MBB: NESCAC

[nescac1]

NESCAC does not have a most improved player award, but a few veteran players have made eye-popping improvements this season (I don't really count sophomores who did not get a chance to see the court as frosh):

Alex Dorion, Colby ... in his first three seasons, never averaged more than 7.3 ppg, shot better than 42 percent from the field or 39 percent from 3.  As a senior, scoring 14.5 ppg on 50/47/75 splits, which would normally really stand out but for the fact that he has a teammate pouring in 22 ppg on simply ridiculous 61/50/89 splits. 

Colin Donovan, Trinity ... last year, averaged 5.9 ppg on 33/35/90 splits.  This year, up to 13.2 on 44/42/84.  He has also basically doubled his assists, from 1.9 to 3.6 per game, while also improving his assist to turnover ratio.  He's become a much more aggressive and dangerous offensive player for a suddenly-dangerous Trinity squad.  Other than a brutal day (along with the whole Trinity team) vs. Tufts, he's been on fire lately, and is a key factor in Trinity winning 5 out of its last 6 games (including pasting 114 points on Bates, which is nuts for a Trinity team that in recent years struggles offensively). 

Garrett Day and Josh Chery, Amherst ... Chery was always talented, but struggled with some injuries, and his outside shot was never there until this season.  After shooting 30 and 22 percent from deep the last two years, this season he is up to 52.  He's averaging career highs in points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks, and while not a huge scorer, he is the ultimate glue guy who can really defend, rebound, create a bit, and now is hitting the open three point shot.  He's been a rock for an injury-plagued Amherst team this season and seems to fill whatever role is needed and has been scoring and rebounding at a higher clip of late.  Meanwhile, Day has been on fire since joining the starting lineup, and it's hard to see him returning to bench duties anytime soon. 

[amh63]

Thanks all wrt the Sunday game question.  Gee....travel partner rule.  Even an "old Dog(me) learns new tricks". 
Key games this weekend for Amherst.  Home games!  My annual swing South...to the Carolinas and Florida to check in with Family and friends is coming up fast.  Amherst game results could impact trip plans....a bit.....daughter's annual family trip to Disney World starts this weekend was already out of the schedule/plans.

[Bucket]

Thanks all wrt the Sunday game question.  Gee....travel partner rule.  Even an "old Dog(me) learns new tricks". 
Key games this weekend for Amherst.  Home games!  My annual swing South...to the Carolinas and Florida to check in with Family and friends is coming up fast.  Amherst game results could impact trip plans....a bit.....daughter's annual family trip to Disney World starts this weekend was already out of the schedule/plans.

Not exactly new, my friend! Sunday games have been a staple of the NESCAC schedule for nearly a decade!

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

And the travel partner thing has rotated a bit ever since Hamilton came into the league.

[MiddWatcher]

For Midd to get a home game in the playoffs they will have to pass Trinity in the standings with both teams at 5-3 and Trinity holding the head on head tiebreaker.  To move ahead of Trinity, Midd would have to win its two remaining home games against Tufts and Bates and Trinity would have to lose one of its remaining two road games against Amherst and Hamilton.  On paper, you might expect each team to go 1-1 on the weekend leaving things status quo. 

Of course another scenario would be for Williams to win twice at home against Bates and Tufts while Trinity drops two games and Midd wins at least one.  That would propel Williams ahead of Trinity and into a playoff game at Midd. 

Since I don't expect that to happen, it will likely come down to a Midd-Trinity playoff game, the question being, "Where?"  Most likely, Hartford which will make for a tough task for a Midd, a 3 or 4 loss team to advance past the NESCAC quarterfinals.  Padmore led Trinity was very efficient against Midd sporting a +11 in rebounds. 

If Trinity were to prevail in the playoff game would a 4 or 5 loss Midd team be competitive for a Pool C bid?  Within the league, Tufts Colby and possibly Amherst would be lined up ahead of them.  Who knows who will be ranked above them within the region and nation?

