SB Nation - Mount St. Mary's, Md. Mountaineers

The Morning After: Post Game Articles, Quotes & Pictures

Hire Esherick — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:19:20 -0000

17 days ago: Georgetown's Jerrelle Benimon, right, and Hollis Thompson (1) defend against Mount St. Mary's Danny Thompson (42) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Nov. 30, 2009, in Washington. Georgetown won 83-62. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Media coverage of last night's affair against Mount St. Mary's. Casual Awards to follow later today.

Video highlights can be found here: No. 14 Georgetown Cruises 83-62

"They look more like a cohesive unit this year, more so than last year," said Mount St. Mary's Coach Milan Brown, whose 2008-09 team fell to the Hoyas, 69-58, at Verizon Center last December. "[They are] still just as talented. But they just look like they're having more fun playing with each other. They don't mind who's taking a shot."

Georgetown romps past Mount St. Mary's - washingtonpost.com

A repeat of last season's chemistry-challenged slide is unlikely if the Hoyas continue to receive superb contributions from first-year starters Julian Vaughn and Jason Clark. Entering the season, consistency was expected from the returning starting trio of sophomore center Greg Monroe and junior backcourt mates Austin Freeman and Chris Wright. That troika certainly has delivered on those expectations to date.

Hoyas get a balanced effort - Washington Times

"For the second game in a row in the first half, we did not protect the 3-point line," Thompson said. "I think at the start of the second half our guys did a very good job of that, covering for each other, closing out and making sure they didn't get off shots."

Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers vs. Georgetown Hoyas - Recap - November 30, 2009 - ESPN

Coming off a 97-64 win over Lafayette, Georgetown notched back-to-back 20-point blowouts in its first Saturday-Monday set of games this season. The Hoyas will play on two days rest or less 12 more times during the regular season. "That was by design," Thompson said of the quick turnaround. "I scheduled this on purpose so they can fall into the routine of what they’re going to see down the road"

Cohesive Hoyas Roll in Another Rout | The Hoya

"I think it’s just like being more comfortable in the system and knowing what Coach wants to do," Vaughn said of his improvement. "At times [last year] I put pressure on myself, but this year I’ve definitely learned to relax."

Georgetown rolls over Mount St. Mary’s : The Georgetown Voice

"I think Julian was very good in terms of his presence on the court, being on the boards, being on the defensive end," said Hoyas coach John Thompson III. "I think he was very effective."

Recap: Georgetown vs. Mount St Marys - College Sports - SanLuisObispo.com

There probably isn’t a more ambiguous team in the top 25 right now than 5-0 Georgetown. Greg Monroe went for 19 and 11. It’s likely he’ll have 25 double-doubles by the time he walks off the court in his last game. The double-double isn’t an impressive stat in college basketball, but it’s very meaningful on a long-term basis for a team that’s dependent upon its big man.

Around the Top 25: Big Ten goes up 1-0 | College Hoops Journal

This was easily the fastest-paced game of the year for the Hoyas. Last year's game against the Mountaineers was played with 65 possessions. Mt. St. Mary's had the faster offensive possessions, so it seems that they were attempting to push the pace this year, especially in the 2nd half.

Hoya Prospectus: Recap: Georgetown 83, Mount St Mary's 62

Out of Hibernation: Georgetown Defeats Mount St. Mary's 83-62

Hire Esherick — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:43:54 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

17 days ago: Georgetown's Julian Vaughn (22) goes to the basket against Mount St. Mary's Tayvon Jackson (34) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 30, 2009, in Washington. Georgetown won 83-62.(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Greg Monroe and Chris Wright led the undefeated Hoyas to victory on Monday night against the Mountaineers of Mount St. Mary's. You have no idea how long I have been waiting to type those words.

Monroe had his second double-double of the season as he complied 19 points and 11 rebounds while Wright shot 7-11 from the field and 4-5 from beyond the arc to add a season high 18 points.

"We're not ready to have fun yet," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. "We have a long way to go, but I think at some point this year we're going to have fun." - The Hoya

Press coverage and Casual Awards to follow tomorrow.

Mountaineers vs Hoyas coverage

Mountaineers vs Hoyas recap

Mountaineers vs Hoyas boxscore

Good talk.

RPI WATCH: 11/23/09

BracketCat — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:00:13 -0000

Well, it's officially basketball season here at BOTC, so I'm going to try and get some basketball-related stuff on here on a more consistent basis. Big 12 Outlook will return after New Year's, but in the meantime, I need to resume the Big 12 previews and shift them into overdrive a little in order to make up for lost time.

