By Peyton Wesner
PW's GAME OF THE NIGHT
7:00 PM EST-ESPN2
17-4 (7-2) Dayton
at 16-6 (6-3) George Washington
17-4 (7-2) Dayton
Lunardi's Bracketology: 9 Seed
Solid Wins:
-Texas A&M 55-53 in Quarterfinal of Puerto-Rico Tip-Off.
-Boston College 65-53 in Third Place Game of Puerto-Rico Tip-Off.
-Eastern Michigan 73-64 (Home)
-Bowling Green 56-52 (Home)
-Georgia Tech 75-61 (Home)
-Ole Miss 78-74 (Home)
-La Salle 61-50 (Home)
-Richmond 63-60 (Home)
Conference Losses:
-Davidson 77-60 (Road)
-Massachusetts 66-64 (Road)
Last Game:
-Win Against Fordham 101-77 (Home)
Key Players:
---#24 Jordan Sibert (SR)
-16.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.0 APG, & 1.2 SPG.
---#21 Dyshawn Pierre (JR)
-12.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, & 3.0 APG.
---#25 Kendall Pollard (SO)
-12.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.0 BPG, & 1.1 SPG.
---#11 Scoochie Smith (SO)
-8.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 4.1 APG, & 1.4 SPG.
---#3 Kyle Davis (SO)
-7.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.6 APG, & 1.2 SPG.
16-6 (6-3) George Washington
Lunardi's Bracketology: First Four Out
Solid Wins:
-Rutgers 70-53 (Road)
-Charlotte 78-70 (in Washington D.C.)
-DePaul 81-68 (Home)
-Ohio 77-49 in Quarterfinal of Diamomd Head Classic.
-Colorado 53-50 in Semi-Final of Diamond Head Classic.
-#11 Wichita State 60-54 in Championship of Diamond Head Classic.
-Richmond 73-70 in Double Overtime (Home)
Conference Losses:
-La Salle 63-50 (Road)
-#14 VCU 72-48 (Road)
Last Game:
-Loss To Rhode Island 59-55 (Road)
Key Players:
---#13 Patricio Garcino (JR)
-13.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, & 1.9 SPG.
---#11 Kethan Savage (SO)
-12.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.6 APG, & 1.0 SPG.
---#21 Kevin Larsen (JR)
-10.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.1 APG, & 1.4 BPG.
---#22 Joe McDonald (JR)
-9.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, & 1.1 SPG.
---#12 Yuta Watanabe (FR)
-7.2 PPG & 3.6 RPG.
Prediction:
Does it get any better than this? A showdown between two good mid-majors fighting for another resumé win to start the weekend. This game arguably means more to George Washington since they are currently on the outside looking in of Joe Lunardi's last bracketology. Personallly it comes to a surprise to me that the Colonials are left out since the only really awful loss they have is against La Salle. My thinking is that George Washington should be in the NCAA Tournament when March comes around since they defeated Wichita State in the Diamond Head Classic Championship and have other solid wins to go along with it. Currently though, George Washington is on a two game slide with a blowout loss to VCU and a close defeat at Rhode Island. Despite being projected in the tournament at the moment, the Dayton Flyers do not have too much room for error. Dayton, led by Senior star Jordan Sibert, have lost only four games the whole season. The only problem for Dayton is that out of the four teams they have lost to, only one is currently predicted to make the NCAA Tournament (Arkansas). I know I may have emphasized their losses initially, but credit should be given to the Flyers as they are tied for second in their conference standings with Rhode Island after last year's Elite Eight run. Tonight I see a very tight, back and forth game conspiring that will come down to, which team plays an overall better game. A fact that I believe could be deciding is home court advantage. The numbers tell an interesting story as George Washington is 9-0 at home while Dayton comes in 3-3 on the road. In fact, Dayton has lost their last two away from home (Davidson and Massachusetts) coming into the nation's capital.
---George Washington 64, Dayton 61
MAAC GAMES
7:00 PM EST-ESPNU
9-12 (6-6) Siena
at 16-6 (9-2) Iona
9-12 (6-6) Siena
Solid Wins:
-St. Bonaventure 73-70 (Road)
-Quinnipiac 88-67 (Home)
-Fairfield 68-67 (Road)
Poor Conference Losses:
-Fairfield 79-67 (Home)
-Saint Peter's 69-55 (Home)
Last Game:
-Win Against Rider 79-72 (Home)
Key Players:
---#33 Rob Poole (SR)
-15.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.8 APG, & 1.1 SPG.
---#1 Marquis Wright (SO)
-12.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.0 APG, & 1.8 SPG.
---#24 Lavon Long (SO)
-11.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.8 APG, & 1.0 SPG.
