MBB: NESCAC

[Bucket]

Whoa! What's this language about Middlebury hosting until the Final Four in Salem? That's hard to do. One and done. It wasn't long ago that the Panthers had one of those powerhouse teams (2012) when we were 26-3 and got beat at home in the second round on a buzzer-beater by Scranton. We still talk about it.

FWIW, Scranton loss was a Sweet 16 game. Midd beat Albertus Magnus in the 2nd round that year.

[ronk]

Whoa! What's this language about Middlebury hosting until the Final Four in Salem? That's hard to do. One and done. It wasn't long ago that the Panthers had one of those powerhouse teams (2012) when we were 26-3 and got beat at home in the second round on a buzzer-beater by Scranton. We still talk about it.

FWIW, Scranton loss was a Sweet 16 game. Midd beat Albertus Magnus in the 2nd round that year.

And Scranton had needed a buzzer-beater 25' shot just to send its 1st round game against Messiah into OT.

[FanOfNescac]

Nice to see the Old Guy recognize this special Panthers' team.

It started with back to back wins over Illinois Wesleyan (Pool C bubble) & Staten Island (NCAA) before New Year. The start of the post Zach Baines era.  My trepidation with Zach voiced earlier was that the ball stuck for a second or two too long in his hands.

The offensive efficiency from that point has been steadily improving. The second half Sunday was a clinic in will, desire & execution on offensive end not to mention the 6 plus minutes of lock-down defense on Williams to start second half.

Every player has given what has been needed at various times, an amazing team for sure.  1 thru 8.   Coach Brown has out performed his peers significantly in style, demeanor, substitutions, game coaching. How bout resting Jake Brown and enduring close games to get him 2 weeks of healing past the high ankle strain to win the NESCAC.  National Coach of the Year performance..back to back NESCAC...

So buckle up....because your future is Round 3...Williams vs. Middlebury at Pepin for right to advance to Final Four.  Neumann would be the other team to fear in this bracket. 

For my critics...  would you trade Folger for Gilmour.....  after watching Saturday & Sunday's NESCAC semis & finals.....I think not....

Oy. It was fun while it lasted

[Cards Fan]

My projected sweet sixteen:

Whitman v Emory

Marietta v Rochester

Staten Island v Ramapo

Babson v Tufts

Middlebury v Neumann

MIT v Williams

Benedictine v St Thomas

Hope v Hanover

[Falcons 25]

Agreed! Except it will be AMC, not Rochester, playing Marietta!

[nescac1]

I want to echo Toad's comments on the Ephs.  2014 was just three years ago and the Ephs suffered an absolutely devastating streak of events starting with about 10 seconds left in the title game -- a heart-breaking loss in a game they appeared to have won, followed by the graduation of a great senior class let by the best center in the country, followed by Maker departing and of course Duncan Robinson, arguably the best D3 talent in a generation, leaving after one year as well.  The next two years a pretty thin team was up and down, but now they seem to finally be coming together led by App's first (and stellar) recruiting class.  With only one senior contributor (albeit a key one) and a lot of young guys who have big-time upside, including some frosh who should make a bigger impact next season, the Ephs seem poised to return to being a force in the region, and I hope nationally, over the next few years.  I hope that starts a bit early in this year's tournament, of course! 

Cards Fan, as an Eph fan, I'd of course be delighted by that outcome.  But who knows, I don't know enough about the Ephs' opponents yet to make even a semi-informed guess.

I do know this: I'd be absolutely stunned if all three WIAC teams in the field went down in the first two rounds.  I'm going with a River Falls-Whitewater showdown in the Sweet 16.  I also really worry about Babson surviving the second round if it is still down two starters heading into next weekend.  That's a really heavy lift from basically three major offensive threats remaining, even if one of them is perhaps the best player in the country. 

[grabtherim]

Nice to see the Old Guy recognize this special Panthers' team.

It started with back to back wins over Illinois Wesleyan (Pool C bubble) & Staten Island (NCAA) before New Year. The start of the post Zach Baines era.  My trepidation with Zach voiced earlier was that the ball stuck for a second or two too long in his hands.

The offensive efficiency from that point has been steadily improving. The second half Sunday was a clinic in will, desire & execution on offensive end not to mention the 6 plus minutes of lock-down defense on Williams to start second half.

Every player has given what has been needed at various times, an amazing team for sure.  1 thru 8.   Coach Brown has out performed his peers significantly in style, demeanor, substitutions, game coaching. How bout resting Jake Brown and enduring close games to get him 2 weeks of healing past the high ankle strain to win the NESCAC.  National Coach of the Year performance..back to back NESCAC...

