America East Notebook
It’s Up For Grabs
All of sudden, America East is entirely up for grabs, and there’s not much in the way of trends to go with. Two and a half games separate the top six teams.
Alone in first place are the Binghamton Bearcats, who have won five straight to sport a 5-1 record in America East play. For good measure, the Bearcats scored their first win ever at Boston University last Sunday. Right behind them is Albany, which has now lost two straight after an eight-game winning streak.
Tied right behind them are Boston University and Vermont, both at 4-3 after the Terriers won Sunday’s matchup between the two.
A hot team of late is New Hampshire, which won four straight after a six-game losing streak, then bounced back from a bad loss to struggling Maine on Thursday night with a 75-72 overtime win at Albany. The Wildcats, who had their first four-game winning streak since 2002, are now 4-4 in conference play.
UMBC had lost three straight and made news in a negative way, but bounced back with an 83-62 home win over Maine on Sunday thanks to five players scoring in double figures. The Retrievers looked much-improved early in the season, but after two home losses earlier this month, head coach Randy Monroe banned players from the locker room for the remainder of the season because of their effort.
So as we reach the latter part of January, the conference doesn’t quite look like we expected, and there’s little consistency to try to figure out what may lie ahead. But that’s why we play the games, and it’s one more thing that makes college basketball so much fun.
Head-Scratcher at Agganis
Dennis Wolff said it all, both to his players and the media, about Sunday’s 43-41 win by Boston University over Vermont at Agganis Arena.
“I’ve been a college coach for 25 years, played in college, and I have never looked at a stranger stat sheet in my life,” said the Terriers’ head coach, who earned his 199th career win at the school.
Some questions naturally arise if just a couple of stats are mentioned.
- How did Vermont lose when shooting nearly 55 percent from the field and holding the Terriers below 26 percent?
- How did Vermont shoot that well with just three assists and 15 turnovers?
That brings us to the stats that tell the whole story: rebounds. The Terriers grabbed 25 offensive rebounds – as many total rebounds as the Catamounts had, and more than half of their missed shots (they were 15-59 from the field and 8-12 at the free throw line). As a result, they took nearly twice as many shots as the Catamounts, and they took advantage of just enough of the many extra opportunities they had to get the win.
The many offensive rebounds allowed the Terriers to escape despite continuing to struggle on offense, which will remain their Achilles heel this season. They won’t always have games where they get 25 offensive rebounds, especially considering many of them involved a lucky bounce or two. Still, with Sunday’s win, the Terriers are right in the mix.
Wolff’s first attempt at reaching 200 will come in front of a home crowd on Wednesday night against Hartford.
Full Bearcats Team Starts Winning
Binghamton had its struggles in non-conference play, but has begun the new calendar year with a vengeance. The Bearcats have not lost in 2006 and sport a 5-1 record in America East play, which puts them a half game ahead of Albany after the Great Danes lost their second straight on Sunday. Even more noteworthy is the fact that four of those wins have come on the road.
What’s made all the difference? Getting healthy. With versatile big man Ian Milne (out with a hernia operation) and guard Steve Proctor now in the lineup, they have their whole team together, including two of their key parts. Milne was named the conference Rookie of the Week to start the year and has made over 44 percent of his three-point attempts, while Proctor is a key defender on the perimeter.
“With them back, we’ve improved, and that’s been a lineup that we’ve been eye-balling since November, but we can finally put it on the floor,” head coach Al Walker said.
Their presence has also helped ease the burden on leading scorer Andre Heard, and they’ve been able to win despite some inconsistency from Troy Hailey. The win at Boston University a week ago is an added confidence boost for the team, and with a little help last week as Albany lost two, they are now in first place.
With their big road stretches behind them, the Bearcats host Vermont and Albany in two key contests this week. At 5-1 and with seven of their final ten games being at home, the Bearcats have put themselves in a very good position.
Black Bears Show Some Life
It hasn’t been an easy season for Maine, which will redshirt star guard Kevin Reed due to a stress fracture in his foot. The Black Bears have won consecutive games just twice all season and have struggled to a 7-11 mark overall.
The Black Bears have had to put a new cast together, not helped by Reed’s injury. The only frontcourt holdover with appreciable experience entering the season was Olli Ahvenniemi, who has emerged as one of the better post players in the guard-dominated conference. The conference leader in blocked shots had a solid nine-point, nine-rebound effort with five blocked shots at New Hampshire on Thursday. Junior Chris Bruff, an undersized forward, has emerged as a key player, while freshman Philippe Tchekane Bofia has shown plenty of promise.
The key in the backcourt is Jon Sheets, a solid, unspectacular floor leader. He’s shot the ball well, and plays his role well alongside scorers Ernest Turner and Rashad Turner (no relation).
With players now settled in their roles, and no question about whether or not Reed will return this season, the Black Bears should get better the rest of the way.
“I feel like we’ve had some different pieces missing here and there throughout the season,” said head coach Ted Woodward. “Six of our top seven are basically new, and we’re just continuing to learn. Since Christmas, we’ve played very well offensively, we’ve shot the ball at about 50 percent, and we’re focusing on getting our defense back to where it belongs.”
In past years, the defense has been a big reason for their success, and this season it’s one reason for their struggles. Only two teams in the conference allow more points or force fewer turnovers, and with the offense generally not scoring enough (as well as having the worst turnover margin in the conference), the Black Bears will have to allow fewer points as the season goes along.
The Black Bears host Stony Brook, then head south to play Boston University this week.
Other Conference Notes
- Hartford senior Kenny Adeleke now has ten consecutive double-doubles. Unfortunately, the rest of the Hawks haven’t taken full advantage of his play, as they are 3-7 in that span with one of those wins coming against Division III Molloy.
- Vermont is a surprise at this point, tied for third place at 4-3 in the conference. Give new head coach Mike Lonergan credit for getting what he has thus far out of the least experienced team in the country this season. The Catamounts are in a crucial week, as they play two road games (Binghamton and New Hampshire) to conclude a three-game road swing, and Lonergan has expressed concerns about his team plays on the road. They have two road wins all season.
