The 2011-12 Northeast Conference End of Season Recap - Part 1

For decades now, the Northeast Conference (NEC) has served as the doormat of men’s college basketball.  Never in the NEC’s 30 year history has there been one NCAA at-large bid, nor has there been a single NCAA victory for a NEC team in the round of 64.  Not one.  This season wasn’t any different and to the casual fan, a glance at the conference RPI ratings showed a mild at best improvement for the NEC when compared to the other conferences (NEC was rated 24th out of 31 conferences in RPI).

Long Island University qualified for the NCAA tournament as a #16 seed, yet proved to be no match against the bigger and more athletic Michigan State Spartans.  The NIT committee felt no other NEC team deserved inclusion into their tournament, and notably shut out the Wagner Seahawks, despite winning a school record 25 games.  And only two other teams, Quinnipiac and Robert Morris, played in the lesser known and least cared about CTI and CBI postseason tournaments.  It appeared to be just another ho-hum year for the NEC.

But take a closer look.  For the first time since the 1995-96 season, three NEC teams finished their season with more than 20 wins.  Robert Morris and Wagner each had impressively (at least at the time) defeated some quality non-conference opponents, with the most notable being NCAA Sweet 16 participant Ohio University and traditional Big East power (although not this year) Pittsburgh.  In addition, the NEC’s top three programs, LIU, Robert Morris, and Wagner, will graduate only one starter from each of their rosters. Other teams, such as Quinnipiac, Monmouth, and St. Francis (NY), took a sizable step forward and should reek of optimism heading into next season.

All in all, the 2011-12 season may serve as the year it started to turn around for the NEC.  Next season may be the first time in 16 years that the NEC gets three teams into the NCAA and NIT.  And make no mistake, the NEC will someday get that elusive NCAA round of 64 win, and I would say it’s coming sooner than later.

With that, I give you my two part Northeast Conference men's basketball season recap.  Rather than bombard you with 2,200+ words in one monster post, I decided to break it up.  I'll first go over the bottom half of the league and then recap the upper half in a couple of days.

12. Bryant Bulldogs, 2-28 (1-17 NEC)

We begin with the last place Bryant Bulldogs, who at least have the excuse of transitioning their program into Division 1.  Next season, the Bulldogs will be eligible to play in the NEC postseason tournament, although getting there will certainly be a long shot.  Bryant wasn’t supposed to end their 2011-12 season with one conference win however, especially after winning 7 NEC games in the season prior.  But despite returning Alex Francis and Frankie Dobbs, the Bulldogs finished dead last in both offense efficiency (0.90 points per possession) and defensive efficiency (1.10 points allowed per possession).  The nadir has been reached, and at least Bryant will have the optimism of participating as a fully integrated Division 1 school for the 2012-13 season.  Hopefully that will produce some decent recruits and a couple of more wins in Smithfield, Rhode Island.

11. Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, 3-26 (2-16 NEC)

Barely higher on the totem pole were the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, who have officially hit rock bottom this season.  That’s saying a lot, since the Knights have averaged a measly 7 wins per season since their 20 win campaign in 2006.  The team, mostly comprised of upperclassmen, at the very least will usher in five freshmen onto next season’s roster.  Melquin Boldin will return next season as the Knight's leading scorer, but his 15.1 points per game was clearly compiled through heavy shot volume, as evident by his 35% effective field goal percentage.  It’s tough to see this team winning more than 4 or 5 games in conference next season, but stranger things have certainly happened.

