Game Preview: MIT vs. Clark University

MIT vs. Clark University
Saturday, Kneller Athletic Center - Worcester, MA, 1pm

Live Stats | Video

Probable Starters:

MIT (14-4, 5-2)	Ht.	PPG	RPG		Clark (10-8, 1-6)	Ht.	PPG	RPG
Matt Redfield	6'8"	13.9	9.0		David Mercier	6'6"	4.2	3.3
Andrew Acker	6'8"	12.4	10.8		Andrew Musler	6'4"	12.6	4.0
Dennis Levene	6'8"	4.4	4.2		Nicholas Daprato	6'0"	17.6	4.4
Justin Pedley	6'6"	14.2	1.5		Tyler Huffman	5'10"	7.1	1.6
Dakota Pierce	6'3"	4.8	1.9		Lucas LaLima	5'7"	4.2	3.8 apg

A Look at Clark:
Recent Performance 
Clark University is fresh off of a very important conference victory versus Babson College this past Wednesday, putting the Cougars within striking distance of the last playoff spot, and dropping Babson from a three-way tie for second place with MIT and Springfield to sole possession of third place. The

Last Time Out 
MIT defeated Clark 63-36 in the NEWMAC opener. MIT showed the conference why they are ranked among tops in the nation in defense and rebounding (holding Clark to 18.9% shooting and +13 on the boards), and showed an all-around performance on the offensive end.

X's & O's 
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.

Redfield, Acker Power MIT Past Wheaton

The 6'8" Junior power-duo of Matt Redfield and Andrew Acker powered MIT past Wheaton College Wednesday evening, leading the Engineers to a 75-57 conference win. The two dominating forces combined for 45 points on 16-of-21 shooting (76%), 25 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks, 3 steals, and 2 dunks.

MIT as a team shot 52.2% from the field, and out-rebound the Lyons 42-25. After a first half which saw the two teams nearly tied at half-time, MIT's nationally-ranked defense went on to hold Wheaton to 37% from the field and 0-of-7 from three in the second half.

6'6" sharp-shooting Sophomore Justin Pedley netted 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting from three, while Sophomore point guard Ryan Frankel paced the Engineers with 5 assists.

MIT moves to 14-4 on the season, 5-2 in conference, and faces Clark University on Saturday.

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.