South Carolina State (63) at Delaware State (60) 01/06/18

#52 of 351   14% complete

I stayed overnight at my cousin Brian’s house who lives about 45 miles west of Philadelphia. Brain accompanied me to this game which is his first in Operation 351. He is a sports aficionado and volunteered to serve up his home as the alpha base for all future games in Pennsylvania. Welcome aboard Brian!

Delaware State is across the street from the Dover Raceway which hosts NASCAR events.
As you can tell, we were not quite sure if this was the entrance to the arena.

IMG_1670

This was my first visit to a primarily black populated school. I did expect to see a rousing pep band with an energetic cheer and dance leading squad. Sadly, there was none of that tonight. There was also not much of a student section represented either. However, what made up for it all were the adults probably most of them parents from both sides dancing and cheering on their teams. There was a gentleman from Delaware State working really hard to get the crowd involved.

IMG_1671.JPG

As someone said on Twitter after I posted a picture, “Yikes that’s a Div 1 gym?”. I replied that I have seen smaller like St. Francis of Brooklyn.  Both teams have horrible win and loss records but it was one exciting game. As I told Brian afterwards, this particular game does not warrant a speck on the college basketball universe but in itself, it was a very exciting game to watch between two evenly matched teams. I was very glad to have witnessed this event.

IMG_1675.JPG

IMG_1673.JPG

Yes there is one Caucasian ball player on the court. His name is Artem Tavakalyan #34 from Moscow Russia. I wonder if he knew when he signed up that that he was playing on a …. never mind. He is the leading scorer for Delaware State but you have to wonder about the dynamics of a Russian playing with a black college team.

IMG_1676.JPG

Both of these teams play in the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference joining other black colleges like Hampton and Morgan State from the mid Atlantic region.

So here is the exciting part! The score is tied at 60 with 10 seconds left. South Carolina State in bounds the ball.  Senior guard Patrell Rogers races down the sideline and launches a side leaning 30 foot three point shot to win the game. The Hornet fans were in a state of shock. It was a fitting end to a hard fought game from both sides.

IMG_1677

That’s a South Carolina State proud mother celebrating!

Next game:  Southern at Mississippi Valley State         01/15/18

William & Mary (90) at Delaware (65) 01/05/2018

#51 of 351   14% complete

After a disappointing cancellation of my two Buffalo area games (Buffalo and Niagara) in December due to snow, I was eager to get back on the Operation 351 saddle.  My travels today involved a 4 hour ride from Connecticut to Newark, Delaware home of the Delaware Blue Hens.

 

Do not ever mispronounce Newark to a native Newark resident in Delaware. The correct pronunciation is NewARK with the emphasis on the second syllable.  There should never be any association with their dirty cousins from New Jersey.  If you want anymore information on what a Delaware Blue Hen looks like, here you go: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware_Blue_Hen.

After a unhealthy plate of wings and beer at Tailgaters, I was off to see the my first game of the new year. Walking from the parking lot to the front door in below zero weather revived me from the long drive from the north.

IMG_1663.JPG

Let me state that Delaware’s arena, cheer leaders, the dance team and the pep band were top notch. The team was not this night. William & Mary is damn good and not a team that I would like to face in March.  They rank 6th nationally in 3 pointers made (11.5) and average 87 points a game ranking 14th. They lead the nation in three point percentage (46.2) and rank 2nd in free throw percentage (80.6). The Blue Hens never stood a chance.

But let’s talk about what I view as the stupidest half time game witnessed by yours truly since his mission began. I will call it the Burrito game for lack of a better name. Each contestant was giving a silver tarp and 5 different colored pom poms. Each color represented an item that you would put in a burrito. For example, the green pom pom would represent lettuce. Each contestant had to run back and forth to the poms poms and place it in the silver tarp (the burrito). The first one to complete this task was the winner. Mind you, I had no idea what was going on during this contest. I asked a student later on who filled me in on the details. It was one of those “Seriously?” moments.

IMG_1662.JPG

I love college traditions during a game and keep a lookout for one with each visit.  When a Delaware player would shoot a foul shot, someone in the pep band would yell before hand in a loud voice “Hands up!”.  The pep band and cheerleaders would raise their hands. Now this is nothing new but it was the authoritative voice of this gentleman that gave it some class. I could imagine that being chosen for this special honor is a long time Delaware tradition passed down through the ages.

