MBB: NESCAC

[formerbant10]

Formerbant10;

What's your take on Colby vs Trinity? Key matchups to watch? Can you fill us in on what is going right for Trinity?

Sorry, was on the road for the past few days.  Don't know enough about either team this year to have given you much insight.

[walzy31]

I wouldn't call at Colby, on the back end of a Maine trip, a "bad" loss; that is a game pretty much anyone in the country could lose. 

I feel Lefrakenstein on that one. Being an Amherst fan and not having lost to Colby since the '98-'99 season on the road makes it a bad loss. If Amherst doesn't beat both Midd and Williams the final weekend of the season, then they will be facing quite the uphill battle for the Pool C bid. Hopefully winning the NESAC AQ will alleviate my concerns.

[ac08]

Speaking of foul shots...

Artie Cutrone made 19 of them today, out of 24 attempts, in Colby's win over Amherst.

From what I've seen of him, he's not much of a drive-to-the-basket scorer... anyone at today's game have any idea how this happened? His production was a huge part of Colby winning its biggest game of the year... love to hear some insights on this.

Maybe Amherst brings out the best in him, but he got into the paint and scored often last year when they played @ the 'Herst. If I remember correctly he was definitely a spinner/step through scorer when he was driving. I don't know anything about Saturday's game, though.

[NY Hoopster]

Nescac 1;

I don't understand why you are making excuses for Amherst losing at Colby on the "back end" of a Maine road trip. Amherst has the advantage of being probably the most centrally located college in the league, about halfway between New London and Waterville. They had what, a 2 1/2 - 3 hour motorcoach trip to Bowdoin on Friday, and had to wake up on Saturday for a 45 minute- 1 hour trip to Colby to make a 3:00 pm game? I just don't get it. They got beat. And, to anyone that saw the two teams play last year, it wasn't that big a shock.

[ephoops]

The rumor on the Williams side is that Geohegan either broke his ankle or has a severe sprain...

That's a shame...Joe's just had one of those year's where he couldn't stay healthy.

Let's hope he can fully recover and have a great senior year...

[nescac1]

NY Hoopster, chill.  I was actually defending Colby if you noticed -- someone had said that was a "bad" loss implying a game Amherst should not have lost.  I was saying that Colby is not a bad loss because they are a very good team, and the back end of a long night-day road trip in NESCAC is always tough, especially against a strong opponent.  Nothing revelatory there.  Colby has a very tough trip ahead themselves, at Midd and Williams, if they lose the second game of that trip, against Midd (their chances in the first game just got a lot better with Geoghegan out, but it should be a pretty even match-up), would anyone be surprised or call it a "bad" loss? 

[NY Hoopster]

Nescac 1

Sorry I misinterpreted-I'm chill again. I partially agree with your assessment of next weekend for Colby. They will be pretty evenly matched against Williams, but if they beat them, the players will be flying so high that it won't matter where or when the game against Middlebury is played. We will see some great matchups that weekend.

[Old Guy]

You have to admit that it's fun this year with the league "reorganizing," after years of being dominated by the best rivalry in the history of sports on this planet (along with Trinity). Convenient for me to say, I realize, with Middlebury at 5-0, but I am well aware that we have an overtime win against Bates at home, a 5 point win against Williams at home (when the Ephs lost their best player in the first ten minutes), and a 7 point win away against Wes - and 4 tough games left (Colby and Bowdoin at home; Amherst and Trinity away), the outcome of any of which is anything but certain. There is no counting chickens before they are hatched here in Vermont. I loved the uncertainty of last weekend's games.

I grew up in Lewiston and remember well the passion of the rivalry between the Bobcats-Polar Bears-Mules. Are they the Little Little Three? As a kid, I saw Dick Wittemore play for Bowdoin, also Bangor Billy Cohen (Senator and Sec'y of Defense) - he could play. I shot 1000s of hoops and played lots of pick-up in that bandbox of the Bates gym - the Fenway Park of D3 hoops. Brick - beautiful shooting background.

