Despite injuries, Virginia Tech is developing depth

NEW YORK – Once again, Virginia Tech has been bit badly by the injury bug this season. It seems to be an annual occurrence, and this season the Hokies have lost Allan Chaney and J.T. Thompson, both frontcourt players. Thompson already missed a season with the same injury – a torn ACL – to his other knee. In other words, it seems like business as usual for a team that seems to be snakebit every season.

While depth, especially in the frontcourt, would seem to be a concern as a result, thus far that doesn’t appear to be the case. That was evident in Virginia Tech’s 59-57 win over Oklahoma State on Friday in the NIT Season Tip-Off consolation game.

… Continue Reading

Young Hartford could use some confidence to go with other positives

WORCESTER, Mass. – Hartford needs some confidence, and they’re not getting it on the bottom line. An 0-5 start, thanks in large part to a lack of baskets at the offensive end, has made that hard to come by. The latest example was Wednesday’s 80-66 setback at Holy Cross, where the Hawks fell behind in the first half and couldn’t rally enough in the second.

The Hawks are shooting just over 34 percent from the field on the season. Wednesday night’s 36.1 percent boosted it by a small amount, but they shot below 30 percent in a first half that saw them fall behind by as many as 18 after Holy Cross ran off 18 unanswered points to take the lead for good. In that run, the Hawks missed seven shots, four of which came from behind the arc.

… Continue Reading

Mike Jones tries to get Radford going early

Radford had a tough weekend in Connecticut, losing both games in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Highlanders have had some bright spots so far, but new head coach Mike Jones knows there’s a lot of work yet to do with this team.

Radford came to Connecticut with a 3-1 mark, with a couple of wins against non-Division I teams. Jones didn’t like the effort they had on Saturday, when they lost to a good Long Island team, but felt they responded better on Sunday, where they led for much of the first half before Marist took the lead. The Highlanders never really got untracked in the second half of that game, and that wasn’t the first time they got into a slump like that.

… Continue Reading

Boston College going through quite the adversity early on

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Steve Donahue knew this wouldn’t be pretty, but surely he didn’t think there would be something like this. A string of losses, sure. That might still come. But back-to-back blowouts, including Monday’s thumping at the hands of UMass in the Commonwealth Classic?

As UMass eventually built the lead up to 30, you could see more than just BC getting caught up in UMass’ speed. The Eagles looked like a team that didn’t have confidence, getting tentative at times offensively. The offense suffered greatly, aided by UMass’ length as that frustrated the Eagles on the glass, especially at the offensive end.

… Continue Reading

NC State could be a player in the ACC

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The ACC looks wide open, not to mention so-so, after North Carolina and Duke, and perhaps Florida State. There’s a lot of room for anyone to finish in the first division, and similarly to slide into the second division if injuries come into play or some players just don’t develop. That, along with what they showed at the Legends Classic, means a team like North Carolina State should be seen as one of those teams that can finish in that top half.

… Continue Reading

LIU wins two for a successful Connecticut Trip

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Long Island came to Connecticut without a win on the season, but emerged with their first two that included a Springfield Bracket title in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic. And along the way, they continued to do what head coach Jim Ferry said they would in the first few weeks: learn about their team and move forward towards another NCAA Tournament appearance.

LIU opened up with three games on the road, something which will be a recurring theme as Ferry noted the difficulty in getting non-conference home games. They lost all three, but none were against bad teams as they lost at Hofstra, Old Dominion and Penn State. While Ferry, like most coaches, isn’t into moral victories, he felt like the team got much of what they needed out of them.

… Continue Reading

Pat Chambers will be challenged at Penn State

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Pat Chambers has a tough job ahead at Penn State. The first-year head coach has a team with a good deal of youth and in a tough place to recruit. The scandal engulfing the football program is irrelevant; this has always been one of the toughest high-major jobs out there. And as his team took home a victory over South Florida on Sunday in a game that was anything but pretty, it was a positive end to a weekend that gave some indication of his challenge.

The Nittany Lions were humbled 85-47 by Kentucky on Saturday. A game like that is usually indicative of the winning team playing very well and the losing team playing very poorly, two things that don’t come together often but isn’t the rarest combination of events, either. Since they started out 3-0, including a nice win over a good Long Island team that played later on Sunday, it was a big change in the bottom line for this team.

… Continue Reading

Kentucky’s youth can be easy to forget at times

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – With all the talent Kentucky has, it can be easy to forget a basic thing: this team is young. And experience matters in college basketball, although it doesn’t always make the difference in the ballgame. On Sunday, that was evident as the Wildcats struggled to fend off an Old Dominion team that lost a great deal from last season’s team in terms of significant contributors.

The growing pains of the Wildcats were all there for people to see on Sunday. Point guard Marquis Teague struggled with turnovers once again, as he’s had more of those than assists in all but one game in his young college career after handing out two assists and giving it away six times on Sunday. Their big men didn’t respond well to the physicality of the game, especially Anthony Davis, who had his moments early on but fouled out in just 20 minutes.

