MBB: NESCAC

[AmherstStudent05]

Middlebury falls to Plattsburgh 63-47.  Their Road to Salem just got a lot more problematic after another inexplicably poor shooting effort from the Panthers.

The rest of the NESCAC better watch out though.  Midd still has all to play for in the Conference games and I expect them to bring increased intensity and execution to those all-important NESCAC games.

[P'bearfan]

Bowdoin survives a 2nd half rally from a surprisingly tough Bridgewater State team to win 64-59.  A couple of things stood out:

1) Bridgewater State played tenacious defense - they effectively double teamed Swords and applied solid full court pressure.  As a result Bowdoin committed 10 turnovers - many forced.

2) Odd shooting night for Bowdoin.  They were only 44.2% from the field but almost as good from behind the arc (42.1%)

3) Swords was very quiet overall in the game - especially in the first half during which he only shot twice if I recall.  He came to life more in the second half and finished with 7 pts and 5 rebounds.

4) Overall Bowdoin looked like this was their first real game in 3 weeks.  Give all the credit in the world to BSU who played tough then entire game.  It wasn't the prettiest win but hopefully it scraped off the rust and the P'bears will find a higher gear for this weekend's games.




I was able to catch the whole game and I was a bit surprised by Swords' play after following his stats coming into the game.  I have to argue a bit about how effective the double-team was because he never attempted a single post move in the first half (double-teamed or not double-teamed) despite getting 15-20 touches.  They defense wasn't great, he was just so passive.  They dropped the ball to him, he never even attempted to make a move he just waited until he located the open man and kicked it out.  I think Bridgewater figured that out a bit and stopped double-teaming him on every possession which kept the shooters from getting open.

Once he finally got aggressive with about 6 mins to go in the game, he immediately had 2 dunk attempts (he made one, missed one) on rather simple drop steps.  The game opened up then because I think the light bulb finally went off that the 6'5 guys guarding him could not exactly guard him.  It will be interesting to see how aggressive/passive he is when he takes on some size in the NESCAC.  For them to knock off the better teams he really needs to force the issue I think. 

Don't disagree that Swords was "passive" - "uninvolved" would have been my term but agree with your point.  He certainly wasn't as effective and as central to the offense as he's been in the past.  Far, far from his best game this season - including when he has played  against bigger more athletic NESCAC players (e.g. Chris Hudnut; the Delpeche brothers).

Regarding BSU's defense - I saw them double team him and strip the ball at least twice possibly three times.  Swords was holding the ball a bit too low and the outside defender collapsed on him for the easy strip.  Part of Swords being more effective later in the second half was that he adjusted how he held the ball (higher and further out of traffic).

My optimistic view is that this was a bit of a rough first game back and hopefully everyone get back into form quickly for the conference games.

[Bucket]

Very disheartening night for Panther faithful. Shooting woes continued, big time. 17-60 from the floor. 28 percent. 3-17 from 3. And these were very makeable shots, shots that have been made by these same players, and they just wouldn't fall. In and out. All parts of the rim.  And with each miss, you could feel the confidence seep away.

Aside from a 5-minute stretch when a spirited Panther run closed a 10-point lead to two, 41-39, it seemed like the team was lost, confused. Not over what to do, but by what was happening. From 41-39, Plattsburgh went on a 17-2 run that not only put the game out of reach but truly seemed to suck the life out of Midd. Just based on body language, confidence, the game was over well before it was over—either on the clock or the scoreboard.

Credit to Plattsburgh. They are an athletic, tenacious, and, at least tonight, a team that can shoot from deep (10-21 from 3).

Not to be all pop-psychologist, but what did Yogi say? 99 percent of the game is half mental? Midd has some soul searching to do. The pieces are there. The system is in place. They just have to learn how to push through adversity.

With a few minutes left, Butch Varno turned to me and said, "I'm very frustrated." You're not alone, pal.

