They might have some fight on the bench, but apparantly that fighting spirit doesn't translate to the court.
St. Mary's took advantage of a sloppy and listless Bulldog squad from the opening tap, sending Mississippi State to their fourth loss in five games. At 8-6 with losses to East Tennessee State and FAU on the resume, nothing short of a miracle is getting the Bulldogs to post-season play. Last year they were one of the only teams with a legitimate complaint being left out of the field of 65. This year? Even the NIT is feeling a little ambitious.
St. Mary's stellar backcourt led the way as Matthew Dellavedova and Mickey McConnell combined to make eleven three point buckets, tallying 24 and 28 points respectively. The Gaels, which have featured eleven players from Australia in the past five seasons, play with an international style that makes them difficult to defend. They run a ton of pick and pops with nearly every player they suit up capable of hurting teams from behind the arc. They used that deadly marksman ship to jump out to a 51-34 halftime lead and comfortably cruised to the 94-72 win.
Up next for the Gaels is a New Year's Eve should-win against Hartford before entering WCC play as no worse than co-favorite with perennial champ Gonzaga.
Showing posts with label St. Mary's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St. Mary's. Show all posts
Wednesday Gems in Mid-Major Land
Last night's Pitt v. UConn game ushered in the onset of conference play with a bang. The game may have been slightly overlooked thanks to the odd Tuesday Night Football game, but college hoops fans had to be delighted with a great matchup to jumpstart phase two of the college sesason. Non-conference play is almost over, but tonight serves up a nice handful a final conference comparison games.
There are a few more nice major conference match-ups tonight (West Virginia v. St Johns, Georgetown v. Notre Dame), but the most interesting games are taking place far from the reach of nationally televised contests. Here's a quick breakdown of some games worth visiting www.channelsurfing.net for (great links to dozens of hard-to-find games)
7:00 PM -- Furman (8-2) @ UCF (11-0)
UCF has been one of the nation's most pleasnat surprises, riding their undefeated start to #19 in the AP polls. Tonight they get a tricky potential trap game as the Paladins (nominee for oddest nickname - ANYONE know what a "Paladin" is? Email it our way) head to UCF Arena in the first game of the UCF Holiday Classic. Furman's two losses, a 4-point loss to Kent State (who is playing good ball and could win the MAC) and a 24 point drubbing to Penn State.
The Nittany Lions still have Talor Battle (I believe he is in his eleventh year of eligibility...) and beat Indiana last night in Bloomington to kick off Big Ten play. The point being, the loss may not be that bad. Furman enters fresh off a double digit win over South Carolina. The Knights better be sharp tonight or they could be susceptible to an upset.
7:00 PM -- George Mason (9-2) @ Dayton (10-3)
I have both of these teams IN in my earliest prediction bracket for the Big Dance, but both have a lot of work to do to get there. Dayton had some struggles early dropping a tough game to East Tennessee St and enduring a humiliating 68-34 loss to state rival Cincinnati. Since then, the Flyers have regrouped, winning three in a row including last night's 69-65 win at Seton Hall. The Flyers are the most athletic team in the Atlantic 10 and have the talent to unseat Temple, Xavier and Richmond as the A-10's top team.
George Mason fields their best team since their legendary Final Four run in 2006. Their two losses both came outside the continental USA in November, NC State and a final-possession loss to SoCon favorite Wofford. Since then the Patriots wins have been solid, if not spectacular. Tonight marks their first true Top 75 team challenge since Cancun. This is their last chance to pick up a much-needed resume win before entering league play in the brutal Colonial. As of now, they'd be a bubble team at best.
This is the best game of the night, in my opinion. Too bad ESPN chose to give us Duke v. UNC Greensboro and Texas-Arlington v. Kansas instead...
7:00 PM -- Wofford (5-6) @ VCU (7-4)
Wofford is easily the best 5-6 team in the country. All kidding aside, the Terriers schedule has been among the most brutal in the country with losses to Minnesota, Clemson, Air Force, Georgetown, Xavier (3 OT) and South Carolina. More important to note, none of those teams travelled to Wofford's gym. They may have little shot at an at-large bid, but without a doubt their schedule prepared them well to run through the SoCon. A win tonight would give them wins over two of the CAA's top teams (G.Mason), and could be the difference between a #14/#15 seed and a more winnable 4/13 game.
