MBB: NESCAC

[nescacobserver]

It's ridiculous, Green should have been in there.  You go with the guys that got you there.  Even if Green's shots weren't falling, he could have helped in so many other ways.  He hardly played at all in the second half and already had 8 rebounds when he got pulled.  What would he have ended up with if he played the full game, 13-14 rebounds?  Plus just the experience factor.  Green has played in national championship and national semi-final games for Amherst in very pressure-packed situations, in front of crowds of 4,000-5,000 people.  He is used to the intense atmosphere that existed in the Trinity gym on Sunday, and would not have been as nervous as some of the younger Amherst players.  The Amherst players look to Green as their experienced "elder", and he wasn't out on the court to be that calming influence.

I could see if Racy were red-hot and Hixon wanted to keep him in, but Racy was missing all his shots.  Let's face it, Hixon tried to get cute, and it ended up with one thing  - a LOSS. Curiously, Hixon put Green back in with only 1:30 left in overtime.  What did he expect Green to do at that point, coming in completely cold after sitting for so long?  Although Green did make a spectacular offensive rebound, skying completely over his defender and being fouled, getting 2 free throws as a result, it was too little, too late.  If Hixon was so worried that Green would spoil the game for Amherst, why did he even bother putting him into the game at all, in overtime?  The only chance Amherst had in beating this red-hot Wesleyan time is if Green were in the game during the homestretch, and for some reason that just didn't happen.

But hey, the Lord Jeffs have another life.  I'm sure Green and Hixon have talked things over, and hopefully Green is mentally ready to play on Friday night.  Hixon needs him.

[JEFFFAN]

With Williams, Tufts & Bowdoin making it on the women's side, you've got 7 schools participating in the tournaments this year.

Make it eight with the Amherst girls also making it ... Jeffs only NESCAC school with both boys and girls in the tournament for 2015.

Good luck to all eight teams.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Amherst has an interesting matchup in Sage.  Veteran team, they've got size to compete (although less depth down low) and pretty good guards.  With the Jeffs up and down performance this year, should be an interesting first round.

[AmherstStudent05]

It's ridiculous, Green should have been in there.  You go with the guys that got you there.  Even if Green's shots weren't falling, he could have helped in so many other ways.  He hardly played at all in the second half and already had 8 rebounds when he got pulled.  What would he have ended up with if he played the full game, 13-14 rebounds?  Plus just the experience factor.  Green has played in national championship and national semi-final games for Amherst in very pressure-packed situations, in front of crowds of 4,000-5,000 people.  He is used to the intense atmosphere that existed in the Trinity gym on Sunday, and would not have been as nervous as some of the younger Amherst players.  The Amherst players look to Green as their experienced "elder", and he wasn't out on the court to be that calming influence.

I could see if Racy were red-hot and Hixon wanted to keep him in, but Racy was missing all his shots.  Let's face it, Hixon tried to get cute, and it ended up with one thing  - a LOSS. Curiously, Hixon put Green back in with only 1:30 left in overtime.  What did he expect Green to do at that point, coming in completely cold after sitting for so long?  Although Green did make a spectacular offensive rebound, skying completely over his defender and being fouled, getting 2 free throws as a result, it was too little, too late.  If Hixon was so worried that Green would spoil the game for Amherst, why did he even bother putting him into the game at all, in overtime?  The only chance Amherst had in beating this red-hot Wesleyan time is if Green were in the game during the homestretch, and for some reason that just didn't happen.

But hey, the Lord Jeffs have another life.  I'm sure Green and Hixon have talked things over, and hopefully Green is mentally ready to play on Friday night.  Hixon needs him.

nescacobserver, we lost to Wesleyan by 4 points. In overtime.  We had plenty of chances to win that game, with or without Green in the lineup during the homestretch.  Yes, again, we obviously ended up losing.  In the first half, with Green getting his usual minutes, we finished with a 9 point deficit.  With Green mostly riding the bench in the second half, we battled back to tie up the game.  Now, could we have done the same (or better) if Coach Hixon had given Green his minutes in the second half?  That is certainly a possibility.  And I have witnessed Green shake off tough starts many times before.  However, as was mentioned by another poster, it was the way in which Green was missing his shots that gave me pause.  Something just didn't look right.  That, and the fact that he seemed (to me), just a hair slow on D, made me fully support Coach Hixon's decision to go in a different direction in the second half.  Was that a mistake? For better or for worse, we will never know.

As for Green coming back in for OT, Hixon's thinking seemed obvious to me.  At that point in the game, we were very likely going to need to fire up some desperation 3s.  Even not at his best, there really isn't someone I would rather have in that situation than Connor Green.  No matter the D, he will seemingly find a way to get a look at a 3.  And, sure enough, he did get a chance at a tying three at the (almost) buzzer.  He was precisely the guy I wanted taking that shot for us as well.  Again, unfortunately, it just wasn't our day.

I certainly agree with you that if we want to do anything in this Tournament, we need Connor Green.  No doubt about that.  He is our best/most clutch player.  I doubt that one bad game will shake anyone's confidence in him.

