On DeckBy Ali Karimi - March 12, 2008Northeast Championship Game Notes: After beating Quinnipiac in the first round of the NEC tourney, four seed Mount Saint Mary's knocked off top-seeded Robert Morris, snapping a fourteen-game win streak for the NIT bound Colonials. The Mountaineers have won four straight games on route to the NEC championship game, their first since 1999 under the direction of then coach Jim Phelan. Phelan holds the NCAA record for most seasons coached at one institution. He retired after 49 years of coaching the Mount in 2003. He may be best known for his bow ties. Fashion statements aside, he guided the Mountaineers to two tournament berths, the last being in 1999. Current coach Milan Brown who was an assistant under Phelan during the 1999 season, has a 41-76 record with the Mount. A win over Sacred Heart would do wonders for him stepping out of Phelan's shadow and establishing his own program. The Mount located in Emmitsburg, Md. is an hour drive from Baltimore. The Mount is one of the smallest schools in D-1 with an undergraduate enrollment of 1,500. Established in 1808, it is the oldest independent Catholic university in the country. Sacred Heart is making back-to-back NEC title game appearances. The Pioneers lost to Central Connecticut State 74-70 in the championship game last year. Sacred Heart took care of Central Connecticut State in the first round and then knocked off two seed Wagner to get here. The Mount is a very solid defensive team and will give Sacred Heart all they can handle, but home court with a packed house will put Sacred Heart over the top. I would expect a close game with Pioneers pulling away late. The Pioneers started the season 0-6 but have since turned things around going 18-7 since then. Whoever wins this game will play Alabama State in the play in game. Big Sky Championship Game Notes: Portland State is hoping for a Hollywood Finish as they host Big Sky Championship game in the Rose Garden. The Vikings have never made the tournament before and Northern Arizona will be their final test. Portland State tied a school record for wins. They finished 21-9 on route to their second league title in four years. The Vikings now boast a 13 game winning streak against Big Sky opponents, their last being a 72-61 win over Idaho State in the semifinals. Anything less than the league crown will have this bunch feeling like the New England Patriots. The Lumberjacks will have their work cut out for them, having been swept by PSU in the regular season. However, they did post a solid win over Western Kentucky and played Arizona tough. They have won 21 games and six straight games, including a 75-70 win over Weber State in the conference semis. It's always hard to pick against the home team. I think the Vikings win a very close game. This game will probably be decided by four points or less.
Posted by Ali Karimi at 02:21 AM on March 12, 2008
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The Mount will win by 14 points tonight because of their offensive skills and depth. They will be a #15 seed and shock Tennessee in the first round of the tourney.
Comment by John Andrews - March 12, 2008 03:33 PM
Please see my prior post. Sorry I was off by ONE point - Mount only won by 13.
Comment by John Andrews - March 12, 2008 09:16 PM
Funny how it was a 2 point game with 2:12 to play. All those extra points came on late game garbage fouls. The game was essentially over when Shubik turned it over with 1:37 and then for good measure with another turnover with 1:07 to play.
Brown said he expects his team will be headed to Dayton next week for the "play-in" opening-round game.
Your own coach won't back you up. At 18-14 with no top 100 rpi wins, it won't be enough to match UMBC who has better a Win-Loss record and one top 100 rpi win. Beat Alabama State and have UNC on deck.
Comment by Ali Karimi - March 13, 2008 03:07 AM
Ali - Mount beat Winthrop handily; this will help the bracketmakers, as will their record over the past 9 games. I am sorry you picked Sacred Heart to win - what you missed was the Mount freshmen who have come into their own as a cohesive and talented group - actually, Sacred Heart also didn't figure that out, did they?
Comment by John Andrews - March 13, 2008 12:16 PM
Milan Brown, the Mount coach is both smart and humble. You are incorrect on several issues. First, the Mount will NOT be in the play in game, second, of course, Alabama State is already toast. I am still holding out for a 15 seed but I admit 16 is more likely.
Your analysis of the MSM-SHU game is biased. You went to Fairfield just as you traveled to UMBC to write a post on a winner. Well, you are batting 50%, not bad from behind the 3-point line (but not as good as Jean Cajou recently)!
Finally, again I want to speak of the sportsmanship exhibited by the losers (SHU). These are quality students and Dave Bike is a great coach.
Comment by John Andrews - March 16, 2008 10:47 AM