With the last weekend of conference play looming, absolutely nothing is settled. Depending on how things go, every team in the conference can move as many as two conference tournament seed lines. The only exceptions are Campbell and Stetson, who are playing for the six seed.
Not to go all NFL on you, but here are the conference championship scenarios:
Jacksonville -- Win at Lipscomb OR Win at Belmont. This eliminates ETSU, and Jacksonville wins all tiebreakers with Belmont by virtue of Lipscomb finishing with a better conference record than Campbell.
Belmont -- Win vs. Jacksonville AND Lipscomb win vs. Jacksonville. For Belmont to win the conference title, they need to be tied with Jacksonville going into Saturday's game.
ETSU -- Win vs. Kennesaw AND Win vs. Mercer AND North Florida win at Belmont AND Lipscomb win vs. Jacksonville AND Belmont win vs. Jacksonville. ETSU's only hope is to get into a three-way tie with Jacksonville and Belmont at 14-6. If they do, they win because they would have a season sweep over Mercer while Jacksonville's best sweep would be Stetson and Belmont's would be Campbell. In that scenario, the outcome of the Stetson-Campbell game would determine who gets the 2 seed (and the Wednesday quarterfinal) and who ends up third.
This year, winning the conference title is huge, because you get both an automatic invite to the NIT even if you lose in the conference tournament, PLUS you get a bye into the semifinals, meaning you don't have to play until Friday. The 2-seed plays the seven Wednesday night, while 3 vs. 6 and 4 vs. 5 happen Thursday.
While another Battle of the Boulevard might be fun, what I would really love to see is a Belmont-Campbell rematch. Seriously, that comeback was ridiculous.
Player of the Week -- Eni Cuka gets the nod from the conference office. Now understand three things: 1) I love North Florida. The whole idea of a knock-down, drag-out, team-wide road trip chess tournament is just too awesome for words. 2) I like the idea of limiting "Player of the Week" to teams that won both games. I disagree with the policy but I appreciate the sentiment behind it. 3) I am typically critical of players who pad their own stats at the expense of the team.
That being said, this is the week to give James Florence the POW. He rallied his team from a 25-point first-half deficit against Lipscomb to get within 5 in the second half. He may have been a one-man team, but that night he was all Mercer had working, and ended up with a 29 PEG. Then he posts another team-leading PEG of 22 in a huge win against Belmont -- a win which, by the way, keeps Mike Smith and ETSU alive for the conference title.
Weird Stat -- Belmont and Kennesaw State played a 57-possession game last week. Both teams average over 73 per game.
I'll be at the Lipscomb-North Florida double-header Saturday. I've been promising Erica a trip to a basketball game, and I wanted to find one where I could let her root for the home team. ;) Stop by and say hi if you're in the neighborhood.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Four Wins in Eight Days . . .
is hard to do.
This week (sorry, week and a day), Lipscomb did exactly that. Two wins by 5 points over conference leaders surrounded by comfortable wins over Campbell and Gulf Coast. Belmont and Jacksonville are on top now, with ETSU a game back. Lipscomb is back to .500. Mercer has won 5 in a row to pull within 2 games of first place. Campbell continues to defy all explanation, losing to UNF and beating Jacksonville on the same road trip.
Game of the Week -- I'm always partial to the Battle of the Boulevard, but Belmont's best game came two nights later against ETSU. With the conference lead on the line, the Bruins rallied from 11 down with a 16-2 second half run to win 76-73. ETSU had three shots in the final minute to tie or take the lead, but nothing fell. In the unexpected ending of the week, Stetson had a working margin on Mercer for most of the game, up 15 with 9 1/2 to go, but the Bears outscored the Hatters 23 to 6 over the next 9 minutes to take their first lead. Stetson tied it up, but the overtime was all Mercer.
