008
Key Wins:
1-04 At Desales 61-49
Feb 24,27,28---Beat the #1 #3 & #5 seed to win conference tourney
Record against NCAA Tourney Teams 1-3 Beat Desales Lost to Whitworth 83-67, Lost to St Lawrence 89-74, lost to Rochester Tech 62-61
Won last 7 games in a row.
**Starters
** Joe Clarke Sr. G 6-2 170 Liverpool, NY/Liverpool 8.8ppg 32 3's 3.9rpg
Brandon Williams Jr. G 5-11 168 Rochester, NY/Wilson
** Jermaine Johnson Jr. G 6-0 180 Queens Bridge, NY/Long Island City 7.4ppg
Ian Mack Sr. G 6-1 185 Liverpool, NY/Liverpool
** Mychal Wilkes Sr. G 5-11 185 Newark, NY/Newark 15.1ppg 67 3's 85% ft
Andy Foote So. G 6-2 200 Sidney, NY/Sidney
Gerald Williams Fr. G 6-0 175 Rochester, NY/Charlotte
** Josh Zenkel Sr. G 5-10 170 Webster, NY/Webster-Thomas 2.9ppg
Andy Marchand So. G 5-8 165 Rochester, NY/C.G. Finney
Brennan McCarthy Jr. G 6-2 165 Cobleskill, NY/Cobleskill-Richmondville
** Shawn Harris Sr. G 5-10 170 Rochester, NY/Gates-Chili 7.5ppg
Greg Schiefen So. G 6-2 190 Elmira, NY/Elmira Notre Dame
Justin Kemp So. F 6-3 190 Dansville, NY/Wayland-Cohocton
Eamon Kays Sr. F/C 6-5 230 Mexico, NY/Mexico 9.7ppg 5.3 rpg
Bobby Brooks Sr. F/C 6-8 205 Oneida, NY/Oneida
Notes:
This is Brockport's 9th NCAA appearence
They have made 3 Elite 8's and 1 Final Four
NCAA tournament record 13-8
Brockport averages 73.6 ppg Opponents average 69.2 ppg
Lost 2 key starters for the season early on, started 5-11 since then have went 9-3.
Mychal Wilkes named 1st team All Conference
Nobody from St. Lawrence has posted for them so I'll give some info but it's late so it will be abbreviated.
St Lawrence University Saints
Rank in D3Hoops Poll #28 in week 12
Pool C Bid Regular season Champion of the Liberty League
20-6 overall 12-2 Liberty League
Head Coach- Chris Downs 12th year (200-118)
Key wins:
11-25 #9 Middlebury 84-71
1-11 Brockport 89-74
1-30 Hamilton 80-67
2-14 Hamilton 75-62
Key losses
12-13 Ithaca 95-89
1-2 Widener 97-93
2-28 RPI 82-75
Record against NCAA Tourney teams 2-3
**Starters
Terry Parham, Jr. FY 6-0 175 G 10.2 ppg 3.1rpg
**JoshSharlow Jr. 5-9 180 G 9.7 ppg 5.0 rpg 5.3 apg 60 steals 26 3's
** Ben Araya So. 6-3 200 G 3.0 ppg 3.1 rpg
Ralph Temgoua FY 6-5 186 G 8.8 ppg 5.7 rpg
** Tom Wopperer* Sr. 6-4 210 G 16.5 ppg 4.0 rpg 2.3 apg 58 3's
Garrett Sharlow FY 6-4 220 G 11.6 ppg 6.5 rpg 40 3's
**Bela Vonnak* Sr. 6-6 250 F 11.6 ppg 6.4 rpg
**Richard Williams* Sr. 6-5 200 12.0 ppg 6.8 rpg
Notes:
Saints have 11 appearances in the NCAA tournament overall record is 8-12 1 E8
Saints have 5 players in double figures and 5 players averaging over 5 rpg
Saints average 84 ppg and give up 76 ppg
Rebounding margin is +9.7 46 pg vs oppenents 36.3 pg
i'm not an averett fan, but noticed that nobody had posted this...i think they've got a shot vs. centre
Averett University Cougars
Rank in D3Hoops Poll #35
Pool A - USASAC champion
20-8 overall , 10-2 USASAC
Head Coach- Jimmy Allen 4th year (87-52)
Record vs. tournament teams: 1-3 (W vs. VWC, L vs. Guilford, M'ville and Carnegie Mellon)
11 straight wins to end the season
Two 1,000+ point scorers (Rumley & Brown)
Probable Starters
G 24 Ryan Frazier SR 6-2 213 11.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg Shooting 39.9% from 3
G 3 Justin Parker SR 5-9 166 6.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg Shooting 33% from 3-pt. range
G 22 Jonathan Rumley SR 6-3 183 17.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg Avg. 6.1 assists and 2.2 steals - USASAC POTY
F 32 Kenny Hart FR 6-3 177 11.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg Shooting 37.9% from 3-pt. range
F 42 Mike Miller JR 6'6 217 5.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg Shooting 51.7% from floor
Key Reserves
C 50 Damien Brown SR 6-7 196 9.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg Shooting 64.3% from floor
F 52 Ruben Pierce FR 6-5 150 3.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg Team-high 13 blocks
G 20 Chris Pagentine FR 6-2 168 3.4 ppg, 0.9 rpg Avereging 7.9 minutes a game
F 33 Jeff Wehling JR 6-4 197 2.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg Shooting 32.1% from 3-pt. range
G 10 Victor Cortes FR 5'9 154 1.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg Averaging 7.8 minutes a game
so it looks like we'll have the two top 3 point shooters in the nation in Olson and Fitzpatrick? Bombs away!
PS - nice pieces on Kevin Olson in the Boston Globe's North Weekly and the Gloucester Daily Times.
Quote from: ronk on March 05, 2009, 12:41:08 AM
Scranton Royals
Last Ranking: NR
Pool B Landmark Conference
21-6(overall) 11-3(conference, 1st)
Head Coach - Carl Danzig(8th year, 141-75, NCAA appearances 2003/6/8/9)
Record against NCAA teams - (0-1) Richard Stockton 62-77 @ home
Fitzpatrick - 2nd in nation 3-pt accuracy(52.9)
Quote from: narch on March 06, 2009, 10:10:48 AM
i'm not an averett fan, but noticed that nobody had posted this...i think they've got a shot vs. centre
Good thinking! ;D
Washington University Bears
Defending National Champions
Rank in last d3hoops poll: 2nd
Pool A qualifier from the University Athletic Association
23-2 Overall; 13-1 UAA; Home 10-1; Away 13-1
Head Coach - Mark Edwards (28th season)
Key Wins
11-22 at Augustana College 87-82 (OT)
11-28 Aurora 97-89 (OT)
12-6 vs. Illinois Wesleyan 93-86
12-13 vs Fontbonne 89-78
1-25 at Carnegie Mellon 90-70
1-30 at Brandeis 80-75
2-8 vs Brandeis 82-57
2-20 vs. Carnegie Mellon 77-63
Key Losses
12-20 at Elmhurst 75-82, 2-22 vs Rochester 69-70
Record Against NCAA Tourney Teams - 6-1: Aurora, Fontbonne, Carnegie Mellon twice, Brandeis twice, loss to Elmhurst.
