Game #6 - Albany at LCC (5PM Sunday)

[Clickclack]

Albany favored by 1pt. Both teams are pretty dreadful. This was supposed to have been the Broadway opener but got moved late summer as we were unsure if arena would be done. 

LCC fan board has been reduced to not talking about the basketball product but lamenting how their AD let this be their home game. I guess when the product is complete $iena, that's what's left. They will all be disappointed when the next contract is true home and home as it should be. Their program is many years removed from when it was a competitive product. A low major like LCC doesn't get to dictate to another low major that happens to dwarf them in size, the terms of agreements. Those days are over. 

These are two awful basketball teams facing off so may be ugly. Who knows...

 

Edited November 24, 2023 by Clickclack

[UAalum72]

I'm disappointed this game overlaps the women's game vs. #4 Stanford, coached by former SUNYA player Tara VanDerveer (4:00, Pac-12 network)

[McFan]

Great job by both administrations and the pissing match.  A game that used to get the entire community excited and now look.  1 day before the game and not even the diehards seem to care.  Obviously the level of play by both teams is part of this but I miss 10-12,000 and a fired up crowd.  Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend at 5PM???? Brilliant.  

[UA1882]

1 hour ago, McFan said:

Great job by both administrations and the pissing match.  A game that used to get the entire community excited and now look.  1 day before the game and not even the diehards seem to care.  Obviously the level of play by both teams is part of this but I miss 10-12,000 and a fired up crowd.  Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend at 5PM???? Brilliant.  

So you don't know this.  But LLC is doing us a favor.  We were suppose to host this year but declined because of the arena possibility not bring ready. The only date available was this date. They could have told us to kick rocks.  Just an FYI as to the date.  

Both teams are terrible.  Another reason why not too many people are excited.  

Either way I hope we play well and win the game.  

[cwdickens]

37 minutes ago, UA1882 said:

So you don't know this.  But LLC is doing us a favor.  We were suppose to host this year but declined because of the arena possibility not bring ready. The only date available was this date. They could have told us to kick rocks.  Just an FYI as to the date.  

Both teams are terrible.  Another reason why not too many people are excited.  

Either way I hope we play well and win the game.  

$iena will never tell a team to kick rocks, which results in a home game this year vs waiting to next year for a home game.  Otherwise, the date and timing of this is horrible, kudos to both AD's for undoing a Capital District tradition.  Oh, not to mention, not going.

[cwdickens]

From today's Times-Union:

Danes know what Cup means

 

By Pete Dougherty

Jenn March/Times Union

UAlbany’s Jonathan Beagle shoots the ball over Siena’s Jackson Stormo in last season’s Albany Cup game.

Since the start of last season, the University at Albany basketball program has played one game in Albany County. That was the Albany Cup game against Siena at MVP Arena.

Coach Dwayne Killings and the Great Danes return there Sunday, 54 weeks later and three days before they finally get to play a game on their own campus. He said he learned a lot from his first Albany Cup experience, a 75-62 Siena victory in front of 9,591, and hopes that some of the passion can travel five miles down Western and Washington Avenues to UAlbany’s home base.

 

The Danes, who managed their entire home schedule last season at Hudson Valley Community Center in Troy, open their renovated Broad-view Center (formerly SEFCU Arena) on Wednesday night in a nonconference game against Boston University.

“People really care about basketball in this community,” Killings said Friday. “People really care about our program. Next week we open up the building here. Our expectations are we fill the building. My mind went to another space once the game got over, and I was thinking, ‘How can we replicate this environment more often?’

“People really do care. Basketball means a lot. Our program means a lot. The kids and what they’re playing for and what they represent, there’s a huge value, a huge premium on that. It gave me goose bumps walking out there to coach the game, just seeing people nodding their heads. Every game’s a big game, but that game obviously meant a little bit more.”

This year’s meeting with Siena initially was scheduled for UAlbany, but the schools swapped seasons to allow additional time for Broadview Center to finish construction. Siena will play in UAlbany’s 3,800-seat campus facility next year.

The Danes (2-3) have four Capital Region players on their roster — 6-foot-7 graduate transfer Marcus Filien from Albany Academy, 6-2 sophomore Marcus Jackson of Amsterdam, 6-10 sophomore Jonathan Beagle from Hudson Falls, and 6-2 freshman Zach Matulu of Shaker — who knew about the Albany Cup long before becoming collegians.

“It’s a really big game in the area,” said Fi-lien, who transferred in from Cornell. “The energy in the building would be amazing. It’s fun to be able to play in one now instead of being 5, 6, 7, 8 years old in the stands running around crazy. It’ll be a really cool experience come Sunday.”

“We’ve got a couple of more local guys, so it definitely hits home for a lot more people,” Jackson said. “It’s just good to really get back out with my guys and prove what we’ve got.”

Nostalgia aside, Jackson and Beagle, in particular, have memories of last year’s game that they would prefer to erase or at least avenge.

“I remember the feeling after the game of losing it, and just how hard it is to win in college basketball,” said Beagle, who had nine points and eight rebounds in the game. “We were up 17 points and they came back, and I think we got way too high in our emotions.

“We were a young group, I was a freshman, so I wasn’t poised at all. We thought we were going to win, just like in high school if you were up. College basketball’s a different beast. We’ve just got to be more poised and never take any opportunity for granted.”

