MBB: NESCAC

Colby Hoops · March 01, 2020, 09:54:33 PM

Seems like it will be close. Amherst does have wins over 3 of the top 4 regionally ranked teams in the Northeast (Springfield, Middlebury, Tufts). That stands out from others in the conversation, but Amherst also has fewer wins. Might be that pesky loss to Westfield St. that keeps them out -- one more win would've been huge.

SpringSt7 · March 01, 2020, 09:59:43 PM

Quote from: Colby Hoops on March 01, 2020, 09:54:33 PM
Seems like it will be close. Amherst does have wins over 3 of the top 4 regionally ranked teams in the Northeast (Springfield, Middlebury, Tufts). That stands out from others in the conversation, but Amherst also has fewer wins. Might be that pesky loss to Westfield St. that keeps them out -- one more win would've been huge.

While not ideal, Westfield St. went 20-7 and won the MASCAC. It appears the wins over Lasell, Elmira, and Pine Manor are what's hurting them. Better years from Williams and Wesleyan probably would have gone a long way too.

lumbercat · March 01, 2020, 11:08:08 PM

Quote from: JEFFFAN on March 01, 2020, 06:40:41 PM

I had no horse in today's race but what a great D3 game it was to watch. I think that Tufts sort of wore Colby down, especially with Jefferson not at full speed, but what a gutsy team Colby is. They were/are a real joy to watch - well coached, play hard, all that you want out of a team. The Tufts three to send it into OT was beyond Steph Curry range and might've been too much of a dagger in the heart of Colby, although I also felt that the foul called on the Tufts player before that was a downright bad call. Should have been a jump ball.

Regardless ... lots of fun to watch.

Jeffan-

Agree totally- really great game. Very similar to the Colby-Bates game. Against Bates, Colby hit 2 last second threes to save the day and force 2 OTs ..... very similar to the long one Tufts hit today to take the game to overtime. The difference being the Colby threes at Bates were contested, not open looks. One of the Colby threes that forced the second OT was a 30 foot bomb, about the same as the Tufts shot today at the end of regulation.

Don't count out this Colby team in the Dance, they shoot like crazy.

However, couldn't understand why Tufts with a 12 point half time lead stopped going inside and decided to fire threes in the second half.....why would you do that when you dominated an underdersized Colby team in paint in the first half? Was there any indication that Colby could stop either of the Tufts bigs in the paint?

Rooting for all the NESCAC teams in the NCAAs. Colby is a headache for anyone they way the fire those 3's.

Pat Coleman · March 01, 2020, 11:32:06 PM

Here's our projected bracket:
https://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/men/2020/projected-mens-bracket

old_hooper · March 01, 2020, 11:57:17 PM

It was because of the 2 3 zone. The Mules did that to minimize the entry pass to the bigs. It worked and Tufts struggled with shooting from the outside. Congratulations to Coach Sheldon and Tufts team for prevailing. Hard to believe it is their first.

Comments on Amherst, I've been following since 2002. This team probably had the most talent coming back since 2006-07 team that won the 1st National title. They were a legit top 5 team going into the season and ended the season not ranked. This team failed to be consistent and only one player elevated his game from last year. They lost games they should have won. Not making it in to post season is the result of that. Players and coaching staff will have to take a hard look at why.

nescac1 · March 02, 2020, 12:47:49 AM

This Amherst team did not have close to as much talent as the loaded 2013 title team (Toomey, Workman, Williamson, Kaasila, Green, Killian, etc.). To name one of a few I'd put over this one. Not even in the same universe. Also, when your two best players miss significant time (and in one case was seriously compromised) by injury, that matters. Is anyone other than a healthy Grant Robinson remotely close to an all-American level player? Day and Che are very good players, but neither is a superstar-level talent. Sellew may have gotten there but was pretty banged up his last few seasons. And Amherst has I'd guess less underclass talent than 4-5 teams in the league. The 2013 team had 4 truly elite guys, including a National POY. Come on!

JEFFFAN · March 02, 2020, 08:10:54 AM

I agree completely with NESCAC1. If this team was so talented, it would've been able to withstand the injury to Robinson more effectively. Robinson's quickness over his first two seasons created a lot of space for the other players; without that space, this team was unable to adjust very effectively. Agree, as well, about the underclassmen especially on the inside. Departure of Sellew is going to leave this team with a huge gap inside. Watching the Tufts big men yesterday reaffirmed my concerns about the interior game for the Jeffs going forward. Coming full circle ... not remotely as talented as a number of those earlier squads. Not in the same class.

maineman · March 02, 2020, 01:12:28 PM

At the end of the broadcast, Dave McHugh talked about one at large and one snub that people would be "talking about." He didn't divulge the two teams. I wonder who he thinks they are?

jumpshot · March 02, 2020, 01:18:24 PM

The mammoth's longstanding practice of scheduling countless scrimmages obviously worked against them in the NCAA Committee's awarding of Pool C bids, especially in national comparisons against teams with much more competitive schedules.

Really an intriguing Division III tournament this year ...

Colby Hoops · March 02, 2020, 01:19:33 PM

Quote from: maineman on March 02, 2020, 01:12:28 PM
At the end of the broadcast, Dave McHugh talked about one at large and one snub that people would be "talking about." He didn't divulge the two teams. I wonder who he thinks they are?

Virginia Wesleyan is the biggest snub based on projections.

No Amherst, and Tufts the only Nescac team hosting, which is a slight surprise. At first glance, it looks like the Mules have some tough sledding in a first round matchup against Christopher Newport. CNU knocked off both Hamilton and Williams in the tournament last year.

middhoops · March 02, 2020, 01:35:39 PM

Middlebury travels to Brockport to play Westfield St.

grabtherim · March 02, 2020, 02:15:29 PM

Can anyone remember the last time Williams and Amherst were out in the same year?

WPI89 · March 02, 2020, 02:23:42 PM

Peach baskets?

SpringSt7 · March 02, 2020, 02:23:53 PM

This is the first time since they were eligible for postseason play that there is no Amherst and no Williams.

The committee really did the NESCAC and the Northeast no favors. With that being said, Tufts has a pretty favorable draw.

NEhoops · March 02, 2020, 02:26:28 PM

A few predictions below to get the conversation started. Any insight on the style of play for any of the out of region teams would be enlightening.

Predictions:
RPI over New England College (at Tufts)
Springfield over SUNY-Canton (at Springfield): SUNY-Canton upset Maine-Farmington (22-5/13-1) in the NAC final. Not a great SOS for Maine-Farmington, but they were the clear favorite heading into the tournament and an automatic bid for them would have been another feather in the cap for New England
Brockport over Coast Guard (at Brockport)
Middlebury over Westfield (at Brockport)
Tufts over Western CT (at Tufts)

Too close to call:
Colby vs Christopher Newport (at Stevens)
Babson vs Ithaca (at Swarthmore)
WPI vs Yeshiva (at John Hopkins)
Hobart vs St Joseph CT (at Springfield)

Upset special:
Nichols over Stevens (at Stevens)