First I want to say, open my image, it proves my recap beat the Times Union Siena recap from Saturday night’s game. Tack one on for Siena Saints Blog!

I also wrote a piece on who’s for real this year in the MAAC for Siena Saints Blog. Iona, Loyola and Fairfield: are they contenders?

The real news though is I’m going to add a new site to the rolls of writing by me.

RushTheCourt.net, a very cool site for college basketball information is letting me be their official Colonial Athletic Association correspondent! So I will be filing stories for them on the CAA every week. Here’s the first story, check it out here and I put it in here just because it was the first piece I wrote for RTC. I will post the links here when I see the article out.

Ryan Restivo of the MAAC-based SienaSaintsBlog is the RTC correspondent for the Colonial Athletic Association.

Standings (as of 1/2):

1. William & Mary (10-2, 2-0)
2. Georgia State (8-6, 2-0)
3. George Mason (7-6, 2-0)
4. VCU (9-2, 1-1)
5. Old Dominion (9-5, 1-1)
6. Hofstra (8-6, 1-1)
7. Northeastern (6-7, 1-1)
8. Drexel (6-8, 1-1)
9. Delaware (5-8, 1-1)
10. James Madison (6-6, 0-2)
11. UNC Wilmington (4-8, 0-2)
12. Towson (3-8, 0-2)

Important Games This Week

Monday 1/4:

UNC Wilmington @ William & Mary — One of the best three point shooting teams (W&M) versus one of the best three point defenses (UNC-W).  Can UNC Wilmington snap W & M’s ten game win streak?

Northeastern @ Virginia Commonwealth — Northeastern has disappointed so far this season amid lofty expectations, will they turn it around against one of the CAA’s hottest teams?

Saturday 1/9:

Hofstra @ Old Dominion — Old Dominion is undefeated at home this season, the Pride and Monarchs are both very good defensive teams.  Expect a battle in the 40-50 range in Norfolk.

Team Reviews

William & Mary is on a Roll. The Tribe have won ten straight, a new school record, and won 48-47 at Hofstra on a Kendrix Brown three point play to continue their historic season.  William & Mary is 2-0 in the CAA for the first time since 1997-98.  The Tribe have not started this well since 1948-49 when they started 14-2.

More impressively, the Tribe never gave up the lead at Maryland after the 4:44 mark in the first half in a convincing 83-77 win in College Park.  After dropping their first two games to Connecticut by nine and Harvard in triple-overtime, the Tribe have racked up impressive statement wins over Richmond, Wake Forest and Maryland.  According to Kenpom.com, their Offensive efficiency is tops in the nation (124.2).

Georgia State is a Mystery.   With no impressive wins on the schedule so far, Georgia State enters conference play at 8-6, and kind of a mystery.  An example:  they took a lead as high as 15 on Saturday against Towson (3-8) only to trail by two with 6:27 to go in the game.  Trey Hampton led the way with 22 points on 9-10 shooting from the field as they showed no rust from a ten-day layoff.

George Mason Starts Off New Decade Right. After posting a one of their worst losses, a 27-point loss to Radford, to close the decade, the Patriots started off the new decade right.  George Mason went on an 18-4 run to take what was a one point game and push it to a 16 point victory.  Ryan Pearson led the way for the Patriots with 17 points and tied a season-high eight field goals made.

VCU…New Decade, No Problem.  Every single VCU player scored at least two points in a 91-57 blowout over UNC Wilmington.  VCU led by as many as 46 and Larry Sanders scored a team-high 16 points in only 19 minutes.  Sanders and the Rams haven’t been tested since grinding out a one point win on December 19th over Tulane.  Sanders has scored in double-digits in every game but one this season and has improved his scoring as well as his field goal and free throw percentages in his junior year.

Defensive Letdown in Fairfax. The Old Dominion Monarchs did not show up in the second half in a double-digit loss to George Mason, and snapped a three game win streak.  The Monarchs have played a tough non-conference schedule and were finally reaping the benefits of their defensive prowess with wins over Georgetown and the Atlantic 10’s Charlotte and Duquesne.

ODU had won five out of its last six entering the game but did not bring the defense that has held opponents to an effective field goal percentage of 42.3% entering Saturday.  They allowed George Mason to dominate inside going 22-41 (53.6%) from inside the arc.  The last time ODU allowed a team to score over 70 points was January 31, 2009 — a span of 28 games.

