Sorry for the long overdue post on this. Real life hasn't afforded me time to write a ton for the blog recently. On top of that, full disclosure and truth be told, I really couldn't be bothered to write a recap of a loss to Navy where we got beaten in every facet of the game. Check out AUEagles.com's recap of Saturday's Phil Bender Day victory and join me below for some of my thoughts.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Bye Week Blues
Fear not, loyal readers, we'll have a mind-blowing recap of Saturday's Phil Bender Victory (and, because of its significance, Bucknell's blowout at the hands of Army) up soon.
To tide you over, I wanted to bring you the long-overdue results of our last Poll of the Week. During the first week of our Patriot League schedule, we asked, "What will our Patriot League record be?" You said:
Total Votes: 74
Unfortunately, the approximately 19% of us who were the most optimistic (including myself), are out of luck, as its no longer possible for us to finish any better than 12-2. I have confidence that this is still a possibility (and if we want to go Dancing, it more or less has to happen), so the remaining 81% of us still have a chance of being correct (fingers crossed it's that 24% that said 12-2). As for the 5% that said "Uh oh", well, I think we're on track to avoid that fate, even if no one saw Navy's massacre coming.
This time, we're looking inward a bit, and asking what you'd like to see more of on AUHoops. You can select multiple answers, and in fact this is pretty critical as there are lots of aspects to the blog. This should help us make the most of this bye week and ensure the rest of the season goes the best it possibly can (outside of the hardwood, of course).
So that's that. Check back soon for the Lafayette recap.
GO EAGLES,
Josh
To tide you over, I wanted to bring you the long-overdue results of our last Poll of the Week. During the first week of our Patriot League schedule, we asked, "What will our Patriot League record be?" You said:
| 14-0 | 8 (10%) |
| 13-1 | 7 (9%) |
| 12-2 | 24 (32%) |
| 11-3 | 18 (24%) |
| 10-4 | 13 (17%) |
| Uh oh | 4 (5%) |
Unfortunately, the approximately 19% of us who were the most optimistic (including myself), are out of luck, as its no longer possible for us to finish any better than 12-2. I have confidence that this is still a possibility (and if we want to go Dancing, it more or less has to happen), so the remaining 81% of us still have a chance of being correct (fingers crossed it's that 24% that said 12-2). As for the 5% that said "Uh oh", well, I think we're on track to avoid that fate, even if no one saw Navy's massacre coming.
This time, we're looking inward a bit, and asking what you'd like to see more of on AUHoops. You can select multiple answers, and in fact this is pretty critical as there are lots of aspects to the blog. This should help us make the most of this bye week and ensure the rest of the season goes the best it possibly can (outside of the hardwood, of course).
So that's that. Check back soon for the Lafayette recap.
GO EAGLES,
Josh
Saturday, January 29, 2011
PHIL BENDER: AU EAGLES VS. LAFAYETTE LOLCATS LIVEBLOG
PHIL BENDER IS BETTER THAN CHRISTMAS AND ARBOR DAY COMBINED.
PHIL BENDER (enough said)
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| Image courtesy icanhascheezburger.com |
While we're all still reeling from the blowout at Navy that by any laws of physics should never have happened (but enough about that), today is a great opportunity to rebound (literally and figuratively). Lafayette may not be the cream of the Patriot League crop, but they do return a core that went to the Patriot League Championship game last season, and still have a legitimate shot at making some noise in the PL Tournament. Historically, Lafayette is a good matchup for us, as even last season we managed to sweep them (of course, we swept Nav-- oh hell, let's just forget it). We're 25-19 all-time against the Leopards, and 17-5 since joining the Patriot League eleven seasons ago.
One area where we might encounter trouble is that Lafayette has some legitimate big men that have given Stephen Lumpkins (12.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg) fits in the past. While he's no Muscala, senior forward Jared Mintz brings a team-best 16.1 ppg and 5.7 rpg to Lafayette straight from the frozen tundra of Canada. Can Lumpkins' sunny Californian demeanor overcome the maple leaf? Am I trying too hard to make this matchup look awesome? Hopefully, the answers are yes and no respectively.
Fortunately, what Lafayette has lost this season are some solid guards, including Bethesda native Michael Gruner. It's quick guards that give our greatest offensive weapon, Vlad, the biggest trouble, and this may be the best matchup for him yet in the League. Hopefully, he's on his game and can exceed the double-double he notched against Navy.
Per usual, our roleplayers need to be in the game too. Lafayette is likely going to try to punish us from beyond the arc, and if Troy can match them (but not make hasty shots if he's having an off day), we'll be OK there. We generally run the score up pretty high against Lafayette, with last season's wins coming at 76-66 and 78-60, so we needn't be shy about playing an offensive game - we just need to be smart. If Navy wasn't the wake up call we needed to find our true potential this season, then things are going to look grim. That's a cold, harsh reality.
Considering that the time you spend reading this could also be spent preparing for PHIL BENDER, I'll leave you with this for today. If there's anything crucial I missed, definitely make it known in the comments. While I like to pretend I know what I'm writing about, the best part of this blog is its ability to provoke dialog.
PHIL BENDER tips off at 4 PM today, and the game will be broadcast live on CBS College Sports if you can't make it to Bender. If you can, TODAY IS THE DAY to wear blue and go absolutely all out. Get there early, as the best seats in the house are going to fill up fast (and how often can we say that?). Expect every promotion athletics can muster, including Dominoes pizza, Robeks smoothies, Coke products, and more (and we don't even get a cut of the profits for advertising that). See you there, Eagles Nation!
PRO DEO ET PATRIA AND BEAT LAFAYETTE!
Josh
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tonight's Game is ON; Will Begin At 8:35
Tonight's AU-Navy game will begin at 8:35 PM. Check back around 8:30 for the liveblog!
Tonight's Game Delayed Due to Winter Storm
Tonight's AU-Navy game in Annapolis has been postponed due to the winter storm. An official start time has yet to be announced, but the word is that it will be played tonight.
We'll keep you posted.
We'll keep you posted.
The Most Patriotic Team in the Mid-Atlantic Will Be Decided Tonight
WHO: AU (14-6, 4-1) vs. Navy (6-15, 1-4)
WHAT: Patriot League Showdown
WHEN: TONIGHT, 7:00 PM EST
WHERE: Alumni Hall, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD
WHY: So the Eagles can win!
If that was a little too much summary for you, let me elaborate a bit. Tonight our Eagles will be making Midshipmeat (I still think that's clever) out of the Navy Midshipmen on the road in nearby Annapolis. Tipoff is at 7:00 PM (not 7:30 as previously reported), and although it looks like AU holds the statistical advantage in just about every way, it's always a close game up in Alumni Hall. Let's see who will make the difference this evening.
This matchup is going to be eerily similar to Army. Navy plays what basically amounts to a 5-guard rotation, and we're going to tower over them. Needless to say, we absolutely need to dominate the post and outscore Navy in the paint (which has been a challenge for PL teams, so far). Lumpkins, the reigning Patriot League Player of the Week, is going to have to continue the streak that won him this award in the first place. During last year's Patriot League Quarterfinal game, Lumpkins went off for 29 points, still a career-high. Navy made the mistake of over-guarding Vlad, completely opening up the blocks for Lumpkins to stump them senseless.
Undoubtedly, Vlad is going to be double and triple-teamed by a myriad of small, quick defenders, which may give him trouble. Fortunately, this has not stopped us before, as we swept the Mids not twice, but three times last season by an average of 5 ppg, including a double overtime thriller on the road. In that game Navy's leading scorer, Chris Harris, went off for 30 points, and without him this year Navy is struggling to fill in the gap (for reference, Vlad had 19 points in 43 minutes that game).
That being said, Navy is at no loss for sharpshooting guards, and relies quite heavily on the three. It's absolutely critical that we protect the perimeter, and our guards really need to step up and keep Navy from going off from beyond the arc. Many are likely wondering if Wayne will see significant minutes (~6-8) at the point, and the most I can predict is that this will likely be a function of how much Danny's stepped up in practice recently.
For the Mids, we'll have to watch O.J. Avworo, Jordan Sugars, Romeo Garcia, Greg Brown, Mark Veazey, and potential PL Rookie of the Year J.J. Avila. If that sounds like a handful, it is. One interesting statistic is that Navy has thrown up 549 threes so far this season...but only made 159 of them, a .290 percentage. A season low was undoubtedly their home game versus Holy Cross, where they went a moribund 1-23 from beyond the arc, sinking the Mids (the bad puns continue) and probably throwing off that statistic a little.
Despite an 0-4 start to League play, the Mids are coming off an impressive win against what can only be described as a "respectfully hostile" crowd at Army, 85-81. It was the Mids' best offensive effort of the season at their toughest road contest, and may put a little more wind under their sails (these never get old) than we'd expect. Fortunately, we're coming off of a huge road win as well against Holy Cross.
That's all I have time for today, folks, but I'll see you back here at 7 PM for our liveblog. It's going to be a tough matchup no matter how you slice it, as Alumni Hall is an intimidating place when packed chock full of uniformed Midshipmen, as it undoubtedly will be despite the predicted snow this evening. On that note, while the weather is keeping me here in the District, if you are attempting to travel to Annapolis please drive safely.
Finally, I want to congratulate one of my co-bloggers for his acceptance into graduate school! While I'll let him announce which one if he wishes, I will say they they are known for fielding a formidable mid-major basketball squad (that may have a certain offense named after them), that we may conceivably play in upcoming seasons. Here's to hoping he remains as loyal an Eagle as any of us.
Pro Deo Et Patria and GO EAGLES!
Josh
Monday, January 24, 2011
Lumpkins Earns His First PL Player of the Week of the Season
Congrats to the Unstumpable Stephen Lumpkins for earning his first PL PoW selection of the season and second overall. His citation is below:
STEPHEN LUMPKINS, AMERICAN Jr., F, 6-8, 225, Redwood City, Calif./Juniperro Serra
Lumpkins takes home Patriot League/Anaconda Player of the Week honors after two strong efforts to lead the Eagles to close victories last week. He made 6-of-9 shots and finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in a 65-62 win at home against Army on Wednesday, then recorded his fifth double-double of the year with 20 points and 10 rebounds in a 60-57 victory at Holy Cross on Saturday that put the Eagles in sole possession of second place. Lumpkins made 9-of-12 shots in the game, and became the 27th Eagle and 49th Patriot Leaguer to go over 500 career rebounds during the contest. Lumpkins averaged 18.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks while shooting 71.4 percent from the field for the week. He stands 10th in the Patriot League with 12.8 points per game and leads the League with 8.0 rebounds per contest this season. Lumpkins earns his second career Anaconda Player of the Week award and first this season.
Lump lately has been a dominating force in the paint. We need him to keep that up against everyone he can not named Muscala (and eventually against people named Muscala too!)
Congrats Lump!
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
STEPHEN LUMPKINS, AMERICAN Jr., F, 6-8, 225, Redwood City, Calif./Juniperro Serra
Lumpkins takes home Patriot League/Anaconda Player of the Week honors after two strong efforts to lead the Eagles to close victories last week. He made 6-of-9 shots and finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in a 65-62 win at home against Army on Wednesday, then recorded his fifth double-double of the year with 20 points and 10 rebounds in a 60-57 victory at Holy Cross on Saturday that put the Eagles in sole possession of second place. Lumpkins made 9-of-12 shots in the game, and became the 27th Eagle and 49th Patriot Leaguer to go over 500 career rebounds during the contest. Lumpkins averaged 18.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks while shooting 71.4 percent from the field for the week. He stands 10th in the Patriot League with 12.8 points per game and leads the League with 8.0 rebounds per contest this season. Lumpkins earns his second career Anaconda Player of the Week award and first this season.
