MBB: NESCAC

[JEFFFAN]

That is it from this Amherst fan for the 2017-2018 season.  Wish them well and offer congrats for very good careers for McCarthy and Ripeol, but this was a difficult transition year that was too much of a barbell ... seniors and freshmen.   Hope that Hixon can improve the roster for next year and the following year.  Best wishes to the rest of the NESCAC for this season!

Over and out ....

[mathteacherjedi]

Ok, so here's a D1/D3 cross over question.  Coming off a 11 gaming losing streak, with a record of 10-13, a team pulls off back to back victories over the #4 and #1 ranked teams in the nation.  How the hell do you rank them in the next poll?  Obviously I'm talking about St. John's (NY) over Duke and then Nova, but how would a situation like that play out in D3?  Has anything even remotely like that ever happened (outside March Madness)?

[Mr. Ypsi]

Ok, so here's a D1/D3 cross over question.  Coming off a 11 gaming losing streak, with a record of 10-13, a team pulls off back to back victories over the #4 and #1 ranked teams in the nation.  How the hell do you rank them in the next poll?  Obviously I'm talking about St. John's (NY) over Duke and then Nova, but how would a situation like that play out in D3?  Has anything even remotely like that ever happened (outside March Madness)?

With that overall record, you obviously do NOT rank them in the next poll.  But you do kinda wonder if the FBI has commenced a gambling-tampering investigation!

[toad22]

What a great way to end the NESCAC regular season. Middlebury, Hamilton, Williams, and Amherst meet in the last weekend. The order of finish and the seeding of teams is up in the air. Middlebury has their fate in their own hands, as does Hamilton. A sweep by either team gives them the first seed. Amherst can get the first seed by winning out and Hamilton beating Middlebury on Friday night. Williams can win by winning out and Middlebury losing both games. I haven't spent a lot of time on this, but I think that is correct. Williams could still finish anywhere from first to sixth! What a setup.

[middhoops]

Toad, excellent job in assessing the weekend.
Somehow feels odd not to read Wesleyan's name in that scenario anyplace, given how well they've played this season.
Amherst?
Am I wrong or does it feel like they've been discounted greatly?  Yet they're still in the hunt.
It's going to be a great couple of days of games.  (....Go Midd!...)
On the other side of wherever this ends up, nobody wants to play Wesleyan.
Just sayin'.

[JEFFFAN]

That is it from this Amherst fan for the 2017-2018 season.  Wish them well and offer congrats for very good careers for McCarthy and Ripeol, but this was a difficult transition year that was too much of a barbell ... seniors and freshmen.   Hope that Hixon can improve the roster for next year and the following year.  Best wishes to the rest of the NESCAC for this season!

Over and out ....

After tonight's blowout win over Williams ... am I allowed to reconsider dropping them so fast?   

[Old Guy]

Middlebury thoroughly outplayed by the Continentals, who shot the lights out (12-24 from three, 52.5% overall). Gilmour was terrific — 29 points on 10-15 from the floor, 4-4 from three. Down at the half, Midd made a couple of runs in the second half but couldn't sustain the pressure and spent most of the half down 8-12 . Hamilton-Williams tomorrow — hard not to favor the home club. Impressive.

[amh63]

Middhoops...thanks for the support. ...I think.  Agreed wrt the Cardinals. 
During the Amherst vs Williams game, the announcer was feeding the score of the Hamilton vs. Midd game.  Almost got ahead of himself in the possibility of "whose on first" type scenarios wrt Nescac seedlings.  Yes, if Williams beats Hamilton and Amherst wins over Midd in LeFrak on Senior Day....it can become very interesting. 
Saw in the crowd a number of old, old Amherst alums that I shared a few drinks after games in Salem Va.  Wished I was up in the stands with them in LeFrak.  Unfortunately weather and a long trip to Florida via NC awaits on Monday.
Despite the lost of Big forward Sellew in the Williams game, there were the contributions of sophs and juniors to the Amherst win.
Jr. Groff..comes from an Amherst family of athletes..came in to guard one of the Williams taller front court players...and made several threes to boot .
JMac played a solid defensive game and was given rest throughout the course of the game.  Seemed to me he was a little under the weather. 
Stats showed a Technical on the Amherst team.  An error??  There was a "T" called on the Williams coach though...not shown in the stats.  Amherst won the RBs battle over an overall taller Williams.  Williams did get to the foul line more by a large margin   Basically, Amherst shot the ball better than the Ephs.
It should be noted that Amherst held Hamilton to 49 points in Le Frak.  Hamilton broke its offensive avg of 90 plus over Midd.   Gives me hope wrt the upcoming Panther battle.
Boy, my spelling of names remain bad.  Apologies to the Groff family.

