Game Preview: MIT vs. Wheaton

MIT vs. Wheaton 
Wednesday, Rockwell Cage - Cambridge, MA 7pm

Live Stats | Video

Probable Starters:

MIT (13-4, 4-2)	Ht.	PPG	RPG		Wheaton (7-8, 2-4)	Ht.	PPG	RPG
Matt Redfield	6'8"	13.3	8.9		Zach Parsons	6'5"	5.3	4.1
Andrew Acker	6'8"	11.9	10.5		Quinton Dale	6'4"	6.9	5.3
Dennis Levene	6'8"	4.5	4.4		Mike Cannon	6'3"	5.8	4.0
Justin Pedley	6'6"	14.3	1.5		Agyei Gregory	6'3"	14.7	4.7
Dakota Pierce	6'3"	4.8	1.9		Will Bayliss	5'10"	7.2	4.5 apg

A Look at Wheaton:

Wheaton College comes into the 2013-2014 season with a reloaded roster, adding front-court depth and an exceptional rookie class. They have added 9 "impact" freshmen to their guard-oriented attack, and as a team will look to get out in transition. The Lyons will look to get all the way to the rim, shoot the pull-up elbow jumper, or kick it out for three. They are an "early offense" type team, and once in the half-court they will primarily utilize a 4-around-1 or 3-around-2 motion offense. Wheaton will look to spread the defense out for dive and kick opportunities, 1v1, and high ball screens for pick and pops.

Defensively they average over 7 steals and 5 blocks per game, thus making for a disruptive time for any offense. 

MIT Defense Leads to 70-46 Victory Over Emmanuel

Box Score

The #1-ranked defense in the country of MIT put the clamps on Monday night in a non-conference showdown with Emmanuel College across the Charles River in Boston. MIT held the Saints to 32.7% shooting from the field and allowed no Emmanuel players to reach double-figures.

MIT is currently ranked #1 in the country in points allowed (54.9), #2 in rebounding margin (11.0), and Top 20 in FG% Defense (38.7%).

Leading the way for the Engineers was the 6'8" Junior big-man duo of Matt Redfield and Andrew Acker, combining for 33 points, 18 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks, and a handful of dunks. Sophomore point guard Ryan Frankel added 9 points along with 3 steals and Freshman Dakota Pierce added 8 with two threes.

MIT returns to NEWMAC play Wednesday night in Rockwell Cage as they take on Wheaton College at 7pm.

Game Preview: MIT vs. Emmanuel

MIT vs. Emmanuel 
Monday, Jean Yawkey Center - Boston, MA 7pm

Live Stats | Video

Probable Starters:

MIT (12-4, 4-2)	Ht.	PPG	RPG		Emmanuel (4-12, 2-8)	Ht.	PPG	RPG
Matt Redfield	6'8"	13.1	9.0		Lyndon Harewood	6'6"	4.2	3.8
Andrew Acker	6'8"	11.6	10.6		John Clay	6'1"	7.6	7.2
Dennis Levene	6'8"	4.5	4.4		Alex Myers	6'1"	5.1	2.2
Justin Pedley	6'6"	14.8	1.5		Josh Welles	6'0"	6.4	1.8
Dakota Pierce	6'3"	4.5	1.8		Kyle Smith	5'10"	10.3	2.2 apg

A Look at Emmanuel:

Emmanuel is an extremely fast, talented, and quick team. Scoring in transition is the Saints' main offense, as they will push the ball hard and look to score quickly. In the half-court, Emmanuel will look to score just off the first or second pass, and their first priority is getting to the rim. If their quick-hit sets don't work, they will look to go 1-on-1 late in the shot clock.

Defensively Emmanuel will use their quickness to disrupt the opposing offense. Look for Emmanuel to implement a full-court press as well as a mixture of defenses against MIT's height. 

MIT Outlasts Emerson 71-66

Box Score

MIT and Emerson combined for 68 points in the paint and 68 rebounds in a battle around the basket for 40 minutes, with the Engineers prevailing at the end 71-66. MIT held the advantage in both categories (40-28 points in the paint, 38-30 rebounds), which helped them seal the win after another poor performance from beyond the three (just 4-of-17).

