UMBC

College Hoops Tuesday Recap: Buckeyes Blow Out Duke

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:24:41 -0800

The game between #3 Duke and #2 Ohio State was a matchup expected to be a barnburner throughout. But in runs to begin and end the first half, the Buckeyes made a case to their fans and a national television audience that they should be mentioned in the same breath as Kentucky and North Carolina when talking about early favorites to win the national title. Thad Matta's team opened the game on an 11-0 run and finished the half with an 11-2 run on their way to the 85-63 win at Value City Arena, and four of their five starters finished in double figures.

Jared Sullinger scored a team-high 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds while William Buford added 20, and Buford would combine with Aaron Craft (17 points, eight assists) to score nine of Ohio State's first eleven points (Sullinger scored the other two). Duke would fight their way back into the game thanks in large part to freshman guard Austin Rivers, who finished with a game-high 22 points and three assists. Rivers was able to get to the basket with a variety of moves while also knocking down perimeter shots but when the time came for his teammates to step up they were unable to, and that's a credit to the Buckeyes.

"We couldn't hit a shot," said Duke head coach Mike Krzyzweski. "Their defense was outstanding and then they got hot. They can score from a number of different positions. They had a great crowd, they had a lot going for them and they took advantage of everything."

Mason Plumlee played well for the Blue Devils as he finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, but the other three starters combined for just seven points (all scored by Seth Curry). Not only were Andre Dawkins and Ryan Kelly scoreless but they took just three shots combined, and few teams much less one the caliber of Duke can win big games with that happening. As a team Duke shot 47% on the night but made just three of fifteen shots from beyond the arc, a far cry from Ohio State's 8-for-14 night.

As for the run to end the first half, Deshaun Thomas was a big factor as he scored Ohio State's final nine points to push the margin out to 19 (47-28) at the intermission. Thomas finished with 18 points, scoring 13 of those in the final 7:41 of the first half. In pulling away the Buckeyes outscored Duke 10-0 in second-chance points in the first half, and they would lead by as many as 24 in the second half. While many will look to jump on the backs of the Blue Devils as a result of the big loss, more energy should be spent crediting Ohio State for their play.

"This team is still so young at times I don't know what to expect from them," said Matta. "There's a lot of uncertainty going into games like this, so I'm always excited to see how we respond. Our guys played to their strengths tonight which is a credit to them."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Virginia defends their home floor and beats Michigan.
It's still early but what a difference a year makes for Tony Bennett's Virginia Cavaliers, especially defensively. Last season the Cavaliers ranked 11th in the ACC in points allowed per possession, and their field goal percentage defense finished in the same spot. Through seven games this season Virginia leads the ACC in points allowed per possession and rank second in the conference in field goal percentage defense. Michigan shot 44% on Tuesday night but with Tim Hardaway Jr. limited to just five points the Wolverines fell 70-58 in Charlottesville. Michigan's offensive efficiency was 12 points below their season average as a result of Virginia's packline defense, and offensively Joe Harris and Mike Scott scored 18 points apiece to lead the way. Virginia moved to 6-1 on the season, and has the look of a team that can challenge for a possible NCAA Tournament berth.

2. Don't read too much into Saint Louis' loss at Loyola Marymount.
Saint Louis, fresh off of winning the 76 Classic over the holiday weekend, took on the test of playing a road game against a well-rested team in playing their fourth game in six days. LaRon Armstead scored a game-high 22 points and Anthony Ireland (17 points) made some big shots late to lead LMU to the 75-68 win at Gersten Pavilion. Cody Ellis led SLU with 18 points off the bench, but the fact that they turned the ball over 15 times (24.6% of their possessions) proved to be too much to overcome. Did fatigue play a role in the outcome? It likely did for a team that while talented has been out on the road for a week. So try not to make too big of a deal about this loss because there's plenty of time left in the season for a team that's proven itself to be a viable NCAA Tournament candidate. Plus, this isn't the first time LMU has beaten a ranked opponent this season (UCLA).