Have to agree with Maineman here. Scary as it sounds, a team that cruised through 14 non league wins without a loss ( including at least 3 four significant wins  ) could well be on the bubble a couple of weeks hence. But that's what makes it fun !  Great write ups by the Midd Fifth Estate contingent; not much to add from this end - except that it was a great " Welcome Back " for Matt Folger on Sunday. I will have to disagree a bit with esteemed Old Guy here - Matt WAS off to a great start this year. ( 17.3 points on 57% from 3 and 50% overrall through 3 games ) .... 22 for 69 on threes since .... until Sunday.  Heading into Sunday's game 10 for last 35. ( 28 % ).  That is not " steady " and it certainly was not Matt.  The ankle injury, quickly followed by a 4 stitch cut over the eye and then a bad, bad cold had him a non-starter at Trinity and a very average player for a long stretch of his senior year. None of which his fault. But, yesterday, he was BACK !  In a big way. 5 for 7 on threes ( 71% ) and moving great. He is the difference maker on that team because he is so uniquely himself. A 6'8" shooter from 22 feet who also has learned how to put it on the floor and get close enough to make an 8 footer. With Tufts playing their bigs as ' centerfielders ' in the paint; Folger's return should give Midd a fighting chance on Friday night. But Coach Sheldon is very gifted and did shut down Jefferson ...... so we shall see.  A year ago, Tufts handled Midd twice with the Tufts guards not having to face their nemesis - pressure on the ball bringing it upcourt.  ( hello, New England College   Trinity hammered them a year ago with that facet - got to NONE of it last Friday night because Trin never scored and therefore never even got into ball pressure after a make.  There were so few makes.  And Midd's smaller perimeter guys have a tough time with bigger guards - at both ends.  ( shot 3-23 from 3 pt. distance on the first Conn trip with an ill Folger and a no show DeLo ( home with a sprained ankle and very bad illness - team's leading 3 point shooter ).  So, Midd will have to work both ends with both Bigs and Littles really having strong games.  Tall order.  Have thoroughly enjoyed this NESCAC season. Balanced teams and Good Teams !

[maineman]

I know the poll is for discussion and has zero weight in post season decisions, but I can't agree with Midd being ranked ahead of both Colby and Tufts.

#   School (No. 1 votes)   W-L   Pts.   Prev.
1   Swarthmore (20)   21-0   618   1
2   St. John's (4)   21-1   602   2
3   Randolph-Macon (1)   21-1   570   3
4   St. Thomas   19-2   539   4
5   Wittenberg   20-1   517   5
6   Nebraska Wesleyan   20-2   508   7
7   Johns Hopkins   19-2   440   10
8   UW-Platteville   18-3   424   12
9   Emory   17-3   397   6
10   Middlebury   19-3   350   13
11   Mount Union   18-3   336   14
12   Colby   19-2   320   9
13   Virginia Wesleyan   18-3   311   15
14   North Central (Ill.)   17-4   301   17
15   Marietta   18-3   296   16
16   Washington U.   16-4   265   11
17   Elmhurst   18-4   219   8
18   Tufts   18-4   182   21
19   Babson   18-3   181   20
20   Springfield   18-3   179   23
21   Yeshiva   20-1   153   22
22   St. Joseph (Conn.)   19-2   91   --
23   St. Norbert   18-3   79   --
24   Benedictine   18-3   42   --
25   Augustana   16-6   28   --

[Cards Fan]

I know the poll is for discussion and has zero weight in post season decisions, but I can't agree with Midd being ranked ahead of both Colby and Tufts.

#   School (No. 1 votes)   W-L   Pts.   Prev.
1   Swarthmore (20)   21-0   618   1
2   St. John's (4)   21-1   602   2
3   Randolph-Macon (1)   21-1   570   3
4   St. Thomas   19-2   539   4
5   Wittenberg   20-1   517   5
6   Nebraska Wesleyan   20-2   508   7
7   Johns Hopkins   19-2   440   10
8   UW-Platteville   18-3   424   12
9   Emory   17-3   397   6
10   Middlebury   19-3   350   13
11   Mount Union   18-3   336   14
12   Colby   19-2   320   9
13   Virginia Wesleyan   18-3   311   15
14   North Central (Ill.)   17-4   301   17
15   Marietta   18-3   296   16
16   Washington U.   16-4   265   11
17   Elmhurst   18-4   219   8
18   Tufts   18-4   182   21
19   Babson   18-3   181   20
20   Springfield   18-3   179   23
21   Yeshiva   20-1   153   22
22   St. Joseph (Conn.)   19-2   91   --
23   St. Norbert   18-3   79   --
24   Benedictine   18-3   42   --
25   Augustana   16-6   28   --

Tufts at 18 is a headscratcher for sure.

