Vinny Saponari scores a game-winning goal in overtime to lift the Huskies to 7th place in the standings, in a 4-3 victory.
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Monday, January 307:00 p.m. – CAA Full Court Press
Pre-Bracketbuster Selection
34th Annual Women’s Beanpot
4:45 p.m. – Huskies Hockey Pre-Game
5:00 p.m. – Northeastern Women’s Hockey: Huskies vs. Boston College Eagles
from Walter Brown Arena in Boston, Mass.
with Alex Faust and Craig White
Game airing exclusively on WRBB Sports Extra
Wednesday, February 16:45 p.m. – Huskies Basketball Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies vs. Drexel Dragons
from Matthews Arena
with TBA
Thursday, February 28:00 p.m. – Hockey East This Week
Beanpot “Hype Week” Edition
Friday, February 33:00 p.m. – Dog Pound Sports Sound
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Hockey Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies vs. UMass Minutemen
from Matthews Arena
with Alex Faust, Ben Horner, and Craig White
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Basketball Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies at VCU Rams
from the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va.
with Patrick McHugh and Brandon Challener
Though only about a third of the games have been played, this is a good time of year to step back and look at where the Northeastern men’s basketball team is at. The majority of the non-conference schedule has been played, with the exception of a tilt at Vermont on Friday and the BracketBusters game against a still to-be-determined opponent in late February. After winning three of their first four, the Huskies have now dropped six straight and head into the weekend of the new year with a 3-7 overall record, including one conference game.
It’s a slate that features just two power conference teams, in St. John’s (Big East) and NC State (Atlantic Coast), but it has proven to be yet another challenging non-league schedule nonetheless. That is not to be unexpected, however, as Bill Coen tends to schedule strong mid-major opponents to prepare his team for the challenges of the Colonial Athletic Association. Before the season started, nearly every one of these games could have been considered winnable – some more than others, but none that Northeastern seemed to have absolutely no shot at winning. After the victory at St. John’s, it seemed like the Huskies would be on a roll and even the tougher games like NC State, which many expected to be a loss to begin with, seemed more winnable than they had.
Here’s an update on each of the ten teams Northeastern has played so far this year, plus a look at the Huskies’ next opponent, Vermont – click the team name to read our recap from each of those games (all records are through Wednesday, December 28):
Boston University: 4-8 (1-3 home, 0-0 America East) – 82-74 win (OT)
After starting the season on a 4-game losing streak, the Terriers won their next four over Rhode Island, CAA members Hofstra and Delaware, then Boston College to even their record. They have lost all four since then, with two games remaining before AE play begins at Vermont on January 5 (at La Salle, 12/29; at Quinnipiac, 12/31). Just two of the losses have come by fewer than seven points, while only one of the wins was decided by more than seven (75-61 at BC).
University of Massachusetts: 10-3 (6-0 home, 0-0 Atlantic 10) – 83-67 loss
In contrast to BU, the Minutemen started with four wins, lost three of five including a 1-2 record at the Paradise Jam in the Bahamas, and are currently riding a four-game win streak. Each of the recent wins have been close, but all of the team’s first six wins were decided by double-digits including a 36-point blowout at BC and a 30-point trouncing of Towson. They’ll have one more non-con game vs. Central Connecticut (12/30) before opening their A10 slate vs. Fordham. UMass will then finish their out-of-conference schedule at La Salle before returning to Atlantic 10 play for the rest of the regular season.
Southern Illinois: 3-8 (1-2 away, 0-0 Missouri Valley Conference) – 64-57 win
It’s been a tough season in Carbondale, where the Salukis fell to Division II Ohio Dominican to start the year before a 19-point loss at the hands of Saint Louis and a trip to Boston that resulted in yet another loss at Matthews Arena. The three wins were all decisive, but came against Chicago State (0-13), Northern Illinois (0-11) and SIU-Edwardsville (2-7). The only OOC game remaining for SIU is the BracketBusters game, as they start MVC play at Evansville on Thursday.
St. John’s: 7-5 (7-1 home, 1-0 Big East) – 78-64 win
With a similar pattern to UMass, the Red Storm opened the season with three straight wins, including their season opener against William & Mary in the 2K Sports Classic, before dropping five of six with three more wins since their last loss. They have already started Big East play with a 91-67 win over Providence on Tuesday that saw Moe Harkless post 32 points, a record for Big East freshmen in his conference debut. Their only non-conference game remaining is UCLA on February 18 – although with the Big ‘East’ expansion, the Bruins will probably be joining the conference before too long.