The other thing I want to do is update you on all of our opponents on a daily basis. I'll look at how they performed in yesterday's games and maybe track the RPIs a little, too. The idea is to get a general picture, on a day-to-day basis, of how strong our non-conference schedule is, because I've seen some concern from various corners of late.

For a more detailed discussion, hit the jump. But here's a short preview: We did ourselves a lot of good in Puerto Rico.

Here's how our opponents have performed to date, in order to provide a baseline comparison and bring everyone up to speed. (After all, not everyone has been paying attention to hoops like I have, given our North-contending football team and what have you.)

Kansas State RPI = 28

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Dayton

Good Wins (RPI 51-100) = Loyola

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = none

Loyola (2-1) | RPI = 64: Loss at Kansas State (92-54), Win over Canisius (89-69), Win at Holy Cross (76-73)
Western Illinois (2-2) | RPI = 112: Loss at Arizona State (87-35), Loss at Kansas State (82-50), Win over Truman State (71-59), Win at Central Arkansas (56-46)
Boston (1-4) | RPI = 141: Loss at Iona (82-73), Loss to George Washington (69-59), Loss to Kansas State (80-70), Win over Indiana (71-67), Loss to No. 21 Georgia Tech (85-67)
Ole Miss (4-1) | RPI = 76: Win over UALR (92-64), Win over Alabama State (90-53), Win over Indiana (89-71), Win over Kansas State (86-74), Loss to No. 5 Villanova (79-67)
No. 18 Dayton (2-2) | RPI = 32: Win over Creighton (90-80), Win over No. 21 Georgia Tech (63-59), Loss to No. 5 Villanova (71-65), Loss to Kansas State (83-75)
IUPUI (4-1) | RPI = 75: Win at Drake (88-82), Win at Eastern Illinois (69-66), Win over Austin Peay (77-63), Loss at Auburn (80-65), Win over Georgia State (67-56)
Fort Hays State (2-0) | RPI = N/A (D-II): Win over Friends (82-46), Win over Central Christian College (85-66)
Washington State (3-0) | RPI = 140: Win over MVSU (94-66), Win over Eastern Washington (67-61), Win over IPFW (89-70)
Xavier (3-0) | RPI = 79: Win over Youngstown State (83-57), Win over Bowling Green (101-57), Win over Sacred Heart (105-65)
UNLV (3-0) | RPI = 1: Win over Pittsburg State (91-52), Win over Nevada (88-75), Win over Southern Illinois (78-69)
Alabama (2-1) | RPI = 186: Loss to Cornell (71-67), Win over Jackson State (86-69), Win over Providence (84-75)
UAPB (0-3) | RPI = 166: Loss at Colorado (88-72), Loss at Denver (75-56), Loss at UTEP (70-52)
Cleveland State (3-1) | RPI = 260: Loss at St. Bonaventure (72-62), Win over Wilmington (99-74), Win over Florida A&M (78-64), Win over Sam Houston State (80-65)
South Dakota (2-2) | RPI = N/A (D-I transition): Loss at Texas Tech (88-49), Loss to Oregon State (62-47), Win over TAMUCC (76-73), Win over Mayville State (99-67)
Missouri (2-0) | RPI = 280: Win over UT Martin (83-68), Win over UTPA (100-64)
Texas A&M (3-0) | RPI = 135: Win over Angelo State (88-69), Win at SMU (80-68), Win over Samford (68-49)
Colorado (3-0) | RPI = 128: Win over UAPB (88-72), Win over Coppin State (82-58), Win over Texas Southern (88-77)
No. 3 Texas (2-0) | RPI = 17: Win over UC Irvine (89-42), Win over Western Carolina (73-41)
Oklahoma State (3-0) | RPI = 21: Win over Seattle (86-64), Win over Southern (93-61), Win over North Texas (82-68)
Baylor (4-0) | RPI = 60: Win over Norfolk State (86-58), Win over Hartford (71-69), Win over Southern (61-45), Win over Hardin-Simmons (106-45)
No. 1 Kansas (3-0) | RPI = 46: Win over Hofstra (101-65), Win over Memphis (57-55), Win over Central Arkansas (94-44)
Nebraska (2-1) | RPI = 134: Win over SCUU (76-49), Loss at Saint Louis (69-55), Win over TCU (90-77)
Iowa State (4-0) | RPI = 188: Win over Idaho State (88-68), Win over Chicago State (72-50), Win at Drake (90-70), Win over MVSU (96-55)
No. 17 Oklahoma (2-1) | RPI = 65: Win over Mount St. Mary's (95-71), Win over UL Monroe (72-61), Loss at VCU (82-69)
Texas Tech (5-0) | RPI = 86: Win over South Dakota (88-49), Win over TAMUCC (66-59), Win over Oregon State (64-60), Win over Northwestern State (94-75), Win over Lamar (77-54)

My plan is to update this daily with the games are played the previous day, and I'll probably start looking at RPIs some time after Thanksgiving (they're pretty meaningless before that point due to the disparity in scheduling).

