MBB: NESCAC

[pick and roll]

Love to see the WIlliams guys questioning the refereeing in a Midd v Wes game - it has already started and we have two more weeks before the two teams meet should be fun and loud out in Williamstown.

[frank uible]

If Williams takes care of business, it needn't worry about the Midd-Wes game. If it doesn't, it will receive its just deserts.

[Bucket]

I'm all for letting players deciding the game but when you ride a guy to the floor I think you have to call the foul. Disappointing it ended that way. Sha didn't do anything wrong and he gets penalized for getting the mismatch he was looking for.

From my vantage point—watching in person, court side, at the scorer's table—Nolan Thompson did not ride Sha Brown to the ground. Sha slipped trying to make a move (a lucky slip, nescac1? perhaps). Maybe it looked differently on the internet feed.

Officiating was indeed sketchy, but consistently sketchy each way. No advantage either way. (21 fouls a piece)

The officiating did not mar a very well-played game by both sides. Stunning to see that both teams shot nearly 50 percent from the floor, as the defense intensity  was at a very high level on both ends of the floor, and both squads had to work very hard for the points they got.

Callaghan was a stud for the Cards: 21 points, 5-8 from the field, 2-3 from three, 9-11 from the line. And he had to work for it. Jensen played him very tough. Brown was clutch at the end, but had to shoot the ball 17 times to get his 20 pts.

Tight first half, a Wolfin 3 from close to mid court sent the Panthers into the locker room with the lead. (Luck? Perhaps. Or maybe Wolfin is tired of being known as the Assist King?)

Midd slowly stretched the lead to as much as 13 with 5 minutes or so to play when Wes started to chip away. A clutch Callaghan 3 brought the Cards to within 2 with just under 2:00 to play. Kizel free throws and another Callaghan jumper kept the margin at 2, when the Panthers spread the floor and Nolan Thompson (18 pts) goes iso and scores on a terrific drive. Midd up 4, :19 left. Sha drives, gets fouled. Knocks down both. Wolfin fouled on the inbounds. Makes 1 of 2. Three point game.

Brown is fouled as he pushes the ball up the court with :03 left. Makes the first. Intentionally misses the second. Ball comes hard off the front iron, Sha darts in quickly for his own rebound. Teardrop at the buzzer sends the game to OT.

OT: Callaghan opens with a three point play. Momentum big time for Cards. Swayed right back to Midd, as Thompson gets his own old-fashioned three point play. Wes would not lead again.

Cards had a chance to win at the end. Thompson hounding Sha. But no ride to the ground. That I'm positive of. Just an unfortunate slip by Sha as he tried to shake Nolan.

Joey Kizel was again terrific: 19 pts, 7 boards, 3 assists. Lynch effective (12 and 6) against the Card bigs. Thompson just another tremendous defensive game and clutch play to go with his 18. Wolfin added 11 and 4 more assists.

Midd gets some nice contributions from players (Nascimento, a couple of big 3s; Churchill, valuable interior presence) who haven't seen a lot of time this year but will now play important roles due to the injuries to Brierley, Bulluck, and Sinnickson.

Lucky, good, combination of the two? Who knows. And, frankly, I don't think any Midd fan cares. Proud of our boys.   

[lumbercat]

Wow- if Im reading the Middlebury-Wesleyan play by play correctly it looks like Sha Brown gets fouled with 3 seconds left with the Cards losing by three. He goes to the line....makes the first free throw and then pulls off the basketball "hail mary"....he misses the second free throw intentionally, gets his own rebound and makes the shot to send it to OT!

I didnt see the game so maybe someone who saw the game can confirm- I'm just reading the play by play.

Russ Reilly would have had 3 guys boxing Brown out !

Also didn't realize the game was at Middlebury.....Middlebury is a fine team with great balance but they seem to be playing close to the edge with some 'lower level' teams sweating them bigtime recently. Southe of the maple sugar border the Purple squads seem to be coasting for the most part with the exception of Hamiltons run at the Jeffs last night. Upcoming Purple-Panther matchups will be most telling.

