Around the NEC

Or as I'm thinking of renaming this series of posts, "You figure this league out."

Sacred Heart goes to Robert Morris and wins, then gets dangerously close to blowing an 11-point lead with four minutes left at home against FDU.

The fighting DeMario's are playing well. That was a big win at the Hockey Rink in Hamden against LIU. The Bobcats trailed with less than five minutes left, but finished the job. That was their gut-check, and they passed.

Those two teams meet at Sacred Heart in a few days, should be interesting.

On the 24th, Wagner is home for the Mount. That's a big game for the league standings, obviously, but it's another chance for the Seahawks to show that their start was real. Four of their six wins are against the bottom of the conference, so they'll need to beat some of the top teams in the weeks ahead to keep this pace.

I still think the Mount is the team that will mess with both the standings and the tournament in March. If it can stay in the middle of the pack, it can cause some reseeding in March, I'll say that much.

A team that fits two of these descriptions is Central. Like the Mount, CCSU will be a very dangerous team to face in the first or second round that could end up in the middle of the pack. But like Wagner, the Blue Devils have had rather predictable results this season. They've beaten the teams they were supposed to and lost to the teams they were supposed to. What will they do in the next 10 games? That's when we'll know if they've improved or if they're a .500 team.

New York's loss to Monmouth in OT hurt the Terriers, but they're still among my favorites to make the playoffs, I like Hines and their grit a little too much to count them out. That probably leaves LIU for the final playoff spot. They get their share of shots up, you have to give them that.

Who do you all think will make the Tournament?

Quick update

Before I get the rare pleasure of watching a game as a fan. Little feature tonight (I think for Tuesday's paper) about surviving without Tristan for a stretch and what it means for the future. Shemik got NEC rookie of the week, well earned.

As for depth... it's NEVER a bad thing to have depth. Assuming you have guys to fill every role as Central now does, it never hurts to have backups. And a year of practice experience and limited game play can be very valuable down the line. You don't want a kid starting from scratch in year two, especially next year when CCSU will need every backcourt body it can get its hands on.

A couple quick responses

Three... thanks for the kind words.... I think it's just a numbers game right now. Shemik has earned his way into the lineup and has been playing really well, and he has a certain toughness that makes him valuable.
Oh, that other kid, 35, is pretty good too. Throw in Joe and there really isn't much room, and when they do need another guard, Dannie's experience makes him the guy they'll go to I think. Next year there will be more room in the backcourt for guys like Brian to earn playing time.

X.... if the money was there, they would. It's not. And trust me, most schools would rather go to the NCAAs once very few years than be D II.

10 to go

Can you believe we're actually nearing the halfway mark of the NEC slate? I swear I was just at the Blue Devil Run.

Some random thoughts... we'll do another Around the NEC thing probably on Monday. If it gets some feedback, we'll keep it going.

As for some responses to things I've seen online or been asked about: Yes, Shemik is the big favorite to be the point guard in the post-Blackwood era. In fact, unless someone has a huge training camp next year, I can't imagine who else it would be.

I happen to really like him, by the way. He's rough around the edges, yes, but he has two qualities I think are critical in the floor general. First, he's not selfish. He's not shy about shooting, but he doesn't strike me as a guy who's going to be upset if Horton is the star of this team in two years. Secondly, he's tough as nails. He played through a painful injury, and has been greatly improved now that his ankle is better. From what I can tell nothing bothers the kid, and I doubt he'll be scared of anything that comes in March this year, never mind in the future. I'm not saying he's Bob Cousy, but I think he'll be solid.

Marcus is starting to get tougher. He faded in the second half against FDU, but he showed some mettle inside. If he does that (and boxes out), you'll see much more of him in the coming months.

I don't know enough about the rest of campus (I spend my time in the athletic offices, at Detrick or on the old fields) to comment much, but if things are in as bad shape as some of you say, then I support fixing those first, before we even talk about a field house. Not to start the whole fight again, but I think the crop of young studs that is emerging at Central shows that the program can survive in the old building for a few years at least.

The more I think about it, the more I like my "Historic Detrick Gym" approach." It wouldn't cost much but could pay big dividends.

As for the football activity... To be perfectly honest, with everything going on during this busy stretch in basketball (there's been a TON of games of late) and my other responsibilities in the office, I simply haven't had the chance to look into any of it or get you details. Hopefully I can soon.

What else can I do for you, our loyal readers? I await my next assignment from the masses.