MBB: NESCAC

amh63 · February 11, 2011, 09:24:59 AM

Walzy......YES!..........as he often would refer to himself..
You are keeping early hours !
nescac1....It is just number crunching...nothing competitive with Walzy, I am sure. Where does the term "dog" come from? Being a conference school grad...I am always learning.
It is going to be a stressful and an "expensive" weekend of watching!

walzy31 · February 11, 2011, 10:43:10 AM

Quote from: amh63 on February 11, 2011, 09:24:59 AM
Where does the term "dog" come from? Being a conference school grad...I am always learning.

Walzy Sports Betting 101

Welcome to class!

In sports betting, the bettor may choose to bet on a contest one of various different ways. These include Against The Spread, MoneyLine, Total (or more commonly known as Over/Under), and Proposition Bets. Once the bettor chooses what he is betting on, he then must choose how to place/implement the bets (Straight, Parlay, Teaser, etc), but that lesson is for later in the semester. The most common and well known way to bet on a sporting event is a simple Straight wager Against The Spread. The bettor selects the game he would like to bet on (ie. Amherst @ Middlebury) and decides whether he wants to bet on the favorite (Amherst -3.5) or the underdog (Middlebury +3.5). The favorite is favored by the odds maker to win the game, thus if you bet on the favorite you have to sacrifice the spread (which in this case is a 3.5 point cushion). The underdog (aka "dog") receives the 3.5 point cushion...

Please log into the EphCast and pay money for the rest of class.

Old Guy · February 11, 2011, 11:25:46 AM

Wonder what the Midd folks think of Walzy tabbing Middlebury as a 3.5 point home dog? If Workman isn't playing, I like Middlebury in that one ... if he is, I think it's a pick 'em.

Walzy is a partisan . . . of a certain type. Confident, loyal, but not without some objectivity. In a game like this one tonight, this year, how could he give the Panthers the edge? The Jeffs are 21-0. What would that statement be?

I'm the opposite - a wuss, a worrier. Coming in, every team is a juggernaut. I fall back upon the traditional cliches - "I hope we play well." "Go get 'em, boys, have fun." After a loss, however, I can't fathom how we could be defeated by those no-talent bums. I spend the final minutes of most games at Middlebury in a corridor behind the stands pacing and watching the game through windows over the court. I envy the players and coaches as they have something to do! I hope they bring the defibrillator tonight!

Right now, I'm watching the breaking news from Cairo, giving me some perspective on the Midd-Amherst tilt.

daoustian · February 11, 2011, 12:04:21 PM

There was also a Williams guard who had transferred from Cornell a few years back who didn't do anything special once at Williams if I recall.

Coulibaly had some good games. I think there were some injury and family issues that kept him from maximizing his potential. But he could play. https://www.amherst.edu/athletics/teams/winter/basketball-m/articles/2007_08/0927_coulibaly_feature

Major Hoople · February 11, 2011, 01:12:49 PM

Curious, Old Guy, what perspective you're getting on the Midd-Amherst game from the breaking news from Cairo? Does it affect the spread or the outcome?

Old Guy · February 11, 2011, 03:48:05 PM

Curious, Old Guy, what perspective you're getting on the Midd-Amherst game from the breaking news from Cairo? Does it affect the spread or the outcome?

A temporary lapse. For a few minutes there I thought that in the course of human events there may be some things more important than the Midd-Amherst game tonight. Not to worry. As tip-off approaches my priorities have been restored. Word on the street is that Walzy will be at the game: I'm looking for a guy in a green eyeshade, suit with wide lapels, a voice with a Damon Runyon inflection, the obvious oddsmaker.

JustAFan · February 11, 2011, 06:07:05 PM

Can't believe the Middlebury/Amherst game is only available on pay per view even though I suspect the gym has been full to the rafters for at least an hour. Will be curious to see if Williams waives its video fee tomorrow afternoon. Boy, the schools with the most moola sure know how to squeeze the most as well. Call me cheap (and you might well be right!), but it's also very short-sighted from a development perspective. Off to live (and free) stats....

7express · February 11, 2011, 06:29:23 PM

I was hoping Williams was going to waive the video fee today as well. I had everything perfectly planned I was going to stop in Williamstown on my up to Keene, NH (I go to West Conn, and were playing @ Keene state tomorrow) and then today I got sick

Really wanted to see Williams. Hopefully they make it to the NESCAC finals and I'll go up there and see them play Midd/Amherst in the finals.

nescac1 · February 11, 2011, 06:47:51 PM

Williams livestats seem to have stopped updating. After a back-and-forth first 12 minutes, Williams really picked things up thanks to red hot shooting from three (a welcome sight after the last few weeks) and lead by 14. Wang has four threes, Rooke-Ley 2, Emerson one (with the shot clock winding down, clutch), and Dodson had two of his trademark DEEP threes from NBA range. Trinity has also shot the ball very well, and has done a great job on the boards, but Williams is firing on all cylinders offensively.

I see that Workman is back for Amherst -- nice to see the big three all, finally, healthy for the stretch run, hopefully they remain so.