3. Arizona's freshman guards step up in a good win at New Mexico State.
Make no mistake about the fact that Arizona's short trip east to take on New Mexico State was a dangerous one, and given how the Wildcats began their last game (a home loss to San Diego State) it would have been easy to expect the Aggies to win. But Sean Miller's team rose to the challenge, winning 83-76 thanks in part to good nights from freshman guards Nick Johnson and Josiah Turner. Johnson scored a game-high 19 points in his first start of the season and Turner added 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals off the bench. With Kyle Fogg and Jordin Mayes quiet for much of the night it's likely a safe assumption that Arizona loses if not for their freshmen. The consistent Jesse Perry posted another double-double (15 points, 12 rebounds) and Solomon Hill scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds to carry the load in the frontcourt. The reconfigured starting lineup avoided the slow start, and as a result Arizona picked up a solid road victory.

Quick Hitters

1. For a team that some thought could be an NCAA Tournament possibility out of the Big Ten, things sure have gone downhill for the Iowa Hawkeyes. They were ice cold from the field in a 71-55 loss to Clemson at home, shooting 28.6% from the field and scoring 20 points in the first half. Fran McCaffery's team has lost three of their last four, with all three losses being by 16 points or more.

2. Perry Jones III made his return to the floor at Baylor and it was a triumphant one as the Bears rolled Prairie View A&M 90-54. Jones finished the game with 27 points and six rebounds, but Pierre Jackson's line may be the eye-opener. 17 points and eight assists off the bench for Jackson, who turned the ball over just two times. It's been said many times: if the Bears can get solid backcourt play to go with their deep and talented front line, look out.

3. Harvard might have the best team in the Ivy League, but the best point guard in the league is Penn senior Zack Rosen. Rosen scored a team-high 20 points and dished out five assists in the Quakers' 75-72 win over Manhattan to move to 4-4 on the season.

4. Life without Demetri McCamey has gotten off to a very good start for Illinois, who moved to 7-0 with a 71-62 win at Maryland. The big reason why: the steady play of Bradley transfer Sam Maniscalco, who scored a team-high 24 points to lead the way.

5. As if things weren't going bad enough for UMBC, the 0-6 Retrievers learned that senior point guard Chris De La Rosa was leaving the team for personal and family-related matters. He played in just one game this season, but De La Rosa accounted for nearly a quarter of UMBC's field goals and more than half their assists in 2010-11.

6. Oregon lost another freshman with the announcement that Bruce Barron decided to leave the team. But the departures of he and Jabari Brown opens the door minutes-wide for the remaining players, and Johnathan Loyd took advantage to the tune of a career-high 24 points in the Ducks' 64-59 win over UTEP.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Wendell McKines (New Mexico State)
28 points (10-18 FG) and 10 rebounds in the Aggies' 83-76 loss to Arizona.

2. F Perry Jones III (Baylor)
27 points (10-14 FG) and six rebounds in the Bears' 90-54 win over Prairie View A&M.

3. F John Shurna (Northwestern)
25 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and three steals in the Wildcats' 76-60 win over Georgia Tech.

Who Will Win the 2011-12 America East Title?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:39:40 -0800

America East Preseason Poll: BU #1

Press Release — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:29:52 -0700

HARTFORD, Conn.-- In search of its first league title since 2002, Boston University is the unanimous preseason choice of the coaches to win its sixth America East Men’s Basketball title in 2009-10. The selections were announced today as part of the America East Basketball Tip-Off Luncheon held at the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford, host city for the 2010 America East Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship Presented by Newman’s Own on March 4-7.

The Terriers received all eight possible first-place votes (coaches were not allowed to vote for their team) and 64 points, followed by University of Vermont, which received the remaining first-place vote and 56 points. University at Albany barely edged Stony Brook University for third place with 43 points, while the Seawolves came in one point behind with 42, just ahead of University of New Hampshire’s 39. University of Hartford and UMBC tied for sixth with 28 points apiece, while University of Maine (14 points) and Binghamton University (12) rounded out the poll.

