March Madness hits the NEC
By Matthias Gausz & Marc Schwartz, Co-Directors
Quarterfinals- Thursday March 1 at 7:00pm
Sacred Heart Outlook: Everything that they do on offense is through Shane Gibson, the 6-2 junior guard, as he leads the NEC in scoring at 22points per game. That also puts Gibson in forth in the national rankings. He has been in double digits for 31 game this season, leading him to a first team All-NEC selection. Justin Swidowski is the down low presence for the Pioneers averaging just over 11 points per game. Pioneers are the second best shooting team in the NEC and third in scoring. But the problem is on defense as they are minus-2 in scoring margin. They also average more turnovers than assists.
Quinnipiac Outlook: In what many deemed as a rebuilding year for Tom Moore and his Bobcats after the graduation of Justin Rutty and Deontay Twyman, as well as the mass transfers which left the future of the team wide open, Quinnipiac has managed to finish right where they were picked to finish at the beginning of the year – fifth in the conference. Still led by incumbent senior guard James Johnson and stud sophomore Ike Azotam, Quinnipiac has certainly experienced their peaks and valleys this year. Inconsistent play has plagued the Bobcats throughout the year – something to be expected from a team that welcomed nine newcomers; eight of whom were freshman. Save the poor couple of games against the “Brooklyn Brothers,” (LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis (NY)) Quinnipiac has played their best ball in the latter stages of the year to earn the 5th seed. A young team that seems to be clicking at the right time of the season, Quinnipiac poses a threat to any team in the NEC over the next week.
St.Francis (NY) Outlook: The Terriers have easily been the biggest surprise of the year in the Northeast Conference. In a season that was expected to be dominated by the like LIU Brooklyn, Robert Morris, Wagner, Central Connecticut, and Quinnipiac, the Terriers have somehow managed to pull of the four seed, and subsequently a home game in the first round of the NEC tournament. Interestingly enough, if not for a late season collapse that saw the Terriers lose four of the last six, including a loss on the last game of the year to lowly Fairleigh Dickinson, St. Francis (NY) would be sitting in the three seed right now. Either way, led by Iona College transfer Ben Mockford, native Serbian Stefan Perunicic, and 2011-12 NEC Coach of the Year Glenn Braica, the Terriers have positioned themselves quite nicely for the postseason.
Monmouth Outlook: The Hawks, along with St. Francis (NY) has been one of the bigger surprises of the season in the NEC. Picked to finish 10th in the preseason NEC coaches poll, the Hawks have really picked up their play as of late, winning 8 of their last 10 conference games to enter the conference tournament as a six seed. After starting the season on an eight game losing streak, and eventually losing 16 of their first 19 games, Monmouth has pulled a complete 180 degrees turn on their season thanks to their stellar conference play. A quick scan over the roster provides for little high profile players, but instead reveals a balanced roster that complements each other well. With four players averaging over 8 points a game, led by junior guard Jesse Steele, Monmouth poses a balanced attack that can provide mismatches with any team in the NEC.
Robert Morris Outlook: Consistently one of the top teams in the Northeast Conference, this season was no different for the Bobby Mo show. After coming in with high expectations, being ranked second in the preseason NEC coaches poll, the Colonials started off hot once again, winning 10 of their first 13 games. Though key contributor Karon Abraham was forced to sit out the season due to disciplinary reasons, Andy Toole in only his second season at the helm has not only kept this team competitive, but consistently playing at a high level. The Colonials enter the NEC tournament with a 22-9 record overall, 13-5 in the conference, including a big win against top-seeded conference rival LIU Brooklyn. Led by All-NEC first-teamer Velton Jones and sophomores Coron Williams and Anthony Myers, the Bobby Mo Show looks to advance in the NEC Tournament past just Act I.
Central Conn St Outlook: The Blue Devils are led by first team All-NEC forward Ken Horton, who is the epitome of a stat sheet stuffer. His line for the season shows how important he is to the CCSU squad, 18.7ppg, 8.7rpg, 2.1spg, 1.4bpg, 1.7apg. He is helped by his fellow senior Robby Ptacek, 17.6ppg, who is also shooting 92 percent from the charity stripe. The other go to player is NEC Rookie of the Year, Kyle Vinales; the six foot freshman is averaging 18ppg. After the big three there is a considerable drop-off in production. CCSU’s season has been full of ups and downs; they are now on the upswing and have won three of four.