VCU on the other hand faces a much more difficult conference slate and has slipped outside of strong at-large contender range. A loss tonight would be a brutal blow to any at-large hopes the Rams might be harboring. Their win over UCLA was decent, but there is little else to write home about. They have the most athletic team in the CAA and could be a dangerous #11/#12 seed come March if they can right the ship, starting with tonight.
9:05 PM -- Hawaii (9-3) @ Utah State (11-2)
WAC play gets off to a blazing start tonight as the two top teams face off in Orem. Hawaii played surprisingly well in the Honolulu Christmas tournament, knocking off Utah and Mississippi State to claim the consolation bracket. The losses to Florida State and BYU were disspointing in margin, but not "bad losses" per se. The loss to Cal Poly would be a crippler if they find themselves in the 22-23 win range and contending for an at-large birth.
Utah State finds themselves in an all-too-familiar position; great record with little in terms of quality wins. Their losses, by 6 to BYU and at Georgetown won't hurt their profile. Beating Hawaii not only gives them a Top 100 win, it also gets them the early leg up in the WAC standings.
9:35 PM -- Air Force (8-3) @ UTEP (10-3)
Air Force is a middle of the pack team in their league, but given the sterling performance of the MWC thus far this season, being a middle-of-the packer is actually a compliment. One could say nearly the identical thing about UTEP. It's unlikely either of these teams make the NCAA Tournament, but both are solid NIT contenders. Tonight's game gives a nice comparison opportunity for the Mountain West and Conference USA.
11:00 PM -- St.Mary's (10-2) vs. Mississippi State (8-5): Game played in Las Vegas.
St Mary's is two years removed from Patty Mills and one year past Omar Samhan. Despite losing two of the best players in school history, St. Mary's is right in the mix to return to the NCAA Tourney for the second straight year and appear to be poised to snap Gonzaga's decade long stanglehold on the WCC's regular season championship. St. Mary's defeated St John's early in the year, and their only two losses are to BYU and San Diego State, both Top 25 teams. They are in need of a Big 6 conference win to add to their otherwise bleak resume or could find themselves in the same situation as 2009; great record offset by a weak schedule resulting in a disappointing trip to the NIT.
God only knows what is going on at Mississippi State. Eligibility suspensions, fist fights on the bench and a fistful of questionable losses including Florida Atlantic and East Tennessee. At 8-5 the Bulldogs have likely played themselves into a deep hole to earn at at-large bid, though in a weak SEC-West they could pick up 10 or 11 wins. A win tonight, a decent conference run and all of a sudden you are looking at a 20 or 21 win team in a Power Six conference, generally a recipe for dancing...
Maniac's Picks:
Furman +13
Dayton -1.5
VCU -6.5
Hawaii +20.5
Air Force +14
There are a few more nice major conference match-ups tonight (West Virginia v. St Johns, Georgetown v. Notre Dame), but the most interesting games are taking place far from the reach of nationally televised contests. Here's a quick breakdown of some games worth visiting www.channelsurfing.net for (great links to dozens of hard-to-find games)
7:00 PM -- Furman (8-2) @ UCF (11-0)
UCF has been one of the nation's most pleasnat surprises, riding their undefeated start to #19 in the AP polls. Tonight they get a tricky potential trap game as the Paladins (nominee for oddest nickname - ANYONE know what a "Paladin" is? Email it our way) head to UCF Arena in the first game of the UCF Holiday Classic. Furman's two losses, a 4-point loss to Kent State (who is playing good ball and could win the MAC) and a 24 point drubbing to Penn State.
The Nittany Lions still have Talor Battle (I believe he is in his eleventh year of eligibility...) and beat Indiana last night in Bloomington to kick off Big Ten play. The point being, the loss may not be that bad. Furman enters fresh off a double digit win over South Carolina. The Knights better be sharp tonight or they could be susceptible to an upset.
7:00 PM -- George Mason (9-2) @ Dayton (10-3)
I have both of these teams IN in my earliest prediction bracket for the Big Dance, but both have a lot of work to do to get there. Dayton had some struggles early dropping a tough game to East Tennessee St and enduring a humiliating 68-34 loss to state rival Cincinnati. Since then, the Flyers have regrouped, winning three in a row including last night's 69-65 win at Seton Hall. The Flyers are the most athletic team in the Atlantic 10 and have the talent to unseat Temple, Xavier and Richmond as the A-10's top team.