Update: Got bored and added the RPIs around midnight. I'll save the analysis for tomorrow's edition.

Young Sooners Show Plenty Of Potential In Rout Of Mt. Saint Mary’s

ccmachine — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:06:00 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

Steven Pledger couldn't have asked for a better performace Saturday, except for maybe making that one missed three-point shot. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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Tiny Gallon was a high school McDonald's All-American as was Tommy Mason-Griffin. Steven Pledger wasn't but he still arrived in Norman with a ton of accolades. All three were exceptional in their Sooner debuts on Saturday but none more than Pledger who led the Sooners to a 95-71 win over Mount Saint Mary's.

Tiny Gallon gave the Sooners a double-double in his regular season debut by scoring 18 points and grabbing, a Blake Griffin like, 15 rebounds. Unlike Griffin, Gallon went a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe. Tommy Mason-Griffin scored 11 points and dished out four assists as well. Andrew Fitzgerald, another Oklahoma freshman, scored 14 points and grabbed 5 boards coming off the bench but it was Pledger leading all scorers with 21 points.

Not only did Steven Pledger score nearly two dozen points, he did it on 8-9 shooting including 4-5 from three-point range.

"I was just running around, basically playing off of Willie driving to the basket," Pledger said. "Whenever he drives, I'm just sneaking around. I know he knows where I'm at. ... It's easy to play with big-name guys."

If Pledger keeps dropping off performances like this then he's going to quickly become one of those "big-name guys."

It was obvious that Mt. Saint Mary's defensive strategy was to crash in on Willie Warren and make someone else beat them. That's precisely what happened as the Sooners showed that they are much more than a one-man show. Although Warren's court-mates are lacking experience they sure aren't lacking an ability to score. With a total of five players scoring in double figures the Sooners can hurt you from anywhere on the floor, including the charity stripe where OU shot 25-28 which is a far cry from last season.

Tiny Gallon proved that he'll be more than adequate in replacing Blake Griffin in the post. His double-double helped pave the way to a 44-27 OU advantage on the boards leading to 20 second chance points. That's a stat you'd like to take every week.

It's not like the Sooners did everything right on Saturday though. Oklahoma turned the ball over 15 times leading to 18 points for the Mountaineers. Of those 15 turnovers, 9 of them were steals. This means that OU must do a better job at protecting the ball even if they have players dominating under the basket and shooting lights out from the floor.

Exactly Who Are The Mt. Saint Mary’s Mountaineers?

ccmachine — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:25:24 -0000

More photos » by Bill Waugh - AP

Tiny Gallon takes the floor in a Sooner uniform Saturday against Mt. Saint Mary's in Oklahoma's first time in a regular season game. (AP Photo/Bill Waugh)

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Oklahoma hits the hardwood for keeps today for the first time of the 2009-10 season. Their opponent is Mount Saint Mary's from Emmitsburgh, Maryland. Before you write them off as a non-conference warm-up opponent there are some things that you need to know about them that actually qualifies them as a quality opponent. To help explain I'd like to introduce you to Greg Swatek, he covers the Mountaineers for the Frederick News-Post, who was gracious enough to help us get acclimated to OU's season opening opponent.

CC Machine: Give us a general description of the Mt. Saint Mary's basketball team and what the expectations are for this season.

GS: Expectations for the team are quite high. They were picked by the Northeast Conference coaches as the preseason No. 1 in the league. This is a team that went to the NCAA tournament in 2008 and won the play-in game. There are eight players from that team that are still on the roster, including five big contributors. Senior Jeremy Goode, a 5-9 speedy point guard, is generally considered to be the team's best player. The team does have some questions in the frontcourt. It doesn't have a player taller than 6-7 on the roster. The two main big men from last season graduated. Junior forward Shawn Atupem (6-7) is expected to be the main scorer up front. He is tough to guard because of his speed and range on his jumper. The team is athletic and likes to play at a quick pace. They play aggressive defense, which is the team's calling card.