Lump lately has been a dominating force in the paint. We need him to keep that up against everyone he can not named Muscala (and eventually against people named Muscala too!)
Congrats Lump!
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
Eagles Invade Annapolis
I've always thought of AUHoops sort of like a Craigslist for AU Basketball. OK...maybe not.
In that vein, however, I'd like to take an opportunity to advertise to any students who wish to take the Blue Crew on the road this week. This Wednesday, January 26th, I'll be driving from AU's campus up to Annapolis, Maryland, to watch our Eagles make Midshipmeat (see what I did there?) out of Navy. As of this writing, I have 3-4 spots currently unspoken for in the car, so if you'd like to join me, shoot me an e-mail.
Assuming you're not secretly a Holy Cross fan seeking to leave this hapless blogger dead by the side of Route 50, it's first-come, first-serve, but I'll try to be as accommodating as possible without breaking any laws. I'll be heading out between 5-5:30 PM depending on what works for everyone (game is at 7:00), to account for beltway traffic, and based on past trips up to Alumni Hall, we should be back at AU by 10:30 or so (barring any unexpected double-overtime madness). Obviously, blue crew shirts are the recommended dress code, and if anyone wants to pitch in for some blue facepaint, that can happen.
If anyone else is heading up to Annapolis for the game, and would like to offer up some carpool spots, please comment and let people know you're available. Hopefully, we'll be able to utilize AUHoops to coordinate a solid Blue Crew contingent to strike fear and awe into the hearts of our nation's finest (or does the Army have a copyright on that slogan?). Similarly, if you're just going to be there but can't offer a ride, feel free to let us know so we can stop by and thank you for reading our blog.
We'll be back on Tuesday with our usual preview, where we'll answer the burning question of "who will be the most patriotic basketball team in the Mid-Atlantic region?".
Until then, Pro Deo Et Patria and GO EAGLES!
Josh
Sunday, January 23, 2011
"As the saying goes, there's no joy in losing." - Holy Cross Radio's Bob Fouracre
Well, this won't be a formal recap because I only caught the second half of the game yesterday. I have to say I'm rather surprised we pulled out the win yesterday up in Worcestershire. Holy Cross is a team that always seems to play quite well in the Patriot League, and the Hart is always a tough place for us to go and play. Despite a subpar game from Vlad, the Eagles found a way to win on the back of Lumpkins' fifth double-double. AU now is in sole possession of second place in the Patriot League and now will head in for a tough matchup with the offensively-adequate and defensively-inept Navy Midshipmen in Annapolis.
You can leave any other comments you have about the game here. We'll be back tomorrow with your Patriot League update!
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
You can leave any other comments you have about the game here. We'll be back tomorrow with your Patriot League update!
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Watch Eagles Doing Good Off the Court
And DO IT NOW.
Via Comcast SportsNet Washington comes this video of our AU Eagles working with Samaritans Feet on Martin Luther King Day. Check it out and get your Saturday morning warm and fuzzies.
http://www.csnwashington.com/pages/video?PID=1oE8Ch4c_21j7I04ZzU5tAf7Efbj1cl7
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
Via Comcast SportsNet Washington comes this video of our AU Eagles working with Samaritans Feet on Martin Luther King Day. Check it out and get your Saturday morning warm and fuzzies.
http://www.csnwashington.com/pages/video?PID=1oE8Ch4c_21j7I04ZzU5tAf7Efbj1cl7
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Can the Eagles Upend Milan Brown's Crusaders of the Round Table?
Programming note: Assume no liveblog tomorrow, if that changes, we'll tweet it and/or update this post and/or put up a liveblog post. Sorry folks, been a long week for me, I need to play catch-up tomorrow with my non-blog life.
As much seething hate as I inexplicably and unwarrantedly have for the Holy Cross Crusaders, I do have to say I've found room in my Grinch-esque heart for a little bit of pity for the Little Knights That Could(?). I mean, they went 1-13 in non-conference play. If AU had done that, I would've turned this blog into a commentary on the state of tea cakes in Middlesex County, NJ. Still, though, despite the abysmal record coming out of a very challenging non-conference schedule, the fans at CROSSPORTS, most of whom I rather admire for their ferocity, basketball knowledge, and commitment to their program, have stayed loyal to their team (if not 100% enthusiastic about Coach Milan Brown). Anyway, the point of all this is that I felt bad for Holy Cross. Genuinely bad. I find no enjoyable schadenfreude in their dismal record. I want everyone in the Patriot League to do well so that the profile of the league overall rises from the gutter in which it currently languishes.
Anyway. Holy Cross is 3-1 in conference play. So I'm increasingly feeling less pity and more fear about the Little Knights That Now Apparently Can. Point guard Andrew Beinert is now coming on in a big way (15 points and 4 assists per game in conference play). Forward Andrew Keister (AK34 to the pro 2nd Amendment Crossers out there) is back from his injury and playing at a high level. Junior guard Devin Brown is once again one of the team's top scorers, but his three point percentage is 13 points off of what it was last year. Holy Cross has only two players averaging double figures, but they have a bunch of weapons. They're kind of like Bucknell in that way, and we all know how well our matchup with the slow-moving land mammals went earlier this month.
Defensively, Holy Cross is prone to lapses in intensity. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the Crusaders match up pretty well with us. Keister and Lumpkins will be an epic battle. The Crusaders have a few options for covering Vlad. Eric Obeysekere, Josh Jones, or even Mike Cavataio are quick, long defenders who could disrupt Vlad's game. Josh Jones would be Vlad's best bet because he's a little bigger, a little less longer, and not quite as good on defending the perimeter. Assuming two of those three are on the court at all times, whoever isn't on Vlad will probably be on Troy.
We'll really need our guards to step up here. Limiting turnovers, making smart passes, and maximizing every single possession. Holy Cross runs the same slow kind of offense, so every possession will count. Be on the lookout for who gets time at the point. Munoz got all of four minutes last game, while Wayne Simon II made his debut and got six. Hendra also ran the point some. This is a position that is in flux for the Eagles. It will be a dangerous game for Jeff Jones to try to sort out who he wants at the 1 against a re-energized team playing on their home court in front of a probably loud audience. Make no bones about it, Eagles fans, this will be a tough, tough game for our team. Everyone will have to step up big, play with passion, and minimize mental mistakes for us to sneak out of Worcester with a win.
Here's to hoping they do so, because I can assure you what remaining pity I have for Holy Cross will dissipate rapidly if they deal us a loss tomorrow.
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
As much seething hate as I inexplicably and unwarrantedly have for the Holy Cross Crusaders, I do have to say I've found room in my Grinch-esque heart for a little bit of pity for the Little Knights That Could(?). I mean, they went 1-13 in non-conference play. If AU had done that, I would've turned this blog into a commentary on the state of tea cakes in Middlesex County, NJ. Still, though, despite the abysmal record coming out of a very challenging non-conference schedule, the fans at CROSSPORTS, most of whom I rather admire for their ferocity, basketball knowledge, and commitment to their program, have stayed loyal to their team (if not 100% enthusiastic about Coach Milan Brown). Anyway, the point of all this is that I felt bad for Holy Cross. Genuinely bad. I find no enjoyable schadenfreude in their dismal record. I want everyone in the Patriot League to do well so that the profile of the league overall rises from the gutter in which it currently languishes.
Anyway. Holy Cross is 3-1 in conference play. So I'm increasingly feeling less pity and more fear about the Little Knights That Now Apparently Can. Point guard Andrew Beinert is now coming on in a big way (15 points and 4 assists per game in conference play). Forward Andrew Keister (AK34 to the pro 2nd Amendment Crossers out there) is back from his injury and playing at a high level. Junior guard Devin Brown is once again one of the team's top scorers, but his three point percentage is 13 points off of what it was last year. Holy Cross has only two players averaging double figures, but they have a bunch of weapons. They're kind of like Bucknell in that way, and we all know how well our matchup with the slow-moving land mammals went earlier this month.
Defensively, Holy Cross is prone to lapses in intensity. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the Crusaders match up pretty well with us. Keister and Lumpkins will be an epic battle. The Crusaders have a few options for covering Vlad. Eric Obeysekere, Josh Jones, or even Mike Cavataio are quick, long defenders who could disrupt Vlad's game. Josh Jones would be Vlad's best bet because he's a little bigger, a little less longer, and not quite as good on defending the perimeter. Assuming two of those three are on the court at all times, whoever isn't on Vlad will probably be on Troy.
We'll really need our guards to step up here. Limiting turnovers, making smart passes, and maximizing every single possession. Holy Cross runs the same slow kind of offense, so every possession will count. Be on the lookout for who gets time at the point. Munoz got all of four minutes last game, while Wayne Simon II made his debut and got six. Hendra also ran the point some. This is a position that is in flux for the Eagles. It will be a dangerous game for Jeff Jones to try to sort out who he wants at the 1 against a re-energized team playing on their home court in front of a probably loud audience. Make no bones about it, Eagles fans, this will be a tough, tough game for our team. Everyone will have to step up big, play with passion, and minimize mental mistakes for us to sneak out of Worcester with a win.
Here's to hoping they do so, because I can assure you what remaining pity I have for Holy Cross will dissipate rapidly if they deal us a loss tomorrow.
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
AU Looks to Maintain Unbeaten Streak in Bender Against Army
Just a quick preview of tonight. We will have a liveblog from the game, FYI.
A couple of feel-good notes before we get into it. Tonight is Yellow Ribbon Appreciation night, honoring AU's participation in the Yellow Ribbon Scholarship program which provides free tuition to veterans after their service to our country. Additionally, Jeff Jones will also be coaching barefoot against the Black Knights in support of Samaritan's Feet, a non-profit organization which has given out over 3,000,000 new pairs of shoes to those in need in 42 countries. On Monday the team went around the city and distributed shoes to those in need in the District to support Samaritan's Feet and to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Kudos to the team and Jeff Jones for their continuing involvement in this great cause.
Now then. Army is 0-11 all-time in Bender Arena, and just 3-19 all-time against AU. Hopefully that streak continues tonight. Army has a great road record this year (7-4), but it's against a more or less cupcake out-of-conference schedule. However, they are fresh off a 75-72 win at Lehigh on Saturday and are tied for second place (with the Eagles and Holy Cross).
The past few seasons, Army has had offensive woes and relied on defense to keep them in games. This year the offense is much improved, although Army is heavily reliant on the 3. As a team, they shoot just under 40% from deep. They've taken 442 attempts from long range this year, for an average of about 24.5 three-point shots a game.
Army is led by a talented trio in Julian Simmons, Jeremy Hence, and Ellla Ellis (go ahead, say it three times fast). Simmons is putting together a great season, shooting over 43% from 3 (55-126) and is averaging 17 points per game.
Army is an athletic team and also has some depth on the bench (9 players averaging over 15 minutes played per game), which means they're generally able to keep pretty fresh legs on the floor. They don't get a ton of production outside of the three Knights I mentioned, but the next 3 producers are roleplayers averaging 4-5 points a game.
Some keys to the game:
1. Be mindful of the isolated wing man putting up the 3. If AU gives the Black Knights too many open looks, they have the ability to burn us on it.
