MBB: NESCAC

[Bucket]

It kills me that I won't be in Salem tomorrow.

Am speaking at a conference in Minneapolis and don't fly out until tomorrow afternoon. Have managed to arrange a long enough layover in LaGuardia, however, to accommodate a complete viewing of Midd's game....and if the Panthers pull off a victory, my son and I hope to head south first thing Saturday morning. Here's hoping.

[old_hooper]

Good luck to the CAC teams in Salem.  I know you will make us proud!  Think we all will be watching the Midd/NCC game with special interest.  Nice article on Thompson, what an asset to have in game planning that he is almost automatic to contain opponent player.  Hope the Ephs have enough hp for the Tommie's depth.  You know the offensive execution will be there.  Just saw former Eph coach Paulsen interviewed at the half as his team is down to Butler at the half.  Think his winning percentage at Bucknell is better than his last 4 years at Williams.  He has done an amazing job there and his name is now in the mix for other D1 jobs.

[WPI89]

WPI89.......what side of the highlander saga are you on.   Crazy board posters who are either Scots/Irish (all vikings really), Highlander fans, crazy or all above.  Actually, liked the original series but found the follow-up ones lacking.

AMH63 - "There can be only one side"..................................actually was a late adopter to the original and never watched any of the TV/spin off stuff.  No Scottish blood in me - mom from County Cavan/Irish - dad a mutt from Brooklyn.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Grab the Rim - not going to Salem?  You should go to route on your panthers and meet up with Coach Hixon.

D-Mac, Coach Hixon and me are meeting up for some bonding after the tournament. After we find our common ground we are going to work on solving the little skirmish in the Middle East.

I didn't ask... but thanks for thinking of me .

[Old Guy]

It kills me that I won't be in Salem tomorrow.  Bucket

Me too, Buck.

Party at my house tomorrow night for the game on the tube. We'll connect the computer to the TV and make a lot of noise. Hot dogs and beer. It doesn't seem that long ago that I waited till the newspaper came the next morning to find out how a Midd basketball game had come out.

Here's a 90 second video summary of the Midd-Ithaca game from the Burlington TV station (I'm sorry if this was posted earlier - I didn't see it). You get to see the final foul - it looks like Kizel was passing to Wolfin for an open 18 footer - that would have been fun.  http://www.wcax.com/story/21661862/middlebury-headed-to-elite-eight

[Gregory Sager]

Wow, my name in a poll! I've finally made it! I'd like to thank all of the members of the academy ....

3.  Nescac1 provided me with a date that conference Teams could participate in the NCAA tournaments.  Was looking for it and it was not clear on the NESCAC website.  Know that the D3 BB tournaments went back towards  the mid 70's a time period when the North Park poster's teams dominated.

Late '70s, actually. The first D3 tourney was held in March '75. NPU won its first title in '78, followed by '79, '80, '85, and '87.

if you're counting at home, this marks the 14,934th reference on this forum to the North Park national title years.   

... offered only to clarify amh63's 14,933rd reference.

Seriously, best of luck to all three NESCAC teams this weekend. I trust that all four games in Salem tomorrow will be exciting and well-played, and that all eight teams will prove themselves worthy of being there.

[middhoops]

As game day arrives the CCIW board is doing some hatin' on us.  Apparently we make them ill.
(bottom of the page)   http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=4592.33810

[blue_jays]

As game day arrives the CCIW board is doing some hatin' on us.  Apparently we make them ill.
(bottom of the page)   http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=4592.33810

Geez who cares. Enough of the sniping on all sides. The players decide the outcome, fortunately, and not a bunch of message board blowhards.

[Stagg Again!!]

As game day arrives the CCIW board is doing some hatin' on us.  Apparently we make them ill.
(bottom of the page)   http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=4592.33810

No hate here, just a lot of respect from a native New Englander and alumni of North Central College.  Here's to a great game by two classy schools and programs from two strong conferences.

[middhoops]

Stagg, I read your assessment of the Midd/NCC match up.  You nailed it perfectly.

[lefrakenstein]

Williams looks great so far. 8 point lead at intermission, but it easily could have been much larger. Williams' zone has done a great job of preventing St. Thomas from getting open looks from three and the Tommies are really struggling to score over Mayer on the inside. I'm very impressed that Mayer is being used as one of Williams' 3 press breakers. At one point early on he went coast-to-coast for a layup off an in-bounds pass. Pretty incredible for a guy his size.

[AncientSonOfHixon]

Lordy. That sound you hear is AncientSon frantically trying to reschedule meetings so he can stay with the second half of this game. A Williams game, even. Who'dathunkit?

Ephs playing beautifully. Agree with LeFrak that the Mayer full-court take was gorgeous--and his deployment agains press looks clever.

St. T shooting lights out from deep (8 of 13) or they'd be out of the gym already. Kids can shoot it; every one of them looks like he learned his motion from Jerry West. (Youngsters: Jerry West is an old basketball player who was good at shooting.)

But: this is the #1 team in the country? They're tiny. Ephs are getting ridiculously good looks. The vaunted press looks beneath mention.

And...will those words look stupid about a half hour from now? That kind of pressure can look benign until suddenly, cumulatively, it doesn't. My bet, though: if Ephs don't turn it over, they win with comfort.

[AO]

St. T shooting lights out from deep (8 of 13) or they'd be out of the gym already. Kids can shoot it; every one of them looks like he learned his motion from Jerry West. (Youngsters: Jerry West is an old basketball player who was good at shooting.)

But: this is the #1 team in the country? They're tiny. Ephs are getting ridiculously good looks. The vaunted press looks beneath mention.

And...will those words look stupid about a half hour from now? That kind of pressure can look benign until suddenly, cumulatively, it doesn't. My bet, though: if Ephs don't turn it over, they win with comfort.

I'll take that bet....

[lefrakenstein]

AO, I think you would lose that bet. Williams turned the ball over prodigiously.

[AncientSonOfHixon]

...will those words look stupid about a half hour from now?

A half hour? Try eight minutes.

Insane half from DeBerg, Tommies overall go 15-25 from 3 overall, Ephs turn it over 12 times in second half...but still Williams fights hugely to end. Heartbreaking end to a superb season. More later on a terrific game by Williams. Impossible not to feel for those kids right now.

Meanwhile, props to St. Thomas. They're little. But they're awfully good at basketball.