… Continue Reading

Oregon State is poised to turn a corner

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – It looked like it might happen a couple of years ago, but Oregon State might finally be poised to turn a corner under Craig Robinson. He has a young team, but it’s a team full of players he and his staff recruited and there’s good talent. Most of all, though, the intangibles that Robinson wants appear to be in place, and they were noticeable in the Beavers’ 100-95 overtime victory over Texas in the Legends Classic semifinals on Saturday night.

… Continue Reading

Princeton gets first win, shows room for improvement

PRINCETON, N.J. – In getting the first win of the season and the first career win for head coach Mitch Henderson, Princeton certainly did some things well on Saturday. But there was also plenty to take away for future work from their 61-53 win over Buffalo that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.

The Tigers started with a bang and were never seriously challenged in the first half, owing largely to their defense and Buffalo’s offense. The Bulls never got untracked at that end of the floor, and the first half numbers for them were ugly: 20 percent shooting and 12 turnovers. At one point, Princeton led 36-11 late in the first half.

… Continue Reading

For UMass, having a point guard is making a difference

For much of his tenure at his alma mater, Derek Kellogg has lacked a true point guard. The UMass mentor has largely had to go with players who were natural shooting guards, such as David Gibbs, Ricky Harris and Gary Correia, and they did the best they could. And for the talent the team has had, one wonders if having a true point guard might have made a big difference during two seasons where they went 27-35. Right now, we are finding out that it just might, because at last the Minutemen have a true point guard.

… Continue Reading

2011 National Prep Showcase – Friday Recap

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The opening day of the National Prep Showcase is in the books. It featured some great shooting, a close game and several games that were close until one team pulled away in the second half. With that, here’s a look back at what happened on the day.

Friday Scoreboard

Lee (ME) Academy 70, Fork Union (VA) Military Academy 63

Chatham (VA) Hargrave Military Academy 115, Fitchburg (MA) Notre Dame Prep 91

North Bridgton (ME) Bridgton Academy 74, Delafield (WI) St. John’s NW Military Academy 71

Oakdale (CT) St. Thomas More 83, Waynesboro (VA) Fishburne Military School 56

South Kent (CT) School 94, La Jolla (CA) Prep 74

Landover Hills (MD) New Hope Academy 84, Winchendon (MA) School 62

Northfield (MA) Mount Hermon 97, Woodstock (VA) Massanutten Military Academy 93

… Continue Reading

Boston College wins opener through growing pains

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Steve Donahue knows this will be different, but has to keep reminding himself. He’s used to having veteran teams, but not only does he have a young team, but he has one that is youthful and lacking in experience from pretty much every angle. His Boston College team has nine freshmen, just one senior and not a single player who played for the prior head coach in just his second season at the helm. In other words, it’s not even like he has a team full of sophomores that has at least practiced and played together for a year.

Donahue was already understanding what this entailed from practices and the team’s exhibition game. After Monday night’s 67-64 win over New Hampshire, it was driven home further.

… Continue Reading

Providence tries a different role for Gerard Coleman

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – There are some important things about this Providence team that are different from last season, not the least of which is the coaching staff. One noteworthy change is that a key player will be coming off the bench, and if their first two games are any indication, the early returns are positive with Gerard Coleman moving out of the starting lineup.

Coleman started 29 of the 31 games he played in last season and was third on the team in scoring. As he is the second-leading returning scorer, he wouldn’t seem like a candidate to come off the bench, especially since the Friars don’t exactly have great guard depth. That would improve if the NCAA eventually clears Kiwi Gardner, but he is still a freshman. But there’s a reason new head coach Ed Cooley is doing this, and he arrived at it just before the season opener, although Coleman didn’t start both exhibition games.

… Continue Reading

Northeastern’s frontcourt looks much better already

BOSTON – One reason Northeastern is a hard team to project this season is the frontcourt. The Huskies were beaten badly on the backboards last season, and the group got something of an overhaul with the freshmen they have. The backcourt was fine, but the frontcourt was sure to have a different look and, since it’s a young group, some growing pains. If first impressions are worth anything, though, the Huskies may be a team we can project more favorably, because they more than held their own in Northeastern’s 82-74 win at Boston University on Friday.

The one statistic that will leap out at you is rebounding. Northeastern out-rebounded Boston University 52-32, and it wasn’t just the raw numbers that tell the story. The Huskies rebounded 19 of 39 available misses of their shots, and 33 of 45 available Terrier misses. They had a 22-11 edge in second-chance points. Two players, include one of the freshmen, had double-doubles with points and rebounds.

… Continue Reading

Northeastern-BU reminds us what we miss and will miss more

BOSTON – The gym was packed. Not only that, but it was a lively crowd, rocking from start to finish and on seemingly every play. It helped that the game went to overtime, although that didn’t always look like it would be the case as the visitors led by double digits for a stretch in the second half. It wasn’t just the home team whose fans made the atmosphere what it was, because the visiting team had its share of fans as well. In short, it was a great setting.

And sadly, it’s relevant to things to come in the larger picture of college basketball.

