By Tim McCaffrey
This was the first week in a long time where college basketball felt normal. Coming up in this edition of McCaffrey’s Musings, are rankings and appreciation, but we begin with the battle of undefeated ECC women’s basketball teams that met Sunday in Dobbs Ferry.
Battle of the ECC Unblemished
While fans were not allowed into Victory Gymnasium in Westchester County to see Daemen (6-0 ECC) and Mercy (8-0 ECC) clash, the great people in the Mavericks’ Athletic Department allowed the Musings the chance to see the game up close and personal. It is nearly impossible to not be impressed with the Mavs (Check out Steve Zerdelian’s column about them here), but it was the Wildcats flexing their muscle for a 55-51 triumph. Talented Mercy guard, Taysha Bender (15 points, six steals) tallied the game’s first six points as the Mavs run and gun style allowed them to open a 14-2 advantage. The home team was firmly in control, 16-8, until the visitor’s Autumn Buchsenschutz hit a right elbow jumper just inside the arc as time expired in the first quarter. Buchsenschutz’s lone bucket led to a series of events in Q2 that would spell doom for Mercy. Mavs point guard Katie Wall (five points, 2-19 FG) picked up two quick fouls and she completely lost her rhythm. The Wildcats gained control thanks to a 20-6 spurt that put the road squad ahead. Credit to the upstart underdogs, which came back to tie the game at 38-38 late in the third, but they could never wrestle the advantage back from the opportunistic Wildcats.
Daemen was guided by dynamic guard Tiara Filbert who contributed a team-high 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals. The Wildcats are an experienced contingent and when pushed, find a way to win. What impressed me most with the Wildcat effort, was their ability to take Mercy’s best punches and increase the energy level when it mattered most.
“Mercy is a great team,” noted Daemen Head Coach Jenepher Banker. “We knew coming in here that we had to execute and we have good senior leadership that steps up and does some really good things.”
Daemen is not only a veteran group, it is deep. Banker has 10 players in the rotation. Despite navigating the season’s potholes (Covid, injuries, Etc.), the Wildcats have been able to keep the core group together.
“We’ve been lucky,” Banker said. “We lost four games due to Covid, so we didn’t play for a month, but fortunately we have everybody back."
From an NCAA Tournament perspective, the Wildcats may still need to win the ECC tournament as things stand, thanks to canceling two key non-conference affairs versus Le Moyne and Bentley. Banker, however, isn’t worried.
“We went down and played Lubbock Christian who was #1 in the country,” added Banker. “We’ve played some pretty good competition in the front end of the schedule that will hopefully prepare us down the stretch.”
As for Mercy, the team has nothing to hang its heads over. It simply was not the Mavs day, but with everyone returning their time may not be too far away. I’ll have more about my experience in Dobbs Ferry after the rankings!
Women’s Top 12
1) Le Moyne 10-2 ▲ 1
2) SNHU 12-2 ▼1
3) Pace 14-2 —
4) Bentley 7-4 ▲ 1
5) Chestnut Hill 14-3 ▲ 1
6) USciences 12-3 ▼2
7) Jefferson 12-5 —
8) Daemen 9-3 ▲ 2
9) Saint Anselm 9-7 ▼1
10) Post 10-4 ▲ 2
11) Adelphi 8-8 (NR)
12) Stonehill 5-6 ▼3
OUT: #11 SCSU, #13 Caldwell
The top two have separated themselves. Pace, at the moment, is on an island, but Bentley and Chestnut Hill are near enough to see land ahead! Sciences and Jefferson are so close in the data, it is almost a wash. Daemen keeps on winning, but they lack the marquee victory and do not have any chance for one on the remaining schedule. It is possible if the Wildcats win out, they do not make the dance unless they cut down the nets in the ECC Tournament. Saint Anselm has plenty of chances for quality wins, but they also need to not slip on any banana peels. The bottom line is, the Hawks have wins in Western New York over both Roberts Wesleyan and Daemen. At the present, St. A’s would have to get to #7 to get in as whoever wins the ECC would be the #8! After nine, there’s a lot of work to be done for Post, Adelphi, and Stonehill.