So buckle up....because your future is Round 3...Williams vs. Middlebury at Pepin for right to advance to Final Four.  Neumann would be the other team to fear in this bracket. 

For my critics...  would you trade Folger for Gilmour.....  after watching Saturday & Sunday's NESCAC semis & finals.....I think not....

Oy. It was fun while it lasted

Yeah, Midd got better because Zach left, and let's call it  "efficiency" because he held the ball an extra "second or two"  And now the word from high up on the mountain is that we are in the "post Zach Baines era".  What the heck are you talking about?  At Middlebury and I would say every other school in our league, there are no "eras" based on individuals.  We have teams and programs.  "Resting" Jake Brown?  The kid was  forced to wear a sports jacket for a few games for gosh sake.  He had an injury to recover from, which he is probably still not 100% back from yet.  Jeff didn't have him resting in the Bahamas for a stretch run.  "For my critics...  would you trade Folger for Gilmour.....  after watching Saturday & Sunday's NESCAC semis & finals.....I think not...."  Oh my, will you please stop with the Folger stuff.  No one ever criticized the kid,  only YOU.  You went back and forth, forth and back, WITH YOURSELF on Gilmour vs Folger ad nauseum.  Your poor kid, if he ever sees this stuff will crawl under a rock.  Oh, sorry, I mean you and your daughter, the biggest fans Midd ever had.  Finally, never look too far forward in a single elimination tournament.  One game at a time.  We have a team to root for, a program to celebrate.  If we play Williams again, so be it, but that seems light years away to me, just roll out the ball, and see what we can do. That said, in the interest of making this all stop, Folger is my ROY for this season and my choice for three time NESCAC POY 2018-20.   

[middhoops]

"For my critics...  would you trade Folger for Gilmour.....  after watching Saturday & Sunday's NESCAC semis & finals.....I think not...."

Did Gilmour play poorly last weekend?  A tad bit unfair, maybe.

[grabtherim]

Whoa! What's this language about Middlebury hosting until the Final Four in Salem? That's hard to do. One and done. It wasn't long ago that the Panthers had one of those powerhouse teams (2012) when we were 26-3 and got beat at home in the second round on a buzzer-beater by Scranton. We still talk about it.

It's all about expectations! We were pleased and surprised when the Panthers won the NESCACs from the fourth seed in Hartford last year, so we anticipated being pretty good this year, but better than Amherst, the preseason #1 . . . unlikely.

An early loss to Endicott, at home, after building a big lead, was hardly shocking (hey, they're pretty good, made the NCAA tourney) and then to Tufts in Medford, a close loss to a powerhouse. We played really poorly at Williams, a stinker, so nobody thought we had a juggernaut in VT.

A good team, yes, a fun team to watch, yes, an easy team to like for their effort and obvious enjoyment of one another, yes. Every win was satisfying, because it was not a sure thing: example – who thought Midd would put up 106 and 97 points in late-season wins against Amherst and then Trinity, without our senior point guard (who I felt early in the year was our one indispensible player).

Midd fans took nothing for granted. Narrow wins against Colby, the cellar-dweller, and then Bates in the quarterfinals. So every win was a joy, because it was not a sure thing. Every game was an adventure.

Extremely likable team.

Expectations. Somebody said to me that it's all "gravy" now. Nope. There are expectations now. We have a home game Friday night, and, if we win, another game the next night. Expectations are that we will advance. This is new. Pressure.

I hope, as always, that we win. Now, significant to my motivation is because I want these kids to feel great about their season and all they have accomplished to this point.

Observations:

Matt St. Amour: I thought I might go back and look at the discussion on this board from five years ago when the this terrific player from a tiny VT high school chose Middlebury (after he didn't get a basketball scholarship to the University of VT). Middlebury folks were very excited. Others on this Board were skeptical, to say the least: "a VT high school player, in NESCAC. I doubt it," was a common sentiment. Legitimate reservations. Depending on how many games Midd has left, he is going to find a place at the very top of our record book. And a student of greater character would be hard to find.

Russ Reilly: word was that Midd had a great backcourt but was green in the frontcourt and thus vulnerable there. How far have those front court players come: McCord, Majors, Tarantino, Folger. They are formidable! Those great guards get the big guards the ball – but they are where they should be, they're smart and game, and they convert. They are a force now that other teams ignore at their own risk as they game-plan. They're all back next year.

Russ was the A.D. who hired Jeff Brown, and was the head basketball coach for 19 years. He now is a volunteer assistant in charge of the big men. They are a close-knit group. Kudos to Russ!

