Senior guard Logan White leads Castleton’s high-scoring offense with an average of 15.9 points per game and 3.4 3-pointers. Castleton State athletics photo

The starting five takes the floor and a minute or so later, they’re out. A new lineup bounds off the bench as they take over the game for the next 60 seconds. Three-balls are flying, lay-ups are falling and just when the opposition has a possession, a quick steal leads to another basket.

Keep up if you can.

When the second semester began in January, the Castleton State men’s basketball team came flying out of the gate. After a lackluster start to the season head coach Paul Culpo initiated a high-octane style he first used at Castleton two seasons ago. In its most basic form, the strategy is simple. Get a stop, then shoot, shoot and shoot some more.

But, it’s more complicated than that. Though the team is third in the country in average points per game with 94.5, defense is the top priority. In order to create chances on offense, the Spartans are maniacal about creating turnovers. Through six games in February, Castleton has averaged more than 18 steals per game.

Once the ball is back in Spartan hands though, don’t expect them to slow the game down and set up the offense. Instead, they’ll look for an open shot as soon as possible, whether it’s one of their many three-point shooters or 6-6 sophomore Chad Copeland down low.

“Everybody’s got the green light to make plays,” Culpo said.

The offense can come from just about anyone, with Copeland and senior guard Logan White leading the way with an average of 15.9 points per game each. Just behind them, junior forward Carnelius Green is averaging 12.5 and junior guard Steve Rosemond has averaged 12. Sophomore forward Troy Davine has also impressed with his 10.9 average.

Because the team reinstated this style of play midway through the season, it took some time to adjust to the controlled chaos. But now riding a six-game winning streak and hanging on to the second spot in the North Atlantic Conference, this Castleton squad is buying in at the right time.

Assist leader and senior guard Tyler Ackley was on that 2011-12 team that finished 19-10 and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. He said after working out the initial kinks, the team has accepted this unorthodox style, in large part because it’s a fun way to play.

“It’s a player’s dream when your coach isn’t really restricting you and you get to shoot a lot of threes and run up and down,” Ackley said. “It’s definitely what players want to play for. It’s definitely a player’s system.”

While Culpo’s strategies are designed for Castleton, he said he did borrow some ideas from another Division III institution. Grinnell’s men’s basketball team has garnered headlines with its stunningly high point totals and implementation of “The System,” the brainchild of its head coach, David Arseneault.

Culpo said he wasn’t quite ready to fully implement The System, but adapted a less-radical version of it for his team. It was successful for that 2011 squad, which Culpo said was on the smaller side and would likely have been overpowered had it played in a traditional style.

While Grinnell has garnered some criticism for its tendency to occasionally seek out specific players to rack up gaudy statistics, the Spartans rarely stray from their ability to spread the ball around. Though five Spartans are averaging double-digit points this season, the ability to score stretches all the way to the end of the bench.

Culpo said having this capability to put the ball in the hands of multiple capable shooters has been an advantage for the team, adding an element of unpredictability to the Spartans’ frenetic pace.

“There are a lot of different guys that do different things for us,” Culpo said. “I would like to think that if you score 100 points in a game, and I don’t care how you play, you’ve got more than one or two guys that can put the ball in the basket.”

While the pace on the court is chaotic, the Spartans have shown their ability to keep calm under pressure in recent games. Two of the team’s last three games were won by one point, including a 130-129 overtime win on the road at Thomas.

The thriller was the first game on the bench for Thomas’ interim coach Dick Whitmore, the longtime Colby coach who amassed 637 wins at his previous school. The game was pushed to overtime when Thomas’ Levi Barnes drained a last second 3-pointer, but Ackley said even with that deflating shot and an enthusiastic opposing crowd, the Spartans were able to keep their cool.

“We’ve played in a lot of close games this year and we’ve played a lot of good teams,” he said. “So, when we get in the middle of it we don’t panic. We just figure out what’s going on and we adjust. From there we move forward and take it possession by possession to try and get a stop and try to get a good shot.”

Senior guard Tyler Ackley has had six games this season with seven or more assists, averaging 6.5 assists at home and 3.5 on the road. Photo courtesy of Castleton State athletics.

With all this running around, the Spartans’ goal is to exhaust their opposition. Ackley said to prevent themselves from wearing down, once the Castleton team committed to playing this way, it had to work to improve its own fitness. He said by the end of practice the team is exhausted from chasing each other around the gym.

White said the team’s depth has given it an advantage over the team that implemented this style two years ago by helping to keep everyone’s legs fresh. The constant substitutions allow for everyone on the team to get adequate rest and to give all of the team’s talented shooters a chance to rack up points.

“Coming from last year, we really had just a couple scorers, and now that we have a bunch of people here they really can’t focus on one guy,” White said. “They can’t take that away because the other guys create and do other things. They can put their best defender on our best offensive player and we have other mismatches and we have other guys who can step up and take over. We’ve also got a really strong big man down low and once he gets going, he really opens everything up.”

Culpo said he plans to have the Spartans continue to play in his signature style through the rest of the season. The team has one more regular season game this Saturday at home against Green Mountain before the NAC tournament begins. White said the team is figuring out the system at the right time and is feeling confident heading into the postseason.

