MBB: NESCAC

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I was at Cabrini tonight.  Bowdoin was alright, but not great - probably what people expected.  A really slow start - it seemed like they were punch drunk with the speed and aggressive play Stockton threw at them in the first half.  They came out ready in the second half, but there was just not enough offensive efficiency to get the game closer than 5 or 7 points.

Not to make anyone mad, but the talk of the night was how Swords could have ever made All-NESCAC.  The guy has some moves, but they seemed very, very slow.  He was out of position a lot and his footwork was atrocious.  He had 8 inches on everyone else and he still managed to get blocked at least twice and routinely outjumped on rebounds.

I think he's a junior, right?  There's some potential for improvement if he can continue to bulk up and get the footwork right.

I was impressed with the Bowdoin team overall, but there was something missing strategically.  I really know nothing about the NESCAC, but it seemed like some different coaching tactics could have made the difference tonight.

[P'bearfan]

I was at Cabrini tonight.  Bowdoin was alright, but not great - probably what people expected.  A really slow start - it seemed like they were punch drunk with the speed and aggressive play Stockton threw at them in the first half.  They came out ready in the second half, but there was just not enough offensive efficiency to get the game closer than 5 or 7 points.

Not to make anyone mad, but the talk of the night was how Swords could have ever made All-NESCAC.  The guy has some moves, but they seemed very, very slow.  He was out of position a lot and his footwork was atrocious.  He had 8 inches on everyone else and he still managed to get blocked at least twice and routinely outjumped on rebounds.

I was also at the game tonight and so I have to ask - which game were you watching?  Swords finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks.  That's a pretty darn good night for any one and as one very knowledgeable Bowdoin parent commented to me, "That was probably Swords best and most complete game". 

Yes Bowdoin came out a little flat but I would attribute that more to not having played in 2 weeks more than anything else.  It wasn't their best game but they played well. Richard Stockton just absolutely shot the lights out 48% from the field and 39% from the trey line. One of their players #23 Rich Suhr was 5-12 (42%) from behind the arc and on several shots he was really far behind the arc.

Prior to the game I read that Richard Stockton was one of the leading offensive rebounding teams in the country.  Well each team controlled their respective defensive glass.  I really thought Bowdoin would controll the rebounding on both ends but give a lot of credit to a much smaller Stockton squad who always seemed to have at least 3 players in perfect position to box out and grab the rebound.

Sorry to see this season come to any end but overall it was a really special season for the P'bears....best start in school history....only the 5th Bowdoin men's team to make the tournament.....and just a special group of guys who played for each other.  The chemistry on this team has been really something special to see.  Everyone who has been close to the team has seen it and commented on it.  Thanks to the seniors for their leadership and setting the tone: Drew Madlinger, Matt Mathias, Grant White.  You will be missed.

Looking forward to the rest of the tournament! 

[AmherstStudent05]

Old Guy, I think that a Sabety-Palleschi (assuming the latter is 100 percent) combo could be just as good as Sharry and Locke defensively and on the boards, and even stronger offensively.

Nescac1, while Sabety and Palleschi both had very impressive freshman years, the idea that they could be in the Sharry/Locke stratosphere defensively is a leap that cannot be made. The defense that Middlebury played with Sharry and Locke on the floor during the '10-'11 season is unlike anything Division III basketball, let alone the NESCAC, has seen in a very long time.

That year Middlebury held opponents to a Division III-best 34.7 percent shooting from the floor, held opponents to 28.3 percent from beyond the arc, allowed 56.3 points per game and held a +9.1 rebounding advantage. Locke and Sharry alone combined to block 170 shots. That's more than all but 5 teams have totaled this season.

Locke anchored a period of defensive dominance unlike anything seen since the turn of the century in Division III basketball. Here is the list of field goal percentage defense leaders by season since '99-'00 (which is as far back as the NCAA archives seem to go).

2013-14: Farmingdale State — 36.4
2012-13: Farmingdale State — 35.7
2011-12: Westfield State — 36.1
2010-11: Middlebury 34.7
2009-10: Middlebury — 36.7
2008-9: Middlebury — 37.1
2007-8: Stevens — 37.5
2006-7: NYU — 35.4
2005-6: Huntingdon — 35.4
2004-5: Lebanon Valley — 36.1
2003-4: Kean — 37.0
2002-3: Trinity (TX) — 37.1
2001-2: Rowan — 36.5
2000-1: Endicott — 36.6
1999-00: Baruch — 36.0

First of all, Middlebury is the only team that shows up three times on the list (corresponding with Locke's sophomore, junior and senior seasons), secondly no team over a 15-year span even comes close to matching Middlebury's level of defensive dominance during Locke's senior year and Sharry's junior season.

