2008 Woodie Awards
Crunch time for men's basketball in weekend series
Mike Barrett
Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: Sports
Few weekends can define a team's season in college basketball. For Memphis, last weekend will forever be known as the weekend its win streak was snapped. For the team responsible for that, Tennessee, it will be known as the first weekend it became the number one ranked team in the country in the history of its program.
However, far away from the national spotlight of win streaks and number one and two matchups, is a weekend that will determine a season for Sacred Heart.
Last weekend's win over their Merritt Parkway rival, Quinnipiac, was just a prelude for what is in store for the men's basketball team tonight and Sunday.
Coming into town are the first place Robert Morris Colonials and on Sunday, the defending Northeast Conference champion Central Connecticut.
All the while, Sacred Heart is a game out of first place and tied with Wagner.
A weekend sweep, along with some help, would virtually guarantee Sacred Heart the number one seed.
That, however is easier said than done.
Robert Morris has won eleven straight and, while not the same team as recent years, it can be said that the Blue Devils have had Sacred Heart's number as of late.
What the Pioneer's do have in thier favor are victories over their upcoming opponents (both on the road) and the luxury of playing at home, where they are 8-3.
Also, senior captain Drew Shubik is playing the best ball of his career at Sacred Heart and can be easily considered one of the NEC's top players and Brice Brooks has served admirably as the inside player the Pioneer's needed. Combine this duo with one of the deepest benches in the conference and you have a recipe for a number one seed.
If Sacred Heart do manage to win out, it will need some help to clinch its first ever NEC season title. A loss by Wagner in its final two games will break the tie that both teams share, and give the Pioneer's the top seed.
Regardless of whether the men win out, they can finish no lower than the third seed and will have a home playoff game. Yet the idea of playing an NEC championship game in the friendly halls of the Pit Center is definitely more appealing than the alternatives.
What this weekend has in store will all be determined after Sunday night. For Sacred Heart, it can mean the first of the final steps towards history, or it can be just another obstacle this team needs to overcome. What is known, it will be one wild weekend.
However, far away from the national spotlight of win streaks and number one and two matchups, is a weekend that will determine a season for Sacred Heart.
Last weekend's win over their Merritt Parkway rival, Quinnipiac, was just a prelude for what is in store for the men's basketball team tonight and Sunday.
Coming into town are the first place Robert Morris Colonials and on Sunday, the defending Northeast Conference champion Central Connecticut.
All the while, Sacred Heart is a game out of first place and tied with Wagner.
A weekend sweep, along with some help, would virtually guarantee Sacred Heart the number one seed.
That, however is easier said than done.
Robert Morris has won eleven straight and, while not the same team as recent years, it can be said that the Blue Devils have had Sacred Heart's number as of late.
What the Pioneer's do have in thier favor are victories over their upcoming opponents (both on the road) and the luxury of playing at home, where they are 8-3.
Also, senior captain Drew Shubik is playing the best ball of his career at Sacred Heart and can be easily considered one of the NEC's top players and Brice Brooks has served admirably as the inside player the Pioneer's needed. Combine this duo with one of the deepest benches in the conference and you have a recipe for a number one seed.
If Sacred Heart do manage to win out, it will need some help to clinch its first ever NEC season title. A loss by Wagner in its final two games will break the tie that both teams share, and give the Pioneer's the top seed.
Regardless of whether the men win out, they can finish no lower than the third seed and will have a home playoff game. Yet the idea of playing an NEC championship game in the friendly halls of the Pit Center is definitely more appealing than the alternatives.
What this weekend has in store will all be determined after Sunday night. For Sacred Heart, it can mean the first of the final steps towards history, or it can be just another obstacle this team needs to overcome. What is known, it will be one wild weekend.
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