MBB: NESCAC

[deiscanton]

Big day for the league so far, Middlebury and Tufts take care of business against two good teams and Hamilton and Colby pull off some quasi-upsets at home. Trinity struggled to make shots @ Wheaton but hung on for the win. A good showing for depth in the league that has not really showed its mettle yet.

NESCAC is now leading the 2022 UAA/NESCAC Challenge, 2-0.  Seems like, according to NSN, the NSN broadcasters did not really care about the Bates men's basketball games at the Colby pod in the UAA/NESCAC Challenge as no arrangements were made to video stream them this weekend.  I wouldn'tll really mind about NSN being NESCAC cheerleaders if they streamed all 4 men's bsketball games in Waterville, Maine this weekend and not just the ones involving Colby.

The Univ. of Rochester's coverage is doing much better at pointing out the fact that this is the first year of the UAA/NESCAC Men's Basketball Challenge, with all 4 teams participating in the Rochester pod meeting with local kids in the Rochester area between the 2 games today at the Louis Alexander Palestra.

Meanwhile, NSN may point out the fact that Emory and Brandeis are UAA teams, but their coverage doesn't seem to care all that much about the Challenge, or about the fact that Colby came into today already having a win over a UAA team earlier this season. (A win at UChicago, BTW.) NSN is more interested in what happened in the Bowdoin/Colby women's basketball game earlier today as well as the local NESCAC hockey games than in covering a men's basketball challenge involving teams other than Colby.

[deiscanton]

It looks like Ryan Algier and the University of Rochester Yellowjackets are going to get the UAA on the board with the UAA's first win of the Challenge.

Rochester is leading over Bowdoin, 65-45, with 9:57 left.

If that result holds, NESCAC would have a 2-1 lead over the UAA in this weekend's Men's Basketball Challenge, with Emory playing Bates to finish today's games.

Emory vs Bates is on live stats only, as NSN is not videostreaming the neutral games from the Colby pod in Waterville, Maine this weekend.

[deiscanton]

Rochester defeated Bowdoin, 83-67, and Emory defeated Bates, 86-52, today to tie the UAA/NESCAC Challenge up at 2 wins a piece heading into Sunday's action.

The showcase games of the UAA/NESCAC Challenge tomorrow will be the noon game in Waterville, Maine, between Emory and Colby, and the 2 PM game with Middlebury playing at Rochester.

Other games in the Challenge tomorrow will have Bowdoin playing Carnegie Mellon in the Rochester pod at noon, and Brandeis playing Bates in the Colby pod at 2 PM.

Each conference will need to win 2 of the remaining 4 games to have the inaugural UAA/NESCAC Challenge end in a draw, and 3 of the remaining 4 games to win the Challenge outright.

[nescac1]

Great win for the Ephs, finish up 14 but the differential was much higher than that before Wesleyan closed the gap a bit in the last three minutes.  Ephs received very strong contributions from all five starters, all of whom played strong two-way games.  Declan Porter continues his excellent play with 16 points including 4-9 from 3.  Even though Declan has been a lot more aggressive this year, he only has, incredibly, TWO turnovers on the entire season. He was a very efficient player last year and is now truly elite in terms of his efficiency.  Prowitt-Smith had a great two way game with his usual timely driving buckets, great boards, and excellent defense on Nicky Johnson.  He's giving the team exactly what it needs this year.  Spivy and Karren were their usual solid selves on both ends of the floor, working really well together. 

Wesleyan got a great game from Langs and solid games from Maccoux and Nicky Johnson but as their record reflects they just aren't the same as last year.  They really miss Peek's and Walker's offensive creativity and Jordan James' nasty rim protection.  Now Johnson just has to do way too much on his own with the ball (and his teammates did not help him out today, missing some open threes that would have been assists).  Still, I'd say they are better than their record now that they are fully healthy and I think they will win their share of games in NESCAC play, even if not a NESCAC title contender this year.  Certainly still a talented team. 