PROBABLE STARTERS
33 Aaron Thompson Jr. G 6-4 17.8 PPG 3.1 RPG .535 FG%
21 Tyler Nading Sr. F 6-7 13.3 PPG 5.6 RPG .533 FG%
12 Sean Wallis Sr. G 6-2 10.3 PPG 2.1 RPG .386 FG% 8.4 APG
44 Zach Kelly Jr. F 6-7 7.8 PPG 4.5 RPG .539 FG%
5 Cameron Smith Jr. F 6-5 6.0 PPG 4.4 RPG .560 FG%
KEY RESERVES
40 Caleb Knepper So. F 6-6 7.2 PPG 1.8 RPG .462 FG%
20 Dylan Richter Fr. G 6-3 5.7 PPG 3.0 RPG .558 FG%
45 Alex Toth Fr. F 6-6 5.3 PPG 3.4 RPG .623 FG%
22 John Wolf Jr. G 6-5 2.4 PPG 1.0 RPG .526 FG%
10 Ross Kelley Jr. G 6-1 2.2 PPG 1.6 RPG .347 FG%
Statistics
Points/Game: WashU (79.8) Opponent (66.5)
FG%: WashU (50.3) Opponent (43.0)
3PT%: (40.0); FT% (74.8)
Notes
Taking Care of the Ball: The Washington University men's basketball team ranks first in Division III and second in all NCAA Divisions in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.66. The Bears have combined for 512 assists and 308 turnovers in 2008-09.
1. Notre Dame Division I 1.81
2. Washington U. Division III 1.66
As is traditon, the message board attempts to provide profiles of all tournament teams. Post them if you have them. Recommended format is:
School, Location:
Record (Conf. Rec.):
Conf. Finish/Pool A,B,C:
Starters:
Top Reserves:
Key Wins:
Key Losses:
Season summary/tournament outlook:
Illinois Wesleyan (Bloomington, IL) - Midwest Region, College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin
20-7 overall/10-4 CCIW (2nd place tie)
Pool C entrant
Points per 100 Possessions = 112.6
Opponent Points per 100 Possessions = 101.0
Starters
G Travis Rosenkranz (6-0/175, Jr.) – 8.4 ppg/2.6 rpg/4.3 apg (3rd Team All-CCIW)
G Sean Johnson (6-1/185, Jr.) – 15.6 ppg/3.0 rpg/3.1 apg (2nd Team All-CCIW)
F Jordan Zimmer (6-5/190, So.) – 9.7 ppg/3.1 rpg
F John Koschnitzky (6-6/200, So.) – 5.9 ppg/3.7 rpg
C Doug Sexauer (6-7/225, Jr.) – 15.5 ppg/5.5 rpg (1st Team All-CCIW)
Top Reserves
C Ryan Connolly (6-9/275, So.) – 6.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg
F Duncan Lawson (6-7/253, Jr.) – 5.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg
F Edmond O'Callaghan (6-6/200, Jr.) – 4.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg
G Sean Dwyer (5-10/178, Sr.) – 3.2 ppg/1.9 rpg/2.2 apg
Key Wins: vs Carthage, vs Augustana, @ Augustana, vs Wheaton (neutral)
Losses: vs Wash U, @ Chicago, @ Wheaton, @ Carthage, vs Wheaton, @ North Park, @ Carthage
Season summary/tournament outlook
Illinois Wesleyan makes its 19th appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament in 27 years of affiliation. The Titans are 39-18 (.684) in tournament play, including Final Four appearances in Salem, Virginia in 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2006. IWU won the national championship in 1997.
The 2009-10 Titans are an extremely gifted offensive team, with tremendous depth at every position. 6-7 junior center Doug Sexauer provides a great low-post presence, while 6-1 junior shooting guard Sean Johnson is IWU's #1 outside scoring option. Junior point-guard Travis Rosenkranz controls the tempo nicely for the Titans.
After beating Wheaton Friday, IWU lost in the CCIW title game to host Carthage by 3 points. The Titans open the NCAA tournament vs Central (IA) with the winner facing the team that advances between two-time defending national champion Washington University-St. Louis and Westminster (Mo.).
Quote from: Titan Q on March 01, 2010, 03:59:24 PM
Points per 100 Possessions = 112.6
Opponent Points per 100 Possessions = 101.0
Two steps for both:
1) Determine estimated possessions per game (from season boxscore)
FGA - Off Reb + T.O. + (.475 x FTA)2) Run Points per 100 Possessions calculation
(Points/Possessions) x 100 (Each takes a minute or so assuming you have the season boxscore.)
UW-Stevens Point Pointers play home games at the Quandt Fieldhouse on the Dick & Jack Bennett Court.
UWSP has played several teams ranked by D3Hoops.com in 2009-2010:
(All games show ranking at time of contest)
Beat Preseason #16 Whitworth (current #5) at Tacoma, WA 101-79
Beat Preseason #18 Puget Sound at Tacoma, WA 70-55
Beat Preseason #50 Lawrence at home 72-53
Lost at #5 Whitewater 67-60 (OT)
Beat #2 St. Thomas at home 78-56
Beat #23 La Crosse at home 73-57
Lost at home to #5 Whitewater 61-58
Beat # 8 Whitewater at Whitewater 63-57
Current record of 23-4 (12-1 home, 10-3 away, 1-0 neutral) includes 12-4 conference record (2nd place) and WIAC tournament championship and AQ bid.
Averages 75 ppg and surrenders 60 ppg; Out rebounds opponents by 6 pg; shoots 49.8% from field, 36.6% from 3 pt land and 74.3% Ft. Opponents shoot 40.8%, 31.3% and 72.4% respectively. +3.19 turnover margin and 1.36 assist to turnover ratio.
