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Posted Feb. 14, 2008

It’s not about the wins and losses yet, at Ursinus, and it’s nice to be able to say that when you’re 20-2, 15-0 in Centennial Conference play, and ranked 19th in the D3hoops.com Top 25.

Nick Shattuck and Ursinus are rolling. Ursinus photo by Drew Hallowell

“What’s important to us is to get better,” said assistant coach Brian McEvily, filling in on a conversation earlier this week, while head coach Kevin Small battled the flu. “We want to be peaking at the end of the season.”

Last season, the Bears didn’t peak at this time. They valleyed. Ursinus was 16-6 a year ago this week, but then dropped four consecutive games to close the season, all by single digits, including a loss to Haverford in the league semifinals. This season’s team, one that switched its starting lineup to include four guards instead of three, has put itself into pretty good position with the way it has played so far.

“We never, in a million years thought we’d be where we would be today,” said assistant coach, Brian McEvily, filling in while head coach Kevin Small battled a nasty flu.

In a year in which the Mid-Atlantic region doesn’t have a lot of standout teams, Ursinus has one, and has a standout player as well, 6-5 senior guard Nick Shattuck, who has followed up winning player of the year honors last season by averaging better than 22 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, shooting 55 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range.

“We tried to find a way to rebuild our team around Nick,” McEvily said “The way that the season ended last year, losing our last three games and than losing in the conference semis, there was a sour taste, especially for Nick. He knew this was his team and he’s been a great leader.”

Shattuck follows a pretty good line of players who have preceded him, including assistant coach Dennis Stanton, whom we’ve previously profiled here. What sets Shattuck apart is his unselfish play. McEvily noted there are times they’re surprised when they see he put up 20-plus points in the box score, because he gets it done with efficiency.

“Nick gives us the flexibility to play four guards, but still guard a two-forward set,” said McEvily, a former Shattuck teammate for two seasons as well. “He’s at his best offensively when he allows the game to come to him. His wingspan and length allow him to cover posts that outweigh him and are taller than him. At the same time, it allows him to take advantage of his quickness on the offensive end.”

Ursinus has the luxury of being able to play four guards because it starts a 6-11 center, Michael Shema, from Switzerland, who alters his share of shots just by his presence, which may explain why opponents are shooting under 40 percent from the field and 30 percent from 3-point range.  “He’s played beyond our expectations,” McEvily said.

The three other guards in the lineup are point guard Remy Cousart, sharpshooting Matt Hilton, a transfer from James Madison, and John Noonan, the latter two of whom have aided this team’s cause significantly with their shooting.

“Without (Matt and John), this whole season would be completely different,” Shattuck said. “They take a lot of the pressure off me and allow me to get better looks.”

Ursinus’ season turned when it went to Florida for winter break and came back with two wins, including one over Middlebury. The Bears then returned home to get a non-league win over Trinity, giving them two good measuring-stick victories against some of the top teams in the NESCAC. They haven’t lost since.

“We had a couple of really good defensive games in Florida and felt that if we could play at that level, we could play at a very high level this year,” Shattuck said. “Once we came home and beat Trinity, I think our guys started believing we had a good team.”

So with the improvement being on just getting better, what is Ursinus focusing on heading into the stretch run. “Just a few kinks in the chain,” said Shattuck, noting the team’s continuous focus on defense. There’s no concern that last year’s struggles will surface again.

A CASE OF THE SELECTION MONDAYS: We are about two and half weeks away from the end of the regular season and the announcement of the tournament teams. And while there are teams we seem to talk about on a yearly basis that will probably be dancing in March, there are a few that surprised us last year and got us thinking we might see them again.

But, as they say, what looks good on paper doesn't necessarily translate on the court. Here are a few men's teams that made somewhat surprising runs last season at this time and led many, including myself, to expect them to be playing once again this March ... but at this point won't be, barring conference tournament runs.

Averett (11-11, 5-4): Though they lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament last year, it was to Virginia Wesleyan. This year, hopes were high coming off a 20-6 season. And while the team was only 3-5 when they faced independent and GSAC power Maryville over the holidays, it got a win in that game gave the Cougars hope they could make a solid run in the second half of the season. That run has never materialized and left Averett at 11-11 overall right now and a very outside chance of even winning the USAC title to get into the NCAA Tournament.