For the few and the proud at Middlebury (basketball alumni), this is a dream season, as has been its lead-up in the last 2-3 years.  Taking nothing for granted, however.

[hoya73]

Next couple of weekends should be a lot of fun.  The possibilities are endless. 

Anyone know anything about Wheeler?  Box score was something like this--no points, 1 foul, 11 minutes.  Injured?  Sick?  The Jeffs need him to run a consistent offense.

[CCsalive]

Guys, It's only Monday so you'll all have to wait a few days for my detailed scout of Wesleyan vs. Conn, the battle for #8. Seriously, how embarrased is Tufts? This is a team that three years ago took National Champion Amherst to overtime multiple times, correct?
Despite some bad losses, the Camels have also beaten some decent teams...I'm hoping to be there to cheer them on vs Wesleyan.

[NY Hoopster]

hoya 73

Wheeler rolled his ankle on the last play of the first half against Colby. He did not play in the second half and had his ankle taped and was on crutches at the end of the game. He didn't have numbers in the first half because Colby played great D against both shooting guards.

[nescac1]

Cool, NY Hoopster.  It does seem like any one of four teams can take NESCAC this year, with Midd being a clear favorite right now.  Update on Geoghegan, broken fibula: http://www.thetranscript.com/sports/ci_11609700, which sounds season ending to me with only a few weeks left in the year, but who knows.  

Ephs really now need huge efforts from Whittington, Timmins and Dodson on the boards in particular, and perhaps frosh Emerson will get a chance as well. Ephs-Colby is obviously huge on Friday, the winner is looking very likely to secure a top three seed in the conference tourney.  

One thing that is starting to clear up: the all-conference race.  I'd say Baskauskas, Pierce, Schultz, Rudin, Choice are looking like a pretty solid first team at this point, with Baskauskas and Rudin fighting it out for POY.  Second team is more up in the air, other than Snyder who is prob. a lock for one team now that Joe is hurt, pretty wide open between Wheeler (although his injury may be a factor too, if he has one), Edwards from Midd (or someone else, but they are pretty balanced so hard to pick), Cutrone or Russell from Colby, Phillips, Wilson from Bates, Bernier ...

ROY looks like Mendell from Wes unless something crazy happens.  COY Midd coach is leading contender but I think Reilly deserves some consideration with some big wins despite losing his point guard ...

[lefrakenstein]

NY Hoopster, chill.  I was actually defending Colby if you noticed -- someone had said that was a "bad" loss implying a game Amherst should not have lost.  I was saying that Colby is not a bad loss because they are a very good team, and the back end of a long night-day road trip in NESCAC is always tough, especially against a strong opponent.  Nothing revelatory there.  Colby has a very tough trip ahead themselves, at Midd and Williams, if they lose the second game of that trip, against Midd (their chances in the first game just got a lot better with Geoghegan out, but it should be a pretty even match-up), would anyone be surprised or call it a "bad" loss? 

I didn't mean to diss Colby by saying it was a bad loss. It was a bad loss because it makes it very difficult for Amherst to get a pool C unless they win out in the regular season.

Certainly it wasnt an easy game, but any time you lose an important game by 5 while going 20-34 from the line and 2-16 from behind the arc and lose you second-leading scoring in the first half, that's a tough loss to swallow. Make your foul shots and that's a W.

[nescac1]

Article on the three Suffield Amherst recruits:

http://www.masslive.com/sports/index.ssf/2009/02/suffield_academy_basketball_pl.html?category=Prep%20Schools

As well as an article about a kid being recruited by (but not, apparently, committed to) Williams:

http://www.gazette.net/stories/01282009/bethspo191534_32471.shtml

[JustAFan]

And an article on a 2 sport athlete (football/basketball) that chose Brown over Amherst and Holy Cross:

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/681/Exeter-Duo-Heading-to-Brown%E2%80%99s-Gridiron.php

The Lord Jeffs win more recruiting battles than they lose, however....