MBB: NESCAC

[gordonmann]

True, though Virginia lost to GWU which is also coached by a D3 coaching alum (Lonergan).

[amh63]

Amherst wins over Anna Maria from Paxton, Ma tonight in Le Frak...86-64.  It was closer than the score at the half...38-35, Amherst.  Amherst started to pull ahead in the first part of the 2nd and broke it open with about 2 minutes to go....then the freshmen and some reserves got their time. 
There was a great deal of subsitution as Amherst tried to find who was hot....Green and Racy were cold from outside.  Conklin came in for George and with JMac taking the lead with steals, shots and Conklin scoring inside, Amherst slowly claimed a small lead going into the break.  2nd half, Racy started to score and Green did also....mainly on drives.  JMac continue th score and the lead went into double figures....even when more players were rotated in.
Next game is at Westfield St. followed by 6 more road games....before and after the holidays.

[nescac1]

It's very early in the season, but I wonder if Hixon is going to end up either playing two bigs or if the minutes of David George (as good as he is) will end up being curtailed.  Conklin is absolutely lighting it up, and has been since he got fully healthy last year -- he is clearly the best post scorer on the Jeffs ... as good as George is as rebounding, defending and finishing around the rim, he isn't the same type of efficient post player.  And Schneider's blocks-per-minute numbers are scary and match his recruiting hype ... although granted, in garbage time against fairly weak competition.  Still, could he already be a better rim protector than George?   Interesting that while Connor Green (once again) struggles to find his early-season rhythm, the Jeffs' top two scorers have been last year's D1 transfers ... perhaps it just took them a year to adjust to the style and system.  When Green has it going, I'm not sure how to defend a lineup of Dawson, McCarthy, Green, Racy, and Conklin -- a big, physical post scorer with deft finishing touch surrounded by four other potentially big-time scorers all of whom can shoot 3's either reasonably well or at an elite level.  Scary.  I don't even want to think about Amherst next year!  The Jeffs have a very tough road trip coming up before the break, five games in 12 days including Babson and Brandeis, so we'll find out quickly if the Jeffs' early-season dominance vs. weaker opponents is for real. 

Only four NESCAC teams remain unbeaten in the early going ... and two of them face tough opponents tonight (Tufts hosts MIT in what is sure to be a clash of styles, and Bates on the road vs. Southern Maine, who is typically solid although I know nothing about them this year).  The remaining unbeaten, Williams, plays at MCLA, which isn't a particularly strong opponent (but it is a road game, and they did beat Lyndon State) but the Ephs are also going to be very difficult to predict early in the season given the team's youth. 

[amh63]

Nescac1....thanks for ignoring my error wrt to opponent.  Mixed it up with the women's schedule.
I admit to my ignorance of some of Amherst's early opponents.  The last team beaten by Amherst by 20 points lost to Babson by 30.   However, early games comparative scores can be misleading.  Amherst's outside shooters were cold in the first half and match ups are important.
I still believe that Coach Hixon is evaluating his players and the mixing of players in game situations.  Who starts games is not important as say who can stop a difficult opponent.  These early non conference games are, imo, team evaluation and improvement situations.
Several observations.  During a period when Dawson and Conklin were out and the game was going on, two assistant coaches were talking to them by the "water cooler".  Aaron Toomey with Dawson and Kevin Hopkins with Conklin.
Racy was missing from outside early in the game.  In the second half, Racy started to hit...making two.  Dawson came into the game and wanted to score vice being a PG.  In one trip down the floor, Racy was wide open and wanted the ball...he was hot... but Dawson looked inside and took the shot.  The two players chatted a bit later with Racy taking the lead.   Towards the end of the game, Big Joe was the first freshman put in.  Anna Maria had put in their big man...all 6'9" and 300 plus pounds.  The announcer mentioned that he should be an offensive tackle.  There was some shoving and moving for position down low....you can guess where I was looking.  There was a tangle for a rebound.  Later when the ball came to the "offensive tackle" and he went for a shot, Big Joe blocked it with authority.  The ref and Big Joe chatted for a few seconds to assure everyone was cool.  Big Joe is competitive...challenged by size, he met it nicely.  Think he might become a home crowd favorite.
It is also to note that JMac and the player he was guarding were competing big time.  Both players became the top scorer for their respective teams.
One other observation....whenever an Amherst player on the floor made a fine play...the players on the bench would rise up and cheer.  Team building in progress...as all the CAC teams are undergoing.

[P'bearfan]

Bowdoin hosts UNE this afternoon at 5:30 pm in what is likely to be an interesting match up / challenge for the Polar Bears.

