MBB: NESCAC

nescac1 · February 25, 2017, 05:09:03 AM

JustAFan, astute analysis all around. To me the single key stat for Williams is turnovers. If the shots aren't falling, they aren't falling, but against a team as explosive in the open court as Tufts, turnovers are killers. The Ephs need to play with patience and precision while at the same time not always trying to force the ball into incredibly tight spaces. I'd rather see three difficult shots than one easy one bookmarked by two turnovers. If the Ephs can stay below a dozen TOs and play with the same defensive intensity they showed vs Amherst it should be a toss-up. Over 15 TOs again, and very likely to be another blowout.

Big news for Tufts is that Palleschi is back: https://tuftsdaily.com/sports/2017/02/24/jumbos-two-wins-away-from-becoming-nescac-champions/

He will surly be rusty but at the very least will be a big presence on D when he is in the game. Big for Tufts this weekend and bigger still in the NCAA. If they can get him back to full strength over the next few months they have the depth of talent to beat anyone.

Cards Fan · February 25, 2017, 08:23:23 AM

Feels like just yesterday the season started to me. I wish it would never end!

For the sake of the cardinals, I'm a Middlebury and Tufts fan today. Trinity getting the AQ puts Amherst, Wes, and Williams in even more trouble. If Williams loses, I don't think their chances are good. A win just might be enough to fuel them into the tournament.. Amherst fans are probably hoping for the same outcomes as I am, a battle of the two top seeds in the finals. This would obviously push Trinity out, leave Williams on the outside looking in, and Wes and Amherst on the bubble.

Canvas Hightops · February 25, 2017, 08:58:55 AM

While most people will be watching Tufts host Williams, again, perhaps the biggest question in the Middlebury/Trinity game is the health of Midd pg Jake Brown. With Brown, the Bantams chances are very slim. Without Brown, and with foul trouble to St. Amour or Daly, the complexion could change, a bunch.
Midd has relatively little to gain by winning; their NCAA ticket is punched. Having the highest RPI in D3 (for now) assures them of a high seed. Saving Brown's tender ankle for the big dance may be the prudent move.

Tufts and Williams will present a remarkable contrast in style. While without star center Tom Palleschi the Jumbos used speed and aggressive defense to run teams outta the gym.
With the big guy back it's hard to see coach Sheldon changing what has worked so well.
Adding a great rebounder/shot blocker to the mix can only help. The question (we all have questions) is the health of Palleschi. Is he 100%? His numbers all season imply that perhaps he hasn't been. A fully healthy Palleschi is bad news for every team in the NCAA tourney. Except Tufts.
Still, Williams is not going to be an easy win for Tufts. When they play well, the Ephs are good enough to beat anyone. More simply, when the Ephs play HARD, they are formidable.
Too many games in January the big, long Ephs appeared to get beat to virtually every 50-50 ball. Their guards are not elite on-ball defenders. Only Daniel Aronowitzh is a dependable scorer.

In their first meeting, Tufts thumped Williams without Palleschi.

Advantage: Tufts

Middlebury beat Trinity in Vermont largely by preventing Ed Ogundeko from getting many opportunities offensively. Most of the time when Big Ed got the ball down low, Midd immediately doubled down, trapping him on the baseline. Ogundeko struggled to pass the ball out and spent a lot of time on the bench.
Chris Turnbull will get his points, but Trinity will struggle with the Panthers back court, with or without Jake Brown.

Advantage: Middlebury

Let's play some ball!

ContinentalDomer · February 25, 2017, 09:37:12 AM

Trinity struggles to score with consistency and doesn't do much damage from deep. If Trinity falls behind and is forced to play uphill, this game will not be in doubt for long. The Bantams need a very good start, they need to play efficiently on offense (make shots), and they need to play transition defense that forces Midd into long possessions.

If Trinity tries to defend the arc (as they must) and push Midd off the line, the counterpunches of backdoor cuts and post finishes by McCord and Majors to score 2s will stretch Trinity's defense. Daly and St Armor are experienced enough and patient enough to set up their teammates when the situation demands it. Ultimately, the difference between Midd and Trinity from the arc will be a major factor ... Midd is high scoring, high octane; Trinity is not. Great contrast.

