Path to the Hall of Fame (v2)

[randy]

@Texas St, Won 88-69

• FG: 64-50%
• POG: PG Brandon Costa 17 pts, 11 asts

@Towson, Lost 67-74

• Turnovers: +9; Fast break pts: -16

@St Louis, Lost 67-75

• Turnovers: +5; Fast break pts: -5; Missed FTs: 9

@North Florida, Lost 65-78

• UNF 8-19 3PT

@Southern, Won 92-87 OT

• Rebounds +25; 2nd chance pts +14
• POG: PG Brandon Braun 36 pts, 16 rebs

[randy]

@Coppin St, Won 79-74

• POG: C Brandon Braun 23 pts, 8 rebs

Florida A&M, Won 77-67

• FG: 56-37%; REB: +6; TO: +7;
• POG: C Brandon Braun 34 pts, 11 rebs

@Bethune-Cookman, Won 73-69

• FG: 53-48%; REB: -5; TO: -4
• POG: C Brandon Braun 34 pts, 8 rebs

@Howard, Won 77-72 OT

• FG: 41-46%; REB: +9; TO: +1
• POG: C Brandon Braun 20 pts, 15 rebs

MEAC Conference Standings

1. Delaware St, 4-0
2. Lipscomb, 3-1
3. MD Eastern Shore, 3-1
4. Norfolk, 3-1
5. Morgan St, 2-2
6. Coppin St, 2-2
7. North Carolina A&T, 2-2
8. Florida A&M, 2-2
9. Quinnipiac, 1-3
10. Bethune-Cookman, 1-3
11. Belmont, 1-3
12. Howard, 0-4

[randy]

Lipscomb, Won 81-51

• FG: 56-34%; REB: +13; TO: -4
• POG: C Brandon Braun 19 pts, 6 rebs

@Belmont, Lost 76-96

• FG: 52-59%; REB: -4; TO: +5; Fast break pts: -16

@Quinnipiac, Won 56-49

• FG: 41-36%; REB: Even; TO: Even
• POG: SG Michael Price 16 pts, 7 rebs

Norfolk, Won 80-65

• FG: 56-45%; REB: +3; TO: +2
• POG: SG Michael Price 23 pts, 4 asts

MEAC Conference Standings

1. Delaware St, 7-1
2. Lipscomb, 6-2
3. North Carolina A&T, 5-3
4. Coppin St, 5-3
5. MD Eastern Shore, 5-3
6. Florida A&M, 4-4
7. Norfolk, 4-4
8. Belmont, 4-4
9. Bethune-Cookman, 3-5
10. Morgan St, 3-5
11. Quinnipiac, 2-6
12. Howard, 0-8

[randy]

North Carolina A&T, Won 53-48

• FG: 40-37%; REB: -1; TO: -2
• POG: C Brandon Braun 24 pts, 12 rebs

@Morgan St, Lost 73-93

• FG: 52-54%; REB: +8; TO: +11; Fast break pts: -10

MD Eastern Shore, Won 84-52

• FG: 52-35%; REB: +11; TO: Even
• POG: SG Lewis Lepore 26 pts, 5 rebs, 6-9 3PT

Coppin St, Won 73-56

• FG: 39-34%; REB: +7; TO: -2
• POG: C Brandon Braun 25 pts, 8 rebs

MEAC Conference Standings

1. Delaware St, 10-2
2. Lipscomb, 10-2
3. MD Eastern Shore, 8-4
4. Morgan St, 7-5
5. North Carolina A&T, 7-5
6. Belmont, 7-5
7. Coppin St, 5-7
8. Florida A&M, 5-7
9. Bethune-Cookman, 4-8
10. Norfolk, 4-8
11. Quinnipiac, 4-8
12. Howard, 1-11

[randy]

