Exhibitionists: Pre-Season Recap

Here’s a slightly late round-up of the exhibition games that have happened so far for New England’s college hoops teams in the last couple weeks as we lead up to the exciting start of a new season.

Big East
UConn: 11/2 vs. Amer. International (W 78-35), 11/6 vs. C.W. Post (W 91-61)
Providence: 10/25 vs. Assumption (W 64-51), 11/5 vs. UMass-Lowell (W 76-75)

ACC
Boston College: 11/5 vs. Amer. International (W 70-66)

America East
Vermont: 10/25 vs. St. Michael’s (W 64-31), 11/5 vs. Concordia (W 69-56)
Maine: 10/25 vs. Fisher (W 91-45), 11/5 vs. Ottawa (W 79-56)

Atlantic-10
Rhode Island: 11/4 vs. RI College (W 79-63), 11/7 vs. Ryerson (W 97-66)

MAAC
Fairfield: 11/4 vs. Bridgeport (W 97-70)

Patriot
Holy Cross: 11/5 vs. Assumption (W 84-52)

Who knows how much these games really will tell us about the quality of each team moving forward but in any case, they’re a fun way to kick of the season, see new freshmen in action and get warmed up for when the real season begins.  If I’m UConn, I’m feeling good, especially if Ryan Boatright’s gonna be suiting up sooner rather than later while BC should be feeling a little nervous after barely escaping AIC.  Same goes for PC after the scare against Lowell.  Holy Cross looks good too especially if you compare their game against Assumption to Providence’s.

Schedules and Freshmen: Patriot League

Holy Cross: Schedule

Big Games: 11/15 vs. Harvard, 11/18 vs. BC, 1/7 vs, Lehigh, 2/18 vs. Bucknell

If the Crusaders can put up a good fight against the Crimson and the Eagles, it'll certainly indicate that they are prepared to put up a fight in the Patriot League. Harvard will be an almost-certain NCAA team and BC will be rebuilding but is still the state's highest-profile program, so these will be the team's most legitimate chances at getting attention. If they also can pick up surprise wins at home against conference favorites Lehigh and Bucknell, the Crusaders may be in the mix for a bid at the end of the year, but that's probably unlikely.

Freshmen: PG Justin Burrell comes from Virginia with shooting and passing abilities but will need to overcome a lack of size. SF Malcolm Miller is somewhat less heralded, but his athleticism could make him effective on the perimeter if he can develop an outside game. PF Taylor Abt could be a sizable presence on the inside once he develops into a college-level player.