MBB: NESCAC

[amh63]

Have been scanning the scores/games of conference teams.  Seems, Tufts, Bowdoin, Bates, Colby, etc. are winning or won their games.  Guess it is the last of the OOC games for awhile.  The back to back conference weekend games start this weekend!  Amherst website have not indicated the Wes. and Conn games are being broadcasted...though the hockey games are.  Need to check into this further.....otherwise I may have to go to watching Div.1 games..heavens forbid!

[Bucket]

Middlebury out runs and guns RPI, 123-111.

So many statistical highlights:

*Ryan Sharry was unstoppable: 41 points (19-23 from the field), 9 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 assists.
*Lynch with a double-double of 12 pts, 10 boards
*Sinnickson w/ a career high 15
*Wolfin 12 assists to go with half a dozen points
*Nascimento a career-high 11 off the bench
*Kizel nearly a double-double w/ 10 pts and 8 assists (plus 2 steals)

RPI just guns, shooting 41 threes and almost hitting the century mark for attempts (91).

Would love to see a points in the paint figure. Midd scores 123 while making only 2 three-pointers, while it seemed Sharry or Sinnickson were dunking every other minute or so.

Looking forward to the start of conference play on Friday.

[Old Guy]

I didn't get to the RPI game nor did I watch it on a webcast or follow on live stats. I was on the road (in truth, I thought it was tomorrow). Wow! 123-110. Wish I had been there.

Clearly, RPI has adopted the Grinnell approach. 111 points against the Panthers! Middlebury has lost its two biggest defensive weapons (Locke and Thompson), but still. . . . (last year, 56 ppg opponents)

I just checked the RPI site - they are averaging 91 points a game. Alas, they are giving up 101. Three wins, five losses, including a Nov. 29 loss to Williams, 91-84. Looks like they have committed to the Paul Westhead's Loyola-Marymount approach in the last three games.

16 RPI players played seven minutes or more. The most minutes any Engineer played was 21. That's the key: play the game at a pace the other team cannot sustain. Play everyone.

I have a friend coaching at a CT prep school running this concept. He loves it. Plays three distinct fives in 90 second spurts, like lines in ice hockey. Get the shot off as quickly as possible; give up lay-ups, uncontested, if you must (cf. Sharry's 41 on 19-23). Get the ball back. Go, go, go. Pace, pace, pace. Trade twos for threes. RPI took 41 threes tonight. Shoot in under 12 seconds every possession. Everything is dribble-drive - penetrate, shoot, or pass to the perimeter. He's having a ball. His players have bought in and love it. He says it won't work unless there's a total buy-in. Traditionalists hate it. He won a game last week 123-51.

Middlebury won tonight because they have superior talent, and they're deep, though we only played ten, and Wolfin (33 minutes) and Sharry (31) played long minutes. They must have been gassed. Can't wait to talk to some of the players. Sounds like fun. Were you there, Bucket?

box score:  http://sidearmstats.com/rpi/mbball/index.htm

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Clearly, RPI has adopted the Grinnell approach.

Looking at the box score, this just isn't true.  RPI is playing up-tempo and playing lots of guys, but the numbers don't indicate a Grinnell style "system."  Just because teams press and score a lot doesn't make them a "system" school.

[Bucket]

Were you there, Bucket?

No...Followed online. Too tough a trip midweek.

[nescac1]

RPI doesn't quite play the Grinnell system, but they are sort of half way there ... they certainly employ frequent whole-sale substitutions, tons of pressing (leading to either steals by them or easy buckets inside by the opposition), and tons of three point shooting, but I think they also have at least some semblance of a half-court offensive and defensive set, and don't TOTALLY sell out going for steals and shooting virtually exclusively threes. Williams played probably it's worst game of the season (I don't really count Salem since the team was so depleted by missing or severely limited players) against RPI, made a ton of careless turnovers and didn't bring the defensive intensity until they were down by 11 in the second half and things were getting desperate.  It seems like on Tuesday the Ephs handled a similar system from a team with similar results to RPI a lot better, at least in the second half, when they finally got it together and blew out Castleton.  One thing is for sure ... playing those teams is good for big guys' shooting percentage.  Mayer and Emerson combined to go 8-11 in only 30 combined minutes vs. RPI, and 11-15 for 28 points vs. Castleton, and unsurprisingly, Sharry, the best big man in the country this year, absolutely went off, dominating RPI last night for 40 plus without a ton of FGA's. 

I noticed Nolan Thompson is still out for Midd, hopefully he will be healed up for the start of conference play this weekend.  Williams seems to have its full complement of players playing, finally.  Either way, the Ephs and Panthers will be heavy favorites vs. Tufts and Bates at home this weekend, although Tufts is scrappy enough to give either a scare. 