2. Force turnovers. AU has an abysmal number of steals this year, but Army is making almost 15 turnovers a game. Put some pressure on their backcourt and see if we can't force some loose balls.
3. Rebounding. Lump shouldn't have much competition down low tonight, so it's important that he crash the boards and limit the number of offensive rebounds Army can bring down. If they pull them down, it's likely they could have someone on the outside ready and waiting for the kick-out and 3 attempt (see #1).
This should be a competitive game, but I'm thinking AU can pull this out as long as we don't come out and lay the egg we did in our last home game (last week vs. Bucknell in case you managed to shut it out of your mind).
See you all tonight. BE THERE! BE BLUE! BE AU!
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
A couple of feel-good notes before we get into it. Tonight is Yellow Ribbon Appreciation night, honoring AU's participation in the Yellow Ribbon Scholarship program which provides free tuition to veterans after their service to our country. Additionally, Jeff Jones will also be coaching barefoot against the Black Knights in support of Samaritan's Feet, a non-profit organization which has given out over 3,000,000 new pairs of shoes to those in need in 42 countries. On Monday the team went around the city and distributed shoes to those in need in the District to support Samaritan's Feet and to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Kudos to the team and Jeff Jones for their continuing involvement in this great cause.
Now then. Army is 0-11 all-time in Bender Arena, and just 3-19 all-time against AU. Hopefully that streak continues tonight. Army has a great road record this year (7-4), but it's against a more or less cupcake out-of-conference schedule. However, they are fresh off a 75-72 win at Lehigh on Saturday and are tied for second place (with the Eagles and Holy Cross).
The past few seasons, Army has had offensive woes and relied on defense to keep them in games. This year the offense is much improved, although Army is heavily reliant on the 3. As a team, they shoot just under 40% from deep. They've taken 442 attempts from long range this year, for an average of about 24.5 three-point shots a game.
Army is led by a talented trio in Julian Simmons, Jeremy Hence, and Ellla Ellis (go ahead, say it three times fast). Simmons is putting together a great season, shooting over 43% from 3 (55-126) and is averaging 17 points per game.
Army is an athletic team and also has some depth on the bench (9 players averaging over 15 minutes played per game), which means they're generally able to keep pretty fresh legs on the floor. They don't get a ton of production outside of the three Knights I mentioned, but the next 3 producers are roleplayers averaging 4-5 points a game.
Some keys to the game:
1. Be mindful of the isolated wing man putting up the 3. If AU gives the Black Knights too many open looks, they have the ability to burn us on it.
2. Force turnovers. AU has an abysmal number of steals this year, but Army is making almost 15 turnovers a game. Put some pressure on their backcourt and see if we can't force some loose balls.
3. Rebounding. Lump shouldn't have much competition down low tonight, so it's important that he crash the boards and limit the number of offensive rebounds Army can bring down. If they pull them down, it's likely they could have someone on the outside ready and waiting for the kick-out and 3 attempt (see #1).
This should be a competitive game, but I'm thinking AU can pull this out as long as we don't come out and lay the egg we did in our last home game (last week vs. Bucknell in case you managed to shut it out of your mind).
See you all tonight. BE THERE! BE BLUE! BE AU!
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Can the Red Raiders Redact Our Ruinous Run?
OK, the title doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but I love alliteration. Unfortunately, I have to keep it pretty short today, but fortunately this isn't a game that needs a whole lot of introduction. At 2 PM our Eagles fly into Colgate's Cotterell Court in Hamilton, NY, where they seek to rebound after our moribund evisceration at the hands of some slow moving land mammals. Hopefully we'll be able to bring you a liveblog, but we'll have to give the final word on that as we get closer to game time (the real world is being quite unkind to your hapless bloggers, if you can't tell).
To get back on track, the Raiders have undoubtedly the worst record in the Patriot League. At 1-14 overall, and 0-2 in the League, it's a bit of an understatement to say that Colgate's had a challenging season. Likely most painful for the Raiders are the near record-setting blowout losses to Duke, Syracuse, and Maryland on the road, with the average margin of defeat just shy of 55 ppg. In conference play, Colgate opened by falling to Army and Lafayette, which is not an encouraging sign for them when AU is about to come calling.
That's because we are 18-4 all-time against the Raiders, although we split the series last year. I would still argue that our loss, which came at Colgate in double overtime 75-74, was due to the lack of cameras and replays and the inability of anyone to verify a last-second shot by Vlad, which I maintain was good. However, the most noteworthy play on our end was the shot that even got us into overtime, a buzzer-beating three from Joe "The Mountain" Hill that left our liveblog, well, speechless.
Last season's heroes for the Raiders, Ben Jonson and Kyle Roemer, were lost to graduation. Months ago, I would have speculated that Virginia transfer John Brandenburg, hailed as one of the best transfers in League history primarily due to a ridiculously high ranking coming out of high school, would have given us Muscala-esque fits in the post. However, Brandenburg has largely flamed out this season, averaging 3.6 ppg and 2.7 rpg - poor numbers for a big man listed as 7'0" at Virginia (downgraded to a still-imposing 6'11" by Coach Emmett Davis' staff), and weighing in at 263 lbs. Assuming Vlad plays (more on this in a bit), and even if Lumpkins has to shoulder a lot of the load, we should have no problems in the post, or having our way with inside-outside sets.
That isn't to say that Colgate doesn't have its share of quality players this year. Yaw Gyawu is as fierce as ever, averaging 12.5 ppg, with senior guard Joe Hoban contributing a solid 9.3 ppg as well. Even with the production from Gyawu and Hoban, the Raiders are giving up an average of 75.8 ppg while scoring only 59.5 ppg of their own. Of course, these numbers are skewed a bit from the huge road blowouts, the other 80% of their games haven't been particularly close either.
Needless to say, this should be an opportunity for us to rebuild our spirits after Bucknell. We are still a top team in the League, and have the opportunity to upset the Bison in Lewisburg later on and bring the Patriot League Tournament home to Bender.
One thing we will be watching out for, however, is whether or not Vlad plays. He took a pretty terrible face plant while trying to avoid diving into a camera during the Bucknell game, and while he stood up after a few moments and seemed to be annoyed most by a bloody arm, we don't know if there was any hidden damage. He already sat out one game this season (Columbia) with a mild concussion, and at the very least I can imagine he missed at least one practice just to be safe. While I am hoping he's able to get out there today, I also hope he isn't overextending himself, as while he's an important cog on the team his long-term health is far more important. Regardless, even if Vlad does sit out, we should be able to defeat Colgate, which may be an even better confidence booster.
We'll let you know if we can get a liveblog up prior to the 2:00 PM EST tip. If not, you can follow live stats of the game here.
Before I leave you this morning, I'd like to share something I saw yesterday during AU's incredible counter-protest sparked by the Westboro Baptist Church's unfortunate visit yesterday afternoon:
For those students and alumni who weren't there, it was a truly inspiring showing by somewhere between 500-1,000 people (and possible more, I'm not great at estimating these things) that made everyone in attendance proud to be an Eagle. As for that fellow up there, he's clearly referencing what will happens next time Georgetown faces us on the hardwood.
*For those unfamiliar with the Westboro Baptist Church, that sign is mocking the infamous ones they produce that say such terrible things as "Thank God For (insert natural disaster or national tragedy here)", and it's not trying to be offensive in its own right.
Pro Deo Et Patria and GO EAGLES!
Josh
To get back on track, the Raiders have undoubtedly the worst record in the Patriot League. At 1-14 overall, and 0-2 in the League, it's a bit of an understatement to say that Colgate's had a challenging season. Likely most painful for the Raiders are the near record-setting blowout losses to Duke, Syracuse, and Maryland on the road, with the average margin of defeat just shy of 55 ppg. In conference play, Colgate opened by falling to Army and Lafayette, which is not an encouraging sign for them when AU is about to come calling.
That's because we are 18-4 all-time against the Raiders, although we split the series last year. I would still argue that our loss, which came at Colgate in double overtime 75-74, was due to the lack of cameras and replays and the inability of anyone to verify a last-second shot by Vlad, which I maintain was good. However, the most noteworthy play on our end was the shot that even got us into overtime, a buzzer-beating three from Joe "The Mountain" Hill that left our liveblog, well, speechless.
Last season's heroes for the Raiders, Ben Jonson and Kyle Roemer, were lost to graduation. Months ago, I would have speculated that Virginia transfer John Brandenburg, hailed as one of the best transfers in League history primarily due to a ridiculously high ranking coming out of high school, would have given us Muscala-esque fits in the post. However, Brandenburg has largely flamed out this season, averaging 3.6 ppg and 2.7 rpg - poor numbers for a big man listed as 7'0" at Virginia (downgraded to a still-imposing 6'11" by Coach Emmett Davis' staff), and weighing in at 263 lbs. Assuming Vlad plays (more on this in a bit), and even if Lumpkins has to shoulder a lot of the load, we should have no problems in the post, or having our way with inside-outside sets.
That isn't to say that Colgate doesn't have its share of quality players this year. Yaw Gyawu is as fierce as ever, averaging 12.5 ppg, with senior guard Joe Hoban contributing a solid 9.3 ppg as well. Even with the production from Gyawu and Hoban, the Raiders are giving up an average of 75.8 ppg while scoring only 59.5 ppg of their own. Of course, these numbers are skewed a bit from the huge road blowouts, the other 80% of their games haven't been particularly close either.
Needless to say, this should be an opportunity for us to rebuild our spirits after Bucknell. We are still a top team in the League, and have the opportunity to upset the Bison in Lewisburg later on and bring the Patriot League Tournament home to Bender.
One thing we will be watching out for, however, is whether or not Vlad plays. He took a pretty terrible face plant while trying to avoid diving into a camera during the Bucknell game, and while he stood up after a few moments and seemed to be annoyed most by a bloody arm, we don't know if there was any hidden damage. He already sat out one game this season (Columbia) with a mild concussion, and at the very least I can imagine he missed at least one practice just to be safe. While I am hoping he's able to get out there today, I also hope he isn't overextending himself, as while he's an important cog on the team his long-term health is far more important. Regardless, even if Vlad does sit out, we should be able to defeat Colgate, which may be an even better confidence booster.
We'll let you know if we can get a liveblog up prior to the 2:00 PM EST tip. If not, you can follow live stats of the game here.
Before I leave you this morning, I'd like to share something I saw yesterday during AU's incredible counter-protest sparked by the Westboro Baptist Church's unfortunate visit yesterday afternoon:
 |
| Nothing breaks the awkwardness of the Westboro Baptist Church like exerting dominance on the basketball court* |
*For those unfamiliar with the Westboro Baptist Church, that sign is mocking the infamous ones they produce that say such terrible things as "Thank God For (insert natural disaster or national tragedy here)", and it's not trying to be offensive in its own right.
Pro Deo Et Patria and GO EAGLES!
Josh
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
AU Must Learn How to Win Without Moldoveanu
"That's what you would call an old-fashioned butt-kicking," AU head coach Jeff Jones said as he sat down to talk to the media after the Eagles' 75-60 loss to Bucknell. On a night full of hard lessons for the Eagles, they were nearly dealt a devastating blow.
With just over three minutes left, AU's superstar senior Vlad Moldoveanu took a hard fall. Just as he has the ability to ignite a crowd, Moldoveanu took its entire breath away when he landed on his right shoulder and began writhing in pain.
"The angle I was at, the way his shoulder looked, it looked bad," Jones said. "I grimaced, in fact I looked away."
