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Guess who’s back…
Guess who’s back…
Guess who’s back…

That’s right boys & girls in the Buffet-land, do NOT adjust your calendars, it is not March 3, we have not reached the 12 Days of Conference Tourneys …

(the Buffet digs hot Jewish women)

Instead, for your consumption pleasure, the Buffet has decided to open its doors a few weeks early…

We’re in the beginning stages of February, the weather is turning (well, turning towards 100 in Phoenix, home of the Buffet), and conference play has just about a month left to go, so the staff of the Buffet thought we would feed you knowledge of conference races, teams to watch, who is in the Waiting Line, who is already seated at tables.

Grab plates, bring your appetites, it is time to open the Buffet…

American East Conference

Best Non-Conference Win:
Boston Univ. at Northeastern (#65 RPI) 83-75 on November 25

Best Win vs. BCS Conference School:
Univ Maryland-Baltimore Co at Nebraska (#67) 66-64, on December 23

Worst Non-Conference Loss:
Stony Brook at Lafayette 80-71, on November 18

The days of Speedy Claxton, Taylor Coppenrath, Jose-Juan Barea, T.J. Sorrentine, and Jamar Wilson are gone (Then again, so are the days of Northeastern & Hofstra being in the America East), the AmEast has struggled this year, with its best non-conference win, ironically being the Terriers of BU upending Northeastern. It is unclear what happened to the Retrievers of UMBC, who despite losing 2 of 5 starters, still returned both 1st team All-America East performers, but still find themselves bogged down, sitting 7th in conference, at 4-7, 10-13 overall and an RPI of 211.

As we head down the mid-February stretch, with a pit stop for Bracket Buster Saturday, the conference has an interest race with 3 teams within one game of one another, and a 4th within 3 games of the regular season conference title and the Conference tournament #1 seed.

Let’s take a look:

Boston University Terriers (9-2, 14-9, 149 RPI)
Best Win: @ Northeastern (65) 83-75
No BCS Conference wins
Worst Loss: Delaware (232) 68-70

BU had a strong season start, running GW to overtime before falling, then rattling off 4 out of 5 wins, including a road win over Northeastern. After fighting Notre Dame tooth and nail, ending up with a 7 point loss, the wheels fell off a bit, losing their next 4 (5 straight overall, and 6 of 7 including, starting 1-2 in conference. But, confidence renewed with a 1 point loss at Albany, the Terriers have been on a tear, winning 8 straight conference games. Made all the more impressive by the fact that it was after this game that BU lost junior co-captain 6’2 guard Tyler Morris and reserve 6’3 guard Carlos Strong – dealing a serious blow to the team’s backcourt depth (which, apparently, hasn’t surfaced yet)

2 games remain against top AmEast teams (@Vermont & vs. Binghamton), with 3 should be gimmes against Maine, Hartford & @ Stony Brook.

Bracket Buster: home versus Iona (11-13, 179 RPI)

Who to remember:
Jake O’Brien – 6’8 freshman forward, 12.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1 block per game. Not the teams leading scorer (or even second), but his quick ascension as dependable, go-to big man in the wake of the two major injuries has been the key to BU’s in-conference run. Since the injuries, O’Brien has not scored less than double-figures on any occasion.

John Holland – 6’5, sophomore swingman, 18.3 pts, 5.7 rebounds, 2 steals per game. Youth is definitely served for the Terriers, as they are powered by underclassmen, after a freshman year where he averaged 11.4 points and 5 rebounds, he has stepped up his scoring game, raising his 3pt shooting percetage by 8 percentage points (33 to 41%) and has become a sure hand at the line, raising his FT percentage from 65 to 77%.

Corey Lowe – 6’2, junior guard – 17.9 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 1.4 steals per game. The do-it-all man for the Terries, they don’t come more steady or dependable than Lowe – he has developed into a true distributor, struggling his freshman year with a .78 A/TO ratio to a steady 1.22.

Scott Brittain – 6’9 junior forward – 6.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.1 block - once a 3-pt perimeter, BU has adjust on the fly, and no one has seen a bigger jump in playing time and role than Brittain. Playing in a maximum of 15 minutes in the first 14 games (including 3 DNP: Coach’s Decisions and 4 games of 9 minutes or less), Brittain now averages 32.2 minutes per game, and whereas he had 13 points total in the first fourteen, he has averaged 11.3 points per game since, including an 18 & 7 output in a 80-77 win over Maryland Baltimore-County.
Autobid Only.