Midd's incentive is to continue playing well - a must for March - and to defend its league crown in a grudge match against Tufts.

Quote from: Canvas Hightops on February 25, 2017, 08:58:55 AM
While most people will be watching Tufts host Williams, again, perhaps the biggest question in the Middlebury/Trinity game is the health of Midd pg Jake Brown. With Brown, the Bantams chances are very slim. Without Brown, and with foul trouble to St. Amour or Daly, the complexion could change, a bunch.
Midd has relatively little to gain by winning; their NCAA ticket is punched. Having the highest RPI in D3 (for now) assures them of a high seed. Saving Brown's tender ankle for the big dance may be the prudent move.

Tufts and Williams will present a remarkable contrast in style. While without star center Tom Palleschi the Jumbos used speed and aggressive defense to run teams outta the gym.
With the big guy back it's hard to see coach Sheldon changing what has worked so well.
Adding a great rebounder/shot blocker to the mix can only help. The question (we all have questions) is the health of Palleschi. Is he 100%? His numbers all season imply that perhaps he hasn't been. A fully healthy Palleschi is bad news for every team in the NCAA tourney. Except Tufts.
Still, Williams is not going to be an easy win for Tufts. When they play well, the Ephs are good enough to beat anyone. More simply, when the Ephs play HARD, they are formidable.
Too many games in January the big, long Ephs appeared to get beat to virtually every 50-50 ball. Their guards are not elite on-ball defenders. Only Daniel Aronowitzh is a dependable scorer.

In their first meeting, Tufts thumped Williams without Palleschi.

Advantage: Tufts

Middlebury beat Trinity in Vermont largely by preventing Ed Ogundeko from getting many opportunities offensively. Most of the time when Big Ed got the ball down low, Midd immediately doubled down, trapping him on the baseline. Ogundeko struggled to pass the ball out and spent a lot of time on the bench.
Chris Turnbull will get his points, but Trinity will struggle with the Panthers back court, with or without Jake Brown.

Advantage: Middlebury

Let's play some ball!

amh63 · February 25, 2017, 11:10:07 AM

Nice posts here on the games today. Am planning on watching the WBB games in LeFrak today. May drop in on the Tufts game to see how Tufts' Big Man plays on his return.
Frankly, I am more interested in another game involving Tufts...the Bowdoin vs Tufts battle on a neutral court. Selfishly...GoUbears!
Interesting and long article in today's WSJ on the NCAA taking steps on updating its procedures in picking teams for the Big Dance. Change coming in 2018??

jumpshot · February 25, 2017, 02:37:05 PM

Ephs up by 4 at the half versus Tufts despite 9 turnovers and 4 steals. Winning this one requires a lot of will ....

JustAFan · February 25, 2017, 02:42:13 PM

Good first half by both Williams and Tufts. Nice to see Palleschi back on the floor. Scadlock and Aronowitz are doing a goodt job staying with Pace and Greenman is doing a great job keeping Smith in front of him but the other Williams guards can't guard him and Smith has the skills to take over the game in the second half unless Greenman can stay on the floor to check him.

Tufts is dong a very good job picking up the Williams guards much higher than they like, and forcing them to start their offense further away from the key then they like. Hopefully the Ephs will make some adjustments to address this at the half.

Tufts strong 3 point shooting is keeping them in the game, coupled with some good defense by their guards. Nescac1's concerns about turnovers is well placed as Williams has 4-5 unforced errors on offense as they penetrate and then try to kick the ball back outside. But at least they are attacking the basket, and they need to continue to do so and get Tufts in foul trouble.

Would love to know why there is so much water on the floor on the hoop Williams was shooting at. Too many Williams players slipping as they drive to the hoop. Not safe for either team.