Hofstra’s Train is Delayed.  What was supposed to be Charles Jenkins’ coming out party this season has been a slight disappointment.  Jenkins has not scored over 20 points in his last three games and was stifled, along with the entire Hofstra offense, in a tough one point loss to William & Mary.  Jenkins scored 23 points on national television at Kansas and followed that up later in November with 38 points against Fairfield at home but otherwise teams have been able to contain him, and the Pride have yet to develop any other threats for their CAA counterparts to guard.  Their next leading scorer, Nathaniel Lester, has two more three-point attempts (24) than turnovers (22) and has regressed from his three point field goal percentage last season.  Hofstra’s best win out of conference might be their four point win over Fairfield, a middling team in the MAAC; they have yet to show that they can compete with the upper echelon of the conference.

Northeastern Managing Expectations. The Huskies entered the 2009-10 season as the preseason #2 team, second only to Old Dominion.  Behind preseason first team all-CAA Matt Janning’s senior leadership, they were expected to rack up quality wins in the non-conference.  The Huskies, however, got on a five game losing streak which included a home loss to Providence and ended with a 15 point loss to Western Michigan.  They were able to recover in Honolulu and win on Christmas over Southern Methodist and showed on Saturday why they have the offense to be a force in the CAA.

The Huskies shot 60% from the floor and scored a season-high 47 points in the first half to blow out James Madison, 73-61.  To put it in perspective, they matched their lowest point total in a game (47 in a two point loss to Drexel) in one half to even their record at 1-1.

Drexel Looking to Rebound.  The Dragons have managed to play many close games but have ended up n the wrong side of all but one this season.  Saturday at Delaware was an enigma.  Having a lead as large as 13 in the first half only to squander it in under six minutes out of the break.  Drexel went cold from the field, shooting 35% in the second half. Leading scorer Jamie Harris scored 11 of his team-high 18 points in the first half.

The Dragons have been on two separate three game win streaks this year for all six of their wins.  They have been led by Harris, who has scored in double-digits in every win but one this season.  Drexel’s offense has not impressed this year and shooting has been the problem.  Shooting less than 30% behind the arc and just over 45% inside it has not helped a team that shoots free throws at 63.3%, good for 303rd in the nation.

Blue Hen Win Streak. Delaware has a two game win streak for the first time since the start of last year.  Led by St. Joseph’s transfer Jawan Carter, who has scored double digits in every game but one, Delaware looks poised to improve on last year’s six CAA wins.  Their problem is that they’ve taken too many three-pointers and shot only 27.1% (324th in the country, last in the CAA) from behind the arc.

James Madison Starting to Come Alive. Texas A&M transfer Denzel Bowles fits the Matt Brady trend of players he can give the ball to and just let them go.  Bowles has averaged over 20 points since debuting in December but sat out a one game suspension for violating team rules on Saturday.  Bowles will probably be given the reins for the rest of the year when he is in the lineup (expected back on Monday night against Delaware).  He has taken double-digit shots in every game but one; he took nine shots in their four-point loss at Stanford.  The proclaimed shot doctor Brady has fixed the Dukes’ two point shooting to where it’s the best in the league (50.7%, 85th in the nation).  They have a chance Monday to snap a two game losing streak against Delaware but then travel to Old Dominion, a team Brady has not beaten on the road in his two tries (0-2 with Marist & James Madison).

UNC Wilmington’s Good and Bad News. The positives for the Seahawks?  They notched an early non-conference win over Penn State on a neutral floor and have one of the best perimeter defenses in the country.  The bad news?  Their offense has struggled mightily, shooting only 16% in the first half and getting down 29-4 in a 91-57 loss at VCU.  The Seahawks have turned the ball over at least 15 times in every game but one this season.  They turned the ball over a season-high 28 times Saturday, 15 in the first half alone.  Monday night doesn’t promise to be any better at conference leader William & Mary, either.

Towson Continues to Struggle.  The Tigers shot a season low 33.9% in losing at Georgia State, 70-61.  The problems this season have been mostly on the defensive end for the Tigers, ranking last among CAA teams in FG% defense and rebounding margin.  Towson will embark on attempting to break some bad trends this week.  Towson has yet to win a road game (0-4) this season and will get two chances at Hofstra and James Madison.  They will also try to break a record against Old Dominion, as eighth-year head coach Pat Kennedy has yet to beat the Monarchs.  The last time the Tigers beat Old Dominion was a 67-55 win in 2002, their only win in the 12-game series history.

I was able to write a few recaps, previews and all that fun for Siena Saints Blog this week. What I’m most proud of? Is beating the Times Union blog story for Saturday’s game because I had a story ready once the buzzer sounded. I rounded out the edges, made sure it sounded clean, took out the parts where I wrote Siena lost (I prepared just in case) and published right away.

