CCSU @ Albany

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Well....the team finally heads home after a 3 game road trip where they traveled to Philly, Chicago and to Rhode Island with only a brief stopover at home to grab a change of clothes. They finished the road trip 1-2 playing fairly well in all three games. TO’s were a huge problem in the first two games, we turned it over a bit less in the last game (15) only 5 in the first half and 10 in the second when the team was a bit tired and sloppy. Hopefully the guys will continue to get acclimated to each other and the system and that number will continue to drop.

 

I thought we played well for the first 30 minutes of the Bryant game and then it looked like the team just ran out of gas. A point Coach Brown made in his post game comments, a long trip and the team up by 20+ we lost a little bit of our drive and focus and became a bit sloppy. That’s OK, a win is a win especially on the road and the first W of the year.

 

Finally....the long awaited home opener for the Danes. Central Connecticut State was picked fourth the preseason coaches polls. They are a young team with only two upperclassmen on the roster (per NEC preview on the NEC site) and they are 0-2 on the season with losses at Boston College and a one point loss at home to Colgate. I'm sure they are dreading the prospect of starting the season 0-3, we have to match their intensity and keep our crowd in the game. Their go to guy in the first two games has been sophomore Ken Horton a 6’6” 185lb forward who is averaging 19.5ppg, 6rb and 1.5bpg. They also have a very good but young floor general in Shemik Thompson who is averaging 12ppg, 5.5 assists, 1.5spg and carries a healthy assist/to ratio of 1.57. Reading some of the comments on their message board, the two biggest concern some of them have is front court size and three point shooting/ as in lack of both. We start 6'11", 6'9" and 6'6" in the front court.

 

IMO we need to play better perimeter defense, we were shredded by DePaul to start the game, and Bryant shot 46% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc. According to KenPom we are ranked 239 in the country in defensive fg% as we have allowed teams (on average) to hit 52.5% from the field. Central Connecticut has not been a very good outside shooting team to start the season as they are only hitting 27% on the year from beyond the 3point line but they can hit at a decent clip inside the 3 point line.... 47% (on the year). We are one of the better offensive rebounding team in the country (53) and Central is in the bottom half of all D1’s in giving up offensive boards (254). IF we continue to hit the boards HARD and more importantly limit their fg% we’ll have an excellent chance of winning in front of a pumped up home crowd.

 

CCSU Message Board

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duplicate post

[Classof72/74]

I think we need to have Coach Ford on the sidelines; he knows how to beat CCSU

[uofalbany]

What was the largest lead for UA in the first half (the game) of the bryant game?

[Clickclack]

What was the largest lead for UA in the first half (the game) of the bryant game?

 

I believe it was 21 and it was in the second half. I could be wrong though....

[UAalum72]

Largest of the first half was the 14-point lead we took with 24 seconds left (39-25). Stretched it to 21 (68-47) with 16:05 left in the second

[UA_MA_2000]

As to CCSU this season, they come in Saturday night at 0-2. They lost 80-65 at Boston College, and they lost 58-57 to Colgate.

 

At CCSU's Board, there was a thread on the UAlbany game, but those posters went slightly OT, so the only comment relevant to Saturday night is a poster's comment that the Albany game is a "winnable game" for CCSU.

 

Boisy already mentioned some of this information, but here it is anyway:

 

CCSU was picked to finish 4th this year in the NEC:

 

http://www.ccsubluedevils.com/ViewArticle....;ATCLID=1618448

 

From the Sports Network's review of the NEC, available at http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform...spx?id=4189235:

 

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE - The Blue Devils have as good a returning core as any team in the NEC with two players from last year's All-Rookie Team back in the fold. Ken Horton, the conference's top shot-blocker, averaged 12.7 ppg and 2.1 bpg and Shemik Thompson, last year's NEC Rookie of the Year, averaged 8.8 ppg and 3.2 apg, for coach Howie Dickenman's team. CCSU will also rely heavily on its only two upperclassman, junior guard Joe Seymore (10.5 ppg) and senior forward Marcus Palmer (10.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg) to replace Tristan Blackwood's leadership as well as his 16.4 ppg. The Blue Devils will be an exciting team with alot of potential but with their youth and inexperience they appear to be just a notch below Mount St. Mary's.

[Dane96]

If we play hard....and are rested....we should win this by double figures.

[Clickclack]

Courtesy of Mark and the TU Blog....Both Will Harris and Anthony Raffa are questionable for Saturdays season opener. Anthony has a mild concussion and Will banged knees with someone and has a strained knee. Good thing our bench has played very well this season thus far....we are pretty deep.

 

Also, CCSU might be without their PG Thompson who is nursing a groin injury and has not practiced all week, might miss the game.

 

Some other stuff regarding the Siena game etc. so head on over and take a read!

[Dane Pound]

Hopefully neither Harris or Raffa are out long if they do miss tomorrow. They're probably two of the players most people wanted to see too. I'd guess Johnson would start in place of Raffa. Tough call between Barraza and McRae to start since they've both been playing so well.

 

Doesn't CCSU have a local player? I thought somebody from Bishop Maginn went there this year but I'm blanking on his name.

 

With four games between now and then it's too early to start talking Albany-Siena. As far as I'm concerned both that and the Christmas music I've been hearing lately can wait until December.

[bob87]

Hopefully neither Harris or Raffa are out long if they do miss tomorrow. They're probably two of the players most people wanted to see too. I'd guess Johnson would start in place of Raffa. Tough call between Barraza and McRae to start since they've both been playing so well.

 

Doesn't CCSU have a local player? I thought somebody from Bishop Maginn went there this year but I'm blanking on his name.

 

With four games between now and then it's too early to start talking Albany-Siena. As far as I'm concerned both that and the Christmas music I've been hearing lately can wait until December.

 

 

DP

I don't see any local players on the CCSU roster.

http://www.ccsubluedevils.com/SportSelect....amp;SPSID=88654

 

As far as talking about the UA - LCC game, when you are Iorizzo and cover a college that doesn't have a lot going on and that is obsessed with the other local team, I suppose it is not too early to start talking about the game.

[Dane Pound]

Their point guard Shemik Thompson made me think of him. His name is Shimeek Johnson from Maginn. Apparently he backed out of him commitment to CCSU and is going to Fairfield this year.

[Clickclack]

I'm SOOOO pumped for the opener!

[statefan]

DP - The Bishop Maginn player you are thinking of is Shimeek Johnson, who committed to CCSU, then reneged and is now at Fairfield.

[bob87]

Todays article.

 

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2008/nov/22/1122_albadv/