Pts per 100 poss offense - 116.4
Pts per 100 poss defense - 97.6
Starters are
Sr Matt Moses 6'2" 14.5ppg, 51% FG 90% FT
Jr Louis Hurd 6'5" 12.4ppg, 48% FG 74% FT
Jr Jared Jenkins 6'4" 10.9ppg, 48% FG 76% FT
Jr Scott Hoelzel 6'6" 8.6ppg, 6rpg, 60% FG;
Jr Nick Krull 6'7" 6.1ppg, 63% FG 74% FT.
Top subs are
6'8" Sr Ross Forman 5.1ppg, 4.6rpg;
5'10" Fr Jerrel Harris 7.2ppg;
6'4" So Dan Tillema 6.9ppg.
UWSP has their most athletic team of the past decade, even more so than those NCAA champs of 03-04 and 04-05. They play a man-to-man defense and rebound very well at the defensive end. Krull is usually the defensive stopper, playing players both taller and shorter effectively, but Jenkins and Moses are also capable of being shutdown defenders. Offensively the Pointers work for the inside shot and will work the clock down looking for that lay-up or short jumper. They have relied on the 3-pt shot less this year than any year since 1998-99, but are capable and have 7 players who have made 11 or more this year. Defense fuels their offense and their athletic ability will make them a tough out for any team.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmzA5Mn1t0k (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmzA5Mn1t0k)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf_hFco376o (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf_hFco376o)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpMyAQ8jq0s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpMyAQ8jq0s)
I've got different efficiency numbers than you (defensive, offensive difference is probably rounding)...
I have 116.04/92.61
FGA - Off Reb + T.O. + (.475 x FTA)
Offensive: 1466 - 257 + 259 + (.475 x 469) = 1690.78/26= 65.03 Poss/Gm
Defensive: 1357 - 207 + 335 + (.475 x 420) = 1684.50/26= 64.79 Poss/Gm
(Points/Possessions) x 100
Offensive Points: 1962
Defensive Points: 1560
Offensive: (1962/1690.78) x 100 = 116.04
Defensive: (1560/1684.50) x 100 = 92.61
Gordon College (Wenham, MA) - Fighting Scots - Northeast Region, Commonwealth Coast Conference
24-4 overall/11-1 CCC (1st Place)
Pool A entrant – Won CCC Tournament
Points per 100 Possessions = 103.7
Opponent Points per 100 Possessions = 87.1
Starters
G Aaron Trigg (6-1, Sr., Overland Park, KS) – 17.5 ppg/4.1 rpg/3.25 apg (CCC POY,CCC Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year)
G Brady Bajema (6-2, Sr., Whitinsville, MA) – 13.6 ppg/3.7 rpg/3.1 apg (1st Team All-CCC)
G/F Austin Bentson (6-3, Jr., Branchville, NJ) – 3.4 ppg/3.0 rpg/1.5 apg
F Greg Walker (6-7, Jr., Uxbridge, MA) – 12.2 ppg/5.1 rpg
C Ben Gaskill (6-9, Sr., Columbus, OH) – 6.3 ppg/9.3 rpg/ 1 bpg (CCC Co-Def. POY, )
Top Reserves
F David Dempsey (6-5, Fr., Wallingham, CT) – 6.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg
F Jeff Derr (6-8, sr., Barrington, IL) – 5.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg
G Tim MacDonnell (6-2, Sr., Jericho, VT) – 2.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg, ~ 2 Charges Taken Per Game
Key Wins: vs Husson, @ Salem State, @ Bates, @ Union (Union Tournament)
Losses: vs Westfield State, vs Endicott, @ MIT (in OT), @ Colby-Sawyer
Season summary/tournament outlook
Gordon College makes its second ever appearance in the NCAA D3 Tournament, following a 2005-6 appearance where they lost a first-round game against Utica by five points. The Fighting Scots are led by first-year head coach Todd Murphy, who came by way of UC-Irvine (Assistant Coach). Before that, Coach Murphy started for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the franchise's first NBA game.
The Scots are a senior heavy team, with three seniors in the starting five and two more coming off the bench. The team is led by a trio of players that collectively score 43.3 of Gordon's 71 points-per-game average. Aaron Trigg won player of the year in The Commonwealth Coast Conference, leading the team with 17.5 ppg. He is a threat from deep, but also has an uncanny ability to drive to the hoop and draw important fouls against top big men. Brady Bajema is also a scoring threat, shooting 48% from beyond the arc. The Scots are not driven by guard play, however, as Greg Walker and Ben Gaskill are solid post players both offensively and defensively. An infusion of talent comes off the bench, as David Dempsey provides an up-tempo spark on the offense and Tim MacDonnell is a lock-down defender.
As a team, Gordon outrebounds it opponents by an average of 11.5 boards per game. They shoot 46% from the field, while allowing only 37%. From deep, they are 37% while allowing only 30% from their opponents. The Scots are a 73% free-throw-shooting team.
While Gordon did not have an impressive strength of schedule, the team is quite developed in comparison to the team that had early losses to Westfield State and Endicott. Under a first-year head coach, the team had to adapt to different techniques and has found its stride, winning 20 of its last 21 games. The only hiccup came in a road loss to Colby-Sawyer (who also defeated Gordon's round 1 opponent Middlebury). The Scots avenged their only conference regular season defeat with a 19 point win in the semis of the CCC tournament.
Williams College Ephs, 26-1, lead the nation in scoring margin, FG %, 3 pt FG %. Excel in a fast-paced, high scoring game, but they have vastly improved their defense, rebounding and toughness from the start of the season, when they were spotty in all three categories. The team does have a few weaknesses which can be exploited, which of course I won't be sharing here, but they will be a tough out for anyone this year. Very well-coached on offense, really space the floor well and will make adjustments based on what the defense gives them. Williams is a veteran team with seven legit playmakers.
Key wins: Middlebury by 8 in the NESCAC championship, at Middlebury by 15, Colby (then ranked) by 24.
Loss: at RMC by 5, in a game they led by 14 mid-way through the second half before falling apart
They've had a tougher time in low-scoring games, but when they've scored more than 74, they haven't won by less than 12. If they are hitting their 3's, almost impossible to guard (3-16 from three in their lone loss).