CC Machine: You wrote an article a couple of weeks ago about Will Holland's role in the offense. Tell us a little about him and some of the other leaders of the team.

GS: Will Holland was a starter on the team that went to the NCAA's two years ago, but didn't start last year because other players on the team earned his minutes. This sort of sent him into a funk because he never quite grasped why he wasn't starting any more. It lasted for most of last season. This year, he is in a much better frame of mind. He understands his role on the team and how he is expected to contribute. He can start in a pinch, but will likely come off the bench as a sixth man. He can be valuable as shooter and a slasher to the hoop. The other top players on the team are Jeremy Goode, who has a lightning quick first step and good ball fakes, and Shawn Atupem, who can play facing the basket or with his back to it. He's a true small forward who's basically being asked to play power forward.

CC Machine: How strong is the Northeast Conference expected to be this year?

GS: The NEC has been improving in recent years. It's still a conference with a pretty low RPI, but the champion last year, Robert Morris, earned a No. 15 seed in the NCAA's. In previous years, the winner of the conference, like Mount St. Mary's, has been slotted for the play-in game. The teams in the conference have been upgrading their non-conference schedules. In addition to Oklahoma, Mount St. Mary's will play Pitt, Georgetown, American and Siena on the road this year. The latter two, of course, were tournament teams last year. If Mount St. Mary's or another team puts together a strong season and wins the NEC tournament, the league should have another good look at another No. 15 seed.

CC Machine: Share with us some of your general thoughts on the Sooners.

GS: There's no doubt that Oklahoma is one of the top teams in the country and should be one of the teams challenging Kansas for the Big 12 title. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of impact the two heralded freshman, Tiny Gallon and Tommy Mason-Griffin, have right away.

CC Machine: Aside from winning what would be a measure of success Mountaineers in this game?

GS: Mount St. Mary's probably doesn't expect to win this game, but I know the team really wants to give Oklahoma a fight. Last year, it hung around with major conference schools like Georgetown and Virginia Tech before falling on the road by reasonably close margins. I do know the players and coaches are tired of these close calls against these big schools. They would love to pull an upset in one of these games. However, they'd probably view anything within 10 points as a good start to the season.

With the football season drowning in the mire of disappointment it'll be nice to cheer for a team again that has achievable goals. Which brings me to the next question, what do you think are reasonable expectations for this squad?

BtB 2009-10 Northeast Conference Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:00:28 -0000

Robert Morris was the final NEC team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament during the first decade of the 21st century, and like all of the others, they failed to register a win in the field of 64, falling to Michigan State in round one. Monmouth and Mount St. Mary's were the only team to register a tournament win in the decade, as they both won the Opening Round games, in 2005 and 2008 respectively.

The Colonials and Mountaineers will again be threats to claim the Northeast Conference's (probable) only bid, while Quinnipiac, who's never made the Tournament during their short time in Division I, are a serious threat to break down the door. However, the same fate undoubtedly awaits which ever team gets in, a low seed (though hopefully not a spot in the Opening Round) and yet another early exit.

Or is it? Perhaps this is the year when the bottom of the league finally gets its act together, boosting the league's RPI? Or it's the season where one of the contenders claims some major conference victims in the early weeks of the season? Such is life in one of the most disrespected D-I leagues...one spent daydreaming of the miraculous campaign that will finally bring national respect.

In membership news, the NEC adds one more team to the club of dreamers, as transitional D-I member Bryant plays a full league schedule. However, they still have a three-year wait for tournament eligibility.

Northeast Conference Standings

(updated 3.21.2009 at 12:16 AM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Robert Morris Colonials	15	3	24	11
Mount St. Mary's, Md. Mountaineers	12	6	19	14
Sacred Heart Pioneers	12	6	17	14
Long Island U. Blackbirds	12	6	16	14
Quinnipiac Bobcats	10	8	15	16
Wagner Seahawks	8	10	16	14
Cent. Connecticut St. Blue Devils	8	10	13	17
St. Francis, NY Terriers	7	11	10	20
Monmouth Hawks	6	12	8	23
Fairleigh Dickinson Knights	6	12	7	23
St. Francis, Pa. Red Flash	3	15	6	23

Now, here are my picks for 2009-10, presented in reverse order, starting with Bryant, as they are ineligible for the conference title.

Bryant (last NCAA: None) While Tim O'Shea's team was the Division II runner-up in 2005, they may have a hard time adjusting to life in D-I. For starters, they'll only play two non-league home games, against Columbia and Brown. The schedule also sees the Bulldogs heading down the road to Providence, where they'll join the Friars, Mercer, and Bucknell in a round-robin event. O'Shea has three starters back from last year's squad, including 6-5 F Cecil Gresham (13.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg).

