By: Tim McCaffrey
Go Jets!! Misery loves company so jump on board the bandwagon, folks…… Next stop: Heartbreak! This week, The Musings doesn’t have that intent, but word on the street is, all it takes is a few Ws to mend a broken heart. We begin in the world of the ladies, because I said so! As usual, we trim the field to 14 because, once again, the rankings don’t matter.
Women’s Fortunate 14 (movement from last week after current record)
#14) Georgian Court (2-3) ↔
#13) Southern New Hampshire (2-2) ↔
#12) Adelphi (3-2) NR
#11) New Haven (3-1) ⬇5
#10) Chestnut Hill (3-3) ↔
#9) Saint Rose (3-2) ⬆2
#8) Le Moyne (3-2) ⬇3
#7) Southern Connecticut (4-1) ⬆ 1
#6) Saint Thomas Aquinas (5-1) ⬆ 3
#5) Post (5-2) ⬆2
#4) Jefferson (5-1) ↔
#3) Bentley (4-2) ↔
#2) Daemen (4-0) ⬇1
#1) Assumption (6-0) ⬆1
OUT: #12 Bridgeport, #15 Dominican
A few notes: As we get along in the season, you will invariably see a team that looks like it should be either higher or lower than it is placed. For any inquiries (or errors), e-mail me at t.p.mccaffrey@gmail.com. The question may be used in a future Musing. Assumption takes over the top slot, but there is something very interesting ahead for the committee. Daemen only has 22 total regular season games on its ledger and will be a favorite for just about all of the 18 remaining. The Wildcats, at first glance, appear to potentially be a seeding nightmare, and with six fewer games than other teams that are playing tougher conference schedules….. Yikes! Staying in the ECC, there is an under-the-radar game for two teams hoping to distiinguish themselves from the rest of the league Wednesday as #6 Saint Thomas Aquinas visits the University of the District of Columbia (3-3) in a game that needs several screens just to fit the team names. Are the Spartans contenders or pretenders? Winning at UDC would go a long way in solidifying their chances. Yes, it’s NOT too early to be talking about at-large possibilities! Speaking of teams that need to win to prove they belong, let us all travel to Philadelphia for the Musings' Game of the Week!
#10 Chestnut Hill @ #4 Jefferson: This should be Jefferson’s year. The schedule is conducive to winning. The team won’t be gaining many frequent flyer miles, but it won’t be road weary, that’s for sure. Jefferson slipped up at West Chester over the weekend, but don’t expect too many more L’s for Tom Shirley’s Rams. Despite a comfortable schedule loaded with conference victories, a MUST-win game is on the horizon. Shirley has earned the right with 800+ wins to stay away from long bus rides, however, it makes a sweep of CHC a definite in order to host the regional. The Rams' non-con slate totals 437 miles, or about 1/10 of the trip (one-way) Post University just made to Alaska for two games. Credit to CHC for a respectable non-league ledger, but at some point Jim Connolly's contingent needs to get one to get rolling. And what a win it would be! The Griffs swept Jefferson in the regular season a year ago. It is rare that a game this early has as much riding on it!
Men’s Top 14:
#14) Felician (3-2) ↔
#13) Holy Family (4-1) ↔
#12) Daemen (3-2) ⬇1
#11) Franklin Pierce (3-2) ⬇2
#10) Saint Anselm (3-3) ⬆2
#9) Saint Michael's (6-1) ⬇6
#8) Post (3-3) ⬆2
#7) Southern New Hampshire (3-3) ↔
#6) Bridgeport (3-2) ⬇4
#5) New Haven (2-2) ⬆3
#4) Pace (5-1) ⬆2
#3) Dominican (6-1) ⬇2
#2) Saint Thomas Aquinas (5-1) ⬆2
#1) Bentley (5-1) ⬆4
OUT: Alliance (15)
Tons of shuffling on the men’s side, where Bentley nudges STAC for #1. Not all schedules are equal, just like not all programs are. Some institutions have tangled with very difficult opponents while others are bloated from Thanksgiving leftovers.
Odds N Ends: Luckily, Bloomfield College and Caldwell University are separated by only a few miles. Earlier this season, the Bentley and Assumption women’s basketball teams came down for a tournament in New Jersey that was hosted by Caldwell. The floor and the unseasonable warmth didn’t cooperate and the second day of games was moved to Bloomfield. That left Bentley playing a true road game at Caldwell on day one and a true-road game at Bloomfield (moved from CU). Fast forward to this week, when the Bloomfield men were supposed to have had its home opener, but that game had to be relocated to, you guessed it, Caldwell. If only all schools could work together that easily!
I’ve seen a lot of things so far, but none have stood out like how many times the officials have been involved with the action. No fewer than three errant passes have drilled referees. While the stripes are part of the floor, one official was caught off guard on a steal in Garden City that he actually accidentally defended a 1 vs. 0 fastbreak. While this official was surely embarrassed, it did lead to a missed layup thanks to some officially legal, but illogical defense.
Some news on the postseason! The Northeast-10 has kept its playoff structure that was new last year. The first through third place teams will receive byes into the quarterfinals. In the first round, it will be #4 vs. #13 and so on. Every team gets an orange wedge and a chance to dance. The ECC will remain at six teams, with the top overall seed hosting the semifinals and finals. This is also new, but the same as last season. The CACC will keep with the top four teams in the north and south advancing to the semis with one host - Jefferson this year - for both the men’s and women’s event following the first round.
Next Time, we’ll eliminate another team and whittle the ranking down to 13! See ya!
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