Holy Cross Crusaders
Patriot League (25-8, 13-1)
Seed: #13
West Region
RPI: 59
Big Wins:
11/18 Siena (65-57), 1/12 Bucknell (65-60), 3/9 Bucknell (74-66)
Bad Losses:
12/2 at Dayton (53-69), 12/21 George Mason (46-58), 12/29 at Niagara
(61-67)
Last NCAA
Appearance: 2003, First Round loss to Marquette
Coach:
Ralph Willard (2-5 in 5 NCAA appearances)
Probable
Starters:
Torey Thomas,
Senior, Guard, 13.6 ppg, 4.8 apg, 4.8 rpg
Kyle Cruze,
Junior, Guard, 2.1 ppg, 1.0 apg
Keith Simmons, Senior, Guard, 17.3 ppg, 1.9 apg, 5.8 rpg
Alex Vander
Baan, Sophomore, Forward, 6.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg
Tim Clifford,
Junior, Center, 11.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.9 bpg
Key
Roleplayers:
Pat Doherty,
Sophomore, Guard, 5.3 ppg, 2.1 apg
Eric Meister,
Freshman, Forward, 3.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg
Colin
Cunningham, Sophomore, Forward, 1.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Greg McCarthy,
Sophomore, Center, 2.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg
Why They Can
Surprise:
Holy Cross has
the best backcourt duo in the conference with Keith Simmons and Torey
Thomas. Simmons is the explosive scorer and averages 17.3 points per game.
The senior is also statistically the best rebounder on the team. Thomas is a
great floor leader, averaging 4.8 assists. Thomas has developed into a good
shooter as well and is a threat to score from anywhere on the court. Both
are good defenders and the duo combines for over five steals a game.
The third
scorer for the Crusaders is 6-10 center Tim Clifford. The junior provides a
much needed scoring threat in the paint and will block some shots on the
defensive end. The rebounding is not as good as it could be, and the 270
pound Walpole, MA native needs to use that big body to get on the boards.
Clifford will not get to the line too much, but he is the best free-throw
shooter on the team. When he is getting touches and being aggressive,
Clifford can be difficult to handle.
Why They Can
Disappoint:
The Crusaders
lack a real threat off the bench. Kyle Cruze, who usually earns a starting
nod, only averages 2.1 points per game. Pat Doherty can provide that spark,
but is not a consistent enough shooter to do it game after game. Forward
Eric Meister is a good rebounder, but will not replace the scoring punch of
the starting frontcourt and Colin Cunningham and Greg McCarthy need to build
up their experience before being counted on to provide quality minutes.
Who To
Watch:
Alex Vander
Baan had a promising freshman season and has built on that as a sophomore.
The 6-8 power forward will battle in the paint and can hit the mid-range
jumper. He is a good rebounder and will do the dirty work to free up the
scorers.
Joel’s
Bracket Says: First Round loss to Southern Illinois