[bob87]

20 hours ago, UAalum72 said:

I'm disappointed this game overlaps the women's game vs. #4 Stanford, coached by former SUNYA player Tara VanDerveer (4:00, Pac-12 network)

I am not. I always say I can skip the lcc gane and go to a preferred game 

[cwdickens]

Today's Times-Union "nonsense" article about the game later today:

ALBANY CUP

 

Saints, Danes to battle

Local bragging rights on the line when Siena, UAlbany meet

 

By Mark Singelais

Jenn March/Times Union archive

Siena men's basketball lifted the Albany Cup last year after rallying from 16 points down in the second half to beat UAlbany.

Jenn March/© Albany Times Union 2022 © Jenn March Photography

UAlbany head coach Dwayne Killings got his introduction to the Albany Cup last year and called this year’s edition “a huge opportunity.”

ALBANY — There are players who will try to treat Sunday like it’s just another game when it clearly isn’t. There are newcomers who have no idea what the Albany Cup game is about.

Siena and the University at Albany will battle for local bragging rights at MVP Arena, where this edition of the Albany Cup wasn’t even supposed to be played, for a rare Thanksgiving weekend matchup of the area’s two Division I programs.

Tip-off is 5 p.m.

“It’s very meaningful,” said Siena sophomore guard Mason Courtney, a Shenendehowa graduate. “As a kid, I remember coming to these games with my dad and my family, so that means a lot. But Coach Carm (Maciariello) has stressed this week that we can’t over-stress about it. It’s just another game. We follow our rules. We played really well against Milwaukee. We’re building steps. We’re going in the right direction, so don’t overhype yourself up. It’s another game, so go out there and do what we do.”

The Saints (1-4) are trying to snap a four-game losing streak, including back-to-back losses to Central Michigan and Milwaukee in the Sunshine Slam in Dayton Beach, Fla. The Milwaukee loss came on a basket with 0.2 seconds left.

Meanwhile, UAlbany (2-3) is trying to build off Tuesday’s 62-59 win over Army at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls. This is the Great Danes’ last game before they return to campus in a renovated Broadview Center.

This year’s Albany Cup game was scheduled for Broadview Center before it was moved in May out of caution over whether the renovations would be completed in time. They’ll meet next season at UAlbany in the final game of a three-year contract.

Sunday will be UAlbany’s first game played in Albany since last year’s Albany Cup game, won by Siena 75-62. The Great Danes played their home games off campus at Hudson Valley Community College last season.

“It’s a huge opportunity for us, obviously,” UAlbany coach Dwayne Killings said. “It’s been a while since we played a game here in Albany. … Now we have a chance to play in front of our home fans in the city. It’s a game for bragging rights. The game means a lot to all of the people that are part of our program, part of our campus community, part of the community of people that root for us. Our kids are excited for it.”

There should be a smaller crowd than last year, which drew 9,561 for the first Albany Cup since 2017. This is only the second time they’ve played on a Sunday on Thanksgiving weekend since the rivalry was renewed in 2001. There were 6,597 tickets sold as of noon Friday.

“I’m really hoping we get a lot of people,” Courtney said. “We’ve been trying to do a good job of reminding our classmates, reminding people that we do have a game this Sunday. … I think we’re going to get a pretty good turnout, similar to last year.”

UAlbany had a 16-point lead over Siena in the second half last year before the Saints dominated the final 16 minutes. That memory stuck with UAlbany sophomore Marcus Jackson, an Albany Academy graduate.

“I just remember us being up and letting our age and immaturity hurt us in a way,” Jackson said. “Siena had a very mature group, older guys, and it showed in that game. That’s something this year I’m going to try to go in and focus on.”

Siena guard Michael Evbagharu, who had 18 points and14 rebounds against Milwaukee, is a freshman from Toronto on a much younger team and getting his baptism to the Albany Cup rivalry.

“I just heard it’s kind of like a big rivalry game, a game that gets the fans packed out in MVP,” Evbagharu said. “Just kind of looking forward to it.”

Maciariello said he will probably decide at the game-day shoot-around whether starting guards Michael Eley (ankle) and Zek Tekin (concussion protocol) will play. They both practiced Friday.

UAlbany redshirt sophomore Justin Neely, who tore his ACL in last year’s Albany Cup game, hasn’t played yet this season.

“He had a really good day of practice (Thursday),” Killings said. “When he gets back on the floor is up to Justin and his family. We’re kind of taking it day-by-day. There’s no rush for him right now.”

Siena leads the Division I rivalry with UAlbany 11-7.

UALBANY VS. SIENA

When: 5 p.m. Sunday

Where: MVP Arena

Radio: JAMZ 96.3 FM, WTMM 104.5 FM

[UA1882]

Missed several WIDE open 3s. Two bad teams.  Haha.  

[jimbo]

Bills and Eagles is way more interesting. 

[Eli]

UA taking LCC behind the wood shed based on the score I just saw. Can't be bothered to watch the game, but at least we aren't the worst D1 team in the area!

[jimbo]

Decent lead, now they have to hold it. 

[olddog71]

Waiting for the collapse at the end. Please, make me be wrong!

[yboord028]

Man I thought UA was pathetic, Siena is on a whole different level of pathetic.

[tnehurley]

Not going to happen. Man, is Lcc BAD!!