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New Hampshire tries to survive a tough road stretch

by - Published November 25, 2012 in Columns
newhampshire

WORCESTER, Mass. – New Hampshire is almost done with a five-game road stretch, and it won’t come a moment too soon. Saturday’s 60-50 loss at Holy Cross was in part a repeat of earlier games in terms of where they played well and where the problems were. It also might mean some lineup changes could be in store if current trends persist.

New Hampshire had to play from behind basically the entire afternoon, as they trailed 7-2 before the first media timeout and by as many as 11 in the first half. They were down by 10 at intermission largely because Holy Cross had a big possession advantage due to 10 offensive rebounds. Although they would rally in the second half and eventually take the lead, it was short-lived and they never got it again, especially once Holy Cross went to a zone defense.

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Michigan is the clear class of the NIT Season Tip-Off

by - Published November 24, 2012 in Columns
michigan

NEW YORK – Michigan made the most of its first trip to the NIT Season Tip-Off championship game, running away from Kansas State 71-57 to take home their first title. In so doing, they did exactly what they did to get to New York and looked like the clear class of the field.

Michigan has been almost unstoppable at the offensive end thus far, and Friday was no different. The Wolverines blitzed IUPUI and Cleveland State by 37 and 30 points, respectively. They have shot over 50 percent in all but one game thus far this season, shooting a still-pretty-good 46 percent against Pittsburgh on Wednesday. From long range, they have been lights out as well. In addition, they are less turning the ball over 10 times per game thus far.

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Important practice time awaits Kansas State

by - Published November 24, 2012 in Columns, Your Phil of Hoops
kansasstate

NEW YORK – Kansas State came into The World’s Most Famous Arena without a major test in the early going this season. They won all of their first four games by double digits, then got a test on Wednesday night as they survived a Delaware team that had two key players miss parts of the second half. They got their big early test on Friday with Michigan, and the end result wasn’t too good: a 71-57 loss that arguably wasn’t quite that close.

The test was really twofold for this team with a new head coach. For one, they had not had a close game this season, so they got a test of how to handle that situation. They also haven’t had a real quality win thus far, mainly because they had not played a team that is a good bet to be in the NCAA Tournament.

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Delaware leaves New York with concerns following the great opportunity

by - Published November 23, 2012 in Columns
delaware

NEW YORK – Getting to Madison Square Garden in the NIT Season Tip-Off was big for Delaware, as one might imagine. It gave the Blue Hens a chance to play on a big stage and two chances at quality wins, which could matter if they contend in the CAA as they should. Head coach Monte Ross and his staff scheduled for a veteran team in 2012-13, and this only helped. But the trip also had some concern on the health front, and while the Blue Hens haven’t been hit with a devastating injury, they have something to pay attention to going forward.

While Wednesday’s loss to Kansas State and Friday’s 85-59 blowout at the hands of Pittsburgh were both hard to take, more concerning is that two of the Blue Hens’ best players didn’t play every minute they could in New York. Senior big man Jamelle Hagins and sophomore guard Jarvis Threatt both missed time in the first game, and with the way injuries can derail a season this will be something to watch.

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Boston College comes home and battles for a much-needed win

by - Published November 22, 2012 in Columns
bostoncollege

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Steve Donahue understandably doesn’t want to get caught up in just wins and losses. Given the youth of his team and the growth still to come, wins are great but are not the be-all, end-all. Still, after going 0-3 in the Charleston Classic last weekend, a win like Wednesday’s 50-49 outcome against Auburn is quite welcome, especially with some of how it came about.

Wednesday’s game won’t go down as a thing of beauty. Auburn played a physical game and the Eagles did all they could to match it, making it a big test for them. The Tigers want to make games a grind, and on Wednesday they did that. The Eagles were up to the task, among other things out-rebounding the Tigers 35-28

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Albany is surely thankful to be home for a change

by - Published November 21, 2012 in Columns, Your Phil of Hoops
albany

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Surely no one was happier to get home from the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament than Albany. And yet, the Great Danes couldn’t get comfortable there for long. So goes the November portion of their non-conference schedule, which has been more than a grind and included a tough 67-64 loss to Loyola (Md.) in the Springfield Bracket championship game on Sunday.