Leading the way for MIT was 6'8" Co-Captain Matt Redfield with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 assists, 1 steal, and a dunk. Fellow 6'8" co-captain Andrew Acker notched a double-double as well with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Sophomore Ryan Frankel netted 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, 3-of-3 from three, along with 6 assists and 3 boards.

MIT moves to 12-4 (4-2) and takes on Emmanuel College tonight in a non-conference matchup.

Game Preview: MIT vs. Emerson

MIT vs. Emerson 
Saturday, Rockwell Cage - Cambridge, MA, 3pm

Live Stats | Video

Probable Starters:

MIT (11-4, 3-2)	Ht.	PPG	RPG		Emerson (10-6, 3-2)	Ht.	PPG	RPG
Matt Redfield	6'8"	12.1	9.0		Brian Hurley	6'7"	9.8	5.0
Andrew Acker	6'8"	11.3	10.2		Sean Duffy	6'4"	7.0	4.5
Dennis Levene	6'8"	4.9	4.9		Jon Goldberg	6'4"	10.3	9.1
Justin Pedley	6'6"	15.9	1.5		Tyson Hallowell	6'3"	9.4	1.5
Dakota Pierce	6'3"	4.7	1.7		Michael Thorpe	6'0"	13.6	3.2 apg

A Look at Emerson:

Emerson College finished 13-5 in the GNAC last season before moving into the NEWMAC this year, where they are off to a 10-6 start and tied for 2nd place in the conference.. The Lyons knocked off #1-ranked Amherst earlier in the season and are coming off a 62-60 victory over Wheaton College.

Emerson will look to get out on the break, with their guards looking to push the ball while the bigs run to the rim. In the half-court most of their sets are out of a 1-4 high with the posts at the elbow. Emerson will set a lot of side ball screens, especially for Thorpe, and will feed their posts who get to the block quickly and aggressively. Emerson will also look to crash the boards hard.

On defense, look for Emerson to try a number of defensive schemes to contain MIT's height. 

Babson 2nd Half Surge + MIT Errors = MIT Loss

Box Score

Babson went 7-of-13 from three, had 6 steals, forced 11 turnovers, and outscored MIT 40-24 in the 2nd half to go on to the 65-47 victory Wednesday night at Staake Gymnasium in Babson Park. MIT would manage just 4 field-goals in the final 15 minutes of play, while allowing an individual to score more than 20 points against them for the first time this season.

Although MIT is holding conference opponents to just 52 ppg and 33% field-goal percentage from two, conference opponents are shooting 37% from three against the Engineers (42% in MIT's two losses). This means for every three-point shot, an opponent can expect 1.12 points on average (3*37%). For every two-point shot taken, NEWMAC opponents are only averaging .67 points (2*33%). A three-point shot is worth nearly double in expected value versus the Engineers.

Meanwhile, MIT is only shooting 28% from three against NEWMAC opponents. In their two conference losses, MIT has gone on scoring droughts where only 7 total field goals were scored in 30 minutes of play in the 2nd half.

6'8" former All-Conference selection Matt Redfield, who was double-teamed consistently against Babson, still managed 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 steal, 1 assist, and 1 dunk on the night to lead the Engineers. 6'8" Andrew Acker notched another double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds to go along with 4 assists. 6'6" Sophomore Justin Pedley added 10 points, his 12th consecutive game scoring in double-digits.

MIT moves to 11-4 overall and 3-2 in conference (a four-way tie for 2nd place), and will face Emerson on Saturday.

Game Preview: MIT vs. Babson

MIT vs. Babson 
Wednesday, Staake Gymnasium - Babson Park, MA, 7pm

Live Stats | Video

Probable Starters:

MIT (11-3, 3-1)	Ht.	PPG	RPG		Babson (11-4, 2-2)	Ht.	PPG	RPG
Matt Redfield	6'8"	12.1	9.0		John Wickey	6'7"	13.7	6.4
Andrew Acker	6'8"	11.3	10.2		Joey Flannery	6'4"	18.9	5.7
Dennis Levene	6'8"	4.9	4.9		Eric Dean	6'3"	9.8	7.5
Justin Pedley	6'6"	15.9	1.5		Matt Palazini	6'3"	11.4	2.6
Dakota Pierce	6'3"	4.7	1.7		Kenny Ross	6'1"	5.8	6.8 apg

A Look at Babson:

Babson comes into the 2013-2014 season with a loaded roster, a great mix of veteran leadership and new talent. Babson was recently ranked in the Top 25 and are currently 11-4 on the season.

