#AEHoops Roundup 12/5/16

*KenPom and RPI updated as of 10am ET 12/5/16

** (Numbers in parenthesis are national rankings)

Albany (4-4) (KenPom: 177, RPI: 180)

Opponents

11/11 - @ Penn St., W 87-81
11/14 - @ Cincinnati, L 51-74
11/16 - Oneonta, W 97-56

11/19 - Grand Canyon, L 77-82 (neutral site)
11/20 - Brown, W 80-76 (neutral site)
11/27 - Siena, W 81-72
11/30 - Holy Cross, L 49-55
12/3 - @ Yale, L 55-59

Albany followed a win over Siena in their first home game of the Albany Cup series with a loss at home to Holy Cross, and on the road to Yale. Both losses came after leading by at least 6 points in the second half with the opponents ability to hit the three ball dooming the Great Danes.

Stats View: Albany has turned over the ball on 22.1% of their possessions which ranks 301st in the nation. While they are shooting 33.3% (211) from three, their opponents have shot 34.1% (166) from deep.

My take: The stats tell the whole story, turnovers and stretches of poor defense have caused the Great Danes to lose some games they've led in. While the defense has been good for long stretches, the turnovers have prevented them from opening up larger leads. They'll have to figure out a way to take care of the ball or play 40 minutes of top end defense.

Up Next: 12/7 vs Marist, 12/10 @ Colgate, 12/12 @ Canisius

Binghamton (6-4) (KenPom: 283, RPI: 258)

Opponents

11/11 - Cornell, W 68-62

11/14 - @ St. John’s, L 61-77
11/16 - CCSU, W 72-70
11/18 - @ VCU, 42-81
11/22 - Ave Maria, W 95-77
11/23 - @FGCU, L 53-69
11/24 - Long Beach St, W 72-64 (neutral)
11/27 - @ FIU, L 57-74
11/30 - Mansfield, W 91-71
12/3 - @ St. Francis PA, W 73-70

Binghamton got a win in the final seconds in their most recent game against St. Francis (PA) on a Yacob steal and layup with under 20 seconds remaining. The Bearcats win @ FGCU was strong considering it came with a 55 point second half, and was their third game in three days. The FIU and FGCU games were pretty much over by halftime.

Stats View: Binghamton is still struggling to score from inside, shooting 43.6% (301) on two point field goals. While they've done a nice job not giving up offensive rebounds (26.9%, 88th), they haven't gotten many themselves (20.4%, 334th). The Bearcats are currently turning the ball over on 20% of their possessions while forcing steals on 10.5% of their opponents possessions. To put it simply, there's a lot of red for them in KenPom.

My Take:  Sophomore J.C. Show has led the way on offense so far with preseason 1st team America East player Willie Rodriguez only appearing in 1 of their 10 games to this point due to a hamstring injury. Junior Bobby Ahearn has put together nice OOC stats up to this point averaging 12.1 pts and 4.5 rebounds. With Willie Rodriguez only appearing in one game (against CCSU) so far we still have no idea how good this Binghamton team can be.

Up Next: 11/16 vs CCSU, 11/18 @ VCU

Hartford (2-7) (KenPom: 325, RPI: 333)

Opponents

11/11 - CCSU, L 60-75

11/15 - Niagara, W 82-78 (OT)
11/16 - Rider, L 68-84
11/18 - @ Drexel, L 73-87
11/23 - Appalachian St., L 61-70
11/25 - @ Rutgers, L 75-77
11/27 - @ North Texas, L 78-81
11/30 - LIU Brooklyn, L 68-75
12/3 - Sacred Heart, W 87-79 (OT)

Jalen Ross has taken over the lead offensive role after the departure of Pancake Thomas, averaging 21.3 points in 36.9 minutes. Ross, Jason Dunne and Jack Hobbs are all shooting at least 39% from three while attempting at least 4.5 per game. There's been some bad OOC losses (expected with loss of Pancake Thomas), but they've fought hard in a couple of games including a loss to Rutgers in which they led by 13 points with 5 minutes remaining.

Stats View: They've shot the ball well from deep, hitting 39.7% of their attempts which is good for 32nd in the nation. Two point shooting (45.7%, 266th) and rebounding (21.3% offensive (322nd), 33.3% opponents offensive (279th)) have been their issues so far this season.

My Take: They're not Savannah St. who is averaging 39.8 three point field goal attempts per game, but Hartford continues to live by the three and die by the three. They're shooting 42.3% from deep in their wins, which is really bolstered by a 14-27 effort in their most recent contest against Sacred Heart.

