What: Millersville Marauders @ Kutztown Golden Bears
When: Tuesday, March 4, 2008 @
Where: Keystone Hall on the campus of
One year later, they get another chance.
The Golde
n Bears will certainly be thinking about last year’s disappointing first-round exit when they play host to the Millersville Marauders in the PSAC East Quarterfinals at Keystone Hall on Tuesday. Like one season ago, KU heads into the postseason as the number-two seed and will play at least one playoff game at home. Last year, the Cheyney Wolves came into town and knocked the Golden Bears out of the playoffs by a score of 79-63. This year, KU will hope to escape a first round collapse and will be looking for a PSAC Championship. The challenge will not be any easier, however, with a talented Marauder team looking to pull off the upset.
The teams enter the game with identical 19-8 overall records—the top record in the division. The Golden Bears went 10-2 in the East, which tied them with top-seeded Cheyney for a share of the PSAC East regular season title. Millersville held onto the three seed with an 8-4 divisional record.
The teams have already met twice this season, with each winning on their home court. On Jan. 23, KU came away with the 78-60 victory at Keystone Hall. Led by Andre Woodlin’s 17 points, KU shot just under 50-percent en route to the win. Only four different Marauders scored in the game. The game was extremely competitive and MU head coach Fred Thompson was ejected late in the second half.
The Marauders got their revenge on Feb. 20 when they knocked off KU 80-67 at Pucillo Gymnasium. Dave Ben scored 29 points, but the Golden Bears committed what would prove to be a costly 26 turnovers.
The Golden Bears enter this contest fresh off Saturday’s 82-74 home win against
After dropping back-to-back games to ESU and Cheyney, Millersville enters this game coming off a regular-season finale shellacking of
Probable Starters:
Millersville:
G - #3 - Charlie Parker – 16.1 PPG
G - #20 - Cory Bray – 6.1 PPG
G - #22 - Reggie Bates – 19.3 PPG
F - #42 - RayQuan Miles – 6.0 PPG
F - #44 - Bernard Brown – 10.1 PPG
Kutztown:
G - # 14 – Stephen Dennis – 17.1 PPG
G - # 32 - Andre Woodlin – 13.5 PPG
F - # 34 - Dave Ben – 17.0 PPG
F - # 52 - Ryan Washington – 8.9 PPG
C - # 55 - Jeremy Coombs – 6.1 PPG
Scouting Report:
The Golden Bears and Marauders enter this game as two of the top scoring—and possibly the top two most exciting offenses—in the league. You can bet that this will be an intense and fast-paced game. Both teams enjoy pushing the ball and letting their skill players make things happen. The Golden Bears sport a much deeper team than the Marauders and a bad da
y by one of KU’s top scorers generally does not mean certain loss. Meanwhile, MU relies on Bates and Parker to carry a significant workload and a poor outing from one of them is usually fatal. On the other hand, if those two have a big day, it is almost certain that the Marauders will come out on top. They are two of the most talented players in the league, but they will need to be at the top of their individual games if MU has a chance in the PSAC.
As has been the case all season, KU will continue to rely on top-off-the-line scoring threats Ben, Dennis, and Woodlin. Each has had their moments as the team leader in scoring this season, but all three will need to play stellar basketball in the postseason. Washington and Coombs have done a respectable job in the front court, but need to find ways to avoid foul trouble. Washington, only a redshirt freshman, has proved he can contribute at this level and his services in the paint will be requirement towards KU’s title run. Guard Nate Edwards and center Kevin Hafera will a significant workload off the bench. Edwards has a knack for making big plays and will be counted on to do the same in the playoffs. Hafera, the team’s lone senior, will look to man the front court in relief of Washington and Coombs. Center Mark Bower and guards Mike Connolly and Steve Coffey will each see a few minutes off the bench.
Millersville will, as mentioned, rely on Bates and Parker to make the big plays in this game. Combined, they have scored almost 1,000 points this season, recorded 117 steals, dished out 193 assists, and grabbed 10.3 rebounds per game.
Brown leads the team’s rebounding effort, hauling in seven boards a game. He also chips in just over 10 points a game, making him a serious double-double threat. Bray and Miles will both play near 30 minutes, assuming they stay out of foul trouble. Bray is a threat from beyond the arc, while Miles averages near seven boards a game and will keep the KU forwards busy.
In conclusion, KU head coach Bernie Driscoll will no doubt be focusing on stopping Parker and Bates in this game. The Golden Bears struggled the last time this team’s met, but it is a very rare occurrence for the entire team to struggle. With that said, there is no reason to doubt the Golden Bear offense will show up. That means stoppi
ng the Parker-Bates duo is the key to the game. Can they do it? We’ll see.
Prediction:
What fun is a preview without a prediction? I feel like this game will either be a dogfight until the finish or a complete blowout. Millersville tends to be Jekyll and Hyde and a poor day from a top scorer will make their chances to win almost impossible. KU sports and great defense and will give the Marauders their share of problems. There is also no reason to believe that the big time players in this game will come to play on Tuesday. With all that said, I think Bates and Parker will have decent days for Millersville, but they won’t get quite enough help to upset the much deeper Golden Bears. It will be close until the late stages, but KU will take care of business.
Millersville 70
Kutztown 79
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