St. Francis (PA) (last NCAA: 1991) Don Friday's Red Flash, who finished at the bottom of the league last season, only have two key contributors back from that team--6-6 swingman Devin Sweetney (16.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg) and 6-7 F Mislav Jukic (10.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg). Friday will need big contributions from his seven freshmen and 6-6 Santa Clara transfer Cedric Latimer to escape the basement. The non-conference schedule is road heavy, as the Red Flash visit Notre Dame, Ohio State, Drexel, Duquesne, and Akron.

Wagner (last NCAA: 2003) Mike Deane's Seahawks lost four starters from a season ago, who combined to averaged almost 48 points a contest. The only returning starter is 6-7 senior C Michael Orock, who only averaged around 3 points and 3 boards a game. Wagner's leading returning scorer? 5-10 G Chris Martin, who averaged 6.1 points a contest, while shooting better than 45% from 3-land. Needless to say, Deane will need to see a lot from the 7 freshmen on his roster. The Seahawks have to travel to BYU and Nevada for the Las Vegas Classic, where they'll play Jackson State, then Eastern Washington or Chicago State in the undercard for the main event.

Fairleigh Dickinson (last NCAA: 2005) After two disappointing seasons, FDU dismissed longtime coach Tom Green over the summer and replaced him with assistant Greg Vetrone. Last year's starting point guard Cameron Tyler graduated, but his backcourt-mate 6-3 SG Sean Baptiste, the team's leading scorer (16.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg) returns. 6-0 JC transfer Mike Scott will move into Tyler's slot, and if he can perform well, the Knights may move up the standings. That's because FDU has some talent inside: 6-8 Alvin Mofunanya (9 ppg, 5.5 rpg), 6-8 Kamil Svrdlik (6.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg), and 6-9 C DeJuan Pursley, who averaged 5.3 points and nearly 4 boards a game when he was last healthy in 2007-08. The Knights open their season at Villanova and travel to Wichita State for the CBE Classic. They'll also visit Eastern Kentucky for one of that event's "subregionals," where they'll also take on UT-San Antonio, and UC Irvine.

St. Francis (NY) (last NCAA: None) The Terriers have hope after a 10-win season, as four starters return, led by 6-2 junior G Ricky Cadell (15.3 ppg, 40% from 3) and fellow sharpshooter 6-6 Serbian soph Stefan Perunicic (10.8 ppg, 38.8% from 3), with another 3-point specialist 6-5 swingman Kayode Ayeni (13.3 ppg, 38.8% from 3) coming back from a knee injury. The frontcourt is an issue, as 6-7 F/C Nigel Byam and 6-7 F Herman Wrice didn't even combine to average 10 points and 9 boards last season. 6-9 JC transfer Alexander Harrington should push them immediately. The Terriers travel to Boston College, Syracuse, and UMass this season.

Monmouth (last NCAA: 2006) The Hawks will welcome Isiah Thomas' FIU team and Seton Hall to their new arena to open the season. The new building will see a Monmouth team that returns all five starters from a disappointing 8-23 club. 6-3 Rutgers transfer Justin Sofman becomes eligible this season, and coach Dave Calloway hopes his arrival will help out an offense that returns only one double figure scorer, 6-8 sophomore F/C Travis Taylor (12.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg).

Sacred Heart (last NCAA: None) The Pioneers were the highest scoring in the NEC last season, but they may not put as many points on the board in 2008-09, as two of last year's four leading scorers Joey Henley (15.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg) and Ryon Howard (10.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg) have moved on. F Corey Hassan and G Chauncey Hardy are back, however, and they both averaged around 11 points a contest. If guards Ryan Lithe (7.9 ppg) and Shane Gibson (8.1 ppg off the bench) can pick up their production, SHU will be in good shape offensively. The frontcourt is a weak spot, and 6-9 Turkish junior Mehmet Sahan, 7-0 British senior Liam Potter, and 6-9 redshirt freshman Nick Greenbacher will see plenty of minutes. The Pioneers will participate in the Connecticut 6, where they'll play Yale. Visits to Xavier and Penn State are also on tap this season.

