ualbany mbb MBB - Game 29 / Conference Game 14: Home vs New Hampshire - Thursday, February 29, 2024, 7:00 PM

[B9j2j6s]

Could this be our last few games in the AE?  With the A-10 losing UMass does this open two spots in the CAA with CoC leaving for the A-10?  

[cwdickens]

4 hours ago, B9j2j6s said:

Could this be our last few games in the AE?  With the A-10 losing UMass does this open two spots in the CAA with CoC leaving for the A-10?  

No, I do not see any aspiration to move away from the current conference alignment.  

In particular, with the current re-branding effort by the America East.

[dslyank]

16 hours ago, B9j2j6s said:

Could this be our last few games in the AE?  With the A-10 losing UMass does this open two spots in the CAA with CoC leaving for the A-10?  

NO. DO NOT GO CAA! Flosports overpriced and nothing on it except caa really. One bid conference, with TOO many teams. AmEast often two bid considerations for lacrosse & volleyball occasionally. Huge recruiting disadvantage to southern teams in conference. Wonder how Brook is doing now😒. 

DON’T DO IT UA!!! 🥺

[Eli]

We can't even compete in the AE and we want to go to the CAA? That ship has been out of port for years. We are a bottom feeder.

Edited February 29 by Eli

[dslyank]

Not sure what the allure of the CAA is for some of you; never have.  Even in football one magical year and one other ncaa trip in what 10/11 years. Did that well or better in the Northeast conference.

Like I said in earlier post, be careful what you wish for; just ask SBrook.

[B9j2j6s]

So I didn't say I want to see UA in the CAA.  My question is does Delaware leaving and CofC potentially leaving open the door for us to leave?  I agree 100 percent it is a lateral move and does nothing to help our AD.  Spend the extra money on a proper bubble so our teams can train year round and improve the student experience.  

[cwdickens]

UALBANY MEN’S BASKETBALL

 

Danes ‘different’ team in rematch

 

By Pete Dougherty

Jim Franco/Times Union archive

UAlbany’s Sebastian Thomas in action against Vermont on Feb. 22. Thomas scored a school-record 42 points in Saturday’s loss to UMass Lowell.

Jim Franco/Times Union

UAlbany’s Tyler Bertram, shown against Vermont on Feb. 22., has scored 27.7 points a game in three home games as a starter and 4.5 a game in his past four road games.

ALBANY — What may seem like light years ago for the University at Albany basketball program in reality has been 33 days. That’s when the Great Danes scored perhaps their most impressive America East victory of the season, winning 86-79 Jan. 27 at New Hampshire.

How things have changed since then.

 

That was the last time starting forwards Jonathan Beagle and Marcus Jackson played a full game for UAlbany. Beagle, after playing eight minutes and eight seconds against Vermont, left the team, and Jackson has been sidelined with a hand injury suffered in practice before the Vermont game.

As they enter Thursday night’s rematch with New Hampshire at Broad-view Center, the Danes (12-16) have lost six of seven outings since winning in Durham. They have fallen into a tie with Binghamton for next-to-last place in the America East standings, still needing one victory to assure themselves a spot in the conference tournament.

If nothing else, UAlbany can look at film and rekindle memories of playing at full strength.

“We’re different, but right now you’ve just got to find ways to win,” coach Dwayne Killings said after practice Wednesday. “You can go through this team beat that team, and you can go through the metrics of it, you can go through the past history of the matchups, but at the end of the day, it’s all about what happens tomorrow at 7 o’clock.”

Since the departure of Beagle and the injury to Jackson, the Danes have become more perimeter-oriented. Point guard Sebastian Thomas scored a school-record 42 points Saturday, although the Danes lost 104-95 at UMass Lowell.

Graduate guard Tyler Bertram, whom Killings earlier had been touting as candidate for the conference’s sixth-man award, has moved into the starting lineup in Jackson’s absence. Bertram has averaged 14.4 points since becoming a starter, most of that at home. He has scored 27.7 points in three home games as a starter and 4.5 in his past four road games.

“The first couple games we had to figure it out,” Bertram said of the new lineup, “and more and more we started to get the hang of it. We played Vermont (94-80 home loss last Thursday) pretty good. We played UMass Lowell pretty good most of the game. We’re really starting to put it together now, and having two games at home, then a third game, right before playoffs, it gives us time to get comfortable with that.”