10. St. Francis (PA) Red Flash, 6-23 (5-13 NEC)

Don Friday’s fourth season as the Red Flash’s coach didn’t bring the marked improvement the St. Francis (PA) faithful could have expected.  To be fair, the season got off to a dreadful start when junior Umar Shannon injured his ACL in the second game of the season, only to be lost for the year.  Then to make matters worse, junior Chris Johnson was dismissed by Coach Friday for violating team rules.  Well so much for that. What ensued was another hapless season for the Red Flash, who found themselves giving up an average of 1.06 points per possession on defense.  The lone bright spot was the NEC Most Improved Player, Scott Eatherton, who averaged 14 points and 7 rebounds per game, despite only logging 10 minutes per game as a freshman the previous season.  Pair him with Shannon and a trio of sophomores who played significant minutes this season, and St. Francis has a respectable chance to qualify for next season's NEC tournament.

9. Mount St. Mary’s, 8-21 (6-12 NEC)

It was an apathetic season at the Knott Arena, which surely captured the now departed head coach Robert Burke’s temperament.  Of course, there was never anything to get excited about, since the Mountaineers failed to defeat a team all season with a winning record.  Of the four freshmen inserted into this season’s roster, only Kelvin Parker made a real contribution and he was a walk-on from the football team.  With Burke’s failure however, comes reason for optimism. Former Mount St. Mary’s player and captain Jamion Christian has been brought in to right the ship, fresh off assisting one of the best young coaches in the league in Shaka Smart.  Christian certainly has a lot of work ahead of him - especially with the departure of Danny Thompson and Lamar Trice - but there is now hope that the program can someday be restored back to the productive days under Milan Brown.

8. Sacred Heart Pioneers, 14-18 (8-10 NEC)

If you read my blog regularly this season, you surely understood the heartbreak my beloved Sacred Heart Pioneers endured for the 2011-12 season.  8 games in the conference were lost in the final 3 minutes of the game, with 5 of those coming against Robert Morris, LIU, and St. Francis.  A remarkable season from Shane Gibson ended up being wasted on late game disappointments and chronic inconsistency from everyone playing behind Gibson.  Add to that an evident lack of depth in the front-court, and you have the recipe of a team that underachieved to 8 conference wins.  Despite this, the Pioneers go into the 2012-13 season with more front-court help and a final season from Shane Gibson and 6-foot-9 big man Justin Swidowski, who now has a Division 1 season under his belt.  It’s certainly reasonable to expect a progression, if and only if the roster matures and learns from their late game failure.

7. Central Connecticut Blue Devils, 13-16 (10-8 NEC)

Howie Dickerman had the talent to compete for a NEC Championship this season, however a complete lack of depth apparently doomed the team.  After the big three of Ken Horton, Robby Ptacek, and Kyle Vinales, the next highest scorer on the roster was junior Joe Efase, who (get this) averaged 3.9 points per game!  The result was star studded team up front that failed to score the basketball with any type of consistency.  Therefore, when the defense gave up more than 0.97 points per possession in a game, Central Connecticut went 0-13.  Now with Horton and Ptacek gone, Dickerman will probably need a year to fully rebuild with Vinales and Malcolm McMillan serving as the foundation.

For Part 2 of the NEC End of Season Recap, go here.

Northeast Conference 1st Round Playoff Preview!

On Thursday evening, the Sacred Heart Pioneers return to the Northeast Conference postseason for the first time since losing to Mount St. Mary’s in the semifinals of the 2009 NEC tournament.  Their qualification into the postseason isn’t due to a major improvement from last year, in fact this season marks the third straight year of Sacred Heart having a losing conference record.  As a result, the Pioneers will find themselves in Brooklyn on Thursday night, taking on the defending NEC champions, the Long Island Blackbirds.  The same Long Island Blackbirds that have won 24 home games in a row at the WRAC.  Yay…

Before the playoff match-up, I decided to preview the elimination game, since Thursday may be the last time we get to witness Sacred Heart basketball before November (sorry but I don't think the NIT is calling Dave Bike).  I also briefly previewed and predicted the outcome of the other three NEC first round games.