[middhoops]

Perhaps the most under rated NE team on that list is St. Joe's of CT. 
Tufts, for sure, is better than the D3hoops ranking. 
However, the most dangerous team in the region may be Amherst.  They are picking up momentum late in the season.

Massey's computer shows Colby at 9, Tufts at 17 and Midd at 22.
The RPI computer has Midd at 3, Tufts at 5 and Colby at 9.

https://www.masseyratings.com/cb/ncaa-d3/ratings

http://tomaroonandgold.blogspot.com/p/division-iii-mens-regional-rankings.html

Different applications of data yield wildly varying results.

[Colby Hoops]

Regional rankings come out tomorrow which will be the most telling. The top 25 stuff is hard because it's just not possible for the voters to watch all these teams closely. As a result, school name recognition still matters, and schools that have regularly been in the top 25 tend to rank a bit higher. Overall, I think the voters do a pretty good job.

A few random thoughts:

• Amherst seems to be peaking at the right time. Even without Schneider they can be a scary defensive team -- Che, Allen, Chery, Robinson are all elite perimeter defenders. Against perimeter-oriented teams like Colby and Midd, they match-up better than anyone. Tufts will be the harder matchup, as Sellew gives up a lot of size to Rogers and the other young bigs aren't great 1 on 1 post defenders yet. But, Amherst is also an underrated offensive team -- they can really shoot it, and Day is one of the best one on one players in the league. When he has it going there's not much a defense can do to stop him.
• Pace has been a big problem of late for Colby. Early in the season, it seemed like Colby was able to dictate the tempo of every game. I'd love to see them push the ball more even after made baskets. It's easier said than done, as teams are very prepared for that now. Additionally, playing such a small rotation after Tucker's injury, makes it tough to keep the pace up. If Jefferson is back soon, and Tucker getting back into the rotation, I'd love to see Colby try to push the pace more and get opponents playing out of their comfort zone.
• Should be some interesting match-ups in the first round of the tournament, but I think avoiding Hamilton (if they make it!) is preferable for the top teams. Hamilton is 2-6 in league, but has held second half leads in every game they've lost except for at Bates. Very easily could be 5-3 or 6-2.
• In Sobel's absence (I'm guessing he's not coming back at this point) Tommy Eastman has stepped up in a big way for the Panthers. He's the 6th leading scorer in the league during conference play on great shooting numbers and the 11th leading rebounder.

All-league I'd probably have the following at this point, but still plenty can change over the last weekend.

First team: Sam Jefferson (POY), Kena Gilmour, Eric Savage, Luke Rogers, Jack Farrell
Second team: Matt Karpowicz, David Reynolds, Kyle Padmore, Alex Dorion, Garret Day

You could talk me into any of Sellew, Day or Che, but I think there needs to be an Amherst representative. Other guys in the conversation include: Jeff Spellman, Matt Hanna, Donald Jorden, Tommy Eastman, Jordan James, Colin Donovan.

[NEhoops]

These are the top nine Northeast region teams listed at http://tomaroonandgold.blogspot.com/p/division-iii-mens-regional-rankings.html - I agree with the listing but I have changed the order accordingly. 

#1 – Tufts (18-4): Wins against St. Joseph (CT), Brandeis, Amherst and Colby; with losses to WPI, Babson, Suffolk and NEC. The loss to Suffolk wasn't a good one, but they are undefeated in NESCAC play. Their game at Middlebury on 2/14 could decide the top seed in the region.