UAlbany plays its final home game at 4 p.m. Saturday against Maine, then closes its regular-season schedule Tuesday at Bryant. The America East quarterfinals are Saturday, March 9.

Another fifth-year player who has gained court time in recent weeks is 6-foot-7 Marcus Filien, the Albany Academy graduate who transferred in from Cornell. Filien, who has started the past six games and averaged 14 minutes, 6-5 junior Muneer Newton and 6-8 freshman Jack Margoupis have given the Danes at least some inside presence.

“We’re finding our groove defensively a little bit,” Filien said. “We’ve had to adjust the past couple weeks, but our guards have been fantastic offensively the past couple games. We’re still going to play confident and keep that momentum going into tomorrow and Saturday.”

The Danes will clinch a tournament berth with a victory or NJIT loss. They are mathematically still alive to overtake New Hampshire (15-11, 7-6) for fourth place in the conference standings.

“There’s a lot at stake,” Killings said. “You win out, you could have a chance to crack to fourth place. You win tomorrow, you clinch an opportunity, but my mindset has been let’s have a really good practice, have a really good film session.

“Instead of focusing on certain things that maybe we can and cannot control, let’s focus on the biggest controllable in college basketball, it’s having really good practices and getting better.”

UALBANY VS. NEW HAMPSHIRE

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

Where: Broadview Center, Albany

TV/Radio: ESPN+ (streaming), WTMM 104.5 FM

[godanesgo99]

Good win. Clinched a playoff spot tonight. 2 games left to determine seeding. Think they could technically get a home game with 2 more wins and the right combo of other teams losing, but that would be a miracle.

[jimbo]

I didn’t see it all, but their pace never let up. Decent D helped by turnovers and some atrocious shooting by UNH. Are they better, worse or the same without Beagle in the lineup? 

[cwdickens]

8 hours ago, jimbo said:

I didn’t see it all, but their pace never let up. Decent D helped by turnovers and some atrocious shooting by UNH. Are they better, worse or the same without Beagle in the lineup? 

Definitely helped by NH turnovers and our ability to the turnovers into points.  In regard to Beagle's absence, all of the above, depends on the opponent.  Against the Wildcats, we played better. 

Edited March 1 by cwdickens

[UA1882]

Good game. Good win.  Still major flaws in this team that just should not happen with a good coach.  

We will see what happens the next 3 games.  

[McFan]

That was a beat down from the jump.  UNH made a decent run after Marshall got his 2nd foul but UA pretty much dominated the other 30 minutes.  I'm not going crazy but it's realistic to think if this team can move up to a 6 or 5 seed they can win a playoff game.  Not sure how all the scenarios play out but a win Saturday should move the needle.

[cwdickens]

2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings

 

 

2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings

SCHOOL	CONF	CPCT.	OVERALL	PCT.	STREAK
Vermont	13-1	.929	23-6	.793	W5
UMass Lowell	11-3	.786	20-7	.741	W4
Bryant	9-5	.643	17-12	.586	L3
New Hampshire	7-7	.500	15-12	.556	L2
UMBC	6-9	.400	11-19	.367	W2
Binghamton	5-9	.357	13-14	.481	W1
Maine	5-9	.357	13-16	.448	L1
UAlbany	5-9	.357	13-16	.448	W1
NJIT	3-12	.200	7-20	.259	L5

Edited March 1 by cwdickens

[godanesgo99]

They were impressive yesterday. Still too many easy, uncontested layups on drives to the paint, but that is what we give up without any big man presence in the paint. This team is talented and has the ability to win games, but will only go as far as their shooting percentage allows them to go. Was a fun game and surprisingly loud environment considering how empty the arena was. 

[McFan]

12 minutes ago, godanesgo99 said:

They were impressive yesterday. Still too many easy, uncontested layups on drives to the paint, but that is what we give up without any big man presence in the paint. This team is talented and has the ability to win games, but will only go as far as their shooting percentage allows them to go. Was a fun game and surprisingly loud environment considering how empty the arena was. 

And I get people not getting too excited but when they are on, like they were last night, this is an entertaining bunch to watch.  It was shocking how few people were there (especially if you discount a couple of decent sized groups).  And they do hustle.  The defense was much better, especially when Marshall was on the floor.  Only gave up 26 in the 2nd half.  That's a 50 point improvement to some games.

100% agree on the shooting.  Live and die there.