12/31 Siena 64, St. Peter’s 53

Siena used a 7-0 run in just over three minutes to take what was a tie game with 9:12 to go into Siena’s 27th straight home victory, a 64-53 win over St. Peter’s Thursday afternoon.

Led by Edwin Ubiles’ game high 21 points on 6 of 16 shooting from the floor. Ubiles has scored double digit points in five straight games.

After shooting 6 for 28 (21.4%) from the field in the first half and barely leading 27-25, Siena recovered to shoot 11 for 25 (44%) and put away the Peacocks for a third straight double digit win.

Ryan Rossiter led the front court with his second straight double-double. Rossiter (14 points, 10 rebounds) has pulled down double digit rebounds in each of the last four games.

The Peacocks were without the services of Junior Wesley Jenkins because of a mild concussion. Darius Conley led the way for the Peacocks with a double double (14 points, 13 rebounds).

Siena made over 20 free throws for the second straight game, sinking 26 of 35 (74.3%).

1/2 Siena 79, Mt. St. Mary’s 76 (OT)

Despite a sluggish start, the Siena Saints were able to come back and go on a 13-0 run to put Mount St. Mary’s away for a 79-76 overtime win.

The third longest home winning streak (27) in the nation appeared to be in doubt for 39 minutes of regulation. Ronald Moore (7 points), unable to convert a field goal in the last two games, scored all four of Siena’s points in the final minute of regulation to push the game to Overtime.

Siena made only one of their first nine shots from the floor, getting down quickly 18-4 to a Mount St. Mary’s team that has lost its last seven games entering tonight.

Siena was able to close a gap as large as 14 to six at halftime thanks to Ryan Rossiter. Rossiter scored 21 points in the first half, shot 8 for 10 from the field and made 5 of 6 free throws. The rest of the Saints combined to shoot 25% (4 for 16) from the field and missed all four three point attempts. Rossiter finished with a career high 29 points and 13 rebounds.

Alex Franklin (17 points) led Siena with a team-high 16 rebounds. Franklin scored all of his points in the second half and overtime. Edwin Ubiles made clutch shots scoring 11 of his 15 points after the first half.

Kyle Downey (8 points) came off the bench to sink two clutch free throws with 8.7 seconds left in overtime to seal victory for the Saints.

Siena’s held early leads of 2-0 and 3-2 until regaining the lead in Overtime. This was Siena’s second win of the season after trailing at halftime. Siena’s last win when trailing at halftime was their 59-53 win over Northeastern.

Siena failed to make a three point field goal for the first time this season.

Mount St. Mary’s last non-conference win was a November 28th overtime win over Navy 66-56.

1/3 Preview: Loyola (MD) vs. Siena

After a hard fought comeback victory Saturday night, the Saints will have to regroup and travel down to Baltimore to face the streaking Loyola (MD) Greyhounds Monday night.

Loyola is on a four game win streak with wins over Howard, Indiana, Bucknell and Rider. Loyola had a lead as large as 24 at Indiana and managed to hold off the Hoosiers for their first win in school history over a Big Ten team.

Brett Harvey has led the way lately for the Greyhounds performing like a First Team All MAAC player. Harvey scored 25 points at Indiana and has shot very well from behind the arc in their four games at home (12 for 17 70.6%). Harvey has scored double digit points in eight of the last ten games.

Saturday, Loyola went on a 14-0 run and took a 17 point lead into halftime against Rider. Ryan Thompson missed a layup with six seconds to go for the Greyhounds to hold off the Broncs 68-66. Loyola is 4-0 at home this season.

Jamal Barney has scored double digit points in each of the last eight games and typically takes double digit shots per game for the Greyhounds. Barney, a transfer from Providence, has improved on most of his skills in his second year at Loyola.

Loyola’s longest winning streak last year was six games.

I wrote a bunch of things for Siena Saints Blog recently.

Yesterday the MAAC announced a press conference for their tournament site selection to be now in Springfield. This led to everyone leading to the quick conclusion that the winner was Springfield.

I wrote a quick piece making sure I used the language that it appeared likely to happen as to not infuriate the MAAC.

Then my Around the MAAC piece came out near 7pm last night. Marist’s chances of going winless still leading the story.

After that, I posted a recap story now that it seemed all but official that the MAAC Tournament will be in Springfield with site specifics I didn’t see with any other story.

Springfield, the home to the National Basketball Hall of Fame, has distinguished itself as an ideal candidate to host the tournament and has an intimate setting of just over 6,000 seats. The MassMutual Center currently hosts the AHL’s Springfield Falcons and the NBA Development League’s Springfield Armor.