IMG_1665

I was impressed with two players from William & Mary. Nathan Knight a big 6’10” forward was unstoppable underneath with 25 points and provided a good foil to the Tribe’s torrent three point shooting. He is from the Syracuse area so I was wondering how the Cuse missed on this guy. Matt Milon was on fire from three point land. He was a transfer from Boston College where he only averaged 5 points a game. He could not miss tonight and finished with 22 points.

IMG_1666

That was a terrible final shot of the scoreboard. W&M 90 Delaware 65.

Next Game: South Carolina State at Delaware State                          01/06/18

UMASS Lowell (80) vs. Wagner (96) 12/05/2017

#50 of 351   14% complete

I am excited to begin my fourth year of Operation 351. I have 15 games scheduled for the year pending bad weather and life changing events. They are listed below:

Lafayette at NJIT (Newark)                          11/14/17

UMASS Lowell at Wagner                             12/05/17

William Mary at Delaware                           01/05/18

South Carolina State at Delaware State     01/06/18

Southern at Mississippi Valley State          01/15/18

Vanderbilt at Mississippi State                    01/16/18

Gardner Webb vs. UNC Asheville               01/23/18

UNCW at Northeastern                                 02/03/18

Northwestern at Maryland                          02/10/18

Seton Hall at Georgetown                            02/10/18

George Mason at Lasalle                              02/17/18

 Duquesne at St. Joseph’s (PA)                      02/17/18

Houston at Temple                                        02/18/18

Dartmouth at Princeton                               02/24/18

 Iona at Rider                                                   02/25/18

Last night’s game at Wagner had two special milestones in my journey. I hit the fifty mark and completed the “NYC” challenge seeing every Division 1 school in the five boroughs. To make it extra special, I took my first trip ever on the Staten Island Ferry.  I have a childhood memory of watching an “I Love Lucy” episode where Fred and Lucy get seasick on the ferry. There was nothing spectacular about the free 25 minute ride from the tip of Manhattan to Staten Island but it was cool to ride on such a historic vessel. I was also pleased to be joined by new son-law John who loves all sports with a passion.

 

 

Wagner provides a convenient shuttle from the ferry to the school. After a short walk in the rain, we were at the Spiro Athletic Center.  Upon entering the arena, we were greeted with ear-splitting rap music while the players warmed up. I guess that my favorite genre country music  will never make its way to a college basketball gym.

The General Admission tickets were $10 which provided us with very close to the court bleacher seats. I was still stinging from Wagner’s upset of UCONN last year so I was curious how the Seahawks would do tonight.

2017-12-05 19.06.22.jpg

 

Wagner does not go out of its way to provide a Division 1 experience at the game. The scoreboards were plain. I have a pet peeve in that I declare a scoreboard deficient if it does not show the total points for a player at some point during the night. The student crowd was sparse and quiet. The pep band tried to draw up some energy but to no avail. Perhaps Tuesday nights are not the best night to see excitement.

2017-12-05 19.06.35.jpg

Wagner was clearly the superior club. UMASS Lowell tried to hold on but were not strong or quick enough to keep up with the Seahawks. As I journey my way through Division 1 basketball games, I try to identify freshman who are playing under the radar but show something intangible to me. Most times, I don’t find such an individual but tonight I did.

Keep a lookout for freshman Chase Freeman of Wagner. This kid from Tennessee has not seen much playing time but he is talented despite his small stature. I was watching his ball handling skills and shooting during the warm ups and made a point to key on him during the game. He played well for the few minutes he was in tonight. As a point of reference, I had seen a kid named Makai Mason from Yale who you made have heard of. He has blossomed into a potential draft choice although he has been sidelined by injuries the past two years.  I had the same feeling about him when I saw him as a freshman at Yale.

2017-12-05 19.10.02.jpg

The player of the game was Blake Francis from Wagner. He and the rest of his teammates went on an incredible 3 point barrage in the first 5 minutes of the game. He likes to shoot but he is deadly accurate.

Tonight also set a couple of other records. Number one – John and I were commenting how many times the referees were cleaning up wet spots on the floor. I get the injury liability but I was looking at a long ride home which did end up with a bedtime of 1:36AM.  Number 2 – This ride to get to the game involved a drive to the Bridgeport train station, a trip on Metro North to Grand Central, a subway ride to the tip of Manhattan, a ferry ride over to Staten Island and finally a shuttle to the gym. This trip wins the “Can’t I just take a helicopter to the game?” award.

 

 

So goodbye New York. I will visit you again but under the guise of sight seeing or play watching.