The 2010 America East Championship first, quarter and semifinal rounds will take place March 4-7 at Hartford’s Chase Arena in the Reich Family Pavilion. The title game will be hosted a week later by the highest remaining seed with the winner earning an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Boston University (17-11 overall, 11-5 America East in 2008-09) begins its first season under head coach Patrick Chambers, who helped lead Villanova to the Final Four last season as Jay Wright’s associate head coach. Chambers will inherit a wealth of talent as the Terriers return their top six scorers and 91.5 percent of their scoring from a year ago. Leading the charge will be first-team All-America East performers John Holland (18.1 ppg) and Corey Lowe (17.2 ppg), who ranked third and fourth, respectively, among league leaders in scoring. Reigning Rookie of the Year Jake O’Brien also returns for his sophomore season after averaging 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest as a freshman.

Vermont (24-9, 13-3) captured a share of the America East regular-season crown and earned a postseason bid for the fifth time in seven years last season, reaching the second round of the College Basketball Invitational. The Catamounts lost four-time all-conference selection Mike Trimboli, who finished his career 12th on the conference’s all-time scoring list, but welcome back the premier player in the league in senior forward Marqus Blakely. The two-time America East Player and Defensive Player of the Year, Blakely ranked among league leaders in nearly every category, leading in rebounding (9.0 rpg), blocked shots (2.7 bpg) and steals (2.0 spg) and finishing fifth in scoring (16.1 ppg).

Albany (15-16, 6-10) reached the semifinals of the America East tournament for the third time in four years last March despite suffering its first sub-.500 conference mark since the 2003-04 season. The Great Danes are one of two teams (Boston U.) to welcome back multiple all-conference players in junior guard Tim Ambrose and junior forward Will Harris, both third-team honorees a year ago. Ambrose ranked ninth among league leaders in scoring (14.3 ppg) and 13th in rebounding (5.1 rpg), while Harris was 10th in scoring (12.9 ppg) and seventh in rebounding (6.5 rpg).

Stony Brook (16-14, 8-8) is coming off one of its best season as Division I program, winning its most games since 2000-01 and setting a program record for America East victories. The Seawolves return four starters, including second-team all-league choice Muhammad El-Amin, a preseason all-conference pick this year. El-Amin, who finished seventh with 15.7 points per game last year, is joined by a pair of All-Rookie selections in sophomores Tommy Brenton and Bryan Dougher. Brenton was the second-best rebounder in the league as a freshman with 8.9 rebounds per game, while Dougher was Seawolves’ second-leading scorer and among the league’s best in free throw (.772) and 3-point percentage (.363).

New Hampshire (14-16, 8-8) reached the semifinals of the America East Championship for the second time in four seasons under head coach Bill Herrion after not reaching the league’s Final Four since 1995. Junior guard Alvin Abreu will shoulder the load on the offensive end with the graduation of All-America East performer Tyrece Gibbs. Abreu, an all-rookie choice two years ago, ranked second on UNH with 12.8 points and 2.2 assists per game. Fellow juniors Tyrone Conley (8.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and Dane DiLiegro (5.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg) will be important if the Wildcats are to capture their first conference title.

Hartford (7-26, 2-14) took a step back from its record-setting season of 2007-08 but was without leading scorer Joe Zeglinski, a first-team all-conference choice two years ago and a preseason selection each of the past two years, who missed all but 10 games with an ankle injury. Zeglinski, who has averaged 16.0 points per game over the last two seasons and is one of three players that have eclipsed the 1,000-point mark (1,099), should drastically help Hartford improve on its league-worst 60.5 points per game output.

UMBC (15-17, 7-9) reached the title game of the America East Championship for the second straight year in 2009, becoming just the second No. 6 seed to reach the league final. Gone are all-conference performers Jay Greene, who finished his career third on America East’s all-time assist list, and Darryl Proctor, who racked up 1,138 points and 558 rebounds in just two seasons at UMBC, but back is senior forward Matt Spadafora, who has started 44 straight games for the Retrievers and averaged 8.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest last year.

Maine (9-21, 4-12) returns four starters from a year ago, including All-Rookie honoree Gerald McLemore, who ranked second among first-year players with 12.1 points per game. Junior forwards Troy Barnies (7.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and Sean McNally (9.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg) ranked fourth and 15th, respectively, in rebounding last year. Junior college transfers Jerrell Boswell and Terrance Mitchell, who combined to average 39 points per game last season, should make the Black Bear offense, which was fourth in the league (66.0 ppg) last year get ever better.

