More Hall

Aaron Hall gets the call today along with TB and Shemik, with Marcus and Kenny up front. This might be Central's most explosive lineup offensively, and the Devils will need all the points they can get today.

Greetings from Brooklyn

Where the women's game has just begun. Had about the easiest trip ever with the media contingent, let's hope that's an omen for the rest of the day.

This is my first visit to the Wellness Center. Nice court, good lighting, fun little setup. The fans are right on the court here, so if this place has reason to get loud, it can get intimidating for the visitors.

It's think pink day here, just like CCSU did last week. Hopefully the attention that college basketball has given the cause this month pays off, and people continue to help fight cancer of all kinds. I can't think of a sport that does a better job with a specific charitable or awareness cause than college hoops does in the fight against cancer.

The Blue Devils need to think win today against a very good offensive club. I can't say much more than what I did in the paper today... look for Central's guards early in this one. If Shemik struggles handling the ball or TB is off with his shot, this could get dicey. Fourth place isn't out of reach yet, but it would be with a road loss today in a winnable game.

Ok,, back to work, the women, also fighting for a playoff berth, are within two against a very good LIU team more than 10 minutes in.

Well, this will be interesting

Well, Central gets another shot to enter the NEC elite Thursday night, and can prove it belongs in that class with a win over a very good RMU team. The Blue Devils' toughness, which has been the focus of this winning streak (along with second-half production) will be a big factor. CCSU matched up with Wagner, a team people thought would push it around. Can the Blue Devils do the same to the Colonials, winners of seven straight?

Marcus Palmer must continue to be tough, and Ken Horton must be on offensively while being his old "block-machine" self on the defensive end. CCSU must also do a better job against RMU's pressure than it did in the first meeting between the teams. Shemik has been brilliant of late, and must keep the Blue Devils away from the turnover bug tonight.

So those are your "What to Watch for's" tonight:

1) Fight back: CCSU must be as physically and mentally tough as it was against Wagner.
2) Rebound and run: CCSU has made getting a board and starting a break an art in recent games.
3) Execute: Holding onto the ball and not wasting possessions is essential in what could be a low-scoring affair. Of course, every time I predict a low score the game becomes a shootout. If so: Advantage Devils.

Saturday night part 2

This was originally going to be part of the basketball post, but I decided to make it a seperate thing.

I spent Saturday night at CCSU's Champions Banquet for the men's soccer team.
Want to take a second to thank them for inviting me, and giving me praise that went well above and beyond what I deserved. It was a priveledge to get to watch them make that run, and I hope you guys all enjoyed the coverage not for my sake, but for the kids. They deserved the attention they got. Like I said at the party: I've seen some dominant teams at CCSU, but I've never seen a team come back from such odds. It was impressive to say the least.

And a quick addition to my brief remarks on Saturday. I meant to thank Jason for all his help during that NCAA run and Derek for helping me get you all those quotes from Tulsa and the NEC's.
And to Jackie and Kelly for keeping me company during all those Sunday afternoons with no other reporters around. I got one to join Red Sox Nation and the other to adopt the Celtics, so I feel like I accomplished something in return for their helping keep me sane in the rain on days when I had to do two games and the paper.
Now, if someone can only explain to me why soccer isn't a spring sport...

A final thought: I never cease to be amazed by the class of the people around the programs I cover. Win or lose, you out there in Blue Devil nation can be proud of the people who represent your school.
I've occasionally been critical of some teams and players for their performance, but I can honestly say I've yet to meet a bad guy or gal over there. I truly love my job.

Saturday night

What a busy but fun day on Saturday. Got paid to watch two entertaining basketball games to start.
The men looked good in terms of their competitiveness and their ability to hold onto the ball. I have a feeling Shemik is going to have a very good, very underappreciated career in New Britian. He flies under the radar a little, but when he plays well he can really be a "glue guy".

Horton and Marcus have both officially broken the chains and are now attacking the basket the way Central needs them to. They say that by the end of the year freshmen aren't freshmen anymore. And while technically Marcus never was, neither of them are "freshmen" in the timid sense anymore.

Not sure what to make of the second-half surges in recent games other than knowing how good CCSU's coaching staff is and how much young teams tend to feed of each other. Winning is contagious, so is a hot streak. When Ken gets going it gets Joe going, and when Joe gets going Tristan gets going, etc., etc.

Not sure about Thursday yet, I usually get a better feel as I do more prepping for the preview story that runs the morning of the game. Right now I think the Blue Devils are the underdogs, but I thought that going into the Wagner game.

And down the stretch we come

Well, it all comes down to schedules and matchups now.
After Thursday night's game with RMU, Central finishes the year with 3 of 4 on the road, where it has not fared exceptionally well this year. It does so, however, against beatable opponents.

If the Blue Devils want to get that fourth and final home playoff spot, winning games like at LIU and FDU is necessary. History says the Blue Devils beat the Bobcats, and we'll give CCSU a split against RMU and the Heart for purposes of this discussion.

That would make CCSU 12-6 in the league. No matter where that puts the Devils, that's a heck of a year for such a young team. It also means that the Bobcats, who have a BRUTAL schedule down the stretch, will have to win three of their five remaining "losable" games, especially if they fall to CCSU, who would then win the tiebreaker.

I like Robert Morris to win the regular season, as the Heart has a rough road swing to end the year. That would make SHU the 2-seed, with Wagner the three. If you're the Devils (or a fan of the team and want to go to the games) you're then hoping CCSU wins its game then either Sacred Heart or Wagner falls in the first round (as I've said all year, watch out for the Mount in March), so that CCSU doesn't have to go to RMU until the final. Not that a trip to Wagner or Fairfield would be fun, but it's a more winnable game in my humble opinion.

That would give coach a few days to prep the team for RMU, making the Blue Devils very dangerous.

Of course, none of this matters if Central can't take care of business on the road. It also changes drastically if Central plays on Thursday night the way it did against Wagner and finds a way to pull another upset against a top team that can rough you up.

This is why March is my favorite time of year. I could just as easily make a case for Central to finish sixth as I can for them to win the tournament. And there are HUGE games to follow around the league over the next few days. For a basketball junkie like me, this is as good as it gets. Let's make the turn for home and watch the stretch drive. It's going to be a heck of a horserace.

First of many

I'll share several thoughts with you on Sunday about the DH sweep and my night at the CCSU soccer banquet, just wanted to get some quick news up there that, as anyone that was in the building saw, Brian Wanamaker is back with the team.

Coach was happy to have him back and remains hopeful that the kid earns some PT. Good for the young man, too. If down the line he chooses to transfer that's one thing, but I'm glad he didn't just quit. And I give him a lot of credit for asking to come back, I imagine this must have been a hard stretch for him. For all the criticism that goes on of athletes, sometimes we forget that they're kids. Especially the freshmen.