JoePa's College Hoops - 3/2

[joepa66]

JOEPA'S UPDATED YTD: 431 - 359 - 24
UNITS: +19.00
MAC: 82 - 48 - 7
Halfs: 27 - 19 - 1
3/1: 4 - 4
SCRF: 50 - 52 - 2

And a third day off for the SCRF! A little bigger schedule tonight with league tourneys and the like and again a couple of really key MAC games. Miami, OH is 1/2 game behind Kent for the East #1 and overall MAC #1 seed and travel to Buffalo tonight, and WMU matches up at home with Ball St. with both teams tied for the MAC West lead and the overall #2 seed.

WESTERN MICHIGAN -4 vs. Ball State W
GEORGE WASHINGTON +7.5 @ Rhode Island W......SU
TENNESSEE MARTIN +7 vs. Tennessee State W
LOUISVILLE -13 vs. Providence W
EASTERN MICHIGAN +1.5 @ Northern Illinois L
MINNESOTA +4 @ Northwestern L


OVEN MITT YTD: 40 - 39
3/1: 1 - 0

The Mitt is on a 4-0 win streak!

"DEFINITELY"
WEBER STATE -13 vs. Eastern Washington L



GL to ya!

[joepa66]

MAC Hoopla -

Ball State (17-11, 9-5 MAC) at Western Michigan (17-11, 9-5 MAC)
• Series tied 56-56
•The Cardinals and Broncos enter the game tied atop the MAC West Division with 9-5 league records ... The winner of Wednesday's contest can clinch at least a share of the MAC West Division and if the Cardinals win they will clinch at least the number two seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament. Western Michigan cannot clinch the number two seed Wednesday as the Cardinals still own the second tiebreaker due to divisional records. The Cardinals have won three straight MAC games and are 8-0 this season against MAC West Division foes. Junior forward Jarrod Jones leads the Cardinals in scoring at 14.8 points per game and on the glass at 8.4 rebounds per game...The Broncos have won seven of their last nine games, including back-to-back wins over Toledo and Eastern Michigan. Guard Demetrius Ward leads the Broncos in scoring at 14.6 points per game and leads the team with 56 three-pointers. Forward Flenard Whitfield is second on the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game and leads the team on the glass at 6.2 rebounds per game. Whitfield IMHO is the hottest player going in the MAC right now! He led the Broncos in scoring in two of three games this week as WMU went 2-1 with a home win over Toledo and a 27-point road victory at EMU. Whitfield opened with 24 points and eight rebounds in a two-point loss to Kent State. In that game, he scored six points in 1:09 to end the first half. After scoring 11 in a game against Toledo that saw WMU go up by as many as 38, Whitfield answered with a 16-point performance at Eastern Michigan, scoring eight of 10 points during the team's 10-point run that put the game in WMU's control for good. Whitfield shot 61.8 percent from the field (21-for-34) this past week and has now scored in double figures in 18 games this season, including six of the last seven.

Miami (15-14, 10-4 MAC) at Buffalo (16-11, 7-7 MAC)
• Miami leads series 20-7
•As the regular-season Mid-American Conference slate is in its last week, Miami hits the road for another key East Division tilt at Buffalo at 7:30 p.m. Buffalo enters Wednesday's game with a 16-11 overall record and a 7-7 Mid-American Conference mark. The Bulls have lost their last four MAC games, but are 11-3 at home this season, including 5-2 in MAC games. Buffalo is an efficient offensive team, leading the MAC and ranking seventh nationally in field goal percentage (.488), while leading the MAC and ranking 1st in 3-point field goal percentage (.395). Javon McCrea recorded his fourth double-double of the season against Kent State with 15 points and 11 rebounds - the most double-doubles by a UB freshman in school history. He added three blocked shots and four steals against the Golden Flashes. McCrea scored a game-high 23 points at Akron on Saturday. He added three rebounds, a block and a steal against the Zips. Zach Filzen (16.3ppg) and Byron Mulkey (14ppg) join McCrea among the top 25 scorers in the MAC. Filzen leads the league with 97 made 3pt baskets, while the Bulls are 1st in the MAC in FG % at 49%, 1st in scoring margin (+7.6), and 2nd in scoring offense (73ppg) and Miami is 10th in scoring defense (70ppg). McCrea and Mitchell also rank in the top 4 in blocked shots for UB! Don't forget Miami is coming off an 84-77 win over Bowling Green. The RedHawks are led by Julian Mavunga who is averaging 14.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Mavunga is the only player in the MAC to rank among the top 10 in MAC-only games in scoring (5th), rebounding (1st) and assists (10th). Nick Winbush (12.7ppg) is the only other double scorer for the Redhawks, and he joins Mavunga in top 10 of conference rebounders.

Eastern Michigan (8-20, 4-10 MAC) at Northern Illinois (8-19, 4-10 MAC)
• Northern Illinois leads series 48-29
•Northern Illinois plays its final home game of the season on Wednesday night as Eastern Michigan comes to the NIU Convocation Center. The Huskies won the first meeting between the two teams on Jan. 11 in Ypsilanti, Mich., 71-69. Michael Patton scored just two points in NIU's overtime win at Toledo, but Patton guided the NIU offense from the point guard position, dishing out a career-high six assists, and also led the Huskies defensively in the contest, recording a career-high four steals. Over the past four games, playing primarily point guard due to injuries, Patton has a 3.25 assist/turnover ratio (13 assists, four turnovers). You better check the story below about the injury to Xavier Silas before wagering on the Huskies, they barely beat UT without him. Life after Silas won't be pretty for NIU! The Eagles come to DeKalb tied with NIU for fourth in the MAC West standings, though the Huskies currently hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their victory earlier this season in Ypsilanti. Eastern Michigan is led by Brandon Bowdry who averages 20.0 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Bowdry has posted 15 double-doubles in 27 games played this season.