Binghamton (23-9, 13-3) return three players from a squad that set a school record with 23 wins, won its first-ever America East title and made its first NCAA appearance. Junior guard Chretian Lukusa started 11 games for the Bearcats down the stretch last season in which they went 9-2. Sophomore center Kyrie Sutton started 15 games and ranked fifth among league leaders in blocked shots (1.2 bpg).

Poll: Who Wil Win the America East?

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:05:18 -0700

America East Tournament: Preview & Predictions

Evan Dorey — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:04:40 -0800

This is one in a series of conference tournament previews, in which I run down all the teams involved, give a brief statistical review and present the log5 projections, using in-conference offensive and defensive efficiency. The basic log5 methodology comes from Bill James, and this is an area Ken Pomeroy has looked at in the past as well. I claim nothing new in the application, but obviously with slightly different methodologies, these numbers may differ from others you find. I don’t claim to be an expert on any particular conference, and I’m sure there are some mis-characterizations on some players I’ve seen sparingly at best, so please add your thoughts in the comments. Anyway, with no further ado, the preview follows below:

America East

The first three rounds will be played in Albany’s home court, SECFU Arena, with the final happening on Saturday morning at the higher remaining seed.

#	Team	QF	SF	F	W
1	Binghamton	100.00%	85.45%	53.64%	26.52%
2	Vermont	100.00%	87.92%	62.85%	45.92%
3	Boston University	100.00%	86.45%	32.33%	18.97%
4	New Hampshire	100.00%	28.09%	7.94%	0.82%
5	Stony Brook	100.00%	71.91%	34.71%	6.86%
6	UMBC	100.00%	13.55%	1.39%	0.19%
7	Albany	100.00%	12.08%	3.43%	0.47%
8	Maine	75.37%	12.98%	3.54%	0.24%
9	Hartford	24.63%	1.57%	0.18%	0.00%

Hometown team Albany got the worst possible opening draw, as the favorite, #2 Vermont will be a tough task. Binghamton and BU should be the main challengers, with Stony Brook a team from outside the top 4 that could cause a big surprise.

#1 – Binghamton Bearcats (20-8, 13-3) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.072

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Binghamton is the hottest team in the conference, having won each of its last eight games, but it’s only been the third best team in the league by efficiency margin standards. The Bearcats have been good defenders, holding opponents to a low percentage and forcing a lot of turnovers, but they have had problems with rebounding and commit a lot of fouls. Offensively, they’ve been an average team, not making a lot of mistakes, but not excelling in any area either.

Players to watch:

6-4 JR D.J. Rivera, 20.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 52.5 eFG% - Rivera is the conference’s leading scorer, and the St. Joe’s transfer is the only America East player to average more than 20 points a game. His long-distance shooting leaves something to be desired, but he’s an efficient player because of his ability to score inside and his remarkable turnover rate, giving the ball up just 46 times on the year.

6-6 SR Reggie Fuller, 10.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 55.6 eFG% - Fuller is only the 5^th ranked scorer on the team, but he’s a good inside shooter who puts up solid rebounding and shot-blocking numbers. He’s also improved his play of late, averaging more than 15 points in his last six games.

#2 – Vermont Catamounts (23-7, 13-3) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.1637

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2005 (2^nd Round)

Vermont has easily been the best team in the conference, except when it came to games against Binghamton, as it was swept in the season series with the Bearcats. The Catamounts have the America East’s best offense, shooting 48% from the floor and getting to the free-throw line very often. They also defend well, dominating the inside while forcing a lot of turnovers. Opponents have successfully shot over them, and they’ll need to be careful against teams with good long-range shooters.

Players to watch:

6-5 JR Marqus Blakely, 15.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 2.8 BPG, 60.3 eFG% - Blakely is the conference’s best forward, leading the league in rebounds, steals and blocks. He’s a 60% shooter who does a lot of good work inside, with his only real weakness being his 56% free-throw shooting.

6-1 SR Mike Trimboli, 16.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.9 SPG, 53.8 eFG% - There are some questions about Trimboli’s health heading into the tournament, and as the team’s best guard, his return will be criticaly important for the Catamounts’ chances. He’s a good three-point shooter who also distributes the ball efficiently.