Next Game: William Mary at Delaware                           01/05/18

2017-12-05 21.02.25.jpg

Lafayette (80) vs. New Jersey Institute of Technology (96) 11/14/17

#49 of 351 14% complete

IMG_1510

I am pleased to begin my fourth year of journeying through college basketball arenas heading towards that elusive goals of visiting all 351 Division 1 teams on their home court.  I will be making trips to Mississippi, D.C., Philly, Delaware and Buffalo with some oddballs thrown in, God willing barring any life-changing events and weather, I hope to attend 17 games this year.

For all the newbies (if any are reading), I do not count big off campus arenas unless that is their primary home. For example, I would include UCONN’s Gampel Arena as a visit but not the XL Center. Conversely, Georgetown only plays their home games in the Verizon Center. If I have visited a college and they build a new arena, I do not plan to go back and do it again, This mission is school-based not arena-based.

I attended my first game of this year traveling to Newark, New Jersey to see the NJIT Highlanders. As I have answered many times, they are a Division 1 basketball team. I am glad I waited till this year because the game was held in the new Health and Wellness Center. I was happy to park for FREE in an adjacent parking garage owned by the school. I think all schools should provide free parking as an incentive to come out in the cold especially in cities like Newark.

IMG_1511

The new arena is a multi purpose building that supports many sports at the school. It is huge. I am sure that it saves the school money combining facilities like this but give me the old small smelly gym any day.  So here is one complaint which is true for many schools. If you reside in an area that has not good cell reception, please provide WiFi for the crowd. I like to tweet and Facebook during the game but it was difficult with no WiFi and a ‘1X’ signal strength for Verizon.

IMG_1512

This was another case where the size of the arena is waiting for the crowd to catch up. The place was mostly empty but I give the fans credit for providing some spirited noise. I paid $15 for a near court-side seat with a back rest.

The NJIT Highlanders was a fun team to watch. You can tell that many of the players were schooled on the playgrounds. The suburban kids from Lafayette did not stand a chance. They were out quicked, out run and and out played. NJIT put on a show with impressive whiry dirly moves driving the basket and long threes raining from the arc. Many shots drew a gasp from the crowd.

IMG_1519.JPG

Wagner beat NJIT 60-49 in the first game of the season for NJIT. Either Wagner is very good or Lafayette is really bad. I find it hard to believe that NJIT was held to 49 points based on their talent and style of play. I will be following NJIT the rest of the year hoping that they find success this year. It would not surprise me to see them pull a few upsets along the way.

IMG_1518.JPG

I usually name players of interest from the game but the NJIT players all played the same style. They were interchangeable pieces in a fast paced game that Lafayette tried to slow down but to no avail.

Goodbye Newark. Unless I am taking off in a plane, I am done with this part of New Jersey. It has been the longest ride for me without staying overnight.

 

IMG_1521

Next up:  UMASS Lowell at Wagner    12/05/17

Houston (72) vs.Memphis (71) 02/26/17

#48 of 351  14% complete

2017-02-26 07.51.32.jpg

Is it possible for a city to overshadow a college basketball game? Can the sights of Graceland, Sun Records and Beale St. make a Memphis basketball game inconsequential?

Well almost! On this second game of this two game whirlwind trip to Mississippi and Tennessee, the game was exciting from start to finish. But I digress.

Memphis was a three hour ride from my friend’s house in Madison, Mississippi. We started out after the Ole Miss game on Friday afternoon to shack up at a Days Inn across from Graceland. The place was adorned with Elvis memorabilia. We unfortunately came at a bad time because the whole Graceland complex was in transition. A new visitor’s center was opening up on March 1st in a huge building behind the hotel so many of the museums were closed due to the move. Even parts of Graceland were closed however thee was much to see. As the tram took us over the road, it was chilling to walk through the front door that Elvis went through many times. Here are some pictures inside Graceland:

2017-02-26-09-46-472017-02-26-09-46-442017-02-26-09-45-052017-02-26-09-44-042017-02-26-09-43-362017-02-26-09-41-292017-02-26-09-40-422017-02-26-09-39-03

The next stop was a tour of Sun Records. We stood in the room where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded. Elvis recorded his first record here as birthday present for his mother. It was well  preserved and you feel the spirits of the rock and roll legends singing into the ancient microphones.

