City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
--

There was a lot of fluctuation in the area Division III landscape over the last two weeks, as several programs that lost early games started to turn things around while others who surprised opponents at first took some tough losses that dropped them several spots.

Here’s this week’s Division III power poll, consisting of teams from the CSAC, MAC Freedom, MAC Commonwealth and Centennial Conferences; the next update will be on Dec. 21 (last week's record in parenthesis):

~~~

Also under consideration: Cairn University (5-3, 2-1 CSAC), Neumann (4-4, 1-2 CSAC), Rosemont (4-3, 2-1 CSAC)

~~~

10. DeSales Bulldogs (Last Week: 7)
Record: 4-3 (1-1 MAC Freedom)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Moravian (W, 79-66), vs. Manhattanville (W, 75-70), @ Misericordia (L, 79-64)
Star Watch: Aaron Burton (Soph/G)--11.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg

Update: A win over Lehigh Valley rivals Moravian saw four Bulldogs in double figures, with sixth man Brian Laird dropping 17 points off the bench and Brandon Bridy picking up his first double-double (15 pts/11 rebs). Then after beating Manhattanville in their MAC Freedom opener, DeSales ran smack into the wall at Misericordia, shooting 34.4 percent from the field and 6.3 percent (1-of-16) from 3-point range as Burton and junior forward Cody Deal (15.1 ppg) were held to four points apiece. They don’t get back into league play until Jan. 13, with five games between now and then to build up momentum.

Next Two Weeks: @ PSU-Berks (Dec. 9, 7:30 PM), vs. Muhlenberg (Dec. 12, 3 PM)

~~~

9. Eastern Eagles (4)
Record: 4-3 (1-1 MAC Freedom)
Last Two Weeks: @ Lancaster Bible (L, 103-91), @ Wilkes (W, 82-67), vs. Delaware Valley (L, 81-79 OT)
Star Watch: Shaquan Turk (Jr./SF)--19.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg

Update: It wasn’t the greatest two weeks for the Eagles, though there’s no shame in a road loss to an LBC squad that’s 6-0 with a win over Franklin & Marshall also under its belt. And the Eagles played Neumann to as close a game as possible, with neither team leading by more than four points for the closing 31 minutes of the game. The schedule doesn’t get any easier, with a road trip to a Neumann team desperate for momentum followed by a three-game trip to the Miami area, which is where Eastern head coach Eric McNelley (and a good deal of the Eagles’ roster) hails from.

Next Two Weeks: @ Neumann (Dec. 12, 3 PM), @ Nova Southeastern (Dec. 16, 7:30 PM), vs. Gwynedd Mercy (@ Miami, Fl; Dec. 18, 7 PM), vs. UMass-Dartmouth (@ Miami, Fl.; Dec. 19, 8 PM)

~~~

8. Gwynedd Mercy Griffins (NR)
Record: 4-3 (3-0 CSAC)
Last Two Weeks: @ Marywood (W, 83-58), @ Neumann (W, 102-92), vs. Centenary (W, 77-69)
Star Watch: Cedric Elleby (Jr./F)--19.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg

Update: After a 1-3 start to the year that had Gwynedd Mercy drop all the way out of the rankings, the Griffins roared back with three straight in-conference wins to re-appear in the top 10. And none of their wins are bad: they only lost by two to D-II West Chester, and both Arcadia and Stockton are ahead of them in our rankings. Elleby, a 6-3 forward with an ever-running motor, had a monster game in the win over Neumann with 32 points on 12-of-19 shooting, plus 11 rebounds. Senior point guard Darnell Artis hit the 1000-point milestone in the win over Marywood, becoming the 11th player in school history to do so; he’s also five assists away from 350 for his career.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Eastern (Miami, Fl.; Dec. 18, 7 PM), vs. Hartwick (Miami, Fl; Dec. 19, 6 PM)

~~~

7. Lebanon Valley Dutchmen (OW)
Record: 5-3 (2-0 MAC Commonwealth)
Last Two Weeks: @ Misericordia (L, 68-65), vs. Moravian (L, 86-81), @ Arcadia (W, 83-74), vs. Albright (W, 89-72)
Star Watch: Andy Orr (Soph./F)--20.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg

Update: The Dutchmen righted the ship after dropping two straight by winning its first two league games, including a tough road win at an Arcadia squad that’s been rolling to start the year. What’s scariest about Lebanon Valley is they’re still very young--there’s only one senior on the team, Orr and second-leading scorer Sam Light (18.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg) are both sophs, part of a 10-man group in its second year on campus. Orr, a 6-7 forward from Wernersville, Pa., started every game as a freshman and is off to a tremendous start to the year, scoring 20-plus points six times, including in each of the team’s last three games.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Marymount (Dec. 9, 7 PM), @ Hood College (Dec. 12, 4 PM), @ Alvernia (Dec. 21, 7 PM)

~~~

6. Gettysburg Bullets (OW)
Record: 5-1 (3-0 Centennial)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Johns Hopkins (W, 83-70), @ Dickinson (W, 77-58), vs. Muhlenberg (W, 78-65)
Star Watch: Cody Kiefer (Jr./F)--15.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg

Update: Gettysburg is off to its best start since 2007-08, when the Bullets won seven of their first eight games en route to a 24-5 season that ended with a loss to Centennial rival Ursinus in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16--the program’s best year ever. The five-game win streak they’re currently riding is the longest in nearly five years. So it’s good feelings all around for Gettysburg, whose head coach George Petrie has been extremely reliant on his starting five: all five play between 28.3 and 34.8 minutes per game and all average double figures, while no one else on the team averages more than 11.3 mpg or 2.3 ppg. As long as those five--Kiefer, sophomore forward Matt England, senior center Kevin Gladstone, junior guard Pete Christ and sophomore forward Cam Stewart--stay healthy, the Bullets will be a real threat to win the Centennial.

