CSI in the News - CSI Today
CSI in the News - CSI Today
CSI in the News - CSI Today
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Violets prepare for first-round showdownwith St. Joseph'sMarch 2, 2011by Gerald SchifmanThe NYU men's basketball team will travel to Patchogue, N.Y., to face St. Joseph's College (L.I.) Wednesdaynight at 8:00 p.m. <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Metropolitan Tournament.It is <strong>the</strong> Violets' fifth straight berth <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> tournament, which is played aga<strong>in</strong>st o<strong>the</strong>r local teams who missed outon <strong>the</strong> NCAA Tournament.The eighth-seeded Violets will take on <strong>the</strong> top-seeded Golden Eagles, who went 22-6 overall and 16-4 <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>Skyl<strong>in</strong>e Conference. While <strong>the</strong> Violets f<strong>in</strong>ished 15-10 overall, <strong>the</strong>y only won four of 14 games <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> UniversityAthletic Association, which dropped <strong>the</strong>m to <strong>the</strong> lowest position <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> ECAC Tournament."The guys have been play<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir hearts out, even though we've lost a lot of <strong>the</strong>m," head coach Joe Nescisaid.Of <strong>the</strong> 10 games NYU lost aga<strong>in</strong>st UAA opponents, all have been by deficits of under 10 po<strong>in</strong>ts, and four werelost by just two po<strong>in</strong>ts.For <strong>the</strong> Violets, <strong>the</strong> tournament is a chance to start fresh and try to get past <strong>the</strong>ir previous shortcom<strong>in</strong>gs. Themen should be confident, as <strong>the</strong>y have played well <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> ECAC tournament <strong>in</strong> past years. The Violets won <strong>the</strong>title <strong>in</strong> 2006-07 and made <strong>the</strong> championship game <strong>in</strong> 2008-09.All-time, NYU is 7-0 aga<strong>in</strong>st St. Joseph's, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g two w<strong>in</strong>s <strong>in</strong> previous ECAC Tournaments."I'd say we match up very well with St. Joe's, as long as we clamp down on <strong>the</strong>ir shooters and don't let <strong>the</strong>home crowd advantage get to us," junior center Andy Ste<strong>in</strong> said. "It seems like <strong>the</strong>ir po<strong>in</strong>ts primarily come from<strong>the</strong>ir guards. Defensively, we have <strong>the</strong> athleticism <strong>in</strong> our guards to keep up with <strong>the</strong>m, as we've done decently<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> UAA."One of <strong>the</strong> guards that <strong>the</strong> Violets will have to neutralize is Golden Eagles' top scorer Olivier Laurent. Thejunior comes <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> tournament averag<strong>in</strong>g 15.8 po<strong>in</strong>ts per game this season.The w<strong>in</strong>ner of Wednesday night's game will face ei<strong>the</strong>r Rutgers University-Newark or College of Staten Island<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> semif<strong>in</strong>als. The semif<strong>in</strong>al and f<strong>in</strong>al rounds will both be played on <strong>the</strong> campus of <strong>the</strong> highest rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>gseed.Page 57 of 179