UNE has already played 5 games and sits with a record of 3-2.  They seem to typically play 4 guards and 1 big.  Their guards are not especially big (5-9" to 6'-2") but their bigs are very big (e.g. starting center, Sam Thomas, is 6'-10").  However Thomas only averages 13.6 min/game and it doesn't appear that he's been foul trouble either.  He's certainly not the focus of their offense as he's only tallied 2.2 ppg. The second big, Tom Mason, is 6'-11" and only averages 3.2 mpg.  Lettick and Judson are two 6'-5" Forwards who each log about 13 mpg.   

UNE is a good shooting team going 41.9% from the floor and 36.3% from downtown so far this season.  Devin Thompson is the motor of their offense - he's averaging 21.9 ppg while shooting 54.7% from the floor, 51.2% from behind the arc and 94.4% from the charity stripe.  UNE's next four players average 8.0 - 11.0 ppg so stopping Thompson will be key.

UNE doesn't appear to be a strong defensive or rebounding team. They have allowed 76.4 ppg and have been out rebounded by opponents by a margin of 10 rebounds per game.  Bowdoin has averaged more than 40 rebounds per game and I expect that will continue this evening.  While Bowdoin doesn't have tremendous size this year, they should have 3 players 6'-5" to 6'-7" on the floor most of the game.  That may present a match up challenge for UNE.

The keys for the Polar Bears will be to contain Thompson, contest shots behind the arc, and limit penetration in paint.  This means playing tighter defense similar to how they played against Daniel Webster last Saturday.  If UNE gets the same type of penetration that WCSU did the Polar Bears may be in trouble (admittedly though WCSU was more athletic than any other team Bowdoin will face this year).

Looking forward to the game.

GoUBears!!

[JEFFFAN]

Nescac1....thanks for ignoring my error wrt to opponent.  Mixed it up with the women's schedule.
I admit to my ignorance of some of Amherst's early opponents.  The last team beaten by Amherst by 20 points lost to Babson by 30.   However, early games comparative scores can be misleading.  Amherst's outside shooters were cold in the first half and match ups are important.
I still believe that Coach Hixon is evaluating his players and the mixing of players in game situations.  Who starts games is not important as say who can stop a difficult opponent.  These early non conference games are, imo, team evaluation and improvement situations.
Several observations.  During a period when Dawson and Conklin were out and the game was going on, two assistant coaches were talking to them by the "water cooler".  Aaron Toomey with Dawson and Kevin Hopkins with Conklin.
Racy was missing from outside early in the game.  In the second half, Racy started to hit...making two.  Dawson came into the game and wanted to score vice being a PG.  In one trip down the floor, Racy was wide open and wanted the ball...he was hot... but Dawson looked inside and took the shot.  The two players chatted a bit later with Racy taking the lead.   Towards the end of the game, Big Joe was the first freshman put in.  Anna Maria had put in their big man...all 6'9" and 300 plus pounds.  The announcers mentioned that he should be an offensive tackle.  There was some shoving and moving for position down low....you can guess where I was looking.  There was a tangle for a rebound.  Later when the ball came to the "offensive tackle" and he went for a shot, Big Joe blocked it with authority.  The ref and Big Joe chatted for a few seconds to assure everyone was cool.  Big Joe is competitive...challenged by size, he met it nicely.  Think he might become a home crowd favorite.
It is also to note that JMac and the player he was guarding were competing big time.  Both players became the top scorer for their respective teams.
One other observation....whenever an Amherst player on the floor made a fine play...the players on the bench would rise up and cheer.  Team building in progress...as all the CAC teams are undergoing.

Interesting discussion.  My sense is that success at the NESCAC level and maybe at the collegiate level overall these days is rarely built on the shoulders of a non-scoring big man, which is what George is and likely will be for the rest of his time in college.   George was hyped too much coming into Amherst because of his size and strength, but in high school he wasn't a scorer and he certainly isn't now.  For that reason, his role will be limited to defensive/rebounding specialist and his minutes will reflect the same.   Success at the D3 level in hoops is based on scoring points - lots of them - and so I think that the notion of George's minutes behind replaced by Conklin's is a reasonable assumption to make.

[P'bearfan]

Interesting discussion.  My sense is that success at the NESCAC level and maybe at the collegiate level overall these days is rarely built on the shoulders of a non-scoring big man, which is what George is and likely will be for the rest of his time in college.   George was hyped too much coming into Amherst because of his size and strength, but in high school he wasn't a scorer and he certainly isn't now.  For that reason, his role will be limited to defensive/rebounding specialist and his minutes will reflect the same.   Success at the D3 level in hoops is based on scoring points - lots of them - and so I think that the notion of George's minutes behind replaced by Conklin's is a reasonable assumption to make.

As Lee Corso would say "not so fast my friend"....the best team isn't necessarily the one with the top 5 scorers on the floor. That's because it's hard to define the full impact of a player who is wiling to focus on all the things that put his teammates in a better position even if that means he doesn't score that often.  Miami didn't want Shane Battier for his scoring - a lot of other players were more productive offensively.