The Ephs' offense still has room to grow, but what a defensive juggernaut they have been the last three games against solid teams -- averaging giving up under 50 ppg over the past three!  The Ephs basically played only an eight man rotation today, and all eight guys are at least 6'4, with six being 6'6 or taller, and all are reasonably athletic, strong, and smart (mostly veteran) players.  Just very, very hard to get a clean look at the basket against the Ephs when settled into their half court defense. 

[SpringSt7]

Williams opens up its Little Three campaign with a W and improves to 7-0 on the season. The final was 72-58 but it was contested at a 20-25 point margin for much of the last 12 minutes before a spirited late push and fullcourt press from Wesleyan---always fun to get the full Joe Reilly experience (I kid!).

The Ephs are starting to really come together offensively---Nate Karren (17) and Declan Porter (16) continue to pace the team in scoring but they got 14 points from Spencer Spivy and 11 from Cole Prowitt-Smith. Prowitt-Smith in particular has really upped his play lately, the stats might not show it but he is really developing into a much more steady hand at the point guard position, transforming from his younger self that was always playing at 100 mph and playing a much more under control style of basketball and picking his spots. He is so athletic and so skilled that he can play at a slower and less aggressive speed but still score at a high clip. He is now shooting the ball at a 48/42/73 clip while upping his rebounding and assist numbers to career highs as well. When they get this type of play from CPS and Spivy they look really, really good.

Lastly, Brandon Roughley returned to the starting lineup in his third game back from injury. He is clearly still shaking off some rust with 9 points on 3-8 shooting but his terrific post footwork is clearly still there and his interior finishes will start to drop. It's really exciting how seamlessly he has been reintegrated into the rotation from a shots perspective---they play so unselfishly and there are really no guys out there just looking to get theirs. The product of great team chemistry and rotation continuity, they are starting to play really really well.

[Old Guy]

Rochester defeated Bowdoin, 83-67, and Emory defeated Bates, 86-52, today to tie the UAA/NESCAC Challenge up at 2 wins a piece heading into Sunday's action.

The showcase games of the UAA/NESCAC Challenge tomorrow will be the noon game in Waterville, Maine, between Emory and Colby, and the 2 PM game with Middlebury playing at Rochester.

Other games in the Challenge tomorrow will have Bowdoin playing Carnegie Mellon in the Rochester pod at noon, and Brandeis playing Bates in the Colby pod at 2 PM.

Each conference will need to win 2 of the remaining 4 games to have the inaugural UAA/NESCAC Challenge end in a draw, and 3 of the remaining 4 games to win the Challenge outright.

Not sure I understand the cosmic importance of the UAA-NESCAC challenge, though I like the fact that teams from the two conferences are playing each other in this way. Four teams from each league are competing — 11 teams are not involved. Natural rivals: it's good, it's good, but ultimately doesn't prove either league's competitive superiority.

The Middlebury-Carnegie Mellon game (74-68) was very good, tight: one point differential at the half (33-32 CMU), 54-54 with six and a half minutes left,. Two good teams. Sobel was big against two quality big men: Holmes (6'7" 20 points) and Sax '6'8" 14 pts). Sobel had 19 points, 17 rebounds, 7 blocks. Terrific. Stevens had 13 points at the line (13-15), many in the crucial last three minutes, to lead all scorers with 22.

The key to the win may have been first year guard Evan Flaks, who had 10 points in 24 minutes and was very sure-handed with the game on the line. He's fun, 5'9", quick, poised against pressure. Midd again had a significant rebounding edge 47-37 and their 13 offensive rebounds resulted in 14 second chance points. Goldman and Zodda, two of Midd's first players off the bench, were not available (don't know why). This resulted in some interesting combinations for the Panthers, especially in the first half as Brennan and Sobel both had 2 fouls. Middlebury shot more than twice as many free throws (35-16), but that's misleading because of the strategic end of the game fouling by CMU.

