Postseason Pictures & More March Madness
By Chris Granozio
The postseason is upon us, at least in the Northeast-10, which begins its championship tournament with four first-round games tonight. But before we take a thumbnail look at the playoff picture, let’s reveal the East Regional Committee’s first true Top 10 rankings, as released Wednesday (counting games through last Sunday and NOT any results from this week). And in a first for our region, there are not one but two ties in the polling:
Tie-1. St. Thomas Aquinas
Tie-1: St. Michael’s
3. Post
4. Bentley
5. Southern New Hampshire
Tie-6. Daemen
Tie-6. Adelphi
8. Pace
9. Jefferson
10. Bloomfield
St. Thomas Aquinas remains the lone nationally ranked team in the NABC Top 25 Coaches’ Poll, jumping six spots to #17. Daemen joins St. Michael’s in the Receiving Votes category. Nova Southeastern returns to the top spot.
Now, the NE10 Playoff match-ups:
Franklin Pierce (12) at Southern New Hampshire (5)
This in-state rivalry that dates back to the old New England Collegiate Conference days is a shadow of what it once was, with the Penmen sweeping both regular-season games and the Ravens now floundering with a program-record 12 straight losses under new head coach Mike Ruane, who has had to reshuffle the deck on the fly. Despite its recent struggles, Pierce has been very competitive lately, falling by one vs. Assumption, and in overtime vs. New Haven in its last two road games. The Penmen are riding the coat-tails of red-hot reigning Player of the Week Preston Santos and are a lock to make the NCAAs, even with an upset loss here. With inactive big man Sean Trumper now in the transfer portal, the Ravens are looking to the future and a glimmer of hope after what has become a trainwreck of a season – its first with a losing record in 13 years, snapping the circuit’s longest active streak of winning campaigns (Jeffeson leads the region).
The winner takes on fourth-seeded Pace in Pleasantville on Sunday, with the Setters having swept the two-game series vs. SNHU by just six cumulative points and FPU in two competitive games, the one in Rindge going OT.
American International (11) at Southern Connecticut (6)
Here’s a fun fact: American International is one of only three regional teams (the others being Southern New Hampshire and Adelphi) to have won five games vs. the regional Top 10. This is utterly mind-blowing – and possibly unprecedented – considering the Yellow Jackets have only four wins vs. non-ranked teams. Injuries – primarily the one to top shooter Jack Hall that has seen the sophomore miss the last 24 games – have derailed Andy Burkholder’s plans for a top-half finish this season, but AIC has proven it can play with the big boys, as evidenced by its season sweep of Bentley, plus wins vs. SNHU, Adelphi and Jefferson. Justice Ellison has emerged as an All-Conference star, leading the circuit in scoring, but he lacks a consistent #2 to help provide balance. The Owls have proven a tough opponent this winter, stinging the Jackets twice by an average of 19 points. Josh McGettigan has proven a great fit for this talented club that is spearheaded by point guard Marty Silvera, who has authored a triple-double and currently ranks second nationally in assists. Southern was one of the most underachieving teams in the region before its eye-opening regular-season finale at Bentley, which finally proved it can swim in the deep end of the pool. With a resume very light on quality wins, the Owls need the AQ to crash the dance.
The winner advances to play at third-seeded Bentley, which was mystifyingly swept by AIC and who split with SCSU, the road team winning both games, including the regular-season capper in Waltham that saw Southern limit the Falcons to a season-low 12 three-point attempts.
New Haven (10) at St. Anselm (7)
In a battle of two teams that need to run the table to reach the NCAAs, St. Anselm swept the season series by an average of 10.5 points, with Tyler Arbuckle leading the cavalry both times. The Chargers are being fueled by rookie guard Jah’Likai King, who is the odds-on favorite for Freshman of the Year. The Hawks have played well down the stretch to salvage what was a disappointing season by their own high standards, with tons of tough losses to very good teams (SAC has played one of the toughest schedules in all of D2). New Haven is a year removed from its first-ever Elite-8 run and has only Davontrey Thomas back among the starters. Are he and the young whippersnappers mature enough to take down a proud program under the playoff lights? We shall see.
The winner moves on to play second-seeded Adelphi, which split with both squads, the home team taking both in the New Haven series while the road teams earned bragging rights in the St. A’s match-up.