NEC 1^st Round – #8 seeded Sacred Heart Pioneers (14-17, 8-10 NEC) at #1 seeded Long Island Blackbirds (22-8, 16-2 NEC)

Background:  The Blackbirds swept the season series, but had to earn each victory, with the latter game going to overtime after Shane Gibson hit back-to-back three-pointers late in regulation.  The NEC Player of the Year Julian Boyd and his front-court mate Jamal Olasewere have been dominant against the thin Pioneer front-court, combining for an average of 44 points and 22 rebounds per game.  The Sacred Heart duo of Shane Gibson and Justin Swidowski has been nearly as impressive in defeat, tallying an average of 49 points per game.  Swidowski has easily enjoyed his two best games of the season against LIU.

Keys to the Game:

1) Frontcourt Players Must Stay Out of Foul Trouble

Boyd, Olasewere, and Swidowski have all occasionally had issues staying on the court, due to foul trouble.  It would certainly behoove Sacred Heart to attack Boyd and Olasewere on the defensive end early, in the hope of putting either guy in foul trouble and forcing Jim Ferry to give valuable minutes to LIU back-up forward Kenny Onyechi.  Swidowski, on the other hand, has to log more than 28 minutes for the Pioneers to have a shot at pulling off the upset.  A couple of early fouls from Swidowski could place the Pioneers in a first half hole they’d have no chance to get out of, especially against a LIU team that scores an extraordinary 1.10 points per possession.

2) Get Significant Contributions from Secondary Players

Gibson, Olasewere, and Boyd should undoubtedly get their points.  How much production comes from each team’s supporting cast however, may very well swing the outcome of the game.  For Sacred Heart this season, a well-balanced scoring attack has been practically nonexistent, with no one from the Swidowski, Louis Montes, Evan Kelley, and Chris Evans group providing a consistent effort from game to game.  Someone from that group needs to produce to give Sacred Heart a fighting chance.  On the defensive end, the Pioneers need to contain the guards of LIU, specifically Michael Culpo and CJ Garner.  This season, the slashing Garner has torched the Pioneers for 38 points, to go along with 8 assists in both games. 

3) Defend the Perimeter

When Michael Culpo and Jason Brickman are hitting their three-point shots, LIU is damn near impossible to beat.  The statistics frankly don’t lie – LIU is 16-1 on the season when they shoot 36% or better from beyond the arc.  The guard heavy Pioneers also enjoy success when they’re efficient from long range, as they’re 12-6 when hitting more than 35% of their threes (and 2-11 when they don’t).  Perimeter defense should play a major role, but quite simply, the Pioneers probably need to make a bunch of long range bombs to stay competitive.

4) Protect the Basketball

Against NEC competition, the Blackbirds have done a much better job protecting the basketball.  Early in the season, they were plagued by turnovers.  Since then, Jason Brickman and company have taken care of the ball and it’s no coincidence that LIU is 15-1 when their turnover rate is less than 22% (the national average is approximately 20%).  Why do you think Monmouth was so successful in the season finale against LIU?  King Rice’s feisty bunch took the ball away from the Blackbirds 23 times in the game.  As for the Pioneers, it will be difficult to keep up with the highly efficient LIU attack if they turn over the ball more than 12 times on Thursday.

Prediction:  The loss to Monmouth in the season finale was just what the doctor ordered for Jim Ferry, as it gives his team a wake up call before they embark on their quest for a second straight NEC championship.  I think Sacred Heart hangs with LIU early, but by the middle of the second half, the Blackbirds will have a comfortable lead.  Gibson will leave Brooklyn firing, but it won’t be nearly enough.  Long Island 90, Sacred Heart 75.

NEC 1^st Round - #6 seeded Monmouth Hawks (12-19, 10-8 NEC) at #3 seeded Robert Morris Colonials (22-9, 13-5 NEC)

King Rice’s Monmouth Hawks were considered by some as the team no one wants to play in the tournament, but my guess is that Robert Morris head coach Andy Toole breathed a sign of relief when he learned his team would avoid Quinnipiac in the first round.  It was recently noted in John Templon’s NEC Tempo Free Primer that Monmouth has been a tad fortunate with their record, but I think their luck stops in Moon Township, PA.  Velton Jones and company grind out a hard fought victory in round one to give Andy Toole his 6th career NEC playoff victory in 7 tries.  Robert Morris 64, Monmouth 58.

