UMass +3.5 over Rider
Really like this game.Hate playing Lappas but UMass has now won 3 in a row.They just came back from URI and won on the road.It was their 1st road win.They beat Fordham and Temple too.in the Temple game on Sat they were blowing them out of the gym until they faded and hung on to win.
Mass is a young team but has some talent.Bowers the touted frosh is on fire.The 6'4 gd scored 18 pts in those 3 wins.Anderson is the Sr. pt gd who is steady.But soph Freeman is 6'9 and gives them interior mucle.And Maxwell is another scorer who is a frosh.They have a few freshman thats have all won A-10 Rookie of the Weeks so far this season.Viggiano is the 6'6 soph and Lasame is 6'8. Mass fans want Lappas out so bad they some are upset they have won 3 games in a row.He still runs "motion" offense but has let his frosh kids run a little.
Rider is following Johnson coatails.Johnson is avg 26 pts the past 3 or 4 games.They beat Niagara,and have won 4 of last 5.Castleberry is the 7'0 who is doing a good job.Muniz is avg 10 pts a game.Young,P-johnson,Taylor and Pereira give the Broncos depth.
Both teams seem pretty even.Their RPI #'s are Mass 160 to Riders 161.Playing in the Bronk Zoo gives Rider a big advantage.But tonite their playing in Trenton at the Soverign Bank where they played the MAAC tourney.This really helps Mass with its younger team.When a soph Freeman is your leading scorer and your team plays 3 frosh,2 sophs,etc.The small rider gym will intimadate but not Sovereign.
And Mass has 5'10 senior Anderson at the pt to direct traffic.
Mass is stepping down a notch in class being an A-10 team playing a decent MAAC team.But Lappas has some real talent and his kids might be younger but are much quicker.
I think Umass wins this outright.Mass has played the UConns,Tenn,Texas Tech,St joes and lost.They did lose to BC in OT up in Boston.
Stop Jerry Johnson or slow him down and Mass wins their 4th in a row.
St Peters -3.5 over Siena
It's the midway pt of the season and St peters is 8-2 in the MAAC.Unreal.St peter already beat Siena up in Albany 2 weeks ago 82-67.We all know that wasn't a "fluke" even though Peter hadn't beaten the Saints in 4 or 5 yrs.
I'm way off on this line.I have it at -7.
Peter's problem was scoring in the paint and rebounding.But juco transfers Sowers and Yates have answered the bell.Sowers is a 6'7 jumping jack,slam dunking 'Hi-lite replay player.
Nichols is the frosh sensation that won again this week MAAC rookie if the week.Devonish and Hinnart have been pushed to the bench.Bozic and Ali are the 7'0 footers whose job is to jam the middle,don't trip over your feet and maybe get 3 or 4 rebounds a game.Curry and Mendez also get some playing time.Leckie can play 7 or 8 guys.
But I have now used over 150 words talking about Peter and failed to mention Clark.He is only 2nd in the nation in scoring at 27.05.No 2 by 1/10th of a pt.Martin of VT scored 38 last nite to pass Clark at 27.11.Both played 19 games.Martin scored 515 to Clarks 514.
Leckie today in an interview talked about how important winning the scoring title will be.He stated he will leave Clark in "maybe even too long...so that he can get a couple of extra pts."
Clark dominates the game.He is the purest shooter in the east coast in the past 20 yrs.He can drive,stop on a dime,pass,and draw the foul.
Siena lost 2 in a row.Lost at Fairfield by 11 and to Rider at home.They are a good rebounding team with no pt gd.Andrews a frosh is their pt gd.Haddix their big stud inside is avg 14 pts and 8 bds.Mitchell,Miller,Andrews can all score.but this team has no outside shooters. Beers the frosh can shoot.Jordan at 6'4 is their best player combined.
Their defense has been terrible but they rank very high in rebounds nationally.
It took Peters a long time to finally beat the Saints.Now Peter has the advantage and I think they win this game by double digits.
Morehead -4.5 over Eastern Kentucky
With Minard and Marks in the perimeter and EKU who has trouble on the road and playing defenseI'm taking the eagles.