#3 – Boston University Terriers (17-12, 11-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.095

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2002 (1^st Round)

Boston University is the 2^nd ranked team by EM, but faces a tough path to the title game with a potential semifinal against Vermont. The Terriers are a heavily perimeter-oriented team, taking a lot of their shots from behind the arc, and doing a pretty job of making them. They’ve also been good at defending threes, but poor interior defense and weak offensive rebounding have held them back in overall defensive efficiency.

Players to watch:

6-5 SO John Holland, 18.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 56.2 eFG% - Holland leads the team in points and rebounds, and has split his shooting almost evenly between twos and threes, putting up a good percentage in both areas.

6-2 JR Corey Lowe, 16.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 4.1 APG, 53.3 eFG% - Lowe is the other player on the Terriers who puts up a lot of shots, and is another good three-point shooter who also manages to distribute the ball to teammates.

#4 – New Hampshire Wildcats (13-15, 8-8) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.033

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

With the top three teams separating themselves from the pack, New Hampshire will have a tough time making any progress in Albany, and are actually the only top 4 team not favored to advance to the semis. The problem has been the Wildcat offense, which has been one of the conference’s worst. It uses a slow style, but doesn’t do it very well, putting up one of the country’s worst field goal percentages and giving the ball up often. This has left it to the defense to bail out UNH, something it has occasionally managed to do with excellent rebounding. New Hampshire needs to watch out for fouls, which were a problem in the non-conference, but have improved in America East play.

Players to watch:

6-3 SR Tyrece Gibbs, 14.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 51.7 eFG% - Gibbs is an excellent three-point shooter, and while his shots from inside the arc aren’t as effective, he takes enough threes to make him a decently efficient player.

6-8 SO Dane Diliegro, 5.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 54.3 eFG% - Diliegro isn’t much of an offensive threat, but he’s an excellent rebounder who takes his chances well when he gets them.

#5 – Stony Brook Seawolves (16-13, 8-8) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.045

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Four of Stony Brook’s eight conference losses have come in overtime (one in quadruple OT), so it’s not really a surprise that they are under-seeded, relative to their EM performance. They should be slight favorites against New Hampshire, mostly because of the conference’s best defense. The Seawolves get opponents to attempt a lot of threes, and manage to hold them to a pretty poor percentage, while also getting their hands on the ball a lot, either through turnovers or rebounds. Offensively, they tend to focus on getting the ball inside, a strategy that has been fairly unsuccessful, when you consider their conference-worst 44% shooting from two.

Players to watch:

6-5JR Muhammad El-Amin, 15.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 50.4 eFG% - El-Amin is one of the rare three-point threats on the Seawolves, and the Ju-Co transfer has not been afraid to shoot with impunity. He takes nearly a third of the team’s shots when he’s on the floor, and makes just enough to justify it.

6-6 SR Demetrius Young, 9.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 67.5 eFG% - His season-long numbers haven’t been that impressive, but Young is a guy who has really stepped up his play in recent days, and as the conference’s leader in FG%, will cause a lot of problems for opponents inside. He’s started just 4 games all year, but averaged 14 points a game in the month of February.

#6 –Maryland Baltimore County (13-16, 7-9) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.069

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (1^st Round)

The defending champions lost a lot from their 2008 team, and have really felt it on the defensive end of the floor, where they’ve had the worst record in the conference. They force few turnovers, and while they’ve defended the inside shot decently, teams have lit them up from three. One interesting thing about UMBC is its ability to avoid turnovers, as it’s put up one of the country’s lowest rates in that area. It hasn’t been too much of a help to the offense, though, as too many of its possessions have ended with missed shots. The wide majority of these shots have come from inside the arc, as UMBC has taken a lower percentage of threes than all but two other teams in the country.

Players to watch:

5-8 SR Jay Greene, 12.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 6.0 APG, 52.1 eFG% - Greene is the only Retriever who is a threat from behind the arc, taking the majority of his shots from three. He also leads the conference in assists, and is an excellent outside complement to his team’s inside-oriented attack.

6-4 SR Darryl Proctor, 20.0 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 47.6 eFG% - No player in the nation has played more minutes than Proctor, who averages 39.6 per game, and had his biggest night off when he played 33 against Pitt. He’s not just a guy who plays a lot, though, as he takes a huge role in the offense, and is a very good rebounder. He’s also committed just 64 turnovers all season, which is a very impressive number when you consider how much he plays.