George Mason fields their best team since their legendary Final Four run in 2006. Their two losses both came outside the continental USA in November, NC State and a final-possession loss to SoCon favorite Wofford. Since then the Patriots wins have been solid, if not spectacular. Tonight marks their first true Top 75 team challenge since Cancun. This is their last chance to pick up a much-needed resume win before entering league play in the brutal Colonial. As of now, they'd be a bubble team at best.
This is the best game of the night, in my opinion. Too bad ESPN chose to give us Duke v. UNC Greensboro and Texas-Arlington v. Kansas instead...
7:00 PM -- Wofford (5-6) @ VCU (7-4)
Wofford is easily the best 5-6 team in the country. All kidding aside, the Terriers schedule has been among the most brutal in the country with losses to Minnesota, Clemson, Air Force, Georgetown, Xavier (3 OT) and South Carolina. More important to note, none of those teams travelled to Wofford's gym. They may have little shot at an at-large bid, but without a doubt their schedule prepared them well to run through the SoCon. A win tonight would give them wins over two of the CAA's top teams (G.Mason), and could be the difference between a #14/#15 seed and a more winnable 4/13 game.
VCU on the other hand faces a much more difficult conference slate and has slipped outside of strong at-large contender range. A loss tonight would be a brutal blow to any at-large hopes the Rams might be harboring. Their win over UCLA was decent, but there is little else to write home about. They have the most athletic team in the CAA and could be a dangerous #11/#12 seed come March if they can right the ship, starting with tonight.
9:05 PM -- Hawaii (9-3) @ Utah State (11-2)
WAC play gets off to a blazing start tonight as the two top teams face off in Orem. Hawaii played surprisingly well in the Honolulu Christmas tournament, knocking off Utah and Mississippi State to claim the consolation bracket. The losses to Florida State and BYU were disspointing in margin, but not "bad losses" per se. The loss to Cal Poly would be a crippler if they find themselves in the 22-23 win range and contending for an at-large birth.
Utah State finds themselves in an all-too-familiar position; great record with little in terms of quality wins. Their losses, by 6 to BYU and at Georgetown won't hurt their profile. Beating Hawaii not only gives them a Top 100 win, it also gets them the early leg up in the WAC standings.
9:35 PM -- Air Force (8-3) @ UTEP (10-3)
Air Force is a middle of the pack team in their league, but given the sterling performance of the MWC thus far this season, being a middle-of-the packer is actually a compliment. One could say nearly the identical thing about UTEP. It's unlikely either of these teams make the NCAA Tournament, but both are solid NIT contenders. Tonight's game gives a nice comparison opportunity for the Mountain West and Conference USA.
11:00 PM -- St.Mary's (10-2) vs. Mississippi State (8-5): Game played in Las Vegas.
St Mary's is two years removed from Patty Mills and one year past Omar Samhan. Despite losing two of the best players in school history, St. Mary's is right in the mix to return to the NCAA Tourney for the second straight year and appear to be poised to snap Gonzaga's decade long stanglehold on the WCC's regular season championship. St. Mary's defeated St John's early in the year, and their only two losses are to BYU and San Diego State, both Top 25 teams. They are in need of a Big 6 conference win to add to their otherwise bleak resume or could find themselves in the same situation as 2009; great record offset by a weak schedule resulting in a disappointing trip to the NIT.
God only knows what is going on at Mississippi State. Eligibility suspensions, fist fights on the bench and a fistful of questionable losses including Florida Atlantic and East Tennessee. At 8-5 the Bulldogs have likely played themselves into a deep hole to earn at at-large bid, though in a weak SEC-West they could pick up 10 or 11 wins. A win tonight, a decent conference run and all of a sudden you are looking at a 20 or 21 win team in a Power Six conference, generally a recipe for dancing...
Maniac's Picks:
Furman +13
Dayton -1.5
VCU -6.5
Hawaii +20.5
Air Force +14
Early Highs & Lows
As the saying goes, You can't win 'em all. Especially when you are the big boy on the block with a big target on your back for most of your non-conference games as smaller schools ramp up for one of the precious few chances to get some national attention. Every year several mid or low majors jump up and pick off one of the big boys, and just a short week into the season, this year is proving no exception.
