City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Competition is fierce to get into the CoBL Division III power poll, with even a mediocre two weeks proving to be enough to knock strong teams out of the bottom half of the top 10.

On the flip side, what that means is that there’s plenty of high-quality Division III hoops to be seen in Southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey.

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Others to Watch: Alvernia (8-8, 4-3 MAC Commonwealth), Cabrini (8-6, 6-2 CSAC), Centenary (9-6, 5-3 CSAC), Lebanon Valley (11-5, 5-2 MAC Commonwealth), Muhlenberg (7-7, 4-4 Centennial), Neumann (9-6, 5-3 PSAC), Penn State-Harrisburg (10-5, 5-3 Capital)

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10. Stockton Ospreys (5)
Record: 11-5 (6-3 NJAC)
Last Two Weeks: vs. New Jersey City (L, 74-69), @ Ramapo (L, 70-64), vs. Montclair State (W, 84-71), @ Kean (W, 87-54)
Star Watch: Jaymere Hadden (Jr./F)--15.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Update: The losses against NJ City and Ramapo made it three in a row for the Ospreys, who hadn’t lost three straight since dropping their final three games of the 2010-11 season. Their spot in the rankings won’t last if they have another average two weeks, with could happen with road games against a 12-4 (7-2) Rutgers-Newark squad and then a TNJC group that dealt them a 76-70 loss back in December on Stockton’s home court. Hadden, a 6-4 forward from Millville (N.J.), has been playing very consistently over the last two months; he’s scored between 12 and 24 points and grabbed between two and six rebounds in each of the team’s last nine games.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Rowan (Jan. 20, 8 PM), @ Rutgers-Newark (Jan. 23, 8 PM), @ TCNJ (Jan. 27, 8 PM), vs. William Paterson (Jan. 30, 1 PM)

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9. Swarthmore Garnet (8)
Record: 12-3 (6-2 Centennial)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Gettysburg (W, 71-62), @ Franklin & Marshall (L, 57-54), @ Johns Hopkins (L, 60-49), vs. Dickinson (W, 82-68), vs. McDaniel (W, 59-54)
Star Watch: Chris Boune (Jr./F) 14.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg

Update: Where to rank Swarthmore was the toughest call this week. On one hand, the Garnet lost two games out of the No. 8 slot, which would be reason enough to drop them out entirely. On the other hand, they beat Gettysburg, who we have ranked above them, and there’s no shame in losing at Franklin & Marshall--especially in such an emotional game for the Diplomats (see below). So they stay in the rankings for now, with a tough two weeks ahead--including a return game at Gettysburg--to show if they deserve the ranking.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Muhlenberg (Jan. 20, 8 PM), vs. Gettysburg (Jan. 23, 3 PM), vs. Haverford (Jan. 27, 8 PM), @ Johns Hopkins (Jan. 30, 3 PM)

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8. Delaware Valley Aggies (6)
Record: 12-3 (3-1 MAC Freedom)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Manhattanville (W, 73-52), @ Wilkes (L, 60-57)
Star Watch: Chris Moran (Sr./F)--18.7 ppg, 10.4 rpg

Update: The Aggies looked like they were storming towards the upper half of the poll after beating Swarthmore to begin the new year, but a loss to a Wilkes side that’s only 6-9 stalls that rise for another two weeks. Moran, as he’s been doing all season, put together back-to-back double-doubles with 12 points, 11 rebounds against Wilkes after going for 14 & 10 in the win over Manhattanville. However, his 5-of-13 performance in the loss was representative of a team that shot just 32.7 percent (18-of-55) overall in that one. The game against DeSales on Saturday will help determine who’s in the drivers’ seat of the MAC Freedom conference for now, though they’ll meet again on Dec. 6 in Center Valley.

