MBB: NESCAC

[formerbant10]

Hayk has about 70% good games and 30% off nights.
Hopefully for F&M, Friday is a good game.
Salandra, the other forward, ended the season at about 65%.

I know Salandra, liked his game a lot in high school.  I like Amherst's chances if he's the #3 guy in scoring.

[Gabriel]

I watched Hayk twice a year for the past three years.  Against Ursinus this year he had four points in the first game and 6 in the second----hardly a factor.  He did not impress anyone in those two games.  Ursinus had some size and was physical with him.  He backed off and whined to the officials.  He is quick to the ball and will get  garbage baskets off loose balls under the basket if you don't bang him. Milligan is much more difficult.  He is a long 6'2", quick and smart.  Ursinus could not match up with him at all.

[amh63]

Back again....got to the Staten Island site rather quickly....must have had a senior moment in my last attempt.
I am taking the mature calm approach to this weekend's match up with F&M.  Let Coach Hixon work it out.
Let the F&M coach worry about how to match up with Amherst.  Amherst has the size, quickness and speed where it is needed.  Amherst's seniors will match F&M's seniors with experience.  My only question is on the defensive side. WCSU's DQ Brooks who can score on anybody was stopped.  Who was matched up with him?....or was he having an "ordinary night" shooting?
7Express...who was at the game...please give me some data.

[oftdip]

Miligan started out on Brooks but after 2 really silly fouls, the All-American sat for the rest of the 1st half and Matt Porter locked in... Brooks was just gunning all night and even the freshmen Morgan Lee kept Brooks down... F&M was openly physical with Brooks who flopped several times and begged for calls. F&M has been called out earlier in the year on their 'softness' but since late January not the case... Milligan took two more senseless fouls in the first two minutes of 2H and sat the next 9 minutes before re-emerging with 4 fouls...Porter and Lee took control again and Brooks was clearly off balance so he began passing and much more effective getting ball back out to the perimeter...
If F&M plays to their capacity, they are Final Four material... But if one of the major cogs gets loosened - Milligan or Hayk foul trouble plus low % outside shooting, Spring Break starts for the Dips... They are a pretty tight committed bunch of guys who don't want the season to end, especially after gift of hosting the Sectionals... Could be an epic D3 clash...

[trixiep]

Back again....got to the Staten Island site rather quickly....must have had a senior moment in my last attempt.
I am taking the mature calm approach to this weekend's match up with F&M.  Let Coach Hixon work it out.
Let the F&M coach worry about how to match up with Amherst.  Amherst has the size, quickness and speed where it is needed.  Amherst's seniors will match F&M's seniors with experience.  My only question is on the defensive side. WCSU's DQ Brooks who can score on anybody was stopped.  Who was matched up with him?....or was he having an "ordinary night" shooting?
7Express...who was at the game...please give me some data.

An organized defensive team can frustrate a slasher like Brooks.  He had only 11 against Midd in the Tourney last year.

[amh63]

Thanks to all you posters for providing me the answer on DQ Brooks here!  7express gave me the answer on the LEC board.

[Reserved Seat]

  Amherst has the size, quickness and speed where it is needed.  Amherst's seniors will match F&M's seniors with experience.

F&M only has one senior who plays.  Two juniors and two sophomores complete the starting line-up; the key subs off the bench include a junior, a sophomore, and a freshman.

[formerbant10]

They are a pretty tight committed bunch of guys who don't want the season to end

I'm sure that can be said for most of the 16 left

[7express]

They are a pretty tight committed bunch of guys who don't want the season to end

I'm sure that can be said for most of the 16 left

You can probably sub most for all.  Of the 16 teams that are left, I'd like to see a roster who wants their season to end.

[walzy31]

Hayk has about 70% good games and 30% off nights.
Hopefully for F&M, Friday is a good game.
Salandra, the other forward, ended the season at about 65%.

Which of the following juggernaut opponents were good games for Hayk and Salandra and which were bad games?

Neumann (isn't that a Seinfeld character?)
Lancaster Bible (books can play basketball now?)
McDaniel* (really good at the 2-3 press and making happy meals and shakes)
Gettysburg* (famous war location)
Swarthmore* (they have men's sports at Swarthmore, Smith and Mt. Holyoke now?)