[joepa66]

This guy IS the real deal and had 34 vs. Kent a couple of weeks ago.....one of the league's top defensive teams....


VIEWS: An unfortunate senior night for NIU's Silas
By RYAN WOOD - rwood@daily-chronicle.com

DeKALB – The man who walked through the Convocation Center’s corridor and onto Northern Illinois’ practice court Tuesday looked like Xavier Silas. He wore basketball shorts, a No. 13 Huskies jersey and the familiar smile. He had his high ankle socks. And he had his swagger, which only comes with unyielding confidence.

But Tuesday, that swagger also came with a limp.

It’s been one week since Silas went down in the second half against Central Michigan, holding his left ankle and writhing in pain. The injury, a high and low ankle sprain, kept him from traveling to Toledo on Saturday when NIU snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 75-70 overtime win.

And barring a surprise recovery, coach Ricardo Patton said Tuesday, it’s likely to keep him on the bench today when NIU hosts senior night against Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m.

“I’ll be into it (today) as much as anyone else,” Silas said.

He will be involved, in the seniors’ pregame ceremony. But when the starting lineups are announced, Silas’ name likely will be left out. And for one of the most talented players in NIU history, that’s a shame. This was never the way Silas’ senior night was supposed to be.

He should be ready to lead the Huskies to one final home win. Poised to score 40 points, once again dazzling the Huskies’ sparse crowd. Primed to do all the things he’s been so good at the past two seasons. Limping around without a basketball in his hands? Hobbling to the finish line of his college career? Sitting on the bench during his final game at the Convocation Center?

That was never the plan.

“No one likes to end their career with an injury,” Patton said. “Certainly he’s meant a lot to the program. So I’m sure if he can’t be there in body, he’ll be there in spirit.”

Silas tried to put all the positive spin he could on his injury. He insisted his status was day-to-day. He said the frustrations of the past couple weeks weren’t getting to him.

“I don’t think this is the end of my career,” he was quick to remind.

And trust me, that is absolutely true. There is something bigger for Silas than college basketball, especially at NIU. There is a next step, whether it be the NBA or somewhere else.

Which means the real loser if Silas is unable to play tonight isn’t the Huskies senior – it’s the fans. When Silas shines, which happens almost every time he plays, the Huskies are worth watching. Without him, the program sharply declines in quality and popularity. He has the same affect on the program as Tiger Woods' presence does on golf tournaments.

That will be the case tonight if Silas is unable to give it a go, and the worst part will be a lost opportunity for the fans to see the NIU star one last time.

The beauty of senior night is its climatic presence on the schedule. The date is circled on the calendar, anticipated for months. There’s an official goodbye, a linear end.

It’s difficult when the end passes without anyone knowing.

Here’s to hoping for a medical miracle this morning. Because Xavier Silas still looks like Xavier Silas. But he isn’t playing like Xavier Silas.

And the only thing worse than that is not playing at all.

[Q-Unit]

GL bro!

send some luck my way, I been plateauing, and really think I'm a good fade right now, can't go up but only down from here lol

at least its close to tourney time, time to ratchet it up :thumbs:

[irishmike]

Best of luck!:beerbang:

[joepa66]

Not finding much else I like and have crossed off a couple of plays but still considering them (Kansas & X).

Added Minnesota at the top!

[joepa66]

Taking Nikkins as a 1,000,000/1 shot at reading this post over DanAnderson who has been noticeably AWOL for a while now......haven't even seen him lurking!


WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER..... saw his name in the "active users" list, just browsing , now it we could only get him to post! Hmmmm, wonder what those odds are. Probably has greasy fingers from running the MickeyD's Fry-o-matic and is unable to type without tearing a finger ligament from slipping off the keys.....

[NoOfense]

How bout Miami (Oh) +9.5 Joe? Line moved from 8...

Or Marquette -5.5... i think these could be good picks...what do you think of them

[joepa66]

NoO.....

Actually had Marquette as an early pick but scratched them.....just don't trust Cincy!

Also, probably a no-play for me on Miami/Buffalo. Been watching that line since last night. It's a huge game for the Redhawks but not so much for UB who can't really improve their seeding for the MAC tournament. Of course, with the standings below you can see as a Kent guy why I am motivated to root for the Bulls....Can't risk my money when I'm looking through two pairs of eyes - one as a fan and the other with my dough. More than likely a no-play for me. Could be a UB blowout (like Akron at OU last night) or even a MUO SU win. Kent does own the tie-breaker having swept the West division, but they also have a huge rivalry game with Akron on deck this Friday.

East Division
Kent State 11-4 / 20-10
Miami OH 10-4 / 15-14
Ohio 9-6 / 17-13
Akron 9-6 / 19-11
Buffalo 7-7 / 16-11
Bowling Green 7-8 / 12-18

[NoOfense]

Thanks for the insight Joe...

[joepa66]

Added Oven Mitt's left coast play at the top!

No prOblem NoO!

[joepa66]

JOEPA'S UPDATED YTD: 435 - 361 - 24
UNITS: +21.75
MAC: 83 - 49 - 7
Halfs: 27 - 19 - 1
3/2: 4 - 2
SCRF: 50 - 52 - 2




OVEN MITT YTD: 40 - 40
3/2: 0 - 1

The Mitt is on a 4-1 win streak!



GL to ya!