Stony Brook takes out Columbia Lions - Will Take on Maine Black Bears....Any Chance Towson wants back into the League so I can make a Wizard of Oz Joke?

But really it was a must-win....as much as a must win game can be for a league guaranteed to only get one bid to the dance this year. But don't lessen the significance of this game - Stony Brook saved its confidence, its momentum, and its reputation by defeating Columbia 67-53 tonight, evening its record to 2-2. 

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Let's be blunt - Stony Brook is big, fast, athletic, and rightfully intimidating to teams at its level...when it comes out looking to play well. Against Sacred Heart this did not happen. The Seawolves were stymied in nearly every aspect of the game, and never really seemed to threaten no matter how close the score got. If anything, that game was a great reminder that - as good as Stony Brook fans feel about the program this year - it's a Mid-Major now just as it has always been.

The reason the America East conference as a whole is down this season is because we don't win the Mid-Major games that we're supposed to. NEC, Ivy, Patriot, Atlantic Sun, mid-tier MAAC/CAA, and Mid/Low A-10s etc.. are all what are commonly called 50-50 games, in that they're generally even matchups. Good programs from our conference will win them, bad ones will lose them. Only problem is - this season we're losing ALL of them, up and down the slate. Bad News Bears. 

But while this is certainly a topic for another post, I digress from the topic at hand. Tonight was a statement game, and it was also a huge tribute to the return and leadership of - guess who? - Tommy Brenton

More on Stony Brook vs. Columbia after the break.....

It's easy to come out and say that I overvalue the kid - that I look at his achievements unfairly in relationship to the emergence of other Seawolves. And to some degree you'd be right, and I should correct this. Dave Coley is emerging and is making fantastic plays up to the rim. FINALLY a player who chases his own rebounds! Bracey is a dual threat, and is taking a huge amount of pressure off of Lenny and Bryan, who are starting to hit their shots. He's also trying a lot more on defense, which will improve with time and adjustment. Rapier is bigger, stronger, and more confident. Ditto to Dallis and Eric, who are now impact players. 

But the more I watch the team, the more I see where Tommy's influence lies in the success of Stony Brook's philosophy. He won't have gaudy stat lines. No European team is salivating over his 9 pt, 8 rebound performance today off 0-4 shooting (including a clanger of a 3 pointer). What they SHOULD be salivating over was Tommy's hustle, grit, toughness, and absolute awareness of the game around him. The kid took charges, broke Columbia's offensive plays, harassed their top scorers, absolutely decimated every notion of a gameplan the Lions took with them into Pritchard Gym.

This team would not win without the outside threats of Bryan, Lenny, Anthony, and now Ron. This team would not win without the inside grit of Dave, Dallis, and Al. This team would not win without the absolute bruising play of Danny Carter - a player who has finally found his place on this team and is playing it to perfection. But all these intangibles are unified and enhanced by the presence and leadership of Tommy Brenton. Pikiell knows it, the team knows it, the fan knows it, and the opponents know it. Whenever Tommy's on the court - this team is dangerous. 

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Play of the game = Coley missing a shot, chasing it down, and tipping it in. Warmed my heart to see such hustle and on-court awareness

Stat of the game = 21 TEAM OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS. Let's be honest - the elementary school kids playing at halftime played more physically than Columbia for 2/3 of the game tonight. But any time you have 21 offensive rebounds and 45 total....you're probably going to win. 

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Up Next: @ Northwestern on 11/25

Ken Pomeroy has us losing 72-57 with a 9% chance of victory. This is before adjusting for Columbia, which will likely kick us up a few places. Still highlights what will be a very tough game. 

Keys - Northwestern allows a lot of offensive rebounds (37.2%, 274th in D1), and Stony Brook seems adept at tracking the ball to the rim. Minimizing turnovers and maximizing second chances will keep the Seawolves in this one as long as possible. Northwestern has a very high offensive efficiency rating (114.1, 8th in D1) against some quality opponents. It'll be important for Stony Brook to keep them from getting into a groove, because as soon as the shots start falling they won't stop until it's too late.