But somehow, just over a minute later, Moldoveanu stood up. The fans started cheering when he first sat up, let alone when he put weight on both shoulders to propel himself off the ground and returned to the bench.
"They said he was okay to come back but it made no sense to do that, the game was already out of hand," Jones said. "We'll keep an eye on it overnight and if, as I anticipate, it's sore tomorrow then we'll try to hold him out and try to ease him back into things. Probably wouldn't hurt our other guys to play and figure out how to get some stuff done without relying on him so much."
For that brief moment, Eagles coaches, players, and fans were left to wonder if they'd seen the last of Moldoveanu, and what the team might look like without him.
Picture the first 37 minutes of tonight's game, because it was pretty much the same.
Moldoveanu scored just seven points, and the Eagles were bulldozed by Mike Muscala, whose 33 points led the Bison over AU by what Jones said was the largest margin he could remember in his time at Bender.
The Bison dared the Eagles to shoot jump shots all game. Moldoveanu was double teamed with the ball at all times, and Muscala took care of Stephen Lumpkins on both ends of the floor for most of the game. The Bison were happy to allow the Eagles to chuck up threes, and AU did: they shot 5/24 from long range. Meanwhile, Bucknell shot 23 free throws and made 20 of them. AU made all five of their attempts.
In a game in which the Eagles were crying out for someone to pick up the scoring load, nobody answered.
"Collectively we didn't rise to the occasion," senior Nick Hendra said. "It's as simple as that. It was a big game and in games like that everybody has to rise to the occasion. You have to be the cream of the crop and the better team will win. It's as simple as that."
But after the game there was some disagreement as to why the Eagles looked so rusty early.
"No matter what their scheme was, they could have taken away the middle but we weren't knocking down shots," junior Troy Brewer said. "We got the ball down low and we weren't making layups. The way we started out, we weren't prepared to play."
"From an individual standpoint and from a collective standpoint I felt like we were not prepared for today's game," Hendra said.
"I'm going to interpret and hope that what [Brewer and Hendra] meant was that we didn't come out and play nearly as well [as we did against Lehigh]," Jones said. "I think it's a cop-out to say we weren't ready. I think we prepared hard, our players were excited for this game. Bucknell just played better."
The Eagles will pack their bags and head to Colgate for a game Saturday. Three of the next four games will be on the road against conference opponents.
The blueprint to beat AU is out there. Unless the Eagles can develop a consistent threat from mid-to-long range on offense outside of Moldoveanu, they will see similar defenses.
"If you think it's hard to win at home, it's about twice as hard to win on the road," Hendra said.
With just over three minutes left, AU's superstar senior Vlad Moldoveanu took a hard fall. Just as he has the ability to ignite a crowd, Moldoveanu took its entire breath away when he landed on his right shoulder and began writhing in pain.
"The angle I was at, the way his shoulder looked, it looked bad," Jones said. "I grimaced, in fact I looked away."
But somehow, just over a minute later, Moldoveanu stood up. The fans started cheering when he first sat up, let alone when he put weight on both shoulders to propel himself off the ground and returned to the bench.
"They said he was okay to come back but it made no sense to do that, the game was already out of hand," Jones said. "We'll keep an eye on it overnight and if, as I anticipate, it's sore tomorrow then we'll try to hold him out and try to ease him back into things. Probably wouldn't hurt our other guys to play and figure out how to get some stuff done without relying on him so much."
For that brief moment, Eagles coaches, players, and fans were left to wonder if they'd seen the last of Moldoveanu, and what the team might look like without him.
Picture the first 37 minutes of tonight's game, because it was pretty much the same.
Moldoveanu scored just seven points, and the Eagles were bulldozed by Mike Muscala, whose 33 points led the Bison over AU by what Jones said was the largest margin he could remember in his time at Bender.
The Bison dared the Eagles to shoot jump shots all game. Moldoveanu was double teamed with the ball at all times, and Muscala took care of Stephen Lumpkins on both ends of the floor for most of the game. The Bison were happy to allow the Eagles to chuck up threes, and AU did: they shot 5/24 from long range. Meanwhile, Bucknell shot 23 free throws and made 20 of them. AU made all five of their attempts.
In a game in which the Eagles were crying out for someone to pick up the scoring load, nobody answered.
"Collectively we didn't rise to the occasion," senior Nick Hendra said. "It's as simple as that. It was a big game and in games like that everybody has to rise to the occasion. You have to be the cream of the crop and the better team will win. It's as simple as that."
But after the game there was some disagreement as to why the Eagles looked so rusty early.
"No matter what their scheme was, they could have taken away the middle but we weren't knocking down shots," junior Troy Brewer said. "We got the ball down low and we weren't making layups. The way we started out, we weren't prepared to play."
"From an individual standpoint and from a collective standpoint I felt like we were not prepared for today's game," Hendra said.
"I'm going to interpret and hope that what [Brewer and Hendra] meant was that we didn't come out and play nearly as well [as we did against Lehigh]," Jones said. "I think it's a cop-out to say we weren't ready. I think we prepared hard, our players were excited for this game. Bucknell just played better."
The Eagles will pack their bags and head to Colgate for a game Saturday. Three of the next four games will be on the road against conference opponents.
The blueprint to beat AU is out there. Unless the Eagles can develop a consistent threat from mid-to-long range on offense outside of Moldoveanu, they will see similar defenses.
"If you think it's hard to win at home, it's about twice as hard to win on the road," Hendra said.
Well, That Went Pretty Poorly
Jeff Jones summed it up best when he said tonight, "That was a classic example of a good old-fashioned butt-kicking." That's about the long and the short of it.
Hi folks, sorry it's been so long since I've done a recap. I've got a list of excuses a mile long that you're not interested in. I'm here now, and that's what counts. Bobby will be putting up his own column in a little bit. For those of you who like (as I do) his excellent columns, stay tuned. For now you get my reflections on the game.
Hi folks, sorry it's been so long since I've done a recap. I've got a list of excuses a mile long that you're not interested in. I'm here now, and that's what counts. Bobby will be putting up his own column in a little bit. For those of you who like (as I do) his excellent columns, stay tuned. For now you get my reflections on the game.
PL Championship Game Preview? AU vs. Bucknell LIVEBLOG
The Bucknell Buffalo Burgers boldly bolt into Bender, but will they be IMPALED?
Join us for the liveblog!
Join us for the liveblog!
Chef Geoff's Should Discount Bison Burgers When We Play Bucknell
Can only the second conference game of the year be all that important? Can first place really be on the line when there are only three possible records any given League team could have after two games? Could ESPN actually care about a Patriot League game in early January?
Today, the answer to all of the an emphatic, resounding, red, white, and blue yes. At 7:30 PM in Bender Arena, our pre-season League favorite Eagles (11-5, 1-0 PL) go up against the #2 Bucknell Bison (10-7, 1-0 PL), and seek to keep it that way. The Bison are the team with the greatest chance to cancel our date with the Big Dance in March (and don't get me started on how Joe Lunardi replaced us with them in his Bracketology this week). The Bison have the highest RPI in the conference (83). The Bison have the signature win in the conference (Richmond). The Bison have the most balanced starting five in the conference. However, as of today there is one thing they will not have: a win in Bender Arena.
The importance of this game lies in its potential to be a preview of the Patriot League Championship Game - and if all goes well, that's in location, too. ESPN's weekly look at mid-major basketball even lists this as a game "not to miss", stating:
"I like 6-10 Mike Muscala's efficient inside game for the Bison. American counters with skilled 6-9 Vlad Moldoveanu in a Patriot League matchup of two of the better bigs in mid-major hoops."
The way ESPN sets this up to be a Vlad vs. Muscala showdown is reminiscent of this weekend's Vlad-CJ Backboard-Busting Shooting Explosion Extravaganza, as I like to call it at parties. As I mentioned yesterday, Vlad's on the hottest streak right now that any AU player has been on in recent memory. The truth is, though, that Bucknell's strength lies in how spread out its talent is among its starting five and the depth of its bench, instead of relying on one or two monster players.
Let's take a look at what we're up against. Foremost is the only other dominant frontcourt in the League, with sophomores Joe Willen and Mike Muscala at the 4 and 5 spots. These two have had their fair share of fame this year, including the buzzer beating shot that beat Richmond. With 6'11" Muscala averaging a team-best 14.1 ppg and 6.2 rpg, he is going to give Stephen Lumpkins all he can handle and then some. While experience will be on our frontcourt's side, the thought of both Muscala and Willen having two years of eligibility left is a bit scary - but let's focus on the present, shall we?
The talent curve barely dips as we move onto guards Bryan Cohen, Bryson Johnson, sixth man GW Boon, and even freshman Cameron Ayers. At the two and three spots, they all average between 6 and 10 ppg apiece, and any one of them could give us fits. While Troy and Charles may be more athletic than any one of them, they are only two bodies. Also, while only three players (Muscala, Johnson, and Boon) average double figures in points, there are five more players on the Bison's roster that average six or more. Needless to say, running defense on the Bison is going to be a challenge. They sport an inside-outside game that's tough to defend, as both Johnson and Cohen have been red-hot from beyond the arc recently, in addition to the strength of their frontcourt. This will be a much greater challenge to guard than with Lehigh, where McCollum was the biggest target.
Similarly, Bucknell will try to smother Vlad, whom they held to two points last year in Bender Arena. However, this may only serve to fuel Vlad's impaling rage. The other League team that held Vlad to a similarly low point total last season, Lehigh...well, you know how that went for them. While Bucknell returns its Vlad-limiting core from last season, it may not be enough to stop his ability to impale everything in sight this time around.
While the frontcourt will surely be a battle for the ages, our backcourt may be our only "achilles' heel", so to speak, in this game. While lately the ball-handling ability of the Munoz and Luptak combo platter has been commendable, and they've even developed into a decent scoring threat, they may not be able to stop Bison point guard Darryl Shazier. Although normally not a major scoring threat, he is quick and can both drive to the basket and hit shots from afar while pressured. He demonstrated this quite well in the Bison's PL opener at Navy, where Navy's man-to-man defense pressured Bucknell into consistently giving Shazier the shot, and he exploded for 28 points, most coming in the second half. Danny and Steve will have to hustle to keep up, and hold onto the ball as best they can. Shazier is certainly not the best point guard they've faced this season, but this will be a true test for them - and one I think they are up to.
So, how can we possibly contain this beastly slow-moving land mammal? For all I've been playing up the Bison, we're clearly not without great weapons of our own that give us the advantage. Again, we sport the League's leading scorer in Vlad (21.8 ppg), and leading rebounder in Lumpkins (8.1 ppg). Lumpkins has also been pitching in 12.6 ppg, which is good for second-best on both AU and Bucknell. Troy has been solid at 11.4 ppg, and if his hot hand gets, well, hot, then Bucknell's defenders will watch helplessly as they triple-team Vlad and they lose the Battle of Troy (that may have crossed the pun-line). Charles is about as solid a defender as we get in this conference, and he also has a knack for hitting shots at crucial times. Finally, of course, Hendra is the glue that has been holding all of this together, and despite his point total he ran pretty great defense on Lehigh's McCollum and gave Vlad tons of open looks. He can lock down just about any 2 or 3 on Bucknell's roster with ease.
