Tony Gaffney’s first words upon entering the media room said about all that needed to be said. “We’re going to get one, sooner or later,” said the senior forward. Those words came after UMass got another punch in the gut. Having already lost two games in the final seconds, the Minutemen rallied to force overtime before losing to Boston College on Saturday night. The 85-81 loss drops them to 1-6 on the season, with two tough losses at home included.
Columns
Rams And Friars Give Fans a True Rivalry Game
This was what a rivalry game is supposed to be. It looked like, felt like, and was a rivalry game all the way through. You could feel it right away, with the sold-out crowd’s energy in the Dunkin’ Donuts Center even before the game started. That included the visiting team’s own student section and cheerleaders.
Are These Huskies as Good as Advertised?
It was only a couple of weeks ago that Northeastern looked like it was at the beginning of a very promising season. Despite not showing up against Michigan in their second game of the season, the Huskies bounced back with impressive wins at Providence and against Holy Cross. They stood at 3-1 through four games and had two more home games left before they would be on the road until the new year.
Brady Has Dukes Improving Defensively
It’s not a stretch to say that in recent years, James Madison couldn’t stop anyone. The Dukes were routinely a poor defensive team, and that was their fatal flaw since it’s not like they lacked the ability to score. Last season marked the third season in a row in which opponents shot over 48 percent from the field against the Dukes. Colonial Athletic Association opponents shot over 50 percent against them last season.
Fairfield Starting to Grow Up as Early MAAC Games Approach
Ed Cooley’s team is growing up, and it hasn’t come at a bad time.
Fairfield enters their next two games, both early MAAC contests, having won three straight games. They look like a team that is getting better each time out, and they certainly did that against a Holy Cross team that had knocked them off the last two years in similar kinds of games.
Strong Panthers Win Legends Classic
Over the years I have maintained an interest in the statistical analysis of basketball. Today the term “tempo-free stats” is the hot terminology used by those breaking down numbers. Tempo-free is self-explanatory. It provides a number that can assess a team or performer whether said team walks the ball up the floor or pushes it to a track meet pace.
Weekend Tournament Quick Hitters
While NJIT’s losing streak gets plenty of attention, Monmouth also entered Saturday’s game without a win. They were 0-6, albeit against a very difficult schedule, so they were happy to get a win. The least difficult opponent they had played before Saturday is probably FIU, and that was a road game against a team not lacking in talent that has been hit by injuries.
The Biggest Win
It’s been a very, very long four years for the Boston University men’s basketball team. But the Terriers may have finally exorcized some of their demons from the past four years with a huge victory over the Huskies of Northeastern.
Cunningham Leads Frontcourt Uprising on Main Line
Being from the area, Reggie Redding knows what Villanova’s reputation has been over the years. He can also see that a current senior might change that, for this year at least. “They say this is ‘Guard U’. I think it’s turning around this year to ‘Dante U’,” the junior wing said after the Wildcats won the Independence Bracket in the Philly Hoop Group Classic on Saturday night.
NIT Season Tip-Off Notes
The pre-Season NIT gave us four solid teams for the Thanksgiving week event at Madison Square Garden. Oklahoma captured the championship over Purdue in an overtime contest that had March-like intensity. Taking a look back, each team did several things well yet needs other areas to be addressed.
