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Post by bison137 on Mar 6, 2024 11:05:02 GMT -5
As an example as to how tight the standings are, Bucknell can win and tie for 1st place in certain scenarios. Probably a 3 seed. On the other hand, if they lose, the team could fall into a tie for 5th through 8th and get the 8 seed.
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Post by bison137 on Mar 4, 2024 20:15:30 GMT -5
Not sure Bucknell is consistent enough to run the table. But having said that, they have been getting better each game the last four weeks. With a starting lineup of four sophomores and one freshman, the future is pretty bright if they don’t lose players to the portal. One reason for their improvement is that PG Blake Matthews has gotten healthy and started living up to her potential. The starting PG the first half of the season was senior Caroline Dingler, but unfortunately, she suffered a really bad concussion in mid-December and is out for the season. It took a while for the team to get used to not having Dingler, their captain and only senior who played a lot. But they seem to have put things together the last four weeks. Do you expect Dingler back for her covid year? Very unlikely. Bucknell has not allowed any 5th years to return, so the only possible reason likely would be if the concussion symptoms are so bad that she is unable to complete her coursework. She did have to postpone her MCATs, but I think she is now able to handle the academics again. Obviously interested in med school. Btw, theoretically she might be able to play two more years since she could take this year as an injury redshirt.
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Post by bison137 on Mar 4, 2024 18:11:01 GMT -5
My heart says HC, my darkhorse is Bucknell, my likely is the winner of the Colgate/BosU game Wednesday. How you like that hedge Not sure Bucknell is consistent enough to run the table. But having said that, they have been getting better each game the last four weeks. With a starting lineup of four sophomores and one freshman, the future is pretty bright if they don’t lose players to the portal. One reason for their improvement is that PG Blake Matthews has gotten healthy and started living up to her potential. The starting PG the first half of the season was senior Caroline Dingler, but unfortunately, she suffered a really bad concussion in mid-December and is out for the season. It took a while for the team to get used to not having Dingler, their captain and only senior who played a lot. But they seem to have put things together the last four weeks.
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Post by bison137 on Mar 4, 2024 18:04:52 GMT -5
Mark Butler is an interesting selection for the All Rookie team. He had a boatload of assists but shot 0-17 from three. But he also hit 56% on twos and had one of the leagues top assist rates. Also was fifth in the league in assists per game and led the league in assist to turnover ratio.
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Post by bison137 on Mar 4, 2024 15:01:15 GMT -5
I sort of liked the short lived experiment from close to 20 years ago, when they split up the tournament into 2 league site pods (HC hosted one). I believe they played the quarters and semis at the 2 sites, then the highest overall seed hosted the final (I might not have this completely accurate). It at least gave off a bit of tournament vibe, while still rewarding regular season performance. That was in 2005 and 2006. The pods were hosted by the top two teams in the league, which not surprisingly were Bucknell and Holy Cross. At that time, of course, there were eight teams in the league, so it was easier to execute that sort of model.
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Post by bison137 on Mar 4, 2024 12:13:29 GMT -5
Nope. It is simply that Army plays all of their weekday home games at 6 PM. The other play-in game at Navy starts at 7 PM. I don’t think other men’s teams use 6 PM starts, but a number of PL women’s teams start their games at 6 PM. They have found that the majority of their fans prefer a 6 PM start to a 7 PM start. I don’t think that’s the case on the men’s side in many places, however. more concession money if you don't have time to grab a bite before tip off That’s likely true, but the teams using the 6 PM start all switched to that time because they did a survey of their women’s ticket holders and found that the majority wanted 6 PM.
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Post by bison137 on Mar 4, 2024 11:20:51 GMT -5
Probably a dumb question, but could it be just to give the winning team 1 extra hour for travel/prep for the quarterfinal? Nope. It is simply that Army plays all of their weekday home games at 6 PM. The other play-in game at Navy starts at 7 PM. I don’t think other men’s teams use 6 PM starts, but a number of PL women’s teams start their games at 6 PM. They have found that the majority of their fans prefer a 6 PM start to a 7 PM start. I don’t think that’s the case on the men’s side in many places, however.
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Post by bison137 on Mar 1, 2024 13:16:07 GMT -5
This year's nightmare will soon be over. Brighter days are ahead Do you’re really see this season as a nightmare? I’ve seen a this team improve greatly from where they were at when the season started. Their D is much better, the offense is more fluid, the rebounding is better.. yes these are all my eyeball opinions, I have seen every game, home in person. I may have the purple lenses in, I still like the direction the program is heading. Seems like we have a good class coming in. I think we are a good big away from being a factor in the league. A Justin Vander Bahn or Keegan Records would vault this team up the league standings. Keegan Records yes. But Vander Baan is at best an average PL center. He's a good shot blocker but not above average in any other category. Lafayette btw currently ranks #315 in the nation and has a 10-19 record. VDB was helpless against Bucknell's Williamson and had to be benched on several occasions. And Williamson is still very much a work in progress. Very little experience and lacks strength.
