Reality Check

So I was going to write a Patriot League Check-In tonight. I still may, though it's doubtful. The Patriot League isn't doing much right now. Overall the PL is 13-21. Hardly overpowering. Only AU (4-0) and, surprisingly, Army (3-1) have records about .500. Oof. They're out there playing some good teams I guess. Holy Cross, for example, has losses to Boston College, the College of Charleston, Harvard, and perennial powerhouse UNH (wait, what?). Ah well. Anyway, that's your check-in. If you want something more in-depth, that'll follow after an important reality check. Brace yourselves.

WE'RE 4-0. Seriously. Undefeated.

Good, Bad, and Ugly (which I increasingly dislike writing because I think it's unproductive and overly critical and not supportive, none of which are things I want this blog to be) aside, the team is playing well. How do I know this? Because we're 4-0. We're playing well enough to win. We're averaging wins by double figures. We're allowing a league best 56.5 points a game. We've got three guys averaging double figures. We have Vlad Moldoveanu, who has won back-to-back Patriot League Player of the Week awards (congrats on that, by the way, Impaler). We've got a senior threesome that is playing well, showing great leadership, and playing with a lot of guts and heart. You always want players who are playing with their internal organs, folks. Pro-tip from me to you.

So let's put it in perspective and make it clear: we're incredibly happy about the team's success. The team is playing well so far. Could it play better? Sure. But this team has a hell of a lot of promise. And they deserve to be praised and congratulated for giving this fan base hope and firing us up so early in the season.

So, thanks AU Eagles, for giving us such a great start to the season. We hope you'll continue! Keep it up, and GO EAGLES!

Now, for the rest of you who wanted a PL Check-In. Here it is, some tidbits from the Patriot League press release today:


Flip-Flop on the Scoring Charts
American and Army finished seventh and eighth in scoring offense in the Patriot League last season, but the teams have turned those numbers all the way around during their fast start to the 2010-11 campaign. The Black Knights have gone from worst to first by improving from last year's 60.3 points per game to their current mark of 73.0. American has risen up from seventh to second, though it's average has only bumped up slightly from 62.6 to 66.5. The Eagles have made it up on the defensive end by allowing just 56.5 points per game, the top mark in the Patriot League. Going in the other direction are Navy and Lafayette, who sit seventh and eighth in the League in scoring after placing in the top three last season.


St. Francis (Pa.) was practically another member of the Patriot League during the first two weeks of the season, as the Red Flash played four games against League squads to open the year. American and Lafayette each won at home against St. Francis (Pa.), while Colgate and Bucknell dropped their contests on the road. Each game except for American was decided by four points or less, with Bucknell taking a heartbreaking 68-67 defeat over the weekend. There are other common opponents early in the 2010-11 season as well, as Colgate lost and Bucknell won at home agaisnt Binghamton, with Army hosting the Bearcats on Tuesday. Lafayette fell at Wagner to open the season, while Lehigh beat the Seahawks in Bethlehem. Wagner also visits Bucknell on Nov. 29. In addition to those teams, Columbia plays three Patriot League teams by Dec. 1, beginning with Colgate at home on Tuesday and also goes to Lafayette in January. No. 6 Villanova has defeated both Bucknell and Lafayette. Princeton, Stony Brook, Buffalo, New Hampshire, Penn and NJIT also play multiple Patriot League opponents early in the season.

Moldoveanu Leading the Way
American's early success would not be possible without senior forward Vlad Moldoveanu, who leads the Patriot League with 22.0 points per game and has been a key cog in each of American's victories. He scored 24 points to help American to a 62-52 win over St. Francis (Pa.) in the season opener on Nov. 12, a team-high 11 in a 57-44 win over Albany on Nov. 15 and shared team honors with 22 points in Saturday's 82-72 win at Florida Atlantic. But where he really had to put the team on his back was on Wednesday, when he scored 16 points in the final 4:10 as the Eagles held an 18-11 advantage down the stretch in a 65-58 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore. Moldoveanu hit back-to-back three-pointers for a 53-47 edge with 3:25 to play that put the Eagles in front for good, and put the game away by making five free throws in the final 24 seconds after American's lead had been cut to two. He finished with a season-high 31 points on 9-of-15 shooting including 6-of-7 from three-point range, matching the high for a Patriot League player this season. Due in large part to that performance, Moldoveanu earned his second straight Patriot League Player of the Week award on Monday, joining Lehigh's Brett Eppehimer (1997-98) as the only two players to win the first two weekly honors of the season.

The Bison head to Harrisonburg, Virginia on the campus of James Madison University for their subregional in the event. Bucknell will play Presbyterian on Monday and Princeton on Tuesday in games that tip off at 4:30 p.m., and then face the host Dukes to complete the week at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Bucknell has a 1-3 mark for the season, and has lost all of its games played away from home after a 68-67 heartbreaker at St. Francis (Pa.) on Saturday.

American is off to the fastest start for a Patriot League team, winning its opening four contests for the first time since the 1985-86 season. The Eagles continued their streak on Saturday with an 82-72 win over Florida Atlantic where Vlad Moldoveanu and Stephen Lumpkins each scored 22 points. Moldoveanu was also named Patriot League Anaconda Player of the Week on Monday for the second straight time.

While American's success was expected, Army has been a surprise with a 3-1 start. The Black Knights won their second straight road contest with a 76-66 triumph at Bryant on Saturday, and will try to win their third game in a row when they host Binghamton on Tuesday.

Defending Patriot League champion Lehigh comes back to its home court on Monday to take on returning Ivy League champion and 2009-10 Sweet 16 participant Cornell. The Mountain Hawks dropped a 69-68 final at Monmouth on Friday.

Colgate and Holy Cross are each still in search of their first win of the season, as the Raiders fell at No. 1 Duke and the Crusaders lost a close 55-52 contest at New Hampshire over the weekend. The Raiders are at Columbia on Tuesday, while the Crusaders will go to Boston College on Monday.

Lafayette will look for its first-ever victory against Penn at The Palestra when it visits the Quakers on Tuesday. The Leopards are traveling to Philadelphia for the second straight game after losing at No. 6 Villanova on Saturday.

Navy comes off a west coast trip where it lost contests to host UC Irvine, Louisiana Tech and Seattle in a subregional of the 2K Sports Classic over the weekend. The Mids try to get into the win column when they visit Towson on Wednesday.


Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!