Saint Rose (9) at Assumption (8)
When these two teams last met in Worcester, Saint Rose prevailed in a triple-overtime classic, capping a season sweep as they also won by eight in Albany, way back in November. The subplot here is that this is the Golden Knights’ last season, and any game could be their last. How will Hall of Fame Coach Brian Beaury’s troops perform while bearing that burden? It’s a sobering thought as it’s hard not to feel empathy, with all the roadblocks this team has had to overcome, from injuries to losses by attrition, all part of the backdrop of a storied program’s sunset season. Key players to watch are Tristian Jeffries for Saint Rose and Kasey Draper for the Greyhounds, both of whom lead their respective clubs in scoring.
The winner plays at top-seeded St. Michael’s on Sunday. The Purple Knights swept the Golden Knights, though both games were close, including a one-point game in Albany. They split with the Hounds, losing by 14 on the road while winning by five last week in Vermont.
In the CACC, there’s a super-rare scenario prevalent in the uber-competitive CACC North that may be the first of its kind in a conference with eight qualifying playoff teams. With just one day of conference action remaining, tomorrow, Caldwell finds itself in the bizarre position of having to win at rival Bloomfield to claim a tie for the divisional crown, and with it the 1 seed in the league tournament that commences next Tuesday, or miss the tournament completely with a loss! I’ve NEVER heard of a regular-season game providing such a gamut of results – first or fifth and NOTHING in between! This is the case because of the compact nature of the division, with five of the six teams lumped together within a game and a half of each other. A win makes Bloomfield and Caldwell both 10-6, and even if Post were to win its finale at home vs. Bridgeport, forging a three-way deadlock, Caldwell would win the mini-conference, having split with the Bears and swept the Eagles. A Caldwell loss drops the Cougars into a three-way tie with Felician and Dominican (both of whom concluded their regular seasons against each other on Saturday) at 9-7, and Caldwell would finish as the odd team out in that scenario due to a combined 0-4 record in the mini-conference. So two factors are at play here, creating this imperfect storm… first, the division is so top-heavy and second, despite a sweep of Post, Caldwell has struggled mightily within the division at 1-6 while going a perfect 6-0 vs. the South. Simply unbelievable! Add to that the fact that if the Cougars win tomorrow, they would have home court throughout the CACC Tournament as the league pre-determined that the Newman Center would serve as semifinal host this March.
Parsing out the rest of the CACC playoff picture, here’s a team-by-team rundown:
Bloomfield – has clinched a playoff berth and would win the North outright with a home win vs. Caldwell, eliminating the Cougars from the playoffs as a result. They would finish second with a loss, regardless of Post’s outcome because the Bears would finish in the middle of the mini-conference if a three-way tie materializes.
Post – has clinched a playoff spot but cannot win the division. The Eagles can finish as high as second with a home win vs. Bridgeport, coupled with a Bloomfield win vs. Caldwell or as low as fourth with a loss and Bloomfield win. They can also grab the 3 seed with a loss and Caldwell victory.
Dominican – has clinched a playoff spot and is idle Saturday. The Chargers can finish as high as second (and home for the first round) with a Bloomfield win and Post loss. They get the 3 with Bloomfield and Post wins, and the 4 with a Caldwell win and Post loss.
Felician – needs Bloomfield to beat Caldwell to reach the playoffs. The Golden Falcons can finish as high as third if the Bears prevail and Post loses. They grab the 4 if Bloomfield and Post both win at home.
The South Division is a lot easier to figure out since all four playoff participants are set. Jefferson’s home win vs. Goldey-Beacom Wednesday gave the Rams the division crown, while the Lightning grab second place. Wilmington has a one-game lead on Chestnut Hill and would secure the 3 seed with either a win at crosstown rival Goldey-Beacom or Griffins loss at Georgian Court. If neither of those things happen, Chestnut Hill finishes third by virtue of a deep tiebreaker that extends to best win against the North Division.