Both the Eagles and the Bison are riding 4-game win streaks, with AU averaging 78.8 ppg over its streak, with an average margin of victory of 11.3 ppg. The last time we scored 70+ points in four consecutive games was 2003-2004, so we're certainly hot right now. We still stand behind the best scoring defense in the League as well, which will be crucial as always. Most importantly, we can't let the Bison dictate the pace of the game. Just because we've been on a hot streak doesn't mean we shouldn't play the slow, grind-it-out defense that is our hallmark. Hopefully, the familiar confines of Bender Arena should remind us of what it takes to win.
More important than Bender itself, however, is the greatest home court advantage in the Patriot League - the Blue Crew. If there is any way humanly possible for you to make it to this game, GO*! Put on your bluest shirt and your fiercest body paint. Scream until your voice is hoarse. Let Bucknell (and Joe Lunardi) know that it's the Red, White, and Blue that will be dancing out of the Patriot League this year! I'll see you there in Section 114!
*Drive/walk safely though, the roads will likely still be in less-than-great shape from last night's snowfall.
WHAT DO WE EAT? BISON MEAT!
Pro Deo Et Patria,
Josh
Today, the answer to all of the an emphatic, resounding, red, white, and blue yes. At 7:30 PM in Bender Arena, our pre-season League favorite Eagles (11-5, 1-0 PL) go up against the #2 Bucknell Bison (10-7, 1-0 PL), and seek to keep it that way. The Bison are the team with the greatest chance to cancel our date with the Big Dance in March (and don't get me started on how Joe Lunardi replaced us with them in his Bracketology this week). The Bison have the highest RPI in the conference (83). The Bison have the signature win in the conference (Richmond). The Bison have the most balanced starting five in the conference. However, as of today there is one thing they will not have: a win in Bender Arena.
The importance of this game lies in its potential to be a preview of the Patriot League Championship Game - and if all goes well, that's in location, too. ESPN's weekly look at mid-major basketball even lists this as a game "not to miss", stating:
"I like 6-10 Mike Muscala's efficient inside game for the Bison. American counters with skilled 6-9 Vlad Moldoveanu in a Patriot League matchup of two of the better bigs in mid-major hoops."
The way ESPN sets this up to be a Vlad vs. Muscala showdown is reminiscent of this weekend's Vlad-CJ Backboard-Busting Shooting Explosion Extravaganza, as I like to call it at parties. As I mentioned yesterday, Vlad's on the hottest streak right now that any AU player has been on in recent memory. The truth is, though, that Bucknell's strength lies in how spread out its talent is among its starting five and the depth of its bench, instead of relying on one or two monster players.
Let's take a look at what we're up against. Foremost is the only other dominant frontcourt in the League, with sophomores Joe Willen and Mike Muscala at the 4 and 5 spots. These two have had their fair share of fame this year, including the buzzer beating shot that beat Richmond. With 6'11" Muscala averaging a team-best 14.1 ppg and 6.2 rpg, he is going to give Stephen Lumpkins all he can handle and then some. While experience will be on our frontcourt's side, the thought of both Muscala and Willen having two years of eligibility left is a bit scary - but let's focus on the present, shall we?
The talent curve barely dips as we move onto guards Bryan Cohen, Bryson Johnson, sixth man GW Boon, and even freshman Cameron Ayers. At the two and three spots, they all average between 6 and 10 ppg apiece, and any one of them could give us fits. While Troy and Charles may be more athletic than any one of them, they are only two bodies. Also, while only three players (Muscala, Johnson, and Boon) average double figures in points, there are five more players on the Bison's roster that average six or more. Needless to say, running defense on the Bison is going to be a challenge. They sport an inside-outside game that's tough to defend, as both Johnson and Cohen have been red-hot from beyond the arc recently, in addition to the strength of their frontcourt. This will be a much greater challenge to guard than with Lehigh, where McCollum was the biggest target.
Similarly, Bucknell will try to smother Vlad, whom they held to two points last year in Bender Arena. However, this may only serve to fuel Vlad's impaling rage. The other League team that held Vlad to a similarly low point total last season, Lehigh...well, you know how that went for them. While Bucknell returns its Vlad-limiting core from last season, it may not be enough to stop his ability to impale everything in sight this time around.
While the frontcourt will surely be a battle for the ages, our backcourt may be our only "achilles' heel", so to speak, in this game. While lately the ball-handling ability of the Munoz and Luptak combo platter has been commendable, and they've even developed into a decent scoring threat, they may not be able to stop Bison point guard Darryl Shazier. Although normally not a major scoring threat, he is quick and can both drive to the basket and hit shots from afar while pressured. He demonstrated this quite well in the Bison's PL opener at Navy, where Navy's man-to-man defense pressured Bucknell into consistently giving Shazier the shot, and he exploded for 28 points, most coming in the second half. Danny and Steve will have to hustle to keep up, and hold onto the ball as best they can. Shazier is certainly not the best point guard they've faced this season, but this will be a true test for them - and one I think they are up to.
So, how can we possibly contain this beastly slow-moving land mammal? For all I've been playing up the Bison, we're clearly not without great weapons of our own that give us the advantage. Again, we sport the League's leading scorer in Vlad (21.8 ppg), and leading rebounder in Lumpkins (8.1 ppg). Lumpkins has also been pitching in 12.6 ppg, which is good for second-best on both AU and Bucknell. Troy has been solid at 11.4 ppg, and if his hot hand gets, well, hot, then Bucknell's defenders will watch helplessly as they triple-team Vlad and they lose the Battle of Troy (that may have crossed the pun-line). Charles is about as solid a defender as we get in this conference, and he also has a knack for hitting shots at crucial times. Finally, of course, Hendra is the glue that has been holding all of this together, and despite his point total he ran pretty great defense on Lehigh's McCollum and gave Vlad tons of open looks. He can lock down just about any 2 or 3 on Bucknell's roster with ease.
Both the Eagles and the Bison are riding 4-game win streaks, with AU averaging 78.8 ppg over its streak, with an average margin of victory of 11.3 ppg. The last time we scored 70+ points in four consecutive games was 2003-2004, so we're certainly hot right now. We still stand behind the best scoring defense in the League as well, which will be crucial as always. Most importantly, we can't let the Bison dictate the pace of the game. Just because we've been on a hot streak doesn't mean we shouldn't play the slow, grind-it-out defense that is our hallmark. Hopefully, the familiar confines of Bender Arena should remind us of what it takes to win.
More important than Bender itself, however, is the greatest home court advantage in the Patriot League - the Blue Crew. If there is any way humanly possible for you to make it to this game, GO*! Put on your bluest shirt and your fiercest body paint. Scream until your voice is hoarse. Let Bucknell (and Joe Lunardi) know that it's the Red, White, and Blue that will be dancing out of the Patriot League this year! I'll see you there in Section 114!
*Drive/walk safely though, the roads will likely still be in less-than-great shape from last night's snowfall.
WHAT DO WE EAT? BISON MEAT!
Pro Deo Et Patria,
Josh
Monday, January 10, 2011
Vlad Sets Impaling Records, Gets Noticed
I hope the entire Blue Crew is ironing their bluest shirt and readying their fiercest face paint for our showdown with Bucknell on Wednesday. To help get you pumped, I wanted to highlight some of the accolades and press Vlad's been getting recently for putting the team on his back over the last two weeks and impaling everything in sight.
UPDATE II: Vlad Becomes PL's First Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week, Named ECAC Player of the Week For Second Straight Week
National Player of the Week
ECAC Player of the Week
Vlad caps off his unbelievable week of recognition with an additional two awards. First, the US Basketball Writers' Association (USBWA) named Vlad their Oscar Robertson National Player of the week today. Although it is only the second year this award has been given out by the USBWA and Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, Vlad becomes the first Patriot League player to be recognized as such. Vlad became eligible for the award when he was named PL POW, and was chosen from a list of Divison 1 conference players of the week. Previous winners this season have come from Kentucky, Illinois, BYU, and Texas A&M (all ranked in the Top 25).
Below, it was mentioned that Vlad was named the ECAC Player of the Week on January 3rd. Today it was announced that he has been awarded this honor for the second straight week.
UPDATE: Vote for Vlad for Best DC Sports Performance of the Week!
Vote on WaPo's DC Sports Bog
Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog on the Washington Post's website is having readers vote for the best and worst DC sports performances of this week. As of this writing, Vlad has impaled his way into third place in the "best" category, right behind the Caps' Alex Ovechkin. Vote for Vlad!
Back-to-Back Patriot League Player of the Week, 1/3 & 1/10
January 10th, AUeagles.com
January 3rd, AUeagles.com
Vlad earned his second consecutive Patriot League Player of the Week award this week for coming out on top with a monster stat line in the 1-on-1 grudge match between him and CJ McCollum in Saturday's Patriot League opener. This is his fourth award this season, topping the three he earned during his half-season of eligibility last year. The seven awards put him one POW away from matching the record of eight last set by Garrison Carr '09, as well as Lafayette's Brian Ehlers and Colgate's Adonal Foyle, who just retired from the NBA
ECAC Player of the Week, 1/3
PL Press Release
The ECAC is the only multi-divisional conference in the country, and 300 some odd institutions (in all 3 divisions) in the eastern half of the country belong to ECAC to help facilitate competition in sports that their primary conferences do not offer (i.e. AU and wrestling). ECAC's Division 1 membership ranges from the Patriot League to top members of the Big East and ACC, so when they announce their respective players of the week (one for each division), it's serious business. This week, Vlad was given the honor for averaging 24 ppg and 5.5 rpg as AU dominated the Cable Car Classic. To make the ensuing matchup with Lehigh even more interesting, the Mountain Hawk's CJ McCollum was named ECAC POW two weeks prior.
Back-to-Back mentions in ESPN College Hoops Weekly Watch, 1/3 & 1/9
Week 7
Week 6
Every week, ESPN's Brett Edgerton throws a handful of notable performances in with Andy Katz's player of the week. While Vlad didn't get the highest nod, he has appeared in consecutive weeks as a "performance that wowed us" both for his Cable Car Classic domination as well as his utter impalement of Lehigh.
Rush the Court names Vlad unofficial PL POW and credits AUHoops.com for "Vlad the Impaler" moniker, 1/8
Rush the Court PL Check-in
I'll be forthcoming and say this one is as much a pat on the back for us as it is for Vlad. Rush the Court, which consistently lives up to its moniker as "The Ubiquitous College Basketblog", names Vlad its unofficial Player of the Week in its weekly Patriot League check-in. RTC Patriot League correspondent Kevin Doyle writes the following:
"Vlad the Impaler - a nickname that Moldoveanu has been anointed with by AUHoops.com - lived up to the name as he averaged 24 points, combined to go 17-18 from the charity stripe in three games, and led American to a perfect record over the past two weeks. Standing at 6'9", Moldoveanu poses countless matchup problems for opponents as he has the ability to lurk around the arc and hit a three-pointer (36-94)."
While I'm not sure we can take full credit for the name (I have word it was even thrown around once or twice during Vlad's tenure at George Mason), it is one of our favorite things to write, so thanks for the recognition!
Cable Car Classic MVP, 12/30
Cable Car Classic Recap, AUeagles.com
In case anyone missed it, Vlad brought his impaling ways to the West Coast as he helped to lead the Eagles to a Cable Car Classic Championship - and made it look easy (see above for the stat line). Without a doubt, he deserved the tournament's Most Valuable Player designation. While the Cable Car Classic has lost some prominence in recent years, it's worth noting that this same award was given to UNC's Harold Keeling in 1981 - of the same UNC roster that won a national championship with Michael Jordan to conclude that season.