@Florida A&T, Won 77-76

• FG: 52-57%; REB: +5; TO: Even
• POG: C Brandon Braun 23 pts, 9-12 FG

Bethune-Cookman, Won 75-59

• FG: 50-42%; REB: Even; TO: -2
• POG: C Brandon Braun 28 pts, 11 rebs

Howard, Won 76-50

• FG: 56-36%; REB: +4; TO: -1
• POG: C Brandon Braun 31 pts, 6 rebs

@Lipscomb, Won 67-57

• FG: 52-46%; REB: +4; TO: +2
• POG: C Brandon Braun 23 pts, 8 rebs

MEAC Conference Final Standings

1. Delaware St, 14-2
2. Lipscomb, 10-6
3. Belmont, 9-7
4. Morgan St, 9-7
5. North Carolina A&T, 9-7
6. MD Eastern Shore, 9-7
7. Quinnipiac, 7-9
8. Florida A&M, 7-9
9. Bethune-Cookman, 6-10
10. Coppin St, 6-10
11. Norfolk, 6-10
12. Howard, 4-12

[randy]

Mar 2, 2000: (9) Bethune-Cookman (12-16, 6-10) vs (1) Delaware St (19-8, 14-2)

BETH always try to use most of their shot clock, before launching a 3; they're 2-7 3PT so far. Up 15-12, 8:56. SF Brad Collins heated up with 12 pts, including two 3pt shots. BETH was only down 7, with 30 sec left, and then both PG Brandon Costa and PG Michael Price connected on back-to-back 3s. BETH shot only 32% FG in the 1st half. Halftime, Up 35-22.

We built a 17pt early in the 2nd half, as PG Michael Price buried two more from down town; after starting the game earlier 0-4 3PT, we have now connected on 6 of our last 8 3pt attempts. Up 49-34, 11:30. BETH got a little bit of momentum, cutting our lead to 11, but PG Michael Price scored 8 straight pts (including two more 3s), which finished any hope for BETH.

This game typifies our offense the entire season, which is to dump the ball inside to Brandon Braun; if the opponent clogs up the lane, we have 3pt shooters spread out on the floor.

Final Score: Bethune-Cookman - 50, Delaware St - 69


Box Scores
[INDENT]Price 21, 2, 3, 5-7 3PT
Braun 17, 6, 3, 3 blks (*)
Collins 12, 5, 0
Matthews 6, 0, 0
Perry 4, 2, 4
Costa 3, 0, 5, 4 tos
Murphy 2, 4, 0
Jefferson 2, 1, 2
Whiting 2, 0, 1
Armstrong 0, 1, 2
Lepore 0, 0, 2
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 57-40%
REB: -8 (-7 off)
TO: -5
Pts in paint: +4
2nd chance: -11
Fast break: -6
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Mar 3, 2000: (4) Morgan (16-12, 9-7) vs (1) Delaware St (20-8, 14-2)

Up 9-7, 15:37. C Brandon Braun has been solid for us, but the other players have not shot well. Tied at 14, 11:56. Aside from our shooting woes, our inability to secure def rebounds needs to improve; it has forced us to use 2-3 zone exclusively. Our FT shooting helped us secure a lead after the 1st half. Fortunately for us, MORG is only 1-10 3PT today. Halftime, Up 31-22.

C Brandon Braun continues to carry our offense, 27 pts. Up 51-32, 10:51. MORG cut down our lead to 13 momentarily, but we quickly regained control until the end of the game. Both teams combined to shoot 6-38 3PT today; we just had a better inside game than MORG


Final Score: Morgan St - 49, Delaware St - 70


Box Scores
[INDENT]Braun 31, 14, 2 blks (*)
Collins 11, 9, 1, 2 stls
Price 10, 4, 1
Lepore 9, 3, 3
Murphy 5, 0, 0, 4 tos
Costa 2, 2, 6
Whiting 2, 0, 0
Jefferson 0, 5, 1
Perry 0, 1, 2
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 47-30%
REB: +4 (-3 off)
TO: +1
Pts in paint: +12
2nd chance: Even
Fast break: +2
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Mar 4, 2000: (3) Belmont (17-12, 9-7) vs (1) Delaware St (21-8, 14-2)

BEL is shooting 67% FG, including a perfect 3-3 3PT. Down 15-20, 10:30. SG Lewis Lepore and SF Anthony Jefferson provided spark off the bench, combining for 18 pts to complement C Brandon Braun's inside game (14 pts). Halftime, Up 38-30.

