MBB: NESCAC

[fpc85]

RIC will be a great test for the Jeffs....They are tall across the front line and have a deep athletic backcourt and I am sure they will be primed to knock off the top rated team in the nation. Should be a playoff atomosphere tonight.

[fpc85]

AC-26
RIC-24

[eclinchy]

Babson's leading Tufts by 10 in the second half.  With eight minutes left, it's 67-57.

[eclinchy]

84-76 final from Babson.  Jumbos fall to 12-7 on the year.

[fpc85]

Amherst 62
RIC- 48

[Dr E. Spengler]

My thoughts on the Amherst season tonight would be best expressed with the lyrics to one of my favorite Irish pop groups of all time: The Cranberries.

I dont think its going
To happen anymore
You took my thoughts from me
Now I want nothing more
And did you think you
Could just take it all away
I dont think its happening
This is what I say

Leave me alone
Cause I found it all
Twenty one

So I dont think its going
To happen anymore
I dont think its going
To happen anymore

Twenty one

Today

Twenty one

[nescac1]

Looks like no one is going to challenge Amherst in the regular season this year other than the mysterious Tufts, who just doesn't appear to be that good except when they play the Jeffs. 

Tough loss for Williams, but if there is such thing as a good loss for a young team, this is it.  On the road against a very good squad, Ephs hung in the entire way. Rose, who was ice cold in the second half, nailed a 30 ft. 3 to send it OT, but the Ephs ran out of steam and Keene shot the lights out in OT.  Sounded like Geoghegan was very strong inside and the Ephs shot the ball fairly well, but they turned it over way too much (mostly via charging fouls and struggles against the press) and had trouble with Keene's quickness on both offense and defense.  The 3 frosh in the top 8 in the rotation continue to make big contributions, but with that much youth the team is bound to have some inconsistent performances.  Still, the Ephs seem to be playing at a much higher level than early in the season, and they should be ready for two wars with Bates and Tufts this weekend.   Tufts, while more talented overall, is probably a better match up for the Ephs as physical inside players like Stockwell give the Ephs fits. 

[frank uible]

It is hoped the Cranberries did not give up their day jobs.

[mrmike88]

Back from Providence...

Tim McLaughlin took a look at the carnage that was the first half, and it seemed as if he decided to put the Jeffs on his back at the end of the first.  I was sure it would be an up-tempo, open game with all the shooters on the floor for both teams, but the first half devolved into a defensive struggle in which both teams were ice cold from the floor.  McLaughlin buried two big threes to give Amherst the lead going into the half, and RIC had no answer to him in the second, either.

Some of the second half stats in this game are misleading.  Coach Walsh of RIC decided to go to a 4- or 5-guard offense when they fell behind, which only served to extend Amherst's lead thanks to all the rebounds/blocks.  Baskuaskas, who as the 3 was matched up all night to an RIC guard, took advantage of his height to bring down 11 rebounds to go with his 11 points.

Amherst played poorly for much of the game on offense tonight, but they got McLaughlin to step up when needed, took better care of the ball in the second, and played solid D.  They got a win over a good Rhode Island College team and didn't even play their A game.

[walzy31]

RIC has a lot of defensive speed and a few players that looked like they could shoot it. Credit both teams defenses for making the game close and exciting. Tim McLaughlin took over for career high 23. The RIC gym was capacity and had a great atmosphere for the game. They said it was the most fans they have had in 10 years, first time playing against a #1 ranked team, and "the biggest game in the school's history." I wouldn't go that far.
21-0

[MeOak21]

I wasn't at the RIC/Amherst game and I would like to get someone's POV on why the shooting percentages were so terrible last night. I know people have mentioned there was some good defense being played but these percentages are pretty awful.

RIC shot 28% for the game- 18% from 3pt range. (normally 42% and 34%)
Amherst shot 41% for the game- 26% from 3pt range (normally 52% and 42%)

Was the D really that good or were people just tanking decent shots?

[Friar T]

What is up with the Jumbos? It mystifies me that the same team that gave Amherst its toughest challenge of the season can lose to teams like Babson... What in God's name is their problem?

It seems that Tufts and Bates are trying to exclude themselves from NCAA play. Of course I don't mean this literally, but these recent losses are killing their chances and could really hurt the NESCAC's opportunity to get multiple bids...

The Jeffs roll. Didn't play their best game, still win by double-digits. T-Mac picks up the slack like a senior should. I'm glad that Amherst got their subpar effort out of the way at RIC, cause I'm not sure it will cut it at Trinity. I'm really hoping the Jeffs don't look past this weekend as both CC and Wes are capable of big efforts. I don't think they will, protecting the perfect season is definitely a high priority...

[whoarewebobcats]

if protecting the perfect season is as important to the team as it is to you, friar, they will surely lose. that kind of stuff shouldn't matter to a team as strong as amherst--they can set their sites on nescac and national titles and not worry about statistical stuff like that. the hype, even at a d3 level, would bury them in the tourney.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

It's better to step up against the good teams like Tufts than to flop like Bates did that weekend.

[The Historian]

At the game last night, but I'm not sure I have a great answer for why the shooting was off.  It seemingly just was.  Yes, the defense on both sides was solid, but both teams got open looks.  Shots were just clanging off the rim and off the boards.  Maybe there was something to the gym lighting.  It didn't seem particularly strange to me, but I haven't heard anything from the players.

Other quick thoughts from the game.

Best shot of the game - Mike Salerno, seemingly fooled into shooting early by the RIC fans' fake shot-clock countdown, draining an absolutely beautiful deep turn-around three late in the second half.

Best unintended compliment - RIC fans taunting Kevin Hopkins by chanting "Rik Smits" throughout the game.  Yeah, I'll take the comparison to a former NBA All-Star.

Best display of geographic ignorance - RIC fan yelling, immediately following the "Rik Smits" chant, "Go back to Germany."  Dunking Dutchman, RIC.  Dunking DUTCHman.

Best out-of-context line of the night - "Will you stuff this into my hood?"  Ask Walzy about it.

Best publicity for this forum that no one probably saw - Karl Lindholm's article in the Addison Independent: http://www.addisonindependent.com/?q=node/15   Yo, Karl, even though I'm just an Amherst "yahoo," I can say that I would be a little embarrassed to have my prof bragging about his blogging in the local paper and participating in juvenile name-calling.  Also, just for the record, mrmike is an Amherst partisan, not a Williams one.  Hope you demand more accuracy from your students in their research...

Best hairdo - Pierlioni's mohawk.

Best stat line that never happened - Jordan, for RIC: 22-29 (FG) 3-4 (3PT) 11-12 (FT) 58(Pts) 14 (Rebs - 5O/9D) 7 (As) 1(TO) 12 (Steals) 5 (Blks) in 33 Minutes.