Winning close games can make a team stronger but can also be an indicator that said team my be overated and these 'seat squimers', to coin a Johnny Most expression, can take a toll on a team througout the season.....

Help me out on this one, do the Snow Panthers don't make use of their bench???

[Middfan]

Two points re: Midd v Wes

Sha Brown took over the game (withhis play and his smarts), but he wasn't fouled at the end.  He slipped because the move he had to make to shake Thompson needed to be so severe.  He actually did the same thing earlier in the game and really should have been called for a travel.

Midd overated?  Possibly, probably.  But it is their fate for continuing to win.  (What else should they do?)  I can assure you, no one in the Champlain Valley is pumping out their chest.  It, again, looks to be a 3 team race with D3 rankings being ultimately meaningless. 

[Bucket]

Wow- if Im reading the Middlebury-Wesleyan play by play correctly it looks like Sha Brown gets fouled with 3 seconds left with the Cards losing by three. He goes to the line....makes the first free throw and then pulls off the basketball "hail mary"....he misses the second free throw intentionally, gets his own rebound and makes the shot to send it to OT!

I didnt see the game so maybe someone who saw the game can confirm- I'm just reading the play by play.

Russ Reilly would have had 3 guys boxing Brown out !

Also didn't realize the game was at Middlebury.....Middlebury is a fine team with great balance but they seem to be playing close to the edge with some 'lower level' teams sweating them bigtime recently. Southe of the maple sugar border the Purple squads seem to be coasting for the most part with the exception of Hamiltons run at the Jeffs last night. Upcoming Purple-Panther matchups will be most telling.

Winning close games can make a team stronger but can also be an indicator that said team my be overated and these 'seat squimers', to coin a Johnny Most expression, can take a toll on a team througout the season.....

Help me out on this one, do the Snow Panthers don't make use of their bench???

Yes, that's what happened with Sha Brown at the line.

I'm not sure Tufts and Wes are lower level teams. I see both of those teams running the table against teams not named Amherst or Williams.

Midd gets great contributions from the bench. Hunter Merryman averages about 14 ppg. James Jensen is a defensive spark, strong on the boards. Nate Bulluck and Dean Brierley were getting significant minutes in the back court, before potential season-ending injuries to both last night. Dylan Sinnickson was set up to be the 6th man before he broke his arm pre-season; he's yet to play.

Here's the thing about Midd—the Panthers have always played close conference games, even during their stellar run during the past 5,6 years. But during the past 5 years, Middlebury is 41-0 against NESCAC opponents not named Williams and Amherst. (And against those teams, Middlebury is 8-6)

Now, I'm not saying Middlebury is as good or better than Williams (or Amherst) this year. Time will tell when those games are played. But it just seems that every year we are saying, Midd isn't as good as their record. They're playing close games. Williams (or Amherst) is blowing out the same teams.

Yet 8-6 again Williams and Amherst, and 41-0 against all of the other NESCAC teams. Might credit where credit is due be in order?

[amh63]

Lumbercat...what you read happened and more.....most entertaining game for a sideliner like me.  Read Bucket's fine writeup and mine earlier take, if needed.
Bucket....nice post of the game and ending.  Is Old Guy.....ok?....recovering....looked for him on the video feed.  Want to point out that S. Brown only scored 2 points in the first half before he exploded and that Callaghan was saddled with four fouls before he started to hit everything.  One could also state that Wes. did not help their cause for an upset bid on the road with their foul shooting.  G. Thomas missed too many critical foul shots....for an experienced player.
Luck, momentum swings, whatever....it never surprises me in these games when suddenly a player who cannot hit a basket early...suddenly cannot seem to miss a shot late in a game.....when a fine passer makes a ill advised pass to "nobody".  It is why one has to play the games and not just pick and chose winners based on past performance or paper talent...so to speak.  It is also fun to watch such games even when you have some "stake" in them, a favorite.  Did that for years in ACC tourney games following the local Terps, live and on TV and even on the radio.  Remember coming back from Salem VA. and listening to the ACC games on the car radio when U.of Md. gets to go to the NCAA by winning the tournament!

