Posts Tagged ‘UCF’

ORLANDO, Fla. – Bill Coen and his players insisted the team that took the floor against Saint Louis in the first round of the Cancun Governor’s Cup would not be the same team that took the floor against East Tennessee State the next day.

Coen and company kept their word. After a humiliating 71-49 loss to the Billikens the Huskies responded by posting arguably their two best performances of the season, a 77-67 win over ETSU and an 86-78 victory over Texas State. The consecutive wins pushed Northeastern to 4-6 on the season and halted a six-game losing skid.

As the team prepares to play in the UCF Holiday Classic Wednesday and Thursday let’s take a closer look at some storylines for these next two games:

- Season’s repeatings? It’s almost impossible to ignore the similarities between this season’s holiday tournaments and last season’s. In 2009-10, NU was in the midst of a disappointing 2-7 campaign while in Hawaii for the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. After a players-only meeting the Huskies rebounded to win 11-straight games, which began with a win in the final game of the Hawaii tournament and continued with two more wins at the Cable Car Classic in San Francisco, Calif. This season the squad was faced with a 2-6 record and a six-game losing streak after the debacle against SLU. Following wins over the Bucs and Bobcats, Coen and his players were calling the tournament a “turning point.” Is this a repeat of last season or just lip service? This tournament will tell.

- Stiffer competition As impressive as the team looked in Cancun over the final two games Huskies fans shouldn’t expect to see their team shoot up the RPI rankings. That’s because none of the teams Northeastern faced in the Governor’s Cup – Saint Louis (4-5), ETSU (4-6), Texas State (3-8) – had winning records at tip-off and none have RPI rankings in the top 100, the highest being SLU at 117. In comparison the teams waiting in Orlando – Princeton (9-3), UCF (11-0), Furman (8-2) – have combined records of 28-5 with the Knights and Tigers sporting RPI rankings of 32 and 43 respectively. As Bill Belichick says, “You are what your record is” and at 4-6 the Huskies don’t appear to match up with the other three teams.

- Offensive revival The 49-point output in the loss to Saint Louis was the low-point for an already sluggish offense. Through eight games Northeastern was averaging 62.1 points-per-game, which ranked in the bottom 10 percent of the country in scoring. The 77 points scored against ETSU set a new season-high in scoring, which was then broken the next day with 86 over Texas State. The two games only raised the season scoring average to a modest 66 ppg but represents how this team is capable of putting up solid offensive numbers.

- Balance inside and outside The Huskies posted higher scoring totals in part to a more-balanced offensive strategy. Coen chose to start Vinny Lima and Alex Harris, two capable outside shooters, to pair with usual starters Chaisson Allen and Joel Smith (Jon Lee started while Smith nursed an ankle injury against Texas State). With four legitimate deep-shooting threats on the court at all times Northeastern could spread the floor, allowing for a penetration-and-kick attack with multiple shooting options. With the defense focused on covering all outside shooters, room on the interior opened up for Ryan Pierson to operate. The big freshman forward had 19 points in the win over ETSU and 17 in the win over Texas State. With options inside and outside the Huskies posed a difficult matchup.

- Final tune-up As Coen has mentioned throughout the season the November and December schedule is a warm-up for the conference schedule, which begins in January. NU dropped a 63-58 decision to Drexel on Dec. 4 to begin CAA play, but the slate begins for real when the squad travels to face James Madison and Old Dominion on Jan. 3 and 5. These games in Orlando represent the final non-conference challenges before the conference foes take over.

Patrick McHugh Basketball Furman, Princeton, UCF, UCF Holiday Classic

The WRBB Holiday Road Trip continues this week in Orlando, at the UCF Holiday Classic. Like the Cancun Governor’s Cup, we don’t expect that our followers are too familiar with the opposing teams. Here’s a brief look at each of the teams participating in the tournament.

First Round – Wednesday, December 29:

Northeastern University Huskies:

2009-10: 20-13 (14-4 Colonial); Lost to Connecticut in the first round of the NIT.

2010-11: 4-6. Wins vs. Boston University, at Southern Illinois, and against ETSU and Texas State (both in the Cancun Governor’s Cup); Losses vs. Siena, at Utah State, at Providence, vs. Drexel, vs. Rhode Island, and against Saint Louis in the Cancun Governor’s Cup.

The Huskies have been somewhat streaky this season – they won their first two games, then lost their next six. Now, they’ve won two in a row once again. After losing to Saint Louis by 22 in Cancun, the team clearly went to film and focused on what they needed to do. They came out the next day and built up a 21-point lead over ETSU before finally winning by 10. In the final game in Cancun, the team was down 17 early in the second half before turning it around and winning by 8. In the wins, Northeastern created energy on the floor and were able to control the flow of the games. Ryan Pierson was named the CAA Rookie of the Week after averaging nearly 15 points in the tournament (including two career scoring highs) and just over five rebounds.

Princeton University Tigers:

2009-10: 22-19 (11-3 Ivy); Lost to Saint Louis in the semifinals of the College Basketball Semifinals.