In transition the Beavers get out and run, with freshman Joey Flannery very aggressive on the break and Matt Palazini looking to find his three's. In the half-court Babson will use a 3-out 2-in motion with guards passing and picking away while John Wickey getting post position on the block. Babson has a great inside-out presence, just like MIT, and will be relying on their three-balls, transition buckets, and spacing on offense. 

MIT Takes Care of Springfield 55-51

Box Score

In a classic NEWMAC defensive battle, MIT and Springfield battled it out to the end in Rockwell Cage this afternoon. MIT held Springfield to zero points through the first 8 minutes of play, and the game was knotted at 28-21 at the half. Both teams continued their defensive intensity through the second half while also putting on a display from beyond the arc. MIT was able to convert on their free-throws at the end to hold on to the 55-51 win.

Justin Pedley nailed 7 threes on the night (Pic: Robert Krawitz)

6'6" Sophomore Justin Pedley scorched the nets for a career-high 27 points including a career-high 7 three-pointers. Freshman Dakota Pierce came up big for the Engineers, scoring 12 points and going 4-of-4 from the free-throw line down the stretch. 6'8" Andrew Acker added 8 points and 12 boards, his 10th game of double-figures in the rebounding column.

MIT held Springfield to just 28% shooting in the 1st half (Pic: Robert Krawitz)

MIT moves to 11-3 on the season and will travel to Babson College on Wednesday.

Game Preview: MIT vs. Springfield

MIT vs. Springfield 
Saturday, Rockwell Cage - Cambridge, MA, 2pm

Live Stats | Video

Probable Starters:

MIT (10-3, 2-1)	Ht.	PPG	RPG		Springfield (11-3, 2-1)	Ht.	PPG	RPG
Matt Redfield	6'8"	12.7	9.5		Tim Swenson	6'7"	12.4	9.9
Andrew Acker	6'8"	10.8	9.8		Robbie Burke	6'4"	13.8	7.5
Dennis Levene	6'8"	5.4	4.6		Nick Sienkiewicz	6'3"	8.8	2.5
Justin Pedley	6'6"	15.5	1.5		Alex Garstka	6'1"	12.6	2.6
Dakota Pierce	6'3"	4.3	1.6		Sean Martin	6'1"	12.4	2.4 spg

A Look at Springfield:

Springfield is currently 11-3 and are coming off a 19-win season and a NCAA Tournament at-large bid. The Pride have a vey balanced offense with almost their entire starting lineup scoring in double figures, and scoring 85 points per game as a team (which is top 20 in the country). Springfield has a rich basketball tradition (Basketball was invented at Springfield) and have had five straight winning seasons.

Springfield will certainly look to push the ball in transition, but will look to score when the opportunity presents itself. In the half-court, they will run one of their many sets and will look to score off one of the options from each set. They have a solid inside presence in Swenson and Burke and have shooters that can stroke it from beyond the arc.

Defensively Springfield is a gritty team, and will look to apply pressure and intensity for 40 minutes. MIT must be prepared for a number of different defensive strategies by the Pride.

Tune in at halftime for MITHoops.NET's analysis. 

MIT Survives Coast Guard Battle 53-49

Box Score

After holding Coast Guard to just 17 first half points, MIT survived the Bears' comeback in the second-half with key free-throws down the stretch, securing the 53-49 win.

Acker went for his seventh double-double of the season (Pic: Tom Gearty)

MIT's shooting woes from beyond the arc continued (shooting just 2-of-10 from three) as well as their ability to take care of the ball (the Engineers had 18 turnovers). Despite these troubles, MIT went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line in the last seconds to secure their 10th win of the season.

Redfield continues to be one of the top threats in the NEWMAC (Pic: Tom Gearty)

Leading the way for the Engineers was 6'8" Junior co-captain Andrew Acker with 20 points and 12 rebounds. 6'8" Junior Matt Redfield added 13 points and 6 rebounds, while 6'6" Sophomore Justin Pedley added 10 points after nailing MIT's only two three-pointers.

MIT takes on Springfield on Saturday at 2pm.

