MBB: NESCAC

[jumbomumbo]

Supposedly the hotel where the UAA teams are playing got evacuated at 3:15-3:45 am last night. Mumbo's models just skewed even further to the winner of Trin / Wes winning the natty. Bring it home boys!!!

[Bucket]

Supposedly the hotel where the UAA teams are playing got evacuated at 3:15-3:45 am last night. Mumbo's models just skewed even further to the winner of Trin / Wes winning the natty. Bring it home boys!!!

NESCAC tomfoolery!

[jumbomumbo]

How about Trinity man... loses BCG, the biggest piece to last years team, and they beat Wesleyan for the 2nd time this year - the only team to beat them all year... to advance to the national championship game.

They don't just own Tufts; they own the NESCAC. Goodluck to Trin tomorrow against whoever they play... but tufts is gonna beat yall next year

[jumbomumbo]

Yall are casuals man a NESCAC team just made the natty chip and no chatter... prob too busy sweating out Omaha +18 against St John's... smh

[SpringSt7]

Is the consensus among players/coaches that Callahan-Gold was the biggest piece to last year's team? Because to my untrained eye it seems very clear that most of their success over the last two years can/should be attributed to Henry Vetter

[D3BBALL]

I think from far away the perception was BCG was the biggest piece, but last year it was Smith and this year it has been Lazarre. Both do it on both ends and both are clutch.

In the end, both years they just have so much talent 1-10, players play to their roles. During games roles players step up.

[nescac1]

I think Vetter has been (narrowly) the best overall player on Trinity during this run but what makes them so great is their balance and depth -- Vetter, Callahan-Gold, Dana Smith, Okorougo, and Lazarre are all all-league caliber players.  Dorion is a VERY high end role player who would score a lot more in other situations.  Jared Berry was clearly the best bench player in the league and would start for virtually everyone else - he could be an all-league player an an upperclassman.  And then there are all the grit-and-grind dudes like McDonald and Davis and Macarchuk who are exceptional glue guys. 

As SpringSt7 said previously, this Trinity team is already (whatever happens tomorrow) on the short list of the best two-year NESCAC runs ever with 03-04 Williams (probably will never be topped with a first and second place finish nationally, two NESCAC titles, and a 61-3 overall record), 07-08 Amherst, 10-11 Williams, and 13-14 Amherst.  With so much coming back, they will certainly have a great shot at the best three year run in NESCAC history, which belongs right now to 2006-2008 Amherst - which made the Final Four, won a title, and finished second in three years, winning one NESCAC title, and going 85-10 overall. A close runner-up I'd say would be 02-04 Williams, which had a pretty early NCAA exit in 2002, but followed that up with the ridiculous two-year run. 

If Trinity wins a title this weekend, they would, insanely, actually be ahead of that impressive Amherst pace - 60-5, two NESCAC titles, and a national championship and final four over two years, and no matter what happens tomorrow, I strongly suspect they start next season number one with so much coming back and Berry ready to step right in for Dorion, who is their biggest projected loss.

Turning to tomorrow, Williams has played both Trinity and NYU so I have a decent sense of both teams.  But, Trinity probably played it's worst game of the season in its loss to Williams and has been getting better and better over the course of the season.  Nevertheless, I give NYU the slightest of edges overall, I thought they were the most talented team I saw all year and as good as their offense is, their defense is underrated.  Both teams are loaded with so much depth and talent at guard and on the wing.  Susko/Freeney/Sanders/Stone/Oyigbo/Moussako vs. Vetter/Okorogo/Dorian/Lazarre/Ayers/Berry/Jordan feels like close to a draw in terms of talent and experience, with a slight edge to Trinity since Vetter is better able to take over a game against tough defense than any one single guy on NYU.  But Trinity has a bigger edge on the interior, Tristan How will be a tough match-up even for great collective defense like Trinity and Onuama is also a defensive physical presence who gives some interior depth. 

Trinity hasn't really had to play anyone with the interior strength of NYU through the entire tournament - although then again Tufts has elite interior play and clearly hasn't given Trinity any issues.  Still, if you are going to beat Trinity, having some real force in the paint will help.  On the other hand, NYU hasn't played anyone who defends at the level Trinity does (no one does, so that's no knock!). I think it's going to be an absolute barn-burner between very clearly the two best teams nationally right now. 