The ECC is also pretty much settled, with the six playoff teams having already punched their tickets. The only thing that needs to be finalized is the order of the last two teams, District of Columbia and Queens. Right now, the Firebirds hold a one-game edge for fifth, but a loss at Molloy, coupled with a Queens home win vs. Staten Island would flip the order. And even though the Knights welcomed the gifted but enigmatic star playmaker Sunnie Diamond back into the lineup, it hasn’t been enough to prevent an untimely six-game slide. The top four seeds are set:
- St. Thomas Aquinas, which swept…
- Staten Island, which swept…
- Daemen, which can sweep…
- Roberts Wesleyan, which hosts the Wildcats on Saturday, looking to become the second team in the region this season (along with STAC) to win all of its home conference games.
ECC Dribbles…
Talented sophomore guard Eric Morgan, Jr. equaled a career high with 26 points in UDC’s 87-74 loss at Roberts Wesleyan, perhaps a tease for his team’s likely return trip to Rochester on Wednesday?
Speaking of the Redhawks, how about the impact the two former Le Moyne Dolphins – Kevin Constant and Isaiah Elmore – have made since transferring? Constant, a guard, holds a commanding conference lead with a .597 field-goal percentage, more than SEVEN percentage points above the next man. He also ranks second in steals with 2.0 per game. Elmore has become a dominant rim protector, swatting away 2.4 shots per game, tops in the league, second in the region and eighth in the nation. He’s also averaging a respectable 10.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
Roberts shot a sizzling 61% and won the glass, 47-27, at D’Youville Wednesday. It was the Saints’ last game of the year, but their Senior Day honorees – Bryson Birdsong and Luke Theisen – both went out on high notes with 24-point games
St. Thomas Aquinas wrapped up another regular-season title with a 110-95 home triumph over Queens. James Patterson – the clear candidate for ECC Player of the Year and, to my mind, the most talented player in our region – again led the way with 29 points and six rebounds as the Spartans dominated the glass, 53-30 in pulling away late.
Adeleye Olekanmi rewarded CSI Head Coach T.J. Tibbs for his confidence, as the grad student made the most of his very first start as a Dolphin, racking up 16 points (8-12 FG), 10 rebounds and career-high five assists in an 83-75 home win vs. Molloy, extinguishing Molloy’s flickering playoff hopes in the process.
Despite missing the postseason, a couple of bright spots for Molloy in its 83-73 home win vs. Mercy. Freshman guard Bryce Merchant (27 points in 40 minutes, 12-17 FG, 3-5 from deep) and grad student forward Jalen Rosemond (22 points, nine rebounds off the bench) registered career-high scoring games.
Daemen is playing its best basketball at the right time, collecting its fifth straight victory on Saturday vs. crosstown rival D’Youville at Lumsden Gym, improving to 13-0 all-time in the series. Five Wildcats scored in double figures, led by Justin Hemphill’s 18-point, 10-rebound double-double in 18 bench minutes, as head coach Mike MacDonald earned his 200th win at the school.
Though he’s missed games due to a recent injury, Mercy’s Jayden Dewaal remains the lone regional player averaging a double-double at 15.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
CACC Dribbles…
If you haven’t seen Deavion Ellis’ dunk at Bridgeport on Wednesday, treat yourself: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=5e47c94dfd&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-f:1792354023881593608&th=18dfb87d09345308&view=att&disp=safe&realattid=f_lt9266yv0
Bridgeport shot an arctic 4-34 from beyond the arc, while D2 blocked shot leader Edward Ngene authored this bizarre stat line: two points (1-6 FG), 16 rebounds and four swats.
Bloomfield also won a bracket-buster game at Staten Island, 100-90, snapping the Dolphins’ five-game win streak. Starrell Hearns piloted the Bears with 25 points (5-7 from long distance), while Messiah Mallory churned out 23 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in a losing cause. Both teams authored sparkling assist-turnover lines (BC 18/4, CSI 20/12).
Felician kept its playoff hopes alive with a wire-to-wire win over Dominican at Job Gym, as Dee-End McRae paved the way with 16 points and 11 rebounds, spoiling Isaiah Honis’ personal-best 18-point outing.
Post blasted the Golden Falcons in their prior game, 90-59, placing six in double figures, fronted by Robert Sanders’ 16 points (4-6 from 3) and seven rebounds. The win was the ninth straight for the Eagles in the series and the 100th overall for head coach Marc Kuntz.
Post trailed the entire night in its next outing at Caldwell. CACC Scoring Leader Darnell Evans was high man with 25 points (15-16 FT), six rebounds and just as many assists, while Mark Heber ascended the 1,000-point plateau.