[nescac1]

OK, Midd fans a BIT touchy here.  I said they've been winning with a combination of grit, clutch play, and good fortune.  I stand by that.  When you win two of your last three games when the other team has the ball with a chance to win in the last possession, and in one game misses the shot, and the next "slips," that would, I'd say, be considered fortunate -- but also clutch!

A few other points.  First, it wasn't Thompson, but Merryman, who bumped Sha.  Sha may have been slipping already, I'm not sure, but Merryman definitely was moving, and definitely knocked into him, they showed the play twice up close on the video and there was no doubt it could have been called a foul.  Now, again, it was a 50-50 call.  But somehow Wesleyan got called for a foul when a Wesleyan player and Nolan Thompson were both fighting for a 50-50 rebound, and if you call a foul there, you have to call the foul on Merryman.  Two close calls, both went Midd's way, down the stretch. 

Now, Midd's amazing record speaks for itself.  They are consistently a gritty, clutch, well-coached, excellent defensive team.  I've said that before, and I'll continue to say that.  They almost never seem to have a let down, and when they do, they quickly get together and recover during the course of the game.  You have to bring your A game to have a chance against them.  I also think all those close wins are reflected a bit in Midd's (other than one year) struggles in the NCAA tourney during its amazing run of regular-season excellence.  In the NCAAs, EVERY team brings its A-game and top intensity level every single night (typically).  So Midd's advantage in that regard is negated.  But during the grind of the season, for four years running now, Midd never has a let down, and never looks past an opponent.  That is incredible and a testament to Coach Brown and the players he recruits.  I think right now Williams is better, but do I think the Williams-Midd game will be close to a toss-up?  Absolutely. 

As for this year, yes, I do think Midd is overrated in the polls.  I don't think Williams is a top-three team nationally right now, and at least right now, Williams is clearly playing substantially better than Midd.  A top-three team would not let games vs. Bates, Tufts ANY Wesleyan all go down to the last possession.  And I do think that Midd has played a ridiculously weak schedule this season.  And yes, they've beaten all the teams in their path, and that ain't nothing.  But looking at, for example, Williams' non-NESCAC schedule, I'd argue that the Ephs will play SEVEN non-conference opponents better than ANY non-conference opponent Midd has or will played: the non-conference Wesleyan and Amherst games, Luther (which is a really good team), Springfield, Salem State, Curry (that is the only one may be arguable) and Stevens.  And this is not one of the tougher Williams schedules I've seen.  I just think that Midd should try to schedule a FEW more games against the better programs in the region, rather than the parade of weak teams they've scheduled this year. 

[trixiep]

OK, Midd fans a BIT touchy here.  I said they've been winning with a combination of grit, clutch play, and good fortune.  I stand by that.  When you win two of your last three games when the other team has the ball with a chance to win in the last possession, and in one game misses the shot, and the next "slips," that would, I'd say, be considered fortunate -- but also clutch!

A few other points.  First, it wasn't Thompson, but Merryman, who bumped Sha.  Sha may have been slipping already, I'm not sure, but Merryman definitely was moving, and definitely knocked into him, they showed the play twice up close on the video and there was no doubt it could have been called a foul.  Now, again, it was a 50-50 call.  But somehow Wesleyan got called for a foul when a Wesleyan player and Nolan Thompson were both fighting for a 50-50 rebound, and if you call a foul there, you have to call the foul on Merryman.  Two close calls, both went Midd's way, down the stretch. 

