Northeastern 70, Drexel 60: Is There A Way To Repeat For Huskies?

BOSTON – Tis the era of analytics in sports and in basketball. I love them. You probably love them if you’re reading this. But, as any coach, hip or not, will tell you, there are few things more frustrating or tougher to work around than a team that can’t make shots.

Drexel is 3-22 after a 70-60 loss to Northeastern Saturday afternoon, their 10th straight defeat, and they now stand at 1-13 in conference. But, by 3-22 standards, the Dragons are still pretty good, even if that’s the worst backhanded compliment ever. Down 15 at the half, Drexel showed what might have been in the second half, scoring 1.24 points per possession and mounting a comeback that worried Northeastern (14-13, 6-8) a bit before falling.

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Hofstra Wins Triple-Overtime Thriller At Northeastern

Three times at Matthews Arena on Thursday night, Hofstra had the ball with a chance to win as the clock expired. Three times, the Pride’s shots didn’t fall. But when the visitors got an opportunity to win by playing defense, they came through, stopping Northeastern on a key possession to earn a thrilling 96-92, triple-overtime victory. Continue reading “Hofstra Wins Triple-Overtime Thriller At Northeastern” →

Northeastern 86, Elon 79: Senior Leadership Paces Huskies

ELON, N.C. – In the age of data and analytics, the precise benefits of senior leadership and home-court advantage remain somewhat elusive. Although I’m sure there are skeptics out there, most people are pretty sure they exist, it’s just a matter to what degree.

Northeastern stands to be a pretty good test case for the senior data this season. The Huskies graduated star Scott Eatherton from last year’s squad that won the CAA and nearly knocked off Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament, but return almost everyone else of consequence, including seniors David Walker, Quincy Ford, and Zach Stahl.

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Northeastern Cruises Past Harvard

The first half of this game was weird, man.

Things went haywire 90 seconds in, when the shot clock at Harvard’s end of Matthews Arena malfunctioned. Two minutes of game time later, it was done for good; a second, portable clock was hauled out to the baseline, with the PA announcer counting down every time it reached 10. Continue reading “Northeastern Cruises Past Harvard” →

Northeastern Outruns Hofstra In 91-83 Shootout

Students filled the floor seating at Matthews Arena as Northeastern hosted Hofstra.

Northeastern and Hofstra lived up to their billing as CAA contenders in a delightful slugfest on Wednesday evening. Two nearly unstoppable offenses traded the lead back and forth until a late 11-0 run gave the Huskies a 91-83 victory, pulling Northeastern, Hofstra and William & Mary into a three-way tie atop the Colonial at 4-1. Continue reading “Northeastern Outruns Hofstra In 91-83 Shootout” →

Three Thoughts: Northeastern 68, Navy 44

Navy gave it the old service academy try Saturday night against Northeastern, keeping the game close for most of the first half, and actually tying it at 20 with five minutes left. But the Huskies were clinical in the second half, showing why they’re the current Colonial favorites by dismantling Navy on both sides of the floor, 68-44, in the second semifinal of the Hall-of-Fame Tip-Off Classic at Mohegan Sun.

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Outside Shooting Transforms Northeastern’s Offense

In 2013-14, Northeastern’s offense was heavily dependent on scoring in the paint. Led by second-team All-CAA forward Scott Eatherton, 48% of the Huskies’ shots were taken at the rim — ninth-highest in the nation — and just 22% of their scoring came from three-pointers. So entering Sunday’s cross-town rivalry game, Boston University coach Joe Jones sensibly schemed to pack the paint and force outside shots.

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