McCaffrey’s Musings – 3/7/18
Well it's upon us, the NCAA Division II Tournaments. First of all I'd like to congratulate all of the teams and commend the selection committees.
The women's regional seeds are right where they should be. The job of regional chair Sandy Michael, the long-time Director of Athletics at Holy Family University, is thankless. Folks, the number of hours that regional chairs put in is extraordinary. On the flipside, Saint Rose men's basketball coach Brian Beaury (who was away from his team this year recovering from hip surgery) should also be lauded for the job he did leading the men's committee in the East Region. I love the way these teams are seeded as well. You have to feel for Daemen and New Haven, who were left out of the field, however I believe the right decisions were made across the board. We do NOT say that every year! So let's begin with a brief breakdown of the first-round matchups and a prediction or two.
NCAA MEN'S EAST REGIONAL SCHEDULE: Le Moyne College, Syracuse, NY
#3 Bridgeport (25-5) vs. #6 Merrimack (19-11), 12:00
This is a very intriguing rematch of a game that took place in November before either squad had a blemish on the resume. On that day, UB won by 19 at LIU Post's tournament but something tells me this will be a much closer affair. Merrimack enters the NCAAs battle-tested, but it's only 7-6 in the last 13 games. Last season, the Warriors came in on a similar streak and upended the #1-seed and host school, Le Moyne. For that reason, I like Merrimack here in a close one.
#2 St. Thomas Aquinas (26-6) vs. #7 Bloomfield (22-7), 2:30
Two weeks ago, I said Bloomfield was a lock for the NCAAs and since it's in the field, I was proven right. But it was a sweaty-palms past six days for Gerald Holmes and his Bears. They enter losers of three of five and were embarrassed in last season's first round by Saint Rose. All signs point to an early exit. St. Thomas Aquinas, the defending regional champs, are seeded four places higher than they were a year ago and come off a defense of the ECC title. In the first meeting in November, these two units turned the ball over 50 times in STAC's overtime road win. All signs point to a Spartan triumph but NOT SO FAST. I like Bloomfield to pull the upset and it would be quite the surprise.
#1 Le Moyne (24-6) vs. #8 Jefferson (21-13), 5:00
These two teams haven't met since 1998 and were at one time conference rivals and charter-members of the defunct Mideast Collegiate Conference. Jefferson picked up the CACC automatic bid by cutting down the nets Sunday at the Gallagher Athletic Center but this is tall order for Hall-of-Famer Herb Magee's Rams. Pat Beilein was born just months prior to when then Philadelphia Textile and Dolphins were beginning the (MAC) league. At 34 years old, Beilein has fewer years on earth than Magee has NCAA Tournament appearances, 35 (30th as head coach/1 as player/4 as asst. coach). It's a Cinderella story for the Rams but the slipper will have trouble fitting against a Le Moyne team coming off an NE10 tournament title.
#4 St. Anselm (22-8) vs. #5 Saint Rose (20-9), 7:30
Two NE10 rivals meet for the final game of the day in a rematch of a barn-burner in January that saw the Hawks emerge victorious. That game was in Manchester and this one is in Syracuse where St. A's just played. The Hawks are a different team outside of Manchester. The team is 6-7 in games away from its home city including a few befuddling defeats. Saint Rose, which lost in the regional final a year ago, will have had nearly two weeks to stew following an upset loss to Bentley in the NE10 quarterfinals. Albany, home to the Golden Knights, is only two hours away from Syracuse and the Hawks have struggled away from home. For those two reasons, I like Saint Rose.
Summary: They say to stick with the person who brought you to the dance. In the preseason, I picked Le Moyne to win the regional and I'm standing by that. The Dolphins have been on a mission since some first-semester struggles. Every coach will tell you they are the class of the region and it will take a monumental effort to defeat them on their home floor.
NCAA WOMEN'S EAST REGIONAL SCHEDULE: Stonehill College, North Easton, MA
#3 University of the Sciences (28-3) vs. #6 LIU-Post (22-7), 12:00
The University of the Sciences' defense of its CACC title was impressive. The Devils appeared to be going through the motions at times late in the season but pulled it together for three convincing CACC tourney wins. LIU Post only lost two games against ECC competition and both were against archrival NYIT. The Bears and Chestnut Hill (which swept the season series vs. USciences) aren't here and Sciences and LIU Post are thrilled they're not. This game will be a contrast in styles and one that favors Sciences. The Devils don't mind being pressured and that is exactly what they should expect from Deirdre Moore's Pioneers squad. I fear this is a tough assignment for LIU Post and expect the sharpshooting of Sciences and its ability to get to the rim to be too much to handle from a game Pioneer team.
#2 Bentley (27-3) vs. #7 Jefferson (26-5), 2:30
Is it any shock that Bentley sports the region's longest win streak? The Falcons enter victors in seven straight following an overtime NE10 title triumph over Stonehill. A regional championship would mean that Barbara Stevens, who won her 1000th game earlier this season, would reach 30 wins for an amazing 12th time. The Rams are way ahead of schedule and this will provide a great measuring stick for where they need to be next season when they could be in contention to host the regional. An upset victory would give Jefferson head coach Tom Shirley his 600th win at the school. In reality, I think the Rams are a lot like Sciences was last March, one year away.
#1 Stonehill (26-3) vs. #8 Southern Connecticut (21-9), 5:00
These two play in the same conference but only face each other once a year as they are in opposite divisions of the NE10. When they met earlier in the season, Stonehill prevailed but the Owls were not outclassed. The two teams combined to shoot 6-40 from three-point range but the free throw differential (15-16 for Stonehill vs. 6-8 for SCSU) proved to be most of the difference in an 11-point Skyhawks win. It's hard to pick against the home club in this one but I wouldn't be surprised to see this be close for a while before Stonehill moves on.
#4 St. Thomas Aquinas (26-4) vs. #5 Caldwell (24-6), 7:30
This is a rematch of a game that took place in November, and one Caldwell would much rather forget, since the Spartans won by 32 points in Sparkill. The Cougars were coming off of a Florida trip and were perhaps a bit jet-lagged. While I don't see a blowout here, my eye test says that STAC is the better team, albeit not by much. Kim Lusk's Spartans are coming off an ECC tournament title and I expect them to get to the second round for the first time in their history.
Summary: I picked Sciences to cut down the nets in the preseason and even though the route will be tough, I'll stand by that choice. The top three teams are all ahead of the rest of the field and all have the ability to advance to the Elite Eight.
That will do it for the Musings and if you'll indulge me I'd like to speak a bit on a couple things. First off I'd like to thank Stephen Zerdelian and Chris Granozio for asking me and allowing me the freedom to post my thoughts on the region. I can't begin to thank the readers who have told me how much they like the new column. Those kind words mean so much. I'd be remiss if didn't say something about the officiating in the CACC tournament where I was lucky enough to call the action this weekend. CACC Women's Basketball Coordinator Jon Levinson and Men's Director of Officiating Tim McAleer should be proud of the officials they had on the floor. It's rare that the officials go unnoticed in such high-tension games. Finally, I'd like to wish everyone luck in the upcoming regionals. Until next time: Happy Hooping!