Finally, Jeff Brown. He is a reserved self-effacing coach who is easy to overlook. He doesn't stand three feet out on the court in rolled-up shirtsleeves working the officials; he doesn't pace like he's engaged in a life and death struggle. Who can remember his last technical foul?

Yet he has had to deal with some unforeseen difficulties this year – the transfer of one of the most exciting players to come into NESCAC in recent years (who's averaging 15 and 6 for the Occidental Tigers), injuries to key players (Brown in recent games; Dahleh for the season). Yet he exudes calm – and there's no question that his players play hard and respond to his rational approach.

Sorry about the long post, I try to be more disciplined, but this has been an extremely satisfying season to be a Midd hoop fan. I thought it couldn't get better than those 2008-2013 teams: Sharry, Locke, Thompson, Wolfin, Kizel, Rudin, Davis, Wholey, Lynch, Walsh, Harris, Smith.

This team is special.

Expectations have changed.

Great words Old Guy.  I'll remind you, but I believe you were there, the 2011 team did not lose their 2nd game until the national semi at the Final 4 in Salem, finishing the season at 28-2.  In that game Midd lost in excruciating fashion by 2, barely missing a shot at the buzzer to send it to OT.  This year's squad is special.  Like you, I'm hoping they can take it a few steps further to the top of the mountain.  They have the chops to do it.  Hopefully they stay healthy and get a few breaks along the way as well.  Good luck to all the NESCAC teams.  Relatively speaking, a bit to my surprise, it appears at D3, we are the Big East or ACC of old.         

[jumpshot]

Interesting to note that Williams is ranked higher than both Wesleyan and the plague in the NCAA's final regional rankings, as both the Cards and the plague fall out of the top 25 national D3 Hoops rankings. The plague goes from #1 to unranked over the course of the season, including a record of 8 wins and 6 losses in 2017.

None of which matters now as the Big Dance begins ....good luck to all ....enjoy what will be a memorable experience.

[amh63]

Old Guy....nice thoughts on the path ahead for not only Midd but all the Nescac teams. 
Looking over the brackets, the opponents of the CAC teams in the first round are beatable.  Having said that, the CAC teams are themselves beatable if the teams do not not play as a team in this "the second season".
This year especially, is the "second season" for many in general and Amherst in particular.  Looking over the teams in the Big Dance, many of the higher "seeds" in the Noth East region are not playing well now.  Tufts still has players recovering from injuries.  Babson was beaten by MIT...some point out injuries to two starters for the lost.  The host for Amherst's section lost to TCNJ late in the season.  Rochester who is hosting Wesleyan, has not played up to expectations late in the season.
Yes this is the " second season" for Amherst.  The players gets a second chance to meet their "expectations".  Better effort, better sharing of the ball, better defensive effort, etc., etc.. 
Some posters talk about rankings, etc..  Pundits in the D1 level do so as D1 top teams continue to be upset...UVA did so last night.. and the brackets remain a somewhat unknown.  Soon, the D1 Big Dance cards will be filled and March Masness truely begins.
On Friday, the D3 March Madness begins!  I expect to sit back and enjoy and tear my hair out...is that possible? 
Good luck in the games ahead for all the CAC teams.

[Cards Fan]

No need to dwell on Amherst's poor play as of recent. Everything's a fresh start in the tournament, and anyone can win any given game. Never forget last year's Middle Tennessee beating Michigan State in the first round of the D1 tournament. Any team can show up at any time.

[Bucket]

No need to dwell on Amherst's poor play as of recent. Everything's a fresh start in the tournament, and anyone can win any given game. Never forget last year's Middle Tennessee beating Michigan State in the first round of the D1 tournament. Any team can show up at any time.

Or Syracuse. They staggered into the tournament, and then advanced all the way to the Final Four, beating my beloved Cavaliers in the process, a game that still haunts my sleep.

[toad22]

I see a small advantage for Williams in the coming weekend. The Ephs have been playing for their basketball lives ever since Bates, three weeks ago. Bates, Amherst, and Tufts all felt like "win or go home" games. The pressure on the coaches and the players (all self-imposed) was very high. They won their way into the NCAAs in those three games. This team knows how to play with a lot of pressure on them. I think that will help, but they will, of course, have to prove it on the court.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I see a small advantage for Williams in the coming weekend. The Ephs have been playing for their basketball lives ever since Bates, three weeks ago. Bates, Amherst, and Tufts all felt like "win or go home" games. The pressure on the coaches and the players (all self-imposed) was very high. They won their way into the NCAAs in those three games. This team knows how to play with a lot of pressure on them. I think that will help, but they will, of course, have to prove it on the court.

I'm a little worried about depth.  Becker should be fine, but that second round game will be tough.