The Rochester gym may be a shrine, but the absence of any room out of bounds on the base line (literally
3-4') is (A) dangerous and (B) affects the game. In the closing minute or two, Midd attempted an out of bounds pass from one player to another against pressure, and the CMU defender reached in and tapped the pass resulting in a technical foul. In a normal gym, the Midd players would have been farther away from the baseline and the temptation to intercept would likely have been absent. 

Watched a little of the Rochester-Bowdoin game. Host Rochester (#10 nationally) certainly looked good. Should be a fun game.

[ronk]

Rochester defeated Bowdoin, 83-67, and Emory defeated Bates, 86-52, today to tie the UAA/NESCAC Challenge up at 2 wins a piece heading into Sunday's action.

The showcase games of the UAA/NESCAC Challenge tomorrow will be the noon game in Waterville, Maine, between Emory and Colby, and the 2 PM game with Middlebury playing at Rochester.

Other games in the Challenge tomorrow will have Bowdoin playing Carnegie Mellon in the Rochester pod at noon, and Brandeis playing Bates in the Colby pod at 2 PM.

Each conference will need to win 2 of the remaining 4 games to have the inaugural UAA/NESCAC Challenge end in a draw, and 3 of the remaining 4 games to win the Challenge outright.

Not sure I understand the cosmic importance of the UAA-NESCAC challenge, though I like the fact that teams from the two conferences are playing each other in this way. Four teams from each league are competing — 11 teams are not involved. Natural rivals: it's good, it's good, but ultimately doesn't prove either league's competitive superiority.

The Middlebury-Carnegie Mellon game (74-68) was very good, tight: one point differential at the half (33-32 CMU), 54-54 with six and a half minutes left,. Two good teams. Sobel was big against two quality big men: Holmes (6'7" 20 points) and Sax '6'8" 14 pts). Sobel had 19 points, 17 rebounds, 7 blocks. Terrific. Stevens had 13 points at the line (13-15), many in the crucial last three minutes, to lead all scorers with 22.

The key to the win may have been first year guard Evan Flaks, who had 10 points in 24 minutes and was very sure-handed with the game on the line. He's fun, 5'9", quick, poised against pressure. Midd again had a significant rebounding edge 47-37 and their 13 offensive rebounds resulted in 14 second chance points. Goldman and Zodda, two of Midd's first players off the bench, were not available (don't know why). This resulted in some interesting combinations for the Panthers, especially in the first half as Brennan and Sobel both had 2 fouls. Middlebury shot more than twice as many free throws (35-16), but that's misleading because of the strategic end of the game fouling by CMU.

The Rochester gym may be a shrine, but the absence of any room out of bounds on the base line (literally
3-4') is (A) dangerous and (B) affects the game. In the closing minute or two, Midd attempted an out of bounds pass from one player to another against pressure, and the CMU defender reached in and tapped the pass resulting in a technical foul. In a normal gym, the Midd players would have been farther away from the baseline and the temptation to intercept would likely have been absent. 

Watched a little of the Rochester-Bowdoin game. Host Rochester (#10 nationally) certainly looked good. Should be a fun game.

My impression, strictly from viewing via videostreams over the years, is that it resembles playing in an empty swimming pool.

[nescac1]

I've not seen the Rochester gym but it can't possibly be any tighter than the Bates gym, can it? 

[deiscanton]

I've not seen the Rochester gym but it can't possibly be any tighter than the Bates gym, can it?

The Louis Alexander Palestra (in the UAA, it is sometimes just called "the Palestra"-- not to be confused with the larger Ivy League version in Philadelphia) is very similar to Alumni Gym at Bates in that the fans are very close to the action.  At Alumni Gym, it can be said that the fans are on top of the action due to the closeness of the bleachers to the court.  At Rochester's Palestra, the fans are literally on top of the action-- watching the action at Rochester, you feel like you are watching basketball played in a natatorium style atmosphere.