[jayhawk]

For Amherst fans, best overall I have seen Pollack played since being at Amherst. Had more bounce and aggression, tip-ins, blocks and nice post move.
In many ways David George can be considered a 4 with solid ability to hit jumpshot at top of key while Pollack is stronger and more of a 5. At some point may  look for a rotation of them with Nabatoff who can also shoot facing up.  Connor Green had nice  two hand dunk and demonstrated more hops that I realize.

Need to stop dribble penetration but less turnovers !!! teams are getting ready for conference play

[Vandy74]

Vandy74,

I made an offering to the Weather Gods early this morning, the Cardinals will have a smooth, uneventful trip to Pepin, count on it. They will arrive in plenty of time, plus the women will take the court first, so the men will have ample opportunity to stretch their legs.
The Boys from the Burgh will meet you at the Two Brothers.

Magicman,

It was a pleasure for Middhoops and I to meet you and your fellow Boys from the Burgh for some pregame drinks and conversation at Dos Bros.  As for the rest of the evening, however, the pleasure was all yours.  No hard feelings.  I hope we can do it again sometime.  The pregame, that is.

[Vandy74]

Credit to Plattsburgh. They are an athletic, tenacious, and, at least tonight, a team that can shoot from deep (10-21 from 3).

Not to be all pop-psychologist, but what did Yogi say? 99 percent of the game is half mental? Midd has some soul searching to do. The pieces are there. The system is in place. They just have to learn how to push through adversity.

The Panthers are leaving themselves with very little margin for error in conference play, but as disappointing as tonight's loss is to a talented and well coached team the season is far from over.  There was a frustratingly large number of those shots that  coulda, shoulda but didn't go in but Plattsburgh's defense had a lot to do with the overall poor shooting.  It should be pointed out that Middlebury played very good defense as well.  They limited the Cardinals 3 top scorers, averaging 38 ppg to only 25.  It was a career night by Edward Correa, who entered tonight's contest averaging 6.4 and scored 22 who provided the offense.  No other Cardinal scored more than 11.  Correa had been 10-41 from 3 point land before tonight.  He hit 6-10.  5 came in the first half.  Middlebury, for all their scoring woes shut him down in the second half.  Plattsburgh also did something else.  They kept Middlebury away from the charity stripe.  When you discount 2 shots by Alvarez in the game's final minute the Panthers were limited to 12 free throws.  Alvernia limited them to 15.  Disregarding the irrelevant stats against Green Mountain (20) the next lowest number is 22.  That's a loss of at least 8 points on a night that Middlebury was stone cold from the floor.  They were able to stay with Salve Regina right down to the final minute on a cold shooting night because they were given 40 free throws.

The pieces are there.  The system is in place.  And need I remind at least two Panthers who I know are NY Giants fans, the G'ints finished the 2011 season with a 9-7 record.  Then they won the Super Bowl.

[magicman]

Vandy74,

I made an offering to the Weather Gods early this morning, the Cardinals will have a smooth, uneventful trip to Pepin, count on it. They will arrive in plenty of time, plus the women will take the court first, so the men will have ample opportunity to stretch their legs.
The Boys from the Burgh will meet you at the Two Brothers.

Magicman,

It was a pleasure for Middhoops and I to meet you and your fellow Boys from the Burgh for some pregame drinks and conversation at Dos Bros.  As for the rest of the evening, however, the pleasure was all yours.  No hard feelings.  I hope we can do it again sometime.  The pregame, that is.

Vandy74

I've found that the opportunity to meet fellow D3hoops posters has always been a pleasurable experience and Tuesday night was another example of that. The location was great, and the conversation alone was worth the trip. The food at Two Brothers was excellent as well. Good choice of the meeting place. Of course the results of the contest did leave us feeling a little better than middhoops and you, as we exited Pepin Gym. This was my 3rd visit to Pepin but the first time I left with a big smile on my face. The Cardinals hadn't won a game against the Panthers since that epic comeback, that you mentioned, from the 2007-2008 season, a string of 5 straight losses. I did get to meet Bucket as well, prior to the game and then sat just a few rows behind him and listened to another fine announcing exhibition. Your voice is made for that job, Bucket.