We went almost exclusively to C Brandon Braun at the start of the 2nd half, where he scored 8 of our 1st 13 pts. But BEL has been resilient in keeping this game close. Up 54-37, 10:48. BEL's turn overs has kept them trailing, as we expanded our lead to 12. But here comes BEL again, as the score 7 unanswered pts. Timeout. Up 62-57, 4:55.

A miss by C Brandon Braun. We stole a pass on BEL's offensive play, and got an easy 2 on the break. BEL answers with a jumper. On our end, SG Lewis Lepore (17 pts) continues to have a good game, sinking a jumper also. Up 66-59, 3:16.

A miss by BEL, and on the other end, PG Michael Price (9 pts) sinks a triple, and suddenly we're up double digits. Up 69-59, 2:36. We'll start slowing down the game. We were able to hold on to the lead.

MEAC Tournament Champions!!!


Final Score: Belmont - 63, Delaware St - 75


Box Scores
[INDENT]Braun 31, 11, 1, 4 tos (*)
Lepore 17, 2, 3, 2 stls
Jefferson 10, 4, 1
Price 9, 4, 1
Murphy 4, 2, 0
Costa 2, 3, 6
Collins 2, 0, 1
Perry 0, 2, 3
Whiting 0, 1, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 47-30%
REB: +4 (-3 off)
TO: +1
Pts in paint: +12
2nd chance: Even
Fast break: +2
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Rank (Media/Coaches): NR/NR; RPI: #32

We're in the West Regionals (Salt Lake City)

1st round matchup:
(5) #12 Toledo vs (12) Delaware St

Teams in the West Regionals

• (1) #5 Syracuse - 1 National title, 2 Final Fours
• (2) #8 LSU - 2 National titles, 6 Final Fours
• (3) #19 Villanova - 2 Final Fours
• (4) #23 Michigan St - 1 National title, 4 Final Fours
• (5) #12 Toledo
• (6) #20 Southern Illinois - 4 Final Fours
• (7) Providence
• (8) UCLA - 3 Final Fours
• (9) Northern Iowa
• (10) St. Mary's
• (11) Creighton
• (12) Delaware St
• (13) Robert Morris
• (14) Denver
• (15) North Dakota St
• (16) Play-In

Other Ranked Teams

East

• (1) #1 Kansas
• (2) #6 North Carolina
• (3) #9 Gonzaga
• (4) #14 Arizona
• (5) #25 Kentucky
• (6) #11 Arkansas-Little Rock
• (8) #24 Texas-Arlington

Midwest

• (1) #2 Temple
• (2) #10 Pittsburgh
• (3) #13 Duke
• (4) #3 UNLV
• (5) #21 Massachusetts

South

• (1) #4 Georgia
• (2) #7 St. John's
• (3) #17 Iowa
• (4) #15 Stanford
• (5) #16 Memphis
• (6) #18 Vermont

On Probation

• #22 Indiana

MEAC teams appearing on post-season tournaments

NCAA

• West: (12) Delaware St vs (5) #12 Toledo

CBI

• East: (5) NC-Asheville vs (4) Belmont

[randy]

Mar 17, 2001: (12) Delaware St (22-8, 14-2) vs (5) #12 Toledo (26-5, 13-3)

Scouting Report

1. Primary defense: M2M
2. Offense focus: Outside (fast)
3. Key players:
   
   • So SG George Carter (25.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 42% 3PT, All-American, Conf POY, Conf DPOY, #47 class rank)
   • So PG Damon Mouton (12.5 ppg, 5.9 apg
   • Fr PF Dustin Rivera (8.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg)
4. Strengths:
   
   • Offense: 78.5 ppg (#1), 17.0 apg (#5), 38.4% 3PT (#38)
   • Rebounding: 34.4 rpg (#27)
5. Weaknesses:
   