I'm rooting for Trinity not just because they are a NESCAC team and have done the conference proud over the past two years but also because they have build a team organically with a group of players that have grown together over the past 3-4 seasons, as opposed to an all-star team primarily comprised of super-talented grad transfers. Nevertheless, my pick is NYU 72-Trinity 71. 

[jumbomumbo]

Is the consensus among players/coaches that Callahan-Gold was the biggest piece to last year's team? Because to my untrained eye it seems very clear that most of their success over the last two years can/should be attributed to Henry Vetter

I can tell you that from within the Locker room there's obviously multiple pieces to key in on but last year it was ensuring that it was tough looks for BCG, and then go from there. Clearly didn't work out for us, but his is what what thought our best chance of a win was. By the sweet 16 game, we keyed in more on Vetter. Both years, there's just so much to keep track of and you can't have any defensive liabilities if you want to beat Trinity.

[SpringSt7]

They obviously have a bunch of great pieces but to me the last two years have been defined by finally having a coherent offensive gameplan and vision, and the players that can execute them. The 10 man rotation is really nice but they have had Drew Lazarres and Dana Smiths and Jarrel Okorougos before - this is maybe unfair to them but Porydzy, Donovan, Donald Jorden, etc, all very good players that have similar traits. Ajayi and Ogundeko before that were more offensively skilled versions of their front court players too. They've never had a Vetter before, with his skillset but more importantly his demeanor and attitude and leadership as a backcourt player.

[SpringSt7]

By the way, and I know they did this the last few years, but the Thursday/Saturday set up is so much better for this weekend. Makes tomorrow feel way bigger and more important

[nescac1]

Another difference for Trinity is simply that all their important players have stuck around and been healthy.  Cosgrove has always brought in a bunch of tough, athletic players, and some years had pretty good success, but it seemed like every year 1-2 guys were missing from the returning roster. As recently as a few years ago impactful guys like Gilbert Otoo and Kualim Johnson didn't stick around. But starting with the Vetter class that hasn't been an issue. And in this two year run they've had virtually no games missed to injury as well. 

[Greek Tragedy]

It will be interesting if Zay Freeney plays tomorrow. If you didn't hear or see it apparently he hit a Wash U player in the groin and it was pretty obvious and intentional. He was called for a flagrant 2 after a review and was ejected from the game. I don't know the rules, but I'm curious if the NCAA could suspend him for the championship game as well. Also, if the coach feels it was intentional maybe he could suspend Freeney himself.

[Greek Tragedy]

By the way, and I know they did this the last few years, but the Thursday/Saturday set up is so much better for this weekend. Makes tomorrow feel way bigger and more important

As a fan who travels, I absolutely hate the Thursday/Saturday schedule.  It's an extra day vacation and at least an extra night in a hotel along with the cost of food. I actually went to last night's games, and came home today. It was only a five and a half hour drive, so it wasn't that bad. But I don't want to sit around for another day and a half and wait for Saturday's championship game. I'm curious how the players feel. They played last night and I would think some of them would want to play the following day as they still have all the adrenaline from the previous night. Do the players really want to wait another day and a half before playing? It was obviously a lot easier to leave and not stay for the championship game since my team isn't in it. However if they were, I would want them to play right away.

I believe next year's schedule is the same, Thursday and Saturday games, but at least we're getting four games on Thursday and two games on Saturday.

[D3BBALL]

It will be interesting if Zay Freeney plays tomorrow. If you didn't hear or see it apparently he hit a Wash U player in the groin and it was pretty obvious and intentional. He was called for a flagrant 2 after a review and was ejected from the game. I don't know the rules, but I'm curious if the NCAA could suspend him for the championship game as well. Also, if the coach feels it was intentional maybe he could suspend Freeney himself.

Don't know if correct, but I was told he is only out for the last game. It's reviewable to change but doubt they are going to do that.

[toad22]

It will be interesting if Zay Freeney plays tomorrow. If you didn't hear or see it apparently he hit a Wash U player in the groin and it was pretty obvious and intentional. He was called for a flagrant 2 after a review and was ejected from the game. I don't know the rules, but I'm curious if the NCAA could suspend him for the championship game as well. Also, if the coach feels it was intentional maybe he could suspend Freeney himself.

I watched that play and I certainly did not think it was intentional. The call was that the refs weren't certain that it was unintentional so it was an automatic ejection. It really wasn't that egregious. It was a foul though. I would have called it a common foul.