Wagner Outlook: The Seahawks have been the talk of the NEC in national spotlight, highlighted by their upset of then number 13 ranked Pittsburgh back in December. Danny Hurley has his young squad playing exceptionally well boasting the best overall record in the conference, and they lead the nation in road wins. Sophomore guard Latif Rivers leads the team with 14.4ppg and shoots 88percent from the line. The defense is anchored by sophomore guard Kenneth Ortiz, the NEC Defensive Player of the Year, as they hold teams to 41 percent shooting. Senior guard Tyler Murray shoots 49 percent from deep, good for sixth in the country.
Quarterfinals- Thursday March 1 at 7:00pm
(8) Sacred Heart Pioneers at (1) Long Island-Brooklyn Blackbirds
Sacred Heart Outlook: Everything that they do on offense is through Shane Gibson, the 6-2 junior guard, as he leads the NEC in scoring at 22points per game. That also puts Gibson in forth in the national rankings. He has been in double digits for 31 game this season, leading him to a first team All-NEC selection. Justin Swidowski is the down low presence for the Pioneers averaging just over 11 points per game. Pioneers are the second best shooting team in the NEC and third in scoring. But the problem is on defense as they are minus-2 in scoring margin. They also average more turnovers than assists.LIU-Brooklyn Outlook: The Blackbirds ran through the NEC slate with only two blemishes (at Robert Morris, 1/26 and at Monmouth, 2/25). They are the fourth highest scoring offense in the country (81.8ppg) with all five starters averaging at least nine points per game. Junior forwards Jamal Olasewere and Julian Boyd (NEC Player of the Year) anchor the front court and are the top scorers at 17 and 17.3 points per game respectively. The high tempo offense is run through sophomore point guard Jason Brickman, averaging seven assists per game, good for fifth in the nation. LIU is a dangerous team that looks to repeat as NEC champs.
Matchup: These two teams met twice in regular season with LIU-Brooklyn winning both, 87-81 in F airfield and 103-91 (OT) in Brooklyn. The Blackbirds are heavy favorites in this one as they can score at will from all different places inside, outside and from the line. They average 20 made free throws a game, a quarter of the total points. For the Pioneers to pull off the upset they must get the offensive help from Swidowski and Montes in order to keep up with LIU.
Prediction: This should be an offensive explosion of a game with the first one to 80 will come out victorious.
Long Island-Brooklyn 88, Sacred Heart 76
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(5) Quinnipiac Bobcats at (4) St. Francis (NY) Terriers
Quinnipiac Outlook: In what many deemed as a rebuilding year for Tom Moore and his Bobcats after the graduation of Justin Rutty and Deontay Twyman, as well as the mass transfers which left the future of the team wide open, Quinnipiac has managed to finish right where they were picked to finish at the beginning of the year – fifth in the conference. Still led by incumbent senior guard James Johnson and stud sophomore Ike Azotam, Quinnipiac has certainly experienced their peaks and valleys this year. Inconsistent play has plagued the Bobcats throughout the year – something to be expected from a team that welcomed nine newcomers; eight of whom were freshman. Save the poor couple of games against the “Brooklyn Brothers,” (LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis (NY)) Quinnipiac has played their best ball in the latter stages of the year to earn the 5th seed. A young team that seems to be clicking at the right time of the season, Quinnipiac poses a threat to any team in the NEC over the next week.St.Francis (NY) Outlook: The Terriers have easily been the biggest surprise of the year in the Northeast Conference. In a season that was expected to be dominated by the like LIU Brooklyn, Robert Morris, Wagner, Central Connecticut, and Quinnipiac, the Terriers have somehow managed to pull of the four seed, and subsequently a home game in the first round of the NEC tournament. Interestingly enough, if not for a late season collapse that saw the Terriers lose four of the last six, including a loss on the last game of the year to lowly Fairleigh Dickinson, St. Francis (NY) would be sitting in the three seed right now. Either way, led by Iona College transfer Ben Mockford, native Serbian Stefan Perunicic, and 2011-12 NEC Coach of the Year Glenn Braica, the Terriers have positioned themselves quite nicely for the postseason.Matchup: What’s the old sports saying; “it is extremely difficult to beat the same team three times in the same season?” Well, that applies to this game as well. In their first meeting, the Terriers wound up winning a squeaker in Brooklyn thanks to some late game gaffs from Tom Moore, combined with some lethal 3-point shooting from Stefan Perunicic (5-9 to be exact). Next time out, the Bobcats played quite possibly their worst game of the year, in particular in the post, where they allowed Jalen Cannon to record a monster line of 13 points to go along with 19 rebounds.