Player of the Week -- Adnan Hozdic of Lipscomb got the nod from the conference office. And having the biggest impact on the conference's hottest team (33 PEG vs. Belmont, 23 PEG vs. Upstate) is a good case. That said, Alex Renfroe of Belmont had a better week statistically.
Weird Stat -- Later this week, I'll listen to the audio of Lipscomb vs. ETSU to find out what happened to trigger four (!!!) technical fouls in the second half. Coming into this week, the entire conference had 9 technical fouls this season. This week there were six more.
This week (sorry, week and a day), Lipscomb did exactly that. Two wins by 5 points over conference leaders surrounded by comfortable wins over Campbell and Gulf Coast. Belmont and Jacksonville are on top now, with ETSU a game back. Lipscomb is back to .500. Mercer has won 5 in a row to pull within 2 games of first place. Campbell continues to defy all explanation, losing to UNF and beating Jacksonville on the same road trip.
Game of the Week -- I'm always partial to the Battle of the Boulevard, but Belmont's best game came two nights later against ETSU. With the conference lead on the line, the Bruins rallied from 11 down with a 16-2 second half run to win 76-73. ETSU had three shots in the final minute to tie or take the lead, but nothing fell. In the unexpected ending of the week, Stetson had a working margin on Mercer for most of the game, up 15 with 9 1/2 to go, but the Bears outscored the Hatters 23 to 6 over the next 9 minutes to take their first lead. Stetson tied it up, but the overtime was all Mercer.
Player of the Week -- Adnan Hozdic of Lipscomb got the nod from the conference office. And having the biggest impact on the conference's hottest team (33 PEG vs. Belmont, 23 PEG vs. Upstate) is a good case. That said, Alex Renfroe of Belmont had a better week statistically.
Weird Stat -- Later this week, I'll listen to the audio of Lipscomb vs. ETSU to find out what happened to trigger four (!!!) technical fouls in the second half. Coming into this week, the entire conference had 9 technical fouls this season. This week there were six more.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
A Fun Week Proving Nothing
Close games, big shots, and a comeback for the ages, all of which resulted in almost no movement in the standings at all.
Game of the Week -- Can there be any doubt? Belmont is down 18 with 3 1/2 to go, down 11 with under two left, and comes back to win. In regulation. On the road at Campbell.
Other Good Games -- Three one-point games, an OT game, and another 3-point game. Bobby Davis hits a pair of FTs with 3 seconds left to beat Stetson. James Florence rebounds his own miss with 6 seconds left and scores five seconds later, completing a 9-point comeback in the last 2 1/2 minutes to beat Jacksonville. In a game they never led, ETSU had three shots, including a FT, that would have either tied the game or put them ahead in the final 90 seconds but missed them all, losing by one to Stetson. In another rebound game, Jacksonville survived a missed 3-ball by John-Michael Nickerson of Kennesaw to hold on and win by 3.
Player of the Week: Close call this week. Mercer played 3 games, Belmont and Lipscomb only played once. Only 5 guys posted multiple 15-plus PEG nights, and three of them played 3 games. Overall, this was one of the weakest offensive weeks of the year, which makes defense and rebounding key. The conference office went with James Florence, and a PEG average of 17.3, the late-game heroics against Jacksonville, and a team that won 3 times in 5 days make their choice solid. That said, Kevin Tiggs had a better week statisctically (a 30 PEG against FGCU and 18 against Stetson), but his team went 1-1. But if you're looking for a good player on a winning team -- especially one who rebounded well in a week where defense was at a premium -- I'd pick Daniel Emerson. Nothing flashy, but PEGs of 19, 29, and 17 -- his biggest performance coming in the biggest game. Florence may be the guy you want taking the shot late, but Emerson is the guy who is going to keep you in the game long enough for Florence to put on his superhero cape.