Next Two Weeks: @ Messiah (Dec. 9, 8 PM), vs. Stockton (@ Hood, Dec. 19, 6 PM), vs. TBD (@ Hood, Dec. 20, 1 PM/3PM)

~~~

5. Delaware Valley Aggies (OW)
Record: 5-1 (2-0 MAC Freedom)
Last Two Weeks: @ PSU-Berks (W, 108-103 OT), vs. King’s College (W, 71-44), @ Eastern (W, 81-79)
Star Watch: Chris Moran (Sr./F)--20.7 ppg, 9.5 rpg

Update: After a season-opening loss to Alvernia, we kept Del-Val out of the power rankings to see how the Aggies would respond--and respond they have, winning their last five games, including two big conference games this past season. The King’s victory was the 100th for head coach Casey Stitzel, who took over a 3-22 team in 2008-09 and completely turned the program around to be one of the more consistently strong in the region. Going on the road and surviving a tough Eastern squad in overtime is another good notch on the belt, and now they get four straight games at home against non-conference opponents to keep the momentum going.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Widener (Dec. 9, 7 PM), vs. Bryn Athyn (Dec. 12, 2 PM), vs. Elizabethtown (Dec. 15, 7 PM), vs. Immaculata (Dec. 15, 7 PM)

~~~

4. Swarthmore Garnet (9)
Record: 6-0 (3-0 Centennial)
Last Two Weeks: @ Ursinus (W, 63-58), vs. Cairn (W, 64-57), vs. Washington College (W, 85-54), @ McDaniel (W, 62-56)
Star Watch: Chris Bourne (Jr./F)--16.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg

Update: Just three years after Landry Kosmalski’s Garnet lost their first six games of his tenure, Swarthmore has gotten off to one of the best starts around led by Bourne and sophomore guard Zack Yonda, who’s averaging 13.7 ppg and 5.3 rpg. Swat’s winning games by an average of 11.7 ppg, shooting 46.5 percent from the floor while holding opponents to 38.1 percent, and they have a +9.8 rebound per game advantage. The Earlham game is the first of two in the Garnet Holiday Tournament, with Wells and Maine Maritime also coming down to Swarthmore, Pa. for two games on the weekend.

Next Two Weeks: vs. PSU-Abington (Dec. 9, 7 PM), vs. Earlham (Dec. 19, 6PM), vs. TBD (Dec. 20, 1 PM/3 PM)

~~~

3. Arcadia Knights (2)
Record: 6-2 (1-1 MAC Commonwealth)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Misericordia (W, 108-97), vs. Lebanon Valley (L, 83-74), vs. Messiah (W, 73-68)
Star Watch: John Landro (Sr./G)--18.2 ppg, 3.0 apg

Update: The Knights opened up with a split in their first two conference games, allowing Lebanon Valley to shoot 53.4 percent from the floor in a home loss before bouncing back behind a 22-point performance by Landro, who returned after missing the previous two games due to injury. The 6-2 senior from Cornwall, N.Y. has taken a big step up in his production from last year, when he averaged 7.5 ppg in 24.1 minutes; it helps that he’s shooting 46.3 percent from 3-point range (up from 30.3 percent last year), but he’s certainly more than a sniper. With him on the court, they’ve been one of the more dangerous programs around.

Next Two Weeks: @ Lycoming (Dec. 9, 7 PM), @ Immaculata (Dec. 15, 6:30 PM)

~~~

2. Stockton Ospreys (1)
Record: 4-2 (2-1 NJAC)
Last Two Weeks: @ Rowan (W, 88-71), vs. TCNJ (L, 76-70), @ William Paterson (W, 64-53)
Star Watch: Armin Cane (Sr./G)--15.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg

Update: After starting off last year with a 12-game winning streak, this year’s start--while certainly nothing worthy panicking about--isn’t quite up to Stockton’s lofty standards. A home loss to a 4-4 TCNJ squad was certainly less than ideal, as the Ospreys only made 8-of-32 (25.0 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc and were beat by the Lions in nearly every major statistical category. They’ve got two opportunities in the next week to improve their standing in the NJAC before traveling down to Virginia to play in Hood’s Holiday Classic.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Rutgers-Camden (Dec. 9, 8 PM), vs. Rutgers-Newark (Dec. 12, 3 PM), vs. Gettysburg (@ Hood College, Dec. 19, 6 PM), vs. TBD (@ Hood College, Dec. 20, 1 PM/3 PM)

~~~

1. Franklin & Marshall Diplomats (3)
Record: 6-1 (3-0 Centennial)
Last Two Weeks: @ Muhlenberg (W, 81-78 OT), vs. Ursinus (W, 63-57), vs. Washington College (W, 75-50)
Star Watch: Hunter Eggers (Jr./G)--13.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg

Update: The Diplomats had a successful last fortnight, winning a trio of Centennial Conference games and thus make their first appearance at the top of the area rankings. Sophomore guard Brandon Federici (15.6 ppg) leads the team in scoring, including a 26-point outing in the Muhlenberg win, but Eggers is quietly putting together a solid season: he went for 14 against Muhlenberg, 10 against Ursinus and 19 against Washington as the only player on F&M to score double figures in every game.

Next Two Weeks: @ Albright (Dec. 9, 7 PM)

~~~

Dropped out: Cabrini (5), Dickinson (6), Neumann (8), Rosemont (10)