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Post by bison137 on Feb 29, 2024 18:30:45 GMT -5
Clark just announced that she’s entering the WNBA draft in 2024 - will be interesting to see if she fits In immediately Not surprising, given that Iowa would probably not have been a Big 10 contender next year.
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Post by bison137 on Feb 29, 2024 18:20:31 GMT -5
Bang out the roof so they have to play this doubleheader in Agganis Arena next year. Any PL interest in having the whole M+W PLT at BU using both Case and Agganis to keep the trains running on time? Would the BU hockey coaches nix that idea? In recent years, the attendance for Boston U's home games with HC has averaged just over 600 (including no shows). The capacity of Agganis for basketball is 6400. Having over 90% of the seats empty is bad optics that Boston U wants no part of - and it also makes it a losing proposition to even open Aggans. As for having the PLT there, the PL has no interest, nor do the individual schools. Btw. the first few years after Boston U joined the PL, they were required to play league games in Agganis because the PL didn't like the idea of a member playing in a gym with a capacity of maybe 1500. After a few years of "crowds" of 650 people packed into Agganis, the PL and Boston U agreed to stop butting their heads against an immovable wall, and they moved all games to Case, whose 1500 capacity is more than Boston U will ever need.
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Post by bison137 on Feb 29, 2024 15:15:23 GMT -5
Massey makes HC a 4 point underdog at home (65-69) with a 36% chance for the win. Underdogs on our home court...ouch! (... to a team we already beat at their place!) We are playing at Case. Pomeroy has us as ten point dogs. Massey has Boston U as a nine point favorite. masseyratings.com/cb2024/796
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Post by bison137 on Feb 29, 2024 13:40:29 GMT -5
Just finished watching. BPC made a case for P.O.Y. for herself. It was a great mock exam for upcoming playoff intensity. And Weimar, who I think is the favorite, also made a case in a crucial win over Lehigh. She had 16 points on 7-9 shooting, plus 9 boards, 2 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal.
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Post by bison137 on Feb 29, 2024 12:15:56 GMT -5
Pending today's results, the top seven teams in the PL are .500 or above. Good balance. Lehigh has now dropped below .500, but there is still a scenario where the league ends in a six-way tie for 1st. Very unlikely that will happen, since I can't see HC losing to LC, but it is at least theoretically possible.
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Post by bison137 on Feb 29, 2024 9:55:08 GMT -5
Paige Bueckers just made the right financial and happiness decision to remain at UConn for her Covid year - she (like Clark) make much more playing in college. Another legit reason Bueckers is coming back is because she has missed so much time due to injury, while Clark has generally been injury free. Bueckers, in fact, could possibly play two more seasons. Next year she will be using the Covid year, but she also missed all of the 2022–23 season with a torn ACL.
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Post by bison137 on Feb 27, 2024 15:33:31 GMT -5
If anyone thinks this first season is some kind of new experience for Paulsen: Bucknell: 2008 (Flannery): 12-19 2009 (Paulsen): 7-23 2010 (Paulsen): 14-17 2011 (Paulsen): 25-9 2012 (Paulsen): 25-10 2013 (Paulsen): 28-6 Mason: 2015 (Hewitt): 9-22 2016 (Paulsen): 11-21 2017 (Paulsen): 20-14 2018 (Paulsen): 16-17 2019 (Paulsen): 18-15 CDP has more than a bit of experience with rough first years in new gigs. Ironically, it took longer to turn things around at Bucknell, but he reached a much higher ceiling there, with a quicker turn to 20 wins at Mason that proved not sustainable. I think DP's situation when he took over at Bucknell was VERY different than the situation he inherited at HC. Yes, Bucknell had gone 12-19 the previous year, but the three previous years, which were still fresh in the minds of the players DP's staff recruited, were: 2007 (Flannery) 22-9 (13-1 PL) - reguar season co-champ 2006 (Flannery) 27-5 (14-0 PL) - regular season champ, PLT winner 2005 (Flannery) 23-10 (10-4 PL) - PLT winner Also note that those teams played FAR tougher schedules than any that a Brett Nelson team played. And all three teams were in the nation's top 100 (Pomeroy). As you likely recall, the 2006 team finished in the nation's top 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. That kind of success was only 13 months removed when the DP era began at Bucknell and they began recruiting. One further piece of background info is that the 2008 team was plagued by injury. Their starting center suffered a serious knee injury halfway through the season. Starting PF tore his ACL in July - returned in less than 5 1/2 months but was not the same player. Part-time starting wing tore MCL and missed significant time. Part-time starting SG had several different injuries and saw very limited playing time. And during this time, Flannery was battling serious health issues that eventually forced him to step down. So it was a down year, but certainly not a program that had collapsed, and there were two highly recruited players about to arrive. One other thing that helped the DP regime recruit was the Bucknell fan base and arena. Despite the bad year in 2007-08, BU still averaged 3400 fans per game - the best in the PL by a wide margin - and was playing in the nicest arena in the PL. All of that helped recruiting, as Bucknell was way ahead of most northeastern mid-majors in those categories. It was a great job to inherit, which is why they had a huge number of applicants, including Joe and James Jones, Sean Kearney (who thankfully was quickly eliminated), and a bunch of others with name recognition.