Central Connecticut State (last NCAA: 2007) Howie Dickenman's team should be able to improve on last year's 8 NEC wins, thanks to the return of four starters. 6-0 junior PG Shemik Thompson (16.5 ppg, 5.8 apg) is among the best the league, and 6-3 sophomore Robby Ptacek should certainly improve on the 10 ppg he averaged last season. 6-6 junior Ken Horton--a threat for league honors and the team's leading scorer, averaging 16.5 ppg--is back to lead in the frontcourt, where he'll be joined by 6-5 David Simmons (6.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and 6-6 freshman Joseph Efese. The Blue Devils have a unique scheduling situation where they play Independent Savannah State three times: home, away, and at a tournament at the Citadel.

Long Island (last NCAA: 1997) While the Blackbirds lost two starters, after the late offseason departure of 6-8 Lithuanian Aurimas Adomaitis, LIU should still contend in this league because of the talent that's still in place. The Blackbirds are led by the backcourt trioof 6-1 senior Jaytornah Wisseh (15.2 ppg, 4.4 apg), one of the top players in the entire conference, 6-3 junior Kyle Johnson (13.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg), and 6-1 junior David Hicks (8.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg). 6-7 Julian Boyd was a key bench player last season, averaging 10.5 points and 6+ boards, but he'll be even more valuable now that Adomaitis is gone. However, 6-10 JC transfer Milos Nikolic should make an immediate impact inside. The Blackbirds visit St. John's this season, and they'll also travel to Chattanooga for a holiday tournament featuring Morgan State and Eastern Kentucky.

Robert Morris (last NCAA: 2009) The defending champions should contend again, especially because of their defense, but they'll have to begin life without last season's leading scorer, Jeremy Chappell. That means the returning backcourt players, 5-11 senior Jimmy Langhurst (9.9 ppg), 6-3 junior Gary Wallace (5.9 ppg), and 6-4 senior Mezie Nwigwe (6.5 ppg), will have to up their scoring. 6-8 seniors Rob Robinson (11.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and Dallas Green (6.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg) anchor the frontcourt. The Colonials travel to Syracuse for the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, and they'll also visit Albany for one of that tournament's "subregionals," where they'll also play Detroit and Alcorn State. Trips to Duquesne and Penn State also appear on the schedule.

Quinnipiac (last NCAA: None) The Bobcats are a serious threat for their first ever tournament appearance because of the amount of talent they have returning from last season's squad that claimed 10 NEC wins. Tom Moore has a loaded backcourt for his third campaign, as starters James Fedeline, a 6-4 senior who averaged 17.6 ppg last year, and 6-0 soph James Johnson, a point guard who scored almost 10 a game while dishing out at little more than 4 assists a contest. 6-3 senior reserve Jeremy Baker averaged 10 points a game himself last season, while Evann Baker, who averaged almost 11 points a game back in 2007-08, returns from a knee injury. 6-7 junior Justin Rutty (14.8 ppg, 9.8 rpg) is a true frontcourt force, and he'll be joined by 6-6 Rhode Island transfer Jonathan Cruz and 6-7 frosh Jamee Jackson this campaign. The Bobcats will face Hartford in the Connecticut 6 Classic, and visit UMass and Cruz's former school.

Mount St. Mary's (last NCAA: 2008) Milan Brown only returns three starters from last year's NEC runners-up, but they are his three leading scorers. 5-9 senior Jeremy Goode (14.9 ppg, 4.1 apg) is the team's heart and soul, while 6-3 junior Jean Cajou (12.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg) is another major offensive threat. In the frontcourt, 6-5 senior Kelly Biedler (10.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg) will get more help this year, thanks to the emergence of 6-7 reserve Shawn Atupem (9.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and the arrival of 6-9 Croatian C Kristijan Krajina. 6-4 senior swingman Will Holland, who averaged nearly 5 points a contest last year, is another player who could contribute more. The Mountaineers open their season at Oklahoma; travel to American, Boston U, Georgetown, Old Dominion, and Pitt; and host Loyola (MD), Niagara, and Vermont.

The Mountaineers will appear as Northeast Conference champions in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9.

To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-NEC team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-NEC Team

Player of the Year: Jeremy Goode, 5-9 G, Sr. (Mount St. Mary's)

Remainder of the Team
Sean Baptiste, 6-3 G, Sr. (Fairleigh Dickinson)
Ken Horton, 6-6 F, Jr. (Central Connecticut State)
Justin Rutty, 6-7 F, Jr. (Quinnipiac)
Jaytornah Wisseh, 6-1 G, Sr. (Long Island)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Northeast Conference this season? (Note that Bryant does not appear as they are ineligible for the postseason.)

