MBB: NESCAC

[eclinchy]

I'll be very interested to see who on Amherst guards Pierce - he's quite a matchup problem and I feel like the Jeffs don't have many great on-ball defenders this season.

Sounds like a job for the newest member of Hixon's starting lineup, Brandon Jones.

And that's just one of the interesting matchups to watch for on Friday -- Black-Olson will be fun, and so will O'Keefe-Baskauskas.  Ryan O'Keefe has always been a superb defensive stopper against high-scoring 2s and 3s (Rose, Hippert, Harris, etc) -- his defense will be big this weekend.

As a Tufts guy I fear that Amherst is a bad matchup for the Jumbos this year -- the Jeffs just keep getting bigger every year, and the Jumbos keep getting smaller.  How do you handle a lineup that's 6'10, 6'8, 6'7, 6'6', and Olson?  Pierce is 6'5, and fairly often, he's the tallest Jumbo on the floor.  How does a team with no true center match up with a guy like Hopkins?  It's a scary thought.

They managed to force OT last year, thanks in part to excellent rebounding.  But that was back when they had Fitz and Kumf to crash the boards... this year, it's Pierce and Weitzen and then not much else.  They need at least one big guy to step up and have a great game off the bench.  Selby, Beyel, Sullivan, or some combination thereof.

[JustAFan]

Will O'Keefe be back for next weekend's games vs. Amherst and Trinity? He's been out for 3-4 weeks now.

[fpc85]

  I'll be very interested to see who on Amherst guards Pierce - he's quite a matchup problem and I feel like the Jeffs don't have many great on-ball defenders this season.

Jeffs did a decent job last year and I am sure they will figure it out. Or maybe Pierce will be too elusive for the Jeff frontline.

[eclinchy]

Will O'Keefe be back for next weekend's games vs. Amherst and Trinity? He's been out for 3-4 weeks now.

I'd assume so.  It's just an ankle sprain, and he's had plenty of time to rest it.  I'd imagine that the reason he sat out this week was to ensure he'd be 100% for the Amherst/Trinity weekend.

[Old Guy]

Elms lost to Castleton yesterday.

[walzy31]

Amherst -26 Vs. Elms

[frank uible]

26 points would be a lot in the Celtics/ Little Sisters of the Poor game.

[nescac hoops]

Great game this weekend at Amherst. Paulsen needs to find an answer for Jones and Fletcher next time. I  do, however, wonder about the following...

As for the Olson vs. Shalvoy debate, with the exception of one game it's no contest. I know, the one game was a big one, and it was at Amherst, but 7-of-9 from three is an amazing and improbable performance. The numbers of these two guys head-to-head speak volumes...

I have to say, I think the Olson/Shalvoy gap has really narrowed down and I think Shlavoy looked like the better pt. guard at least this past weekend.
Shalvoy: 5-13 (4-7 from beyond the arc) for a total of 16pts., 6 assists and 1 turnover
Olson: 4-11 from the field (1-5 from 3) for 13 pts., 7 assists with 4 turnovers, with a couple of pts. coming from fouls at the end of the game.

Also, Olson plays VERY little defense while I think Shalvoy did a very nice job on Olson and keeping him in front on d. Shalvoy seemed to get past Olson pretty easily and get into the lane. Obviously, Olson is still great but it's hard to say it's "no debate" with how much Shalvoy has improved.

[fpc85]

Great game this weekend at Amherst. Paulsen needs to find an answer for Jones and Fletcher next time. I  do, however, wonder about the following...

As for the Olson vs. Shalvoy debate, with the exception of one game it's no contest. I know, the one game was a big one, and it was at Amherst, but 7-of-9 from three is an amazing and improbable performance. The numbers of these two guys head-to-head speak volumes...

I have to say, I think the Olson/Shalvoy gap has really narrowed down and I think Shlavoy looked like the better pt. guard at least this past weekend.
Shalvoy: 5-13 (4-7 from beyond the arc) for a total of 16pts., 6 assists and 1 turnover
Olson: 4-11 from the field (1-5 from 3) for 13 pts., 7 assists with 4 turnovers, with a couple of pts. coming from fouls at the end of the game.

Also, Olson plays VERY little defense while I think Shalvoy did a very nice job on Olson and keeping him in front on d. Shalvoy seemed to get past Olson pretty easily and get into the lane. Obviously, Olson is still great but it's hard to say it's "no debate" with how much Shalvoy has improved.

Jones and Walters may have been the difference on Saturday.  I think they have the advantage on both ends of the floor especially when Hopkins is in the game. As far as the Shalvoy/Olson debate; Shalvoy has improved but Olson has had a better career and everyone but Williams fans would choose Olson  before Shalvoy. BTW, Shalvoy also made a meaningless three at the end of the game that was just after he blew an important layup with 20 seconds to go.

What's the deal with the big freshmen for Williams? Is he still on the mend?

[Rick Vaughn]

What's the deal with the big freshmen for Williams? Is he still on the mend?

Speaking of Whittington, he could certainly change some match ups for the game in Williamstown if he's available.  Anyone who has seen him play, would he be a good guy to defend either Walters or Jones? 

Surprisingly nobody has said anything about 18 from Weisbrot.  I know he's not about to be the second coming of Coffin, but that's still impressive.  Were those garbage hoops or is his post game starting to come around?

[nescac hoops]

Surprisingly nobody has said anything about 18 from Weisbrot.  I know he's not about to be the second coming of Coffin, but that's still impressive.  Were those garbage hoops or is his post game starting to come around?

Most of his points were easy baskets/put backs. He still had a great game but very few of his points were created by his post moves.

FCP85, I wouldn't take Shalvoy over Olson but not by much. I think that gap has really narrowed. Even a buddy of mine, a neutral fan, thought the two were pretty comparable. Sure, Olson has had the better career but as of now with Shlavoy's improvement I don't think the gap is that noticeable. Take away Shlavoy's three at the end and he is still 3-6. Shalvoy missed a layup that was only important b/c Olson missed 2 free throws. Again, Olson is great but I still don't think Shlavoy is that far behind.

[daoustian]

Olson seemed to be better on Saturday when the pressure was on and the game got closer.  However, the reason the score got close in the first place was that once Amherst had opened up a big lead, they started pushing more -- inadvisable passes inside into double teams that were slapped away, lots of home run balls that went over people's heads.  It looked like they were trying to play flashier but when they're settled and playing conservatively with smaller leads they looked a lot better.  Just an observation.  It was good to get to my first live game in a few years, though a bit upsetting that there weren't more Amherst fans to offset an impressive Williams contingent. 

[CCsalive]

Conn is 10-2 with a test tonight vs. Coast Guard.
CC vs Wesleyan on Saturday. Reminder, Artis Gilmore dropped 30 on the Camels in this game last year sending CC into a NESCAC funk. Charles Stone shouldn't let that happen this year.
Where is the Bates faithful? What is a happening in Midd, VT?
Let's get the Week 1 predictions rolling! The rest of us don't get to play these antiquated rivalry games! Little 3 my a$$

[hoopjunkie]

CCsalive very fiesty I love it . Enough of the wonderful point guard conversation of Shalvoy & Olson . Both very good point guards -  MOVE on . 
I  am shocked that Weissbrot scored 18 . It must have been on put backs . He has a very limited offensive game .
Predictions for the first weekend - I will say this -the schools that have had a patsie schedule so far, may be in for a shock . There is not much distance between Amherst , Trinity , Tufts,Williams, Middlebury & maybe Colby & Bowdoin .

[frank uible]

In recent years Weisbrot has been plagued with back miseries. This year his back is better, and consequently he is moving more fluidly.