Honorable Mention -- The other guys to post multiple 15+ PEGs were Jon-Michael Nickerson of Kennesaw (28 against UNF and 16 against FGCU) and Bryan Mills of Mercer (22 against Kennesaw and 18 against UNF). Jonathan Rodriguez posted 26 in the loss to Belmont. In that game, Alex Renfroe and Nick Hedgepeth (WTTB) of Belmont posted 24 and 20, respectively. Bobby Davis' heroics against Stetson were part of a 27 PEG night. A. J. Smith of Stetson compiled a 20 PEG in the loss.
The NCAA is hosting their third annual mock bracket selection weekend for journalists this weekend. In their simulation, Belmont wins the conference tournament. Just so you know.
Battle of the Boulevard II tonight.
Game of the Week -- Can there be any doubt? Belmont is down 18 with 3 1/2 to go, down 11 with under two left, and comes back to win. In regulation. On the road at Campbell.
Other Good Games -- Three one-point games, an OT game, and another 3-point game. Bobby Davis hits a pair of FTs with 3 seconds left to beat Stetson. James Florence rebounds his own miss with 6 seconds left and scores five seconds later, completing a 9-point comeback in the last 2 1/2 minutes to beat Jacksonville. In a game they never led, ETSU had three shots, including a FT, that would have either tied the game or put them ahead in the final 90 seconds but missed them all, losing by one to Stetson. In another rebound game, Jacksonville survived a missed 3-ball by John-Michael Nickerson of Kennesaw to hold on and win by 3.
Player of the Week: Close call this week. Mercer played 3 games, Belmont and Lipscomb only played once. Only 5 guys posted multiple 15-plus PEG nights, and three of them played 3 games. Overall, this was one of the weakest offensive weeks of the year, which makes defense and rebounding key. The conference office went with James Florence, and a PEG average of 17.3, the late-game heroics against Jacksonville, and a team that won 3 times in 5 days make their choice solid. That said, Kevin Tiggs had a better week statisctically (a 30 PEG against FGCU and 18 against Stetson), but his team went 1-1. But if you're looking for a good player on a winning team -- especially one who rebounded well in a week where defense was at a premium -- I'd pick Daniel Emerson. Nothing flashy, but PEGs of 19, 29, and 17 -- his biggest performance coming in the biggest game. Florence may be the guy you want taking the shot late, but Emerson is the guy who is going to keep you in the game long enough for Florence to put on his superhero cape.
Honorable Mention -- The other guys to post multiple 15+ PEGs were Jon-Michael Nickerson of Kennesaw (28 against UNF and 16 against FGCU) and Bryan Mills of Mercer (22 against Kennesaw and 18 against UNF). Jonathan Rodriguez posted 26 in the loss to Belmont. In that game, Alex Renfroe and Nick Hedgepeth (WTTB) of Belmont posted 24 and 20, respectively. Bobby Davis' heroics against Stetson were part of a 27 PEG night. A. J. Smith of Stetson compiled a 20 PEG in the loss.
The NCAA is hosting their third annual mock bracket selection weekend for journalists this weekend. In their simulation, Belmont wins the conference tournament. Just so you know.
Battle of the Boulevard II tonight.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Pride & Prejudice -- And Zombies!!!
Elizabeth "Buffy" Bennett, the Vampire Slayer.
This has to be the awesomest development to hit high school English classes since the invention of Cliff's Notes.
This has to be the awesomest development to hit high school English classes since the invention of Cliff's Notes.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Another Oddity from Last Night's Belmont-Campbell Game
In the middle of the 30-9 run last night, Belmont coach Rick Byrd was hit with a technical foul.
I haven't been able to find anybody who keeps a regular count of such occurrences, but in a quick round of Googling I have only been able to find nine technical fouls issued to A-Sun teams and coaches this year.
Bob Hoffman of Mercer leads with 3, including an ejection. Jacksonville was issued an "administrative technical" before a game against Campbell.
69 conference games, 164 total games, and only 9 technical fouls.
I love this conference.
I haven't been able to find anybody who keeps a regular count of such occurrences, but in a quick round of Googling I have only been able to find nine technical fouls issued to A-Sun teams and coaches this year.