2010-11: 9-3. Wins vs. Rutgers, at Bucknell, vs. Siena, at Lafayette, vs. Saint Joseph’s, at Monmouth, at Tulsa, at Wagner, and at Towson; Losses at Duke, at James Madison, and at Presbyterian.

The Tigers are coming in riding a seven-game winning streak. They’ve had just three home games so far, and won all of them – meaning they’re 6-3 on the road. However, the trip to Orlando will account for the last time they’re away from Jadwin Gymnasium until February 11, when they play at Columbia – they’ll play seven home games in between. This is a team that isn’t afraid to share the ball. Four players are averaging between 13-15 points per game, and six players have at least eighteen assists. Head coach Sydney Johnson has turned this team around from 6-23 in 2007-08 to become a top-tier Ivy League team (apologies for redundancy – Ivies tend to be elite).

Second Round – Thursday, December 30:

University of Central Florida Golden Knights:

2009-10:

2010-11: 11-0. Wins vs. West Florida, Jackson State, South Florida, at Stetson, vs. Alabama State, vs. Florida (Amway Arena), Southeastern Louisiana, Bethune Cookman, Louisiana-Lafayette, Miami, and at Massachusetts.

The Golden Knights enter the game ranked #19 in the Associated Press Top 25 and #21 in the ESPN Coaches Poll – the highest they’ve ever been in either poll. Picked to finish 10th in the C-USA preseason poll, they’ve certainly surprised the country so far this year. Keith Clanton and Marcus Jordan (son of Michael Jordan) have taken control of the team, combining for 31.6 points on 52.7% shooting. Offensively, the team has been excellent. Defensively, the team hasn’t been much less than that. Head coach Donnie Jones is in just his first season in Orlando, and whatever he’s been doing is clearly working. Hard work, determination, and focus have led the team this far, and they’ll certainly be keeping all of that in mind in preparation for the tournament.

Furman University Paladins:

2009-10: 13-17 (7-11 Southern Conference); Lost to UNC-Greensboro in the first round of the SoCon tournament.

2010-11: 8-2. Wins vs. North Greenville, UNC-Asheville, at South Carolina State, vs. Elon, at UNC-Greensboro, at Middle Tennessee State, at North Florida, and vs. South Carolina; Losses at Kent State and at Penn State

The Paladins enter Orlando as winners of five in a row, most recently winning a home game against South Carolina. Statistically, Furman is a fairly average team that has taken advantage of a relatively weak schedule – but their 91-75 victory over the Gamecocks can’t be ignored. A few players individually stepped up in that game, and not necessarily Furman’s typical top guys. Brandon Sebirumbi posted a career-high 16 points on 7-9 shooting against North Florida and kept up his hot hand with 7-8 shooting against South Carolina, good for 15 points. Justin Dehm is working towards becoming the Paladins’ 39th 1000-point scorer, and helped his journey with five first-half treys against the Gamecocks.

Andy Towne Basketball Furman, Holiday Road Trip, Princeton, UCF, UCF Holiday Classic

The Holiday Road Trip continues in Orlando Florida with the UCF Holiday Classic!

Wednesday, December 29

UCF Holiday Classic
9:15 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
9:30 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies vs. Princeton Tigers
from UCF Arena in Orlando, Fla.
with Patrick McHugh, Jared Shafran, and Andy Towne

Thursday, December 30

UCF Holiday Classic
4:45 p.m./7:15 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
5:00 p.m./7:30 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies vs. UCF or Furman
from UCF Arena in Orlando, Fla.
with Andy Towne, Jared Shafran, and Patrick McHugh

WRBB Sports Basketball Furman, Holiday Road Trip, Princeton, UCF, UCF Holiday Classic

Northeastern basketball will play the second leg of their holiday road trip just outside Orlando, Florida when they participate in the UCF Holiday Classic, December 29-30. According to GoPrincetonTigers.com, the Huskies will face Princeton in the first game, and either Furman or Central Florida in the second game.

• GoPrincetonTigers.com: Men’s Basketball 2010-11 Schedule Announced

The full schedule has not been officially released by Northeastern, but here’s what it should look like:

• Friday, November 12 vs. Boston University
• Tuesday, November 16 at Southern Illinois (ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon)
• Saturday, November 20 vs. Siena (Homecoming)
• Saturday, November 27 at Utah State
• Wednesday, December 1 at Providence
• Thursday, December 9 vs. Rhode Island
• Wednesday, December 22 vs. St. Louis (Cancun Governor’s Cup)
• Thursday, December 23 vs. ETSU/Southern Mississippi (Cancun Governor’s Cup)
• Friday, December 24 vs. TBD (Cancun Governor’s Cup)
• Wednesday, December 29 vs. Princeton (UCF Holiday Classic)
• Thursday, December 30 vs. UCF/Furman (UCF Holiday Classic)
• Saturday, February 19 at ESPN Bracketbuster

In the Colonial Athletic Association, the Huskies will have two games each (home and home) against Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra, George Mason, Georgia State, North Carolina-Wilmington, and Virginia Commonwealth University. The team will have single games at home against Towson and William & Mary, as well as road games against James Madison and Old Dominion.

WRBB Sports Basketball Holiday Road Trip, Princeton, UCF