Looking over the Sage schedule just now.  Could it possibly be that they have not left the State of New York all season?  This is why I really would not want the NESCAC to ever go with a double round robin.  Sometimes you have to get out more.

[CatCountry2013]

Is 4 teams a lot for a 1 team conference?

The 'CAC got four teams last year as well.  But yes, it's a lot.

I thought Williams, Amherst, and Bowdoin were the only NESCAC teams in the tournament last year.

I thought so too.  Middlebury had a strong claim, but was left out.

Oops, must have dreamt about a fourth team. Sorry for the misinformation!

[amh63]

It should be noted that Trinity host a site.  Second, Amherst is the only CAC team on its side of the bracket.  Possible that two CAC teams can make it to the final 4....wishful thinking.
There was some rumors that the Amherst WBB may host...but Amherst too close to Tufts.  The two teams are on opposite sides of the bracket though.

[Bucket]

Is 4 teams a lot for a 1 team conference?

The 'CAC got four teams last year as well.  But yes, it's a lot.

I thought Williams, Amherst, and Bowdoin were the only NESCAC teams in the tournament last year.

I thought so too.  Middlebury had a strong claim, but was left out.

Oops, must have dreamt about a fourth team. Sorry for the misinformation!

That fourth team would have been Midd, so that sounds like a mighty nice dream from my perspective!

[Bucket]

Intriguing first-round match-up with Wesleyan and Skidmore.

Midd beat both teams this year, and while the margin of victory over Wesleyan was far greater than that over Skidmore, I would have said at the time that Wes was better than the Thoroughbreds. And I obviously have no reason to think differently now.

[amh63]

Last night, I watched the Hoopsville show....saw their attempt to make an initial MBB braket.  Their version had Amherst in the Skidmore site.  Immediately thought about the Midd visit to Skidmore early in the season.
Not knowing much about Skidmore, I would agreed with you Bucket....based on the way the Cardinals are playing now.

[GoWesYoungMan]

Great discussion. Re Connor Green at his best he is a game changer. He is deserving of NESCAC honors despite some inconsistency. I think it's ok to second guess Hixon on this board but when it's all said I'd still take his judgment over the consensus or my own. Despite having experience in these matters, he also has the deepest bench in the league and was likely looking for some combination to get the team going. Sometimes all those options can be a curse. Reilly has had to rely on six players for offensive production. Fortunately by now they all seem pretty confident but also have confidence in each other so for the past month have been willing to take the stage or give it up--basically whatever it takes.

Re next year while several teams return loaded rosters I think the Jeffs have the highest upside by virtue of having many players moving into their second year of play- vs wes, Colby, Trinity, Bates and Tufts who will all have players moving into their 3rd and 4th year of play. The biggest jump I believe is between the 1st and 2nd years, e.g. Bates and wes this year. Interestingly, while its fair to expect williams, midd and Bowdoin to miss this year's seniors, they should all be primed to use next year for experience and make big jumps in 2016-17 ( midd seems most ready next year). It will be very interesting to see if this new parity persists or if the more traditional powers resume that role. As a wes fan I hope for more years like this.

Btw the NESCAC has now placed six programs into the ncaas in two years. This may be some sort of record...as most conferences don't send six programs in ten years.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Right now it looks like I'll be heading to Stockton on Friday for the games.  Any Bates folk coming down?

[toad22]

Connor Green is flat out scary. He is one of the best long range, seemingly off balance shooters, I have seen. He has absolutely no conscience, a prerequisite for being a great shooter. If he missed 99 three pointers in a row, he would shoot the 100th with an absolute certainty in his heart that he will make it. The fact that he sat out a good bit on Saturday means that something was wrong with him. Hixon is a great coach, a coach that will someday be in the hall of fame of coaching. If Green had been completely right on Saturday, he would have played more.

Amherst will likely go to the round of 16 or 8, not withstanding that they are very young, and with some serious flaws still showing. They have serious talent, and I am afraid that the league will pay the price over the next several years. I am a total Williams fan, but fair is fair.

[P'bearfan]

Amherst will likely go to the round of 16 or 8, not withstanding that they are very young, and with some serious flaws still showing. They have serious talent, and I am afraid that the league will pay the price over the next several years.

I'm not sure how far Amherst will go but the certainly have the potential to reach the round of 16 and possibly 8 but they'll need to play well.  They're not the kind of team that can have an off night and beat a really good opponent.

Before the season started I pointed out what I saw as serious flaws that they would need to overcome.  Through much of the season they struggled with some of the issues I had identified ....e.g. lack of a PG; weak FT shooting; only one proven 3 point shooter.  But to HBC Hixon's credit he got the parts playing well together when it counted....a real testament to his coaching ability.  Now all those pieces have a year of much needed experience.  Regardless of how far the LJ's progress this year they will be a handful over the next 2 years.

[CatCountry2013]

Right now it looks like I'll be heading to Stockton on Friday for the games.  Any Bates folk coming down?

I live in NYC but I don't think I'll be able to make it unfortunately.

[falcons2010]

Congrats to Amherst, Bates, and (two CT schools) Trinity and Wesleyan.