MBB: NESCAC

[Pat Coleman]

Correction

Chapin's game was in the Sweet 16 against Rowan...that was the year that Rowan had five D-1 kids "parked" at the school for a year so they could gain eligibility to play in D-1...after the fiasco of Rowan winning the Nat'l Championship that year, the NCAA woke up and changed the rules...

That isn't why they were there. They were there, though. And yes, the Division III membership closed a loophole in the rules after that year.

[FormerPolarBear]

Great game played between Bowdoin and Williams.  Bowdoin never trailed in the second half, but Williams never gave up and they played hard throughout the entire game.  Shalvoy was amazing, he was 7-10 from 3-pt land and 5 of those makes were deep and contested.  Snyder was impressive for Williams as well. Rose was absolutely locked down by Sargenson (0-11).  Sargenson has become one of the most underrated players in the NESCAC as well as one of the best defenders.  His numbers have improved as well (12 ppg, 9 boards).  The key difference in the game tonight, was Bowdoin's backcourt controlling the tempo and not turning the ball over.  I was worried about Hauser and Defeo (in his first start) having to match up with a tough Williams backcourt.  However, they played extremely well (combined for 32 pts, 10 assists and ZERO turnovers).  Keep in mind that Bowdoin played without their best player, Hippert, as well as without Hippert's replacement (Paul Sellew) who may be out for the season with some sort of injury.  If Bowdoin can defeat a good Middlebury team today then they will not only be a top 25 team nationally, but the number one contender to knock off Amherst.

[La Verdad]

I think Bowdoin has been greatly underestimated and I'm excited to see them when they come to lefrak, BUT couldn't this also mean that Williams was vastly overrated?  The rankings said they were the 4th best team in the country, but I think they are closer to being the 4th best team in the nescac

Williams is ranked eighth.

I was referring to the fact that they were #4 when they came to Amherst, but I guess I wasn't very clear. 

Thanks for your two cents Pat, always great to have you one the board.

[fpc85]

i am gonna catch them amherst bates game today. i will post results and thought after the game.

[ne-ball]

can anybody tell me who coach paulsen at williams recruited at point guard for next year? thanks

[lemonjello]

The Jeffs squeak out a 1-point victory over Bates, surviving another close call.  Baskauskas hit the game-winner as time expired to put Amherst up 77-76.  Bryan Wholey had put Bates ahead by 1 with 12 seconds left.
Fletcher Walters had a huge game for the Jeffs, putting up 21 points (7-14 shooting) and 6 rebounds. 
Baskauskas, the hero of the game, had 16 points and 1 rebound.
Olson had 13 points and 6 assists.
Hopkins had 9 points and 8 rebounds.

for the Bobcats:
Wholey, who almost stole the game from the Jeffs, was 5-18 for 17 points, and also put up 7 assists and 5 boards.
Ellis had 17 points on 7-12 shoting, with 6 rebounds.
Halloran scored 16 points on 6-7 shooting, with 5 rebounds.

Sounds like a very close and exciting game, but the Jeffs managed to pull it out in crunch time.  I'm sure we'll have more from people who were actually at the game.

[La Verdad]

Gutsy performance by Bates, especially Wholey.  He must have played the last 8 or 9 minutes with 4 fouls.  Shouldn't have been as close as it was...the refs were terrible.  If not for the heroics by Wholey and Baskauskas, the officiating would have been the story of the game.  Ellis had all 17 in the 1st half. 

[nescac1]

Ephs bounce back with a win over Colby.  Another shaky perimeter shooting performance, especially from Rose (who is going to have to snap out of it for the Ephs to have a shot at a NESCAC title), but Weisbrot and Geoghegan way too much for a very small Colby team to handle inside.  Ephs need to find some perimeter scoring off the bench as well.  Tough to split those games, but always tough to take two on the road in Maine.  Ephs need at LEAST a split next weekend.  