#2 – Middlebury (19-3): Wins against Stevens (projected as the #2 team in the Atlantic region) and Springfield, with losses to Amherst, Colby and Trinity. No real statement wins in NESCAC play, still have a chance to make one when they host Tufts on 2/14

#3 – Springfield (18-3): Wins against Babson and WPI (who they will play both of them again), with losses to Amherst, Middlebury and Emerson. No impressive out of conference wins on the resume, but they'll win 20+ games with a strong SOS   
         
#4 – Colby (19-2): Win against Middlebury, with losses to Tufts and Amherst. No real chances to improve their resume and they could get jumped by WPI. The strength of the NESCAC, the win against MID and their win total are carrying them
 
#5 – WPI (17-4): Wins against Brandeis and Tufts, with losses to NEC, Albertus Magnus, Babson and Springfield (who they will play both of them again). Still a long way to go in the NEWMAC, two great non-conference wins 
   
#6 – St. Joseph CT (17-2): No wins against this group of teams, with losses to RIC and Tufts. They lack a signature win and won't have a chance to improve their resume. They are definitely taking care of business in the GNAC    
      
#7 – Babson (18-3): Wins against Amherst, Tufts and WPI, with losses to Eastern CT, Springfield and Clark. They play WPI and Springfield again. Still a long way to go in the NEWMAC, two great non-conference wins, but a tough loss to Eastern CT. They could still climb higher   
   
#8 – Amherst (16-6): Wins against Springfield, Colby and Middlebury, with losses to Westfield State, Babson, Wesleyan, Williams (2) and Tufts. Three great wins, but also (6) losses. The debate on where they should be ranked is just getting started 

#9 – Brandeis (15-5): Win against Emory (projected as the #1 team in the South region), with losses to WPI, Suffolk, Tufts, Wash U and Case Western. They play Emory and Wash U again. No impressive out of conference wins on the resume, but the strength of the UAA is carrying them

[Colby Hoops]

Lot of players out tonight in the Colby-Bates game. No Jefferson again tonight for Colby. And looks like Kody Greenhalgh and Omar Sarr are out for the Bobcats.

[Colby Hoops]

Lot of players out tonight in the Colby-Bates game. No Jefferson again tonight for Colby. And looks like Kody Greenhalgh and Omar Sarr are out for the Bobcats.

Dean Weiner also out for the Mules -- not the best time of the year for the Mules to start racking up injuries. It hasn't mattered much tonight as Colby has trounced Bates from the opening tip, leading 48-28 at half. Pushing the pace and moving the ball wonderfully (16 assists in the first half on 19 made field goals). Fun to see Strahorn go deep into the bench -- some of the FY players showing their skills, particularly Jonah Obi and Alec McGovern.

[7express]

With both Tufts men and women looking like they will win the conference, are there any potential conflicts with scheduling games for championship weekend?

Didn't Amherst host both a couple of years ago??  Assuming both Tufts men & women are 1 seeds and win in the quarterfinals, I would assume they would play the women's semifinals Saturday afternoon and than men's semifinals Saturday evening and than women first on Sunday and men second.  IIRC, when Amherst hosted both that's what they did??

It's a different conference, but over in the LEC, Eastern Connecticut has hosted both the men's and women's semifinals and final 2 times (though it may be 3, it was at least twice).  That conference plays semifinals Friday, championship Saturday.  1 year they played the men's semifinals on Friday, women's semifinals Saturday afternoon followed by the men's final, and women's final on Sunday.  Year 2 they did the reverse (women Friday-Saturday, men Saturday-Sunday).  If there was a year 3 I think they did both sets of semifinals on Friday and both finals on Saturday.

[Colby Hoops]

A more eventful second half than anticipated as the Mules hold on for a 72-61 win. Colby was ice cold -- shooting 6-35 from three for the game, with only 1 make in the second half.

Injuries continue to be the story though as Will King missed the second half. Hoping the Mules can get healthy quickly...

[lumbercat]

No question about the injuries Colby Hoops- it's getting like football.

Colby without Jefferson, the best shooter in the league.
Bobcats Omar Sarr and Kody Greenhalch, both starters, didn't play and Spellman is hampered pretty significantly. FY Iowowye stepped up for the Bobcats.

Coby needs Jefferson back to really contend. If he doesn't come back it's looking like midnight for Cinderella. Either way that team will battle like hell.

I'm gonna reserve comment again on Strahorn's sideline demeanor.

Bates has struggled but they could be a huge headache for someone at a low seed if they have Sarr back.