[Conts Fan]

So what happens if Amherst, Williams, and Wesleyan win and there are five teams at 7-3?

[lumbercat]

Old Guys take on tonights game confirms something I have been pondering for the last year or so. This Hamilton team is reminiscent of the Continental hoop teams of the 70's and 80's when they were very good.  I think we are seeing the early signs of a renewed commitment at Hamilton to be a force in the NESCAC.

They look to be making a substantial upgraded commitment to athletics. They will most likely be extremely competitive not only in basketball but in football as well.....I think we are seeing a change in Clinton in their athletic department as a whole.

They have a very fertile recruiting area in the Wild West of the NESCAC territory for Football, Basketball, Hockey and Lacrosse......all the important sports where there is no significant presence in the area from any other NESCAC school.

Believe they have made a commitment to winning and predict some success for them as we are seeing with their basketball program this year.



 

[rainchild908]

So what happens if Amherst, Williams, and Wesleyan win and there are five teams at 7-3?

Long story short, Amherst would be the top seed. Its only loss against the rest of the top five would be against Wesleyan; every other tied team would have at least two losses against the others (Wes lost to Hamilton and Williams; Williams lost to Amherst and Midd; Hamilton lost to Amherst and--in this scenario--Williams, and Midd lost to Wes, Hamilton, and--in this scenario--Amherst).

If five teams tie at 7-3, I believe the standings would be:

1. Amherst (3-1 vs. tied teams)
2. Williams (2-1 vs. remaining tied teams; beat Hamilton head-to-head)
3. Hamilton (2-1 vs. remaining tied teams; lost to Williams head-to-head)
4. Wesleyan (beat Midd head-to-head)
5. Midd (lost to Wes head-to-head)
6. Tufts/Trinity winner
7. Bowdoin (if Tufts beats Trin) or Tufts (if Trin beats Tufts)
8. Bates (if Tufts beats Trin) or Bowdoin (if Trin beats Tufts)
9. Trinity (if Tufts wins) or Bates (if Trin wins)
10. Colby/Conn winner
11. Colby/Conn loser

Regardless of other results, if Amherst and Williams both win, Amherst is the top seed; if Amherst wins but Williams loses, Hamilton is the top seed. Irony, thy name is "NESCAC final weekend."

[rainchild908]

So what happens if Amherst, Williams, and Wesleyan win and there are five teams at 7-3?

Probably also worth noting that Hamilton is the only team guaranteed a first-round home game:

• Hamilton gets the #3 seed in the five-way tie scenario; if it finishes 7-3 but Midd beats Amherst, it would be the fourth seed. If the Continentals win, of course, they are the top seed.
• Midd would finish fifth in the five-way tie scenario. All other scenarios have the Panthers at home next weekend.
• Amherst--which would be the top seed in the five-way tie scenario--can finish as low as sixth with a loss to Midd, a Williams win over Hamilton, and a Tufts win over Trinity (Wes' result is irrelevant in this case; the Cards are guaranteed the #4 seed). Midd would be the top seed in this scenario.
• Williams falls to #6 with wins by Hamilton, Midd, and Tufts. (Wes' result is again irrelevant--the Cards would be #3 no matter what--and Tufts would end up at #4.)
• Wes finishes fifth with a loss and wins by Hamilton and Amherst. (If Wes loses but Hamilton and Midd win, Wes would be the #3 seed.)

Should be an interesting day, no?

[amh63]

Lumbercat....very good and scary comments wrt the Continentals future. Plus K
Another worrisome thought wrt the possibility of Hamilton getting to host the Nescac Tourny.  Love the village where the college sits...but a tough trip for visiting teams.  This could be the year of home floor advantage AND injuries.   In the whipping of Amherst by  the Cardinals on Tuesday...also noticed several Amherst players slightly under the weather....I.e. coughing a little going into the locker room.  It has been a tough wet Winter this season. 

[middhoops]

rainchild908, thanks for doing our homework for us. 
+k

[frank uible]

Is any NESCAC team likely to get to Salem?