JustAFan · February 25, 2017, 03:42:14 PM

Williams does what it needed to do to punch its ticket to the NCAA tournament with a gutty win over Tufts. The Ephs were on the ropes with 7 minutes to go when Tufts hit some crazy 3's (at that point the Jumbos were 13 of 26 from behind the arc!) and Scadlock tried to do too much and let his emotions get the better of him, but the Ephs weathered the storm and played composed basketball from that point forward. Man of the match goes to Mike Greenman both for his floor leadership on offense, his clutch 3's and free throws and most of all his defense on Tarik Smith, with a tip of the hat to Scadlock and Aronowitz and Coach App's player rotation as well.

It is fun watching this Williams team mature and realize how much tougher then need to be on D and on the boards and what it takes to win. They're still not as physically or mentally tough as I'd like, or as good on the top on defense, but they are improving and that's a sign of good coaching.

jumpshot · February 25, 2017, 03:45:40 PM

A great win by the Ephs over Tufts at Tufts 81-65, as the Ephs tighten up their perimeter defense in the second half against the Jumbos who shot well, especially threes, in the first half. Tufts a bit dependent on their outside game. Coach App called a couple of astute timeouts midway in the second half when it appeared the Ephs were settling for threes instead of successful backdoor cuts and inside height advantage, and relaxing on defense.

I said it would take a lot of will by the Ephs after the first half ----and all members of the team showed their determination, unselfishness, and sustained energy at both ends to earn another great win.

Way to go, guys! Keep going on Sunday ....

nescac1 · February 25, 2017, 03:47:02 PM

Tremendous, tremendous second half from the Ephs. Wow! This should punch their ticket to the dance but just as importantly, on to the NESCAC championship game tomorrow!

For Williams, only five TOs in the second half, one a meaningless shot clock violation with one second left. Williams hit a cold spell from deep in the second half and missed a few bunnies inside, but the Williams offense was absolutely humming all half -- the Ephs were getting easy looks really the entire game. Tremendous ball movement, especially on the pick and roll where Williams generated a lot of layups in the half-court offense. Weird court conditions kept causing the Ephs to slip (as noted earlier) around the paint in the first half, but in the second, they converted most of those chances.

Wonderful game from Mike Greenman with 14 points, 9 assists, and only two TOs. But as good as he was Kyle Scadlock for second straight game very narrowly wins the MVP in my book. He was massive on both ends, 20 points, 11 boards, great defense all game on Vinny Pace, and a huge block on Feldman shooting a three late in the game. He had some very, very difficult finishes in the paint. The Ephs had nice balance as Soto, Casey and Aronowitz all had big moments as well. Best sign for the Ephs -- Cole Teal was very quiet, James Heskett was off from 3 (and he was open all day), and Aronowitz didn't have his A game on offense, and they still pulled away for the win thanks to some unlikely contributors. Tremendous team effort.

Tufts plays kind of like the Houston Rockets, with Tarik Smith in the Harden role -- spread the floor wide out, beat you off the dribble, and kick to shooters (and they often have five on the floor). Very tricky to guard even if they seem to run basically the same set on nearly every play -- they are quick, athletic, and boy can they shoot. But when the shots FINALLY stopped falling in the last five minutes or so, Williams was able to pull away. Smith is extremely tough to handle off the dribble but kudos to Chris Galvin who finally started to contain his drives late in the game. I thought it odd that Tufts didn't call more timeouts (any?) during Williams' big run ...

One more point on Tufts -- KJ Garrett is a beast -- massively built, strong, huge hops, and a sweet three point shot. He reminds me of Amherst's Allen Williamson at the same stage of his career, a guy who could really explode next season if he uses how to harness his strength and athleticism to generate more good shot opportunities.