Dominican edged Caldwell (see the pattern here in the schizophrenic North Division???) at the Hennessy Center, using a critical 14-4 run that flipped a 65-62 deficit into a 76-69 lead with 5:23 to play. An Evans “And-1” pulled the Cougars within 79-78 with 2:19 left, but that’s as close as they would get as Joshuel White (16 points, 3-4 from 3, five steals) countered with a lay-up and the Chargers sank 8 of 10 at the foul line over the last 54 seconds to reach the finish line.
All five starters reached twin figures in the winner-take-all Jefferson victory over Goldey-Beacom, paced by Erik Timko (27 points, 10-15 FG, 5-7 from 3), Hakin Byrd (22 points, 4-7 from long range, four assists in 40 minutes), Ahmad Barba-Bey (15 points, eight rebounds, eight helpers) and Justin Hawkins (14 points, 10 boards) in a rare start. The Rams maintained a double-digit lead for the final 16:27 of the contest in wrapping a season sweep. Damani Thomas exploded for a career-high 32 points (11-18 FG, 8-15 from downtown Philly) and seven rebounds in defeat for the Lightning.
Jefferson’s seven-game winning streak is now the longest in the region as the Rams have won 14 of 16 and 18 of 22. Win #6 during the hot stretch was a 93-71 blowout of Georgian Court at the Wellness Center, during which the visitors led from pillar to post, bolting out to leads of 40-15 and 63-27 before the dust settled. Timko sank 5 of 10 from distance enroute to a 20-point, five-assist outing, while Clint Wright, Jr. shattered his career high with 29 points in a losing effort.
The Lions dropped their region-worst 14th in a row next game at Wilmington, 95-61, trailing yet again from start to finish. The lone bright spot was Taheen Braswell-Brown tying his personal best with 18 points while ripping down 10 rebounds. Taalib Holloman was top cat for the Wildcats with 25 points (10-11 FT). The 3-point line told the story in this one (WU 16-35, GCU 0-15).
Chestnut Hill continues to keep WilmU in its crosshairs for third, clinching its playoff spot with an 86-73 victory over fellow Philadelphia foe Holy Family at Sorgenti Arena behind 52% shooting from the field and Argel Pettit IV’s career-best 28-point performance (5-9 from deep). League rebounding leader Neal Hill snatched 19 more boards, equaling his own program record which he set earlier this season vs. Dominican.
NE10 Dribbles…
Pace is the hottest NE10 squad these days with six straight wins on the spin. The most impressive one was a come-from-behind affair vs. Bentley at the Dana Center, avenging a home loss. The surging Setters were staring at a 40-23 first-half deficit before stabilizing. A 67-67 game with just over three minutes remaining, Bryan Powell drained a jay to spark a 7-0 spurt, then the visitors secured the result with 7-of-8 shooting at the stripe over the final 36 seconds. Powell recorded 23 of his 27 points during that massive second half and dished out seven assists as Pace committed just three turnovers (none after intermission) in snapping the Falcons’ six-game winning streak.
Bentley then uncharacteristically fell for a second straight time at home as Southern Connecticut snagged a hard-fought 76-66 triumph in its most impressive performance of the season. Josh McGettigan produced 23 points and eight rebounds for the Owls, who used a 10-0 run to open up a 67-50 cushion that was never seriously threatened. Zach Laput tallied 22 points and four assists while playing the entire game for the Falcons, who shot a season-low 12 threes but managed to can seven of them. Southern connected on twice as many (14-31) and punished its hosts, 27-9, off turnovers.
Pace used a 26-6 power run spanning the halves to turn a modest 27-25 lead vs. St. Anselm into a commanding 53-31 advantage in a 78-57 victory at the Goldstein Center, halting the Hawks’ four-game hot streak. Powell (20 points, eight assists) and Tray Alexander (19 points, six rebounds, 10 helpers) did the heavy lifting for the Setters, who dominated in the paint, 50-26.