   • Perimeter defense: 37.3% opp 3PT (#310)
6. How they got here:
   
   • Finished 1st Mid-American; Won Conference Tournament

Strategies

1. We are up against the #1 offensive team in the country. We'll double up on Carter, who is #3 in the country in ppg

Start of 1st half

Good start offensively, 5-5 FG; SG Michael Price 7 pts. TOL's SG George Carter with 6 pts (two 3pt shots). Up 13-7, 15:31. TOL's SG George Carter picked up his 2nd foul, and has to go to the bench. SG Michael Price continues to wax hot with 13 pts, 4-4 FG. Without Carter, TOL's offense has been in disarray. Up 30-10, 10:10. TOL gaining a bit of momentum, cutting our lead to 15; and then SG Michael Price drains his 3rd triple of the game, spearheading a 7-2 run. Up 37-17, 4:59. Because of the attention being given to Price's shooting, C Bernard Braun has quietly got himself a double-double already, 14 pts, 10 rebs. Halftime, Up 47-29.

Key stats / Notes (Halftime)

• FG shooting: DELST 56%, TOL 34%
• Pts in paint: DELST 24, TOL 2
• Worst we can do is to be complacent. Our shots have not fallen lately (we made our 1st 12 shots, but missed 15 of the next 22).

Start of 2nd half

After restoring our 20 pt lead, TOL rallied back with a 12-4 run, including back-to-back 3pt shots from SG George Carter (14 pts). We're 2-8 FG in the 2nd half. Up 53-41, 15:20. Our lead was cut down further to 10. SG Michael Price scoring 5 straight pts, and we go up by 15. But TOL able to score 5 straight also. Up 58-48, 11:41. I had to rest some of my key players, and TOL able to capitalize. I called a timeout to break their momentum. We suddenly have a ball game. SG Michael Carter and C Brandon Braun back on the floor. That 12-12 FG start we had seems like a distant memory now. We're in the penalty already. Up 63-58, 8:06.

Our lead went down to 4, after TOL hits a basket. And then SG Michael Price (24 pts) came back with a big 3pt shot, his 5th of the game. Up 70-63, 5:04. After a miss by TOL, we go back C Brandon Braun. Braun is a little bit far from the basket, but nevertheless attempted a jump shot. Braun scores plus a foul! Braun (20 pts) missed the FT. Both teams in penalty now. Up 72-63, 4:43.

Another miss by TOL. We went to C Brandon Braun again. Braun works his way inside and scores again. Braun with 22 pts. Up 74-63, 4:01. TOL's offense suddenly going cold, as they missed again. On our offense, we have to go back to Braun. Braun gets the ball and scores inside again; Braun (24 pts) has scored our last 6 pts. We're on a 9-0 run. Up 13. TOL finally scores on a 3pt shot; it's their 9th triple of the game. Up 76-66, 3:09.

SF Brad Collins answers back with a 3 of his own; Collins (13 pts) scores his 1st 3pt shot. Up 79-66, 3:01. SG Michael Price gets a steal. We spread the floor on offense. Price puts up a 3, and sinks his 6th tripe of the game! Price with 27 big pts. Up 82-66, 2:18. We should be able to hold on to this lead now. We'll slow down the game.


Final Score: Delaware St - 86, Toledo - 68


Box Scores
[INDENT]Braun 28, 14, 1 (*)
Price 27, 3, 1
Collins 13, 3, 2
Jefferson 8, 6, 0
Murphy 6, 6, 1
Whiting 2, 3, 0
Lepore 2, 0, 1
Perry 0, 2, 7
Costa 0, 0, 8
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 54-37%
REB: +3
TO: Even
Pts in paint: +36 (42-6)
2nd chance: +6
Fast break: +7
[/INDENT]
Notes

• A roller coaster game. We lead by 21 early, TOL rallied to trim their deficit to just 4 pts. But we finish stronger. We were able to take advantage of TOL's weakness in perimeter defense, shooting 9-20 3PT.