Game Preview: MIT vs. Coast Guard

MIT vs. Coast Guard
Wednesday, Rockwell Cage - Cambridge, MA, 6pm

Live Stats | Video

Probable Starters:

MIT (9-3, 1-1)	Ht.	PPG	RPG		Coast Guard (2-10, 0-2)	Ht.	PPG	RPG
Matt Redfield	6'8"	12.7	9.5		David Anderson	6'6"	11.8	4.5
Andrew Acker	6'8"	10.8	9.8		Ryan McNeil	6'4"	8.6	2.9
Dennis Levene	6'8"	5.4	4.6		John Benedict	6'4"	7.8	3.2
Justin Pedley	6'6"	15.5	1.5		Ricky Rodriguez	6'2"	7.8	3.7
Dakota Pierce	6'3"	4.3	1.6		Devonte Weems	5'11"	7.5	3.2 apg

A Look at Coast Guard:

The US Coast Guard Academy has a proud program. Just a few years back, Coast Guard finished in last place in the NEWMAC, but went on to an incredible Elite 8 run in the NCAA Tournament. They will be bringing that same determination to Rockwell Cage this evening.

Coast Guard's offense is ran by Devonte Weems, who will look to push the ball in transition off of rebounds and turnovers. The Bears will play 4 guards at time, and will take the first shot that presents itself (they shoot 20 3's per game).

In the half-court CGA will run a 4-around-1 motion (with Anderson as the focal point down low) or a 5-out offense. This is a completely new offense for the Bears, who primarily ran the Flex offense in the past (a continuos and structured offense with lots of screens).

Defensively the Bears will look to mix some defenses (half-court man, 2-3 zone, 1-3-1, 2-2-1 3/4 press) to deal with the Engineers' height.

Tune in at halftime for MITHoops.NET's analysis. 

MIT Falls to #6 WPI

Box Score

Nationally-ranked #6 WPI hit 8 of their first 12 three-pointers, while MIT shot just 8% from three along with 19 turnovers, resulting in a 59-47 loss for the Engineers of Cambridge.

With the score 40-36 with 15:26 left to play, MIT was only able to hit two fields goals in the remaining 15 minutes.

Sharp-shooter Justin Pedley shot just 1-7 from three Saturday (Pic: Tom Gearty)

The series with WPI is now tied 5-5 in the last five seasons, a matchup that spans 112 years back to 1902.

Andrew Acker was able to haul in 15 boards for MIT (Pic: Tom Gearty)

Sophomore point guard Ryan Frankel led the Engineers of MIT with 14 points, while fellow Sophomore Justin Pedley added 11. 6'8" Andrew Acker posted 9 points with 15 rebounds, and 6'8" Dennis Levene added 7 points with 4 steals. 6'8" Matt Redfield, plagued by foul trouble, only registered 18 minutes on the night.

All-Conference selection Matt Redfield, who was averaging 14 ppg and 10 rpg, was held to just 4 points (Pic: Tom Gearty)

The Engineers of MIT take on Coast Guard Academy tomorrow night in Rockwell Cage.

Game Preview: MIT vs. #6 WPI

MIT vs. #6 WPI
Saturday, Harrington Auditorium - Worcester, MA, 2pm

Live Stats | Video

Probable Starters:

MIT (9-2, 1-0)	Ht.	PPG	RPG		WPI (11-1, 1-0)	Ht.	PPG	RPG
Matt Redfield	6'8"	13.7	10.0		Ryan Kolb	6'5"	14.9	4.5
Andrew Acker	6'8"	11.0	9.4		Domenick Mastacusa	6'5"	6.8	3.8
Dennis Levene	6'8"	5.3	4.7		Sean Doncaster	6'3"	5.7	2.0
Justin Pedley	6'6"	15.9	1.5		Sam Longwell	6'3"	17.9	5.8
Dakota Pierce	6'3"	4.7	1.8		Aaron Davis	5'10"	7.9	5.0 apg

A Look at WPI:

WPI is a storied program with 10 consecutive 20-win seasons under their belt and a #4 national ranking last season. They are currently ranked #6 overall in Division III and are 1-0 in conference play and 11-1 overall.