Vermont Catamounts (17-7, 8-3, RPI: 113)
Best Win: @Albany (127 RPI) 79-70
Best BCS Conference win: nc Colorado (209 RPI) 84-59
Worst Loss: nc Colorado St (166 rpi) 76-82

Vermont has put together a real nice season, and is probably the favorites to win the AmEast tournament – they lost 2 of 3 to start the season, but that was a 1 pt OT loss to George Mason, a 41 point win over Yale, and an OT loss at Maryland. Then came a nice 6 of 7 stretch, following by another 9 of 11 during which they obliterated America East opponents (including a road win over conference leader BU by 14). This team is a top AmEast conference tourney contender.

Remaining Schedule: 3 straight home games versus Hartford, Boston U, and Stony Brook. Travel to face UMBC, and finish off at Maine – with a home Bracket Buster match with MAC upstart Buffalo (sadly, without Turner Battle)

Who to Watch:
Mike Trimboli – 6’1 senior G – 15.6 points, 4.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 2 steals per game. A former 1st and 2nd team America East performance, Trimboli has seen a bit of a dip in his scoring production (down from 17.9 last year), but that’s more due to the emergence of Colin McIntosh as a scoring option (Trimboli’s shooting percentages are virtually identical and his TO’s are way down (2.9 from 3.7, and a 1.65 A/TO ratio) … and he seems to do it when the chips are down (24 in the win over Colorado, 20 in the win at Albany), but when he doesn’t they are in trouble (8 points in the 29 point loss to Pitt and 9 in the season opening OT loss to George Mason)

Marqus Blakley, 6’5 junior F – 15.7 points, 2.3 assists, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 blocks – very few people play bigger at 6’5 than Marqus Blakely, first-team all conference a year ago, Blakley has had to learn to share, with Colin McIntosh nearly doubling his scoring output, Blakely has picked up his shooting game, but has learned to watch the offense go through other places to the benefit of the team. Like Trimboli, he performs when it is needed (19 & 14 vs. Pitt, 27 & 11 versus Dartmouth, and a 23/20 monster performance against Maine).

Colin McIntosh, 6’8 senior F – talk about stepping up your game – a year ago, in a reserve role, he averaged not even 7 points per game, and under 3 ½ rebounds, and couldn’t hit water if he fell off a yacht. This year, he has upped his game to 13.2 points per, 5.4 rebounds, and is shooting 51% from the field, 73% from the line and 45% per three-point attempt. He is a major reason why, although 1 game back in the conference Vermont remains odds on favorite to win the bid.
Autobid Only.

Binghamton Bearcats (8-3, 15-8, 123 RPI)
Best Win: vs. Vermont (111) 91-83 OT; @Vermont (111) 85-83
Best BCS Conference Win: @Rutgers (I bet SUNJ did not cover at the RAC on this one) (162) 66-56
Worst Loss: @Bucknell (299) 60-63

Until America East play started, it was an ugly go for the Bearcast, a 7-6 start that was padded with wins over a Non-D1 school, four 200+ RPI schools like Tulane, Marist, Quinnipiac, and Utah Valley and victories over Rider (140) and Rutgers (162), that aren’t exactly resume stuffing wins. But once we moved in-conference, Binghamton found their sea legs – starting off with 3 straight wins, including an 91-83 overtime thriller versus Vermont, they’ve gotten off to a 8-3 start and sit only one game out of 1st.
Remaining Schedule includes a tilt this evening versus the 4th place sitting Great Danes of Albany, road games at conference leader Boston Univ and Hartford, before finishing at home versus New Hampshire & UMBC.

Who to Watch:
D.J. Rivera – 6’4, Junior G – 20.4 pts, 6.2 rebounds, 1.6 steals. This guy makes Brady Anderson’s 1996 downright predictable, after averaging 4.4 points and 10.2 minutes a game in 2007-08, Rivera has become a dynamic player in the move from the Atlantic 10 (St. Joseph’s) to the America East – becoming a 20 point per game scorer, grabbing 5 more rebounds per game, and shooting 49% from the field (versus 27). If SUNY-Binghamton goes, DJ Rivera went.

Malik Alvin – 5’11 Jr G (JuCo transfer) – 12.1 points, 4.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals – The Buffet loves when a point guard gives it reason to use 4 different categories in the Who to Watch segement, and Little Alvin does just that. He is doubly-important to watch, because after missing a game with a knee injury, he attempted to come back in Binghamton’s last game versus Stony Brook (a last second OT win where Emanuel Maybin hit the gw jumper with 3.8 left), but could only give 7 minutes before tweaking his ankle.