Hampden-Sydney (11-10, 5-9): The Tigers only got into the NCAA Tournament last season thanks to wins in the ODAC Tournament over Virginia Wesleyan and eventually Roanoke in the title game. But they won seven of their last eight before running back into Virginia Wesleyan in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. But that success late showed that possibly the Tigers had returned to their old winning ways and would contend in the ODAC this season. But after starting the season 7-1 with seven straight season, Hampton-Sydney hasn't won two games in a row since starting ODAC play and lost two or more in a row three times. The Tigers need another miracle run in the ODAC Tournament to get back to the NCAA tournament, again.

Hood (14-8, 8-5): The newcomer to the Capital Athletic Conference and regular season champion last season game up just short on a CAC Tournament title, but was still invited to post season play with their 21-7 record. This year, they returned Senior guard Ryan Junghans and senior center Jesse Gutekunst, and with a new CAC, Hood was the easy favorite. But after Gutekunst became academically ineligible in January, the Blazers have come a part and while they are still sitting third right now in the conference, they will have to play at, and against much better opponents in Mary Washington or York to have any chance to win the CAC title and get the AQ.

Keene State (13-9, 6-5): Not the season a team that entered the NCAA tournament with a 23-5 record and made it to the Sweet 16 last year had planned. After a big win over Calvin around the holidays, Keene State looked to be heading in the right direction. But four losses in the next five games derailed the Owls and has left them sitting in fourth in the Little East Confernece, behind Mass-Dartmouth, Rhode Island College, and surprising Southern Maine.

Manhattanville (15-6, 7-2): the Valiants had what looked like an impressive 23-5 record last year entering the NCAA tournament. But, they faced Guilford in the first game and were easily bounced from the tournament. This year's move to the MAC Freedom left plenty of questions, but proved that the switch to a tougher conference may take some time to adjust to. Manhattanville isn't even ranked in the first regional rankings, meaning they will probably have to win the MACF automatic bid. They did beat DeSales the other day rather easily, but that gave them a split in the season series and means they will probably have to find a way to beat DeSales on the road again, to get back in the tournament.

Williams (15-7, 2-5): At this point last year, the Ephs were in the middle of winning eight of 10 games and making a surprise run into the NCAA Tournament thanks to shocking wins against Amherst and Trinity (Conn.) in the NESCAC tournament. They continued that success right into this season and up until a few weeks ago were considered one of the Top 5 teams in the nation. But five straight losses have left Williams with a 2-5 record in the NESCAC and should they lose another, a real chance of missing out of the conference tournament -- which means no NCAA berth.

There are certainly other teams you could argue disappointed this season. By my count, there are at least 15 teams from last year's men's tournament with little or no hope of making the postseason this season.

WORTH WATCHING: No bad weekends from here on out, as we get closer to Selection Sunday.

Saturday
Men
No. 6 Rochester at No. 10 Brandeis: The last time these teams met, it started a three-game losing streak for the Judges, including two games at home. While it seems Brandeis may have righted the ship, their last four wins come at the expense of the bottom two teams in the UAA. Remember that last time, however, Terrell Hollins and Stephen Hill each missed extended periods with early foul trouble and combined for just 11 points. Brandeis collapsed on big men Jon Onyiriuka and Uche Ndubizu, but Onyiruka in particular made them pay by dishing out five assists. At the time it seemed like Brandeis could turn around its narrow margin of defeat when it got Rochester at home.

Women's
Bowdoin at No. 21 Tufts: Big day for the Jumbos and the NESCAC because there are all sorts of scenarios that could shake out regarding playoff positioning, in a league in which five teams are competing for the top spot. Tufts hasn’t beaten Bowdoin in more than a decade and needs to shake off the struggles it had in a surprising loss to Williams. The matchup figures to be one in which Tufts has the edge in terms of height and shooting ability, but Bowdoin is the better ballhandling team. A win for Tufts would be a school-record 20th. A win for Bowdoin would put them in position to clinch the NESCAC’s top spot with a win at Bates on Saturday.

Saturday
Men's
No. 2 UW-Whitewater at No. 9 UW-Stevens Point: If you live anywhere near UW-Stevens Point, this is a game to be at, and we imagine it will be a tough ticket, even in a 2,800-seat gym. Two great shooting teams (both of whom hit better than 50 percent from the field) go head-to-head in a much-anticipated matchup that has been looming for more than two months. The teams last met in December, and one player key to UW-Whitewater’s 83-77 probably won’t be playing. The Warhawks will need to play big inside without Rob Perry (broken foot), who scored 23 points in that victory.