NEC 1^st Round - #7 seeded Central Connecticut Blue Devils (13-15, 10-8 NEC) at #2 seeded Wagner Seahawks (24-5, 15-3 NEC)

Now that Ken Horton is back to playing like, well Ken Horton, the Blue Devils are a dangerous first round opponent.  Horton was held to a season low 7 points against Wagner in their first meeting, but he exploded for 22 points, 5 blocks, and 4 steals in their second contest.  The question is, how much was Wagner really trying in the meaningless season finale?  Whatever the answer, if Dan Hurley’s Seahawks play their patented pressure defensive, the offensively challenged Blue Devils will struggle mightily.  In fact, CCSU is 1-8 against NEC competition when scoring less than 1 point per possession.  My guess is NEC Defensive Player of the Year Kenneth Ortiz and company will give the Blue Devils fits.  Horton will get his points, but Vinales and Ptacek will each have bad shooting nights.  Wagner 71, Central Connecticut 62.

NEC 1^st Round - #5 seeded Quinnipiac Bobcats (17-12, 10-8 NEC) at #4 seeded St. Francis Terriers (15-14, 12-6 NEC)

These are two teams heading in different directions come tourney time.  Unfortunately for Glenn Braica’s Terriers, Stefan Perunicic and Travis Nichols are banged up and will be game-time decisions.  Even if they play, how much can they produce against a physical Quinnipiac team that has won 7 of their last 10 games?  The two things to focus on for the game is how well can St. Francis shoot it from behind the arc and will the Bobcats have their way on the boards.  My guess is that Tom Moore will have his guys focused solely on keeping rookie sensation Jalen Cannon away from the offensive glass.  Expect big games from NEC 2nd Teamers Ike Azotam and James Johnson in this down to the wire battle.  Quinnipiac 67, St. Francis 64.

You can follow Pioneer Pride on Twitter at @pioneer_pride

Down Goes Quinnipiac!! Sacred Heart Pulls Off the Season Sweep

Merely six games into the Northeast Conference season, it had already felt like a long year for this Sacred Heart fan.  Of those six games, three of them were lost in excruciating fashion to NEC title contenders Central Connecticut, Long Island, and Robert Morris.  In each game, the Sacred Heart Pioneers (9-11, 3-4 NEC) were always a play or two away, two free throws swished, or a couple of defensive stops from bettering their conference record.  Instead, the Pioneers lost all three and found themselves mired in the bottom half of the NEC standings at 2-4.

Against an equally desperate Quinnipiac Bobcats (9-9, 2-5 NEC) team on Thursday night, in front of 1,100 energized fans at the Pitt center, Sacred Heart finally won a close game by succeeding in several clutch moments.  And they won in spite of missing their 6-foot-9 center Justin Swidowski with a shoulder injury.

To do it, they followed a recipe cooked up by the coaching staff.  SHU assistant coach Anthony Latina explained after the game, “We had four goals coming into this game – get to the free throw line, compete on the glass, get to the loose balls, and limit our turnovers.  We did three of those four things tonight.”

Ironically, despite getting manhandled on the boards by the bigger, more athletic Quinnipiac front-court, it was SHU coming up with two monster offensive rebounds in the final minute.  Up a meager point with a minute remaining, Stan Dulaire picked up an offensive rebound in traffic off a wild miss from Phil Gaetano.  And then Nick Greenbacker, who had earlier drilled two unlikely three-pointers to spur a 14-4 SHU run, grabbed another offensive rebound off a Chris Evans miss.