Eye on the Eagles profiles Vlad
AU ECAC POW Press Release (video at bottom), AUeagles.com
Although not really an award, Vlad was profiled in the latest edition of Eye on the Eagles, AU Athletics' monthly show that airs on Comcast Sportsnet. It's one of the best looks into the mind of The Impaler out there.
Vlad must be a front-runner at this point for Patriot League Player of the Year. However, he faces some of his greatest competition for the title in Bucknell's Mike Muscala, Bryan Cohen, and Darryl Shazier in our next League contest. I'll see you in Bender on Wednesday as Vlad continues to send a message to the toughest the Patriot League has to offer: we WILL be dancing in March! GO EAGLES!
Pro Deo Et Patria,
Josh
UPDATE II: Vlad Becomes PL's First Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week, Named ECAC Player of the Week For Second Straight Week
National Player of the Week
ECAC Player of the Week
Vlad caps off his unbelievable week of recognition with an additional two awards. First, the US Basketball Writers' Association (USBWA) named Vlad their Oscar Robertson National Player of the week today. Although it is only the second year this award has been given out by the USBWA and Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, Vlad becomes the first Patriot League player to be recognized as such. Vlad became eligible for the award when he was named PL POW, and was chosen from a list of Divison 1 conference players of the week. Previous winners this season have come from Kentucky, Illinois, BYU, and Texas A&M (all ranked in the Top 25).
Below, it was mentioned that Vlad was named the ECAC Player of the Week on January 3rd. Today it was announced that he has been awarded this honor for the second straight week.
UPDATE: Vote for Vlad for Best DC Sports Performance of the Week!
Vote on WaPo's DC Sports Bog
Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog on the Washington Post's website is having readers vote for the best and worst DC sports performances of this week. As of this writing, Vlad has impaled his way into third place in the "best" category, right behind the Caps' Alex Ovechkin. Vote for Vlad!
Back-to-Back Patriot League Player of the Week, 1/3 & 1/10
January 10th, AUeagles.com
January 3rd, AUeagles.com
Vlad earned his second consecutive Patriot League Player of the Week award this week for coming out on top with a monster stat line in the 1-on-1 grudge match between him and CJ McCollum in Saturday's Patriot League opener. This is his fourth award this season, topping the three he earned during his half-season of eligibility last year. The seven awards put him one POW away from matching the record of eight last set by Garrison Carr '09, as well as Lafayette's Brian Ehlers and Colgate's Adonal Foyle, who just retired from the NBA
ECAC Player of the Week, 1/3
PL Press Release
The ECAC is the only multi-divisional conference in the country, and 300 some odd institutions (in all 3 divisions) in the eastern half of the country belong to ECAC to help facilitate competition in sports that their primary conferences do not offer (i.e. AU and wrestling). ECAC's Division 1 membership ranges from the Patriot League to top members of the Big East and ACC, so when they announce their respective players of the week (one for each division), it's serious business. This week, Vlad was given the honor for averaging 24 ppg and 5.5 rpg as AU dominated the Cable Car Classic. To make the ensuing matchup with Lehigh even more interesting, the Mountain Hawk's CJ McCollum was named ECAC POW two weeks prior.
Back-to-Back mentions in ESPN College Hoops Weekly Watch, 1/3 & 1/9
Week 7
Week 6
Every week, ESPN's Brett Edgerton throws a handful of notable performances in with Andy Katz's player of the week. While Vlad didn't get the highest nod, he has appeared in consecutive weeks as a "performance that wowed us" both for his Cable Car Classic domination as well as his utter impalement of Lehigh.
Rush the Court names Vlad unofficial PL POW and credits AUHoops.com for "Vlad the Impaler" moniker, 1/8
Rush the Court PL Check-in
I'll be forthcoming and say this one is as much a pat on the back for us as it is for Vlad. Rush the Court, which consistently lives up to its moniker as "The Ubiquitous College Basketblog", names Vlad its unofficial Player of the Week in its weekly Patriot League check-in. RTC Patriot League correspondent Kevin Doyle writes the following:
"Vlad the Impaler - a nickname that Moldoveanu has been anointed with by AUHoops.com - lived up to the name as he averaged 24 points, combined to go 17-18 from the charity stripe in three games, and led American to a perfect record over the past two weeks. Standing at 6'9", Moldoveanu poses countless matchup problems for opponents as he has the ability to lurk around the arc and hit a three-pointer (36-94)."
While I'm not sure we can take full credit for the name (I have word it was even thrown around once or twice during Vlad's tenure at George Mason), it is one of our favorite things to write, so thanks for the recognition!
Cable Car Classic MVP, 12/30
Cable Car Classic Recap, AUeagles.com
In case anyone missed it, Vlad brought his impaling ways to the West Coast as he helped to lead the Eagles to a Cable Car Classic Championship - and made it look easy (see above for the stat line). Without a doubt, he deserved the tournament's Most Valuable Player designation. While the Cable Car Classic has lost some prominence in recent years, it's worth noting that this same award was given to UNC's Harold Keeling in 1981 - of the same UNC roster that won a national championship with Michael Jordan to conclude that season.
Eye on the Eagles profiles Vlad
AU ECAC POW Press Release (video at bottom), AUeagles.com
Although not really an award, Vlad was profiled in the latest edition of Eye on the Eagles, AU Athletics' monthly show that airs on Comcast Sportsnet. It's one of the best looks into the mind of The Impaler out there.
Vlad must be a front-runner at this point for Patriot League Player of the Year. However, he faces some of his greatest competition for the title in Bucknell's Mike Muscala, Bryan Cohen, and Darryl Shazier in our next League contest. I'll see you in Bender on Wednesday as Vlad continues to send a message to the toughest the Patriot League has to offer: we WILL be dancing in March! GO EAGLES!
Pro Deo Et Patria,
Josh
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Vlad Sets a Career High and the Eagles Come out with an 82-75 Win over Lehigh
Senior Vlad Moldoveanu set a new career-high with 39 points to give AU an 82-75 win over Lehigh to start the conference season off 1-0.
The game was hardly as pretty as a score with 157 points might indicate. Neither team shot above 37 percent in the first half, and with just seconds remaining in the half, Sophomore Daniel Munoz slipped and fumbled the ball away, which set up an easy layup that put the Mountain Hawks up 30-27 going into the break.
But, as those who sat near Coach Jeff Jones might be able to confirm, he never lost his cool on the bench. He didn't yell in his halftime speech, he just told his players to fight through Lehigh's press defense.
"I didn't raise my voice at all," Jones said. "The guys were trying hard. Lehigh is a good team and they play a style that makes it difficult to get into rhythm."
In the second half the Hawks built a 35-29 lead before Nick Hendra found Moldoveanu open on the right wing for his first of three successful three point shots to cut the lead to 35-32. It was Moldoveanu's first three points of a 29-point half.
"I don't think we did anything different," Moldoveanu said. "We played as hard as we could. My teammates got me the ball in really good spots, they set good screens and found me in transition for a three."
Hendra has done a lot of assisting lately. His 56 dimes lead the team, and after getting suspended for a game last season for conduct reasons, Jones sees improvement from Hendra in his senior year.
"Nick has been much better," Jones said. "I would credit that to a recommitment on his part to be the best player he can be, but more importantly to be the best teammate that he can be. I think it stems from some added maturity that he has, but it's welcome because he's doing a great job.
"Statistically he's not a big scorer but he can score when needed. He's our leading assist-man and he has a great assist-to-turnover ratio. I think, for my money he's as good as there is, and I couldn't have said this - wouldn't have said this prior to this year - but he's as good a wing defender as there is in the conference."
Hendra managed five assists against the press defense that Lehigh put on.
"I think I took two jump shots today, and I don't think either of them went," Hendra said. "When a team wants to pressure you like that the first thing I always think about is, 'all right, I'm going to go right back at you and try to go by you and create something for my teammates.' Most of the time, I'm not really looking to score on my own but maybe a dump down to Lumpkins or a kickoff to Troy or Vlad, that's always my mentality when a team wants to get up and pressure me."
A win over Lehigh was something that the team was looking forward to after being swept last season. Last year, Moldoveanu had 50 points in three games against the Mountain Haws - 24 points in the regular season meetings and just two points in the playoff matchup.
"I was thinking about the fact that they beat us all three times last year, and they beat us pretty good from what I remember," Moldoveanu said. "And to be honest with you, I remember the playoff game where I had [2] points in [19] minutes in the playoffs. I had to step up."
The Eagles will be back to work on Monday to get ready for a game against Bucknell in Bender on Wednesday night.
"I hope the guys get CBS College sports channel and they can watch Bucknell play tonight," Jones said.
Then practice on Monday.
"It's conference season," Hendra said.
The game was hardly as pretty as a score with 157 points might indicate. Neither team shot above 37 percent in the first half, and with just seconds remaining in the half, Sophomore Daniel Munoz slipped and fumbled the ball away, which set up an easy layup that put the Mountain Hawks up 30-27 going into the break.
But, as those who sat near Coach Jeff Jones might be able to confirm, he never lost his cool on the bench. He didn't yell in his halftime speech, he just told his players to fight through Lehigh's press defense.
"I didn't raise my voice at all," Jones said. "The guys were trying hard. Lehigh is a good team and they play a style that makes it difficult to get into rhythm."
In the second half the Hawks built a 35-29 lead before Nick Hendra found Moldoveanu open on the right wing for his first of three successful three point shots to cut the lead to 35-32. It was Moldoveanu's first three points of a 29-point half.
"I don't think we did anything different," Moldoveanu said. "We played as hard as we could. My teammates got me the ball in really good spots, they set good screens and found me in transition for a three."
Hendra has done a lot of assisting lately. His 56 dimes lead the team, and after getting suspended for a game last season for conduct reasons, Jones sees improvement from Hendra in his senior year.
"Nick has been much better," Jones said. "I would credit that to a recommitment on his part to be the best player he can be, but more importantly to be the best teammate that he can be. I think it stems from some added maturity that he has, but it's welcome because he's doing a great job.
"Statistically he's not a big scorer but he can score when needed. He's our leading assist-man and he has a great assist-to-turnover ratio. I think, for my money he's as good as there is, and I couldn't have said this - wouldn't have said this prior to this year - but he's as good a wing defender as there is in the conference."
Hendra managed five assists against the press defense that Lehigh put on.
"I think I took two jump shots today, and I don't think either of them went," Hendra said. "When a team wants to pressure you like that the first thing I always think about is, 'all right, I'm going to go right back at you and try to go by you and create something for my teammates.' Most of the time, I'm not really looking to score on my own but maybe a dump down to Lumpkins or a kickoff to Troy or Vlad, that's always my mentality when a team wants to get up and pressure me."
A win over Lehigh was something that the team was looking forward to after being swept last season. Last year, Moldoveanu had 50 points in three games against the Mountain Haws - 24 points in the regular season meetings and just two points in the playoff matchup.
"I was thinking about the fact that they beat us all three times last year, and they beat us pretty good from what I remember," Moldoveanu said. "And to be honest with you, I remember the playoff game where I had [2] points in [19] minutes in the playoffs. I had to step up."
The Eagles will be back to work on Monday to get ready for a game against Bucknell in Bender on Wednesday night.
"I hope the guys get CBS College sports channel and they can watch Bucknell play tonight," Jones said.
Then practice on Monday.
"It's conference season," Hendra said.