La Salle: 8-4 (5-0 home, 0-0 Atlantic 10) – 68-51 loss
By looking strictly at the record, an 8-4 mark might be a surprise for the team picked to finish last in the A10. However, despite a few blowouts, their 26-point win over Bucknell (8-6) is perhaps their most impressive. They also defeated CAA foe James Madison, 92-83, and smoked the still-winless Towson by 36. The losses are actually the brightest point of optimism for La Salle, after staying within seven at Villanova and four at Pittsburgh, and falling to an underrated Delaware team by just four on the road. The Explorers have two non-con games, next vs. Boston University on Thursday, then two A10 games before their final OOC game of the year at Penn.
*Old Dominion: 6-6 (1-2 away, 1-0 CAA) – 69-59 loss
The Monarchs started with a 63-46 drubbing by Northern Iowa (10-2) at home. Three straight wins, including the first win by a CAA team over a power conference team in a 68-66 victory over South Florida, and just a 10-point loss to #2 Kentucky in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun seemed to have ODU back on track before a 10-point overtime loss at home against Vermont. After that game, they beat East Carolina and Northeastern, lost to Fairfield, Central Florida and Richmond (OT), then beat Virginia Military Institute. They’ll host #8 Missouri on Friday before returning to CAA action at James Madison on Monday.
Bradley: 5-8 (4-3 home, 0-1 Missouri Valley Conference) – 79-68 loss
Another team of streaks, the Braves started 2011-12 with three wins, then lost four in a row, won two, and have lost their last four. The latest streak started with a 73-68 loss at Drexel. That run also includes a one-point loss vs. Western Carolina, an 11-point defeat at the hands of #19 Michigan, and a 90-51 shellacking by Wichita State at home to open the MVC portion of their schedule. With the exception of BracketBusters, each of their remaining games will be against conference opponents.
Princeton: 6-7 (3-4 away, 0-0 Ivy) – 71-62 loss
The Ivy Leaguers started by winning just one of six, then won five of six. Their only game since the trip to Boston on December 18 resulted in a 4-point loss at Siena. The Tigers are in a stretch of 11 straight road games against Division 1 opponents when they won’t play any home games during the months of December and January with the exception of The College of New Jersey (Division III) on January 8, lasting from December 7 at Rutgers to February 4 at Yale. They’ll have a pair of games in Tallahassee, against Florida State on Friday and Florida A&M on Sunday, then their tune-up against TCNJ before opening the Ivy schedule at Cornell on January 13.
Louisiana Tech: 7-6 (5-0 home, 0-0 WAC) – 56-53 loss
A team that has been up and down over the past few years, a weak schedule has the Bulldogs looking like they’re back on the up – for now. They haven’t lost a home non-conference game since December of 2007, though they’ve had several close calls this season. Each of their last four wins, which were all at home, came by three points or fewer with a one point, double overtime win over Northwestern State. After Arkansas, who La Tech lost to by 14 in their last game, the only teams with much name recognition are Wyoming, McNeese State and Arkansas-Little Rock. According to RealTimeRPI.com, their strength of schedule ranks 306th in the country. They have two more non-conference games before starting WAC play, including NAIA Spring Hill on Thursday (their second non-Division 1 opponent after D-III Mississippi College to start the season) and Southern Methodist on Sunday.
North Carolina State: 8-4 (6-2 home, 0-0 ACC) – 88-59 loss
New head coach Mark Gottfried has the Wolfpack energized and in control, exciting fans and local media with a strong start to the 2011-12 season. The ‘Pack has three games left before starting their league schedule, with their next tilt coming against Campbell in their on-campus gym, the Reynolds Coliseum (instead of the RBC Center, their normal home arena). With no bad losses, a win over Texas and a couple other decent victories, NC State looks to keep rolling into conference play and hopes to make some noise in a weak ACC.
Vermont: 6-7 (1-3 home, 0-0 America East)
The Catamounts have a solid balance in the difficulty of their schedule. After beginning the year with a two-point defeat at South Florida, they bounced back with wins over Dartmouth and Marist. A loss to Long Island was followed by an overtime win at Old Dominion and a home victory over Siena. A five-game losing streak may look like a rough patch, but that included a 7-point loss to Harvard (in the week preceding the first-ever appearance in the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls in program history), a 4-point loss to Quinnipiac and a 1-point loss to Iona are nothing to be ashamed of. The contest against Northeastern will be their last before traveling to Stony Brook, last year’s AE runner-up, to open the conference slate.
For those wondering what next year’s non-conference schedule will be like, it is very similar to this one. Not all of the opponents will be the same, but BU, UMass, La Salle and Vermont are expected to make a return trip to Boston, while the Huskies will travel to Princeton. In addition, UNC Asheville owes a return to Northeastern as part of the BracketBusters contract from last year, and NU will be playing in the Great Alaska Shootout over Thanksgiving break against a field that will be announced in March or April. They will also have a road BracketBusters game, leaving room for just two more opponents to reach the total of 27 games plus the tournament allowed by the NCAA.
