And we're going to overtime in Hartford!  Amherst has struggled big-time from deep (5/24) but has stayed with the Cardinal thanks to the incredibly efficient scoring of Conklin and Nabatoff (a combined 14-14 from the field for 31 points).

38-24 Jeffs at the half, their depth has definitely carried them so far, as has their long-range shooting.  Connor Green went cold after hitting his first few high degree-of-difficulty shots to begin the game, but Jayde Dawson (11 points) and Jeff Racy (14 points) stepped up to take on some of the scoring burden.  Dawson got to the lane frequently with his quickness and even hit an open 3, while Racy was his usual long-range bombing self (though he did hit one 2-pointer to keep us guessing).  Both guys also contributed on the defensive end with some key steals, giving the Jeffs extra possessions.

David George and Johnny McCarthy have been fairly quiet offensively (though Johnny has contributed), though they've done a great job at keeping John Swords and Lucas Hausman under control.  George has used his strength to keep Swords away from the basket, and some timely double-teams forced the big man to pass it out or cough it up.  McCarthy has effectively chased Hausman around and used his length to harass him.  Hausman will get his points, but the Jeffs have done a good job of keeping an eye on him outside the arc. The Jeffs appear to be winning the rebounding battle, getting numerous second chances via offensive boards.

For Bowdoin, Bryan Hurley and Hausman are the leading scorers, but the Polar Bears will definitely need more help from their teammates if they are going to come back in this one.  Hausman has been solid but disappointing compared to his previous performance, and we certainly know he is capable of putting on a show.  Swords needs to be more of a factor on the offensive end (though he altered plenty of shots on defense), not sure if he is being too tentative or if the Amherst defense is disrupting him that much.

Plenty of basketball left, I'm looking forward to the second half.

53-37 Amherst over Tufts at the half.  Amherst is a scorching 8-10 from 3 and shooting 58% overall, led by 14 points from Connor Green and 10 from David George.  Tufts is only 1-8 from deep and shooting 43% overall.  This is a bit of a reversal from the last time these teams matched up.  Tom Palleschi and Ben Ferris are carrying the scoring load (13 and 11) for the Jumbos, but they need some help from their teammates.

Still no camera (though they said they will work on it at halftime), but audio is available at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-9Zx8PonwOo.

Looks like there are some technical difficulties on the Tufts-Amherst feed, hopefully that gets resolved soon.  11-7 Jeffs in the early going, Connor Green has 9, and no Hunter Sabety in the starting lineup for the Jumbos (can't tell if he's dressed or not from live stats).

Apparently tonight's Amherst-Lasell game will be Coach Hixon's 1,000th, another impressive milestone (though I'm sure he's much prouder of his 700+ wins).

The Camels might want to think about guarding Jeff Racy, he's 7-9 from distance so far.

86-76 Jeffs in OT in LeFrak, it was all Connor Green in the extra period.  I don't have time for more detailed thoughts at the moment, but I'm sure some other viewers will chime in.

Not Amh63, but a few thoughts on Amherst's weekend (first games I've watched in a little while):

In the Tufts game, the offense looked very out of sync against Tufts' zone.  They were hesitant to go inside and challenge the Twin Towers (Sabety and Palleschi) and they weren't hitting from downtown.  They were at times a bit impatient and would force up some jumpers early in the shot clock instead of looking to penetrate and kick  You're not going to win many games shooting 32% from the field (including a combined 4-20 from Connor Green and Johnny McCarthy), but credit to the Jumbo's defense for putting the pressure on Amherst's shooters.  Jeff Racy was the only Amherst player who had a decent shooting day

On the other end, the big guys had their way inside.  David George and Jacob Nabatoff fought valiantly, but they gave up too much bulk to the Jumbo duo.  On the outside, the Jeffs had no answer for the quickness of Tarik Smith (who hit 2 big threes at the end of the first half as Amherst started to close the gap) and the Jumbo's 3-point shooting, which no doubt benefitted from the attention paid to Palleschi and Sabety.

As for the Bates game, it was a much stronger all-around performance.  The 3-point shooting was still sub-par, as Green and Racy were a combined 0-9 from beyond the arc.  However, the Jeffs were able to create some offense inside.  Eric Conklin, who was a non-factor in the Tufts game, broke out with 12 points on 6-6 shooting.  He used his strength in the post to back down the Delpeche brothers and get some easy buckets.  Jayde Dawson used his quickness to drive in the lane for several layups, and Green and George both did some work in the lane as well.

Bates' offense was a little too 1-dimensional in this one, relying heavily on Safford and Boornazian to create scoring chances.  While both guys got their points, they combined to shoot 12-36, and nobody else on Bates was able to step up as a credible 3rd option.

Overall, a very schizophrenic weekend for a young, talented Amherst team.  This may be Dave Hixon's toughest coaching job in quite a while, as he still seems to be figuring out his best lineups and rotations.  Jayde Dawson seems to be the guy at PG for now, but he hasn't been a very efficient shooter and so far has struggled to get his teammates involved.  His quickness and driving ability are exceptional, but his outside shot has been a weakness.  They will have to figure out how to integrate Reid Berman's vision and passing ability and Ray Barry's toughness and defense as well.