Dwayne “Not the Rock” Jackson – 6’3 Sr G – 11.7 points, 3.8 rebounds – Well, if you want to watch this DJ, start buying some early season game tape, beginning with the January 19th game against Hartford. Maybe he just didn’t want DJ Rivera to be the only DJ to get a suspension by the school this season, as Rivera was suspended for causing an incident at Wal-Mart prior to the season’s start.

Emanuel Maybin – 6’3 Jr G – 9.7 pts, 4.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds – if there’s one thing the Buffet respects, it is stepping up. Dwayne Jackson gets suspended, two games later Maybin puts up the first 20 point game of his college career. Malik Alvin goes down with a knee injury, Maybin found 31 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists in a clutch 85-83 road win over Vermont. 19.6 points per game later, and suddenly we’ve got a new player in the America East conference.
Autobid Only.

Best of the rest, Who to Watch:

Will Harris, Albany – 6’6, Jr F – 13.1 points, 6.5 rebounds

Tim Ambrose, Albany – 6’0 Soph G – 13.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists

Anthony Raffa, Albany – 6’0 Fr G – 11.1 points, 3.8 rebounds

Muhammad El-Amin, Stony Brook – 6’5 Jr G – 15.3 points, 2.7 rebs

Bryan Dougher, Stony Brook – 6’1 Fr G – 11.6 points, 1.1 steals

Tyrece Gibbs, New Hampshire- 6’3 Sr G – 13.6 points, 4.3 rebs

Alvin Abreu, New Hampshire- 12.1 pts, 2 asts, 2.7 rebs

Darryl Proctor, UMBC – 6’4 Sr. F – 19.9 pts, 8.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals

Jay Greene, UMBC – 5’8 Sr G – 11.7 pts, 6.6 assists, 3.2 rebs

Chauncey Gilliam, UMBC – 6’5 Fr G – 10.2 pts, 4.2 rebounds

Mark Socoby, Maine - 6’5 Jr. G – 13.1 pts, 4.3 rebs, 2.8 asts, 1.8 steals

Gerald McLemore, Maine – 6’3 Fr. G – 12 pts, 2.5 rebs, 1.4 steals

Joe Zeglinski, Hartford – 6’0 Jr G – 15.3 pts, 5.5 rebs, 2.5 asts, 1.3 steals

Jaret Von Rosenberg, Hartford – 6’2 Sr G - 13.1 pts, 4.5 rebs, 3.8 asts, 1.4 steals

Michael Turner, Hartford - 6’5 Sr. G-F – 11.0 pts, 5.9 rebs, 2.7 asts, 1.4 steals

America East Snacks from the Buffet

Former Temple standout Marc Macon is an assistant with Binghamton

Binghamton Junior Malik Alvin is the cousin of the late Walter Payton

Binghamton Junior and St. Joe’s transfer D.J. Rivers is the nephew of the late Hank Gathers.

Binghamton Junior forward David Fine is the son of Syracuse Associate Head B’Ball Coach Bernie Fine

The Trials and Tribulations of Theo Davis – committed to Texas, a top-5 pick, decommitted, thought about Iowa State, got into more trouble, played junior college, went to Gonzaga, got caught with mushrooms with Josh Heytvelt, left the school to go back towards the Northeast to be close to his family and his ailing father, now has landed at Binghamton.

Coach’s Son Alert – Boston Terrier senior G/F Matt Wolff is son of head coach Denis Wolff
Hartford sophomore forward Kevin Estes is the younger brother of former 49er and Buffalo Bill offensive lineman Patrick Estes.

Coach’s son alert: UNH freshman guard Ryan Herrion is the son of UNH head coach Bill Herrion, and nephew of Univ of Pittsburgh associate head coach Tom Herrion

UNH Sophomore Forward Rony Tchatchoua lists among his aspirations, “to play basketball overseas someday” – sort of aiming low, aren’t we Rony?

UNH Sophomore Guard Tyrone Conley is a “relative” (yes, the media guide just says “relative”) of Memphis Bust of a First Rounder Mike Conley Jr. – The Buffet assumes that also means he is a “relative” of former Olympian Mike Conley Sr.

UNH Sophomore Forward Radar Ongeutou, from Cameroon, counts UCLA forward Alfred Aboya as a relative

Vermont Jr. G Maurice Joseph’s brother, Kris, plays for Cuse in the House

Vermont’s coaching staff knows a thing or two about the rigors of playing D-1 Hoops, Hajj Turner played for both Denny Crum & Rick Pitino at Syracuse and assistant coach, Matt Hahn was a Maryland Terrapin hoops player, captain as a senior, and played for Gary Williams. His father, Billy Hahn, was an assistant with Maryland during his time there.