City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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(Ed. Note: This article is part of CoBL's 2015-16 College Season Preview, which will run from October 2-November 13, the first day of games. For the complete rundown, click here)

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With more than two dozen Division II, Division III and junior colleges in the region, there’s a lot of entertaining basketball about to be played over the next four months.

Here are 12 area small-college games that certainly won’t disappoint:

Dickinson vs. Cabrini (Nov. 14, 7 PM)
It’s CSAC vs. Centennial when these two NCAA Tournament regulars square off to open up the season in grand fashion. Each lost a D-III All-American from last year’s roster; this will be Cabrini’s first game without Aaron Walton-Moss, ditto for Dickinson and Gerry Wixted. But Dickinson is still a preseason top-25 squad according to D3Hoops.com, and Cabrini is still one of the top picks to win the CSAC despite a Cavaliers youth movement that will feature several sophomores in starring roles.

Rowan vs. Neumann (Nov. 17, 7 PM)
Another fun early clash puts together two of CoBL’s top 10 teams in the area heading into the season. Neumann, the defending CSAC champions, are fresh off their first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history, and Knights coach Jim Rullo is challenging his team early and often this year, beginning at Catholic U before three straight in Jersey. Rowan’s got a lot back from a team that won 16 games last year, and will put up a tough fight in their home gym.

USciences vs. Holy Family (Dec. 5, 3:30 PM)
First Division II matchup on the list is this CACC battle between two teams with NCAA Tournament goals in mind. The Tigers are in March Madness-or-bust mode with nine seniors on the roster, while the Devils got their first-ever invite last year and made the most of it, beating No. 3 seed Saint Anselm in the first round. Holy Family likes to get out and run, and this USciences squad might be better-equipped for that than in years past--but they’ll still need to slow things down to keep it within reach.

West Chester vs. East Stroudsburg (Jan. 9, 4 PM)
East Stroudsburg has been the class of the PSAC East for the last few seasons, but with All-American guards Matt Tobin and Whis Grant graduated, there is room for a new champion. West Chester gets ESU at home just past the new years, which should be enough time for Stroudsburg freshmen Najee Walls and Nick Giordano as well as WCU rookies Matt Penecale and Malik Jackson to get settled into the college game.

Swarthmore vs. Dickinson (Jan. 14, TBD)
Swat has been slowly improving under Landry Kosmalski’s reign, but now they need to prove they can compete with the big boys. They’ll have a big chance when Dickinson comes to town, capping off a brutal three-game stretch for the Garnet that starts with trips to Franklin & Marshall and Johns Hopkins. Picking up a win or two in those three games would be a major statement for Swarthmore, but with all their youth a few close calls could become wins a year or two from now.

Harcum vs. Monroe (Jan. 16, 2 PM)
Have to throw one junior college game on the list, and this one’s a no-brainer. The Mustangs were the Region XV champions a year ago, falling in the first round of the NJCAA Division I Tournament. Harcum didn’t make it a year ago, but were Final Four participants in 2014, and both teams are stocked with Division I talent. Harcum’s gym in Bryn Mawr is smaller than that of most Division III schools in the area, but that doesn’t stop Division I coaches from routinely taking in games--and you can bet some will be at this one.

Holy Family vs. Wilmington (Jan. 16, 3 PM)
Back to the CACC we go, with Holy Family playing host this time to another contender for the South division title. The Wildcats are feeling good after picking up some big wins a season ago, making it to the CACC championship game, but now they’ve got to prove themselves over the course of a full season. The Tigers should be near-impossible to beat at home, but if anybody’s used to pulling off big road wins it’s Wilmington, who won in a packed house at Philly U last year in Herb Magee’s first bid at 1000 wins.

Gwynedd Mercy vs. Neumann (Feb. 3, 7 PM)
We've already mentioned Neumann and Cabrini, two of the three teams expected to be at the top of the CSAC. If all goes according to plan it'll be Gwynedd Mercy that's battling with them, led by senior guard Darnell Artis and forward Arron Goodman, two potential first team all-league prospects. The Griffins won 11 games last year, though the Knights took both regular-season meetings; 72-71 at Gwynedd Mercy and 82-68 at home.

DeSales vs. Delaware Valley (Feb. 6, 3 PM)
This is our only Middle Atlantic Conference game on the slate, but don't count out any game involving these two and Eastern either, as all three will be fighting for a top spot in the league's Freedom Conference. DeSales is always worth watching, and this year junior forward Cody Deal and a strong sophomore class have them thinking an NCAA Tournament could be in their future. Del-Val lost three starters from last year, but seniors Chris Moran and Barry Brockington have the Aggies among the top 10 programs in the area in CoBL's preseason poll.

USciences vs. Philly U (Feb. 9, 8 PM)
Our final CACC game mentioned here is this clash between the Devils and the Rams, two longtime rivals. Games between these two are almost always instant classics, like last year's 84-82 Philly U win in overtime in the CACC semifinals. Both teams will be fighting for an NCAA berth yet again this year, and so expect there to be a lot on the line in terms of potential seedings and playoff implications in West Philly on this Tuesday night. USci's Sho Da-Silva and Philly U's T.J. Higgins will be a matchup to watch out on the wing.

Neumann vs. Cabrini (Feb. 17, 8 PM)
There’s going to be major bragging rights at stake with Neumann and Cabrini. Last year, Neumann knocked off Cabrini in the CSAC championship game, 93-92 in overtime, ending Cabrini’s run of five straight league titles and NCAA appearances. This will actually be their second meeting of the year, with the first one coming Jan. 20 at Cabrini (6:30 PM). But given this is the second-to-last game of the year, we’ll call this the one to see.

Franklin & Marshall vs. Dickinson (Feb. 20, 3 PM)
Our final pick of the regular season is back in the Centennial Conference, with a central Pennsylvania square-off as F&M hosts Dickinson. There’s a chance this game is for the Centennial regular-season title, and almost certainly will have an impact on the league’s playoff seedings as the two fight for positioning and the home-court advantage that comes with it. Last year, Dickinson took two of three meetings between the teams, winning 82-68 in the Centennial playoffs to end F&M’s season.