Goin' Huntin' for Hill Pigeons
The Eagles (10-5) and the defending champion Mountain Hawks (9-6) sport the top two out-of-conference records in the League. In fact, Lehigh sported an identical 9-6 record last season, as we tried to put our 3-12 debacle behind us with a trip to Bethlehem, PA. Sadly, that game ended in a 78-67 loss, and we ultimately dropped two more games to the Pigeons, with a 77-65 loss at home and a 79-57 loss in the Patriot League Semifinals at Lehigh to put an end to a dismal season.
Needless to say, this is not last season. The Sweet, Sweet Revenge Tour of 2010 saw great success, with victories over a number of tough (and not-so-tough) teams that handed our feathers to us last season. A win over the Mountain Hawks would undoubtedly be the crowning achievement of the Tour, avenging three losses in a single season by an average margin of 15 ppg. Can we do it? Has a year of experience, personnel additions, and an appetite for revenge given us what we need to not just climb the Mountain those Hawks live upon, but blow it to pieces? If we play our cards right, it sure does.
One of the weakest links in our tear-inducing 22 point semifinal loss to Lehigh last season was Vlad the Impaler's untimely cold streak that happened to coincide with the Patriot League Tournament. Sure, Stephen Lumpkins stepped up, averaging over 20 ppg for a three-game span and absolutely dominating the post, but it wasn't enough to overcome the strong frontcourt play of Lehigh's Marquis Hall, backed up by Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year, and the player with the largest target painted on his back in the League, CJ McCollum.
Enough waxing nostalgic, let's cut to the chase. Recently, Vlad's been on fire. It is a holy Romanian fire that can only be quenched by the blood of his adversaries, and CJ McCollum has to be #1 on his list (now that Randolph-Macon is squarely put away). Vlad (20.6 ppg) and CJ (20.5 ppg) are the #1 and #2 scorers in the Patriot League, and take the 3rd and 6th most shots for their teams respectively in the entire NCAA. They've been trading the 1 and 2 spots all season, each putting up impressive 30+ point performances multiple times. It will be up to the rest of their teams to stop the other, as Vlad will have trouble defending the quicker McCollum, while he will have trouble matching Vlad's reach. If either of these players comes out cold today, it could cost their team the game.
Speaking of reach, however, McCollum also leads his team in rebounds with 6.9 rpg, good for third in the Patriot League. Our star power here is brought by Stephen Lumpkins, who tops McCollum with an incredible 8 rpg, leading the League in this critical statistic as well. Lehigh has lost essential frontcourt cogs Zahir Carrington and Marquis Hall to graduation, which is to our advantage as both of these players gave Lumpkins fits last season and allowed McCollum to do damage at will. Outside of sophomore big man Gabe Knutson, Lehigh has little answer to the size and athleticism of our frontcourt this season, which might give us the advantage.
This advantage, however, hinges on the play of our backcourt. The tried-and-true Danny and Steve point guard duo isn't the biggest scoring threat on the court, as they combine to average 6 ppg, and often show hesitance to drive inside (although recently Danny has become more comfortable with this). However, in the past few games they've avoided turning the ball over almost entirely, displaying incredible ball-handling skills that have allowed our real offensive weapons to fire on all cylinders. In the past 15 games, Danny and Steve have turned the ball over 31 times and dished out 73 assists, good for a 2.35 assist-to-turnover ratio. That's solid, and has clearly improved as the season progresses. Their ball handling will be key, as on defense they likely won't be able to stop Lehigh's speedy backcourt. Charles Hinkle will have to prove he is the defensive stopper that he's been touted as, and Troy will have to put his raw athleticism to good use to guard McCollum. However if we can keep the ball on our possessions and keep the game at our pace, which means not throwing up threes with reckless abandon, we should come out on top.
Speaking of threes, Troy has been our other spark on the offensive end this season. He's come off of his recent road slump, putting up 19 points against Brown on Monday. For the season, he's shot over 40% from beyond the arc, and if he can keep up his hot streak in the friendly confines of his home court, it may be too much for the Hawks to handle. At the same time, however, he can't shoot recklessly. Lehigh is a quick, high-scoring team that will take control early if we are popping up treys with 20 seconds left on the clock, and that sort of rhythm is not where we want to be. We lead the Patriot League in scoring defense, and have held far more potent offenses far below their season averages, so I am confident we can continue.
We've faced a number of common opponents as well. Fordham, whom we recently dismantled in the first round of the Cable Car Classic, defeated Lehigh on their home court 74-67. Our first game (and win) of the season, St. Francis (PA) finished their Patriot League tour in Lehigh's Stabler Arena and walked away with a 79-61 defeat. That's a 1-1 record against teams we've defeated, although that means little with the intensity Patriot League contests bring. Right now both AU and Lehigh are coming off of three-game win streaks to conclude out-of-conference play.
You may have noticed that up to this point, Lehigh's roleplayers outside of McCollum have been mentioned only sparingly. McCollum's supporting cast, however, is nothing to look lightly upon. Guard Michael Ojo just put up 33 points in a victory over NJIT, and however sordid NJIT may be (they only recently moved to Division 1), that's an impressive figure. Ojo averages 14 ppg, and he is joined in the double figure category by 6'9" sophomore forward Gabe Knutson with 11.9 ppg. Freshman guard Mackey McKnight has been a very solid addition to the Pigeon's roster this season, averaging 8.7 ppg, and may be a contender for the League Rookie of the Year. The game-changer in most of these matchups may end up being experience, with most of Lehigh's core players being freshmen or sophomores.
Our experienced squad, on the other hand, has a chip on their shoulder from last season. Recently, Coach Jones has lamented about a lack of the competitive edge that drove the 08-09 team to victory. I have no doubt that playing Lehigh will provide that spark. Losing to them three times last year, as a freshman McCollum smiled into a TV camera, waved three fingers in the air, and mouthed "no threepeat", was a blow that they know they can overcome now. If you asked me (and, ultimately, Troy Brewer in the press conference), the slow start on Monday was due to us overlooking Brown and looking ahead instead of at the moment. This game is what we were looking ahead to. This is the moment.
BEAT LEHIGH!
Pro Deo Et Patria,
Josh
NOTES: Tipoff is at 2 PM in Bender Arena. Blue Crew, if you can come, our Eagles need all the support they can get, and the best home court advantage in the Patriot League will be there to give it to them. If you can't, Bill will be liveblogging right from the sidelines, so join us for some virtual action. GO EAGLES!
Friday, January 7, 2011
On the Verge of Patriot League Play, a Look at the Competition
Gooooood evening AU Hoops fans! I hope you're all incredibly excited for our match-up with the Lehigh Hill Pigeons in Bender Arena tomorrow afternoon at 2pm! We'll be there liveblogging courtside for you in what could very well be a semi-final or PL championship match-up later in the season. Josh will be giving you the preview of this game later, so I wanted to examine the other PL teams and how they fared overall through non-conference play. I've also got some tidbits about AU that'll I'll throw in at the end!
Sports Center Renovations Possible in 2011
From the AU Office of the University Architect website, dated January 5th, 2011*:
"Sports Center:
Reviewing requests to remodel team locker rooms, add an office for the Jacobs Fitness Center, and remodel the second floor lobby."
Could this be the kick in the pants we need to put us over the edge in Patriot League recruiting? Discuss.
*While the page is dated 2010, observation has yielded that this is a "New Year's typo" and this information is recent.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
AU Beats Brown 77-67 but Feels Like it Left a Lot on the Court
As the Eagles gear up for the rematch of last season's Patriot League Semifinals game this Saturday, the team is trying to put an inconsistent 10-point win over Brown behind them. There are a lot of things to like about their performance, especially on offense: 77 points, just five turnovers, and 15 team assists sound like good numbers.
But after two solid games in the Cable Car Classic, and the thought of the Patriot League schedule starting Saturday against Lehigh, this was the perfect place for a mental letdown.
"I think we did somewhat overlook them in the beginning, and that's why the game started out the way it did," junior Troy Brewer said. "We weren't really prepared with the mindset to come in here and play the game the way we should have, which could have cost us."
But Jones doesn't see a reason for the team to have lost its focus after a good stretch.
"My question would be 'why?'" Jones said. "We just played two really good games, why not play a third game really, really well? To me that's what really good teams do and that's why we're not a really good team. That's what we're striving to become, but that's what that group Gilmore and Carr and those guys did day after day after day in practice. They were so competitive. We don't have that edge yet. We've got to find that edge. We've got some guys that are like that, but it takes all of us to have that edge, that chip on your shoulder."
Junior Stephen Lumpkins also played just nine minutes in the first half and 28 overall. Jones said it was a benching and not a strategic decision to go small, but would only say that, "We weren't doing the things that we have to do to be successful."
For a team with 10 wins out of conference after a season where they won just 11 games total, Jones is having a tough time deciding who his go-to players are. He's still waiting for someone to dictate the pace of practice and hold players accountable when they slack off.
Typically around this time, Jones' roster shrinks to a core rotation that defines the team throughout the conference schedule and into the tournament. With the team two years ago, it was easy to decide that group, but this team hasn't been as consistent.
"Once you get a core group - five guys, six guys, seven guys - then you can kinda start figuring that out, or at least that's the way I do it," Jones said. "But right now, it's not the same six or seven guys every game."
The team tore through the Patriot League schedule two years ago, losing just once at Holy Cross, a team it would later defeat to win the conference. That team was much different than this one: it was defined by a trio of top notch talent and solid leadership. This bunch arguably has more talent and depth than that team did. But the leadership void has to be filled.
"You let up with [the team in 2008-09] and they let you hear about it," Jones said. "We've got to have more of that, and it can't come from me. I'm not panicked. I want more because we have more to give."
But after two solid games in the Cable Car Classic, and the thought of the Patriot League schedule starting Saturday against Lehigh, this was the perfect place for a mental letdown.
"I think we did somewhat overlook them in the beginning, and that's why the game started out the way it did," junior Troy Brewer said. "We weren't really prepared with the mindset to come in here and play the game the way we should have, which could have cost us."
But Jones doesn't see a reason for the team to have lost its focus after a good stretch.
"My question would be 'why?'" Jones said. "We just played two really good games, why not play a third game really, really well? To me that's what really good teams do and that's why we're not a really good team. That's what we're striving to become, but that's what that group Gilmore and Carr and those guys did day after day after day in practice. They were so competitive. We don't have that edge yet. We've got to find that edge. We've got some guys that are like that, but it takes all of us to have that edge, that chip on your shoulder."
Junior Stephen Lumpkins also played just nine minutes in the first half and 28 overall. Jones said it was a benching and not a strategic decision to go small, but would only say that, "We weren't doing the things that we have to do to be successful."
For a team with 10 wins out of conference after a season where they won just 11 games total, Jones is having a tough time deciding who his go-to players are. He's still waiting for someone to dictate the pace of practice and hold players accountable when they slack off.
Typically around this time, Jones' roster shrinks to a core rotation that defines the team throughout the conference schedule and into the tournament. With the team two years ago, it was easy to decide that group, but this team hasn't been as consistent.
"Once you get a core group - five guys, six guys, seven guys - then you can kinda start figuring that out, or at least that's the way I do it," Jones said. "But right now, it's not the same six or seven guys every game."
The team tore through the Patriot League schedule two years ago, losing just once at Holy Cross, a team it would later defeat to win the conference. That team was much different than this one: it was defined by a trio of top notch talent and solid leadership. This bunch arguably has more talent and depth than that team did. But the leadership void has to be filled.
