Here we are, already to Thursday, with some tournaments tipping off today, while others are already through the semifinal rounds and looking towards the championship game this week. You have to love postseason basketball, and all the excitement that it brings. There were certainly some notable results last night…including in the PAC, where a top seed fell. Here are my initial thoughts following last night’s results, along with some games to look forward to this evening!
The biggest surprise of the night (in my opinion) was fourth-seeded Chatham’s massive upset of top-seed (and the #24 team in the nation) Washington & Jefferson in the PAC Tournament semifinals. It was such a well-executed game by Chatham, and probably the worst shooting performance for W&J this season. You always hope those cold shooting days don’t come in a tournament game because…well…this can happen.
Chatham didn’t just slip past W&J, the Cougars dominated defensively, holding W&J 0-for-23 from 3-point range in a 57-40 victory. 0-for-23! That’s a big stat right there.
W&J just couldn’t get into a rhythm, and the result of playing such a weak schedule is that the loss, despite the Presidents’ near-perfect 24-3 record, will probably keep them out of the NCAA Tournament. Without the Pool A, there isn’t really a path to the national tournament for them. That is postseason basketball for you.
St. Vincent will play Chatham for the PAC title on Saturday at 4 pm.
In an NJAC classic, TCNJ and NJCU went into OT, with Damaris Rodriguez spearheading the NJCU offensive attack. With a spot in the NJAC title game on the line, Rodriguez scored 33 points, as the Gothic Knights prevailed, 78-74, in a game that came down to the wire.
It was such a fun game to watch, and you wouldn’t have known it was a #1 seed vs #4 seed matchup. TCNJ looked especially sharp for most of the contest, even leading 61-54 with 4:15 left in the 4th quarter. But they then went ice cold offensively, and did not score for the remainder of regulation, as NJCU mounted a 7-0 run. That’s a situation where TCNJ (rightfully so) would feel like they let victory slip away. NJCU hadn’t been great shooting the ball, and one or two more layups from TCNJ probably would have won the game.
But you’ve got to credit NJCU. They’re aiming at a three-peat in the NJAC in Saturday’s championship game against Rowan (who beat Kean 78-68), and yesterday night was the reason why. They are very tough, battle-tested, and somehow seem to always find a way, even at times when chances of victory are doubtful.
Speaking of Rowan, the third-seed in the NJAC Tourney played an exceptional game at second-seeded Kean, winning by 10. This improves Rowan’s Pool C chances, though I still think they’ll need the auto qualifier to make the NCAA Tournament, which means the Profs will have plenty to play for Saturday night. Grace Marshall scored 12 of her 16 points in the 4th quarter for Rowan.
I thought Elizabethtown also looked very strong in its Landmark semifinal game against Catholic, winning 81-64. It seemed like maybe the frustration of being slotted behind Gettysburg and Marymount in this week’s regional rankings came out on the court, because ETown left no doubt against a competitive Catholic squad.
The Blue Jays shot 44% rom the field, 56% from 3-point range, with Cyleigh Wilson connecting on 7-of-9 3-point shots. She had an exceptional game, scoring a team-high 23 points!
Four ETown starters ended up scoring in double figures, and if they manage to get that sort of offensive production in Saturday’s championship game against Scranton, we could see ETown finally pick up that much-needed victory over the Lady Royals. They do have a legitimate Pool C shot, but winning the Pool A would make things a whole lot easier for the Blue Jays come Monday.
Landmark Championship Game: ETown vs Scranton, 2 pm EST, Saturday
All 4 Top 25 teams won pretty convincingly last night…
#3 Scranton def. Moravian, 58-31
#9 DeSales def. Arcadia, 64-54
#13 Messiah def. Widener, 66-39
#17 Babson def. Wheaton (Mass.), 79-41
Some games you should be tracking tonight…
#12 Baldwin Wallace at Marietta (OAC semis), 7 pm EST
Luther at Wartburg (ARC semis), 8 pm EST
Simpson at #Loras (ARC semis), 8 pm EST
Concordia (Wis.) at Wisconsin Lutheran (NACC semis), 8 pm EST
St. Joseph’s (L.I.) at Merchant Marine (Skyline semis), 7 pm EST
Randolph at Guilford (ODAC quarterfinals, Neutral site), 3 pm EST
UMass Dartmouth at Rhode Island College (LEC semis), 5:30 pm EST
Lots to look forward to on the schedule today! Can’t wait to watch all this great basketball!