#7 – Albany Great Danes (14-15, 6-10) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.069

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2007 (1^st Round)

Albany isn’t the kind of team you’d look at for an upset run, seventh in the league in offense and defense, but the fact that the tournament will be on its home floor at SEFCU Arena means that they will have a shot at causing some trouble. The Great Danes got the worst possible draw in Vermont, however, and could easily find themselves drummed out fast. They are spectacular rebounders, putting up one of the best rates in the entire country. They get a lot of chances to practice, as they are pretty bad shooters, especially from behind the arc. They also find themselves on the wrong side of turnover margin more often than not, and don’t force a lot of misses from opponents.

Players to watch:

6-0 SO Tim Ambrose, 14.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 49.1 eFG% - Ambrose leads the team in scoring, despite playing just 24 minutes a game, mostly because he has really struggled with foul trouble. He’s a solid shooter and has a very good assist rate, but just can’t stay on the court enough to really put up big averages.

6-6 JR Will Harris, 12.7 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 47.7 eFG% - Harris had a strong run at the start of the conference season, but has really cooled off towards the end of the year. He’s a decent percentage player, but not overly notable.

#8 – Maine Black Bears (9-20, 4-12) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.065

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

A 4-12 record in conference play is a little harsh for a team that has been about the same as the two teams ahead of them, and the Black Bears will be a little unfortunate to have to play an opening round game against Hartford. Defensively, they struggle inside, but manage to get opponents to shoot mostly three-pointers, where they are pretty effective. However, they’re also terrible defensive rebounders, so forcing a stop isn’t necessarily good enough to help them out.

Players to watch:

6-7 SO Sean McNally, 9.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 44.5 eFG% - McNally doesn’t play a big role in the offense, but is the Bears’ most effective offensive player, due to his ability to pick up offensive rebounds. He’s a decent shooter, but takes a few too many fruitless threes.

6-5 JR Mark Socoby, 12.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 45.7 eFG% - Socoby leads the team in scoring, but he’s a bit of a liability for Maine, as most of his shots come from behind the arc, where he barely cracks 30%.

#9 – Hartford Hawks (6-25, 2-14) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.154

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Hartford’s last win came on January 14^th, and it looks likely that it’ll finish the season on a 15-game losing streak. The Hawks’ offense has been simply terrible, one of the worst in the nation in getting to the free throw line and rebounding, and putting up a lot of threes, while hitting just 29% as a team from behind the arc. The Hartford defense has actually been decent, forcing teams to the outside and getting a lot of turnovers, but only having half a decent team isn’t good enough.

Players to watch:

6-2 SR Jaret Von Rosenberg, 12.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.7 APG, 45.7 eFG% - Von Rosenberg averages more than 38 minutes a game, and while he does a good job getting the ball to teammates, and is a good scorer inside the arc, his 27% three-point shooting really limits his effectiveness.

6-5 SR Michael Turner, 11.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 50.4 eFG% - Turner is a key player to any potential Hartford success, the only player who hits a solid percentage of long-distance shots and the team’s best rebounder.

My statistical all-America East team:

UMBC SR G Jay Greene, 12.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 6.0 APG, 52.1 eFG%

Vermont SR G Mike Trimboli, 16.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.9 SPG, 53.8 eFG%

Boston University SO G/F John Holland, 18.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 56.2 eFG%

Binghamton JR F D.J. Rivera, 20.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 52.5 eFG%

Vermont JR F Marqus Blakely, 15.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG,1.9 SPG, 2.8 BPG, 60.3 eFG%

America East Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 19:04:35 -0800

Conference Rank: 24th

Conference Page

All-America East Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Joe Zeglinski	Hartford	Jr
G	Mike Trimboli	Vermont	Sr
G	Corey Lowe	Boston U.	Jr
F	Darryl Proctor	UMBC	Sr
F	Marqus Blakely	Vermont	Jr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Marqus Blakely Mike Trimboli		Points: Marqus Blakely 19.0 Rebounds: Marqus Blakely 11.0 Assists: Jay Greene 7.2

America East Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

114	Hartford	Am East	1	NCAA
155	Vermont	Am East	2
180	Boston U	Am East	3
192	Albany	Am East	4
208	UMBC	Am East	5
226	Binghamton	Am East	6
258	New Hamp	Am East	7
323	Maine	Am East	8
332	Stony Brook	Am East	9

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the America East?