Also there are only so many shots to go around and having too many people who are looking to shoot can eat away at team chemistry.

It's like Larry Bird once said when asked if he would rather play with LeBron or Kobe..."If I wanted to enjoy the game I'd play with LeBron, but if I wanted to win I'd play with Kobe.....but he wouldn't be taking all those shots".

[30 for 30]

Matt Hart with 13 this afternoon, averaging 15 for the week with two games this weekend in the Barclay Center Holiday festival.

http://www.gwsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/112415aaa.html

[nescac1]

Well, it wasn't necessarily pretty, but I'm sure Williams will be very happy to be one of only two NESCAC teams to start out 3-0.

Daniel Aronowitz had an absolute monster game for Williams, and they needed ever point.  At his best he is capable of playing like a first-team all-NESCAC guy, and today he was clearly at his best: 32 points, 7 boards, 4 steals, perfect from the line, lots of smooth drives to the basket, great anticipation in passing lanes on D, and three very difficult deep threes, all in big situations.  He was far and away the top Eph on the floor.  Kyle Scadlock had another very good game, finishing with 10 points and 5 boards plus generally using his length to menace guys on defense. He's still figuring out where his points will come from but with his huge strides and smooth athleticism, his forays to the rim are a thing of beauty.  He will just keep getting more time, and keep getting better.   

There was plenty of bad news for the Ephs.  First, Chris Galvin played only four minutes before leaving with what looked like some sort of hand injury.  His defense in particular was missed out there.  Kudos to Luke Thoreson who stepped up in Galvin's absence and provided the intangibles that Galvin usually provides, with 3 boards, a few assists, and strong defense including some timely steals and a block; although he did not score he had a strong floor game. 

The other guy I want to mention is Bobby Casey -- he is just insanely poised for a first-year.  He had a rough shooting night missing his first four triples.  So what does he do?  With the Ephs with the ball and up one with about a minute left, he nails an absolutely huge three pointer from the corner, zero hesitation.  This is the second time in three games that Casey has hit the money shot.  After another MCLA bucket, he then makes a beautiful assist late in the shot clock to Cole Teal who nailed a three of his own.  Clearly he is a guy who is not rattled by the situation or frustrated when the ball isn't going in, even as a young player.  He finished with 4 assists and had a few more passes that led to free throw attempts. 

Always better to learn from a win and the Ephs will learn some lessons from this game.  They did not bring their A defensive intensity for the first 30 minutes of the game, playing a fair amount of matador D in the process.  Not a surprise for a young team playing a non-conference road game right before a holiday.  To their credit, they visibly stepped up the defensive intensity over the last 10 minutes, making it much tougher for MCLA to score.  The Ephs also tried to force wayyyy too many tricky dribbles into the teeth of defense ... other than Aronowitz (and maybe Scadlock, eventually) Williams doesn't have guys who can consistently finish after contact inside , so that is just not their game.  When they moved the ball and more importantly moved without the ball they got plenty of easy layups off back-cuts and open threes.  The threes didn't really fall today, but they will eventually -- too many good shooters for them not to.   

The one thing I think is going to be struggle at times no matter what the Ephs try is defensive rebounding vs. an athletic, very physical front-line like MCLA had.  The Ephs got KILLED on the glass giving up 18 offensive boards.  A few of those were missed box-outs by guards but mostly it was just a case of bigger, more athletic dudes simply pushing guys out of the way or jumping over them.  The Ephs are really, really skinny up front, and not particular bouncy other than Scadlock, and it shows.  There isn't a single really beefy dude on the roster and its gonna take time for all the young guys to bulk up. 

Kudos to Paul Maurice on MCLA who had a monster game for them before leaving late with cramps.  He's a really good player and he was on fire from deep.  Eph guards could not keep him in front of them for the most part. 

[Bucket]

Middlebury happy to get one in the win column, an 80-63 win over New Paltz.

Didn't get a chance to see the game, but reports from New York were that New Paltz was weak and that Midd came out with a burst of energy.

Box score shows a double-double for Matt Daley: 19 and 10. Near double-doubles for Jake Brown (10 pts and 7 assists) and Jack Daly (9 pts and 8 assists to go along with 4 steals and 5 boards).

Horrid shooting night for Matt St. Amour (3-14), so good to see others pick up the offensive slack.

Huff replaces Tarantino in the starting line-up, but the sophomore brought defensive energy off the bench—4 blocks.

[Hoop4Life]

nescac1, thanks for the update on today's game. Happy to see all the frosh contributing to Ephs victories. 

[Vandy74]

Middlebury happy to get one in the win column, an 80-63 win over New Paltz.

