By Sean Kennedy
Yesterday’s Action
Villanova pulled away late to secure a 75-59 victory over Lafayette in a contest much closer than the final score would indicate. The Leopards packed in a tight zone defensively and forced the Wildcats to beat them from the outside, taking as much as a 6-point lead over Nova in the second half. Although they were getting plenty of clean looks, Villanova could not find the range, finishing just 5-30 on the game from behind the arc. The coldest hand belonged to former freshman phenom Ryan Arcidiacono, who was 1-7 and didn’t make his first field goal until just under two minutes left in the game.
Fortunately for the Wildcats, James Bell and JayVaughn Pinkston were around to pick up the slack. Bell scored the first 13 points of the game for Villanova on his way to a game-high 24 points. Pinkston attacked the basket with a vengeance throughout the game, scoring 22 of his own behind a 10-14 night from the foul line. Those two and Hilliard came up with some big offensive boards in the second half when the Wildcats were trying to re-gain the lead. The team also got some solid minutes from Daniel Ochefu, who blocked 3 shots and pulled down 11 rebounds in just 19 minutes of action. He looked as though he would be able to fill the Yarou-role admirably.
It was not the greatest start for the Wildcats as a stronger opponent would have built a big lead given Villanova’s offensive struggles. What kept the Cats in the game was mainly their size advantage, both serving to earn them second chances on the offensive glass and keeping the Leopards out of the paint defensively. Villanova will need to pick things up against better non-conference opponents and during Big East action.
Drexel lost a close battle to UCLA 72-67, fighting back from a 13-point first half deficit to close within one point in the final minutes. The Dragons had multiple possessions down the stretch with an opportunity to tie the game but weren’t able to come up with that one big shot to get over the hump and complete the comeback. First, one note on UCLA, Kyle Anderson, who has already announced his intentions to enter the draft after this season, looks like the real deal. He did everything for the Bruins, finishing with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists.
For the hometown Dragons, Frantz Massenat had a great all-around performance with 20 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals. He came away with some big buckets during the stretch run and helped buoy an attack that saw some struggles from his other backcourt mates. Chris Fouch and Damion Lee combined to shoot just 8-33 and 2-15 from behind the arc. Dartaye Ruffin filled the void of former Dragon Daryl McCoy, battling for 13 rebounds.
This performance was certainly an encouraging outing for the Dragons given the quality of the opponent and the cross-country trip and difficult start time. When they get Travis Wear back to join Anderson and Jordan Adams, UCLA will be a team to watch this season. It speaks volumes that Drexel was able to come within a possession of stealing this contest. Look for them to have better outcomes in a more favorable environment.
Today’s Action
2:00 PM: La Salle (0-0, 0-0 A-10) vs. Manhattan (0-0, 0-0 MAAC)
The Explorers are back and hoping to approximate the Sweet 16 run that captured the imagination of the city last March. The biggest obstacle to that goal is the loss of Ramon Galloway, who led the team in points, assists, and three-point percentage in 2012-13. Having to take on Galloway’s level of responsibility will be point guard Tyreek Duren, who was second on the team last year in both points (14.2) and assists (3.3). Fortunately for Duren and La Salle fans, the rest of the rotation guys from last year sans Galloway will be back as well. Tyrone Garland, of Southwest Philly Floater fame will continue to provide scoring in bunches, and glue guy and the team’s leading rebounder Jerrell Wright will continue to do the dirty work for La Salle. The Explorers certainly have plenty of talent returning to make a run in a weakened Atlantic 10 conference; it will be up to everyone to step up their games just a bit and assume the end of the shot clock responsibilities that Galloway always handled in the past.
The Manhattan Jaspers are named after the guy who invented baseball’s seventh-inning stretch; that nickname beats yet another team being the Wildcats or something equally generic in my book (sorry Nova Nation). Manhattan lost their conference title game to Iona by 3 points last season and will be hungry to go further this year with a strong returning roster. The Jaspers are an excellent defensive squad that relies on a formidable frontline. Senior forward Rhamel Brown was the team’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer last season, but will get some help from two guys who weren’t playing at least most of the time in 2012-13. Senior swingman George Beamon (unsure if he’s related to Willie) missed the majority of last season with a severe ankle injury, a tough blow considering he was the team’s leading scorer and 2nd-leading rebounder. Also, 6’10” sophomore Ashton Pankey sat out last year after transferring from Maryland and is expected to step in and be a dominant force down low.