Starters:
-- Joe Geoghegan, 6'8 SR Center, 7.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg in less than 20 mpg, .53 fg, .69 fta, four year starter, bulky presence inside, fourth all time in rebounding at Williams, athletic and can score in the post when called upon, but primary value is on the boards, where he is among the best Williams has ever had
-- Harlan Dodson, 6'8 JR forward, 6.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, .7 bpg, .42, .41, .74, tall, thin, outstanding outside shooter with deep range, athletic for his height, can play a lot or a little depending on match-ups
-- Blake Schultz, 6'3 SR forward, 18.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.5 spg, .52, .51, .84, four year starter, will be two-time first team all-NESCAC and likely NESCAC player of the year, can shoot and drive equally well, excellent defender with great anticipation, gritty, tough, physical player who can score in bunches even if it's not always pretty, legit all-American candidate
-- Alex Rubin, 6'4 SR guard, 8.1, 1.8, 1.5, .46, .44, .87, pure shooter / three point specialist, crafty, smart system player who makes his teammates better, good passer, can light it up when he gets it going
-- James Wang, 6'0 SO point guard, 16.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1 spg, .57, .51, .85, has turned into the go-to guy on offense, extremely fast, strong, fearless and can shoot, probably the best I've seen at Williams as a guard in terms of taking it to the basket and finishing over bigger guys, legit all-American candidate (if not this year, then definitely the next two)
Key reserves:
-- Troy Whittington, 6'5 JR Center, 10.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2 plus bpg in only 17.4 mpg, .70 fg, .64 fta. Electrifying shot-blocker and dunker off the bench despite being undersized, also has nice post moves and is a good passer with great court vision, one of the best athletes in D-III and a potential all-American next year if he keeps improving. Understands the game well. Has improved tremendously from last season and is now a difference-maker when he enters the game, as he sparks the team with at least two highlight-real plays per game. Game-changer defensively.
-- Nate Robertson, 6'3 FR Guard, 5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.9 apg, .7 spg, 2.5:1 assist:TO, .50, .33, .80, crafty, unselfish true point and spectacular passer in the Mike Crotty / Andrew Olson mold, likely to star in future as he asserts himself more, but complementary player as a frosh. Often goes unnoticed but a key player off the bench.
Two other veterans get limited minutes:
Williams Hardy, 6'6 SR Forward, good court vision, has a knack for clutch plays
Ethan Timmins-Schiffman, 6'7 SR Forward, unorthodox player, solid back-up who makes the most of limited minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG1BfUQSfV0
Quote from: PointSpecial on March 01, 2010, 05:01:01 PM
I've got different efficiency numbers than you (defensive, offensive difference is probably rounding)...
I have 116.04/92.61
FGA - Off Reb + T.O. + (.475 x FTA)
Offensive: 1466 - 257 + 259 + (.475 x 469) = 1690.78/26= 65.03 Poss/Gm
Defensive: 1357 - 207 + 335 + (.475 x 420) = 1684.50/26= 64.79 Poss/Gm
(Points/Possessions) x 100
Offensive Points: 1962
Defensive Points: 1560
Offensive: (1962/1690.78) x 100 = 116.04
Defensive: (1560/1684.50) x 100 = 92.61
My kid is the math wiz, but the stat line from the UWSP stats page is different from your figures:
http://athletics.uwsp.edu/custompages/mbball/2009-10/teamcume.htm (http://athletics.uwsp.edu/custompages/mbball/2009-10/teamcume.htm)
1530-269+267+230.85(.475x486)=1758.85/
27=65.14
1411-314+353+206.15(.475x434)=1656.15/
27=61.39
OFF 2025/1758.85=1.151x100= 115.1
DEF 1617/1656.15=0.976x100= 97.6
I need to borrow hugenerd's calculator, I had an error the first time around ;D
Maryville College Fighting Scots (South Region)
Maryville, Tenn.
23-4 (7-1 Great South, including tourney)
GSAC Regular season and tournament champion, Bumblin B
Starters:
Greg Hernandez (6-8 p) 19.8 ppg (.605 fg, .791ft) 9.7 rpg
Eryk Watson (6-3 w/g) 17.1 ppg
Ben Williamson (6-4 p) 6.9 ppg, 5rpg
Wes Lambert (6-2 w) 9.7 ppg, (.393 3pt %)
pick'em
Jared Laverdiere (5-10 point) 3.1ppg, 3:1 assist:turnover
Jordan Damron (6 point) 8ppg 2.7:1 a:t
Top Reserves:
MC goes 10 deep rotation normally, but has been going 11 the last four games
Laverdiere or Damron (whichever doesn't get start, they've split them 13 to 14)
Brandon McGill
Maverick Willet
Dustin Brown
Milton Stanley
Key Wins:
Nov. 18 Centre 72-70
Dec 2 (D2) Carson Newman 69-56
Key Losses:
Dec. 30 Loss to Guilford 83-52
1/31 Loss to Piedmont 80-78 OT
Points per possession: 1.11
Season summary/tournament outlook: MC is making its 12th straight tourney and is 9-2 in those first round games, but has lost its last two. The Scots have two legitimate all-America candidates in guard Eryk Watson and center Greg Hernandez. The combo makes them 2-dimensional on a bad night and on a good night Damron, Brown, Williamson and Lambert feed off each other for some streaky 3-point shooting. The season is characterized by their GSAC tourney over the weekend, where the Scots showed they could break down for a five minute scoreless drought and also where they could pull off a 16-3 or 17-1 run in under four minutes. Guilford meeting was low point of season with some sick and distracted players.
MC has sputtered more against athletic squads and tends to do better breaking down half court offenses. Zones only seem to be effective when MC isn't hitting but as soon as the first trey goes in, theres a bunch more coming. The second line is more of a change in strength than a drop off.
JCU should be a very similar looking team, both averaging better than 80 points a game and using five at a time line changes.
Quote from: frodotwo on March 01, 2010, 05:33:39 PM
Quote from: PointSpecial on March 01, 2010, 05:01:01 PM
I've got different efficiency numbers than you (defensive, offensive difference is probably rounding)...
I have 116.04/92.61
FGA - Off Reb + T.O. + (.475 x FTA)
Offensive: 1466 - 257 + 259 + (.475 x 469) = 1690.78/26= 65.03 Poss/Gm
Defensive: 1357 - 207 + 335 + (.475 x 420) = 1684.50/26= 64.79 Poss/Gm
(Points/Possessions) x 100
Offensive Points: 1962
Defensive Points: 1560
Offensive: (1962/1690.78) x 100 = 116.04
Defensive: (1560/1684.50) x 100 = 92.61
My kid is the math wiz, but the stat line from the UWSP stats page is different from your figures:
http://athletics.uwsp.edu/custompages/mbball/2009-10/teamcume.htm (http://athletics.uwsp.edu/custompages/mbball/2009-10/teamcume.htm)
1530-269+267+230.85(.475x486)=1758.85/27=65.14
1411-314+353+206.15(.475x434)=1656.15/27=61.39
OFF 2025/1758.85=1.151x100= 115.1
DEF 1617/1656.15=0.976x100= 97.6
I need to borrow hugenerd's calculator, I had an error the first time around ;D
Amazing what a little refresh would do. I clearly had the old page.
