MIT Takes Down #11 WPI En Route to Championship

Box Score

MIT put on an impressive offensive and defensive display Saturday afternoon in the NEWMAC semifinals, taking down #1 seed WPI 64-46 to earn a spot in the Championship game. MIT shot a sizzling 70% from three and 56% from the floor. The Engineers of Cambridge also got it done on the defensive end, holding WPI to just 30% shooting and out-rebounding their opponents 36-24.

MIT's offensive attack was extremely balanced, with stellar play both inside and out. 6'6" sharp-shooter Justin Pedley led the way with 16 points, including three three's from NBA range. Sophomore point guard Ryan Frankel had three threes of his own on his way to 15 points and 3 assists. 6'8" Matt Redfield, an All-Conference selection last season, put in 14 points and 14 rebounds for the double-double as well as 2 blocks (he is now 2 shy of becoming MIT's all-time leader in blocks). 6'8" co-captains Dennis Levene and Andrew Acker added a combined 18 points and 11 rebounds to round out the attack. 

MIT will play the winner of the Springfield/Babson Semifinal game at 1pm tomorrow at WPI. The winner will claim the NEWMAC crown and an automatic bid into the "Little Dance", the NCAA national tournament. 

NEWMAC Semi-Finals Preview: #4 MIT vs. #1 WPI

#4 MIT vs. #1 WPI
Saturday, Harrington Auditorium - Worcester, MA, 1pm

Live Stats | Video

Probable Starters:

MIT (18-8, 8-6)	Ht.	PPG	RPG		WPI (22-3, 12-2)	Ht.	PPG	RPG
Matt Redfield	6'8"	13.3	8.9		Ryan Kolb	6'5"	13.1	4.9
Andrew Acker	6'8"	11.7	9.5		Domenick Mastacusa	6'5"	11.0	4.6
Russell Johnson	6'6"	2.5	4.5		Sean Doncaster	6'3"	4.7	1.7
Justin Pedley	6'6"	11.6	1.6		Sam Longwell	6'3"	16.5	6.1
Ryan Frankel	5'11"	7.8	3.1 apg		Aaron Davis	5'10"	6.9	4.0 apg

A Look at WPI:

Recent Performance
WPI is currently ranked #11 overall in Division III and are winners of the NEWMAC regular season.

Last Time Out
WPI took the 64-52 decision in Rockwell Cage last time out after shooting 51% from the field and 42% from three. WPI held MIT to their lowest rebound total (23) in over 4 years.

X's & O's
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 Advances to Conference Semi-Finals

#4 MIT defeated #5 Emerson last night in Rockwell Cage 64-56 to earn the quarter-final victory and advance to the semis.

Despite only shooting 34% from the field, MIT finally got hot from three (44%), limited their turnovers (only 8), and out-rebounded the Lyons 42-34 to secure the win.

MIT received stellar play off the bench from Freshman Dakota Pierce, who led all scorers with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and connected on 4 three-pointers. 6'8" Andrew Acker registered his 12th double-double of the season with a 17-point, 13-rebound performance to go along with 3 assists and 2 steals. Point Guard Ryan Frankel continued his dominance leading the offense, scoring 14 points on a perfect 3-of-3 from three while playing the entire game.

MIT faces nationally-ranked and #1 seed WPI on Saturday in the NEWMAC semi-finals.

NEWMAC Quarterfinals Preview: #4 MIT vs. #5 Emerson

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

Live Stats | Video

Probable Starters:

MIT (17-8, 8-6)	Ht.	PPG	RPG		Emerson (13-12, 6-8)	Ht.	PPG	RPG
Matt Redfield	6'8"	13.7	8.8		Brian Hurley	6'7"	9.6	5.1
Andrew Acker	6'8"	11.4	9.4		Sean Duffy	6'4"	4.7	3.0
Dennis Levene	6'8"	4.2	4.2		Jon Goldberg	6'4"	11.9	9.7
Justin Pedley	6'6"	12.0	1.5		Tyson Hallowell	6'3"	8.6	1.4
Ryan Frankel	5'11"	7.6	3.2 apg		Michael Thorpe	6'0"	15.0	3.5 apg

A Look at Emerson:
Recent Performance
Emerson battled it out with Wheaton College in the final regular game of the season, falling 79-73.

Last Time Out
MIT took down Emerson 80-61 just two games ago behind solid performances by Matt Redfield (24 pts) and Ryan Frankel (23 pts).

X's & O's

Emerson College finished 13-5 in the GNAC last season before moving into the NEWMAC this year. The Lyons knocked off #1-ranked Amherst and nationally-ranked WPI earlier in the season.

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 Takes down MIT in Regular Season Finale

Box Score

In a defensive battle between two of the NEWMAC's top teams, Babson outlasted MIT 53-42 Saturday afternoon in Rockwell Cage. Both teams shot under 36% from the field and 29% from three, and crashed the glass evenly (MIT 35 rebounds, Babson 33). The Beavers of Babson handled the ball much better than the Engineers, however, with only 7 turnovers compared to MIT's 16.

Freshman Tim Butala has registered double-figures in four of the last seven games (Pic: Robert Krawitz)

6'8" Matt Redfield led the Engineers again with 13 points and 6 boards, with 6'8" Freshman Tim Butala helping alongside with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and three three-pointers.

6'8" Matt Redfield continued his strong play in the post (Pic: Robert Krawitz)

Earlier in the day, the Engineers celebrated their Alumni Day, complete with an Alumni vs. Alumni game (odd graduation years vs. even graduation years) and luncheon.