Now, obviously there were a number of great defensive players around Locke and Sharry (Timmy Edwards and Nolan Thompson both won NESCAC defensive player of the year awards), but Locke was clearly the defensive foundation of the '10-'11 team (which is a historical outlier), which came the year after Edwards graduated and during Thompson's sophomore year, before he made the leap as a true lockdown defender. (We would be remiss not to mention the impact Jamal Davis had on that team defensively, but Locke was in a different stratosphere).

Locke's individual statistics are no less impressive: He led the conference in blocks every single season, including his freshman year when he blocked 57 shots while playing just 8 minutes per game. Amherst's Kevin Hopkins was the only other NESCAC player to block more than 35 shots that year, blocking 47, while playing 400 more minutes than Locke. During his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, Locke accounted for more blocked shots by himself than every other team in the NESCAC besides Amherst and Williams.

Lest you think this is a one-man comparison, Sharry finished third in the conference in blocks his junior year and led the conference his senior season.

So, while Sabety was impressive defensively this year (he led the NESCAC with 67 blocks while playing 22 minutes per game), and Palleschi blocked a fair number of shots a season ago (45 while playing 25 minutes per game), in order to say they will compete with Locke and Sharry defensively you have to project them to have historically great careers defensively. That's an unfair assumption to make about any freshman tandem, especially when neither were as dominant defensively as Locke was his freshman year.

On a related note, since people are discussing the best players in NESCAC history, any assessment of the best defensive player in NESCAC history begins and ends with Andrew Locke.

Offensively, the big question is whether Sabety and Palleschi can complement one another as well as Sharry and Locke did. Sabety's game is essentially limited to the free throw line and down and while Palleschi has more of a face up game, he hasn't shown the range that Sharry did as a jump-shooter. If he develops that aspect of his game, then the Palleschi-Sabety combination may turn out to be better offensively than Sharry and Locke, but if they are *only* a high-post, low-post combination they may not eclipse Locke and Sharry offensively either, though they have a decent shot there, where defensively it would take a miracle.

PN, I agree that 2011 Midd is the most intimidating/best defense I have seen from a NESCAC team in my dozen or so years of following the conference.  However, I do think it is worth noting that Williams had a pretty nice defense that year as well.  In fact, Williams led conference play in points allowed in 2011, allowing 58.6ppg compared to Midd's 59.2.  Midd did lead the conference in opponents' fg% -- .372 to .375 for Williams.   Both those teams were very strong.  And, as I have said before, even though they finished third in the conference and lost in the semi-final round of the NESCAC Tournament, I think 2011 was one of the better Amherst teams I have seen as well.  Like last season, 2011 was a really down year for most teams in the NESCAC, but the quality of play at the top was absolutely superb.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I was at Cabrini tonight.  Bowdoin was alright, but not great - probably what people expected.  A really slow start - it seemed like they were punch drunk with the speed and aggressive play Stockton threw at them in the first half.  They came out ready in the second half, but there was just not enough offensive efficiency to get the game closer than 5 or 7 points.

Not to make anyone mad, but the talk of the night was how Swords could have ever made All-NESCAC.  The guy has some moves, but they seemed very, very slow.  He was out of position a lot and his footwork was atrocious.  He had 8 inches on everyone else and he still managed to get blocked at least twice and routinely outjumped on rebounds.

I was also at the game tonight and so I have to ask - which game were you watching?  Swords finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks.  That's a pretty darn good night for any one and as one very knowledgeable Bowdoin parent commented to me, "That was probably Swords best and most complete game". 

I'm not saying he had a bad game, I'm saying it was clear to all of us (I doubt anyone outside the Bowdoin fans and the opposing coaches had actually seen him play) that he plays well below his potential.  I hope you'd agree that he could potentially be much better than he is.  It's probably a case of unrealistic expectations, but I heard so many people describe him as a giant stiff who can't move well.

That's cruel and simplistic, but that is what I saw.  He's a smart player, but he didn't seem all that aggressive.  I do think, with a strong and focused off-season, he can be a truly dominant force next year.  He's got so much good on which to build it's not even funny.

Plus, you know, the hair and the 'stache.

[nescac1]

After playing a small, very quick team with two undersized forwards who could create their own offense off the bounce, it will be a totally different challenge for Williams tonight.  Gordon seems to be big and strong across the board, and plays well as a team, generating offense from set plays, but doesn't have elite individual scorers. 