Bob Hoffman of Mercer leads with 3, including an ejection. Jacksonville was issued an "administrative technical" before a game against Campbell.
69 conference games, 164 total games, and only 9 technical fouls.
I love this conference.
Are You Kidding Me?
Seriously.
I did not just see that.
Campbell leads Belmont by 18 (!!!) with less than 4 minutes to go, and Belmont comes back to win.
Wow.
A 30-9 run over the last 3:27, with all 9 Campbell points coming at the free throw line. J-Rod goes 2 for 4. Hartley goes 4 for 10. Rick Byrd even gets a Technical.
Get this -- the run started when Belmont started fouling. The only catch is that Campbell is THE BEST FREE THROW SHOOTING TEAM IN THE CONFERENCE! 71% for the year, 9 for 20 down the stretch last night. Nothing like playing to the opposition's strength and beating them anyway.
Of course, when J-Rod is having the kind of night he was having (25 & 10 on 8 of 12 shooting for a PEG of 26), fouling other guys was the only way to get the ball out of his hands.
During the run, Belmont made 6 of 8 3-balls. During the first 36+ minutes, they were 2 for 24.
Amazing.
I did not just see that.
Campbell leads Belmont by 18 (!!!) with less than 4 minutes to go, and Belmont comes back to win.
Wow.
A 30-9 run over the last 3:27, with all 9 Campbell points coming at the free throw line. J-Rod goes 2 for 4. Hartley goes 4 for 10. Rick Byrd even gets a Technical.
Get this -- the run started when Belmont started fouling. The only catch is that Campbell is THE BEST FREE THROW SHOOTING TEAM IN THE CONFERENCE! 71% for the year, 9 for 20 down the stretch last night. Nothing like playing to the opposition's strength and beating them anyway.
Of course, when J-Rod is having the kind of night he was having (25 & 10 on 8 of 12 shooting for a PEG of 26), fouling other guys was the only way to get the ball out of his hands.
During the run, Belmont made 6 of 8 3-balls. During the first 36+ minutes, they were 2 for 24.
Amazing.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Scary Stats if You're Lipscomb Fan
Consider the following numbers:
Lipscomb is 0-6 in games decided by 4 points or less.
Lipscomb is 2-10 when the final score is within 3 possessions.
None of this is news. Anybody who has watched Lipscomb this year has seen them struggle in close games.
But consider this: In the six "4 or less" games this year, Lipscomb has been ahead at some point in the final 4 minutes of regulation. In four other games, the lead has changed hands at some point in the last 8 minutes.
Lipscomb's record in those games? 1-9
Ten winnable games, and Lipscomb has closed the deal exactly once. Granted, that one was at Indiana, but that may say more about the Hoosiers than the Bisons.
Yes, Lipscomb is young. Yes, they are still searching for the "go-to" guy in crunch time that Eddie Ard has been for the last 3 years.
But even if you go back to the NIT year, Lipscomb is 19-34 in games decided by single digits. And that's including the year they had Ard, Brian Fisk, and Trey Williams in the starting line-up.
Much like Mercer last year, Lipscomb should be better than this.
Lipscomb is 0-6 in games decided by 4 points or less.
Lipscomb is 2-10 when the final score is within 3 possessions.
None of this is news. Anybody who has watched Lipscomb this year has seen them struggle in close games.
But consider this: In the six "4 or less" games this year, Lipscomb has been ahead at some point in the final 4 minutes of regulation. In four other games, the lead has changed hands at some point in the last 8 minutes.
Lipscomb's record in those games? 1-9
Ten winnable games, and Lipscomb has closed the deal exactly once. Granted, that one was at Indiana, but that may say more about the Hoosiers than the Bisons.
Yes, Lipscomb is young. Yes, they are still searching for the "go-to" guy in crunch time that Eddie Ard has been for the last 3 years.
