Atlantic Region 2023 (Men's)

[boatcapt]

Latest Regional Poll is out...ESU goes from #5 to #2...

https://esuwarriors.com/news/2023/11...gion-poll.aspx

Regional Rankings???

Add: Never mind, link is working now.

[boatcapt]

Interesting 4 pm match-up today. UC Vs Concord. UC was picked to be the primary challenger to WLU in the MEC and even garnered 3 first place votes while Concord was picked 6th in the MEC which would put them at roughly .500 on the season. UC stumbled vs Gannon and stands 1-1. Was that just a matter of "any given night" OR was it that Gannon is just a better squad? ORRRR...Maybe the preseason poll was wrong about UC? Concord is off to a 3-0 start and is now regionally ranked. Are they a paper tiger who has just played three tomato cans to start the season OR are they the real deal and the MEC coaches got it wrong?

[Scrub]

Interesting 4 pm match-up today. UC Vs Concord. UC was picked to be the primary challenger to WLU in the MEC and even garnered 3 first place votes while Concord was picked 6th in the MEC which would put them at roughly .500 on the season. UC stumbled vs Gannon and stands 1-1. Was that just a matter of "any given night" OR was it that Gannon is just a better squad? ORRRR...Maybe the preseason poll was wrong about UC? Concord is off to a 3-0 start and is now regionally ranked. Are they a paper tiger who has just played three tomato cans to start the season OR are they the real deal and the MEC coaches got it wrong?

I would be hard pressed to call IUP a tomato can. Even a "down" year from IUP is projected at around 18 wins or so.

[Ship69]

I would be hard pressed to call IUP a tomato can. Even a "down" year from IUP is projected at around 18 wins or so.

I agree. IUP looks to be somewhat down this year, but you're not going to throw just any five guys out on the floor and beat them. They'll be tough to handle for most of us in the PSAC.

[boatcapt]

I would be hard pressed to call IUP a tomato can. Even a "down" year from IUP is projected at around 18 wins or so.

Tomato cans come in all shapes and sizes. iUP may play themselves out of tomato can status, but right now they are 1-2 and clearly struggling. That makes them a tomato can in my book.

[bballfan03]

Interesting 4 pm match-up today. UC Vs Concord. UC was picked to be the primary challenger to WLU in the MEC and even garnered 3 first place votes while Concord was picked 6th in the MEC which would put them at roughly .500 on the season. UC stumbled vs Gannon and stands 1-1. Was that just a matter of "any given night" OR was it that Gannon is just a better squad? ORRRR...Maybe the preseason poll was wrong about UC? Concord is off to a 3-0 start and is now regionally ranked. Are they a paper tiger who has just played three tomato cans to start the season OR are they the real deal and the MEC coaches got it wrong?

Coaches got it wrong. Preseason is based primarily on what a team did the season before with a "guess" on what newcomers may do.

Look at the year Reilly/GU won like 5 games, were picked low the following year... Reilly brought in an entire new team and they either won West or finished 2nd.

Pre season rankings are just poorly educated guesses.

[Ship69]

Coaches got it wrong. Preseason is based primarily on what a team did the season before with a "guess" on what newcomers may do.

Look at the year Reilly/GU won like 5 games, were picked low the following year... Reilly brought in an entire new team and they either won West or finished 2nd.

Pre season rankings are just poorly educated guesses.

As other posters have pointed out, the coaches have favorites as well. Even some IUP fans will tell you that California probably should have been picked over IUP as the preseason favorite in the PSAC West this year.

[Columbuseer]

I would be hard pressed to call IUP a tomato can. Even a "down" year from IUP is projected at around 18 wins or so.

I agree. What makes the tomato can scale difficult, even for the masters of data analytics that depend on it, are the varieties.
you have:
whole
Diced
crushed
puree
Sauce
paste

Even if iup were on the tomato can scale, they would be in the certified San Marzano category.
:-)

[boatcapt]

I agree. What makes the tomato can scale difficult, even for the masters of data analytics that depend on it, are the varieties.
you have:
whole
Diced
crushed
puree
Sauce
paste

Even if iup were on the tomato can scale, they would be in the certified San Marzano category.
:-)

Hahahaha...Advanced stats for "tomato can" status!!! So if you are 3-0 but your advanced stats say you are a tomato can, are you in fact a tomato can???

[WarriorVoice]

I saw perhaps the best DII college team I've seen since I was at the 2018 Elite Eight. Gannon is loaded with players who defend like their momma's life savings were at stake. They also can put 8 players in double digits on any given night. They change out their entire lineup at once, and they don't lose anything with their second unit on the floor. I wonder when everyone else will wake up on this team...

[Ship69]

I saw perhaps the best DII college team I've seen since I was at the 2018 Elite Eight. Gannon is loaded with players who defend like their momma's life savings were at stake. They also can put 8 players in double digits on any given night. They change out their entire lineup at once, and they don't lose anything with their second unit on the floor. I wonder when everyone else will wake up on this team...

For all that, we'll have to see if they're as good as West Liberty.

[Scrub]

I saw perhaps the best DII college team I've seen since I was at the 2018 Elite Eight. Gannon is loaded with players who defend like their momma's life savings were at stake. They also can put 8 players in double digits on any given night. They change out their entire lineup at once, and they don't lose anything with their second unit on the floor. I wonder when everyone else will wake up on this team...

As Ship69 might have been implying, you just described pretty much every WLU team since 2018 (and before). Perhaps you're qualifying your statement by only counting those you've seen in person, and fair enough if so. But feel free to turn on the livestream for any WLU game and I suspect you'll see what you saw with Gannon.

[IUPalum]

I saw perhaps the best DII college team I've seen since I was at the 2018 Elite Eight. Gannon is loaded with players who defend like their momma's life savings were at stake. They also can put 8 players in double digits on any given night. They change out their entire lineup at once, and they don't lose anything with their second unit on the floor. I wonder when everyone else will wake up on this team...

I'm guessing you've never paid attention to West Liberty ever.

[WarriorVoice]

I'm guessing you've never paid attention to West Liberty ever.

I've seen them in person several times. I think Gannon might be better this year.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I've seen them in person several times. I think Gannon might be better this year.

I didn't get to watch ESU vs Gannon but heard your star big played just 8 minutes due to foul trouble. That had to play a big part (I'd assume). ESU is also very young this year, correct?

Oddly the team that just about beat Gannon (Lincoln) is typically more of an AAU-style, up and down team.

I knew the day Fee was hired he'd be a major headache in the West. That style is extremely difficult to play against when you never see it. It's obviously not unbeatable but it's very challenging at the D2 level. It will be very difficult for West teams still enthralled with 7-man rotations.

They are off to a great start. But, I'm not quite ready to annoint them yet. If Cal can get healthy their coach is very familiar with playing that system.