Next Two Weeks: @ FDU-Florham (Jan. 20, 8 PM), vs. DeSales (Jan. 23, 3 PM), @ Misericordia (Jan. 27, 8 PM), vs. Eastern (Jan. 30, 3 PM)

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7. Gwynedd Mercy Griffins (OW)
Record: 10-5, (8-0 CSAC)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Keystone (W, 88-62), vs. Marywood (93-71), @ Rosemont (W, 103-71), vs. Summit (W, 99-54), @ Centenary (W, 90-68)
Star Watch: Cedric Elleby (Jr./F)--16.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg

Update: The Griffins are finally establishing themselves as the team to beat in the Colonial States Athletic Conference, winning five straight in league play over the last two weeks to go up by two games over Cabrini and three more over the rest of the CSAC. The Griffins don’t really have a bad loss on the schedule (@ Arcadia, @ Stockton, @ D-II West Chester) and now seem to really be hitting their stride thanks to the strong play of Elleby, a 6-3 Delsea (N.J.) grad, who had three double-doubles over those five wins; senior point guard Darnell Artis (13.8 ppg, 4.8 apg) and junior forward Arron Goodman (14.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg) also continue to play at a high level.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Cairn (Jan. 20, 8 PM), @ Immaculata (Jan. 23, 3 PM), vs. Cabrini (Jan. 27, 8 PM), @ Keystone (Jan. 30, 1 PM)

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6. Gettysburg Bullets (7)
Record: 12-3 (7-1 Centennial)
Last Two Weeks: @ Swarthmore (L, 71-62), vs. Haverford (W, 92-47), vs. Washington (W, 65-52), @ Ursinus (W, 65-59), @ Muhlenberg (W, 75-67)
Star Watch: Cody Kiefer (Jr./F) 12.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg

Update: The Bullets stumbled a little into the new year with a road loss at Swarthmore on Jan. 7, but since then, they have rattled off four consecutive victories. Gettysburg has also maintained a perfect home record (6-0) this season. And that's good news for the Bullets, as all three of their next games -- Franklin & Marshall, Swarthmore, McDaniel -- all take place in Gettysburg.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Franklin & Marshall (Jan. 20, 8 p.m.), vs. Swarthmore (Jan. 23, 3 p.m.), vs. McDaniel (Jan. 27, 8 p.m.), @ Washington College (Jan. 30, 2 p.m.)

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5. Arcadia Knights (3)
Record: 12-4 (5-2 MAC Commonwealth)
Last Two Weeks: vs. Rutgers-Newark (W, 75-71 OT), vs. DeSales (L, 79-77), @ Stevenson (L, 76-58), @ Alvernia (W, 69-61), vs. Albright (W, 72-69
Star Watch: Ryan Kelley (Jr./G)--14.3 ppg, 3.6 apg, .571 3PT%

Update: After squeaking by Rutgers-Newark, Arcadia then suffered its first set-back in over a month, going behind by 17 at the half against DeSales and then falling short in a comeback bid. To follow that up, the Knights shot just 36 percent from the floor and were out-rebounded by 14 in a loss to Stevenson, but bounced back against Alvernia and Albright to steady the ship. Teams that let Kelley get free beyond the 3-point arc suffer the consequences; he dropped 23 on 5-of-6 from 3-point range against Albright and matched that number against Stevenson as the only member of his team in double figures. Freshman Josh Scott also had a solid two weeks, including a 22-point, 11-rebound game against Alvernia.

Next Two Weeks: @ Widener (Jan. 20, 8 PM), @ Hood (Jan. 23, 3 PM), vs. Stevenson (Jan. 30, 3 PM)

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4. DeSales Bulldogs (10t)
Record: 11-4 (3-1 MAC Freedom)
Last Two Weeks: @ Arcadia (W, 79-77), vs. King’s (W, 72-70), @ FDU-Florham (W, 84-61)
Star Watch: Cody Deal (Sr./F), 13.4 ppg, 94.1 FT %

Update: No team rose more this week than DeSales, though they were also the only team in the bottom seven not to drop a game over the last fortnight--and the win at Arcadia helps give them an extra boost. The Bulldogs only loss in their last eight games came in two overtimes to Berkeley College (NY) on a neutral court. The rest of the DeSales schedule is in the MAC Freedom conference, where the team currently sits at 3-1, tied for first with Del Val.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Wilkes (Jan. 20, 8 p.m.), @ Delaware Valley (Jan. 23, 3 p.m.), vs. Eastern (Jan. 27, 8 p.m.), @ King's (Jan. 30, 3 p.m.)

