MBB: NESCAC

[cruiser]

trinity wins close game, beats colby 84-81

[walzy31]

Trinity 84 - Colby 81 (...off by 6 -- tied with 5 minutes left?)
Tufts 101 - Williams 89 (...off by 7 -- highest scoring game)
Amherst 74 - Conn 48 (...off by 2)
Bates 67 - Bowdoin 51 (...off by 1 -- and it was the lowest scoring)


Cohen had 29, 16 and 5...WOW. Trinity only played 7 players...but 5 of them scored double figures (Rhoten 18 and 12).

Bedford and Coulibaly played well for Amherst. Mclaughlin had 5 steals in first half and nicest dunk of game. Charles Stone is good but was in serious foul trouble all game.

Rose, Nelson, Shepard, Kumf and Weitzen all scored 20 or more.

Bates outscored Bowdoin 43-17 in 2nd half...

[Red1]

Bowdoin was up 34-24 at the half.  Bates couldn't hit a shot if their lives depended on it, and The Polar Bears were sniffing blood.  Then Bates decided to win....

It was a defensive battle early on in the 2nd half until Jordan Fliegel through Rob Stockwell to the floor trying to get the ball away. (Jump ball was the call.)  Their was no malicious intent, Fliegel just didn't hear the whistle.  The result, however, was devistating for Bowdoin because Bates was mad, and they let out their anger by being on FIRE from that point on, and absolutely took over the game.  With 5 minutes to go  Bowdoin had scored only 7 points in the entire half.  That stat pretty much sums up the half, and the result.  Bates cameback and won 67-51.

This leaves me with a question:  Can Bates get an at-large bid to the NCAAs even if they lose to Amherst in the semis?  Are the bobcats a lock if they upset Amherst?  What are the NCAA scenarios at this point?  Is it possible for the NESCAC to get 4 teams in?

Cheers,
Red1

[ajsnc13]

Bowdoin v. Bates...the first half Bowdoin could not look better and Bates could not look worse and then the exact oppositie transpired in the 2nd half...Bates started hitting shots and Bowdoin went cold...Petrie is great and Bowdoin will miss him next year...Stockwell is tough, do not know what his numbers were but he is a good player...Wholey had a great game...young player with some serious talent...Ray is very good, but Bradley outplayed him by a lot in the first half and Ray slightly outplayed him in the second half...Bates will be real tough next year, and I think Bowdoin will be good as well, returning four starters, but obviously Petrie will be missed immensely...goodluck to all the remaining teams...

[nescachoopsfan]

so.... williams goes down, tough loss, they looked tired at the end of the game.  tufts offense seemed to be too much.  shalvoy and rose are really good. they should have a great team next year.  unfourtunatley dan martin was too much and tufts took care of the ephs as they should have.

what happened to all the bowdoin lovers?

[formerbant10]

Red1,

It is still tough to tell about the Pool C bids because most of the other conferences are just finishing up regular season play.  Bates' chances are in the hands of many.  If they lose to Amherst they still have a shot, but they would be behind both Trinity and Tufts as well. 

Amherst is a lock.  Tufts seems to be as well because of their high QOWI, #8 overall.  Trinity is in better position than Bates with their QOWI and head-to-head win.  But both teams would like a win to solidify their cases for Pool C's.

Scary one for the Bants.  Up 13 with 2:38 left.  They have to close out games better than that next weekend if they want to play beyond that.

Walzy,

Your accuracy on scores is really starting to scare me now.  When do you start creating the lines for Vegas?

[JeffRookie2]

bedford does lead the team in rebounding at 4.5 a game. http://www.amherst.edu/sports/current/m-bball/teamcume.htm#TEAM.LDR

[ajsnc13]

JeffRokie-

you've really outdone yourself this time, you waited until Bedford had 8 rebounds in a game that came AFTER the assertion you made, so he could finally take the lead, and then you brought it up again to make it seem like you were right all along. 

Is that the kind of argumentation they're teaching people at the best school in the country?  I hope not, sounds like we might have a personal injury lawyer in the making. 

[walzy31]

Formerbant,

You making it up to Amherst this coming weekend?