I'm taking 2 birds tonite, a Peacock,Eagle and a Minutemen
St Peter -3.5 ********
UMass +3 *****
Morehead -4.5 **
Really like this game.Hate playing Lappas but UMass has now won 3 in a row.They just came back from URI and won on the road.It was their 1st road win.They beat Fordham and Temple too.in the Temple game on Sat they were blowing them out of the gym until they faded and hung on to win.
Mass is a young team but has some talent.Bowers the touted frosh is on fire.The 6'4 gd scored 18 pts in those 3 wins.Anderson is the Sr. pt gd who is steady.But soph Freeman is 6'9 and gives them interior mucle.And Maxwell is another scorer who is a frosh.They have a few freshman thats have all won A-10 Rookie of the Weeks so far this season.Viggiano is the 6'6 soph and Lasame is 6'8. Mass fans want Lappas out so bad they some are upset they have won 3 games in a row.He still runs "motion" offense but has let his frosh kids run a little.
Rider is following Johnson coatails.Johnson is avg 26 pts the past 3 or 4 games.They beat Niagara,and have won 4 of last 5.Castleberry is the 7'0 who is doing a good job.Muniz is avg 10 pts a game.Young,P-johnson,Taylor and Pereira give the Broncos depth.
Both teams seem pretty even.Their RPI #'s are Mass 160 to Riders 161.Playing in the Bronk Zoo gives Rider a big advantage.But tonite their playing in Trenton at the Soverign Bank where they played the MAAC tourney.This really helps Mass with its younger team.When a soph Freeman is your leading scorer and your team plays 3 frosh,2 sophs,etc.The small rider gym will intimadate but not Sovereign.
And Mass has 5'10 senior Anderson at the pt to direct traffic.
Mass is stepping down a notch in class being an A-10 team playing a decent MAAC team.But Lappas has some real talent and his kids might be younger but are much quicker.
I think Umass wins this outright.Mass has played the UConns,Tenn,Texas Tech,St joes and lost.They did lose to BC in OT up in Boston.
Stop Jerry Johnson or slow him down and Mass wins their 4th in a row.
St Peters -3.5 over Siena
It's the midway pt of the season and St peters is 8-2 in the MAAC.Unreal.St peter already beat Siena up in Albany 2 weeks ago 82-67.We all know that wasn't a "fluke" even though Peter hadn't beaten the Saints in 4 or 5 yrs.
I'm way off on this line.I have it at -7.
Peter's problem was scoring in the paint and rebounding.But juco transfers Sowers and Yates have answered the bell.Sowers is a 6'7 jumping jack,slam dunking 'Hi-lite replay player.
Nichols is the frosh sensation that won again this week MAAC rookie if the week.Devonish and Hinnart have been pushed to the bench.Bozic and Ali are the 7'0 footers whose job is to jam the middle,don't trip over your feet and maybe get 3 or 4 rebounds a game.Curry and Mendez also get some playing time.Leckie can play 7 or 8 guys.
But I have now used over 150 words talking about Peter and failed to mention Clark.He is only 2nd in the nation in scoring at 27.05.No 2 by 1/10th of a pt.Martin of VT scored 38 last nite to pass Clark at 27.11.Both played 19 games.Martin scored 515 to Clarks 514.
Leckie today in an interview talked about how important winning the scoring title will be.He stated he will leave Clark in "maybe even too long...so that he can get a couple of extra pts."
Clark dominates the game.He is the purest shooter in the east coast in the past 20 yrs.He can drive,stop on a dime,pass,and draw the foul.
Siena lost 2 in a row.Lost at Fairfield by 11 and to Rider at home.They are a good rebounding team with no pt gd.Andrews a frosh is their pt gd.Haddix their big stud inside is avg 14 pts and 8 bds.Mitchell,Miller,Andrews can all score.but this team has no outside shooters. Beers the frosh can shoot.Jordan at 6'4 is their best player combined.
Their defense has been terrible but they rank very high in rebounds nationally.
It took Peters a long time to finally beat the Saints.Now Peter has the advantage and I think they win this game by double digits.
Morehead -4.5 over Eastern Kentucky
With Minard and Marks in the perimeter and EKU who has trouble on the road and playing defenseI'm taking the eagles.
I'm taking 2 birds tonite, a Peacock,Eagle and a Minutemen
St Peter -3.5 ********
UMass +3 *****
Morehead -4.5 **