"You let up with [the team in 2008-09] and they let you hear about it," Jones said. "We've got to have more of that, and it can't come from me. I'm not panicked. I want more because we have more to give."
Monday, January 3, 2011
What Can Brown Do For Us? Well, Lose, That's What
How great would it be to finish with a 10-5 out-of-conference record after last season's 3-12 debacle? Well, that's a very real possibility this evening when the face the Bears of Brown University (5-6) at 7:30 PM in the familiar confines of Bender Arena for the first time in eight games and over a month. In fact, this will be Charles' first true home game, if you can imagine that. Brown is a formidable squad, and surprisingly we are 2-4 all-time against the Bears (2-1 since the 80's, though), although we have seen victory for the past two seasons. Who's going to bring down Brown? These guys:
That's right, folks. You are looking upon the CABLE CAR CLASSIC 2010 CHAMPIONS! OK, OK, maybe it's not the most important in-season tournament in the world, but it was both an accomplishment and a statement. What looked like a pitiful field of competition before the season started turned into a formidable mid-major tournament, and this is still the same Cable Car Classic that Michael Jordan won with the Tar Heels in the early 80's. OK, how about a more relevant statistic: last year's MVP, Matt Janning of Northeastern, went on to the NBA. This year's MVP? None other than Vlad Moldoveanu, averaging 24 points and 5.5 rebounds in the the tournament, 3,000 miles away from Bender Arena. Or how about Stephen Lumpkins, averaging a double-double with 16.5 ppg and 10 rpg? I'll get to Brown in a second, but it cannot be overstated how impressed I am that we went to Santa Clara and handily dominated two very decent mid-major teams for a full 80 minutes of regulation. We never trailed, and our lead was never seriously threatened. Until this point, we had proven ourselves primarily against teams with records far below .500, or teams in the top echelon of college hoops where merely standing our ground was a moral victory. At the Cable Car Classic, we proved we can take down teams our own size, which will be important this evening in Bender.
The Bears are no pushover team. While their 5-6 record doesn't put them near the top of the Ivy League, they've played some very close games this season against familiar competition. Brown opened the season by downing Fordham 69-65, and on December 21st they defeated fellow Patriot League member Army 88-86. Other than those games, the Bears' best competition this season has been Rhode Island and Providence College, which both resulted in losses for Brown. Needless to say, Brown is lacking a signature win on the still-young season, and we would make an excellent feather in their furry cap.
So let's cut to the chase. Will they beat us? I don't think so. We are a road-hardened team whose pieces have really started to come together, and we've spent the last month playing some of the best competition in the country in difficult arenas, while Brown sports a 2-5 record on the road. Playing a middling Ivy league team in Bender should be a piece of cake by comparison. Of course, it's hard to forget that our worst loss of the season so far came to such a team - Columbia's narrow victory (and our last true home game) still burns my fingers to write about. However, this time it's a different story. First, to the best of my knowlege Vlad will not be out this game, and although it is far from a valid excuse, his absence more than anything else was what allowed Columbia to slip past us for the victory. Additionally, Charles is eligible this time as well, providing a boost of toughness that Brown will be hard-pressed to match. Second, we have a chip on our shoulder, and I don't see us letting another Columbia happen as we gear up for Patriot League play. Third, Assistant Coach Lamar Barrett comes to us straight from Brown (and spent the last two seasons watching us beat them from the other bench), providing a tactical advantage. Finally, if last year's squad was able to hand the Bears a 76-68 spanking on their home court (and 75% of Brown's team remains the same), we should be able to do the same this year too. Convinced yet?
Despite this, we cannot rest on our laurels if we wish to avoid another embarrassing defeat to a team pretentious enough to wrap its logo in Microsoft Paint ivy:
The Bears do have a few outstanding players, including three that average double figures. Senior forward Patrick Sullivan averages 14 ppg and is solid from beyond the arc. If Charles can adequately guard him, we should be OK from the perimeter, although this is still no excuse to lob up endless threes with 20 seconds left on the clock. Brown is also a relatively large team for the Ivy League, with four players standing at 6'8". Two of them, Tucker Halpern and Andrew McCarthy, are solid in the post, between them averaging 15 ppg and 10 rpg. This shouldn't be more than Lump can handle, though. Our biggest problem I can see if Garrett Lefellman, who is averaging 10 ppg at the one. Danny and Steve are going to have to maintain their streak of excellent ball handling (between the two of them they had 12 assists and only one turnover in BOTH games of the Cable Car Classic - that's a 6.0 A:TO ratio), and stay on Lefellman on the defensive end like a fly on a sweaty bear (see what I did there)?
Ultimately, we out-talent the bears in just about every way. We're bigger, more athletic, and more experienced. By all means, this should be a W and a great way to close out our out-of-conference schedule. We'll be liveblogging the game tonight, starting shortly before 7:30, so come on over if you aren't able to make it to campus. If you can make it to Bender, however, then our guys need your support more than ever after their long roadtrip. As always, BE LOUD, BE PROUD, and BE BLUE and give the Eagles the best home court advantage in the Patriot or Ivy Leagues. What do we eat? BEAR MEAT!
Finally, here's the long-awaited results of our most recent Poll of the Week:
The results are more or less as expected, with Bucknell and Lehigh dominating. I think folks might be underestimating Holy Cross a bit, as even though they've ended up going 1-12 so far, they've had a number of close games against a decently tough strength of schedule (and even with our 3-12 record last year, we went 7-7 in the League). Going up to Worcester will be a challenge no matter the Crusaders' record.
However, what might be more off is the deference voters gave to The CJ McCollum Show-- erm, I mean Lehigh. While they are definitely good, have a solid record, and will be a tough matchup, Bucknell really hit its stride and went 7-1 in December to improve its record to 8-7. While this doesn't seem that impressive, they had the toughest strength of schedule in the League, and posted impressive victories over LaSalle and Richmond (the latter coming off a last-second buzzer beater to win by a single point). Additionally they absolutely pasted Dartmouth at home by about 30 points (in a way we've failed to do this season to vastly inferior teams), and narrowly lost to the ACC's Boston College 84-80 after leading at halftime.
Without a doubt, Bucknell is the most well-rounded of our League opposition and will be a serious challenge, especially at Sojka Pavilion. I'm confident we can pull it out though, and bring home another Patriot League Championship despite the Bison's best efforts. Of course, these are just my opinions, which is why we have the poll in the first place! This week we ask, "What will our Patriot League record be?"
Pro Deo Et Patria and GO EAGLES!
Josh
That's right, folks. You are looking upon the CABLE CAR CLASSIC 2010 CHAMPIONS! OK, OK, maybe it's not the most important in-season tournament in the world, but it was both an accomplishment and a statement. What looked like a pitiful field of competition before the season started turned into a formidable mid-major tournament, and this is still the same Cable Car Classic that Michael Jordan won with the Tar Heels in the early 80's. OK, how about a more relevant statistic: last year's MVP, Matt Janning of Northeastern, went on to the NBA. This year's MVP? None other than Vlad Moldoveanu, averaging 24 points and 5.5 rebounds in the the tournament, 3,000 miles away from Bender Arena. Or how about Stephen Lumpkins, averaging a double-double with 16.5 ppg and 10 rpg? I'll get to Brown in a second, but it cannot be overstated how impressed I am that we went to Santa Clara and handily dominated two very decent mid-major teams for a full 80 minutes of regulation. We never trailed, and our lead was never seriously threatened. Until this point, we had proven ourselves primarily against teams with records far below .500, or teams in the top echelon of college hoops where merely standing our ground was a moral victory. At the Cable Car Classic, we proved we can take down teams our own size, which will be important this evening in Bender.
The Bears are no pushover team. While their 5-6 record doesn't put them near the top of the Ivy League, they've played some very close games this season against familiar competition. Brown opened the season by downing Fordham 69-65, and on December 21st they defeated fellow Patriot League member Army 88-86. Other than those games, the Bears' best competition this season has been Rhode Island and Providence College, which both resulted in losses for Brown. Needless to say, Brown is lacking a signature win on the still-young season, and we would make an excellent feather in their furry cap.
So let's cut to the chase. Will they beat us? I don't think so. We are a road-hardened team whose pieces have really started to come together, and we've spent the last month playing some of the best competition in the country in difficult arenas, while Brown sports a 2-5 record on the road. Playing a middling Ivy league team in Bender should be a piece of cake by comparison. Of course, it's hard to forget that our worst loss of the season so far came to such a team - Columbia's narrow victory (and our last true home game) still burns my fingers to write about. However, this time it's a different story. First, to the best of my knowlege Vlad will not be out this game, and although it is far from a valid excuse, his absence more than anything else was what allowed Columbia to slip past us for the victory. Additionally, Charles is eligible this time as well, providing a boost of toughness that Brown will be hard-pressed to match. Second, we have a chip on our shoulder, and I don't see us letting another Columbia happen as we gear up for Patriot League play. Third, Assistant Coach Lamar Barrett comes to us straight from Brown (and spent the last two seasons watching us beat them from the other bench), providing a tactical advantage. Finally, if last year's squad was able to hand the Bears a 76-68 spanking on their home court (and 75% of Brown's team remains the same), we should be able to do the same this year too. Convinced yet?
Despite this, we cannot rest on our laurels if we wish to avoid another embarrassing defeat to a team pretentious enough to wrap its logo in Microsoft Paint ivy:
 |
| I can't make this stuff up |
Ultimately, we out-talent the bears in just about every way. We're bigger, more athletic, and more experienced. By all means, this should be a W and a great way to close out our out-of-conference schedule. We'll be liveblogging the game tonight, starting shortly before 7:30, so come on over if you aren't able to make it to campus. If you can make it to Bender, however, then our guys need your support more than ever after their long roadtrip. As always, BE LOUD, BE PROUD, and BE BLUE and give the Eagles the best home court advantage in the Patriot or Ivy Leagues. What do we eat? BEAR MEAT!
Finally, here's the long-awaited results of our most recent Poll of the Week:
Which Patriot League opponent will be our greatest contender for the title?
18 (31%) |
3 (5%) |
27 (47%) |
2 (3%) |
4 (7%) |
1 (1%) |
2 (3%) |
Votes so far: 57
The results are more or less as expected, with Bucknell and Lehigh dominating. I think folks might be underestimating Holy Cross a bit, as even though they've ended up going 1-12 so far, they've had a number of close games against a decently tough strength of schedule (and even with our 3-12 record last year, we went 7-7 in the League). Going up to Worcester will be a challenge no matter the Crusaders' record.
However, what might be more off is the deference voters gave to The CJ McCollum Show-- erm, I mean Lehigh. While they are definitely good, have a solid record, and will be a tough matchup, Bucknell really hit its stride and went 7-1 in December to improve its record to 8-7. While this doesn't seem that impressive, they had the toughest strength of schedule in the League, and posted impressive victories over LaSalle and Richmond (the latter coming off a last-second buzzer beater to win by a single point). Additionally they absolutely pasted Dartmouth at home by about 30 points (in a way we've failed to do this season to vastly inferior teams), and narrowly lost to the ACC's Boston College 84-80 after leading at halftime.
Without a doubt, Bucknell is the most well-rounded of our League opposition and will be a serious challenge, especially at Sojka Pavilion. I'm confident we can pull it out though, and bring home another Patriot League Championship despite the Bison's best efforts. Of course, these are just my opinions, which is why we have the poll in the first place! This week we ask, "What will our Patriot League record be?"
Pro Deo Et Patria and GO EAGLES!
Josh
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