But even if you go back to the NIT year, Lipscomb is 19-34 in games decided by single digits. And that's including the year they had Ard, Brian Fisk, and Trey Williams in the starting line-up.
Much like Mercer last year, Lipscomb should be better than this.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Weekend Update
Wow. Just, wow.
Right when it looked like Stetson was circling the drain, they sweep the Nashville schools to pull back above .500. Campbell finally lays the beat downs on people that we thought they were capable of, winning three straight. Lipscomb drops two more close games, their last seven conference losses coming by a total of 25 points.
And Jacksonville beat ETSU in overtime to take sole possession of first place, only to leave a giant hairball on the rug Sunday, losing at home to Upstate by 11 in a game that wasn't that close. ETSU barely got by UNF after the Jacksonville loss.
I love this conference.
Game of the Week: Jacksonville over ETSU in OT. This just in: Ben Smith is pretty good. Smith threw one in from 28 feet in the last 10 seconds of regulation. And welcome back, Marcus Allen. 17 points, 9 boards, 5 blocks for a PEG of 25. For ETSU, Mike Smith was a one-man show, going for 18 & 16 but not scoring in the last 5 minutes of regulation as the Dolphins came from 7 down to force overtime. Still, credit the Bucs. Virtually everybody has an off night, and they take Jacksonville to OT on the road? Not bad.
Second-best game: Stetson over Lipscomb in OT. This year for Lipscomb is shaping up a lot like Eddie Ard's freshman year. The Bisons are right there late in games, but can't quite close the deal. If they had luck on their side, they would be 9-3 right now. If their record mirrored their stats, they would be 7-5. As it is, they have lost ALL of the close games and sit 4-8. In this one, Lipscomb trailed by 13 in the first half, but mounted a 17-4 run to tie it early in the second. From then on, neither team led by more than 4 until overtime, when Stetson finally took control. The Hatters then made 9 of 10 free throws in the last 36 seconds of OT to put it away.
Player of the week -- Sorry, but the conference office kicked this one. They gave it to A. J. Smith of Stetson, who posted a 34 PEG against Belmont. Good, but not the high single-game PEG of the weekend (see below), and when you factor in the Lipscomb game, teammate Garfield Blair was better. 30 PEG vs. Lipscomb on 26 points, 10 boards, and a perfect 10-for-10 at the line, followed by 22 PEG and a near dub-dub vs. Belmont. That said, if I had a vote, I would give it to Mike Smith of ETSU. 37 PEG against UNF (24 points, 14 boards, 9-11 shooting in a game when his team had to have every bit of him). Throw in 26 PEG against Jacksonville (even though he was effectively neutralized late) and you've got your player of the week.
Honorable mention -- Welcome back, J-Rod. 28 PEG against Kennesaw, 26 PEG against FGCU, 20 PEG against Mercer. Any other week, my man. Bobby Davis: 28 PEG (but a miss on a potential tying FT in the last 5 seconds) in a loss at North Florida. Daniel Emerson (MER): 27 PEG on 17 & 15 against Kennesaw. This is a recording. Jon House (BEL): 26 PE vs. FGCU. Marcus Allen (JAX): 25 PEG vs. ETSU. Matthew Dotson (BEL): 23 PEG vs. FGCU. Andy Wicke (BEL): 21 PEG vs. FGCU. Brian Mills (MER): 21 PEG vs. Kennesaw. Alex Renfroe (BEL): 21 PEG at Stetson. Derrick O'Neal (FGCU): 21 PEG vs Lipscomb. Kyle Vejraska (CAM): 20 PEG at Kennesaw. James Florence (MER): 20 PEG on 24 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals against Kennesaw. Yes, that's a lot of missed shots. Junard Hartley (CAM): 19 PEG against FGCU with 9 points, 8 assists
Cool stats -- Campbell had 24 assists on 28 baskets against FGCU. Lipscomb and Stetson combined for 38 points in overtime. Campbell and Mercer combined to shoot 75 free throws in a game that the Camels led by as many as 28 and won by 19.