With Wang still seemingly limited to some degree, Williams doesn't have one go-to superstar for the first time in years, but the tremendous balance makes them difficult to guard.  The Ephs are shooting the ball at the level they did back in 2009-10, 52 percent from the field and 44 percent from 3, with Klemm in particular lighting it up from outside. Soph Mike Mayer continues to be the biggest surprise, averaging 12-5-2 on 68 percent shooting in only 18 mpg.  Incredibly, the Ephs are getting nearly the same offensive production and efficiency out of the center platoon this season despite losing an all-American, thanks in large part to Mayer's massive improvement, and solid play from Emerson as well despite being banged up with a few different injuries this season.  They do, however, really miss Troy on the defensive end, where they lack any sort of dominant interior presence.  I shudder to thing what Sharry (or any other super-cabable big guy) will do to them unless they double team him, which you rarely see Maker do, but I am not sure if he'll have any choice.  In addition to interior defense (which I'm not sure there is an easy answer do, just hard to replace a guy who can block four shots per game), the Ephs will also need to become more careful with the ball, as turnovers have kept some inferior teams close.  Hopefully as they get a lot of practice time as a health unit in January, the added cohesion will help in that respect.     

Nice shout-out to three NESCAC teams here, this has to be the best year ever for combined academic-basketball excellence, Harvard of course stands out and will continue to do so as they keep bringing in stellar recruiting classes:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/03/SPF11MKER7.DTL

[amh63]

Whatever system RPI plays, I hope the players enjoy it.  Key will be checking out the coaches resumes.
Seems all conference teams won last night except for Hamilton.  Ironic in that as Hamilton starts its conference entrance in BB, they lose to Union who was once in the conference.  Writeup of the game states that Hamilton did out rebound the hosts.  It could be that since it was a tournament, Hamilton may not have the depth to play hard in back to back games.....welcome to the NESCAC!
Making travel plans to attend the Hamilton game at Amherst...my first live game in Amherst.  There will be an Alumni game on Sat. and it appears that a number of players from the championship team will participate.  My CT. "host/driver" may not want to attend the Alumni game so I may have to go over to New London and catch the Williams/Conn. game.  Promise to behave.
Old Guy....surprised that you thought the game was on Thurs.....since Midd would have a conference game the next day.

[walzy31]

*Ryan Sharry was unstoppable: 41 points (19-23 from the field), 9 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 assists.

He is the front runner for not only POTW, but POTY as well.

[walzy31]

Friday January 6th NESCAC Spreads

Tufts @ Williams
Williams -9.0
O/U: 147.5

Wesleyan @ Amherst
Amherst -13.0
O/U: 158.0

Conn College @ Trinity
Trinity -6.5
O/U: 135.5

Bowdoin @ Hamilton
Hamilton -4.0
O/U: 144.0

Bates @ Middlebury
Middlebury -17.5
O/U: 138.5

[nescac1]

Agreed on Sharry, Walzy -- heck, he may be the frontrunner nationally if Midd keeps at or near the top of the polls. 

My picks: Williams and under, Wesleyan and under, Trinity and over, Bowdoin and over, Middlebury and over.  I like Bowdoin as the best bet there. 

[amh63]

Checked out the coaches for RPI and the run and gun game doesn't appear in their DNA.  Forgot that their top assistant Halas last year is now at Amherst.  In truth, the roster of RPI had no chance against Sharry and the taller Midd. players.  A reference point is the RPI vs. Mass. College of Liberal Arts game in which the score was 98-96......little defense and shoot until you drop must be the style to fit the team's roster.
Will not make my selections of Walzy's spreads..... not in my make-up.  Did watch a little of the Bowdoin game on-line last night but it was like watching a game in slow motion.....no intensity by the Polar Bear players on defense.  The Tufts game was more interesting and had clearer streaming and the announcers were informative.  Other than the Amherst game, the Tufts game should be the most entertaining.  Seems I'm shorten Walzy's handle lately.  Sorry about that.

[Maine-Man]

Have to agree with amh63 on Bowdoin game.  It was pretty boring... Bowdoin won however, they were very mechanical and don't appear to be athletic.  Hamilton game will be a good test since, despite being 8-2, Polar Bears have yet to beat a team that has a wining record.

[7express]

Williams and under
Amherst and under
Trinity and over
Bowdoin and under
Middlebury and over

[amh63]

Like 7express's picks lately.  Whatever 7express orders, I will take the same.  Guess I can change a bit in the new year!

[jumboland]

Jumbos back from a long break. Worked out kinks  with  an ugly win against Gordon on Tuesday night. What did  PT Barnum do in a prior life to have his  issue be scheduled  the first weekend of every NESCAC season with Williams/Midd? Seeing better shot selection from young guards. Great first semester report cards all the way around, but  Team will need to snap back to gym rat mentality quickly as, other than Gordon, no games or practice for quite some time. Still have a good vibe about these guys going into regular season.