“The guys understand it’s not going to be easy but we can do it,” he said. “As long as we go in with a mindset of focusing and doing the little things, I think good things will happen. We just have to follow our coach’s game plan. He knows best.”

Middlebury makes a push

Throughout the season, much of the talk in the NESCAC has been about Amherst, Williams and Bowdoin, which have all spent significant time in the men’s Top 25 poll. However, with a final season push, the Middlebury Panthers have leapfrogged Bowdoin in the conference standings to earn the No. 3 seed with the conference quarterfinals beginning this weekend.

Middlebury and Bowdoin finished the regular season with identical conference records, but the Panthers earned the nod due to their 69-66 win over Bowdoin on Sunday, Feb. 9. That game was tight down to the wire, but key free throws from senior guard Joey Kizel kept the Panthers on top.

The Panthers will host Hamilton on Saturday, Feb. 22 in quarterfinal action. If Middlebury is going to continue its late season hot streak, it’s going to have to do so without freshman standout Matt St. Amour. According to Panther Nation, a Middlebury sports blog, St. Amour will be sidelined with an ACL tear.

Despite Hamilton’s No. 6 seeding, the Continentals have shown some grit and resiliency this season, including a 76-74 win over Middlebury on Sunday, Feb. 2. In that game, a jump shot with six seconds on the clock from senior guard Greg Newton proved to be the game winner in the important conference victory.

Still streaking

It’s been about as good as it gets in the Empire 8 women’s race. We’ve been keeping a close eye on this one and ever since Ithaca put its foot on the gas in a January 10, 91-48 routing of Alfred, it hasn’t let up yet.

The Bombers are riding a 12-game winning streak into the final game of the regular season, again against Alfred. Senior guard Mary Kate Tierney has been dominant for Ithaca, leading the team in points per game (13.4), rebounds per game (8.5), steals (39), and is second in assists with 85.

Meanwhile, Hartwick has kept the pace and is at 11-1 in the conference, just a half game behind Ithaca’s 12-1. The Hawks’ final two conference games come February 18 against Stevens Institute of Technology, which at 16-7 overall is third in the conference, and Saturday, Feb. 22 against Elmira, the fourth-place team. In between those two games, The Hawks will square off against Houghton on Feb. 21, an NCAA provisional member playing this season in the Empire 8. However, games this season against Houghton will not affect conference records.

The high-scoring duo of sophomore Brittney Dumas (15.9 points per game) and senior guard Maria Foglia (14.7 points per game) have led the Hawks. Hartwick is 10-1 in its last 11 games, but the one loss could prove to be an important one. The two top teams split the season series, with Hartwick winning the first match up 63-60 on January 3 and Ithaca taking the Jan. 25 game 70-59.

Coast not quite clear

We took a look at the University of New England women’s team’s push to earn the top spot in the Commonwealth Coast Conference last week, but if the Nor’easters are going to get that No. 1 seed, getting past Roger Williams could be a challenge.

New England stands at 15-1 in the conference and 21-2 overall, but with a 14­-2 conference record, the Hawks are right on their heels. Roger Williams’ two conference losses have come at the hands of Endicott and Salve Regina, but this season’s impressive campaign includes an 80-59 win over the Nor’easters on Jan. 18.

Since that loss, the University of New England has rattled off nine straight wins and will look to make it 10 against Curry on Feb. 19. Depending on how that game and Roger Williams’ Feb. 18 game against Gordon shakes out, we could have a winner take all regular season finale on Saturday Feb. 22 when the Hawks will travel to Biddeford, Maine, to face the Nor’easters.

Roger Williams’ forte this season has been its defense, with opponents averaging 56 points. Sophomore Shannon Cullen and her 5-11 frame have been dominant down low and her 55 blocks lead the conference.

Junior forward Kelly Coleman, whose 17.1 points per game puts her at second in the conference, leads the Nor’easters.

Beast of the east

After a few seasons in a row of hovering around .500, the No. 14 Brockport men’s team has proven that its early season hot streak was no fluke. The Golden Eagles have been dominant, putting up a 20-2 overall record, a 14-1 conference record and the No. 1 spot in the NCAA’s east region heading into the final week of regular season play.

Brockport dropped its second game of the season back on November 26, 98-90 to Purchase. It then bounced back with a 15-game winning streak, which was halted by Plattsburgh, 92-89 on Feb. 7. The Golden Eagles have since returned to their winning ways, with a four-game winning streak that has shown this team can win in a variety of different ways.

In its last two games, Brockport has blown away the competition, with a 94­-74 win over Buffalo State on Feb. 14 and a 93-61 routing of Fredonia the following day. While the Golden Eagles can score, they can bear down on defense too. Brockport hit the road on February 11 to face Geneseo, which is tied for second in the conference.

Brockport held a one-point lead with just over a minute left in regulation, but was able to hang on to the win with some key free throws from senior guard Brandon Caruthers. The Golden Eagles have three games remaining against Oswego, New Paltz and Oneonta before the SUNYAC tournament begins on Tuesday, Feb. 25.

Contact me

I’d like to send a big thank you to the many readers who have sent me story ideas throughout the season. With so many teams in the east and northeast, it can be hard to catch everything and I appreciate all of you helping to keep me informed. Please continue to send story ideas my way at cory.francer@d3sports.com. Enjoy the last regular season weekend. March is almost here and I can’t wait for the madness.