Central Connecticut State

0 votes

Fairleigh Dickinson

1 votes

Long Island

1 votes

Monmouth

1 votes

Mount St. Mary's

1 votes

Quinnipiac

0 votes

Robert Morris

0 votes

Sacred Heart

0 votes

St. Francis (NY)

0 votes

St. Francis (PA)

0 votes

Wagner

1 votes

5 votes | Poll has closed

Busy Thursday Preview/Championship Wednesday Recap

Chris Dobbertean — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:01:53 -0000

Today is an extremely busy day so I'm going to dive straight into my hybrid review/preview for today.

First up, two new teams know they're going dancing.

Northeast - Robert Morris knocked off Mount St. Mary's, 48-46, after a titanic defensive struggle. Dallas Green gave the Colonials the lead with 2.5 seconds left and the Mountaineers threw an interception on the inbound to send RMU dancing.

Big Sky - Portland State, the two seed, is in. The Vikings, led by pint-sized powerhouse Jeremiah Dominguez's 22 and Julius Thomas' 17, knocked off sixth-seeded Montana State, 79-77.

Meanwhile, just about everyone on the bubble will be in action today. Here's a brief rundown of these games.

ACC First Round (day session and 9:30 game on Raycom/FS Florida/Full Court, 7 pm game on ESPN2)

Virginia Tech vs. Miami (12 EDT) - This is a virtual elimination game for two teams who are right at the cut line.
Clemson vs. Georgia Tech (2:30 EDT*) - In my opinion, the Tigers seed is dropping because of their late season mediocrity.
Maryland vs. NC State (7 EDT) - The Terps beat the Wolfpack to open the month up. They need to do it again to keep their hopes alive.
Boston College vs. Virginia (9:30 EDT*) - The Eagles should be in good shape if they get this one.

A-10 Quarterfinals (FS Ohio/MASN/Cox RI/CSN Philly for the day session, FS Ohio/MASN/Comcast Network, Cox RI for the night session)

Xavier vs. St. Louis (12 EDT) - The Musketeers need to win the A-10 to have a real shot at a protected seed.
Temple vs. St. Joseph's (2:30 EDT*) - This is a rematch of last year's championship game. This year, only the Owls find themselves on the bubble.
Rhode Island vs. Duquesne (6:30 EDT) - The Dukes beat the Rams by 2 at the Palumbo Center to start off the month. A loss here would end URI's at-large hopes.
Dayton vs. Richmond (9 EDT*) - The Flyers should be safe with a loss, but really shouldn't try to test that out.

Big East Quarterfinals (all games on ESPN)

Providence vs. Louisville (12 EDT) - Since the Friars' case wasn't helped by beating DePaul yesterday, this is an elimination game for them. The Cards are looking to keep building their case for a one seed.
Villanova vs. Marquette (2:30 EDT) - The Golden Eagles finally won a game without Dominic James, in style, holding St. John's to 10 points in the first. However, the Wildcats aren't the Red Storm.
Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia (7 EDT) - The Mountaineers all but ended Notre Dame's chances last night. Tonight, they'll look to stop the Panthers' run to a one seed.
Connecticut vs. Syracuse (9:30 EDT*) - The Orange pulled away from Seton Hall last night. They also look to be a roadblock to a team building a case for a spot on the top line, while working toward a potential top four seeding of their own.

Big Ten Opening Round

Minnesota vs. Northwestern (Big Ten, 12 EDT) - This is another virtual elimination game. The Wildcats will probably need one more win if they get this one.
Michigan vs. Iowa (ESPN2, 2:30 EDT*) - A second loss to the Hawkeyes would doom the Wolverines to the NIT.
Penn State vs. Indiana (ESPN2, 5 EDT*) - The Nittany Lions swept the Hoosiers this year, but the second meeting, in State College less than two weeks ago, was a close one. Like Michigan, PSU can't afford to drop this one.

Big 12 Quarterfinals

Baylor vs. Kansas (ESPN2, 12:30 EDT) - A win here, and the Bears are back in the discussion. Jayhawks need to keep winning to earn a two seed and, who knows, maybe even a slot in KC next weekend.
Kansas State vs. Texas (Big 12/Altitude/Full Court, 3 EDT*) - The Wildcats would be back in the frame with a season sweep of the Longhorns, with both wins away from Manhattan.
Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State (Big 12/Altitude/Full Court, 7 EDT*) - The Sooners and Cowboys meet up for the second time in six days. OU still has a shot at a one seed, while the Cowboys have a little breathing room after defeating Iowa State last night.
Missouri vs. Texas Tech (ESPN2, 9:30 EDT*) - The Red Raiders put a major dent in Texas A&M's hopes, thanks to a record-breaking night by Mike Singletary (43 points (tournament record), 29 consecutive TT points (2nd best in NCAA history)). That's good news for the Tigers, as they beat the Red Raiders by 11 in Lubbock and lost to the Aggies by 10 on Saturday.