Bowdoin comes back to earth ... seems like its guards both had the game of their seasons against the Ephs, tough luck for Williams (although the Ephs less than intense perimeter D didn't help the cause).  By the way, the Bowdoin announcers said that Sellow, who had been starting for the Bears, is out for the season for disciplinary reasons.  So they will really need Hipper back soon, otherwise they are very thin at guard.  Surprised Bates managed to hang with Amherst.  Middlebury looks like a strong contender right now.  Next weekend is huge with Amherst/Trinity at Middlebury/Williams ... those four games will go a LONG way towards deciding the NESCAC.  If any team manages to go 2-0 (especially Amherst, Trin, and Midd the only three 2-0 teams right now), they will be a clear front runner in the conference. 

NE-Ball, I don't think anyone here knows if Paulsen has yet secured a point guard recruit ... hopefully he will, because looking to next season, that is a HUGE hole for Williams (they are pretty stacked both inside and on the wings, assuming the young guys continue to improve).  The Ephs are bringing in a swing player, Jordan Mickens, and Brian Emerson, yet another 6'8 forward who might be an impact guy, but otherwise no word.  Golia has really struggled of late with his shot, and right now he is the only guy other than Shalvoy getting point guard minutes. 

[formerbant10]

Bants looked pretty good in the box scores with a couple convincing wins. 

[JeffRookie2]

amherst was up 14 early in the first half, it looked like they were going to roll, but bates kept chipping away, and the Jeffs had no answer defensively. the refs really were awful, a fan of either team would tell you that. Baskauskas was the hero, with a calm jumper from the left wing for the game winner.

[Rick Vaughn]

Our Colby supporter was half right on Choice.  After struggling against Midd w/just 9, he put up 24 against Williams.  Once again Rose's struggles are going to kill the Ephs, especially next weekend.  It really seems Williams has been unable to put together complete game this year.  Shalvoy was big yesterday and quiet today, and Geoghegan was the opposite. 

Encouraging sign all around the NESCAC.  After thinking that this would be a top heavy league, Bowdoin upsetting Williams and Bates losing at Trinity and Amherst by a combined 3 points makes it even more clear that there are no sure things in the league.  Even at home.

[JeffRookie2]

Bates losing at Trinity and Amherst by a combined 3 points makes it even more clear that there are no sure things in the league.  Even at home.

?? Bates lost by 17 to Trinity on Friday.

[Rick Vaughn]

My bad, at first glance I thought the Bates website had them losing by 2.  That still doesn't change that they took the Jeffs down to the wire.

[feces monkey]

i dont get the impression i have been a fan of the nescac as long as you have monkey, would you say that petrie is not top 10 of the last 3.5 years?

No, he belongs. And he kept the program afloat for a couple of years. I'm sure if he was surrounded by better players I'd think more highly of him.

out of curiosity, who makes your top 10?

Ugh, I was afraid someone was going to ask me that. I'll have to track down some names and get back to you. I was able to see Ham Tech a couple of times in the mid-90s and they had some studs, but I'll leave them out for this.

I would say Bowdoin was gassed today after the Williams win, but that wouldn't be fair to Midd. Tough break about Harris, but the Panthers play well together, especially inside. They'll be a tough out in the conference tourney.

My last comment on Hancock: yes, he was a gunner, but unlike Garvey (Bates) and other guys of that ilk, Hancock led his team to a 26-1 record and (I believe) a No. 1 national ranking (NABC) late in his senior year despite not being able to play in the NCAAs. He wasn't just a numbers guy. He won. He was also 762-for-833 from the foul line in his career (91.5%), so he wasn't afraid to go to the bucket. For comparison: Rhoten, PF, career FTs - 338-for-424 (79.7%) -- more than 400 more attempts and makes for a 2 guard.

[Pat Coleman]

I think Bowdoin has been greatly underestimated and I'm excited to see them when they come to lefrak, BUT couldn't this also mean that Williams was vastly overrated?  The rankings said they were the 4th best team in the country, but I think they are closer to being the 4th best team in the nescac

Williams is ranked eighth.

I was referring to the fact that they were #4 when they came to Amherst, but I guess I wasn't very clear. 

Thanks for your two cents Pat, always great to have you one the board.

Gotcha. I think if you're referring to Bowdoin beating Williams then it's probably fair to refer to the ranking that Williams actually had at the time of the game.