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Rise & Fall: America East

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the America East?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:55:35 -0700

State of '08: Maryland

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:41:00 -0700

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

MARYLAND

MARYLAND - The recent struggles of the Terps under Gary Williams are well documented, but as far as the Crab Cake State goes, Maryland dominates..

LOYOLA - Considering how epically bad Loyola was from about 2000 to 2005, the program has come a long way. Jimmy Patsos deserves credit for turning around a program that was 1-27 the year before he arrived in 2005. The past two seasons, Loyola has won 37 games, and gone 24-12 in MAAC play. The next step is doing some damage in the league tournament.

UMBC - 2008 was a banner season for Randy Monroe and the Retrievers. They won 24 games, dominated the America East with a 13-3 record, rolled through the conference tournament, and faced Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament. Plus, UMBC was 85th in the RPI, just 3 spots behind ACC member Maryland.

MOUNT SAINT MARY'S - The Mount returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999, beating in-state rival Coppin State in the play-in game. This was the culmination of a nice rebuilding job undertaken by 6th year coach Milan Brown. Now that the Mount returns star Jeremy Goode, a return trip is certainly not out of the question.

COPPIN STATE - The Eagles were arguably one of the worst NCAA Tournament teams of all-time last year. They finished under .500 in the lowly MEAC and only had one Top 250 win going into the conference tournament. They also set a record by being the 1st tourney team with 20 losses. But with the exception of a brutal 2002 campaign (316 RPI), Coppin has consistently been one of the better teams in the MEAC since 1997, the year of their epic win over South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament.

6. NAVY - Like many of its Maryland counterparts, Navy has also improved a lot in the past couple of years. When Billy Lange took over, the Midshippmen were struggling to win 5 games a season. Last year though, they won 16 games overall and finished 2nd in the NEC. Lange is trying to return Navy to its former glory days of the 80's and 90's when the program made 8 NCAA Tournaments in 16 seasons between 1985 and 2000.

7. MORGAN STATE - Todd Bozeman has done a solid job in his two years at Morgan State. Last year, the Bears won 22 games, captured the MEAC regular season title and made the NIT. Not bad considering the Bears went 4-26 in 2006. The program still needs a couple more successful seasons before it passes Coppin or Navy on this list.

8.TOWSON - Although Towson plays in a better league (CAA) than many of its in-state counterparts, there's been little success over the last decade. Since joining the CAA in 2002, the Tigers have yet to finish .500 in league play, a trend that I expect to continue in 08-09

9. UMES - The Hawks are in the midst of a horrible dry stretch. They've only won 24 games in the last five seasons. There's nothing positive to add.

Last: Louisiana - Next: Massachuesetts

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

Bracket Tactics: Sunday's Tip of the Day

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

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

Today's Bracket Tactic

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

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

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

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Team of the Moment: UMBC

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

UMBC
24-8 (13-3 America East)
Computer numbers (through Friday courtesy of kenpom.com): RPI 91, SOS 270.

Result today: Defeated Hartford 82-65 to win the America East Tournament.

In a game matching two programs who had never even played in a conference tournament final, the homestanding Retrievers rode 59% shooting from the field to wrap up their first-ever NCAA Tournament bid. Four players reached double figures, led by Darryl Proctor's 23 points. How hot were the Retrievers in this one? They outrebounded the Hawks 29-15, which underscores just how well they shot the ball. So where does this leave UMBC in regards to seeding tomorrow? I'd say a 15, with an outside shot at a 14 depending on what happens in the Big West, for example. If UC Irvine upsets Cal State Fullerton, that could create an opportunity for a team like UMBC to slide up a seed line. But hey, enjoy the moment. Congrats to the Retrievers on their title.

One the clock: Virginia Tech. The Hokies are currently locked up with North Carolina in the day's first ACC semifinal. Tech currently leads 38-36 with about a minute left in the first half. Win and you're in. Lose...who knows what happens.