Unfortunately, old age will get you too. :P ;) Point has only given up 214 offensive rebounds, not 317.
1411-214+353+ (.475x434)=1756.15/27=65.04 (The offensive and defensive possessions should be approximately equal... This is now the case!)
DEF 1617/1756.15=0.9207x100=
92.08
Colby College Mules
Waterville, ME
19-6 (6-3 NESCAC, 7-4 including tourney, 3 of the losses coming to top 6 natl ranked teams)
Pool C entrant
Starters
Adam Choice - 6'4" 18.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.4 apg
Michael Russell....
....WAIT, :o WTF??? Anderson >:(? Wesley >:(? NCAA selection com. are you serious????? >:( >:( >:(
Centre College (1,200 students)
Danville KY (population 18,000; 35 miles south of Lexington) geographic "centre" of Kentucky
In January, Forbes Magazine named Centre best educational institution of higher education in the South. Centre hosted 2000 Vice-Presidential debate.
Record: 18-8 (11-5 SCAC); member of Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Key Wins: Birmingham-Southern @ home; DePauw @ DePauw; Oglethorpe @ Oglethorpe; Franklin @ home
Key Losses: Maryville @ home Transylvania @ Transy; Austin @ Austin
Centre defeated DePauw for a third time this season in the SCAC tournament final Sunday to earn the Pool A bid. The team finished 9-1 against Eastern Division opponents in the league, and is currently riding an 8-game winning streak.
This is Centre's 4th consecutive trip to the tournament. Last year the Colonels hosted & lost an opening round game to Averitt. The two prior years Centre lost in the 2nd round, hosting in 2008 and going to Wooster in 2007. The team enjoyed a 25-game win streak during the 2007-08 campaign & was ranked as high as #2 in the country.
Offensive Pts per 100 Possessions =104.10
Opponents Pts per 100 Possessions = 91.74
Starters:
P Alex Lloyd 6'8 1/2" Jr. (9.7 RPG; 7.3. PPG; 56 FG%; 2 blocks per game)
PF Danny Noll 6'6" Sr. (14.0 PPG; 7.6 RPG; 73% FT)
SF Josh Crawford 6'5" Fr. (8.5 PPG; 4.4 RPG; 51 FG%; 71FT%)
SG Bryon Ellis 5'10" Fr. (8.8 PPG; 36% 3PT FG; 77% FT)
PG Jeff Mullaney 6'2" So. (13.6 PPG; 3.3 APG; 75% FT%)
Bench:
P/PF Kyle Binder 6'6" So. (3.0 PPG; 83% FT)
PG/SG Matt Grigg 5'10" Fr. (2.7 PPG; 38% 3PT FG)
PG Dee Smith 5'6" So. (3.1 PPG)
PF/SF Greg Ross 6'4" So. (2.6 PPG; 88% FT)
P James Melloan 6'7" So.
SF Tres Russell 6'4" Sr.
Style of Play: Centre plays a half-court brand of hoops structured on superior passing for high percentage looks. The Colonels historically have been noted as a 3-point shooting team. This year's squad is more balanced with inside scoring coming primarily from Noll and Crawford. Noll can hit the open three as well. Colonels have begun to build a reputation as a good rebounding team as Lloyd led the conference in this category & Noll finished among the top 6. Mullaney is the team's most athletic player who is capable of scoring in a variety of ways. Ellis is the 3-point artist with decent range beyond the arc. Defense is Centre's moniker as they hold opponents to 56 points per game and 37.4% FG shooting. Lloyd is the league's leading shot blocker at 2 per game. Team received a tough draw, but has an outstanding coach with a good nucleus of talent to put on the floor for the opening round.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags - Claremont, CA
Record: 21-6 (11-3 in SCIAC) - SCIAC Regular Season and Tournament Winners (A bid)
Starters:
Chris Blees (6'5 Forward)
Mike Bagby (6'4 Guard)
Pat Lacey (6'6 Center)
Joey Anderson (6'5 Forward)
Jason Toney (6'3 Point Guard)
Top Reserves:
Conner Faught
Shane Davis
Key Wins: @ Chapman (Early december)
Season summary/tournament outlook:
The Stags coming off a SCIAC championship in 08-09 started the season off shaky - Losing at Willamette and at home vs St Olaf. After the Winter break though, they rattled off a 14-1 streak. After clinching the #1 seed in the SCIAC tourney, they went on to lose their last 2 SCIAC games, to finish 11-3. In the SCIAC tourney, they came on strong defeating OXY and PP in both Hotly contested games.
Quote from: booyakasha on March 01, 2010, 07:24:53 PM
Colby College Mules
Waterville, ME
19-6 (6-3 NESCAC, 7-4 including tourney, 3 of the losses coming to top 6 natl ranked teams)
...
NCAA selection com. are you serious?????
Amen, booyakasha.
Guilford College, Greensboro, NC
26-2 (14-2 ODAC)
ODAC conference Champions
Starters:
34 Rhett Bonner
10 TC Anderson
11 Clay Henson
32 Martin Stevenson
15 Tyler Sanborn
Top Reserves:
40 Brad Monroe
21 Josh Pittman
5 Gabriel Lowder
45 Tobi Akinsola
Key Wins:
4-1 against Tournament teams:
Maryville
VWC (twice)
RMC
Key Losses:
EMU (by 27pts)
Season summary/tournament outlook:
Guilford College clinched its second Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Men's Basketball Tournament title in three years with an 81-65 victory over Randolph-Macon.
With the win, the Quakers (26-2) earn the league's automatic bid and will make their fourth consecutive national playoff appearance. Ranked fourth in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, Guilford improved to 100-18 over the last four years.
Weak participation on this thread ... bring it, folks!
Bringing this forward.
Cabrini College, Radnor, PA
22-5 (16-2 CSAC)
CSAC Champions
Starters:
44 Dom Farello
30 Cory Lemons
24 John Boyd
21 Fran Rafferty
32 Goran Dulac
Top Reserves:
5 Lamar Fisher
55 John Miller
10 A.J. Williams
Key Wins:
3-1 against Tournament teams:
Gwynedd Mercy (thrice)
Key Losses:
Scranton
Season summary/tournament outlook:
Cabrini clinched back to back conference championship. Winning regular season and AQ.