---#5 Evan Hymes (SR)
-8.6 PPG.
---#0 Javion Ogunyemi (SO)
-8.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, & 1.2 BPG.
16-6 (9-2) Iona
Lunardi's Bracketology: 12 Seed
Solid Wins:
-Cleveland State 78-73 (Home)
-Wake Forest 85-81 (Road)
-Rider 77-64 (Home)
-Indiana State 91-84 (Home)
-Florida Gulf Coast 86-67 (Home)
-Siena 86-72 (Road)
-Canisius 79-76 (Home)
-Rider 78-68 (Road)
Conference Losses:
-Monmouth 92-89 (Road)
-Canisius 78-74 (Road)
Key Players:
---#13 David Laury (SR)
-21.0 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.2 BPG, & 1.0 SPG.
---#4 Schadrac Casimir (FR)
-13.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, & 1.0 SPG.
---#2 Kelvin Amayo (JR)
-6.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, & 2.5 APG.
Prediction:
"When the Saints Come Marching in!" The Siena Saints are marching into New Rochelle, New York, with a bit of momentum tonight as they knocked off the team with the second best conference record in the MAAC, the Rider Broncos. Siena is led by Senior Rob Poole who scored a season-high twenty-seven points in the game versus Rider on eight for thirteen shooting. In addition, "Sophomore Stud" Marquis Wright chipped in seventeen points ending the Saints losing streak with the 79-72 home victory. The task tonight will be even taller for Poole and Wright as they take on the best team in the conference, the Iona Gaels. The Gaels have solidified themseleves as a solid mid-major through the years and this year is no exception. Iona is a team full of weapons starting with David Laury & A.J. English who are the eighth and ninth leading scorers in the nation. Statistically speaking, Laury and English are the highest scoring duo of players in the county! Unfortunatly for Iona and luckily for Siena, A.J. English has been suspended for his involvement in the brawl last Saturday against Saint Peter's and out for tonight's game taking his twenty points per game away from the team's scoring ability. Actually, Siena has more players to get baskets from and without English, this matchup could turn into an upset win for Siena. I have faith in David Laury to score his normal amount of points but will Casimir and Amayo be able to produce a quanity that can make up for English absence? I guess we will all find out at seven o'clock Eastern Standard time.
---Iona 69, Siena 64
7:00 PM EST-ESPN3
12-9 (7-5) Canisius
at 11-10 (8-4) Manhattan
12-9 (7-5) Canisius
Solid Wins:
-Vermont 64-60 (Home)
-Saint Peter's 60-57 (Road)
-Niagara 77-64 (Road)
-Stony Brook 60-59 in Overtime (Home)
-Siena 83-49 (Home)
-Iona 78-74 (Home)
Conference Losses:
-Monmouth 73-68 (Home)
-Manhattan 63-60 (Home)
-Iona 79-76 (Road)
-Rider 59-46 (Road)
Last Game:
-Loss To Marist 75-67 (Home)
Key Players:
---#1 Zach Lewis (SO)
-13.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, & 1.5 SPG.
---#50 Josiah Heath (SR)
-7.7 PPG & 5.8 RPG.
---#2 Jermaine Crumpton (FR)
-7.3 PPG & 2.1 RPG
11-10 (8-4) Manhattan
Solid Conference Wins:
-Canisius 63-60 (Road)
-Monmouth 71-64 (Home)
-Siena 87-79 (Home)
Conference Losses:
-Fairfield 67-54 (Road)
-Niagara 73-61 (Road)
-Rider 82-79 in Overtime (Home)
-Quinnipiac 73-59 (Road)
Last Game:
-Win Against Monmouth 87-76 (Road)
Key Players:
---#13 Emmy Andujar (SR)
-16.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 3.2 APG, & 1.9 SPG.
---#0 Shane Richards (JR)
-13.0 PPG, 3.1 RPG, & 1.7 APG.
---#1 Ashton Pankey (JR)
-12.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, & 1.3 BPG.
Prediction:
Although it has been very cold and snowy in the New York area, the Manhattan Jaspers have been anything but. The Jaspers, led by an experienced trio of forwards, have won their last three games, two of which came against a team Manhattan is fighting for position with in the standings, Monmouth Hawks. During the three game stretch, Emmy Andujar, Shane Richards, and Ashton Pankey have combined to average 48.3 points per game while all of them have scored twenty plus points in at least one outing. Challenger to Iona? I think so but tonight the Jaspers must not worry about next Friday's game against the Gaels but tonight versus the Canisus Griffins. Canisius lost one of the best players, if not the best to ever play at the school in guard Billy Baron last season, but they have not missed a beat as they are once again competing for the conference crown. The university located in Buffalo, was on a roll a short time ago as they had a three-game winning streak with one victory coming against Iona. Unfortunatly, the streak came to an end against Rider while another loss was tacked on by Marist coming into this evening. So who will win this Battle of New York? I just do not think I can draw myself to pick against the Jaspers with the way they have been playing of late. I expect their three scorers to combine very close to their average of 48 pointd in a multi-possession win.