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BPC POW
Feb 26, 2024 21:33:10 GMT -5
Post by bison137 on Feb 26, 2024 21:33:10 GMT -5
Well, if Colgate goes 3-0, Loyola 2-1 & HC 1-2, 3 way tie for first, CU gets #1 seed, Loyola #2 & HC #3. And in the above scenario, if army goes 3–0, there would be a four-way tie, and then army would get the number one seed.
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BPC POW
Feb 26, 2024 18:07:38 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by bison137 on Feb 26, 2024 18:07:38 GMT -5
With so many different winners of the PoW, it may be a close vote for the PoY. Weimar, with 3 weekly awards and the leader in double-doubles, seems to be the current favorite. Better if BPC leads us to the PLT crown and wins MVP as she did last season. Don’t forget that the POW awards are chosen by an entirely different group of voters whose voting criteria is about 95% offensive stats. The All-PL teams, and the player of the year, are chosen only by the coaches, who have a totally different set of criteria than the weekly voters. Having said that, I think Weimar is a clear favorite with Therien battling P-C for number two. An interesting contest will be for the last two spots on the first team. Agree about O’Bannion deserving COY. Her Loyola team was picked for ninth and is currently in second.
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Post by bison137 on Feb 25, 2024 14:30:38 GMT -5
Couldn't remember whether she played in 20,22,23,24 or 21,22,23,24. It was the latter, so, yes, she would have another year of eligibility. She played 14 games her freshman year including one start but Memphis hired a new head coach for her sophomore year and she only only played five games that year so she might have a red shirt season to boot. she played six games her sophomore year, but one of them was in the second half of the season, which means there is no possibility at all of her having a red shirt year.
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Post by bison137 on Feb 20, 2024 0:58:25 GMT -5
Too many ‘off the board’ posts for my liking - is MM a good recruiter ? I’d say she has a better product to offer than Sacred Heart and many other schools we’re losing recruits to I have no inside knowledge but take all these things with a grain of salt. She allegedly also had an offer from Georgetown. If she had a commitable full scholarship offer from Georgetown and went to SHU, I don’t know what to tell you. Due to the fact that Georgetown’s coach died last fall, it’s hard to tell what offers from there were still committable. However, I have no doubt that her list of offers was legitimate. She put up phenomenal stats as a sophomore and as a junior against decent NYC competition. Was 2nd team All-NYC public as a soph. And her AAU stats were off the charts, despite playing against competition two years older than her. Her AAU team included a number of players who committed to strong programs. Not sure why she selected Sacred Heart, but she must’ve really liked the coaches and the program.
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Post by bison137 on Feb 19, 2024 21:07:30 GMT -5
Yes, they are brothers.
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Post by bison137 on Feb 19, 2024 20:26:38 GMT -5
That is your legitimate opinion...but one with whch I disagree. Where would you see HC going that is somehow better? Also, if the PL were "doomed to fail" (a point on which we disagree) why would all of the PL ADs continue to support it? Do you feel the athletic programs are being run by people too incompetent (or too content) to see that their league is "doomed" so they remain? My comments apply to men’s basketball only. Also my definition of fail is fail to be relevant on a regional and national scale (I also could see the PL fold with one or two departures). Why would the league fold with one, or even two, departures? League would be fine with eight or nine schools. Or worst case would be to lower the academic standards a bit and add someone. Lots of schools have shown interest in joining, and at least several would still be interested. Marist and Fairfield to name two. Also NJIT, although they clearly would be less desirable.
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Post by bison137 on Feb 19, 2024 18:27:12 GMT -5
Ironically, Chuck’s Steakhouse of Danbury CT recently announced it’s closure after over 50 years at the same location just off of I – 84.
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Post by bison137 on Feb 17, 2024 16:45:20 GMT -5
When was the last time men’s lacrosse started 2-1 iIn 2020, they started 4-1. All four wins were by one goal.
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Post by bison137 on Feb 17, 2024 10:35:46 GMT -5
Second-best team in NE? Got to be Fairfield, 22-1; one three point loss on the road to 19-7 Vandy (coached by Shea Ralph). Might be, but it’s far from certain. Massey and at least one other rating model have Boston College well ahead of Fairfield. The reason is that Fairfield has played one of the weakest schedules in the country, while BC’s schedule is around number 50.
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Post by bison137 on Feb 13, 2024 14:11:55 GMT -5
I hope the Berkshires seem dreamlike on account of the frosting during their trip today and the Raiders don't need Paul Revere to guide them between Stockbridge and Worcester. What does a visiting team do all day on Wednesday? Can they set up shop in Dinand Library to study? Now that HC has two gyms and one HC team is on the road do they give one gym to the visitors to practice at their leisure? I am sure that they will do a shoot-around in the Hart at some point during the day, probably late morning. Then probably a meeting and some film study after lunch.
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