Regionally ranked 3rd. No top 25 at all this year. Got votes in top 25 selections
Ithaca College Bombers, Ithaca, N.Y.
20-6 (13-3 in E8)
Pool C bid
Starters
Phil Barera, Sr. F 6'6 - Averages 17 PPG and 8.6 RPG while shooting 65% from the floor. E8 Player of the Year
Sean Rossi, So. G 5'11 - Leads the country with just under 10 assists per game. Also scores at a clip of 12.1 PPG.
Jordan Marcus, Jr. G 6'2 - Averages 16.4 PPG. Shooting 44% from beyond the arc (88-207)
Chris Cruz-Rivas, Sr. G 6'3 - IC's most versitiale player. Shooting 38% from beyond the arc, but can also get to the hole. Averaging 14.3 PPG and 8.4 RPG
Miles Grier, Fr. G 6'3 - One of IC's best defenders. Easily the most athletic player on the squad. Has grown offensively and now averages 8.5 PPG in only 18 minutes.
Key Reserves
Andrei Oztemel, So. F 6'6 - Essentially a three-point specialist. Shooting 41% from beyond the arc (87-213).
Christian Jordan, Fr. G 6'0 - Really the guy IC turns to when they need defense, but can hit a three at times. Aggressive defender, and will get in your face. Late in close games, the Bombers sometimes alternate him with Oztemel in a defense/offense rotation.
IC really only plays those seven guys. Eric Halejian saw a little bit of playing time at the point, and Sinjin Whitman will get some time if Barera is in foul trouble. The Bombers are small, but play up-tempo and launch a lot of three pointers. You can score on them, but if you're poorly conditioned, they can run you off the court.
Western Connecticut (Danbury, CT).
Pool C bid, LEC co-champions
Usual starters:
11) David Addy- sr
22) Wilburt Jarrett- sr
23) DaQuan Brooks- jr
24) Gary Robinson- jr
25) Mark Redding- jr
Normal bench rotation:
2) Jengodji Gates- fr
3) Rob Bentil- jr
4) Ryan Pellitier- so
12) Russell Payton- fr
14) Jon Phillips- sr
Williams: Pool C, NESCAC runner-up
Staters w/ key stats:
Troy Whittington, center, 6'6 Sr., 17 ppg, 9 rpg, 2 bpg, 2 apg, .73 fgp, .77 fta
Harlan Dodson, forward, 6'8, Sr., 5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 32 of his 51 made fgs from three
James Klemm, forward/guard, 6'3, So., 11 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 76/98 fgs from three
Nate Robertson, guard, 6'3, So., 7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1 spg, .5 bpg, .56 fgp
James Wang, guard, 6'0, Jr., 18 ppg, 5 rpg, 4 apg, 1 spg, .50/.45/.85 shooting, 70 threes
Reserves:
Brian Emerson, forward/center, 6'8, Jr., 6 ppg, 4 rpg, 1 bpg, 17 threes
Hayden Rooke-Ley, guard, 6'2, Fr., 6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.5 apg
Taylor Epley, forward, 6'4, Fr., 6 ppg, 2 rpg
Jordan Mickens, forward/guard, 6'3, So., 3 ppg, 1.5 rpg
6'9 first year Michael Mayer, a very promising talent, provides depth up front and will play vs. certain match-ups or when there is foul tor injury trouble, he averages 4 ppg and 2 rpg.
With Williams, everything starts with Wang and Whittington, who are both all-American caliber players. Nate Robertson is the third key player, a facilitator / glue guy, and tremendous defender, who makes everyone around him better and whose contributions can't be measured by stats. He has an ankle injury but hopefully should be back at some point fairly soon. James Klemm runs hot and cold, but can provide a potent third scoring option (season high of 31 points) when he is in a groove. The rest of the players are solid role-players and all can shoot, led by sixth man Brian Emerson who has been playing more in recent weeks and provides a little extra size / bulk on the interior plus another shooter, and combo guard Rooke-Ley, who backs up Wang and Robertson and will play big minutes if Robertson's inury lingers.
Williams does not shoot the ball at close to last year's historic levels, but they are a bit deeper, more athletic, and tougher defensively and on the boards, which has made up the difference. Last year Williams had tremendous luck with injuries, while they have been banged up a bit this year, but otherwise the teams are fairly equal overall.
Illinois Wesleyan (Bloomington, IL) - Midwest Region, College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin
19-8 overall/9-5 CCIW
Pool C entrant
Starters
G Eliud Gonzalez (5-9/170, Jr.) - 3.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.9 apg
G Sean Johnson (6-1/185, Sr.) – 15.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.3 apg (2nd Team All-CCIW)
F Jordan Zimmer (6-5/190, Jr.) – 11.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg (3rd Team All-CCIW)
F John Koschnitzky (6-6/200, Jr.) – 8.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg
C Doug Sexauer (6-7/225, Sr.) – 13.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg (1st Team All-CCIW)
Top Reserves
C Ryan Connolly (6-9/275, Jr.) – 6.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg
G Matt Schick (6-4/200, Sr.) – 5.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.4 apg
Notable Injuries
G Travis Rosenkranz (concussion) - senior PG, 4-year starter, 3rd Team All-CCIW as JR
Notes
Illinois Wesleyan makes its 20th appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament in 28 years of affiliation. The Titans are 42-19 (.689) in tournament play, including Final Four appearances in Salem, Virginia in 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2006. IWU won the national championship in 1997. Last season IWU advanced to the Elite 8, losing @ eventual national champion UW-Stevens Point.
The 2010-11 Titans are a very experienced squad, featuring 2 seniors and 3 juniors in the starting lineup. IWU is a very balanced offensive team, led by senior low-post player Doug Sexauer (13.8 ppg), senior shooting guard Sean Johnson (15.7 ppg), and junior wing Jordan Zimmer (11.6 ppg, 43-101 3-pt). The Titans average 74.5 points per contest.
Illinois Wesleyan has had to overcome several significant injuries this season. Both returning starting forwards from 2009-10, 6-5 Jordan Zimmer and 6-6 John Koschnitzky, missed most of the non-conference season. Returning senior PG Travis Rosenkranz missed 9 CCIW games (including the conference tournament) -- 4 games early in the CCIW schedule due to an ankle injury, and the last 5 with a severe concussion suffered at Wheaton. He is out indefinitely and has been replaced in the starting lineup with junior Eliud Gonzalez
The Titans open the NCAA tournament at the St. Thomas regional. IWU will face UW-River Falls, with the winner taking on either the host Tommies or Northwestern (MN).
