MBB: NESCAC

[maineman]

Nothing wrong with behaving like a kid on game day! Hope everyone has an enjoyable first day of March!

If our teams win, we will!

[JEFFFAN]

Let the games begin!  My wife has changed our normal Friday dinner out...we went out yesterday .  Have my Amherst color attire on.  Wife thinks I behave like a kid on game day.  Appreciate that the Amherst women and men games allow me to watch both without switching.
Best of games/luck to all the Nescac teams...women and men.

I think that is awesome, AMH63, and my sentiments have nothing to do with the fact that we went to the same school.   As Ferris Bueller once said ... "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."   Enjoyment of these games as alumni, parents, or just interested observers, is a chance to slow down and take part in them!   Good stuff!

[Vandy74]

  Appreciate that the Amherst women and men games allow me to watch both without switching.
Best of games/luck to all the Nescac teams...women and men.

I'm happy for you Amherst fans.  Unfortunately in Middlebury's case the NCAA and the NESCAC are of like minds.  Women play at 5:00.  Men play at 5:30.

[NEhoops]

Kudos to first year Nichols head coach Scott Faucher. The former Bowdoin assistant will definitely be in the running for all-district recognition. While the cupboard was far from bare when he arrived last summer, he has a chance to take the program to the next level.

It will definitely be an exciting game tonight and the tournament experience of Nichols could be a deciding factor.

[Pat Coleman]

Here's how to follow with us tonight:
Live scoreboard: https://www.d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2018-19/ncaa-tournament
Whiparound: https://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/whiparound/index

[WPI89]

Good luck Pat, Dave and all with your coverage - we will be "tuned-in".

[Vandy74]

Is there a reason the Middlebury-John Carroll link doesn't work? 

[middhoops]

Wrong gender for this board, Cuz.

[JEFFFAN]

Nichols does nothing pretty but they have now won 15 games in a row (assuming that the announcer is accurate) with a three point win over Middlebury.   Very tight game throughout with Middlebury's offense stalling out with about three minutes left.   Terrific defense play by a Nichols player with about 30 seconds left as he made a flying block on a drive by one of the Middlebury guards.   Game changer.

[jayhawk]

Heartbreaker for Middlebury, thought they had the game. Nichols tough team to beat
Middlebury classy team and coach, very young team with bright future,
loaded for the future

[Old Guy]

Heartbreaker for Middlebury, thought they had the game. Nichols tough team to beat
Middlebury classy team and coach, very young team with bright future,
loaded for the future

Darn! Thought we had it No wisdom here. About a dozen of us fanatics at 825 Cider Mill in our nearly annual ritual NCAA Tourney gathering, steamed dogs and beer (and soup, Old Girl insists — this year butternut squash and apple: sheesh) and the Panthers on the big screen. The transmission from Rowan was terrific — three different cameras, replay, the whole thing. Alas, the wrong outcome. I am happy to be in the company of other Panther partisans who understand how lucky we are!

Wish we had more season, but am grateful again for a game crew of players and coaches who bring such credit to themselves and their school. Jeff Brown is our coach of the year every year. I wanted the season to go on (and on), but have no complaints and will now fill time until next hoop season. I'll head to Florida in a couple weeks to watch the Panther pastimers in Orlando and that will amply fill up this temporary empty space.

[Vandy74]

Heartbreaker for Middlebury, thought they had the game. Nichols tough team to beat
Middlebury classy team and coach, very young team with bright future,
loaded for the future

The transmission from Rowan was terrific — three different cameras, replay, the whole thing. Alas, the wrong outcome. I am happy to be in the company of other Panther partisans who understand how lucky we are!

Wish we had more season, but am grateful again for a game crew of players and coaches who bring such credit to themselves and their school. Jeff Brown is our coach of the year every year.

Agreed Old Guy,

A tough loss and at 18-8 a somewhat disappointing season overall.  When Jeff Brown arrived at Middlebury the best record in the program's history was 17-8.  Now Panther fans mean it when they say, "Just wait until next year." 

[Colby Hoops]

Big time ref show in Clinton almost costs the Continentals. Hamilton called for an intentional foul with 10 seconds left and up 3, but escaped with the win after a defensive stand at the buzzer.

Obviously, Hamilton was fouling intentionally in the situation as they had fouls to give and were wasting time. Yet, it's the same thing as fouling when a team is down at the end of the game. Refs would have to call that every time to be consistent. Would have been a joke to end the season that way, luckily Hamilton held on. A nice, gritty win for them in a raucous atmosphere in Clinton.

Also, Kena Gilmour almost euro stepped a defender out of his shorts on his basket to take the lead for good late in the game. Pretty move.

[Conts Fan]

Big time ref show in Clinton almost costs the Continentals. Hamilton called for an intentional foul with 10 seconds left and up 3, but escaped with the win after a defensive stand at the buzzer.

Obviously, Hamilton was fouling intentionally in the situation as they had fouls to give and were wasting time. Yet, it's the same thing as fouling when a team is down at the end of the game. Refs would have to call that every time to be consistent. Would have been a joke to end the season that way, luckily Hamilton held on. A nice, gritty win for them in a raucous atmosphere in Clinton.

Also, Kena Gilmour almost euro stepped a defender out of his shorts on his basket to take the lead for good late in the game. Pretty move.

I was wondering what transpired during the last 20 seconds. I couldn't watch but was following the online play-by-play and it was hard to understand what happened.

[nescac1]

Nice win for the Ephs over an outmatched Husson team.  Williams could not hit anything from deep in the first half but once the shots started to fall Williams was able to pull away.  The big four all played very well for Williams, even though Casey's recent struggles from deep continued.  His last shot of the game was a gorgeous 28 foot three so hopefully that is a sign of better things to come -- if he and Heskett can just get going from deep, Williams will be very hard to guard.  The play of the game for the Ephs was an absolutely electric one-handed follow-up dunk by Henry Feinberg, wow. 

The Middle Atlantic really acquitted itself well with three upset wins, including the next two opponents for Hamilton and Williams.  Having seen Moravian early in the year, I can say they are very feisty and press hard basically the entire game.  If they don't turn you over and score a lot in transition, they can't beat a team like Hamilton, so Hamilton will need to focus on just taking care of the ball and beating the pressure.  If they do so, Moravian should not be able to stick with them (and yes I know Hamilton barely survived today but it seems like they were ice cold and their opponent red hot).  I don't know much about Gwynedd Mercy, but they shot 14-26 from deep today (!).  Hopefully for the Ephs that does not continue.  They are absolutely tiny so on paper Williams should be able to pound it down low all game, but they just held probably the best center in D3 to 2-10 shooting and five points, so clearly they've managed to compensate. 

Go Ephs and hope they can play as well as they played in the second half vs. Husson going forward!

Crazy re: the Hamilton intentional foul call. I have NEVER seen a ref call an intentional foul in that situation.  Good thing it was not decisive.  The coaching staff must have been going crazy.