Vandy, next year when the game is at Memorial Hall here in the Plattsburgh, why don't middhoops, Bucket and yourself plan a trip over. Just don't eat ahead of time so we can treat.

I'll be rooting for the Panthers to win every game they have left. Especially the ones that come after the regular season and right before the Dance.  

PS:    Almost forgot... Plus K to you, middhoops and Bucket to help make up for you know who.   I'll have to do it again a few more times.     

[grabtherim]

Very disheartening night for Panther faithful. Shooting woes continued, big time. 17-60 from the floor. 28 percent. 3-17 from 3. And these were very makeable shots, shots that have been made by these same players, and they just wouldn't fall. In and out. All parts of the rim.  And with each miss, you could feel the confidence seep away.

Aside from a 5-minute stretch when a spirited Panther run closed a 10-point lead to two, 41-39, it seemed like the team was lost, confused. Not over what to do, but by what was happening. From 41-39, Plattsburgh went on a 17-2 run that not only put the game out of reach but truly seemed to suck the life out of Midd. Just based on body language, confidence, the game was over well before it was over—either on the clock or the scoreboard.

Credit to Plattsburgh. They are an athletic, tenacious, and, at least tonight, a team that can shoot from deep (10-21 from 3).

Not to be all pop-psychologist, but what did Yogi say? 99 percent of the game is half mental? Midd has some soul searching to do. The pieces are there. The system is in place. They just have to learn how to push through adversity.

With a few minutes left, Butch Varno turned to me and said, "I'm very frustrated." You're not alone, pal.

Bucket and Butch captured it perfectly especially "They just have to learn how to push through adversity."  That part comes from within of each player, but fueled by upper classman who have been part of a winning atmosphere leading the way.  It will be an interesting watch over the next few weeks to see what the Panthers are made of. 

[middhoops]

magicman, my hat is off to you; I was wrong about Midd's inevitable offensive outbreak following the deplorable shooting on the road in RI.

In a private conversation with another poster, I said that I'd know by the end of the weekend what kind of team the Panthers are going to be this year.  Hate to say I have an inkling of that idea now but will wait to see two league games, Friday and Sunday, first.  If it's frustrating for us, the spectators, to watch a team with great parts not be able to effectively come together as a whole, I can't imagine what it feels like for Joey Kizel and James Jensen.  Many Midd players appear to be playing very, very tight.  You can see it in their shots, especially.
There was actually some great defense played at the end of the first half and beginning of the 2nd but Plattsburgh was relentless and won the game by getting to virtually every 50/50 ball and hitting big 3s.  Shavar Fields was very effective against much taller defenders.

I live in hope that these Panthers will gel.

[amh63]

Stayed up late for me going over the various write ups/recaps from posters and the school websites.  Found out that the ESCU website/recap had an audio button.  Seems there was a very professional ESCU broadcast team in LeFrak last night...high up in the stands.  Listened to the game and recalled in my mind the events that I saw during the game....especially when ESCU made a run and cut the lead to just 9 late in the second half....only to have a relative quiet Aaron suddenly take-over with 8 straight points...his first 3, a 2-point layup and 3 points the old fashion way.  The announcers noticed the Toomey effort.  With his outside shot off, Toomey made his presence on the floor with steals, assists and even boards.  Listening to the game again, two key points were revealed.
First the announcers in the wrap up of the game and even as the game ended and they were handed the stats mention that ESCU top scorers had scored their points and Lindo had made his presence known off the boards...ESCU had scored their highest point total since late in September.  In short, the Warriors had played well.  Yet, Amherst had played better and was the more talented team.  One announcer mentioned several times the low TOs by the LJs.  Amherst broke the press easily in the 2nd half when the Warriors wanted possessions.  They were glad to have made the trip up to see Amherst play.  ECSU will learn from the loss.
Second, during the second half as subs were made, Pollack was in the game and Green went out for a rest.  George came into the game.  A smile came to my face.  Earlier posters had mentioned the possibility of two bigs in the game.  Jayhawk....you maybe correct..again....when you hinted at George as a power forward.....more of a defensive player.
Fans should be reminded that Natbatoff (SP?) maybe listed at 6'8" but he is documented to have a 6'11" wingspan.  He is long like George!
Oh yes, the announcers did mention that Amherst had rotated 10 players into the game....guess that was not in the Scouting report