The Ephs were able to have their way inside last night, with the vast majority of points last night coming within a few feet of the basket (or from guys who were fouled close to the basket).  As I think Hoops Fan noted, Gordon has a big guy who is a top-notch defender, conference DPOY three years running, 6'9, averages three blocks per game, and he is also an effective inside scorer.  The rest of the team has good size as well, but are not remotely as quick as Mitchell.  It is unlikely that Mayer will dominate the way he did last night.  Unlike last night, when Williams was at its best methodically working the ball into the post, I think that the Ephs will want to use their quickness and skill advantage on the perimeter to push the ball in transition and get into a fast-paced game.  I expect bigger games from Greenman, Robinson, and Wohl, accordingly. 

Hayden continues to look good as he works his way back from injury and I'm hoping he can play more minutes going forward.  Usually the rotation shrinks in the post-season, but Maker played 10 guys regularly, and I think that is one or two too many -- kind of disrupted the team's rhythm with so many guys constantly shuffling in and out.  If Hayden can work his way back to playing closer to 30 mpg, then the rotation might go down to a more manageable size. 

[nescac1]

Question: among Mary Washington, Wesley, Williams, SUNY-Purchase, Albertus Magnus, Virginia Wesleyan, who are the most likely hosts for the Sweet 16 rounds?  Seems like those teams are all very closely grouped ...

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Question: among Mary Washington, Wesley, Williams, SUNY-Purchase, Albertus Magnus, Virginia Wesleyan, who are the most likely hosts for the Sweet 16 rounds?  Seems like those teams are all very closely grouped ...

Wesley can't host; their gym is too small.  Based on the bracketing, I'd assume the rank is:

1. Purchase
2. VWC
3. Williams

I can't find exact numbers on the Purchase gym, but the pictures on their website make it seem plenty large enough to host a sectional.

The big question is if any of these teams didn't file to host.  Also, I know nothing about the women's bracket, do any of these teams have potential hosting conflicts with the women?

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I just checked google maps.  Obviously it's not official, but they have Williams and VWC 534 miles apart.  If that's true, then neither will host if they both get in.

Looking good for Purchase right now.  If Albertus wins, then Mary Washington may have the edge.

[amh63]

Watched the Williams and MIT games mainly last night.  MIT's giant starting team of three 6'8" players, a 6'6" player and a 5'11" pg was dominated by a smaller quicker Plattsburg team.  The MIT pg was not a scorer or a shooter even and most of the MIT wanted to score inside.  Wonder for a little while if Williams would be able to keep up with the smaller quicker Mitchell.  When #21 entered the game, imho, the game changed for the Ephs as the offense flowed well.  Also seemed that Williams zone defense in the 2nd half slowed down the opponent's two "bigger" players..Ford & Hill?.. that kept their team in the game in the first half.
Now, as NESCAC 1 clearly pointe out....it will be Williams quickness that should be the factor today....also their outside shots and other talent driven skills.
Amherst's opponent today is clearly a team that wants to be in the Big Dance.  It seems that the game maybe a fast paced game....much like the Cabrini game in Salem last year.  Hope for the same outcome.

[toad22]

Va Wes has played at Williams twice in the last few years at Williams, in the NCAAs, and they bussed both times. It must be that the NCAA has better maps!

[amh63]

Read on the Little East board that the SUNY-Purchase gym was built with NBA money and a NY pro team has used the facility.  There is a game being played today.....AM vs Purchase in the place....so check it out.  Also Mary Washington's place just 50 miles South of D.C was built only a few years ago....nice facility.  Of course Chandler is their equal .

[Bucket]

Richard Stockton just absolutely shot the lights out 48% from the field and 39% from the trey line. One of their players #23 Rich Suhr was 5-12 (42%) from behind the arc and on several shots he was really far behind the arc.

48 and 39 isn't exactly shooting the lights out. Not to minimize the shots that were made, but those are pretty pedestrian averages.

From a statistical standpoint, the story of the game seemed to be turnover margin and the inability of Bowdoin to get to the free throw line. Lack of aggressiveness? Bad officiating? Perfect defensive play by RS?

In any case, congrats to the PB's for the tournament appearance.

[AncientSonOfHixon]

Also seemed that Williams zone defense in the 2nd half slowed down the opponent's two "bigger" players..Ford & Hill?

Agree completely. Turns out that all that time spent in zone during the course of the year has put a nice weapon in Maker's pocket for these match-ups with teams that play nothing like most of NESCAC. Ford and Hill both had too much quickness and explosiveness for the Williams man-to-man (quickness and explosiveness being Williams weaknesses, which is why they're a bad rebounding team for their size). But they were swallowed up by the zone--even though Hill finished with 31. It helped that Mitchell was egregious from outside; they had no chance of hitting 3s, and seemed scarcely able to shoot from beyond 12 feet, so Williams could pack that zone as close to the rim as they wanted. Making it very very tough.