With the conclusion of the regular season, MIT finished with a 17-8 record and earns the #4 seed in the playoffs. They will face Emerson College on Wednesday at 7pm in Rockwell.

Game Preview: MIT vs. Babson (Alumni Day)

MIT vs. Babson 
Saturday, Rockwell Cage - Cambridge, MA, 1pm

Live Stats | Video

Probable Starters:

MIT (17-7, 8-5)	Ht.	PPG	RPG		Babson (19-5, 10-3)	Ht.	PPG	RPG
Matt Redfield	6'8"	13.7	8.8		John Wickey	6'7"	13.7	6.4
Andrew Acker	6'8"	11.4	9.4		Joey Flannery	6'4"	18.9	5.7
Dennis Levene	6'8"	4.2	4.2		Eric Dean	6'3"	9.8	7.5
Justin Pedley	6'6"	12.0	1.5		Matt Palazini	6'3"	11.4	2.6
Ryan Frnakel	6'3"	7.6	3.2 apg		Kenny Ross	6'1"	5.8	6.8 apg

A Look at Babson:
Recent Performance
Babson is on a 6-game win streak, which include two overtime wins as well as a victory over nationally-ranked WPI. Babson is currently on the bubble for a Top-25 ranking.

Last Time Out
Babson had their way with MIT last time out en route to a 65-47 victory. Babson shot 42% from three and forced 17 MIT turnovers.

X's & O's

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 and will be relying on their three-balls, transition buckets, and spacing on offense. 

MIT Takes Down Emerson 80-61

Box Score

MIT shot 54% from the field, connected on 9 three-pointers, and held Emerson to only 15 rebounds en route to the convincing 80-61 victory Wednesday night.

6'8" Matt Redfield stuffed the stat sheet once again with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 blocks, 2 assists, and a dunk. Sophomore Ryan Frankel led the way at point guard with 23 points and 7 assists after nailing 4 three-pointers. Andrew Acker added 11 points and 7 rebounds, while sophomore Russell Johnson netted a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.

MIT moves to 17-7, 8-5 in NEWMAC, and faces second-place Babson College on Alumni Day on Saturday.

Game Preview: MIT vs. Emerson

MIT vs. Emerson 
Wednesday, Brown-Plofker Gym - Boston, MA, 7pm

Live Stats | Video

Probable Starters:

MIT (16-7, 7-5)	Ht.	PPG	RPG		Emerson (13-10, 6-6)	Ht.	PPG	RPG
Matt Redfield	6'8"	13.7	8.9		Brian Hurley	6'7"	9.8	5.0
Andrew Acker	6'8"	11.7	9.5		Sean Duffy	6'4"	7.0	4.5
Dennis Levene	6'8"	4.3	4.2		Jon Goldberg	6'4"	10.3	9.1
Justin Pedley	6'6"	12.5	1.5		Tyson Hallowell	6'3"	9.4	1.5
Ryan Frankel	5'11"	7.8	3.2 apg		Michael Thorpe	6'0"	13.6	3.2 apg

A Look at Emerson:
Recent Performance
After taking down #5 WPI, Emerson snagged two more wins before falling to Springfield.

Last Time Out
MIT and Emerson battled it out in the paint last game, with MIT proving the victors with a 71-66 victory. Redfield, Acker, and Frankel combined for 56 of MIT's 71 points.

X's & O's

Emerson College finished 13-5 in the GNAC last season before moving into the NEWMAC this year. The Lyons knocked off #1-ranked Amherst earlier in the season.

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. 

MIT Defeats Wheaton 72-58

Box Score

Four Engineers registered double-figures in points today as MIT took down conference foe Wheaton Collge 72-58. The Engineers shot 47% from the field, hit seven three-pointers, out-rebounded the Lyons 41-28, and assisted on 16 of their 25 field goals.

Andrew Acker led the way with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks on the afternoon. Sharp-shooter Justin Pedley scorched the nets for 17 point on 5-of-10 shooting from three. Matt Redfield added 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists, and Sophomore point guard Ryan Frankel added 12 points and 5 assists.

MIT moves to 16-7 on the season and takes on Emerson College on Wednesday in a NEWMAC battle.

Game Preview: MIT vs. Wheaton

MIT vs. Wheaton 
Saturday, Emerson Gymnasium - Norton, MA 1pm

Live Stats | Video

Probable Starters:

MIT (15-7, 6-5)	Ht.	PPG	RPG		Wheaton (8-12, 3-8)	Ht.	PPG	RPG
Matt Redfield	6'8"	13.7	8.9		Zach Parsons	6'5"	4.5	3.7
Andrew Acker	6'8"	11.7	9.5		Quinton Dale	6'4"	8.4	5.9
Dennis Levene	6'8"	4.3	4.2		Mike Cannon	6'3"	5.2	4.0
Justin Pedley	6'6"	12.5	1.5		Agyei Gregory	6'3"	14.3	5.0
Ryan Frankel	5'11"	7.8	3.2 apg		Will Bayliss	5'10"	7.6	4.4 apg

A Look at Wheaton:
Recent Performance
The Wheaton Lyons are coming off two close contests with Emerson and nationally ranked WPI. Freshman standout Agyei Gregory netted 25 points in the loss to WPI.

Last Time Out
The big-man duo of Matt Redfield and Andrew Acker led the way for the Engineers in the 75-57 win. The two combined for 45 points, 25 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks, 3 steals, and 2 dunks.

X's & O's

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.