It will be a clash of styles in this contest as the strength of the Explorers is in their guard play, while the Jaspers look to pound the ball down low. Ultimately, Manhattan should keep this one close but I’d look for the Explorers to prevail and have fans start dreaming of more March magic.
5:00 PM: Pennsylvania (0-0, 0-0 Ivy) vs. Temple (0-0, 0-0 AAC)
The Penn Quakers are in the rare position of having every single member of last year’s team return to action this season. 6’8″ forward Fran Dougherty is back after missing most of last season with mono, and should help provide another option on the offensive end as well as work the glass. In Dougherty’s absence, 6’3″ guard Miles Cartwright became the team’s Mr. Do-Everything, leading the team in both points (13.5) and assists (3.8). Tony Hicks and Darien Nelson-Henry, now sophomores, were the other scoring options last year and should only continue to improve in their second years. Hicks in particular had a handful huge scoring outbursts down the stretch last year and would be my pick to make the leap this year.
Temple is in basically the exact opposite situation as Pennsylvania, having lost four of their top five scorers from last season including A-10 Player of the Year Khalif Wyatt. Wyatt’s scoring ability was basically irreplaceable, as was the well-rounded game of Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, who did a little bit of everything for the Owls last season. The only major returning players are point guard Will Cummings and big man Anthony Lee. A couple of strong freshmen recruits, guard Josh Brown and forward Mark Williams, will have a chance to carve a place for themselves in the rotation. There will certainly be plenty of question marks for the Owls early on this season but there’s still some talent on the roster and opportunities for guys to step in and fill the void left by the departing core.
If there was ever a time for Penn to pull of the upset, this would be it. I expect Temple to struggle during the early part of the season as players get both used to playing with each other and taking on expanded roles. Look for this City 6 contest to be a close affair and I’ll go out on a limb and predict the upset for the Quakers.
7:00 PM: Saint Joseph’s (0-0, 0-0 A-10) @ Vermont (0-0, 0-0 American East)
Much like fellow City 6 squad Drexel, Saint Joseph’s was projected to be near the top of its conference last season, only to suffer a disappointing campaign and fall among the middle of the pack. Things should only get tougher this season as departures include last year’s leading scorer Carl Jones and the team’s most dominant shotblocker C.J. Aiken. However, they say the Hawk will never die and neither does optimism from City Avenue. One source of hope comes from highly touted recruit DeAndre Bembry. It will be interesting to see how much time Coach Martelli gives the 6’6″ freshman forward, but he should assume a larger role as the year progresses. Of club returnees, Langston Galloway is back to assume a bulk of the scoring load and pace the team from behind the arc. But perhaps most important for the team’s success will be the play of Ronald Roberts Jr. The now senior forward was arguably the Hawks’ best all-around player last season, but will need to really become a dominating force if St. Joe’s is to ascend the Atlantic 10 ladder.
In their first contest, the Hawks will face one of the best nicknames in college sports in the Vermont Catamounts. Vermont returns the majority of their rotation from a team that lost to Albany in the conference championship game last season. The Catamounts’ 6’6″ Brian Voelkel is an excellent jack-of-all-trades, having led the team in rebounding (8.6), assists (4.9), and steals (1.4). As the stats suggest, he’ll have his hands in every aspect of the game and should be a focal point for the Hawks defense. Fellow forward Clancy Rugg was the leading scorer for Vermont last season (11.4 ppg) and it will be important to keep a body on him as he attacks the offensive glass. Forward Luke Apfeld and guard Sandro Carissimo are the main threats from behind the arc, although the team as a whole struggled in that area last season.
Vermont is no pushover, non-power conference opponent. They’re an experienced group with conference title and NCAA tournament aspirations this season. Expect to see a very deliberate, low-scoring game, as both teams project to be toward the bottom of all of college basketball in pace. In such a contest, a few plays either way could be the difference but it would not surprise me if the Hawks suffer a defeat in their season opener.
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