[madzillagd]

The toughest two games Midd faces in the next seven are this weekend.  If they can somehow right the ship and win both I think they will be fine.  Both Bates and Tufts have lost 3 out of their last 4, so neither team is playing great at the moment and Midd does have the edge of being at home.  After that they've got some games that they really should be heavily favored for and if they have a full roster I think the rotations will get ironed out and they've leave the woes behind them.

Bates    7-4
Tufts     6-4
Lyndon St  2-8
Wesleyan 6-5
Conn C  6-4
Johnson St 2-7
St Joseph's 6-7

If they go 2-0 this weekend I think it's highly likely they'll be 13-4 going into the Williams game.  Meanwhile Williams will play Amherst twice, Bowdoin and others before that game so they very well may tack on a couple losses themselves. 

[ECSUalum]

Stayed up late for me going over the various write ups/recaps from posters and the school websites.  Found out that the ESCU website/recap had an audio button.  Seems there was a very professional ESCU broadcast team in LeFrak last night...high up in the stands.  Listened to the game and recalled in my mind the events that I saw during the game....especially when ESCU made a run and cut the lead to just 9 late in the second half....only to have a relative quiet Aaron suddenly take-over with 8 straight points...his first 3, a 2-point layup and 3 points the old fashion way.  The announcers noticed the Toomey effort.  With his outside shot off, Toomey made his presence on the floor with steals, assists and even boards.  Listening to the game again, two key points were revealed.
First the announcers in the wrap up of the game and even as the game ended and they were handed the stats mention that ESCU top scorers had scored their points and Lindo had made his presence known off the boards...ESCU had scored their highest point total since late in September.  In short, the Warriors had played well.  Yet, Amherst had played better and was the more talented team.  One announcer mentioned several times the low TOs by the LJs.  Amherst broke the press easily in the 2nd half when the Warriors wanted possessions.  They were glad to have made the trip up to see Amherst play.  ECSU will learn from the loss.
Second, during the second half as subs were made, Pollack was in the game and Green went out for a rest.  George came into the game.  A smile came to my face.  Earlier posters had mentioned the possibility of two bigs in the game.  Jayhawk....you maybe correct..again....when you hinted at George as a power forward.....more of a defensive player.
Fans should be reminded that Natbatoff (SP?) maybe listed at 6'8" but he is documented to have a 6'11" wingspan.  He is long like George!
Oh yes, the announcers did mention that Amherst had rotated 10 players into the game....guess that was not in the Scouting report

Amh63,

Had a very pleasant trip up to Amherst College yesterday afternoon, checking into the Lord Jeffrey Inn early, then having an early dinner at about 5, back to the LJ Inn for a few drinks, then over to the Amherst College Sports Center, which includes LeFrack.  Was guided to the facility by a very nice gentleman at the front desk.
In view of fact that the college is on mid semester break, the facility was not too crowded with the many of the students, filing in right before the contest began.
LeFrack is a facility almost completely constructed of wood, so I would guess when the Lord Jeffs have a big CAC game vs, for example the Ephs, the place must ROCK!, and be very noisy as even last night you could hear all the coaches and players comments during the game.  We sat, (as you face the purple and white arena dividers, in the right side bleaches on the lower right across from the Warrior bench which provided us a great vantage point to the action
Amherst MBB is like a well oiled machine with Toomey and Kalema working well together at guard position, Toomey a gritty guy who can shoot from well outside the 3 pt line as well a drive the baseline and dish when necessary. The Amherst Bigs are all athletics and very good outside shooters as well as being excellent defensive players, they blocked 11 Eastern shots last night as well as caused multiple shot clock violations.
BYW this was the second game where Coach Geitner was not present, (also @ Plymouth St), however, I really could not understand why the Warriors maintained an ineffective press vs the LJ, early in the 2nd half, which did essentially nothing to disrupt the Amherst offense and in fact resulted in quite a few LJ layups   This is when Eastern began to really fall behind.