Didn't get a chance to see the game, but reports from New York were that New Paltz was weak and that Midd came out with a burst of energy.

Box score shows a double-double for Matt Daley: 19 and 10. Near double-doubles for Jake Brown (10 pts and 7 assists) and Jack Daly (9 pts and 8 assists to go along with 4 steals and 5 boards).

Horrid shooting night for Matt St. Amour (3-14), so good to see others pick up the offensive slack.

Huff replaces Tarantino in the starting line-up, but the sophomore brought defensive energy off the bench—4 blocks.

The video was a bit fuzzy and lacking sound hard to follow what was happening, especially on fouls called, but all in all a good team effort from the Panthers tonight.  Matt Daley went down with what appeared to be a wrist or hand injury with just under four minutes remaining.  Hopefully not too serious.  Middlebury fans should pay attention to Plattsburgh's next few games.  The Cardinals come to Pepin on December 12.  Last night they got spanked by a good Skidmore team.  On December 1 they play St. Lawrence, a team Middlebury knows they could have beaten, and on the 4th they play New Paltz.  Plattsburgh's only other game was a solid win over a 1-4 Clarkson team so how they fare against St. Lawrence and New Paltz could be an indicator of what the match up in Middlebury will be like.

[P'bearfan]

Bowdoin lost a heart-breaker at home last night to UNE 70-72.

The Polar Bears were right where they wanted to be at the end of the game: down 70-72 with time running out they forced UNE into 2 turnovers; Hausman drove into the lane off the second turnover and was fouled so he was at the line with a 1-and-1 and just 1.8 seconds to go.  Hausman missed the front end, but Fuller somehow tipped the ball to FY Jack Simonds whose last second shot rimmed out. Tough, tough way to lose your home opener.

Hausman led the Polar Bears with 34 points and 5 rebounds.  Hausman is now just 7 points away from his 1,000th career point which barring something unforeseen should come this Saturday against Babson.  FY Jack Simonds continues to impress with 12 points and 6 rebounds.  Matt Palecki notched a double double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.  Fuller chipped in 5 points and 6 rebounds and Donnelly added 1 point and 5 assists. 

The Nor'Easters were led by Devin Thompson who had 22 points and Eric Dibble who came off the bench to add 16 points.

Bowdoin's strategy at the beginning of the game was clear - shut down Devin Thompson and force the rest of the team, which has been less productive offensively, to bear the scoring load.  Through the first 9:44 of the game half of that strategy worked perfectly.  Fuller drew the defensive assignment on Thompson who only touched the ball 2 times with the following result:

19:35 Thompson missed a tightly contested 3 from the corner / wing;
16:04 Thompson hit a 3 off a screen where Bowdoin was late on the defensive switch

By the 10:20 mark Bowdoin switched to a zone defense because the while they were effective in keeping the ball away from Thompson, the rest of the UNE squad was carving up Bowdoin's defense both inside and from behind the arc.

From there the game became one of scoring runs.  Bowdoin held a slim 1 point lead 36-35 at the break.  In the second half the lead changed hands several times until Bowdoin established an 8 point lead with 8:40 to go.  At this point, the starters were mostly resting and Bowdoin's bench, which only produced 7 points all night, could not hold the lead.  UNE tied the game at 7:09 and took the lead for good at the 4:05 mark.

Going forward Bowdoin will need to find a way to defend better - especially behind the arc.  Overall UNE shot 35.7% from downtown on their way to making 15 treys.  Many of those were lightly or un-contested.  Also, it was surprising that Bowdoin only held a slight rebounding advantage 43-38. 

On the bright side this year's squad is playing much better than their opener last Friday but the focus areas are clear: much tighter defense and more balanced scoring so Hausman doesn't have to carry the team every night.  If they can do that the P'bears will surprise some people.

[pinseeking1]

Tough night for the Bates Bobcats last night as they lost to a red-hot shooting Univ. of Southern Maine team 106-92. USM opened up a 19 point halftime lead as they made 8 of their first 11 3-point attempts. They cooled down a little in the second half, but still managed to shoot 60% from 3-point range for the game. Overall, USM shot 58% from the floor. Very unusual to have a higher shooting percentage from threes than overall.

Mike Boornazian and Shawn Strickland kept things from getting ugly, but USM's shooting kept the game from being in doubt.

Not good to give up over 100 points. The hot shooting of USM allowed for quite a few easy layups as the Bobcats tried to put outside pressure on USM to counter the hot shooting. Next stop, Univ of New England...

[P'bearfan]

The hot shooting of USM allowed for quite a few easy layups as the Bobcats tried to put outside pressure on USM to counter the hot shooting. Next stop, Univ of New England...

Based on what I saw last night, the Bobcats could be in for more of the same against UNE.