College Of Wooster Fighting Scots, Wooster, OH
NCAC Regular Season and Tournament Champions
26-2 (14-2 in NCAC)
Starters:
Ian Franks - sr - G - 6'4" - 18.3 ppg (Two-time NCAC POY, All-America candidate and finalist for the Jostens Trophy for DIII POY)
Nathan Balch - sr - G - 6'1" - 12.9 ppg (First team all-NCAC, best 3-point shooter percentage wise)
Justin Hallowell - jr - F - 6'7" - 11.5 ppg (Second team all-NCAC, most 3-pointers made on the team)
Bryan Wickliffe - sr - F/C - 6'5" - 9.9 ppg (Second team all-NCAC, plays bigger than he is; thrives on taking on bigger players inside)
Matt Fegan - jr - G - 6'1" - 6.5 ppg (plays the point)
Key Reserves:
Justin Warnes - jr - G - 6'2" - 3.2 ppg (more of a defensive stopper than a scorer)
Josh Claytor - so - F - 6'7" - 4.4 ppg (usually spells Wickliffe)
Jake Mays - so - F/C - 6'8" - 4.1 ppg (also in Wooster's rotation of big men)
Ryan Snyder - fr - G - 6' - 3.2 ppg
Mike Evans - jr - F - 6'4" - 2.7 ppg (thought to play a more prominent role until a pre season injury sidelined him for over half of the season; has been struggling to find more minutes)
Notes:
Wooster just completed their 7th straight NCAC regular season championship and 3rd straight NCAC tournament championship. They are making their 20th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their 9th consecutive trip to the dance. Wooster has also qualified for the tournament 19 of the last 21 years! The Scots' all-time record in the tournament stands at an even 20-20. They 13-5 in games played at Timken Gymnasium (which is where they open tournament play this weekend 8-) ), 6-5 at neutral sites, and 1-10 in true road games :o :(. Wooster has advancexd as far as the Sweet 16 six times over the last 12 years (including last year where they bowed out @ Guilford who made it to Salem), and reached the Final Four in both 2003 and 2007.
If we are talking trends, Wooster should be due to make another run to Salem. Seeing as how their last 2 appearances were four years apart in 2003 and in 2007, 2011 would follow precedent for Wooster to make it back to the Final 4! 8-)
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Engineers (Worcester, MA) - Northeast Region, New England Women's And Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC)
22-5 Overall/11-1 NEWMAC
Pool C entrant
Coach
Chris Bartley – 10th Year (173-45) – NEWMAC Coach of The Year
Starters
G Kyle Nadeau (5-8, Sr) – 7.1 ppg, 2.4 apg
G David Brown (6-4, Jr.) – 1.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg
F Ben Etten (6-5, Sr.) – 5.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.6 apg
F Joe Wesoloski (6-6, So.) – 2.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg
C Matt Carr (6-7, Jr.) – 12.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.7 bpg (1st Team All-NEWMAC)
Top Reserves
G Jeff Robinson (6-3, Sr.) – 15.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.5 apg (NEWMAC Player of the Year)
F Fernando Perez (6-4, Jr.) – 6.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg
G Jaime Shannon (5-10, Jr.) – 4.6 ppg, 2.1 apg
F Jerome Stewart (6-5, Jr.) – 5.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg
F Fernando Perez (6-4, Jr.) – 6.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg
Remainder of Roster
G Ryan Stock (6-2, Sr.) – 0.7 ppg, 0.4 rpg
C Jameel Galloway (6-7, So.) – 1.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg
G/F Ricardo Bonhomme (6-3, So.) – 1.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg
G Mike Byron (6-0, So.) – 2.1 ppg, 1.0 rpg
G Craig Melillo (6-0, So.) – 1.9 ppg
F Ryan Kolb (6-5, Fr.) – 2.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg
G David White (6-0, Fr.) – 2.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Notes
WPI is appearing in its 6th NCAA Tournament in the last 7 years. The Engineers reached the Sweet 16 in 2005. This year the team went 22-4 in Division 3 placing as high as 10th in the D3Hoops National Poll. They finished third behind Williams & Middlebury in the final NCAA Northeast Regional Rankings.
The 2010-11 Engineers are a balanced veteran team. They have consistently one of the best defensive teams in the country all season. They are 9th in the country in scoring defense, 20th in Field Goal PCT Defense, 7th in 3PT FG PCT Defense and 11th in scoring margin. They are led by NEWMAC POY Jeff Robinson and First Team All-Conference center Matt Carr. Midway through the season, Coach Bartley started using Robinson as the 6th man. He is the team's leading scorer and assists man. He is at his best when he is mixing up his jumper with his ability to drive and get to the rim. Carr is team's leading rebounder and second in scoring. He is a very good low post player who can work well on either block. He is also a very solid low post defender. Ben Etten has been a 4-year contributor to the program as a top defender and rebounder. He is usually lined up on the opposition's top scorer. Kyle Nadeau and Jamie Shannon split the duties at the point. Nadeau is a streaky 3-point shooter and is second on the team in assists. Shannon is a very quick penetrator who can finish as well as find his teammates. Joe Wesoloski has emerged this year as a solid defender at forward spot who can provide some offense when needed. Fernando Perez is another good defender and rebounder who operates down low on offense. David Brown is a defense specialist good passer at the guard position. Carr suffered a sprained ankle in the conference semi-finals last weekend, but is expected to be fine for Friday. Robinson was hit in the head late in the conference finals and received stitches for pretty good gash. He too is expected to fully ready for opening game.
WPI is hosting on the opening weekend. The Engineers will play Bridgewater State on Friday after the Amherst/Skidmore contest.
Centre College (1,200 students)
Danville KY (population 18,000; 35 miles south of Lexington) geographic "centre" of Kentucky
In 2010, Forbes Magazine named Centre best educational institution of higher education in the South. Centre hosted 2000 Vice-Presidential debate.
Record: 21-5 (13-3 SCAC); member of Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Key Wins: Birmingham-Southern @ home; DePauw; Trinity; Oglethorpe
Key Loss: Transylvania
Centre defeated DePauw in the SCAC tournament final Sunday to earn the Pool A bid for a third consecutive year. The team finished 7-0 against Western Division opponents in the league. The Colonels have been a solid performer on the road this year having lost only twice.