Those rebounds allowed the offensive hero of the game, Louis Montes, to sink two free throws and put SHU up three with 35 ticks left on the clock.  Shortly after, a James Johnson miss – one of his 15 missed shot attempts of the night – and an Evan Kelley rebound (again very timely) sealed the game for the Pioneers.  It was a must win, especially with CCSU, Wagner, and Mount St. Mary’s next up on the difficult schedule.

Here are some statistical highlights that allowed SHU to sweep the season series against Quinnipiac for the first time since the 2007-08 season:

- SHU was more aggressive, slashing to the hole instead of settling for jump shots.  The aggressive strategy paid off, with the Pioneers getting 22 points and shooting a respectable 73% from the free throw line.  They outscored Quinnipiac from the charity stripe, 22-13.

- Louis Montes scored a career high 28 points on 13 shot attempts, serving as a terrific compliment to Shane Gibson and his 23 points.  Overall, it was a fantastic effort for Montes, who provided SHU with some clutch play as well.  Last in the game, he forced a Quinnipiac turnover in the backcourt thanks to his hustle and he calmly sunk those aforementioned free throws with thirty seconds remaining in the contest.

- Nick Greenbacker, who I’ve been critical of in this blog, came up big in the second half by scoring eight straight points when it looked like Quinnipiac was ready to pull away in the middle of the second half.  The Jeff Franceour of SHU basketball had 10 points and 4 rebounds – along with 0 turnovers – in 33 minutes.  It doesn’t sound like much of a stat line, but he had to absorb a lot of contact down low between the more athletic Jamee Jackson, Ike Azotam, and Ousmane Drame.  He did an admirable job.

And finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least bring up the low-lights from the game:

- SHU allowed a staggering 23 offensive rebounds to Quinnipiac.  Yes, they were undersized considerably, but this must be addressed by the staff (assuming Swidowski stays off the floor), especially with reigning NEC player of the year Ken Horton of CCSU and 6-foot-11 Naofall Folahan of Wagner coming to the Pitt within the next week.

- I brought this up on Twitter already, but it warrants mentioning again – whoever was responsible for handling the camera for SHU’s internet video feed did a terrible job!  That person had to be drunk, because seriously how difficult is it to follow a game with the camera?  If I had a podcast or radio show, I’d go Chris Russo on his/her ass, but this blog post will have to suffice.

- The SHU play-by-play radio guy had Connecticut Post and SHU beat writer William Paxton on for the halftime show.  I was looking forward to an insightful interview…you know because Paxton probably knows some things about Sacred Heart and NEC basketball that we aren’t privy too.  Well, I was wrong.  About 75% of the interview was spent on the NFL and Yankees offseason moves!  Why?  If I’m enough of a diehard fan to listen to the SHU halftime show through my spotty internet feed, I’m not really interested in hearing Paxton ramble on about Michael Pineda and the New York Giants.  Talk about the game, Sacred Heart basketball, and the Northeast Conference, please!

(Sorry for the rant, but I needed to get that off my chest.  Now I feel better.)

Moving forward, SHU quietly (thanks to LIU at Wagner playing tonight at 7 pm on ESPNU and seriously check out this Youtube promo) takes on CCSU on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 PM in a Pack the Pitt event that should give the Pioneers another respectable home crowd.  With any luck, SHU will no longer be last in NEC home attendance games after this homestand!

SHU will certainly have their hands full – since Swidowski is doubtful for the game - containing Central’s scoring trio of Ken Horton, Robby Ptacek, and Kyle Vinales.  All three players are averaging nearly 60 points per game for the Blue Devils.  Once again, Gibson will need help, either from Montes or Evans to offset Central's scoring attack.  The Pioneers will also need to bring the same passion and intensity they found against Quinnipiac.

Their meeting early this year led to thrilling CCSU overtime win 82-80, but SHU had a couple of opportunities, as I chronicled here, to put the game away.  Today, it should be a competitive game nonetheless, and hopefully Sacred Heart can get back to even in the NEC!  You know I’ll be watching...