On the inside, there are lots of guys competing for playing time.  One wonders whether the more physical Conklin should've had more playing time against Tufts, and figuring out how to get the back-from-injury Ben Pollack into the rotation is another challenge.  Nabatoff brings some nice versatility to the 4 position with his ability to shoot the 3, but he does give up some size and toughness against teams like Tufts that start 2 bigs.

The 2-3 spots seem pretty settled with McCarthy/Green/Racy/Riopel.  Green has been in a bit of a shooting slump to start the season, but I imagine he'll be back to his old self in no time.  He needs to stay aggressive and look to drive inside when his jumper isn't falling.  McCarthy is going to be a fun player to watch develop over the next few years.  Athletically and aesthetically, Johnny's game is reminiscent of Willy Workman's, though his offensive game is more polished than Willy's was at the same stage.

This is a young team, still struggling to figure out their roles after substantial roster turnover.  Poor foul shooting and inconsistent 3-point shooting have held them back so far, but there is significant potential for improvement.  It may take some time for them to gel and I expect some inconsistent performances, but their ceiling is very high. 

Nice job with the Hixon interview Dave.  Interesting nugget: Aaron Toomey coming back to help out with coaching following the ECU game.  I'm assuming this is the result of his injury sustained overseas, but Toomey's misfortune could be Amherst's gain.  They could certainly use some help developing their young PG's.

A few links, for those interested in reading more on the Robinson situation:

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140729/SPORTS0201/307290085/1361/Report--Williams-College-sharpshooter-Duncan-Robinson-visiting-Michigan
https://twitter.com/Balas_Wolverine/status/493970495763521536
http://www.umhoops.com/2014/07/29/report-michigan-host-division-iii-transfer-duncan-robinson/

Also, Robinson is visiting Davidson too: https://twitter.com/umhoops

It may be the offseason, but Coach Hixon's shade-throwing skills are in midseason form http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=30sbz7o&s=8#.U1AneuZdWSc

I wasn't able to watch the game, but based on the commentary, it sounds like the Jeffs' lack of depth finally caught up with them, and the Ephs continued to peak at the right time.  Foul trouble was obviously a problem for Toomey and George, and Killian, Kalema, and Toomey all had off shooting nights.  Having Nabatoff playing big minutes instead of Pollack or Levine clearly hurts, but when the opposition shoots 63% from the floor and 45% from 3, it doesn't really matter who's out there

Congratulations to the Ephs, it was obvious from their play this tournament that beating them a 4th time was going to be a tall order.  I hope they continue to represent the NESCAC well in the championship game, and that Duncan Robinson plays well enough that a D1 program comes calling with a transfer offer  .  He will continue to be a problem the next 3 years, though at least the NESCAC won't have Mike Mayer to contend with as well.

Congratulations are also due to an exceptional group of Amherst seniors.  Aaron Toomey, Tom Killian, David Kalema, and Connor Gach will leave a great legacy behind them, and even though this isn't the way they probably wanted to go out, they have a lot to be proud of.

Quote from: magicman on March 14, 2014, 03:33:09 PM
This board has been extraordinarily quiet considering 2 NESCAC teams will be taking the floor in the next 4 hours to try to advance to the Elite Eight. I'm        Go Plattsburgh State!! Maybe that will help.

I imagine my fellow Amherst partisans have been busy praying for the health of Connor Green.  Or else all the talk of cheerleaders and handsome players has everyone distracted.

Valid point Old Guy.  How could we leave out the 2011 Mr. New York State teen bodybuilding champion? http://siflexphysique.com/2011-mr--ms--new-york-state-results.html

The All-NESCAC teams were fairly defensible, though I would've loved to see Killian crack the 1st team because of his recent play.  Swords making the 1st team was a bit surprising because he's just a sophomore, and much of his impact doesn't show up on the stat sheet (though was obviously acknowledged by his selection as DPOY).  He also deserves 1st-team honors for his goofy headshot and embarrassing mustache.  Robinson deserves 1st team based on his production (I still can't get over him shooting 47% from 3), but I'm not surprised that he only got 2nd team as a frosh (he has 3 more years to be a 1st-teamer, and should be a POY frontrunner as soon as next year).

As for snubs, Green, Sinnickson, and Sabety all have strong statistical cases for 2nd team, as does Boornazian from Bates.  Madlinger's numbers don't scream all-conference to me (efficient shooting, but not high enough volume), but if he is considered an impact defender, then I guess his selection makes some sense (and as a tournament team, it seems reasonable for Bowdoin to get 2). 

The NESCAC talent pool seems super-deep this year.  In an ordinary year, it's hard to imagine people putting up those kinds of numbers for winning teams being left off the all-conference list.  Or even someone like Kalema, who hasn't put up huge scoring numbers but is an impact player at both ends of the court for the league champion.  Perhaps it speaks to the parity of the league this year that Bowdoin gets 2 guys on the list, a guy from Hamilton makes 1st-team, and Colby (who beat Amherst) gets a guy.  The big 3 (Amherst, Mid, Williams) have a combined 5 guys on the list, I'm curious how this compares to previous years (maybe I'll even look at it if I have time).