Conference USA Quarterfinals (all games on CSS)

UAB vs. Southern Miss (3:30 EDT*) - The Blazers still have slim at-large hopes, but they'll need to make the final.
Memphis vs. Tulane/East Carolina (7 EDT) - The Tigers are among the many teams playing for a one seed.

MWC Quarterfinals (all games on the mtn./CBS CS)

BYU vs. Air Force (3 EDT) - The good news for the Falcons, they repeated Colorado State's feat of going winless through the conference and winning the opening round game yesterday afternoon. The bad news is they have to face a Cougar team looking to win the MWC tournament and improve their seeding.
San Diego State vs. UNLV (5:30 EDT*) - The Aztecs swept the Rebels in the regular season, making this a must win for UNLV. It's also a must win for SDSU, whose non-conference strength of schedule is a bit of an issue.
Utah vs. TCU (9 EDT) - Utes are looking to improve their seeding.
New Mexico vs. Wyoming (11:30 EDT*) - The Lobos need to continue their hot play of late to make their way into the field.

Pac-10 Quarterfinals (all games on (FSN/selected CSN outlets)

Arizona State vs. Arizona (3 EDT) - This is an absolute must-win for the Wildcats. The Sun Devils, meanwhile, need to win to stop their seed's freefall.
Washington vs. Stanford (5:30 EDT) - The Cardinal knocked Oregon State out last night. Next, they'll try to stop the Huskies run at the title and up the S-curve.
California vs. USC (9 EDT) - The Trojans need to make a big run in this tournament to get themselves back in the conversation.
UCLA vs. Washington State (11:30 EDT) - The Cougars were unmerciful in putting an end to Oregon's season last night. Next, they'll try for a repeat of their upset win over the Bruins back on February 21.

SEC First Round (all games on Raycom/Full Court/FS South/Sun Sports)

Kentucky vs. Ole Miss (1 EDT) - The Wildcats have absolutely no chance if they lose this one.
Mississippi State vs. Georgia (3:30 EDT*) - I'll refrain from making any bad Bulldog jokes here. The question for the day is, can Georgia repeat their magical run of last year? You know, the one that temporarily saved Dennis Felton?
Alabama vs. Vanderbilt (7:30 EDT) - Like I've said before, if you're talking about Auburn being in the discussion, you need to talk about the Commodores too.
Florida vs. Arkansas (10 EDT*) - Like Kentucky, the Gators cannot lose this one. UF cannot repeat their performance against Alabama in this stage last year.

WAC Quarterfinals

Utah State vs. Fresno State (ESPNU, 5:30 EDT*) - Aggies look to start their run to a WAC championship.

The MAC tournament (which I will get to one of these years!) will also be on FS Ohio and FS Detroit.

We're Dancing: Robert Morris Colonials

SFBE.NF — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 03:33:20 -0000

If the British-born, American merchant who was dubbed the "Financier of the Revolution" were around, he probably wouldn't give a crap about college basketball. But Robert Morris would be happy to know about the fight shown by the school named after him, and that their diligence throughout the season was rewarded by getting a ticket to the Big Dance.

It's the Colonials first trip since 1992, and they will represent the Northeast Conference after winning a thriller on their home court against Mount St. Mary's. Dallas Green is the BMOC after he picked up a loose ball with 2.5 seconds to play, and connecting on an eight foot jumper that sealed it.

More on the Pittsburgh-area university after the jump.

Location: Moon Township, Pennsylvania

Enrollment: 5,000

Record: 23-10 (15-3)

Leading scorers: Jeremy Chappell (16.9 ppg); Rob Robinson (11.4 ppg); Jimmy Langhurst (10.1 ppg)

What to know

The Colonials are currently battling some legal troubles; Mezie Nwigwe, the team's leading scorer off the bench, was charged with simple assault over the weekend. He actually started tonight's conference final but played only 17 minutes.
At only 36 a game, they will be one of the worst rebounding teams in the tournament. No player averages over 6.5 a game.
Their three wins over Mount St. Mary's is a good a win(s) as they have. Other notable teams they played this season...but lost: Pitt, Xavier, and Miami.

Projected seed: 15; nothing on the resume to suggest they can beat a good team.