McCaffrey’s Musings
By: Tim McCaffrey
Referees and Rivalries… How to Make Our Region Better:
Invariably, the two things coaches and fans complain THE MOST about are officials and conference schedules. Over the next two weeks, we will propose some ideas on how to make our region better. In this edition, we take the second part first: Scheduling!!!
Control what you can control! There have been quite a few moving pieces in our region over the past several years and there is no reason to expect that to change going forward. That makes designing an adequate conference schedule up to the individual conference offices. It is not easy. Take the CACC, where a brilliant idea of making the final game of the season a “rivalry” affair has turned into one team getting a bye and Georgian Court being paired with Chestnut Hill. Sometimes the best laid plans go sideways and there isn’t a lot that can be done. However, what CAN be controlled is each school’s non-conference schedule.
Whoever is doing the scheduling (generally a head or assistant coach (with a few exceptions) need to understand that rivalry games and regional contests get fans, media and participants excited. I have generally been flummoxed as to why schools can travel six or seven hours for a win, but struggle to play teams in the region much closer. Here are some things that would make our region a lot more fun!
The UpState NY 5
Ok, so the name needs work, but how about if Daemen, Roberts Wesleyan, the College of Saint Rose, Le Moyne and D’Youville all played every year and the school with the best record gets an orange wedge! Or how about an opening tournament featuring a crossover conference challenge? They can move the site every year and make it an event! Two from the ECC and the two NE10 teams make a perfect weekend!
The LowState NY 4
By this point you probably know the names of these ideas may need some work, but I’ve been wondering why Dominican (NY) and St. Thomas Aquinas aren’t playing in men’s basketball. They are next door to each other; the women’s teams played this season. Furthermore, how about we gather Pace, Mercy, DU and STAC for a tournament? Mercy vs. Dominican, and STAC vs. Pace, winners meet in the championship.
Creating and cultivating rivalries is the cornerstone to this venture, but also, top teams in the region can’t be avoiding each other.
Philly versus the WORLD or Manchester!
As an honorary Philadelphian, I can tell you it would be Philadelphia 45, World 42. How about we have an affair every year that features four of the region’s schools which have storied histories? How about Holy Family and Jefferson from the CACC and Saint Anselm and Southern New Hampshire from Manchester. That would be an event I’d pay to see!! One year up north and then in Philadelphia and so on! And if one of the Philly schools can’t participate, add Chestnut Hill. The Griffins have two basketball programs on the rise!
The Connecticut 4
Post and Bridgeport take on Southern Connecticut and New Haven in a two-day battle for Nutmeg State bragging rights!!… I mean this stuff is so easy.
Schedule UP, not down!
I appreciate that Cheyney defeated an undermanned Queens team last week, but I’m embarrassed our region is playing this once proud program nine times in men’s basketball. I understand if you’re a new coach with a team that is in the under-five win range, but Cheyney is not a DII team. It’s the same as playing Bryant & Stratton. In addition, if you can play 28 games you should not be playing 22. If this is about competition for the student athletes, then let's compete in as many games as possible versus DII programs. A team may only play 26 regular season affairs if they did not participate in a conference challenge.
Those are just a handful of ideas that would make the region better! Always have solutions, not just complaints! Next week, I’ll discuss the officiating which is becoming way too big of a story. There are, however, ways to fix it. Seriously, I know how to make the officiating better and it is not as hard as you think!
TMAC’s Top 10 - WBB
#10) Daemen (10-2) ⬆1
#9) Dominican (11-7) ↔
#8) St. Thomas Aquinas (11-5) ⬇2
#7) Holy Family (13-5) ⬆1
#6) Southern Connecticut (10-5) ⬇1
#5) Le Moyne (11-5) ⬆1
#4) Jefferson (15-2) ⬇1
#3) Southern New Hampshire (12-3) ⬇1
#2) Bentley (12-4) ⬆2
#1) Assumption (14-2) ↔
OUT: #10 Pace
Assumption by no means has the #1-seed in the bag, but with only losses to #2 & #3, the Greyhounds are the leader by a very slim margin. Bentley sports a win at SNHU and two out-of-region defeats which alters one category enough to give the Falcons a clear edge. Jefferson has two losses on the road, but there is no need for worry in Rams land! With plenty of baked-in CACC triumphs looming and a NE10 that will eat itself, I expect Tom Shirley and his troops to be looking down from the top line soon enough!
Daemen has several issues on the horizon that will be taken into account by the Regional Committee. The Wildcats are a projected 288 of 299 teams in SOS (strength of schedule). In addition, they did not play a challenging slate non-league and left six games on the table. A home-win over Le Moyne is banked, but every other team ahead in the rankings other than SCSU has a better resume of wins. Over the years the women’s RAC hasn’t been as harsh on these issues, but it is most certainly worth noting which schools played a challenging schedule and which didn’t.