St. Michael’s wrapped up a remarkable – and historic – regular season that saw the team go from last to first – the second time in league history that has happened (Franklin Pierce in 2012). And the Purple Knights finished an impressive three games clear of the field atop the standings following a home win vs. American International, during which Darrel Yepdo led five in double figures with 20 points (8-10 FG, 2-2 from 3) and four assists… in their prior game, the P-Knights fell to Adelphi in Garden City, capping off a season sweep. A 14-0 upswing was the difference in that one, transforming a 65-64 SMC lead into a 78-65 Panthers advantage. Isaiah Lewis had the hot hand in that one with 29 points, including a mammoth 15-15 performance at the line. Nolan Marold compiled a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double in defeat.
Assumption dealt Adelphi a serious blow to its at-large NCAA chances, knocking off the Panthers, 86-75 at Laska Gym behind Kasey Draper’s 27 points (11-17 FG) and seven rebounds. The Greyhounds led all the way, though a 10-0 spell midway through the second half (the last five coming from Draper) provided the necessary separation at 64-51. The Hounds took much better care of the ball (23/7 assist-turnover ratio compared to Adelphi’s 12/15). Both sides shot an identical 17-20 at the foul line.
Southern New Hampshire picked up a pair of home victories vs. Assumption and Saint Rose, the first one being a rout and the second one a nail-biter. Preston Santos totaled 26 points (11-15 FG) and 10 rebounds, while Matt Becht chipped in with 21 points (5-9 from afar) and five steals vs. the Greyhounds, who saw Draper (17 points) score his 2,000th point (most coming at D3 Roanoke College) and Kani Glover net 16, including his 1,000th!... Santos continued his stellar play vs. the Golden Knights with 25 points (11-14 FG), nine rebounds and four assists, but he was outshined by Alex Rivera, who erupted for a career-high 27 points (5-10 from downtown Manchester). Becht was shockingly a no-show (0 points on 0-8 shooting). Saint Rose – which has lost nine in a row at the Spirou Fieldhouse dating back to 2011 – led 34-31 early in the second half before the Penmen embarked on a 26-9 jaunt to forge ahead, 64-50 with 8:43 to go. The visitors crept within a possession at 68-65 on a Nuha Sagnia dunk with 3:39 on the clock but could get no closer.
Saint Rose then won an emotional final game at Nolan Gym on Tuesday, shooting 58% from the floor in topping New Haven 83-70 in front of a sellout crowd that included tons of former players, coaches and other dignitaries. Freshman guard Christian Pierre-Louis (23 points on 10-13 shooting) and Sagnia (14 points, 7-9 FG, 12 rebounds) did most of the damage for the Golden Knights, who withstood a personal-best effort by rookie guard Jah’Likai King, who outscored his own teammates, 36-34.
New Haven won a tiebreaker with AIC for 10th place after outlasting Franklin Pierce in overtime at Charger Gym, 73-68. King contributed 25 points and five assists to the cause, playing 44 of the 45 minutes, along with his teammates Tyler Saint-Furcy (18 points, seven rebounds) and Davontrey Thomas (17, 6) as the hosts saw the starters account for 214 of the 225 available minutes. King’s traditional 3-point play midway through the extra period put the Chargers ahead for good, negating a 26-point, 16-rebound outing by the Ravens’ Ugo Nwachukwu.
Southern Connecticut also topped Pierce – in Rindge – 77-63, riding a 25-7 wave that put the Owls on top to stay at 71-54. Kazell Stewart led a balanced attack with 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Owls.
And Josh Morissette (29 points, 6-11 from 3) teamed with Zac Taylor (career-high 24 points), both playing the entire game as St. Anselm handed AIC a loss in Springfield, offsetting league scoring leader Justice Ellison’s 29-point, four steal output.
In Memoriam…
We at D2easthoops.org extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of longtime Southern New Hampshire assistant coach Jay Dufour, who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer this week. The SNHU Hall of Famer spent 33 of his 75 years on the planet with the Penmen, as Stan Spirou’s trusted right-hand man, helping the program compile a spectacular 640-341 record and capture five regional titles during his tenure. Jay was a teacher in every sense of the word (he taught for 37 years at two local high schools), and a true gentleman. He may hold the record for longest-tenured men’s assistant in the region, and it has not been the same on the SNHU sidelines since he hung up his clipboard. Rest in peace, brother.
Next Around the Rim comes your way next week, complete with more postseason fodder. Until then, Happy hooping to all!