---Manhattan 68, Canisius 62
7:00 PM EST-ESPN3
9-10 (2-1) Princeton
at 10-8 (2-2) Columbia
9-10 (2-1) Princeton
Solid Wins:
-Rider 64-58 (Home)
-Stony Brook 77-64 (Home)
-Lipscomb 71-61 (Home)
-Norfolk State 71-61 (Home)
Questionable Losses:
-George Mason 63-60 (Road)
-Incarnate Word 79-68 (Home)
-Fairleigh Dickinson 89-85 (Road)
-Saint Peter's 60-46 (Road)
Last Game:
-Win Against Dartmouth 64-53 (Home)
Key Players:
---#10 Spencer Weisz (SO)
-12.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, & 1.2 SPG.
---#30 Hans Brase (JR)
-11.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, & 2.6 APG.
---#25 Steven Cook (SO)
-10.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG, & 1.8 SPG.
---#5 Amir Bell (FR)
-8.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG, & 2.8 APG.
10-8 (2-2) Columbia
Solid Wins:
-Lehigh 54-44 (Road)
-American 52-43 (Home)
-Bucknell 62-39 (Home)
-Cornell 48-45 (Home)
Conference Losses:
-Cornell 57-47 (Home)
-Yale 63-59 (Home)
Last Game:
-Win Against Brown 86-65 (Home)
Key Players:
---#12 Maodo Lo (JR)
-15.9 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.2 APG, & 1.7 SPG.
---#0 Kyle Castlin (FR)
-10.2 PPG & 4.1 RPG.
---#5 Steve Frankoski (SR)
-8.3 PPG & 2.0 RPG.
---#23 Cory Osetkowski (SR)
-7.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.1 APG, & 1.0 BPG.
Prediction:
---Princeton 65, Columbia 59
BIG SOUTH GAMES
7:00 PM EST
13-9 (7-4) Charleston Southern
at 17-7 (8-3) Radford
13-9 (7-4) Charleston Southern
Solid Wins:
-Ole Miss 66-65 in Overtime (Road)
-Western Carolina 72-66 (Home)
-Gardner-Webb 93-80 (Home)
Conference Losses:
-Coastal Carolina 83-74 (Road)
-High Point 72-61 (Road)
-Radford 84-77 (Home)
Last Game:
-Loss To Winthrop 77-55 (Road)
Key Players:
---#5 Saah Nimley (SR)
-19.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.2 APG, & 1.0 SPG.
---#1 Will Saunders (SR)
-12.7 PPG & 5.8 RPG.
---#0 Arlon Harper (SR)
-12.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, & 1.4 SPG.
---#24 Cedrick Bowen (SR)
-7.9 PPG & 4.3 RPG.
---#2 Aaron Wheeler (JR)
-7.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG, & 2.3 APG.
17-7 (8-3) Radford
Lunardi's Bracketology: 16 Seed
Solid Wins:
-Howard 61-52 (Home)
-Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 57-46 in Championship of Corpus Christi Coastal Classic.
-Virginia Tech 68-66 (Road)
-Siena 76-66 (Home)
-Winthrop 85-77 (Road)
-High Point 73-66 (Home)
-Charleston Southern 84-77 (Road)
-Winthrop 73-66 (Home)
Conference Losses:
-UNC Asheville 62-60 (Home)
-Longwood 90-79 in Double Overtime (Road)
-Gardner-Webb 88-85 in Double Overtime (Road)
Last Game:
-Win Against High Point 67-64 (Road)
Key Players:
---#2 Javonte Green (SR)
-15.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG, & 1.7 SPG.
---#10 R.J. Price (SR)
-13.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.2 APG, & 1.3 SPG.
---#11 Ya Ya Anderson (JR)
-8.7 PPG.
---#5 Rashun Davis (JR)
-8.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 4.2 APG, & 1.3 SPG.