Right when it looked like Stetson was circling the drain, they sweep the Nashville schools to pull back above .500. Campbell finally lays the beat downs on people that we thought they were capable of, winning three straight. Lipscomb drops two more close games, their last seven conference losses coming by a total of 25 points.
And Jacksonville beat ETSU in overtime to take sole possession of first place, only to leave a giant hairball on the rug Sunday, losing at home to Upstate by 11 in a game that wasn't that close. ETSU barely got by UNF after the Jacksonville loss.
I love this conference.
Game of the Week: Jacksonville over ETSU in OT. This just in: Ben Smith is pretty good. Smith threw one in from 28 feet in the last 10 seconds of regulation. And welcome back, Marcus Allen. 17 points, 9 boards, 5 blocks for a PEG of 25. For ETSU, Mike Smith was a one-man show, going for 18 & 16 but not scoring in the last 5 minutes of regulation as the Dolphins came from 7 down to force overtime. Still, credit the Bucs. Virtually everybody has an off night, and they take Jacksonville to OT on the road? Not bad.
Second-best game: Stetson over Lipscomb in OT. This year for Lipscomb is shaping up a lot like Eddie Ard's freshman year. The Bisons are right there late in games, but can't quite close the deal. If they had luck on their side, they would be 9-3 right now. If their record mirrored their stats, they would be 7-5. As it is, they have lost ALL of the close games and sit 4-8. In this one, Lipscomb trailed by 13 in the first half, but mounted a 17-4 run to tie it early in the second. From then on, neither team led by more than 4 until overtime, when Stetson finally took control. The Hatters then made 9 of 10 free throws in the last 36 seconds of OT to put it away.
Player of the week -- Sorry, but the conference office kicked this one. They gave it to A. J. Smith of Stetson, who posted a 34 PEG against Belmont. Good, but not the high single-game PEG of the weekend (see below), and when you factor in the Lipscomb game, teammate Garfield Blair was better. 30 PEG vs. Lipscomb on 26 points, 10 boards, and a perfect 10-for-10 at the line, followed by 22 PEG and a near dub-dub vs. Belmont. That said, if I had a vote, I would give it to Mike Smith of ETSU. 37 PEG against UNF (24 points, 14 boards, 9-11 shooting in a game when his team had to have every bit of him). Throw in 26 PEG against Jacksonville (even though he was effectively neutralized late) and you've got your player of the week.
Honorable mention -- Welcome back, J-Rod. 28 PEG against Kennesaw, 26 PEG against FGCU, 20 PEG against Mercer. Any other week, my man. Bobby Davis: 28 PEG (but a miss on a potential tying FT in the last 5 seconds) in a loss at North Florida. Daniel Emerson (MER): 27 PEG on 17 & 15 against Kennesaw. This is a recording. Jon House (BEL): 26 PE vs. FGCU. Marcus Allen (JAX): 25 PEG vs. ETSU. Matthew Dotson (BEL): 23 PEG vs. FGCU. Andy Wicke (BEL): 21 PEG vs. FGCU. Brian Mills (MER): 21 PEG vs. Kennesaw. Alex Renfroe (BEL): 21 PEG at Stetson. Derrick O'Neal (FGCU): 21 PEG vs Lipscomb. Kyle Vejraska (CAM): 20 PEG at Kennesaw. James Florence (MER): 20 PEG on 24 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals against Kennesaw. Yes, that's a lot of missed shots. Junard Hartley (CAM): 19 PEG against FGCU with 9 points, 8 assists
Cool stats -- Campbell had 24 assists on 28 baskets against FGCU. Lipscomb and Stetson combined for 38 points in overtime. Campbell and Mercer combined to shoot 75 free throws in a game that the Camels led by as many as 28 and won by 19.
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