I thought Eastern scored well last night, protected the ball very well, (7 TOs), but IMHO obviously did not play very good defense. I would be very upset if I were Coach giving up 94 points   Individually, I think Connor Green made the difference last night, and with team stats of 57,36, 88% (FG,3pt, FT), Amherst  as a team will be hard to beat.

Overall a very nice experience at Amherst College, which has a beautiful campus and at lovely Lord Jeffrey Inn.

As Amh63 mentioned, it doesn't hurt to play the best to get ready for your conference play

[magicman]

magicman, my hat is off to you; I was wrong about Midd's inevitable offensive outbreak following the deplorable shooting on the road in RI.

In a private conversation with another poster, I said that I'd know by the end of the weekend what kind of team the Panthers are going to be this year.  Hate to say I have an inkling of that idea now but will wait to see two league games, Friday and Sunday, first.  If it's frustrating for us, the spectators, to watch a team with great parts not be able to effectively come together as a whole, I can't imagine what it feels like for Joey Kizel and James Jensen.  Many Midd players appear to be playing very, very tight.  You can see it in their shots, especially.
There was actually some great defense played at the end of the first half and beginning of the 2nd but Plattsburgh was relentless and won the game by getting to virtually every 50/50 ball and hitting big 3s.  Shavar Fields was very effective against much taller defenders.

I live in hope that these Panthers will gel.

Thanks middhoops for the kudos. I think as Bucket, Vandy and yourself have stated about Middlebury, the parts are there. I'm surprised the team didn't go inside more especially when Daley came in. Some of those baskets that he and Roberts made looked so easy. I'm sure Coach Brown will right the ship and as I stated earlier I will be rooting for the Panthers when the NESCAC playoffs come around. Still a lot of talent available for next year as well.  Think about that return visit I mentioned.

PS: I wrote a book about the game on the SUNYAC board that didn't get posted until a short while ago. 

[nescac1]

A few NESCAC notes:

(1) Amherst, like Williams and Midd, is finally totally healthy for the first time this year, and the timing could not be better with a brutal schedule ahead, including two tilts with Williams, and after the first Williams game, 8 out of 9 games on the road (and the only home game being a slightly down but always tough RIC squad).  Toomey looks in top form, and the Pollack/George duo should be very difficult to deal with inside -- George at this stage in his career should probably be playing no more than 25 mpg to be most effective.  Amherst still seems to really go only about six deep in terms of guys that it can rely on game-to-game, but Williams has the same issue.  I remain surprised Berman does not play more as he looks good to me when he plays and is the only ball-handler on the bench -- lots of pressure of Kalema and Toomey to play nearly every meaningful minute in the backcourt.  Over Toomey's last five games, he is averaging 40 mpg ... simply incredible for the primary ball-handler and playmaker on the team.  I would THINK that pace can't continue during that brutal road stretch, at least if he wants to be 100 percent for the post-season. 

(2) Amherst's other weakness seems to be, at least in some games, defensive rebounding, as they gave up a ton of second-chances to both Emerson and in particular to Eastern Conn.  Unfortunately (from an Eph perspective), the Ephs are a very poor offensive-rebounding team, ranking last by a wide margin in NESCAC with only 7.5 per game.  On the plus side, that limits fouls and prevents a lot of easy fast break opportunities, but the Ephs can't really expect that second chance points are going to be determinative vs. Amherst, the way they have helped some of Amherst's opponents.