Game of the Week
The Musings will be in the house when #3 Pace travels to #4 Bentley in a key contest on Wednesday. The Setters don’t need the win as much as the Falcons. If C White and the gang fail to hold serve on its home floor the squad will be 0-3 versus the top eight. While Bentley has played the toughest slate in the region, it would be closer to eight than three with a loss.
Men’s Terrific 12
1) Bentley 13-2 —
2) St. A’s 8-4 ▲3
3) Dominican 11-3 ▼1
4) Adelphi 12-6 ▲4
5) Stonehill 10-7 ▲4
6) Franklin Pierce 7-5 ▼2
7) Jefferson 9-3 ▼1
8) Daemen 10-6 ▲3
9) New Haven 9-5 ▲1
10) Pace 10-6 ▼3
11) St. Thomas Aquinas 13-4 ▼8
12) Le Moyne 8-7
OUT: Assumption (12); Felician (13)
We took a deeeeeeeep dive into the statistics this week and the NE10 looks fantastic and the ECC does not. The good news for Daemen is, it played a tough schedule. The bad news is, it did not win games against the RPI Top 50 (0-4) and is 0-3 versus the top 10 RPI in the region. The news is worse for STAC which is 11th in RPI. The numbers don’t look good for either team. The top seven teams in the RPI in the region all reside in the Northeast 10. Jefferson is eighth. When you take into account SOS, that really dooms the ECC clubs. While it is plausible Daemen ends up in home uniforms in a first-round NCAA Tourney game, it can not move the needle with any wins. The best team left on the Schedule is #103 in the national RPI (STAC). Both units need to keep winning and hope the NE 10 and the CACC continue to eat each other alive. Remember this: The committee wants to see teams that can beat other NCAA Tournament teams and not collect Ws against teams outside of the RPI Top 200. Stonehill has defeated both Bentley and Saint Anselm. Three to seven could sway in any direction, but at press time, only Bentley and the Hawks could end up hosting the regional.
Game of the Week:
When #1 Bentley travels to #4 Adelphi Saturday, it will have a chance to solidify its hold on the top spot. The Panthers have put themselves in an excellent position, but a win would prove to everyone that Adelphi is for real and ready to contend for an NCAA bid. Even with a lone loss the Falcons would not lose the top slot.
MANY THANKS
I mentioned Mercy allowing me to watch its home double header on Sunday. Games at the school are an experience. Joe Tribuzio, not only handles Public Address duties, he also adds a touch of subtle humor and is the DJ. The school has a video board and Tribuzio even plays intro music for the visitors. That is as classy as it gets! Led by Director of Athletics Matt Kilcullen, the Mavs have everything going in the proper direction. The energy level in that building was incredible thanks to the staff which includes Bill Sullivan, (Associate AD, Internal OPs) and Kyle Goodhart (Sports Information).
Speaking of SIDs, the Director of Athletic Communications at Saint Anselm, Griffin Spencer helped save my bacon over the weekend. I was called into emergency duty for Le Moyne’s men’s game in Stoutenburgh Gymnasium and Spencer cobbled together some fantastic notes that tricked most people into believing I knew what I was talking about! I usually go to Saint Anselm once every two years, however I am always treated like family. For those wondering about longtime Dolphin voice Chris Granozio, he will be back in his proper chair Wednesday when Le Moyne plays at Bentley.
Sad News
Finally, David Miller, (left), longtime PA Announcer in Western New York, passed away at 54. The man who had a booming voice could be heard not only for the Buffalo Sabres and as a sports commentator with Spectrum Sports Net, but also from 2012-2019 for Daemen College. The Wildcats issued a statement exclusively to the Musings:
“We were very saddened to learn of David's passing and our thoughts are with his family and girlfriend, Kerry, at this difficult time.”
While his voice may be gone, it will always be remembered by those who heard him!
McCaffrey’s Musings is authored by Tim McCaffrey who has covered D2 basketball since 2003. While not broadcasting or writing this column, he umpires baseball and lots of it. His website, closecallsports.com is all about umpiring baseball properly! He responds to all e-mails so if you have a question or just want to chat or share your opinion feel free to reach out at: tpmccaffrey@gmail.com