Bigby out for season
Allen, hamstring
So last time we talked things were good in Husky land. Problem is, the last time we talked hoops was after Christmas Eve. 1 tournament, 1 CAA game, and lots of miles later, the landscape has changed a bit. The Huskies stopped in Orlando on the 29th and 30th for the UCF Holiday Classic. Northeastern drew Princeton in the first round. The result? Another heartbreaking loss, 63-65. Consolation game versus Furman. Who the heck is Furman? Exactly, but they came into the game 8-3 and out-rebounded the Huskies. Another tough game. So the Huskies headed home after their holiday road trip which netted three losses and a pair of wins. After a short stay in Boston, the Huskies hit the air and road again, kicking off their first Virginia
Lima, foot
trip of the year.But this time, Northeastern would be visiting James Madison and Old Dominion without three starters. Alwayne Bigby was lost at the start of the Cancun trip, out for the year with a stress fracture. Late Monday afternoon, Huskies fans were greeted with more bad news when it was learned that CAA First-Teamer Chaisson Allen would not be making the trip to Virginia along with fellow senior Vinny Lima. Allen did not travel with the team as he is recovering from and treating a nagging hamstring injury. Lima, also injured over the holiday break, was scheduled for an MRI on his right foot and is wearing a boot. Three starters down as the Huskies reenter CAA play with tough road matchups in Harrisonburg and Norfolk.
Freshman Alex Harris played a vital role off the bench for the Huskies
We said earlier that the Huskies would surprise some teams this year. They surprised the heck out of James Madison and certainly surprised every Huskies fan. With only nine players dressed and only one guard in reserve (Avenant), Northeastern looked to be in big trouble. Sophomore guard Jon Lee got the start at the point, sophomore Joel Smith started at the 2 spot, sophomore Kauri Black shifted down from the 4 to play small forward, freshman center Ryan Pierson started at power forward, and sophomore center (and Bulgarian hero) Dinko Marshavelski got the start at center. That left only freshmen Alex Harris and Alex Bates, junior Ben Felix, and redshirt freshman Chris Avenant at Bill Coen’s disposal. The Huskies went up against NBA caliber forward Denzel Bowles (18ppg) and three other Dukes averaging at least 10 points per game. JMU had won ten of their thirteen games and four straight. Once the news that Allen and Lima were not playing went public, the line for the game jumped three points immediately. Most thought it wouldn’t even be close. Weren’t we proved wrong.
You can read the game recap here but here’s the short version. The Huskies took the lead early and entered the second half up 38-34. The Dukes, carried by Julius Wells would retake the lead and hold onto it, depsite furious attempts by Northeastern to even the score. Down nine and a point where the Huskies could have easily given up, the Allen-less Huskies thundered back to within one point but last ditch efforts by JMU kept the game out of reach. James Madison took home their second CAA win of the year while the Huskies fell to 0-2 in conference play. Despite the result, I couldn’t be any happier with the loss. Northeastern out-rebounded JMU 27-24 which included 12 offensive boards which led to 13 second chance points. The Huskies also shot over 50% from the field, totaled 18 assists, blocked 4 shots, and recorded 8 steals. Overall, Northeastern played a hell of a game despite being down two starters and their captain (and best player). The difference? Madison’s Julius Wells shot 9-11 from 3 point land. That’s 27 points just from 3 pointers. Simple fact is, if Wells has a normal night, Huskies win.
But what blew everyone away was the poise, composure, and production from such a young team. Sophomore Dinko Marshavelski,
A career high 23 points from Dinko. 23! From Dinko!
who played all of 25 minutes TOTAL last year and is averaging just 3 minutes a game this year, dropped 23 points. 23 points from the Bulgarian beast. Again, 23 points from Dinko. Not only that but 3 blocks! He wasn’t the only Huskies big man to impress. Freshman Ryan Pierson also posted a big game, scoring 17 and pulling down 7 rebounds. Sophomore guard Jon Lee contributed 12 points and 4 assists in a team high 37 minutes played. Sophomore Joel Smith recorded a pair of 6′s (points and rebounds). Freshman Alex Harris, who came off the bench in 22 minutes, added 8 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals. Fact of the day? Only 4 minutes were played by anyone older than a sophomore (Ben Felix). 68% of Northeastern minutes were played by sophomores. 30% of minutes were played by freshmen. 2% played by juniors. 0% played by seniors. Folks, we saw the future last night and boy did it look bright. While we all would have loved to beaten JMU, the fact that we nearly we did with such a young and unproven roster, is astonishing. So while the rest of this is still much of a question mark, what we can assume is this. Next year, and the two years to follow that, are going to be one hell of a ride. Huskies fans are salivating at the thought of this year’s squad, next year’s recruiting class, and a run at a CAA championship and NCAA tourney berth. Because guess what, those last two parts, that’s a reality.
Will we see a repeat performance on Wednesday versus Old Dominion? Who knows. One has to figure that ODU will be prepared for these Allen/Lima-less Huskies. But then again, the Monarchs barely beat lowly Towson Monday night. Until next time, stay classy Northeastern and LET’S GO HUSKIES.
Keeping up with the linkage:
Litos over at CAAHoops has your post-Monday recap http://www.caahoops.com/2011/01/youth-yuck-and-yoga/
As we near Barone Bowl IV, Defiantly Dutch recaps Hofstra’s win over CAA leader Drexel http://defiantlydutch.blogspot.com/2011/01/hofstra-75-drexel-69-or-some-things.html
The improbable UNC-Wilmington train keeps rolling. Brian Mull has everything you need http://hawkshoops.blogs.starnewsonline.com/13421/uncw-hangs-on-to-nip-tribe-61-59-in-williamsburg/
P.S. – Be sure to check out all the new features at the top of the page. RPI, Strength of Schedule, updated standings, and weekly CAA Power Rankings.