JustAFan · February 11, 2011, 06:53:23 PM

Sounds like a great game at Middlebury with live stats frozen with 1:14 to go in the first half and Middlebury leading Amherst 30-26. An unusually quiet first half from Amherst's Aaron Toomey (0-2, no trips to the line) but Amherst is getting a strong effort from big man Peter Kaasila, who has held Locke to no points,but Sharry, with 7 boards, is working hard on the glass for the Panthers. Amherst has only been to the line 4 times vs. 8 for Middlebury and Amherst has only shot 3 treys, making 2, while Middlebury has launched 11, making 3. I would have expected the reverse, but Middlebury may be playing more of an inside-out game.

7express · February 11, 2011, 07:22:18 PM

I'm watching this on livestream right now. Great game, but thats what you expect from two top 7 teams though. Largest lead of the game has been 4 points. Ryan Sharry from Mid just picked up his 4th foul with 8:56 remaining.

7express · February 11, 2011, 08:14:03 PM

Colby loses to Wesleyan to eliminate themselves from the NESCAC playoff picture. Bowdoin loses to Conn College to put themselves in a precarious spot, winner of Bowdoin vs. Wesleyan tomorrow gets the final NESCAC playoff spot.

walzy31 · February 12, 2011, 12:27:19 AM

Enjoyable atmosphere at Pepin tonight. Always nice to catch up with fellow posters (Bucket & Old Guy). Midd got the better of us tonight. Hopefully the jeffs can make it two straight against Williams and then win a three-way coin flip.

Old Guy · February 12, 2011, 01:50:15 AM

Two heavyweights duking it out. Both teams shot below 40% (Jeffs 31%; Midd 36; Amherst 3-12 from three, Midd 4-15). Very exciting game. Back and forth till the last couple of minutes when Midd pulled away. Fiercely contested.

Sharry was the difference. We went to him on the blocks in the second half. He was fouled and went 12-14 from the line - 18 points total, 13 rebounds. Locke was solid too: six blocks, seven boards, 11 points. He had two dunks in the second half, one a monster put-back at a crucial point. Big crowd, full house, great atmosphere. Clearly, our height gave the Jeffs problems. Thompson was tough, played 39 minutes, 12 points. Davis gave us a real spark on the defensive end. Wolfin had 16 points, some important free throws at the end (5-8 from the line).

For Amherst, Workman had a good game - so fast going to the hoop. When the Jeffs have him and Meehan and Barrise and Toomey on the floor they are really fast. Barrise had a couple of big threes in the first half (Midd fouled twice on three point shots resulting in six points from the line). Kasilia is enormous, made a couple of nice righty hook shots over Locke.

The rookies, Toomey and Kizell, had tough nights (1-10, and 0-6 from the floor respectively).

Wms-Amherst tomorrow. Expect another classic. I hope Midd holds serve against Trinity. The coin flip scenario is wild.

nescac1 · February 12, 2011, 06:48:34 AM

I can't imagine Meehan and Toomey BOTH struggle like that again tomorrow (Midd's guards really defend well, but even still, those lines surprised me), but even still, it won't be easy for Amherst to rebound from a physical battle like that in less than 24 hours. Williams has a tremendous opportunity to finish 9-0 in conference for the second year in a row. Hopefully the Ephs won't leave it to a coin flip because hosting will be an even bigger edge than usual this year, given the drop-off from the 3rd seed to the 4th.

Williams played really, really well last night in all facets except rebounding, where they regressed a bit in an area they have really been improving in. Really good to see them shooting very well again, they looked very confident from outside as a team. Epley had back-to-back threes in the second half that were just really pure, he has a purist's game overall, and those basically sealed the win. Wang continued his stellar play of late. Emerson even banked a three in -- when it's going for you, sometimes, it is just really going. Rooke-Ley also had a solid all-around game for the Ephs.

Whittington was simply unstoppable. He had that huge knee brace on, amazing that even with that he is the quickest forward and the highest jumper on the floor, and it's not even close. I am hopeful that by NCAA time that may come off, but perhaps he will be slightly limited all year. Even still, he continues to be dominant. He had a few really nice passes and seemed most excited for his assists. He has to be among the best big-man passers out there.

Klemm has been just a bit off from outside of late, and I hope he comes around to his usual level of shooting. I expect it is only a matter of time. But it was GREAT to see him taking it to the basket hard. He is a great foul shooter, so I'd like to see him draw more contact, and because guys have to respect his shot so much, he often has driving lanes available, and can get free with off the ball cuts as well (he scored on a beautiful pass from Troy on a back-door cut). The more he shows he is a threat to drive, the harder he will become to guard, and the more openings he will get to shoot 3's. I'd like to see the Ephs run a few more plays for him early in the game to get him in rhythm early.

Sean Hoffmann did a few nice things in limited minutes, he would see plenty of time as a back-up at least for most schools. The Ephs' have good depth at center and while Troy is irreplaceable, if they keep improving / get a bit stronger, Emerson / Mayer / Hoffmann have the potential to form one of the best few center groups, if not the best, in NESCAC next year. A lot of upside there.

Trinity shot the ball well from three but they have basically zero inside game. Frosh Eric Dean played really well for Trinity, yet another good first year guard in NESCAC.

Excited for the big game today!