Checking in on the… NEC
Posted by rtmsf on February 6th, 2009Ray Floriani of College Chalktalk is the RTC correspondent for the NEC and MAAC Conferences.
NEWARK, NJ – Player of the week was Joey Henley, a senior forward, who averaged a double-double (15 points, 11.5 rebounds) in two Sacred Heart victories. LIU freshman forward Julian Boyd earned his fourth Rookie of the Week honor with a 15 ppg, 8 rebound showing in a 1-1 week.
The standings as of Friday February 6, 2009:
- Robert Morris 10-1
- Mount St. Mary 8-4
- LIU 7-4
- Central Ct. 7-5
- Sacred Heart 7-5
- Quinnipiac 6-6
- St.Francis (NY) 5-7
- FDU 5-7
- Monmouth 4-7
- Wagner 3-9
- St.Francis (PA) 2-9
- Fans noticing the Monmouth box score on February 6th probably saw a number of unfamiliar names. Injuries have decimated a Hawk squad that dropped an 83-71 decision to Bryant. Among the infirmed…
- Guard Whitney Coleman who suffered a season ending ACL tear opening nightr.
- Center Dutch Gaitley who missed his fourth straight with an ankle injury
- RJ Rutledge suffered a broken foot in practice two days prior to the Bryant game, thus ending his season.
- Yaniv Simpson turned an ankle in practice the day before the Bryant contest.
- Coach Dave Calloway asks for no sympathy, telling the Asbury Park Press, “excuses are for losers.” Still, the Hawks suffered defensively in their loss to Bryant.
- Bryant is 5-4 against NEC teams this winter. They will play a full NEC schedule next year and officially join the conference in 2012-13.
- Robert Morris is putting real estate between themselves and the rest of the circuit. Keep an eye on Mt.St.Mary’s. Following an 0-3 start they have won eight straight and will be dangerous in the NEC postseason tournament.
- Parity. With a month left, every team is still in the hunt for one of the eight post season tournament spots.
- How strong is Mike Rice’s Robert Morris club ? They have 13 straight NEC road wins dating back to last year.
- LIU’s 91-88 double overtime win over FDU at the Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center in Brooklyn, saw two buzzer beaters by the host Blackbirds. Junior guard David Hicks hit a fallaway jumper in regulation at the buzzer to force OT. Kyle Johnson hit a trey with .1 second left to force a second overtime – the FDU junior guard had 34 points in this wild affair that gave fans their money’s worth.
- Central Connecticut sophomore forward Ken Horton can score. On the other side Horton recently blocked the 100th shot of his career.
- In a 65-51 win over Wagner, Mount St.Mary’s wore throwback uniforms. They were from 1962 when the Mount captured the college division national championship. Yes, with Jim Phelan on the sidelines.
- Sophomore forward Justin Rutty of Quinnipiac had a stretch of four straight games with double-doubles. He has nine for the season.
- Resiliency. St.Francis (NY) bounced back from their worst NEC loss of the season, a 71-51 to Sacred Heart to defeat FDU two days later on the road. Senior guard Jamaal Womack, a solid three point shooter has been scoring well for the Terriers.
- A 65-51 win at Monmouth snapped a ten game losing streak for St.Francis (PA) while Wagner continues in a tail spin. An overtime loss to FDU on Thursday marked the sixth straight Seahawk loss and eight of their last nine in the L column.
- Marquee matchup for the weekend. On Saturday Robert Morris visits Central Connecticut. The Colonials are ‘road warriors’ but Howie Dickenman’s club can be a tough challenge at home. And as the following chart shows, this outcome probably will be decided by who dictates their desired tempo.
The Tempo Free Stat of the Week :
Average Possessions (NEC games only)
- FDU 70.1
- Robert Morris 70
- Sacred Heart 69.6
- LIU 69.1
- Wagner 68.7
- St.Francis (NY) 68.4
- Quinnipiac 66.7
- Monmouth 65.4
- St.Francis (PA) 64.5
- Mount St.Mary 63.8
- Central Ct. 63.6