2017-02-26 13.14.25.jpg

So on to the game. The FedEx Forum is one block away from Beale St. the birthplace of blues. With some time to kill before the game, we spent the afternoon listening to a blues duo at Silky O’Sullivan’s

2017-02-26 13.41.42.jpg

The FedEx Forum is the home of the NBA Memphis Grizzlies and Memphis Tigers. This arrangement allows beer to be served which is a good thing. Not many teams call an NBA arena as their only home venue. Georgetown at the Verizon Center comes to mind. Although one can enjoy the amenities afforded from an NBA arena (so much food), there is the fear that the size of the arena vs. the size of the crowd takes away from the ambiance of college basketball. Curtains at the higher levels does nothing for the atmosphere. However, today was an exception. The upper levels were mostly filled and the crowd was loud.

2017-02-26 13.36.35.jpg

There were many choices to eat at the Forum as you can see below. Craft beer booths were plentiful throughout the arena.  I chose the brisket at the Rendezvous and was not disappointed.

 

I secretly rooted for Houston throughout the game because a loss for Memphis would help Uconn’s place in the AAC standings. Houston started out strong but Memphis made a terrific comeback. A last second shot by Memphis bounded off the rim preserving the victory for Houston

I can not say enough about Houston guard Damyean Dotson. This guy has destroyed UConn this year and did the same to Memphis tonight with 31 points. He is a pure shooter who does not miss from anywhere on the floor. He is a sure first rounder come draft time. I am looking forward to seeing all the AAC teams next week in Hartford at the AAC league torunament.

2017-02-26 17.17.01.jpg2017-02-26 17.15.15.jpg

2017-02-26 18.14.50.jpg

So as you guessed, we ended back on Beale St. after the game at B.B. King’s place eating more brisket. Goodnight Memphis and  I will be back!

This is the last college basketball game of my third year in Operation 351. I hope that everyone has a great March Madness and terrific summer.God willing,  I will see you again in November.

2017-02-26 18.18.42.jpg

Missouri (77) vs. Ole Miss (80) 02/25/17

#47 of 351  13% complete

2017-02-25 12.40.21.jpg

Ole Miss is all about football like most of the teams in the SEC. With the exception of Florida and Kentucky, the SEC has had limited success in the March madness world. The Walk of Champions serves as the starting point for the football team as they march towards the football stadium located across from the basketball arena. The grove is full of tailgaters that cheer wildly and celebrate the weekend of football at Ole Miss.

You will see no such sights today at the Ole Miss basketball game. However, I was impressed by the spirit of the crowd. Ole Miss is currently on the bubble and needed a win today against the weaker Missouri Tigers. But first a walk through the campus on this beautiful February day was in order.

 

Oxford is your typical college town that deserves a walk around before the game. The court house is surrounded by small shops and restaurants. I had BBQ chicken  and beans at the Ajax Diner. My two friends who were Ole Miss fans remarked that it was strange seeing the grove completely empty. As we drove in, the street was lined with cars watching an Ole Miss baseball game. A quick note should you ever visit Mississippi: Do not ask for a “grinder”, ask for a “sub”. Do not ask for a Coke. Coke refers to the general term for soda. You will be asked what kind of Coke.

2017-02-25-12-51-01

2017-02-25 15.17.58.jpgThe Pavilion was built in 2016 and is a great arena to watch a basketball game. We sprung for the Pavilion ticket costing $75 which gave us access to a buffet lounge and center court seats. We had unlimited popcorn and soft drinks. Before the game, everyone sings the Hotty Toddy song:

“Are You Ready?

H*** Yeah! D*** Right!

Hotty Toddy, Gosh Almighty,

Who The H*** Are We? Hey!

Flim Flam, Bim Bam

Ole Miss By D***!”

For more information on this unique cheer:

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/09/what_is_a_hotty_toddy_and_why.html

Ole Miss continues the beloved seating arrangement where the students are down close. I love seeing this as a slap in the face of the fat cat fans who have season tickets owned by big corporations.

2017-02-25-14-53-29

Do you see in the picture above a gentleman dressed in denim seated to the left of the all brown clothed female in the front row? The sixth from the right? You won’t recognize him from this distance but he is a big movie star who is a regular at Ole Miss games. It helps talking to friendly folks seated around us especially after I tell them about my crazy quest. Okay the gentleman is Morgan Freeman.

2017-02-25-14-31-21

The place is a step above your typical college arena. There are so much variety with places to eat that you will have a tough time deciding what to eat. Below are some of the eateries:

 

The game was back and forth the entire game but Missouri surprisingly held on till the end. My player of the game was Ole Miss Deandre Burnett a 6′ 2″ guard who lit up the Tigers for 28 points. I was also impressed by freshman Missouri guard Frankie Hughes who was very hot from the three point stripe.

