haggyland

Do you think Jimmie's propensity for fouls had anything to do with Coach Brown's decision not to play him? (Connelly had no fouls in the same time Jimmie would have had two). As of today Jimmie is averaging 8.37 fouls per 40 minutes. Of course, Connelly's average is still scary, at 5.37, but he is improving.

Latest news on Gifford and his Rock Bridge team..... http://columbiamissourian.com/sports/story.php?ID=18529

I had nearly forgotten that BU's (Boston) arena was slightly newer than Bingo's. ...If you build it, they will come.

1980-1987: On-campus, higher seeds. 1988-1990: Hartford 1991-1995: Higher seeds 1996-2001: Delaware 2002-2004: Boston 2005-20??: Binghamton I know that everyone is impressed with Bingo's facilities, so I think they are happy there.... But I do not know about any contracts or obligations or even plans with other sites. Finals always at highest seed.

Well, I guess that settles it...They would have stuck it to the low seeds. I guess having home-court advantage isn't enough for a two seed, as they also get preferential time treatment. Maybe it's time to move the entire tournament to a rotating site basis.

Classic quote. Now that UAlbany's in the penthouse, we can fully appreciate that sentiment.

Because the game between the eight and nine seeds is at 7pm on Friday, I do not think they would let the number one seed play at noon on Saturday. This would place the winner of the "play-in" game at an unnecessary disadvantage, as the turn-around time would only be around twelve hours.

The American East web-site has updated their bracket for the tournament, with the 1st, 2nd, and 9th seeds already determined. I must say it looks pretty sweet to see Albany's name next to the 1-seed, with a game at 6PM on March 4th.

Nice way to finish the season at home (unless there's a conference final game). Not letting UVM lead at all....perfect.

Playing Duke now? (And in Greensboro?) I guess the team is losing some of its momentum. As winners of six out of seven, and 14 out of 17, I guess it makes sense to upgrade 13-9 Davidson. The one silver lining is that the fate of UAlbany is no longer tied to Villanova. I know the AE conference is having a down year, but if Albany runs the table, would 22-9 really warrant a 16? I will try to keep perspective and wait for one thing at a time, so good luck against Vermont tonight!

Well Said DaneGuy. Jamar looked like the best player in the conference in the VCU game, but everybody knew he was going to be taking the last shot, and it wasn't to be. I was also impressed with Brent. It seems his field goal percentage goes south in the bigger games, but this time he shot better than he had all season, and he contributed greatly to the near-win.

When I was back in Albany I saw the sketches for the athletics Master Plan, with football seating for 26,000, and the improvement of other facilities, which blew my mind. I cannot understand why UAlbany doesn't put this information on their web-site (they did have one set of pictures from a ground-breaking). However, this is a major renovation of the facilities, and I think Dr. McElroy should be showcasing this to the world, and not just to those fans that find the glass enclosure at the RACC. Maybe McElroy is next to be e-mailed?...

I must confess that I have never met Will Brown in person, but I have followed the team from a distance for some time now. Anyways, I wanted to hear some of your stories about Will Brown the man, so here I share mine: I am an Albany alumni living in Boston, and I have been trying to find some of the basketball games that will fit around my schedule. After missing the Brown University game, I decided I must go to the Albany at B.U. game. I e-mailed Coach Brown to see if there was an Albany section, and from his Blackberry he said he would leave me tickets for the game, asking how many I wanted. I requested four, he e-mailed back that I was all set, and when we arrived to the game there were four tickets under his name that were left for my party. Now, as mentioned I do not know Coach Brown, but this event completely endeared me to the program. As it turned out Albany won for the first time against B.U., and I graciously thanked the Coach through e-mail. Coach Brown did not have to leave tickets for somebody he never meant, but he did. Consequently, I found myself back in Albany for the Big Purple Growl, where I witnessed a win and the first RACC sell-out. I saw Coach Brown at the Ferocious Feast, but i didn't think I should disturb his cameo appearance by introducing myself. So, I hope to make many games next year, and if there is a conference tournament home game I will be there, but as mentioned, I just wanted to hear some nice stories about the coach. I plan on sending him a congratulatory (and thank you) letter at the end of the season. Thank you.

Hard to believe ESPN sometimes. UAlbany goes into VCU, plays valiantly all game, and loses by three, with the ball to end the game. So, what does ESPN's Joe Lunardi do to the team right after the game? Drops them to a 16 seed in his bracketology, and raises Fairleigh sienafaninson to a 15. Now that's what I call reactionary...I guarantee you he saw none of the UAlbany game. Anyways, it should be interesting to see what he does when UAlbany beats Vermont (hopefully), and Fairleigh sienafaninson gets smoked in their next game, at Wis-Green Bay.

Understood. I think I'm just still in shock that UAlbany did not steal the win. Perfectly right about the great show. Now, time to prepare for Vermont. Maybe this will provide enough momentum for another sell-out.

Flashback to the game... VCU is up by three, Albany with the ball in their corner. A three-pointer is taken, but the camera is on the VCU bench. Nearly every time UAlbany was bringing the ball up court, the camera was on the crowd. I missed half of every possession because of this. And I would also say that the bias of both announcers was very strong.

I got in with Real Player. Quality is pretty good, but I didn't want Real Player in my system. 22-16 VCU

I logged in, but what should I open the file with?

I downloaded the file, and it is of unknown type. What did you open it with? Windows Media Player won't take it...

I purchased the game through the VCU website, but it will not work, and their customer service is conveniently down. Anybody else with the same problem, or with a solution?...

I am not worried about Lillis; I do not think that anybody else plays with a tenth of that kid's heart. I am however worried that Brent will get big eyes in a nationally televised game and start chucking up threes. In UAlbany's eight losses, he's shooting 25% from 3-point land. If his shooting is off again, it could be a long night. However, it seems that the concussion and Will Brown have him under a bit better control. ...As Siggers (the real X-factor) goes, so goes UAlbany.

Point-spread at the on-line sites currently have UAlbany getting 8.5 points. With UAlbany more rested (not having played for six days), and VCU having lost three out of four, including one two nights ago at Towson, I am taking the points and hoping for the best. I would have liked to have seen a common opponent between the two, but it didn't happen. My major concern is that VCU is very good on their home floor (11-1 this year, including ten in a row to start the season, with the only loss to conference leader George Mason). Anyways, go Great Danes!

Does anyone know how to find Boston people with UAlbany ties that would go out to watch the game? With some numbers, we could get a bar in Quincy Market to show it...

Not much action in this week's installment of the CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major 25, as VCU is still ranked at 24th, but Albany managed four extra votes, from 9 to 13. A win over VCU could place them close to the cusp.

Hello again- I was just on the Virginia Commonwealth web-site, and it appears that you can buy a live internet viewing of the Albany-Virginia Commonwealth game through their web-site for 5 dollars. For those of us without ESPNU, this could be a great opportunity, assuming ESPN does not somehow black-out the game. Just letting you all know.....