*=played them twice

I'd like to see someone shoot 70% on Workman. I think James Wang did it once last year and that's about it.

Real fired up for this weekend!

[walzy31]

I respect the NESCAC and dislike Williams 12 months a year, but get feisty come March

[fritzdis]

Hayk has about 70% good games and 30% off nights.
Hopefully for F&M, Friday is a good game.
Salandra, the other forward, ended the season at about 65%.

Which of the following juggernaut opponents were good games for Hayk and Salandra and which were bad games?

Neumann (isn't that a Seinfeld character?)
Lancaster Bible (books can play basketball now?)
McDaniel* (really good at the 2-3 press and making happy meals and shakes)
Gettysburg* (famous war location)
Swarthmore* (they have men's sports at Swarthmore, Smith and Mt. Holyoke now?)

*=played them twice

I'd like to see someone shoot 70% on Workman. I think James Wang did it once last year and that's about it.

Real fired up for this weekend!

How about St. Mary's (Gyokchyan - 11/19, 22 pts), Misericordia (Salandra - 8/11, 18 pts), or Hobart (Gyokchyan - 11/17, 26 pts)?

Listen, there's no disputing that F&M's schedule wasn't loaded with quality opponents, with none at the level of Amherst, but they've responded to each challenge so far.  Now they face easily their biggest challenge, and I hope they can step up once again.  Should be a great game.

[nescac1]

NESCAC fans, support Will Hanley for the D-3 all-star game voting on the d3hoops front page, he certainly deserves to be included based on his four-year body of work in a conference that could end up sending five teams to the Final Four over three years (and I'm pretty confident, at least four). 

I like Amherst's chances in its bracket, although playing at F&M gives the Diplomats a chance.  Amherst has the size, strength, and depth inside to control F&M's inside game, which is actually a lot less tough than it was last season.  Milligan is the biggest issue for Amherst, who can be victimized by great back court athletes, if Amherst can keep him in check (and I do expect Workman will get the assignment, and handle it well assuming he stays out of foul trouble), I don't see how F&M takes that game.  Staten Island I know nothing about, although, given that they are from Staten Island, they must at least be tough .  They have a star named Bloochy Magloire, which is awesome, seem very small (but presumably quick), and will probably have no answer for MIT's inside game.  I think Amherst would be slightly favored over MIT on a neutral court, but only slightly, very evenly-matched teams on paper, both with star point guards, ace three point shooters at the two, and excellent size and skill up front.  Amherst would have the clear perimeter edge in that match-up, but MIT has more size and talent inside. 

Middlebury will win its bracket barring another team just getting super hot from deep (which can always happen, but tough vs. the Panthers defense), no one in that quartet has the interior size or talent to match up with Middlebury.  In fact I love how that whole side of the tourney is stacking up for the Panthers, who if they make Salem would be the first NESCAC team other than Amherst (aiming for trip number five) or Williams (six trips) to earn multiple Final Four trips (Conn College -- yes, for those new to NESCAC hoops, they were nasty once upon a time -- and Trinity are the others).  Whoever wins the Whitewater-VWU bracket, which is stacked, will probably be the big favorite in Salem. 

Nice video feature on future Eph Thoreson:

http://www.kxly.com/sports/Shining-Star-Post-Falls-Luke-Thoreson/-/100918/9221632/-/61ad0g/-/

[Reserved Seat]

waltz35, you read my comment wrong
I'd like to see someone shoot 70% on Workman. I think James Wang did it once last year and that's about it.

Hayk has about 70% good games and 30% off nights.
Hopefully for F&M, Friday is a good game.

Hayk has a good game 70% of the time, not that he shoots 70%

[ECSUalum]

Middlebury will win its bracket barring another team just getting super hot from deep (which can always happen, but tough vs. the Panthers defense), no one in that quartet has the interior size or talent to match up with Middlebury.  In fact I love how that whole side of the tourney is stacking up for the Panthers, who if they make Salem would be the first NESCAC team other than Amherst (aiming for trip number five) or Williams (six trips) to earn multiple Final Four trips (Conn College -- yes, for those new to NESCAC hoops, they were nasty once upon a time -- and Trinity are the others).

Boy, your one confident Middlebury fan!!! Hopefully not too confident