(2) As others have noted, Michael Mayer has to return to his all-America form now that he is healthy and presumably back in hoops shape for Williams to reach its potential.  If the George/Pollack duo out-produces the Mayer/Kilcullen duo on Saturday, the Ephs will be in trouble.  It will be really interesting to see who matches up with who in that game.  I'd like to see Wohl play a lot vs. Toomey (so long as he is not in foul trouble) and Robinson on Green (ditto) to bother their perimeter shots with their length and athleticism.  Rooke-Ley and Epley are more physical defenders, but don't have the same sort of ability to bother shooters on the perimeter.  Weinheimer's defense off the bench could also be key for the Ephs as I imagine he will stick on Green like glue whenever he comes in. 

(3) Several teams have elite shooting duos this year (for example, Tillema and Haas from Stevens Point).  Williams and Amherst each belong in the conversation of the best shooting duo in the country.  Epley and Robinson each shoot over 52 percent from the field, 48 percent from three, and 85 percent from the line.  That is just spectacular efficiency.  Toomey and Green combine to be marginally less efficient, but are higher-volume shooters and scorers.  Should be a shooting duel for the ages when those four are on the court together. 

(4) As good as those four have been offensively, though, Bates in my view (very narrowly) takes honors for best overall duo in NESCAC so far this season, as Boornazian and Safford have both been playing incredibly well and their production across the board is off the charts.  Unfortunately, they've had very little help.  Luke Matarazzo is finally back in the lineup for Bates, and once he gets into game shape, he may be able to provide a badly-needed third option, which would make the Bobcats much more dangerous. 

[old_hooper]

ECSUalum, one thing for sure when you play Amherst, you will have the Toomey/Green scoring factor to deal with.  Either can go off on a team very quickly.  What was good to see is Kalema hit a couple threes and have a solid game.  He had about 5 or 6 FTs at the end of the game to help get him to his 19.  As said before the headline is that Ben Pollack is back.  Great game and very efficient in his 19 minutes 12 Pts., 6-7 FG, 8 RBs and 3 BLKs but more importantly is the hussle. He is one of those guys that makes others play better with his presence.  I believe David George will be even better with Ben back.  Hopefully the combined 7 blocks between them is a indication of that.

ECSU is a better team than the record indicates.  The 4 losses are against SUNY Purchase (undefeated), North Central IL in OT (earlier highly ranked and in last game lost by buzzer beater against #1 UWSP), Carthage another CCIW team with some impressive victories this year and now Amherst.  The loss to Amherst features a very rare stat...ECSU had more offensive rebounds (24) than defensive (18).  Not sure what the odds are in losing games with that many OF-RB (24 to Amherst 9) but that too should be very rare.

That brings up another point, the coaching staff for LJs have to be pulling their hair out.  They will have to find a way to eliminate all those second chance points and opportunities.  Way to many times George would go after the shooter and no help.  These last two games have been very good tests for the Jeffs and exposed some weaknesses that will have to improve for the team to reach it's potential. Last night they handled the press very well and did not commit a TO in the first half (facing a press) and only 5 for the game.  Hopefully they can have a dramatic turnaround to eliminate the OF-RB and second chance points in the next games.  When the ball goes up a you got to find a body to box out.  No question that the defense has to step it up.  Staying out of foul trouble and now having BP back will help.

The other question that I have is the absence of Berman in the last two games.  Seemed like his 8-10 minutes that he was contributing was becoming a staple in the rotation but that has not happened the last two games.  Is he hurt or has Coach Hixon abandoned this?  There will be games where either Toomey, Killian or Kalema will get in early foul trouble and they will need someone who can play some key minutes.  Right now it looks like Mussachia is that guy but completely different skill set. 

Agree with Nescac1, Bates is a team that will give other teams fits in the CAC this year.  Midd will have to turn the dial up and avoid playing like they have the last couple games.  Have watched Midd several times this year and they are not going in the right direction.  Certainly not where they want to be at this time in the season.