What a win for Williams especially after the last Tufts game -- night and day defensive effort in particular. Tufts hit a lot of pretty well contested threes and seemed to miss very few when they were open, and yet Williams still held them to only 65 points. Awesome job and excited for tomorrow vs. either team!

jumpshot · February 25, 2017, 03:52:41 PM

One other note ----the Ephs and Tufts were tied at 63 with 5 minutes to play, and the Ephs outscore the Jumbos 18 to 2 in the final 5 minutes to win.

nescac1 · February 25, 2017, 04:14:40 PM

Incredible stat from Williams-Tufts: the Jumbos hit only 9 two point shots all game, going 9-27 from two point range (4-15 in the second half). And at least 3 of those shots, maybe more, were jumpers. Williams did just an amazing job allowing nothing near the rim this game. And they did so without fouling -- only eight foul shots allowed.

OldCardinal · February 25, 2017, 06:44:31 PM

Williams outrebounded Tufts 48-29! I think that was really the difference. I attended the game and Williams played extremely well defensively, allowing hardly any second shots. They deserved the win. It was good to see Palleschi out there again, although he looked kind of limited to me. Didn't play much in the second half. Maybe in another week he'll be ready to make a bigger contribution. That's assuming they get an NCAA bid, which seems likely.

ECSUalum · February 25, 2017, 06:55:03 PM

Quote from: nescac1 on February 25, 2017, 03:47:02 PM
Tremendous, tremendous second half from the Ephs. Wow! This should punch their ticket to the dance but just as importantly, on to the NESCAC championship game tomorrow!

For Williams, only five TOs in the second half, one a meaningless shot clock violation with one second left. Williams hit a cold spell from deep in the second half and missed a few bunnies inside, but the Williams offense was absolutely humming all half -- the Ephs were getting easy looks really the entire game. Tremendous ball movement, especially on the pick and roll where Williams generated a lot of layups in the half-court offense. Weird court conditions kept causing the Ephs to slip (as noted earlier) around the paint in the first half, but in the second, they converted most of those chances.

Wonderful game from Mike Greenman with 14 points, 9 assists, and only two TOs. But as good as he was Kyle Scadlock for second straight game very narrowly wins the MVP in my book. He was massive on both ends, 20 points, 11 boards, great defense all game on Vinny Pace, and a huge block on Feldman shooting a three late in the game. He had some very, very difficult finishes in the paint. The Ephs had nice balance as Soto, Casey and Aronowitz all had big moments as well. Best sign for the Ephs -- Cole Teal was very quiet, James Heskett was off from 3 (and he was open all day), and Aronowitz didn't have his A game on offense, and they still pulled away for the win thanks to some unlikely contributors. Tremendous team effort.

Tufts plays kind of like the Houston Rockets, with Tarik Smith in the Harden role -- spread the floor wide out, beat you off the dribble, and kick to shooters (and they often have five on the floor). Very tricky to guard even if they seem to run basically the same set on nearly every play -- they are quick, athletic, and boy can they shoot. But when the shots FINALLY stopped falling in the last five minutes or so, Williams was able to pull away. Smith is extremely tough to handle off the dribble but kudos to Chris Galvin who finally started to contain his drives late in the game. I thought it odd that Tufts didn't call more timeouts (any?) during Williams' big run ...

One more point on Tufts -- KJ Garrett is a beast -- massively built, strong, huge hops, and a sweet three point shot. He reminds me of Amherst's Allen Williamson at the same stage of his career, a guy who could really explode next season if he uses how to harness his strength and athleticism to generate more good shot opportunities.

What a win for Williams especially after the last Tufts game -- night and day defensive effort in particular. Tufts hit a lot of pretty well contested threes and seemed to miss very few when they were open, and yet Williams still held them to only 65 points. Awesome job and excited for tomorrow vs. either team!

Nescac1 Congrats on your outstanding win over Tufts today!

grabtherim · February 25, 2017, 07:31:07 PM

Williams was as or more impressive today than the day they beat the stuffing out of Midd a few weeks back. Candidly, I think Midd with a few exceptions did not play even close to the way they have been over their recent run. The biggest exception was Folger who had a fantastic spurt a few minutes into the 2nd half. Brown gave it everything he had, hit some nice shots, but it's clear his explosiveness and lift are nowhere near right. Showing how really great he is, St. Amour's less than best day would be a fantastic day for many. I expect him to be much better tomorrow. Good luck to both teams.