Here's a quick rundown of what you might have missed in the opening week; five teams that have underwhelmed and a few more that have impressed. With about a half-dozen preseason tournaments going on this weekend, this list is sure to grow rapidly. The Maniac will provide another solid recap on Monday, as well as issuing some "Upset Alerts" for this weekend, so be sure to check back tonight and tomorrow
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Five Underwhelmers:
2. LSU - It seems like the Tigers seem to find their way into the Maniac's doghouse every Winter. Usually it's for their dreadful non-conference schedule. This year, it's for their dreadful schedule AND getting blasted at home by Nichols State. This Sunday's date with Memphis will be a good indication as to whether it was just a rough night or the start of a rough season.
3. Wake Forest - Perhaps no team in the country has been hit harder by early NBA entrants than the Deacons. Kentucky may have lost more players, but at least there it is sort of expected. It's also far easier to reload in the Bluegrass than it is in the pale shadow of Duke and UNC. It's an excuse for the Deacons to be down this season. It's not an excuse for opening with a home loss to Atlantic Sun also-ran Stetson . Following it up with a 90-69 drubbing, again at home, to Virginia Commonwealth has it looking like Wake could be near the bottom of a down ACC.
With one of the nation's toughest non-conference schedules (Wofford, Iowa, Butler, Gonzaga, Georgia, LSU, Cincinnati and Wake Forest - plus possible meetings with either Old Dominion/Clemson or Seton Hall/Alabama) the Muskies better see some improvement quickly or it could be more than their Sweet 16 streak in jeopardy, it could be their tourney appearance streak as well...
5. South Florida - Last year the Bulls became media darlings of sorts as they made a daring run towards the NCAA Tournament despite being projected 14th or 15th in preseason BEast coaches polls. The Bulls came up just short, but entered this season with high expectations, despite Dominique James leaving early for the NBA. With losses to Southern Miss and UCF, the Bulls are not only digging a nearly-impossible to climb out of ditch, they would also be in last place in Conference USA.
And a Few Pleasant Surprises...
* Gardner Webb - Yes, they got boat raced down in Tallahassee, but the opening win over Charlotte was impressive. With upcoming dates with Michigan, Oklahoma, Arizona State and Louisville the Bulldogs will get a few more chances to add another profile win. Don't laugh, one of those wins could be the difference between a #13 and a virtually unwinnable #15 or #16 seed in March.
* Georgia - Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee enter the season ranked and Vanderbilt is considered a fringe tournament team by most. However, don't sleep on Georgia in the slightly overrated SEC East. Their win over Colorado is a better win that it appears at first blush, and the 'Dawgs handled them with relative ease. A Thanksgiving date with Notre Dame and early December hookups with Georgia Tech and UAB will give the 'Dawgs a chance to build a solid profile before conference play.
* St Mary's - They've played two non D-1 throwaways, but the 76-71 win over an improved St John's squad could be a nice chip to pile in March. Omar Samham is gone, but don't make the mistake of overlooking the Gaels. They'll get their chance on December 1st to do something conference rival Gonzaga could not; beat San Diego State.
* San Diego State - Speaking of which, the Aztecs might be the best mid-major in the country this season. Their road win in the Kennel is as impressive a win as a team has notched so far in this young season. If "best" seems like hyperbole, it isn't. They have to be considered no worse than co-favorite with BYU to win the Mountain West, and appear to be ahead of Gonzaga, Memphis, Xavier, Butler and the other usual suspects.
And the recap wouldn't be complete without a tip of the beanie to the Yale Bulldogs, despite losses to Quinnipiac and Providence, they were still able to go into Chestnut Hill and pull off the stunner.
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Many Roads...
Arizona put up 104 point in their dire straits win of Washington. Minnesota got a huge Big 10 win holding Illinois to 36 points. The difference? 68 points.
The result? One team keeps their season alive, the other is getting close to locking up their first tourney bid in several years.
- I am sure I am not the only one TiVoing the Zags/Gaels game tonight. Should be a great one. I'll take Gonzaga flexing their WCC muscle tonight, but keep an eye on Patty Mills. Had a chance to see him live in December; heckuva ballplayer.
The result? One team keeps their season alive, the other is getting close to locking up their first tourney bid in several years.
- I am sure I am not the only one TiVoing the Zags/Gaels game tonight. Should be a great one. I'll take Gonzaga flexing their WCC muscle tonight, but keep an eye on Patty Mills. Had a chance to see him live in December; heckuva ballplayer.
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