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3. Franklin & Marshall Diplomats (4)
Record: 13-2 (8-0 Centennial)
Last Two Weeks: @ McDaniel (W, 69-43), vs. Swarthmore (W, 57-54), @ Haverford (W, 87-56), vs. Johns Hopkins (W, 63-60), @ Washington (W, 82-72)
Star Watch: Hunter Eggers (Jr./G)--12.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg

Update: It’s six wins in a row now for Franklin & Marshall, who haven’t lost since the calendary turned to 2016. Their third in a row, the win over Swarthmore on Jan. 9, was an extra-special one for head coach Glenn Robinson, who became the fourth coach in NCAA history with 900 wins. Eggers, a junior guard from Greenwich, Conn., scored in double figures in four of the five games, including a team-best 22 points in that Swarthmore win. The Diplomats can put a little distance between themselves and the rest of the Centennial if they take care of business the next two weeks; a win at Gettysburg would put them two games up on the Bullets and Garnet with each team having one shot left over the remaining nine games.

Next Two Weeks: @ Gettysburg (Jan. 20, 8 PM), vs. McDaniel (Jan. 23, 3 PM), @ Dickinson (Jan. 27, 8 PM), vs. Haverford (Jan. 30, 3 PM)

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2. Susquehanna Crusaders (1)
Record: 15-1 (6-1 Landmark)
Last Two Weeks: @ Scranton (W, 78-63), vs. USMMA (W, 91-72), vs. Juniata (W, 60-55), @ Drew (L, 76-74)
Star Watch: Steven Weidlich (Jr./G)--15.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg

Update: A 15-game winning streak that marks the best start in program history came to an end when the No. 11 Crusaders couldn’t get a game-tying shot after Drew took its final lead with six seconds to play. Weidlich, a 6-1 guard New Jersey native out of Watchung Hills, dropped 19 points in the wins over Scranton and Merchant Marine, and he’s shooting 35.8 percent from 3-point range for the season. Looking ahead, both Goucher and E-town are near the bottom of the Landmark standings, but Susquehanna has a big challenge next Wednesday at a Catholic U squad that they beat only 87-81 at home back in December; Josh Miller’s 26 points led five Crusaders in double-figures in that win.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Goucher (Jan. 20, 7 PM), vs. Elizabethtown (Jan. 23, 2 PM), @ Catholic (Jan. 27, 7 PM)

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1. Lancaster Bible Chargers (2)
Record: 12-0 (6-0 NEAC)
Last Two Weeks: @ Penn College (W, 109-52), vs. PSU-Abington (W, 108-60), @ Cazenovia (W, 92-77), @ Morrisville State (W, 97-66)
Star Watch: C.J. Dunston (Sr., F)--15.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg

Update: The only undefeated team left in the region--one of four left nationally in Division III hoops--moves up to the top spot after four victories that came by an average of 37.8 points. Dunston, a 6-5 native of Elkton (Md.) and the second-tallest member of the Chargers, put up a double-double in the win over Cazenovia (26 points, 12 rebounds), while also scoring 18 against Penn College and 14 against Morrisville State. Senior guard Dondre Perry, the team’s third-leading scorer (14.0 ppg), is only 11 points from 1,000.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Keuka (Jan. 22, 5:30 PM), vs. Wells (Jan. 23, 1 PM), @ Valley Forge (Jan. 26, 8 PM), vs. Wilson (Jan. 29, 5:30 PM), vs. Gallaudet (Jan. 30, 1 PM)

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Dropped out: Lebanon Valley (9), Penn State-Harrisburg (10t)