Up Next: 12/7 @ Quinnipiac, 12/9 @ Boston College, 12/13 vs Dartmouth

UMASS Lowell (2-7) (KenPom: 287, RPI: 306)

Opponents

11/11 - @ UMASS, L 76-90

11/14 - Wagner, W 87-76
11/16 - @ Indiana, L 78-100
11/19 - @ Fort Wayne, L 81-94
11/21 - @ Liberty, L 77-84
11/22 - Mississippi Valley St., W 76-71
11/26 - LIU Brooklyn, L 78-82 (OT)
11/29 - @ Marist, L 69-81
12/3 - NJIT, L 74-75

UML fought hard in their most recent contest as they turned a 15 point deficit at halftime into a 74-71 lead with 2:30 left against NJIT. While the River Hawks would end up losing, the strong second half is something to build on going forward. The loss was their third straight as they've struggled on defense and taking care of the ball on offense. Jahad Thomas currently leads the River Hawks in points per game (15.6), rebounds per game (8) and assists per game (3.4). The offense currently has 5 players averaging at least 9.3 points per game.

Stats View: UML has done a nice job from the free throw line getting 24.4% of their points from the charity stripe while shooting 81.3% (6th). Their effective FG% of 53.0 is 74th in the nation, but issues with rebounding and on the defensive end have negated the offense.

My Take: Jahad Thomas always makes them a fun team to watch as he has the ability to go up against almost any team in the country. The continued offensive development of sophomore Ryan Jones will be key to help the trio of Thomas, Harris and Livingston. Size will always be an issue as Thomas is only 6'2'' while the only two players on the roster over 6'4'' are freshman.

Up Next: 12/6 @ Sacred Heart, 12/18 vs CCSU, 12/21 vs Boston University

UMBC (6-1) (KenPom: 273, RPI: 241)

Opponents

11/11 - Hood, W 92-61

11/14 - @ UMES, W 77-73
11/16 - Delaware St., W 90-68
11/19 - Kennesaw St., W 93-85
11/23 - @ Navy, L 66-78
11/30 - @ Duquesne, W 81-72
12/3 - Messiah, W 98-59

It's been offense, offense and more offense in the Retrievers wins as they've averaged 85.25 points in their 4 wins against division 1 opponents. Jairus Lyles has led the way at 20.8 ppg, while both Will Darley and Joe Sherburne are shooting 45.7% from deep on 5 three point attempts per game through their first 7 games. Their win at Duquesne ranks as their best of the season, a game in which they had 4 players reach double digit point totals.

Stats View: They've taken care of the ball, only turning it over on 15% of their possessions which is good for 12th in the country. Offense hasn't been the issue as they rank top 100 in 3P% (54.7%, 43rd) and 2P% (52.9%, 69th), but the defense has had some issues giving up offensive rebounds on 34.6% (304th) of opponents opportunities.

My Take: The return of Rodney Elliott should only help UMBC in future contests as a tough matchup with Richmond is right around the corner. The first shot defense won't matter for UMBC if they keep can't their opponents off of the offensive glass.

Up Next: 12/7 @ Mount St. Mary's, 12/10 @ Richmond, 12/17 vs Towson

Maine (2-6) (KenPom: 340, RPI: 281)

Opponents

11/11 - @ Virginia Tech, L 67-80

11/13 - @ Longwood, W 80-58
11/19 - @ Boston University, L 78-102
11/20 - Northeastern, L 72-80 (neutral, semi-away)
11/21 - LIU Brooklyn, L, 66-71 (netural)
11/26 - Maine Presque isle, W 96-45
11/30 - CCSU, L 61-82
12/3 - Duke, L 55-94

So far their only Division 1 victory is at Longwood who KenPom has ranked as the 339th team in the nation as of this writing. While most of their contests have been on the road or at neutral sites the Black Bears did get to host a beatable CCSU team and ended up getting blown out by 21-- thanks to poor shooting from deep and CCSU going 10-14 from the outside.

Stats View: About the only thing Maine has done well so far is taking care of the ball as they've only turned it over on 16.2% of possessions, good for 44th in the nation. Their adjusted offensive efficiency ranks 329th, while their adjusted defensive efficiency ranks 339th.

My Take: Maine is still a team trying to figure it out on offense now that Vann and Little are gone. It should be a long season, but things should turn around sooner than later under coach Bob Walsh. Myers (13 ppg) and Er (11.1) are the only two players averaging double digit points per game with Fleming coming in at 9.9.

