City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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The small-college schedule quiets down big-time over finals and the holiday break, so there wasn’t nearly as much movement in this week’s poll as there was two weeks back.

Here’s this week’s CoBL Division III power poll, consisting of teams from the CSAC, NJAC, MAC Freedom, MAC Commonwealth and Centennial Conferences; the next update will be on Dec. 21.

Also under consideration: Alvernia (5-3, 1-1 MAC Commonwealth), Cairn (5-4, 2-1 CSAC), Rosemont (5-3, 3-1 CSAC)

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10. Eastern Eagles (9)
Record: 6-5 (1-1 MAC Freedom)
Last Two Weeks: @ Neumann (W, 73-70), @ Nova Southeastern (L, 80-71 OT), vs. Gwynedd Mercy (L, 93-87), vs. UMass-Dartmouth (W, 76-57)
Star Watch: Malcolm Garrison (Sr./SG)--14.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg

Update: It was a busy two weeks for Eastern, who despite a 2-2 record over that time acquitted themselves well, especially considering three of those games were played in Florida. The Eagles now get to enjoy two weeks off before their next game, against Ursinus on Jan. 4; that’ll be the first of three consecutive home games, the last of which (Jan. 13, FDU-Florham) kicks off the remainder of MAC Freedom conference play. Garrison, a 6-2 senior wing, passed the 1000-point mark in the win over UMass-Dartmouth, becoming the 25th player in program history to do so; he’s also fourth on the school’s career 3-point list (187), and is making 50 percent of his long-range attempts this year (42-of-84).

Next Two Weeks: N/A

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9. Gwynedd Mercy Griffins (8)
Record: 5-4 (3-0 CSAC)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Eastern (W, 93-87), vs. Hartwick (L, 77-72)
Star Watch: Arron Goodman (Jr./F)--20.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg

Update: The Griffins traveled down to Miami for a pair of games last weekend in the HoopMIA D3 Holiday Shootout, downing Eastern before falling to Hartwick in the championship of the four-team event. More important than the results was the return of Goodman, a super-skilled 6-6 forward who’d missed the teams’ first seven games of the season with a foot injury. He wasted no time getting back to normal, scoring 21 points in his debut against Eastern on 8-of-13 shooting, with junior forward Cedric Elleby equalling his total in that game. After a 10-day layoff, Gwynedd Mercy travels up to NYC to take on a 5-4 Baruch squad that’s won three of its last four games.

Next Two Weeks: @ Baruch College (Dec. 29, 7 PM)

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8. Lebanon Valley Dutchmen (7)
Record: 6-4 (2-1 MAC Commonwealth)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Marymount (W, 76-65), @ Hood College (L, 81-71)
Star Watch: Andy Orr (Soph./F)--20.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg

Update: After starting the year off 3-1, LVC has leveled off a bit over the last few weeks, going 3-3 over that time; they were able to rip off three straight wins before the loss to a 7-3 Hood squad on the road. This is still a young team, with only one senior and two juniors on the roster, so they’ll be taking their bumps and bruises along the way. Orr, a 6-7 sophomore out of Conrad Wesier (Pa.) and one of 10 sophs on the roster, went for 23 points against Marymount and then 22 against Hood, making it five straight games for him with 20-or-more points and eight total on the season. Stopping him and 6-0 sophomore Sam Light (17.0 ppg, .425 3PT%) is a must to defeat the Dutchmen.

Next Two Weeks: @ Alvernia (Dec. 21, 7 PM), @ Marywood (Dec. 30, 7 PM)

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7. DeSales Bulldogs (10)
Record: 6-3 (1-1 MAC Freedom)
Last Two Weeks: @ PSU-Berks (W, 112-73), vs. Muhlenberg (W, 75-57)
Star Watch: Cody Deal (Sr./F)--15.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg

Update: The Bulldogs take a jump up in the stands as the only team in the bottom four not to lose a game, though they were two games they were expected to win. While Deal, an all-MAC Freedom first-teamer a year ago, continues to put up numbers, this past week was a very good one for 6-8 junior Ryan Callahan. The Warren Hills (N.J.) alum, who’s averaging 9.3 ppg and 4.0 rpg while starting all nine games, has scored in double figures in each of his last three games; against PSU-Berks and Muhlenberg he scored a total of 29 points on 12-of-13 shooting, hitting all five of his foul attempts as well.

Next Two Weeks: @ Medgar Evers (Dec. 30, 3 PM), vs. Berkeley (N.Y.) (Jan. 2, 2 PM), vs. TBD (Jan. 3)

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6. Gettysburg Bullets (6)
Record: 7-2 (3-0 Centennial)
Last Two Weeks: @ Messiah (W, 77-60), vs. Stockton (L, 68-57), vs. Chatham (W, 76-65)
Star Watch: Pete Christ (Jr./G)--13.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg

Update: Despite the loss to Stockton, they’re still tied for their best opening nine games for Gettysburg since 2007-08, when they started 8-1 en route to a 24-5 season; they also started 7-2 in 2008-09, which ended with an 18-9 record and NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bullets have some incredible balance--Matt England is averaging 13.6 ppg, Cody Kiefer 13.2 ppg and then Christ, while two others average between 11-12 ppg. The games against Stockton and Chatham were part of Hood’s Rotary of Frederick Holiday Classic tournament, at which Christ made the all-tournament team after dropping a career-high 23 points in the consolation game win over Chatham.