No. 21 Puget Sound at Whitworth: The NWC’s regular-season champ may end up with more losses than any other league titlist, and with seven of nine teams at .500 or better, that tells you something about league parity. Both these teams enter the weekend sputtering a bit. This is the second straight weekend on the road for the Loggers, who have dropped two of three. Whitworth is thrilled to be home, having dropped three straight.

No. 23 Virginia Wesleyan at Randolph-Macon: Both teams are chasing Guilford for the top seed in the ODAC. Both teams are outscoring their opponents by about 12 points a game this season, but are holding opponents to 66 points or less a game. VWC will hope to repeat its defensive effort last time they faced RMC, keeping the Yellow Jackets to 38 points in RMC's worst loss of the season. Michael Rhoades’ teams are known for aggressive perimeter defense and held the Marlins to 56 points, though they were 5-for-11 from downtown. VWC has dangerous weapons in Ton Ton Balenga and Tyler Fantin, while Randolph-Macon has Justin Short's hot hand from the outside to complement Jeremy Dixon on the inside. And there is a lot at stake, since the No. 2 seed avoids potential top seed Guilford as long as possible.

Women’s
No. 3 UW-Whitewater at UW-Stevens Point: While UW-Whitewater is playing to try to salt away the top spot in the WIAC, there’s also significant Pool C implications for UW-Stevens Point, the No. 6 seed in the always-loaded Central Region. The Pointers probably can’t afford much more damage in the loss column, and a win to supplement the one they got earlier this week against UW-Eau Claire would probably help their standing significantly.

No. 22 Marymount at No. 4 Mary Washington: First place in the CAC is at stake, as well as the No. 2 ranking in the Atlantic Region, with the two teams each entering 20-2, 12-1. Marymount is the hot team, while Mary Washington stumbled slightly with a loss at St. Mary’s (Md.) on Wednesday. Player to watch is Marymount sophomore star Kathleen Brown who is developing into a star, averaging 19.7 points and 7.6 rebounds. Mary Washington dominated for stretches in the team’s first meeting before coasting to a 12-point win.

Sunday
No. 7 Washington U. at Emory: Emory’s 22-point road loss in mid-January was part of an eminently forgettable weekend for the Eagles, who lost by 26 at Chicago two days later. Since then, Emory has gone 2-4, though the only potentially surprising result in that lot was a home 78-71 loss to NYU.  Wash U won’t come in unprepared considering Rochester lost at Emory earlier in the season, and has to expect the Eagles to shoot better than their 5-for-16 from three-point range in the earlier meeting. Emory was outrebounded 41-28 and probably doesn’t have the size to win that battle, so will have to compensate by hitting more shots and forcing turnovers.

Women's
No. 23 Washington U. at Emory: When on its game, Emory is pretty impressive, and the Eagles are 4-5 in the UAA after having won five league games just once in the previous five years. Zoe Unruh presents a potential matchup problem as a 6-0 small forward, while freshman post player Kathryn Berger is a little more seasoned than she was in shooting 4-for-10 in the first meeting. Unruh, Berger and Janice Evans (5-10) combined for 13 offensive rebounds the last time around, though it’s to Emory’s credit that they allowed just nine second-chance points. Emory forward Lora Turner was held below her scoring average the last time around, as the starting five shot 10-for-27 aside from LeShonda Lillard’s 7-for-14 performance.

If you have a tip or note, send it to atn@d3hoops.com.

Previous columns
2007-08 columns
March 6: Faith restored
Feb. 27: John Jay, Cinderella
Feb. 21: No safety net
Feb. 14: Ursinus better enough
Feb. 8: Hope-TMC on collision course
Jan. 31: Plattsburgh's big shot
Jan. 24: UMD answers call
Jan. 18: Like Bosko, like son
Jan. 11: Keystone stakes
Dec. 13: Unstoppable
Dec. 7: UWW aiming deeper
Nov. 30: Coach's shadow lingers
Nov. 15: Strong duo
2006-07 columns
2005-06 columns
2004-05 columns
2003-04 columns
2002-03 columns
2001-02 columns

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