gpikePreviews of the Big South and Ivy Conference finals
March 5th 2011 01:00
Two conference tournament finals games are set for tomorrow in the Big South and the Ivy league. Two more will be finalized after today's semifinals in the Atlantic Sun and Ohio Valley conferences with their finals also coming tomorrow. First a look at the Ivy League.
The Ivy League is the only conference without a tournament, though they have a game with the top two teams in it this season. Princeton and Harvard. Coaches in the conference believe that whomever loses this game deserves an at-large bid. The Ivy League is not known for high RPI ratings thus throwing this out the window. Anythings possible, I suppose. Princeton travels to 5-21 Dartmouth tonight as a tuneup, while Harvard is in the midst of a battle with 12-13 Penn. So, likely both teams win, making Princeton 23-5 on the year and 11-1 in conference play. Harvard with the victory is 22-5 and 11-2 in conference. Princeton won the teams earlier game, 65-61 in overtime on their homecourt. Tomorrow's contest will be at the Lavietes Pavillion on Harvard campus.
Harvard wins games ugly, only shooting an average of 39% per game. Forward Keith Wright leads the way averaging 15 points and nine boards per contest. He had 16 points and 11 rebounds in the loss to the Tigers of Princeton. Sophomore guard Brandon Curry averages six assists and ten points per game, feeding the ball to the guys in the paint. Christian Webster chips in with 14 points per game.
Princeton is just the opposite of Harvard, sitting as one of the top teams in the country shooting 46% per game. Princeton has two guys who do about everything for the team, forwards Ian Hummer and Kareem Maddox. Maddox is the senior leader on the team, averaging 14 points, seven rebounds, and two assists per game. Hummer also scores around 14 per game, and seven rebounds. Both played good against Harvard earlier this year. Hummer hit two huge free throws to preserve the victory over the Crimson. Saturday's game is poised to be another battle to the end. The teams are very closely matched. I like Wright and the Crimson to get the win.
Big South Final:
Coastal Carolina has cruised through this season with little trouble other then a brush with the NCAA and inner turmoil. The Chanticleers are still 28-4 on the year. They face a team who finished third in the conference in UNC Ashville. The NCAA is investigating Coastal Carolina on allegations of giving away items to players, such as clothing and other goods.They lost their best player, Desmond Holloway as part of the investigation. The season series between these two teams, is tied at 1 apiece, with both teams winning on the road. UNC-Ashville won the latter of the two, 61-58 just two weeks ago.
Senior forward Chad Gray has accepted the reins as the Chanticleers top scoring option averaging well over 20 points per game since Holloway was lost. He struggled in the teams last meeting with UNC-Ashville, scoring 14 points. Gray and Anthony Raffa both scored 25 points in the teams semifinal win over VMI. The Chanticleers only have eight available players due to their list of issues.
UNC-Ashville defeated High Point to gain a berth here. The Bulldogs have had an up and down year, finishing on a huge high winning five in a row. The team is run through the starting guards, Matt Dickey and J.P Primm, who average about half of the teams points. Dickey has stepped up his scoring during the teams late season surge.
Coastal Carolina has been on a collision course all year long with the NCAA tournament. They have flirted with being a top-25 team, now struggling with off the court issues. Coach Cliff Ellis still has them winning. They will win on Saturday and punch their ticket to the "Big dance."
The Ivy League is the only conference without a tournament, though they have a game with the top two teams in it this season. Princeton and Harvard. Coaches in the conference believe that whomever loses this game deserves an at-large bid. The Ivy League is not known for high RPI ratings thus throwing this out the window. Anythings possible, I suppose. Princeton travels to 5-21 Dartmouth tonight as a tuneup, while Harvard is in the midst of a battle with 12-13 Penn. So, likely both teams win, making Princeton 23-5 on the year and 11-1 in conference play. Harvard with the victory is 22-5 and 11-2 in conference. Princeton won the teams earlier game, 65-61 in overtime on their homecourt. Tomorrow's contest will be at the Lavietes Pavillion on Harvard campus.
Harvard wins games ugly, only shooting an average of 39% per game. Forward Keith Wright leads the way averaging 15 points and nine boards per contest. He had 16 points and 11 rebounds in the loss to the Tigers of Princeton. Sophomore guard Brandon Curry averages six assists and ten points per game, feeding the ball to the guys in the paint. Christian Webster chips in with 14 points per game.
Princeton is just the opposite of Harvard, sitting as one of the top teams in the country shooting 46% per game. Princeton has two guys who do about everything for the team, forwards Ian Hummer and Kareem Maddox. Maddox is the senior leader on the team, averaging 14 points, seven rebounds, and two assists per game. Hummer also scores around 14 per game, and seven rebounds. Both played good against Harvard earlier this year. Hummer hit two huge free throws to preserve the victory over the Crimson. Saturday's game is poised to be another battle to the end. The teams are very closely matched. I like Wright and the Crimson to get the win.
Big South Final:
Coastal Carolina has cruised through this season with little trouble other then a brush with the NCAA and inner turmoil. The Chanticleers are still 28-4 on the year. They face a team who finished third in the conference in UNC Ashville. The NCAA is investigating Coastal Carolina on allegations of giving away items to players, such as clothing and other goods.They lost their best player, Desmond Holloway as part of the investigation. The season series between these two teams, is tied at 1 apiece, with both teams winning on the road. UNC-Ashville won the latter of the two, 61-58 just two weeks ago.
Senior forward Chad Gray has accepted the reins as the Chanticleers top scoring option averaging well over 20 points per game since Holloway was lost. He struggled in the teams last meeting with UNC-Ashville, scoring 14 points. Gray and Anthony Raffa both scored 25 points in the teams semifinal win over VMI. The Chanticleers only have eight available players due to their list of issues.
UNC-Ashville defeated High Point to gain a berth here. The Bulldogs have had an up and down year, finishing on a huge high winning five in a row. The team is run through the starting guards, Matt Dickey and J.P Primm, who average about half of the teams points. Dickey has stepped up his scoring during the teams late season surge.
Coastal Carolina has been on a collision course all year long with the NCAA tournament. They have flirted with being a top-25 team, now struggling with off the court issues. Coach Cliff Ellis still has them winning. They will win on Saturday and punch their ticket to the "Big dance."
Keith Wright looking to lead Harvard Saturday
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