Next Two Weeks: @ Alvernia (Dec. 31, 2 PM)

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5. Delaware Valley Aggies (5)
Record: 9-1 (2-0 MAC Freedom)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Widener (W, 74-56), vs. Bryn Athyn (W, 76-56), vs. Elizabethtown (W, 64-37), vs. Immaculata (W, 85-50)
Star Watch: Chris Moran (Sr./F)--19.4 ppg, 10.0 rpg

Update: Since dropping their season-opener to Alvernia, Del-Val’s ripped off nine straight wins, including four by no fewer than 18 points over the last two weeks. Moran had a quiet game against E-town but otherwise was a force to be reckoned with, going for 26 points and 12 rebounds against Immaculata before scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds against Immaculata, his fourth and fifth double-doubles of the season. The first game of the new year against Swarthmore is a must-see, and a great test for both teams before league schedules begin in earnest.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Pine Manor (@ Trinity, Dec. 30, 7 PM), vs. TBD (@ Trinity, Dec. 31), vs. Swarthmore (Jan. 3, 1 PM)

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4. Swarthmore Garnet (4)
Record: 9-0 (3-0 Centennial)
Last Two Weeks: vs. PSU-Abington (W, 90-60), vs. Earlham (W, 72-62), vs. Wells College (W, 103-66)
Star Watch: Chris Bourne (Jr./F)--16.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg

Update: A dream season for Swat continues, as the program’s already won more games than it did for four straight seasons (2010-14), and is two wins shy of matching its total from a year ago.  They’ve been dominant across the board: outscoring opponents by nearly 17 ppg, out-shooting them 49.7 percent to 37.4 percent, and have a +14 margin in rebounding. Three players average double figures, led by Bourne, though sophomore Zack Yonda (15.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg) has been equally as important to the Garnet’s successful start. The 100 points against Wells in the championship game of the Swarthmore’s holiday tournament was the first time that the Garnet had broken the triple-digit barrier since 2004.

Next Two Weeks: @ Delaware Valley (Jan. 3, 1 PM)

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3. Arcadia Knights (3)
Record: 8-2 (2-1 MAC Commonwealth)
Last Two Weeks: @ Lycoming (W, 81-77), @ Immaculata (W, 75-72)
Star Watch: John Landro (Sr./G)--18.1 ppg, .458 3PT%

Update: The Knights have won a pair of close games since our last rankings, and used a strong second half in their last victory to knock off Immaculata on the road. Arcadia outscored its opponent, 46-36, in the last 20 minutes and shot 69.6 percent from the field -- going 14-for-16 (87.5 percent) on 2-point field goals. Against Lycoming, Landro flexed his scoring muscle with 22 points.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Hood College (Jan. 2, 3 PM)

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2. Stockton Ospreys (2)
Record: 8-2 (4-1 NJAC)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Rutgers-Camden (W, 71-51), vs. Rutgers-Newark (W, 70-50), vs. Gettysburg (@ Hood College; W, 68-57), @ Hood College (W, 73-64)
Star Watch: Armin Cane (Sr./G); 17.3 ppg, .472 FG%

Update: It’s been a great two weeks for the Ospreys, who won the Rotary of Frederick Holiday Tournament with an overtime win against Hood over the weekend. Cane was terrific in the tournament, scored 22 points in the championship game and earned the event’s MVP award. It was the fifth consecutive win for Stockton, which enjoys a nice break before facing Alvernia on Jan. 2.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Alvernia (@ DeSales; Jan. 2, 4 PM), vs. TBD (@ DeSales, Jan. 3)

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1. Franklin & Marshall Diplomats (1)
Record: 7-1 (3-0 Centennial)
Last Two Weeks: @ Albright (W, 69-63)
Star Watch: Brandon Federici (Soph./G): 15.9 ppg, .396 3PT%

Update: The Diplomats are in the middle of a three-week break for finals and the holidays, and considering they won their only game of the fortnight, they’re holding onto the top spot at least through the new year. Sophomore guard Matthew Tate had the best offensive game of his career against Albright, going for 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, his second double-figure game in the team’s last three outings. With three more wins, F&M head coach Glenn Robinson will become the fourth coach in NCAA history to reach the 900-win plateau, following Mike Krzyzewski (Army/Duke), Herb Magee (Philly U) and Bob Knight (Army/Indiana/Texas Tech).

Next Two Weeks: @ Carnegie Mellon (Dec. 30, 3 PM), vs. Misericordia (Jan. 2, 3 PM)

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Dropped out: N/A