The MassMutual Center hosts various UMass Basketball games and is set to host the NCAA Division II Championships, the Elite Eight, in the next two years.

On Siena Saints Blog of course. In my new extra article I posted on the odds that Marist goes winless this season.

Ken Pomeroy (Kenpom.com): Just for the Marist faithful, I’ve added the chance of going winless for all teams. Looks like Marist leads the nation with their nearly 3% chance! Seems like yesterday they were owning the league.

I’m reading my own writing. I did an interview with Steve Amedio of Keepin’ Track of the MAAC and it’s really good stuff. My brother Matt has put forth a great long term plan for SienaSaintsBlog.com and we hope you check out everything we have to offer for the rest of the basketball season!

I also wrote an Expensive in 2010 column on Brian Fuentes for RotoSavants:

Fuentes led the league with 48 saves last year, but that is more a factor of the LA Angels of Anaheim getting into save situations. Fuentes pitched less than an inning in 9 of his 48 saves.

I’m trying out the new Google Chrome now. My brother Matt says he loves it and I am starting to like it too. I have used 4 browsers in the past: Mozilla’s Firefox, Camino and Apple’s Safari other than Google Chrome. I’m finding Chrome to be a very good experience and performing really well so far. It is still a Beta for Macs though but it has done everything I’ve asked of it so far in a few days.

I’m working on the draft kit project as well, mostly updating all the player movement that happened at those Winter Meetings in Indianapolis. A lot of players moved which makes for some fun time in Excel.

This one site is probably getting more than it asked for by writing that Baseball Prospectus Jumps The Shark. He brings up an interesting argument which made me think of a comparison. He must think that it is like Saturday Night Live in the old days, which had so much more talent, and move today where it pretty much is unwatchable.

I wrote the recap to Siena’s easy win over Albany on Saturday night. Siena won 83-54.

I also wrote an Around the MAAC piece for SienaSaintsBlog.com for Sunday.

Today I started what will be an offseason session on Roto Savants, writing a counterargument to players who will be expensive next year, I started with Mark Buehrle.

…every year since 2003 Buehrle has given up over a hit per inning pitched (his H/9 over 9.1 every year). Since the White Sox won the World Series in 2005: Buehrle has pitched to a 4.05 ERA, given up 107 home runs and has a mediocre strikeout to walk rate of 2.41.

I also wrote an Around the MAAC piece for Siena Saints Blog about the rest of the MAAC’s Thanksgiving weekend. Akron beat Niagara Sunday by scoring only 2 points less in the second half (57) than Marist was able to score in a game (59) on Saturday.

Sunday I wrote an Around the MAAC piece for SienaSaintsBlog.com. Pretty good stuff there.

Digging into a new book now, very recent one too, “As They See ‘Em” which is about baseball umpiring. Good stuff so far.

I wrote Siena’s unhappy recap for a 4 point loss to Temple for SienaSaintsBlog.com. Good writing too, I am proud of the piece but not the game.

Wow. Well in one of the more interesting finishes, LSU ran out of time against Ole Miss in a 25-23 loss. Now watching the end of this game there were a few problems.

1:16 to go: Onside kick by LSU. McCluster at the front line, let’s the ball go by him because he would have to move within 10 yards to grab it. Now the front line of an onside kick generally protects the mid and back line of players to recover the ball on a pop up kick. This one rolled across and McCluster decided to leave it at 9 yards and hope his teammates grabbed it. I’m sorry but you have to jump on that ball even if it means putting yourself within the 10 yards.

3rd down for LSU: They make a screen pass but let the clock run down by 20 seconds until 9 seconds to go. Honestly, I think this was done on purpose by Les Miles. Miles probably knew that the difference between 20 seconds and 10 seconds to go isn’t much when you have to rush on the field and spike the ball. What turned out happening of course…

4th down: pass completed to the red zone with 0:01 seconds to go on the clock when the referee’s stopped the clock to move the chains. So realistically they would have to run a play to win the game but instead the QB spiked the ball which brought the clock to 0:00.

I think their plan was never to have the kicker head onto the field, I think they were trying to win with a touchdown and it just didn’t work out.

Zack Hample wrote back to a lady who disparages “ballhawks” on her MLBlog:

Hi there.

My name is Zack Hample. I invented the “glove trick” as well as the method of switching into the visiting team’s gear. I don’t have a favorite team. I’m just a baseball fan. I root for individual players, but not for any one team on a regular basis.