Now the question should be: “Why is SCSU so high if they don’t have a better quality win?!” That is because they are #2 in projected SOS in the region, which will be a double-edged sword. Quite a few quality wins potentially, but also some likely losses!
We are loaded with must-see contests this week and we begin with a battle for the top spot in the CACC South.
#4 Jefferson @ #7 Holy Family: Tuesday, January 17, 6:00 PM
Holy Family needs this to solidify the team they are now as opposed to the squad they were early in the season. The Tigers have two losses to teams well under .500 and two others to squads hovering around .500. Despite a home hand-raise versus Bentley, HFU needs another signature win.Without a W here, there are not a lot of needle moving games left. The Rams still have a fantastic chance to host the regional, but a loss would cripple the resume. Both clubs have SOS’s hovering in the 230's and Jefferson needs to prove it can win on the road against someone of consequence in the East Region. The Rams won at Lincoln in December and that game, paired with an early-season victory over Shippensburg, are two strong out-of-region W’s that can’t be forgotten!
#5 Le Moyne @ #6 SCSU: Wednesday, January 18, 5:30 PM
The Dolphins finally earned a marquee win over the weekend vs. SNHU, but what a gauntlet for the green and gold as they have a battle for the five-line with the Owls. Both of these clubs will be sweating it out all season in the regional ranking so a stand-alone game in the NE10 could mean the difference between dancing or not come March! Le Moyne has lost 16 of 18 in New Haven.
#2 Bentley @ #5 Le Moyne: Saturday, January 21, 1:00 PM
C White vs. Mary Grimes, two of the bright young coaching minds in our midst. These two teams are loaded with talent. Will Le Moyne have momentum? That generally doesn’t matter in a conference that top to bottom is the best in the region. The Falcons have a tough two-week stretch, but they also have figured out how to defeat the top teams in the NE10 so far! An 0-2 Dolphin week would send ripples through the rankings.
As usual, it is now time to shift gears to the men’s rankings!
TMAC’s Top 10 - MBB
#10) Post (9-8) ↔
#9) Franklin Pierce (9-7) ⬆2
#8) St. Thomas Aquinas (15-3) ⬇1
#7) Southern Connecticut (12-5) ⬇1
#6) Southern New Hampshire (10-6) ⬆3
#5) Saint Anselm (12-4) ↔
#4) Pace (14-4) ⬇1
#3) New Haven (11-4) ⬆1
#2) Dominican (14-2)* ↔
#1) Bentley (14-1) ↔
*Games against Cheyney do not count as far as ranking purposes.
Out: #8 Le Moyne
We begin with the teams bounced from the rankings, Le Moyne. The Dolphins play three games versus the top 7 in the next three contests. They could have a meteoric rise, or never be seen again for an at-large chance. The top five are fairly solid at this minute, but they can and in all likelihood WILL change. SNHU is ahead of SCSU by virtue of an early-season road win at the Moore Field House. Post has played a hellacious non-conference schedule, but an early home defeat at the hands of STAC have the Orange and Purple in a spot of bother. It is looking more and more like the ECC is a one-bid league.
There are three top six match-ups this week which could make for a turbulent Top 9 next week!
#6 SNHU @ #5 Saint Anselm: Wednesday, January 18, 7:30 PM
Two teams coming off huge road-wins (SNHU @ Le Moyne/Saint Anselm @ STAC) mean this could be a let-down game. However, when these two teams meet the records can be tossed to the side. It is all the more special when both teams could be NCAA-bound! As good as this game figures to be it isn’t even the best game of the night!
#3 UNH @ #1 Bentley: Wednesday, January 18, 7:30 PM
Even a loss should not move the Falcons off the top line, but a Charger win would make the region a lot more interesting. A win for Bentley stretches the gap from the rest of the field and would make hosting the regional for the second straight year a better than a 50-50 proposition.
#4 Pace @ #3 UNH: Saturday, January 21, 3:30 PM
There’s a saying that several coaches in the old days used to say: “Big men win games, guards win championships.” UNH has the guards and a game-altering big in the 7-1 Majur Majak, who is shooting 72% from the field with an exquisite touch. He’s also 85% from the free throw line and 4-9 (44%) from three. He’s worth the price of admission and he ruins games for the opposition. These two teams are tough and full of heart. It is only the only meeting between the schools so a Pace win would ice out UNH for the three line. Two wins on the week and the Chargers will be very close to Bentley!
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This was written by Tim McCaffrey - to write to him, try t.p.mccaffrey@gmail.com, he returns every e-mail!