Prediction: This time will be different. If the Bobcats can continue to keep the 3-point shooting of St. Francis (NY) at bay (10-43 combined in the two meetings) and keep their big men out of foul trouble, Quinnipiac should be able to pull off the upset in Brooklyn Thursday night.
Quinnipiac 74, St. Francis (NY) 65
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(6) Monmouth Hawks at (3) Robert Morris Colonials
Monmouth Outlook: The Hawks, along with St. Francis (NY) has been one of the bigger surprises of the season in the NEC. Picked to finish 10th in the preseason NEC coaches poll, the Hawks have really picked up their play as of late, winning 8 of their last 10 conference games to enter the conference tournament as a six seed. After starting the season on an eight game losing streak, and eventually losing 16 of their first 19 games, Monmouth has pulled a complete 180 degrees turn on their season thanks to their stellar conference play. A quick scan over the roster provides for little high profile players, but instead reveals a balanced roster that complements each other well. With four players averaging over 8 points a game, led by junior guard Jesse Steele, Monmouth poses a balanced attack that can provide mismatches with any team in the NEC.
Robert Morris Outlook: Consistently one of the top teams in the Northeast Conference, this season was no different for the Bobby Mo show. After coming in with high expectations, being ranked second in the preseason NEC coaches poll, the Colonials started off hot once again, winning 10 of their first 13 games. Though key contributor Karon Abraham was forced to sit out the season due to disciplinary reasons, Andy Toole in only his second season at the helm has not only kept this team competitive, but consistently playing at a high level. The Colonials enter the NEC tournament with a 22-9 record overall, 13-5 in the conference, including a big win against top-seeded conference rival LIU Brooklyn. Led by All-NEC first-teamer Velton Jones and sophomores Coron Williams and Anthony Myers, the Bobby Mo Show looks to advance in the NEC Tournament past just Act I.Matchup: Three of the four first round matchups in the NEC tournament could really go either way (save LIU Brooklyn vs Sacred Heart, though the Pioneers still have more than a fighter’s chance in that one). In this particular matchup, both teams will be looking to get out early and set a tone. Robert Morris enters the game not playing their best ball, after barely getting by Sacred Heart and losing to Quinnipiac in their South-Central Connecticut road trip. Monmouth, on the other hand, is peaking at the right time of the season, which culminated in a 28-point thrashing of top-seeded LIU Brooklyn in the last game of the year. Monmouth will look to keep it rolling early on in the not-so-friendly confines of the Sewall Center (to opposing teams that is), while Robert Morris will try to establish their dominance in what assures to be a raucous environment.
Prediction: Though the Hawks are peaking, it is hard to imagine Velton Jones allowing the Colonials to lose at home in the first round to an overall inferior team. The Bobby Mo show sees Act II.
Robert Morris 78, Monmouth 64
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(7) Central Connecticut State Blue Devils at (2) Wagner Seahawks
Central Conn St Outlook: The Blue Devils are led by first team All-NEC forward Ken Horton, who is the epitome of a stat sheet stuffer. His line for the season shows how important he is to the CCSU squad, 18.7ppg, 8.7rpg, 2.1spg, 1.4bpg, 1.7apg. He is helped by his fellow senior Robby Ptacek, 17.6ppg, who is also shooting 92 percent from the charity stripe. The other go to player is NEC Rookie of the Year, Kyle Vinales; the six foot freshman is averaging 18ppg. After the big three there is a considerable drop-off in production. CCSU’s season has been full of ups and downs; they are now on the upswing and have won three of four.Wagner Outlook: The Seahawks have been the talk of the NEC in national spotlight, highlighted by their upset of then number 13 ranked Pittsburgh back in December. Danny Hurley has his young squad playing exceptionally well boasting the best overall record in the conference, and they lead the nation in road wins. Sophomore guard Latif Rivers leads the team with 14.4ppg and shoots 88percent from the line. The defense is anchored by sophomore guard Kenneth Ortiz, the NEC Defensive Player of the Year, as they hold teams to 41 percent shooting. Senior guard Tyler Murray shoots 49 percent from deep, good for sixth in the country.Matchup: The two teams split the regular season series with each team holding home court advantage, Wagner won 67-58 in January and CCSU won 78-61 on Saturday. Wagner has played consistent basketball all year long, never loosing back to back games. The CCSU upset on Saturday makes this matchup that much more interesting. Wagner has the talent across the board and the style of play to give teams fits. On the other hand CCSU has the experience and the better scoring guards. The Blue Devils only have three road wins on the season while the Seahawks have only loss twice at home.