Up Next: 12/7 vs Holy Cross, 12/10 @ Dartmouth, 12/18 vs Quinnipiac

New Hampshire (5-3) (KenPom: 180, RPI: 116)

Opponents

11/11 - Lesley, W 85-60

11/14 @ Temple, W 57-52
11/17 - Abilene Christian, L 57-65
11/20 - @ West Virginia, L 41-100
11/23 - Detroit, W 86-70
11/27 - Winthrop, W 65-60
11/30 - @ Providence, L 62-76
12/3 - Holy Cross, W 56-53

There's been some good (wins at Temple, at Winthrop and vs Holy Cross) along with some bad (vs Abilene Christian and at West Virginia). At one point against Abilene Christian the Wildcats trailed trailed by 26 with 11 minutes still left to play, while they suffered a 59 point loss at West Virginia who forced 34 UNH turnovers. Tanner Leissner (15.5 ppg), Jaleen Smith (15 pgg) and Daniel Dion (12.1 ppg) have led the way on the offensive end.

Stats View: They've played a tough OOC schedule thus far and KenPom lights them up red in most categories as a result. The offense is 276th overall, while the defense is top 100 coming in at 93rd. Eff FG% (301st), turnover % (340th), 3P% (300th) and 2P% (270th) are all pretty ugly right now. The good news for UNH fans is they've done an excellent job keeping opponents off of the offensive glass, holding them to 19.8% which as of this writing comes in at 2nd best in the nation.

My Take: They're not as a good as their win at Temple or as bad as their losses to Abilene Christian and West Virgina (blow out). The offense still remains the question mark as their defense has been solid overall. If this team can figure out a way to get some more scoring on the interior they have more than enough to win the America East.

Up Next: 12/6 @ American, 12/10 @ Bryant, 12/18 @ Boston University

Stony Brook (2-5) (KenPom: 233, RPI: 313)

Opponents

11/11 - Columbia, L 66-73

11/20 - @ Boston College, L 75-82
11/22 - @ Maryland, L 63-77
11/25 - @ Towson, L 63-88
11/26 - Hamton, W 76-66 (neutral)
11/30 - Loyola MD, L 70-71
12/3 - Northeastern, W 77-75

Stony Brook started off the season with 4 straight losses but has since won two out of their last three including a two point home win over a Northeastern team that has already beaten Connecticut this season. The loss sandwiched between the two wins comes on a buzzer beating layup by Loyola. Although they've only won two games in seven contests Stony Brook has been competitive in all of their matchups minus the loss at Towson.

Stats View: They've done an excellent job taking care of the ball, only turning it over on 15.5% (18th) of their possessions. The offensive issues lie in their field goal percentages which rank 294th from deep and 314th from inside the arc. On the defensive side of the ball their giving up 15.2 more free throw attempts + field goal attempts than they're taking. The defense ranks 271st in the nation in adjusted efficiency and 307th in effective field goal percentage.

My Take: The poor defensive shooting numbers come from the fact their opponents are shooting 42.5% from three against them. Sturdivant (13.7 ppg), Woodhouse (12.4 ppg) and Nyama (10.4 ppg) are going to need some help on the offensive end as they still try to make up for the loss of Jameel Warney and Carson Puriefoy. Stony Brook will take care of the ball with Woodhouse running the point, but unless the three point shooting percentages improve it could be a long season on the island.

Up Next: 12/6 vs Lehigh, 12/10 vs Rutgers, 12/13 @ Hofstra

Vermont (4-1) (KenPom: 104, RPI: 68)

Opponents

11/12 - @ Quinnipiac, W 94-70

11/14- @ Providence, L 58-80
11/16 - @ Marist, W 76-72
11/19 - Lyndon St., W 79-20
11/21 - Wofford, W 60-59 (neutral)
11/22 - Hofstra, W 87-73 (neutral)
11/23 - Houston, L 71-72 (neutral)
11/26 - Yale, W 67-65
12/1 - South Carolina, L 50-68

Vermont made a run at the Gulf Coast Showcase before losing to Houston by one point in the finals. In the semifinal matchup against Hofstra Ernie Duncan went off, posting a career high 33 points on 7 made three pointers. His 33 points are even more impressive when you consider they came on only 16 field goal attempts. The neutral site win against Hofstra and their recent home win against Yale are their two best on the young season.

Stats View: So far newcomers Anthony Lamb (Fr) and Payton Henson (RS Jr) have led the way on offense averaging 12.4 and 11.0 points respectively. Ernie Duncan sits as the only other Catamount averaging double digit points per game at 10.9. UVM has been efficient from inside the arc shooting 55% (35th) on two point field goals. They've had trouble defending the three point shot (256th) so far this season and with ball security (20.8% turnover %)

My Take: They look as advertised so far getting significant offensive contributions from players who had never worn the Vermont jersey prior to this season. While they don't have any "wow" wins yet they'll have a couple of shots soon as they host Eastern Mighigan, then visit Butler and Siena.

Up Next: 12/7 vs Darmouth, 12/10 vs Northeastern, 12/17 vs Eastern Michigan