A first for me was a cellphone light display by the fans. I have seen this at concerts but never at a basketball game.

2017-02-25 16.15.55.jpg

A final shout out to the scoreboard! It was high def and simple to follow. On to Graceland!

2017-02-25-16-35-51

 

 

Princeton (64) Vs. Penn (49) 02/06/17

#46 in Operation 351.  13% complete.

 

Happy 90th Birthday to the Palestra! Opening night was on January 1, 1927 with Yale playing Penn. A celebration was also held for one for college’s longest rivalries – Princeton and Penn. The night started off right with a piece of birthday cake served in the lobby. I circled the entire gym taking in the numerous pictures of coaches and players who graced the Palestra over the years. It was especially satisfying to see Uconn’s own Jimmy Calhoun, Geno Auriemma and  Toby Kimball honored on the walls.

IMG_0706.JPG

To mention all the greats who played here would take pages but I did feel the ghost of Wilt Chamberlin from Overbrook High dunking as I headed to my seat. For those on a similar mission to mine, the Palestra is on our bucket list as a must see. This is Penn’s home court and located right in the middle of the campus. Some tidbits to note:

  1. Penn has had 22 undefeated Ivy League seasons in the Palestra.
  2. There are just two NCAA Division 1 programs that entered this year with more wins in their current home venue (Washington and Butler).
  3. Penn and/or Princeton won at least a share of the Ivy League title all but three years from 1959 to 2007.

IMG_0708.JPG

This was an 3 day/2 night trip that included some sightseeing of the historical venues that are a must see in Philly. The Liberty Bell, U.S. Mint, Independence Hall and the Philadelphia Art Museum were on the docket. Below is a picture of the famous Rocky scene where he runs up the steps of the art museum. A recreation from these tired legs from walking for two days prevented me from recreating the scene.

2017-02-07 13.37.42.jpg

Heading into the game, Princeton was 3-0 in the Ivy while Penn was 0-3. Despite the loud Penn crowd, the results were as expected. Princeton is a very good three point shooting team. I would not want to meet this club in March. Though lacking a true big man underneath (aren’t all IVY teams lacking this?), they pass the ball around quickly looking for an open three. Spencer Weiss of Princeton was on fire with 22 points hitting numerous threes.

img_0712

Kudos to the large Penn student section who were cheering loud to the end. I like to highlight “firsts” as I see them. This was the first time that both pep bands showed up for a game. There is always a lesson in geography on these trips. I did not know how close Princeton in New Jersey was to Penn with less than an hour drive between the schools.

img_0711

It was very cool that a souvenir poster was handed out to celebrate the birthday. Cross this one off my bucket list!

img_0714

That is a wrap!

IMG_0713.JPG

Robert Morris (63) vs. Long Island University (Brooklyn) (67) 02/02/2017

#45 of Operation 351    12% complete

IMG_0684.JPG

I will be giving out two awards on this trip.

img_0689

Award # 1- This school has the coolest pep band. Led by an enthusiastic band leader who gyrated and urged the students into some soulful and explosive music during the game, the pep band was worth the price of admission which was free (details later).

 

img_0690

Award # 2- This was absolutely the worst gym on my travels so far. There were no signs anywhere leading up to the building. Perhaps I entered on the wrong side but I had to ask numerous times where the gym was. When I get there, I walk into a non-descript entrance where there is a buffet going on in a crowded hallway. I asked again and followed some stranger to an obscure elevator off to the side riding up a couple of floors. I attempt to follow him and buy a ticket. This particular entrance did not take cash. When the girl attempted to explain to me how to go the right way, she became very confused. She said “Hey don’t worry about” and let me in for free.

I usually like to walk around at half time but got very lost bumping into stairwells and classrooms as I did so. There was no place to walk around as in most arenas. Again, I will apologize if I was not looking hard enough but it should not be difficult to enjoy the ambiance of a college basketball arena. Somewhere there was a concession stand but I never did find it.

If you look above, I was staring at a white wall with one banner hung in the middle. This space is crying for a mural or something to spice it up.

Sorry LIU I am sure you are a great school but this arena needs some TLC.

IMG_0685.JPG

LIU came in with a much better record (14-9) than Robert Morris (7-16) but the game was back and forth. Robert Morris had the better guards but could not match the size of LIU underneath. Both teams fought hard as you will see in a typical NEC game with 15 lead changes. The game went down to the last minute with Robert Morris pulling off the road upset.