Bedford only has scored 75 less points than Rhoten and has played 80 minutes less.  Bedford also has only taken 268 shots compared to Rhoten's 436. Bedford 51.5% from the floor, Rhoten 46%. Bedford has more threes made and they both shoot 44% from behind the arc.
Bedford also has a better FT%, more assists, fewer turnovers, and more steals.
That leaves Rhoten beating Bedford statistically in points, minutes, rebounds, and blocks and nothing else.

POY John Bedford

[formerbant10]

Walzy,

The only day I'd be able to make it up for is Sunday and that depends on the rest of my schedule after my game this weekend.

Your comparison of Bedford and Rhoten makes it seem like Rhoten is nothing.  He is statistically beating Bedford in only minutes, points, rebounds and blocks.  What else should he be leading him in, he's a power forward and Bedford is a shooting guard. 

Your point total is skewed, Trinity has played 2 less games than Amherst, and points per minute is not the best stat.

Points per shot, however, is my favorite stat.  And going over the past few years, Bedford is the most efficient shooter in the NESCAC.  If Bedford took 150 more shots to catch up to Rhoten, I'm sure he'd have more points...but Bedford also does not see nearly as many double and triple teams as Rhoten does.
But I wouldn't be bragging that they are both shooting the same % from 3, Bedford should be better than Rhoten from behind the arc.

[JeffRookie2]

   to be fair, wheeler, who is second, had seven rebounds, so I dont think that the conn college game changed the lead. I could be wrong. If i am, bedford has been near or in the lead most of the season, so i dont think it greatly affects my argument.

also, it's rookie not rokie and I'm pretty sure argumentation isn't a word

[JeffRookie2]

ar·gu·men·ta·tion    ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (ärgy-mn-tshn)
n.
The presentation and elaboration of an argument or arguments.
Deductive reasoning in debate.
A debate. 

I was wrong.

[ajsnc13]

jeff ROOKIE-

well, it takes a big man to admit when he's wrong, so i gotta give you credit there. 

You're right, it doesn't really matter whether bedford was first, second, or third on his team in rebounds, my whole point was that Amherst has four guys who pretty much split the load evenly (all the starters but Olson). 

I also have another issue with which maybe you could help...Bedford went to the line 115 times this year (more than stockwell, rhoten, petrie, ray, and stone) which I believe was fourth in the league behind Cohen (201), martin (153), and rudin (120) I was just wondering how a guy who pretty much plays on the perimeter (although he drives occasionally) and in a system like Amherst's could spend so much time at the line.  In the games I've seen him play in, i didn't notice anything about his game that lent itself particularly well to going to the line.  I know that rudin isn't a great shooter- he only made 8 threes this year- and is a very good penetrator (plus he has the ball the whole game) so that's how he can do what he does...

so go on ahead and educate me, cuz i'm struggling to figure it out

[JeffRookie2]

I think Bedford gets in the lane more than you give him credit for. He is really the only one (other that Coulibaly, and from time to time, Olson) who can beat his man and get under the hoop for either a basket or a foul with any consistency. when the shotclock starts getting low after a ton of passes around the perimeter, the jeffs consistently go to plan B- give bedford the ball and see what happens. this frequently results in him taking foul shots. obviously, i cant reconcile this with the specific games in which you have seen him play, but that is my impression.

[CCsalive]

Sticks-props to your boy Farrell...he killed Conn...solid player.

As for Amherst, I was there on Saturday and had hoped for the Camels to hang in a little longer...it was very frustrating to have Stone only play 16 minutes...clearly the refs don't read this stuff, otherwise they might have shown Charles some respect.

I'll admit that I don't know anything about Petrie, but I think that Bedford is GREAT, but NOT the POY. Bedford is a high level player...high IQ, humble game, strong...but, let's be frank fellas, Amherst doesn't need him. For goodness sake, Coulibaly is the f-in 9th man off the bench Saturday...what is that about? I've been HYPING Wheeler, but if you lock him in a gym with Coulibaly who's coming out on top? If we talk talent...Coulibaly is first-team. In fact, he's a lock, and I'm saying it right here, to be a two-time first teamer (Amherst's sophomore class is insane) ... Rhoten is the POY.

Jeff Young of Conn proved that he a better player than Casnocha on Saturday...again, Coulibaly the 9th man?