This is Centre's 5th consecutive trip to the tournament. Last year the Colonels lost an opening round game at Eastern Mennonite. Centre got to the 2nd round in both 2007 and 2008. The team enjoyed a 25-game win streak during the 2007-08 campaign & was ranked as high as #2 in the country.
Starters:
P Alex Lloyd 6'8 1/2" Sr. (9.7 RPG; 9.5 PPG; 60 FG%; 1.4 blocks per game)
PF Greg Ross 6'4" Jr. (15.6 PPG; 6.8 RPG; 51 FG%; 86 FT%)
SF Donavan Whiteside 6'3" Fr. (8.7 PPG; 4.4 RPG; 47 FG%; 75 FT%; 1.4 steals per game)
SG Bryon Ellis 5'10" So. (8.2 PPG; 40 3PT% FG; 81 FT%)
PG Jeff Mullaney 6'2" Jr. (10.4 PPG; 3.7 APG; 75% FT%)
Bench:
SG Collin Lopez 6'2" Fr. (5.0 PPG; 71 FT%)
P Kyle Binder 6'6" Jr. (2.6 PPG)
PF/SF Taylor Newsome 6'3" Fr. (1.4 PPG; 2.1 RPG)
PG Matt Griggs 5' 10" So. (1.8 PPG; 35 3PT%)
PG Dee Smith 5'6" Jr. (1.8 PPG; 50 3PT%; 86 FT%)
Style of Play: Centre plays a half-court brand of hoops structured on superior passing for high percentage looks. This year's squad is balanced with inside scoring coming primarily from Ross and Lloyd. Ross can drain open 3's. Colonels lead the SCAC in rebounding and rebounding margin (+8) with Lloyd the conference rebounding champ. Whiteside and Mullaney are the team's most athletic players who are capable of scoring in a variety of ways. Ellis is the 3-point artist with decent range beyond the arc. Defense is Centre's moniker as they hold opponents to 55.3 points per game and 39.1% FG shooting. Lopez is the best scoring option off the bench.
Centre plays against the host school, Marietta College in the opening round.
Forgive me if someone else posted one for Whitworth, but I looked and had not seen one yet.
Whitworth Pirates
Record: 26-1 (overall), 17-1 (NWC, including playoffs)
Coach: Jim Hayford
Starters:
G- Wade Gebbers (8.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.4 apg)
G- Clay Gebbers (6.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.1 apg)
G- Michael Taylor (19.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.5 apg, 53% from 3)
G/F- David Riley (16.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
F- Felix Friedt (12.4 ppg, 7 rpg)
Key Reserves:
F- Jack Loofburrow (12.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 46% from 3)
G- Chase Ramey (2.3 ppg)
Key Wins:
Neutral Site vs. Carthage 81-69
@Lewis & Clark 77-60, vs. Lewis & Clark 79-52
@CMS 79-64
Neutral Site vs. Ripon 76-65
Key Loss:
@Whitman 82-79 (Whitworth was up 21 at one point in the 2nd half)
Season Summary/Tournament Outlook:
At this point, pretty much everyone knows everything about the No. 1 seed heading into the tournament. They rely on two scorers: Michael Taylor (Brewster) and David Riley. They have plenty of role players who know and play their roles well: The Defender (Clay Gebbers), The Bruiser (Felix Friedt), The Sparkplug (Wade Gebbers), and The All-Around Guy (Jack Loofburrow). But this team only goes about six-deep, though their bench guys have played well in garbage time against other team's starters.
The Bucs beat some early season favorites including a preseason top five team (Carthage) and three others receiving votes (Ripon, Loras, CMS), then took out Lewis & Clark on the road who bounced in and out of the top 25. Though they lost one game to Whitman when they let up on the gas in the second half, they have not otherwise been truly tested this year. On paper this team is as talented as any in the country, but an injury or a close game could really test this team. But overall, this team is just plain efficient on both ends of the court.
UW-Stevens Point Pointers
2010-2011 overall record 24-3 (13-0 home -- 7-3 road -- 4-0 neutral)
WIAC Conference 14-2 (1st) Conference tourney champion third straight season
Current win streak at 12 games and 19 of last 20
Signature wins: Beat #20 Ramapo 85-74 (N); Beat #10 River Falls 86-70 (H);
Beat #22 River Falls 79-56 (H)
Losses: At #42 River Falls 73-60; at #7 St. Thomas 61-54; at Platteville 57-56
Offensive averages 80.0 ppg 52.6 fg pct 22.4 ppg scoring margin
Defensive averages 57.6 ppg 39.8 fg pct +4.6 turnover margin
23-1 in games decided by more than 10 pts
Currently #3 in D3Hoops.com poll and defending NCAA DIII National Champion
Starters - Jerrel Harris So 5'10" G 15.3 ppg 54% fg pct 82% ft pct
Louis Hurd Sr 6'5" F 11.4 ppg 52% fg pct 4.7 rpg
Nick Krull Sr 6'7" F 5.3 ppg 56% fg pct 4.8 rpg
Scott Hoelzel Sr 6'6" F 7.0 ppg 66% fg pct 5.0 rpg
Tyler Tillema So 6'3" G 9.7 ppg 52% fg pct 2.4 apg
The Pointers have 10 players that average over 13 minutes per game and no one over 27. Those same players all average over 5 ppg and only 3 shoot less than 52% from the field. The availability of 6'4" Dan Tillema (9.9 ppg 4.0 rpg) is in question due to an elbow injury that caused him to miss the last six games. Top subs include 6'8" Jordan Brezinski (7 ppg 70% fg pct), 6'2" Vinny Ritchay (5.3 ppg 59.5% 3pt pct) and 5'11" Jordan Giordana (5.3 ppg 48% 3pt pct). Krull, Harris and Hurd were all recently named first team All-WIAC
Point plays a tough man-to-man help defense, is #6 nationally in scoring defense and #31 in FG pct defense. Krull is the defensive stopper, and has guarded SG, SF, PF and C as needed They lead the country in shooting pct, and have shot less than 48% in only 3 games all year. Point will always look to score inside, but will take shots from outside when open, shooting almost 40% (#15 nationally) beyond the arc. Are very disciplined and unselfish on offense and have a 1.27 A/TO ratio, are +5 in rebounding margin and +4.5 in TO margin. Hurd has stepped up his play since D. Tillema went out with the injury and has become the go to player on the team, much like Matt Moses did last year at tournament time. Harris continues to amaze with his ability to go to the hoops against taller players inside, but also has filled up the hoop from the outside.