IMG_0687.JPG

I was very impressed with RMU sophomore guard Isiah Still. He led all scorers with 21 points. His penetration skills and scoring in the paint kept LIU off balance all night long. I will be watching him over the next 2 years.

So if you are every in this area which a couple of blocks down Flatbush Ave. near the Barclays Center, stop into Juniors for the best cheesecake ever. I can still taste it!

IMG_0691.JPG

On to the Palestra Tuesday night!

 

Quinnipiac (76) vs. Monmouth (95) 01/28/17

#44 of 351    12% complete

img_0671

After a 2 hour and 50 minute ride, I have decided that is my limit for driving to a game without staying overnight. I was there early and got a chance to peruse the college store. It brought back memories of when my children attended college and looking for cool stuff to wear. On display was a T-shirt displaying the various theatrical displays from the Monmouth bench. Some examples are the “Heart Attack”, “The Trophy Fish” and the “Human Scissors”. They occurred when a teammate made a three point shot or a spectacular play. I did not see any of those displays during tonight’s game which I may have missed but I was actually watching the game.

IMG_0673.JPG

Monmouth’s offensive capabilities were on full display tonight. They are a tremendous three point shooting team that scores frequently at least 80 points a night. They were led by senior guard 5’8″ Justin Robinson who is super quick driving the paint or pulling up for a jumper. Micah Seaborn also contributed heavily with his three point shooting. I could see them doing some damage in March but their lack of a post game will limit their chances.

IMG_0674.JPG

I was impressed by the size of the crown and their enthusiasm. They have a 17-5 record and are currently in first place in the MAAC. There is so much disparity in facilities between the mid major schools. Some remind you of your old high school gym and others make you wonder how could they afford the modern arena and trappings. Monmouth is in the latter category. For a small school, everything was top notch.

img_0675

Did you every sit next to a guy that jumps up and complains about every call against his beloved home team? I had one next to me last night. It got to the point where everyone in the area was laughing when he did his complaining. As I said before, there is a bit of Americana at each game I see.

img_0677

My player of the game is freshman Peter Kiss from Quinnipiac. He scored 22 points and was surprisingly poised for a freshman. He made some athletic moves and was a great ball handler for his 6′ 5″ size. Coach Moore has a gem in this kid and should be fun to watch over the next four years. Quinnipiac did not have enough fire power to keep up with the run and gun of Monmouth’s offense.

IMG_0680.JPG

Binghamton (65) vs. Albany (84) 01/19/17

#43 of 351    12% complete

 

 

This is my second 2 1/2 hour trip to Albany in 2 weeks. There is a marked contrast between the Siena arena and the University of Albany arena. The Times Union Center used by Siena was located downtown in a not too friendly looking part of town. Let’s just say it was a quick walk from the parking garage to the arena. The SEFCU arena used by Albany is on their campus and located in a suburban area marked by shopping centers and malls. I was surprised since Albany is part of the SUNY system (public) and expected that its campus would be less distinctive but I was wrong. The Albany campus was green and wide open. I had wished the  Albany game was during the day so I could take a look around.

img_0658

I have a complaint about the SEFCU scoreboards. Nowhere to be found was a point total by an individual player. There was some hot shooting for Albany and it would have been interesting to see the running total for certain players. The corners of the arena were filled with a huge TV broadcasting the game. Nice but useless in my opinion. This arena wins the prize for the most boring scoreboard.

IMG_0660.JPG

It seems that every mid major has a small point guard from the Chicago area. Tonight was Albany guard David Nichols who lit up the floor for 25 points. So another pet peeve –  can you list the player’s height in the program? I am guessing that Nichols was 6 foot. He was quick and had the mid jumper on fire. I was also impressed with sophomore Joe Cremo who was the freshman of the year last year in the America East. I appreciate guys who have an high basketball IQ. Cremo was also very hot but always distributed the ball at the right time.

IMG_0662.JPG

Binghamtom wins the prizes for the most appearances to date in Operation 351 – 3 so far. They were all away games for Binghamton. Their home game will require an overnighter along with Buffalo, Syracuse, St. Bonaventure and Cansisus. I am hoping to do Cornell and Colgate in separate one day  trips thus completing New York State.

IMG_0661.JPG

A special shout out to the Albany uniform. It was a combination of purple and gold. A very cool combination! Plus as a dog lover, the statue of the Great Dane in the arena was neat to see.

Albany completely outplayed Binghamton from the opening bell. I am surprised that they are only 11-9 for the year. They had some good shooters and played great defense. I expect them to make noise in the America East tournament.  Perhaps we will see them in March.

img_0664

BORING!