Prediction: This is sure to be a close, grind it out game where every possession counts. In March experience matters.
Central Connecticut State 65, Wagner 64
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Semifinals- Sunday March 4 at Noon; 6:00pm
(7) Central Connecticut State Blue Devils at (1) Long Island-Brooklyn Blackbirds
Matchup: In their lone matchup of the regular season LIU took the 95-80 victory on the home court. This is something LIU has become accustomed with as they boast the 2nd longest home winning streak in the nation at 24 in a row. So, having the home court advantage throughout the NEC tournament is crucial to returning to the Big Dance. CCSU is a team led by their senior scorers in Horton and Ptacek, but they don’t have any real depth or other scorers, outside of Vinales. The Blackbirds have a ton of scoring threats as the score over 80 per game. The matchup in early February was one where LIU’s ability to share the wealth came in handy. The Blue Devils shot 30-62 from the floor but only had two players in double figures, Horton with 29 and Ptacek with 24. On the other hand LIU, shot 30 of 61, had five players in double figures, all five of its starters. The bench scoring was 19-11 in favor of LIU. But it’s the many different options and threats that the Blackbirds present in which makes them such a powerhouse in the NEC.
Prediction: This should be a showdown of the top two players for each team, Boyd & Olasewere versus Horton & Ptacek. In the end the depth and experience of Long Island-Brooklyn will put them over the edge.
Long Island-Brooklyn 90, Central Connecticut State 77
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(5) Quinnipiac Bobcats at (3) Robert Morris Colonials
Matchup: Well, here we are once again, another chapter in the quickly forming rivalry between the Bobcats and the Colonials. This rivalry has really picked up in the last 4 years; starting with Robert Morris taking down the Bobcats in the 2009 NEC semifinals convincingly. That trend would continue the next year, when the Colonials came into Hamden and stole a win from Quinnipiac in the 2010 NEC Championship Game on national television; a day that experienced the largest crowd in Bobcats history. Though the Bobcats took the regular season game against the Colonials that year, and again the year after, Robert Morris would extend their postseason dominance over Quinnipiac in 2011. The Colonials would come back to the TD Bank Sports Center for the 2nd straight year, this time for the NEC semifinals. Once again, Robert Morris stole the day and ended the Bobcats season (besides a meaningless CIT matchup vs. the University of Buffalo). That would bring us to this season.
Lets take a breather after that history lesson. Ok, now to the actual potential matchup.
The Bobcats have beaten the Colonials twice so far this year; 78-76 at Robert Morris, and 73-69 in Hamden in the last game of the year. So far this year, the Bobcats have simply had the Colonials number. But as we mentioned in the Quinnipiac – St. Francis (NY) matchup, it is very difficult to beat the same team three times in the same year. If the cards were to fall this way, and Quinnipiac would have to travel out to the greater Pittsburgh area to take on Robert Morris, then NEC fans would be in for a real treat of a game. One would have to think that both teams would come in extremely motivated: Robert Morris to avoid the dreaded 3 game season sweep, and Quinnipiac to avoid falling to Robert Morris in the NEC tournament for a fourth straight season. The Bobcats match up well with Robert Morris, as long as their big men can stay out of foul trouble and limit Colonial production outside of Velton Jones. Jones will get his, but the important part is to limit the production of Russell Johnson, Lijah Thompson, Anthony Meyers, and Lucky Jones.
Prediction: In a very close game, James Johnson of Quinnipiac wills his team to victory, not allowing every postseason experience of his Bobcat career ending in a loss to Robert Morris.
Quinnipiac 70, Robert Morris 67
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