In the coming days, we’ll evaluate the team’s performance as they head into the meat of the conference schedule. In the meantime, be sure to tune into WRBB Sports as we bring you live action of three Huskies athletic events this weekend, including the basketball team’s game at Vermont on Friday and a pair of hockey games at the Mariucci Classic in Minnesota.
The Huskies trip west to Amherst on Monday didn’t go as planned. The Minutemen jumped out to a big lead before cruising to an 83-67 victory over Northeastern.
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What happened?
Unlike Friday’s epic, instant classic OT win at Boston University which went down to the final minute, Monday’s contest at UMass was pretty much decided in the first eight minutes. From the opening tip it was clear the Minutemen were the taller, stronger, faster and more confident team than the Huskies.
Undersized but speedy point guard Chaz Williams set the tone for UMass, scoring two points and dishing three assists in the game’s opening five minutes. NU struggled to create quality shots and began the contest connecting on only 2 of 13 field goals, quickly falling behind 19-4 just past the second media timeout. The defense looked lost as well, as miscommunication and a lack of execution allowed the hosts plenty of open looks, with UMass converting on 6 of its first 12 shots. The rough start plagued the Huskies, who never got closer than nine points the remainder of the period and entered halftime trailing by 12.
Referees played a major part in the second half, allowing Northeastern a window of opportunity for a comeback. The Minutemen were whistled for seven fouls in the first five minutes of the half, and reached the double bonus as early as the 12:37 mark. Though the Huskies deficit increased to as many as 17 in the second stanza, a visibly more determined red and black squad responded with a 10-0 run, which included a thunderous dunk by Jon Lee, who was fouled intentionally by Maxie Esho. Joel Smith finally connected on the team’s first three-pointer of the game with 10:28 remaining, cutting the lead to as few as six points.
But just as Northeastern fans were having flashbacks to Texas State and UNC-Asheville, the pendulum swung back in favor of UMass. Lee and Smith both had long distance looks that would have cut the lead to a single possession, but both shots rimmed out by the slimmest of margins. Amazingly, the Huskies would go a full 10 minutes before hitting their next field goal, a lay-up by Ryan Pierson with 70 seconds remaining. The Minutemen, meanwhile, returned to their opening form, locking down defensively and frustrating the visitors while pushing the pace offensively and getting either easy lay-ups and dunks or wide open threes. Though Northeastern went to the free throw line 16 times in the final 10 minutes, the freebies were not enough to sustain an attack and UMass pushed the lead as high as 20 before settling in for an 83-67 win.
Player of the Game:
Though he stands at only 5-foot-9, the play of Williams is impossible to overlook. The UMass floor general finished with 20 points and 10 assists in a solid 34 minutes of action. Williams’ court vision was what stood out the most, as he routinely found open teammates cutting to the basket and laid perfect passes to them every time. Northeastern’s guards struggled to get a handle on Williams, whose quick lateral movement and no-look passes kept the Huskies a step slow all night. UMass coach Derek Kellogg picked up a hidden gem when he got the sophomore to transfer in.
UMass’ Terrell Vinson also turned in a solid performance, dropping 14 points in a team-high 37 minutes of action. Vinson’s ability to drive to the basket, as well as pull up from beyond the arc, made him a threat the entire night.
On Northeastern’s side of things, both Lee and Smith finished with 15 points, but combined to go only 7 of 22 from the floor in an otherwise quiet night. While the junior captains’s final statistics look on point, neither seemed to come up with the big plays on offense and defense when the Huskies really needed them to. Unlike in the opener at BU when both were instrumental late in the game, Lee and Smith could not will their team to overcome the Minutemen.
The Takeaway:
Monday’s setback served as a reality check of sorts for the Huskies. After Friday’s thrilling win and overall solid performance, many NU fans were likely envisioning a turnaround season on Huntington Avenue. While it is obviously way too soon to squash these thoughts, the UMass loss at the very least shows that NU’s turnaround will be a work in progress.
Aside from the talent disparity that was major factor in the outcome, my initial observation was that the Huskies simply weren’t ready to go when the ball went up just past 7 p.m. When the team went through warm-ups at Case Gymnasium on Friday, it was apparent NU came to play. Players were loud and energetic, and seemed to have a bounce in their step. During big moments the bench would stand up and clap or yell to teammates, and overall were electrified by the opening game atmosphere. On Monday, the same level of intensity didn’t seem to be there from the beginning, and it showed throughout. Much of this could be attributed to the smaller and quieter Mullins Center crowd, which totaled only 2,664 in size in a 10,000-seat venue. Whether this was a factor or not, Northeastern must find a way to get motivated for every game, regardless of when or where it is played.
Another noticeable difference was the tempo. The BU contest was run-and-gun all night, each squad looking to push the pace and score quickly. Northeastern did little running on Monday, instead setting up in a motion offense and struggling to work the ball open. It will be worth noting how much running the Huskies do this season, and whether or not they have the stamina to do so for a 30-game schedule.