Alumni Gym at Bates opened up in 1928; it is 2 years older than Rochester's Palestra, which opened in 1930.  In a way, I feel that Alumni Gym is a miniature version of the Palestra in Philadelphia in that the bleachers are set up next to the basketball court surface, similar to the setup of the Ivy League version in Philadelphia, and not above the court like the stands are set up at the U. of Rochester.

Both facilities (Bates and Rochester) are worth at least attending a game in person at least once in your life if you have the time and the money to do so. 

[Old Guy]

I've not seen the Rochester gym but it can't possibly be any tighter than the Bates gym, can it?

MUCH tighter on the endlines. Bates gym (I grew up in that gym — my dad worked at Bates, I went to Lewiston High) has ample space at either end. Now, the sidelines at Bates . . . very intimate! Great place to watch a game!

[deiscanton]

I've not seen the Rochester gym but it can't possibly be any tighter than the Bates gym, can it?

MUCH tighter on the endlines. Bates gym (I grew up in that gym — my dad worked at Bates, I went to Lewiston High) has ample space at either end. Now, the sidelines at Bates . . . very intimate! Great place to watch a game!

The tight space on the endlines at the Louis Alexander Palestra are very similar to the tight space of the endlines of the old Marian Hall Gym at Emmanuel College in Boston when Emmanuel was an all women's school before 2001.  There is a reason why the end walls at Rochester's Palestra are padded and need the padding.  It was very similar in Emmanuel's old basketball gym-- except that Rochester's court is regulation size and can host NCAA playoff games, while Marian Hall at Emmanuel was too small for NCAA tournament play.

[Old Guy]

I've not seen the Rochester gym but it can't possibly be any tighter than the Bates gym, can it?

MUCH tighter on the endlines. Bates gym (I grew up in that gym — my dad worked at Bates, I went to Lewiston High) has ample space at either end. Now, the sidelines at Bates . . . very intimate! Great place to watch a game!

The tight space on the endlines at the Louis Alexander Palestra are very similar to the tight space of the endlines of the old Marian Hall Gym at Emmanuel College in Boston when Emmanuel was an all women's school before 2001.  There is a reason why the end walls at Rochester's Palestra are padded and need the padding.  It was very similar in Emmanuel's old basketball gym-- except that Rochester's court is regulation size and can host NCAA playoff games, while Marian Hall at Emmanuel was too small for NCAA tournament play.

3-4" inches of padding against a cement/cinderblock wall offers little enough protection for a player who is undercut and loses their balance on a driving layup. If I were the NCAA I'd be reluctant to schedule tournament games there. I did some reffing and would not like to be the ref on the baseline there with big bodies being hurled in my direction. I'll stop now.

[P'bearfan]

I've not seen the Rochester gym but it can't possibly be any tighter than the Bates gym, can it?

MUCH tighter on the endlines. Bates gym (I grew up in that gym — my dad worked at Bates, I went to Lewiston High) has ample space at either end. Now, the sidelines at Bates . . . very intimate! Great place to watch a game!

Old Guy, what a great description!  The other thing that makes playing at Alumni Gym such a challenge is that the students pack the place - they're passionate, vocal, and they know good basketball.

[names jaismith]

 I coached against UR (and others) in both the renovated and pre-renovation Palestra. Also been in there as a spectator a couple dozen other times at least. True, the renovation was required to host NCAA games.  Untrue that the space is dangerous for anyone or gives anyone an advantage at all.  I never saw a single player get hurt or even close to getting hurt because of the way the court is situated.  It's one of the coolest college basketball facilities anywhere in the country - a great experience for p[layers and fans.

[Colby Hoops]

Emory vs Bates is on live stats only, as NSN is not videostreaming the neutral games from the Colby pod in Waterville, Maine this weekend.

Found this frustrating as well. If you're hosting, then video should be available for all games. Happened for Colby when they played at U Chicago earlier this year -- the game against Colorado College wasn't streamed.