[I skip a few paragraphs]

I have a job: I’m a baseball writer. I just signed a contract with Random House to write what’ll be my third book. It’s due out in March 2011, so I’m working full-time on it this year. I also have a girlfriend (who’s a total hottie, thank you very much). When I started collecting baseballs at the age of 12, it was 1990. There was no internet (not in MY house, anyway). No blog. No book. No bragging rights. No glory. It was just my way of connecting to my favorite sport.

You know what it is nice to enjoy a game like this. I’d say that I’ve went with my friends and they’ve caught a baseball or two of their own and that’s what makes it fun for me. A ballpark can be an adventure and that’s what makes it fun. I mean when I have a son or daughter I plan on bringing them to a baseball game or two and since they’ll have a cute factor going for them, they’ll get a ton more baseballs than I will.

Soon there will be an interview with me at Owlified, the Temple sports blog to preview the Siena-Temple game on Saturday. Here’s part of it:

TON: Although this season is very early, it’s never too early to share your thoughts on the way the season will turn out. How do you see Siena’s 2009 season playing out?

SSB: … As for the Saints this year? I think they are the top team in the MAAC but Rider is not far behind. Rider, already with a win over Mississippi State, has a chance for two more big non-conference wins at Virginia and at Kentucky this week. Every MAAC team is a fan of Rider’s to win to boost the conference. I think from there you have Niagara who will have a respectable year and then everyone else. The day of MAAC Basketball Championship semi-finals, I fully expect two of these three teams to face each other.

I also have a midweek Around the MAAC post. I purposefully take Marist to the wood chipper:

It took Marist about 25 minutes to score 38 points against Rutgers on Saturday in their seven point loss to the Scarlet Knights, but it took them a lot longer to get to that number in West Hartford on Wednesday in an embarrassing 75-38 loss. This appears to be the least amount of points scored in a loss Marist Men’s Basketball Division I history. (*In quickly scanning the Marist Media Guide, the least amount of points in a loss in Marist history appears to be 41 in a 43-41 loss in February of 1984) Marist 2nd year Head Coach Chuck Martin did not sugarcoat this one either:

“Arguably the worst game I’ve ever been affiliated with in my 12 years” [Martin] told the [Marist] broadcast team after the game. “The score is really hard to swallow,” said Martin, adding the Red Foxes’ “selfish play” was “something as a staff, we’re not going to tolerate.”

Marist shot a 30.5% effective FG% and went 7 of 27 from three point range. Marist had one double digit scorer in Candon Rusin and freshman have led the Red Foxes in scoring in both of their games. Friend of mine (and so, the site) Greg Hrinya posted his quick take on his site. The good news? They get a long time to practice before their next game at New Hampshire.

I’m reading an interview with Michael Lewis in New York Magazine about his books being made into films which I find to be interesting. He said he thought this book, The Blind Side, would be made into a movie even when it went through apparent development hell. Then the people at “Vulture” for New York Magazine asked about if his other books were sold and I’ll pluck part of the answers I find interesting:

Do your books just get optioned and never made into movies?
Yes! Bought, actually. If you option it, it’s a small sum of money and it expires. If you buy it, it’s a larger sum of money and they own it forever. So if they don’t make it, it’s gone. So, I mean, Warner Bros. owns Liars’ Poker and I think they’ve put something like $2 million into it already and it’s just vanished. … Fox bought it and decided not to make it.

Why’d they decide not to make it?
I’m being honest when I tell you I have no idea. The best writer in Hollywood is a dead writer. … I have no place in the process! … The last thing you want is some writer hovering over his material, moaning and groaning about what they do with it. And the last thing I want to be is that. So that’s kind of it.

My favorite? Thank God people hate Twlight: New Moon. Credit Roger Ebert for his review:

“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” takes the tepid achievement of “Twilight” (2008), guts it, and leaves it for undead. You know you’re in trouble with a sequel when the word of mouth advises you to see the first movie twice instead.

… sitting through this experience is like driving a pickup in low gear though a sullen sea of Brylcreem.

In our day, we had pogs. Please make this vampire fad go away! At least make it go away before these vampire sequels aren’t done so people can see how stupid they are.

And in real news, Rudy Giuliani is not running for Governor in New York State, thus eliminating him from the political scene until the follow-up question is asked about running for U.S. Senate:

While many political analysts believe Mr. Giuliani would have comfortably beaten Gov. David A. Paterson, he would likely have faced an uphill battle against Mr. [Andrew] Cuomo, one of the most popular politicians in the state.

… Some have urged him to take on the newly installed Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, who has never run statewide and is still introducing herself to voters in parts of the state.