The Great Danes opened the season at home against Duquesne on November 9. Two days later, they lost at Ohio State, and went right from Columbus to Seattle, where two days later they beat Washington. They were barely home when they headed to Connecticut for two games this weekend, and had to fly to South Carolina on Monday for a Tuesday night matchup at South Carolina State, which they won in a romp 83-55.

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Loyola almost lets one get away, but doesn’t

by - Published November 21, 2012 in Columns
loyola-maryland

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – No one who saw the opening minutes of the Springfield Bracket championship game would be surprised if you told them Loyola (Md.) won.  But they might be surprised if you added that they needed a game-winning basket in the final seconds to do it.  Loyola almost let it get away, but they got a three-point play with 1.5 seconds left to pull out a 67-64 win over road-weary Albany.

“Dylon Cormier is just a tough dude making plays,” said head coach Jimmy Patsos in reference to the winning basket.  “That wasn’t anything we drew up.”

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2012 Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament Notes

by - Published November 20, 2012 in Columns, Your Phil of Hoops
author_kasiecki

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The 2012 Hall of Fame Tip-Off concluded on Sunday with four games.  Two champions were crowned in the Springfield and National Brackets, with Loyola (Md.) beating Albany in the former and Ohio State taking home the latter with a win over Washington.

Here are some quick hitters from Sunday’s games.

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Veteran Hawks needed to give more late against Florida State

by - Published November 18, 2012 in Columns, Your Phil of Hoops
stjosephs

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Phil Martelli didn’t want to play around. He opened by saying that one option was for him to “give you the nonsense” with predictable cliches about the game, but that wasn’t his preferred route. There was a simple thing he and his team wanted on Saturday night, and there was no getting around the fact that they didn’t get it: a win over Florida State in the championship game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

Martelli has never been one to look for moral victories, and he wasn’t about to start doing it Saturday night. When asked about Ronald Roberts’ performance, mainly his seven offensive boards, he made even clearer how he felt about the result.

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Florida State has a very high ceiling

by - Published November 18, 2012 in Columns
floridastate

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Leonard Hamilton clearly thinks he has a team with a very high ceiling this season. After his Florida State team used a nice offensive outing by just about any measure to take home the championship in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on Saturday night, he had a surprising description of his offense for anyone who looked at the stat sheet.

“We’re not really in sync offensively,” said the Seminole head coach.

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Your Phil of Hoops

Charlotte wanted more but feels like they accomplished something

March 23, 2013 by

charlotte

Charlotte naturally had hoped to make the NCAA Tournament, then hoped to make a run in the NIT when it came calling instead. But the 49ers have a season of progress now in the books and should be primed to continue growing next season from what they did this year.

Despite semifinal loss, Notre Dame feels better leaving New York than when they entered

March 16, 2013 by

notredame

Amidst much talk of whether or not conference tournaments are a good idea, Notre Dame got a boost in New York. They are happy with the tournament and feel more prepared for the NCAA Tournament despite a semifinal loss.

Coaching Changes and NBA Draft

The coaching carousel is moving. Keep track of the latest coaching changes right here on Hoopville.

Also, keep track of players who have declared early for the NBA Draft.

Conference Coverage

2013 Big East Tournament quarterfinal quick hitters

March 15, 2013 by

bigeast

Georgetown vs. Syracuse lives on just a little longer in the context of the Big East. That, and more from Thursday’s quarterfinals, including one team being delayed coming to the press conference because of a special visitor.

2013 Big East Tournament second round quick hitters

March 14, 2013 by

bigeast

The second round of the 2013 Big East Tournament is in the books and the quarterfinal matchups featuring the top four teams are set. Here are some notes from Wednesday’s games at Madison Square Garden.

2013 Big East Tournament first round quick hitters

March 13, 2013 by

bigeast

The first round of the Big East Tournament saw a close overtime game and a blowout, with the former seeing a tournament record tied. We take a look back at the opening night in New York.

2013 CAA Awards: How one person voted

March 7, 2013 by

colonial

As the CAA gets ready to hand out awards, here is a look at how I voted. The biggest award was a tough call, while two other big awards were easy calls to make.

2012-13 Big Sky Conference Preview

November 22, 2012 by

bigsky

In 2012-13, a couple of consistent powerhouses should remain contenders, including one who lost an NBA lottery pick. In addition, teams with new head coaches are headed for rebuilding years.

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