Prediction:
With four of the best teams in the conference facing off tonight, I feel like I am in "basketball heaven." For those of you that do not follow the Big South, all you need to know about the Charleston Southern Buccaneers is Saah Nimley. Nimley is an outstanding player that is already a thousand point scorer and has averaged double-digit points per game since he has stepped on campus. This season, the 5'8" guard from Lawrenceville, Georgia, is averaging career highs in points (19.7) and rebounds (4.4). Enough said? No? Well what if I told you this season, Nimley scored thirty points in back-to-back games (versus Liberty and at Presbyterian)? Now do you understand that this kid is the real deal? Despite his talent in the last three games, the Senior has struggled while shooting 34.7% from the field. Tonight I whole-heartedly expect for the Pre-Season Big South First Teamer to end his poor shooting and catch fire against Radford. The hottest team in the conference right now is the Radford Highlanders as they have won their last eight games after dropping the first three of conference play. The Highlanders, like Charleston Southern, have a player that has also averaged double-digits since stepping on the court as a Freshman in Javonte Green. Green is an amazing talent as he is second in the conference in rebounding (8.6 RPG) at the height of 6'4"! Amazing! Walking onto the court tonight with Green, is 5'11" guard R.J. Price, who can also fill up a statsheet. Since this matchup is not on TV, it will be kind of hard to watch but this definatley will be the best game not watched this evening.
---Radford 70, Charleston Southern 67
9:00 PM EST-ESPNU
17-6 (8-3) High Point
at 16-7 (7-4) Coastal Carolina
17-6 (8-3) High Point
Solid Wins:
-Hawaii 62-54 (Road)
-William & Mary 66-63 (Home)
-James Madison 80-71 (Road)
-Winthrop 90-87 in Double Overtime (Road)
-Charleston Southern 72-61 (Home)
-Gardner-Webb 84-72 (Road)
-UNC Asheville 72-51 (Home)
Conference Losses:
-Coastal Carolina 83-68 (Home)
-Radford 73-66 (Road)
Last Game:
-Loss To Radford 67-64 (Home)
Key Players:
---#0 John Brown (JR)
-18.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.3 BPG, & 1.5 SPG.
---#23 Devante Wallace (SR)
-10.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, & 1.0 SPG.
---#22 Adam Weary (JR)
-10.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, & 2.5 APG.
---#15 Lorenzo Cugini (JR)
-10.0 PPG & 4.2 RPG.
---#1 Brian Richardson (SR)
-6.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG, & 2.1 APG.
16-7 (7-4) Coastal Carolina
Solid Wins:
-UL Monroe 61-48 in Semi-Final of Battle 4 Atlantis Mainland Bracket.
-Auburn 58-54 (Road)
-High Point 83-68 (Road)
-Charleston Southern 83-74 (Home)
Conference Losses:
-Gardner-Webb 82-67 (Home)
-UNC Asheville 75-65 (Road)
-Winthrop 75-68 (Home)
-Gardner-Webb 66-64 (Road)
Last Game:
-Win Against UNC Asheville 68-56 (Home)
Key Players:
---#3 Josh Cameron (SR)
-13.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG, & 1.1 SPG.
---#0 Warren Gillis (SR)
-12.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.1 APG, & 1.4 SPG.
---#10 Shivaughn Wiggins (SO)
-10.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.5 APG, & 1.3 SPG.
---#22 Elijah Wilson (SO)
-9.9 PPG & 3.4 RPG.
---#23 Badou Diagne (JR)
-9.3 PPG, 8.1 RPG, & 1.0 BPG.
Prediction:
The Big South...one of the best conferences that the majority of America does not know about. The High Point Panthers come into tonight tied for first in the conference with Radford. At the front of the pack on the prowl for the university, is Junior John Brown who became a thousand point scorer during his Sophomore year and has a big opportunity to be a two thousand point scorer before he graduates High Point. Brown can be described as an old fashioned ball player that rarely shoots three pointers and scores all his points from inside the arc. Besides Brown, the Panthers have a supporting cast around the star that can score baskets and feed him the ball, which is a great formula for success. Speaking of a formula for success, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers seem to have a method figured out as they won the Big South Conference Tournament last year, allowing them to go to the NCAA Tournament, and are towards the top of the conference once again this year. Rather than one great scorer like their opponent, the Chanticleers are balanced with five players averaging at least nine points per game. Coming into tonight's nationally televised game, Coastal Carolina is 2-4 in their last six games, which does not include their conference season opening win at High Point by the score of 83-68. High Point's John Brown only had twelve points in the first meeting while Coastal Carolina's Josh Cameron scored a game-high eighteen points. A stat that I find interesting is the Panthers' record coming off losses this season as they are 5-0 when being defeated the game prior. I predict John Brown will dominate the paint as Coastal Carolina's defense will have no answer for the Junior from Jacksonville, Florida
---High Point 70, Coastal Carolina 65
PW's Prediction Record Coming into Today: 113-44 (42-13 in the MVC)
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