MBB: NESCAC

[La Verdad]

Remember the time when one of the Amherst haters posted on how Olson wouldn't be able to rack up huge assist numbers against decent opponents?  I don't have the patience to read 100 pages looking for what was said or who said it, I just wanted to point out that in the first two tourney games Andrew has 12 and 13 assists and has totally dominated both games.

[met_fan]

RIC hung around tonight and was within six with around two minutes to go.......and then missed four layups in a row after effective pressure defense kept giving them the ball.  Amherst was still the superior team, but RIC certainly had their chances in this one.

[JeffRookie2]

RIC played their hearts out tonight. Great defense, especially at the end coming up with some big steals. Can't really say enough about how hard they played.

[senatorfrost]

 Yes I thought RIC played very hard. I thought they got a little pushy at times but the refs may have missed a call or two. Hopkins got flattened. I didn't see the play but was told an RIC player just bowled him over from behind. The all tourney team was predictable. I disagree with the all tourney team but I don't matter.
  Plays I will remember-Wheeler's very clever block on what looked to be an easy lay up in the RIC game. Salerno's two great shots. 1.The jumper he hit while on the move.
2.Getting the shot off in time as clock was winding down and hitting the rim. (followed by a bad whistle I think and Amherst ball)
   
What I will remember most=He played very good defense both games. He tried his best to create when things seemed stagnant in the second game. He was high assist man when the going really got tough. He had eight rebounds when the going got tough. Therefore I have given him the Senator Frost award for MVP of the two day tourney. The Senator Frost award takes in all aspects of the game and therefore is usually not in line with the awards that are announced and/or published.
Congratulations Tim McLaughlin

[met_fan]

Yeah - Amherst caught a break on the Salerno shot with the shot clock running down.  RIC would have had the the rebound, but the inadvertent whistle prompted a jump ball, giving possession to Amherst.  Stating the obvious, Amherst is a vastly different team when Olsen is not on the floor.

[WooMix]

Congrats to Amherst for winning their game yesterday and a very successful season thus far.  I can't wait for our meeting on Friday.

[ephoops]

Congratulations to Amherst and Hixon on reaching the Final Four yet again.

Could this be the year that Hixon and Amherst finally break through in Salem.  The third time was the "charm" for Williams....

In a bit of irony, the Ephs breakthrough game came against Wooster as well in 2003...

I don't agree with Nescac1 that it's anyone's tournament.  While Virginia Wesleyan has an advantage playing in Salem, their "home away from home"  , Amherst is the best team in the Final Four.

Given Amherst's size, depth and experience, they have to be considered the favorite over Wooster.  I'll also defer to Fornerbant10's scouting report on the Scots.  Similarly, in a finals match up with VWU, Amherst's front line matches up well with Adair and Olsen is a better player that Balenga.  Same goes for a finals match up vs Wash U. 

It's Amherst tournament to lose....

[wooscotsfan]

Given Amherst's size, depth and experience, they have to be considered the favorite over Wooster.  I'll also defer to Fornerbant10's scouting report on the Scots.  Similarly, in a finals match up with VWU, Amherst's front line matches up well with Adair and Olsen is a better player that Balenga.  Same goes for a finals match up vs Wash U. 

It's Amherst tournament to lose....

Wooster may have something to say about the Final Four title.

Wooster is quite deep with 8 very solid players logging most of the minutes and they have plenty of NCAA tournament experience (4 years in a row for this squad's seniors).  Wooster has also played and beat plenty of tall teams with 6'9 guys in the post this year so I don't think Amherst's size will be a large factor.

Wooster has 4 guys that average double figures and their 5th player is at 9.5 points/game and shoots 49% from the three point arc (Devin Fulk off the bench).

Wooster's top 4 players are all capable of breaking you down to get a shot.

#22 James Cooper - very quick guard, deadly shooter, top scorer at 18.6 ppg
Scored 34 points vs. Brockport State in Sectional Final, very difficult to defend

#33 Tom Port - athletic 6'5" wing, #2 scorer at 16.3 ppg
Will shoot the three pointer and post up, #2 rebounder, NCAC Player of the Year
Shoots over guards and drives by taller players, very tough to defend

#34 Tim Vandervaart - 6'6" post, #3 scorer at 13.7 ppg, #1 rebounder
Quick big man, scores well against taller defenders, cast is on non-shooting hand and is not a factor.  Vandervaart scored 17 points vs. Brockport last night.

#10 Brandon Johnson - quick 6'2 point guard, #4 scorer at 11.1 ppg
2 to 1 Assists/Turnover ratio, 2 steals/game, penetrates well, strong defender

On paper, Amherst and Wooster seem to have a number of similarities.  Both are good shooting teams, hit three pointers, pass the ball well and have strong rebounding.  The Brandon Johnson vs. Andrew Olson matchup should be one of the big keys in this game.

It should be a great game on Friday night!

[formerbant10]

#34 Tim Vandervaart - 6'6" post, #3 scorer at 13.7 ppg, #1 rebounder
Quick big man, scores well against taller defenders, cast is on non-shooting hand and is not a factor.  Vandervaart scored 17 points vs. Brockport last night.

Cast will absolutely be a factor as the Amherst players will most likely be smart enough to take away his right hand and force him to shoot with his left.  I'm still confused as to why the JCU post players didn't try to take away his good hand.  To his credit though, Vandervaart played a heckuva game for having a cast.

[JeffRookie2]

Is anyone else annoyed with the fact that the semifinal game is on friday? How are students from far away schools supposed to get down there when they have class the same day? I have three papers due on Friday, I have to go to my classes, so now I cant see the semifinal live. I dont see why the NCAA wouldnt play the games Saturday/Sunday.

[La Verdad]

Thanks for the cliche. When I need cliches -- which is never -- I'll let you know. Wisconsin whitewashed was our hed and that is far better than your tired old chestnut.

"Woo, what a night!" "Outwit, outlast, outscore" ....hmmmm

I also appreciate the backhanded compliment referring to Amherst's previous trips to Salem.

Best chant from last night's game...PAT COLEMAN SUCKS, PAT COLEMAN SUCKS, PAT COLEMAN SUCKS. 

[VigoTheCarpathian]

La...lets give credit where credit is due!  Give Pat Coleman some ducking respect!  The man has been pioneering in the world of d3 hoops in the use of smiley faces while pretending to be a legitimate deliverer of unbiased information.  Unlike the Jeffs, he has never lost in Salem!  Even his picks for the finals won't be losing in Salem this year!  We should celebrate this accomplishment with every opporunity we have.  Where else could we get incredibly unsubtle jabs at Amherst?  No one could be that unclever.  There's only one Pat Coleman.  And we should thank our lucky stars every day because of it.

On an unrelated note...I hear Drew Cohen lowered the hoop in his driveway to 7 feet and had his mom throw him alleyoops so he could try and recreate Hopkins' reverse from this weekend.  Can anyone who still insists he is better than Hopkinson confirm or deny this rumor.

Death is but a door. Time is but a window.  RIP Spengler...LONG LIVE VIGO!

[NY hoopster]

Wow! A six foot ten guy who can dunk! who would have imagined that!

[walzy31]

see you soon salem

Amherst College has a basketball team?
ANGIEEEEEEEEE DRIVES A VOLVOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Pat Coleman]

Is anyone else annoyed with the fact that the semifinal game is on friday? How are students from far away schools supposed to get down there when they have class the same day? I have three papers due on Friday, I have to go to my classes, so now I cant see the semifinal live. I dont see why the NCAA wouldnt play the games Saturday/Sunday.

Many schools won't play on Sunday for religious reasons, and the NCAA respects that.