WPI runs a motion offense with many flares and handoffs for their shooters Sam Longwell and Zach Karalis. WPI will utilize the pick-and-roll, will look to spread the floor, and look to penetrate off the dribble (especially with Aaron Davis in late shot clock situations).

WPI will push the ball hard up the floor in transition. In the half-court, they do not run a strict offense; primarily 3-out-2-in and 4-round-1 motion with block to block screening.  The objective of their offense is to get someone who they feel has a favorable match-up in 1-on-1 situations, have Longwell or Karalis create, and the rest of the shooters spotting up.

WPI defensively will play straight man help and recover. They will overplay at every position, with heavy pressure on the wings. WPI plays very hard, and will dive after every ball and every rebound.

MIT offensively will need to utilize their size down low and their shooters outside, and defensively prevent WPI's shooters from getting comfortable from beyond the arc. 

Engineers Start Conference Play with Win

Box Score

The MIT Engineers started off NEWMAC play in strong fashion Wednesday night, defeating Clark University 63-36.

Sophomore Justin Pedley is leading the Engineers at 15.9 points per game this season (Pic: Tom Gearty)

After holding Clark to 36 points for the game (11 in the first half), MIT now leads the nation in fewest points allowed per game (54.4). MIT's defense held the Cougars to just 18.9% shooting from the field. The Engineers are also now ranked 2nd in the nation in rebounding margin (+13.2, behind the leader at +13.6), as the Engineers out-rebounded Clark 44-31.

6'6" Russell Johnson snagged 6 boards on the night. 6'10" Lampros Tsontzos added a large presence down low (Pic: Tom Gearty)

Leading the way for Tech was 6'6" sophomore Justin Pedley, scoring inside and out for 20 points. 6'8" All-Conference selection Matt Redfield, who returned after missing two games, stuffed the stat sheet again with 12 points, 12 rebounds, 5 blocks, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Redfield is averaging a double-double on the season with 13.7 ppg and 10.0 rpg. 6'8" co-captain Andrew Acker and 6'6" sophomore Russell Johnson combined for 13 rebounds, while sophomore Ryan Frankel added 10 points and freshman sharp-shooter Dakota Pierce added 11.

Sophomore Ryan Frankel added 10 points on the night

MIT takes on #6 WPI tomorrow at 2pm.

NEWMAC, Northeast on National Scene

Four NEWMAC teams and ten Northeast Region teams received votes for the most recent Top 25 poll, including MIT with 14, as both the conference and the region show their strength nationally.

Read more here: http://d3hoops.com/top25/men/2013-14/week5

Game Preview: MIT vs. Clark University

MIT vs. Clark University
Wednesday, Rockwell Cage, 7pm

Live Stats | Video

Probable Starters:

MIT (8-2, 0-0)	Ht.	PPG	RPG		Clark (9-2, 0-0)	Ht.	PPG	RPG
Matt Redfield	6'8"	13.9	9.8		David Mercier	6'6"	4.5	3.5
Andrew Acker	6'8"	11.9	9.6		Andrew Musler	6'4"	11.7	8.2
Dennis Levene	6'8"	5.2	4.9		Nicholas Daprato	6'0"	21.2	4.4
Justin Pedley	6'6"	15.5	1.5		Tyler Huffman	5'10"	8.5	2.1
Paul Dawson	5'10"	4.9	4.4 apg		Lucas LaLima	5'7"	3.6	4.4 apg

A Look at Clark:

Clark University is off to another strong start (9-2) in their proud and storied basketball tradition. The Cougars have a talented young recruiting class mixed with experienced upperclassmen as well as the top scorer in the conference. 

Clark will look to run on both misses and turnovers. In transition, the guards will push the ball up the right side of the court while the shooters will look to run to the three point line to get open looks.

In the half court Clark runs a motion offense with a few sets interspersed. The majority of the sets are designed to get Nicholas Daprato a shot. The Cougars will run a lot of screen-the-screener plays, especially for Daprato, as he is very good at reading and reacting to the offense. 42% of their shot attempts are from three, and the Engineers ability to contest their three point shooting will be a huge part of the game. 

Defensively the Cougars have shown half-court man and 2-3 zone, a 3/4 press, as well as a 2-1-2 full court press. The Engineers must be prepared to handle the ball in the backcourt and use their size advantage down low. 

Tune in at half-time for MITHoop.NET's in-game analysis.