I didn't see Gordon, so it's possible Williams can match up well man-to-man. But stats suggest that Gordon presents pretty much the same lack of floor-spreading threat as Mitchell. Gordon takes just 31% of their shots from 3 (by comparison, 41% of Eph shots are 3s, and 43% of Amherst shots are 3s), and make just 34% (again, compared to 40% from 3 by Ephs and 38% by Jeffs). For a NESCAC comp, Gordon's #s are along the lines of Trinity's in terms of spreading the floor. How did Williams choose to defend Trinity? (Another way Gordon aligns with Trinity: its +7.8 rebound margin verges on Trinity's NESCAC-best +9.7; Ephs' margins are -0.0 overall and -2.3 in conference.)

Other curious Gordon stats: they turned the ball over almost 50% more than their opponents, and had only half as many steals (approx).

I agree with nescac1: this game might not run through Mayer as much as yesterday's (brilliant game by him, and brilliant work by Williams overall to exploit his advantage so well), but I think Ephs take this one pretty easily.

[AncientSonOfHixon]

I did catch the York game last night.  As advertised, York is largely a two-man band, although, last night, it was St. John (who I assume is the coach's son) playing Batman to Woods's Robin when those roles have seemingly been reversed.  Woods struggled with his outside shot a bit last night, while St. John could't miss and both of them attack the rim hard.  Very impressive duo indeed.  Not sure they were running the most complex half court sets, but then again, they didn't really need to as they got so many points in transition.

York played a half court trap for as long as the game was competitive.  It was a thing to watch.  RIC couldn't figure it out at all.  The Anchormen finished the game with 22 turnovers and were stuck on 2 points -- yes 2! -- for the first 8-9 minutes of the game. 

AmStud, thanks for typical good report--wish I hadn't had to miss York/RIC. One interesting thing about those #s: RIC's 22 turnovers wasn't far off what York forces on average--19.2/game, with 11.6 steals. For context, those #s destroy anyone in NESCAC (most turnovers forced 14.2; most steals 7.5).

York's two scorers, both 6'3" guards, scare the bejeezuz out of me. Woods gets his 28.4/game on 49% shooting and a ton of foul shots (9 FTs per game, compared to NESCAC leaders Toomey, Kizel, and Mayer at 6.6, 6.5, and 6.4 respectively). Aggressive. And St. John gets his 18.7/game on 56% from the field and 47% from 3--though he doesn't shoot many 3s--and gets as many FTs/game as Toomey, so stats make it look like he's a slasher. Overall, York gets 27 FTs/game, more than any team in NESCAC.

That's all bad news for Amherst, whose great Achilles heel is complete lack of depth beyond their first five, especially post-Pollock. Jeffs simply can't afford foul trouble--especially, obviously, to Toomey. (Plenty of posters have noted how different a team Amherst is when Toomey's benched; imagine what might happen without him against the kind of trapping aggression York seems to use.) In too many games this year, Toomey's played 7-minute first halves thanks to catching two fouls. Nescac1 has made good observations about Hixon's rigidity compared to Maker's when it comes to sitting players after their second personal; can Hixon afford to keep doing that in the NCAAs? In some matchups, I don't think so. This might be one of them.

I have to assume Hix will keep Toomey away from Woods and St. John. York plays at least three guards, so that should be possible. But Jeffs can't afford to let Killian be driven to the bench due to fouls, either. I'm really curious--make that anxious--how Hixon will set his defense.

Last nagging note: York isn't big, so Pollock's absence might seem less problematic than in some matchups. But Pollock's value in a game like this would've been huge in two ways: 1) sure helps to have 10 fouls in the 5-spot when an opponent is constantly attacking the rim; and, 2) Pollock was a great ball handler and decision maker in the middle of the floor against zones and traps. (George struggles with this, as you'd expect a frosh big to do--not fair to expect better from him yet.)

I only hope that York accumulated all those #s against competition that doesn't match the best of Amherst's schedule. If that's not true, I got some fear in me about today. . . .

[middhoops]

I think I need a whole lot more band width to watch the 7-10 games I want to see at 7:00 this evening.  My eyes will primarily be on the Ephs, but there are SO many interesting games tonight.
York played great against RIC but that kind of aggressive defense gets you in trouble against Aaron Toomey & Co.

Good luck to Amherst and Williams today.