The height differential also seemed to give NU fits. UMass matched up with five players at 6-7 or taller, and the size and length of the Minutemen forced Northeastern to be less aggressive in challenging the defense. I would have liked to see the team attack the basket more and force the issue, especially considering UMass was in early foul trouble in the second half.
As expected with a taller foe, the big men made nowhere near as big an impact in game two. Reggie Spencer scored 16 points Friday, but had only seven on Monday. Kauri Black dropped 12 points against the Terriers but managed only seven against the Minutemen. Kashief Edwards only dipped from eight points to six points, but saw his minutes go from 28 at BU to 18 at UMass, a sign of his ineffectiveness. The most telling stat of the height mismatch: NU went from a plus-20 on the boards against BU to minus-three against UMass.
Quotes of Note:
Bill Coen: “I thought when they jumped on an early lead [Williams] almost limited the way we could attack them even pressuring them because he is a one-man press breaker. He creates so many easy baskets for himself and for his teammates. He’s really going to make them go this year.”
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Monday, November 146:45 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies at UMass Minutemen
from the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass.
with Patrick McHugh, Andy Towne, and Anthony Gulizia
Tuesday, November 157:00 p.m. – Northeastern Women’s Basketball: Huskies vs. Temple Owls
from Solomon Court
with Anthony Gulizia and Zolan Kanno-Youngs
Only available on WRBB Sports Extra
Thursday, November 177:00 p.m. – Northeastern Women’s Hockey: Huskies vs. Boston College Eagles
from Matthews Arena
with Craig White and Mike Sobel
Only available on WRBB Sports Extra
9:00 p.m. – Hockey East This Week
Hockey Homecoming Preview
Guest Panelist: TBA
Friday, October 183:00 p.m. – Dog Pound Sports Sound
Homecoming edition
6:45 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies at Providence College Friars
from Schneider Arena in Providence, R.I.
with Alex Faust, Jared Shafran, and Ben Horner
1:45 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball Pre-Game
2:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies vs. Southern Illinois Salukis
from Matthews Arena
with Patrick McHugh, Andy Towne, and TBA
7:45 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey Pre-Game
8:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies vs. Vermont Catamounts
from Matthews Arena
with Alex Faust, Jared Shafran, and Ben Horner
Another third period penalty leads to the game winning goal for UMass, with the Minutemen taking the game 4-2.
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Monday, November 77:00 p.m. – CAA Full Court Press
Season tip-off preview
Thursday, November 109:00 p.m. – Hockey East This Week
Guest panelist: TBD
Friday, November 113:00 p.m. – Dog Pound Sports Sound
Interview: Bill Coen
4:45 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball Pre-Game
5:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies at Boston University Terriers
from Case Gymnasium in Boston, Mass.
with Patrick McHugh and Andy Towne
6:45 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey Pre-Game on WRBB Sports Extra
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies at Boston College Eagles
from Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
with Alex Faust and Jared Shafran
NCAA Field Hockey Tournament – First Round
11:15 a.m. – NCAA Tournament Pre-Game
11:30 a.m. – Northeastern Field Hockey: Huskies vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
from the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex in Storrs, Conn.
with Alex Faust, Andy Towne, and Jared Shafran
6:45 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies at UMass Minutemen
from the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass.
with Alex Faust and Jared Shafran
NCAA Field Hockey Tournament – Northeast Regional Final (If Nec.)
1:45 p.m. - NCAA Tournament Pre-Game
11:30 a.m. – Northeastern Field Hockey: Huskies vs. UConn/Princeton
from the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex in Storrs, Conn.
with TBA
The first-ever media day for the six college basketball programs in the state of Massachusetts was held at Boston University’s Case Gym on Tuesday. In addition to the six head coaches (Steve Donahue, Boston College; Joe Jones, Boston University; Tommy Amaker, Harvard; Milan Brown, Holy Cross; Derek Kellogg, University of Massachusetts; Bill Coen, Northeastern) and a few players from some of the schools, members of the local and national media were in attendance. Among the crowd of media were ESPN’s Andy Katz, Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports, and representatives from the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, ESPNBoston.com, CSNNE, and many more.
Northeastern head coach Bill Coen spoke with us about how the team will adjust after the loss of Chaisson Allen, the experience of the players remaining, and the incoming players.
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Derek Kellogg, of the University of Massachusetts, discussed college basketball in the state and the goal of bringing more media attention to the local teams.
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Boston University’s Joe Jones talked about his desire to be an America East head coach, the difference between this job and his previous head coaching gig at Columbia, and the challenge of playing the three other city teams (BC, Harvard, NU) this season.
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Due to class schedules, no Northeastern players could attend.
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