… Continue Reading

Quick Hitters – November 11, 2011

Some quick hitters as we reach the night college basketball opens for all teams:

• St. John’s showed that they are a scrappy bunch and will try to win games by speeding teams up and winning the hustle battle.  In each of their first two games, they turned the game around by speeding up the opponent and turning loose balls and second chances into baskets.  They are a very young group, but they’re athletic and acquitted themselves very well in starting out 2-0 this week.

… Continue Reading

2011-12 CAA Preview

Simply put, 2010-11 was the greatest season in CAA history to date. For the first time, the conference had three teams reach the NCAA Tournament, then saw George Mason win a game, Old Dominion nearly knock off national runner-up Butler, and of course VCU knock off a string of good teams en route to the Final Four. Two more teams reached postseason play in the College Basketball Invitational. That’s not all: six teams recorded at least 21 wins for the first time ever and the conference had its best nonconference record ever at 90-63.

How do they follow that up? With a lot of question marks at first glance, though the feeling around the conference is, naturally, an optimistic one. … Continue Reading

Delaware Blue Hens 2011-12 Preview

Delaware Blue Hens (14-17, 8-10)

Projected starting five:

So. G Devon Saddler
So. G Kaleb Clyburn
Fr. G Jarvis Threatt
Jr. F-C Jamelle Hagins
Jr. F Josh Brinkley

Important departures:

G Jawan Carter (16.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg), G Brian Johnson (3.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg), G D.J. Boney (3.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg)

Returning:

55 percent of scoring and 71.9 percent of rebounding

Additions:

Fr. G Kyle Anderson
Fr. F Marvin King-Davis
Fr. G Khalid Lewis
Fr. F Larry Savage
Fr. G Jarvis Threatt

Schedule highlights:

The nonconference slate isn’t full of world-beaters, but tough trips to Villanova and Boston University are on tap as well as a home date with Temple. Notable in the CAA slate is that they play Drexel and George Mason twice and have James Madison only on the road, although they only get Old Dominion at home.

Projected finish and outlook:

The Blue Hens lost a lot with the departures of Carter and Johnson, although the latter was never the same player after his torn ACL two years ago. They have two of the best players in the conference in Saddler and Hagins, and some good pieces up front, so the cupboard isn’t bare. Hagins is one of the conference’s best defensive players, and he’ll be needed more at that end this year with the inexperience in the backcourt. Offensively, he looks improved thus far, and if he became a more reliable post scorer it would really help the offense this time around.

Brinkley was playing well last year before injuries conspired to bring his season downhill, while the X-factors are Kelvin McNeil and Hakim McCullar, especially McNeil as he can be a live body making plays. Where they need someone to emerge is in the backcourt alongside Saddler, a talented, tough leader who already has the idea that this is his team. Clyburn is a capable floor leader who came back in better shape, while Anderson, Lewis and Threatt will all have chances to play right away and it wouldn’t be a surprise if one of them supplants Clyburn in the starting lineup. Delaware became a better defensive team last season, and that helped them progress. They’ll need to keep that up unless a couple of solid complements emerge at the offensive end, as this team might miss Carter at the times where they really need a basket.

Next: Drexel Dragons

Back to CAA preview

Drexel Dragons 2011-12 Preview

Drexel Dragons (21-10, 11-7)

Projected starting five:

So. G Frantz Massenat
Jr. G Chris Fouch (out until December due to injury)
Jr. G Derrick Thomas
Sr. F Samme Givens
So. F Dartaye Ruffin

Important departures:

G Gerald Colds (9.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.4 apg) is the only starter gone from last season’s team.

Returning:

83.9 percent of scoring and 89.9 percent of rebounding

Additions:

Fr. F Kazembe Abif
Fr. G-F Tavon Allen
Fr. F Casey Carroll
Fr. G-F Damion Lee
Fr. G Aquil Younger

Schedule highlights:

While not an overwhelming nonconference slate, the Dragons will be challenged with their season opener at Rider in a 6 a.m. tip as part of ESPN’s 24-hour marathon, and they could play Virginia in the Paradise Jam. They also head across town to play Saint Joseph’s and host Ivy League contender Princeton and MAAC contender Fairfield. In CAA play, they get George Mason and VCU only at home.

Projected finish and outlook:

The Dragons were picked first in a vote of the conference’s coaches, sports information directors and media, and it’s a selection that makes sense. Colds is the only significant departure from last season’s team, and they welcome an excellent recruiting class that will add depth and play good minutes right away. Massenat settled the point guard spot last season after it was a question mark, while Fouch will give them a proven scorer once he comes back from an injury that will keep him out past the start of the season. Thomas is one of the best players no one knows about mainly because he earns his keep defensively, while Givens and Ruffin will lead the way as this team beats up opponents on the backboards once again, something junior Daryl McCoy and Abif, the latter of whom has a great motor, will also help right away. Don’t be surprised if Lee and Allen make an impact right away as well, especially while Fouch is out of action. The Dragons will remain a tough team to score on, and that should get to another level with this group, while the offense should be better as Massenat improves and other players become scoring threats before Fouch comes back.

Next: George Mason Colonials

Back to CAA preview