Now, Midd's amazing record speaks for itself.  They are consistently a gritty, clutch, well-coached, excellent defensive team.  I've said that before, and I'll continue to say that.  They almost never seem to have a let down, and when they do, they quickly get together and recover during the course of the game.  You have to bring your A game to have a chance against them.  I also think all those close wins are reflected a bit in Midd's (other than one year) struggles in the NCAA tourney during its amazing run of regular-season excellence.  In the NCAAs, EVERY team brings its A-game and top intensity level every single night (typically).  So Midd's advantage in that regard is negated.  But during the grind of the season, for four years running now, Midd never has a let down, and never looks past an opponent.  That is incredible and a testament to Coach Brown and the players he recruits.  I think right now Williams is better, but do I think the Williams-Midd game will be close to a toss-up?  Absolutely. 

As for this year, yes, I do think Midd is overrated in the polls.  I don't think Williams is a top-three team nationally right now, and at least right now, Williams is clearly playing substantially better than Midd.  A top-three team would not let games vs. Bates, Tufts ANY Wesleyan all go down to the last possession.  And I do think that Midd has played a ridiculously weak schedule this season.  And yes, they've beaten all the teams in their path, and that ain't nothing.  But looking at, for example, Williams' non-NESCAC schedule, I'd argue that the Ephs will play SEVEN non-conference opponents better than ANY non-conference opponent Midd has or will played: the non-conference Wesleyan and Amherst games, Luther (which is a really good team), Springfield, Salem State, Curry (that is the only one may be arguable) and Stevens.  And this is not one of the tougher Williams schedules I've seen.  I just think that Midd should try to schedule a FEW more games against the better programs in the region, rather than the parade of weak teams they've scheduled this year.

[Old Guy]

Great game today. So exciting. Well-played, two good teams. The gym was packed 700-800 fans. Great atmosphere: everyone standing for the whole overtime. Bedlam. I can't disagree with anything NESCAC1 says, but you know, who cares . . . what a fabulous game today. I'll take it and treasure it.

Alumni hoop weekend at Midd today. Great players from the recent past here for the alum game this a.m. : Aaron Smith, Andrew Locke, Andrew Harris, Mike Walsh, Tim Edwards, many others, ancient (my era) and modern. Wonderful warm reception after the Wes tightrope walk: parents, players, alums. We don't go back five or six decades of dominance like the Ephs. I love it. I don't know (or particularly care) if the Panthers deserve their #3 national ranking: a good thing is happening in Midd hoop.

It never crossed my mind that Shasha was fouled. Could be. I only saw it once, in real time. Looked like good D to me by Nolan Thompson. Shasha was simply terrific. We're up by ten and Reilly says, in effect, "Shasha get us back in this game" - and he takes over: long threes, dashes to the hoop, foul shots - perfect from the line, automatic. We had the game won and he executes the intentional free throw miss and tying hoop with a couple seconds left. Tremendous individual play. Shasha is a great player and he proved it today in our gym.

Tough weekend for the Cardinals - a close loss in Ephtown and a cliffhanger in VT. They belong. Who wants them in the tourney? Experienced, lightning fast, long-distance shooting in the backcourt, big, strong young studs up front, Callaghan playing effectively inside and out. They are devastated by these losses his weekend, of course, but they have to know they're as good as these two teams that they gave all they could handle in their home court.

I really don't want to play the strength-of-schedule game much further. I grant the Midd schedule's deficiencies this year. But I would ask NESCAC1, who would you have us play? We play the in-state teams (acknowledged as weak) and then the best teams that will play us in the region: upstate NY - Plattsburgh, Skidmore, RPI. The fact is from year to year, over time, our schedule is hardly weaker than Williams non-league schedule. We play Keane State at the end of the month - they beat us last year by one point in their gym. We're not in the vaunted "Little Three" or the Maine State Series - don't have natural rivals (Norwich dropped us; St Michael's and UVM won't play us). Would Williams and Amherst play us in a non-league game? We used to play the Ephs twice. I don't claim we're better than Williams and Amherst, but the Jeffs didn't exactly blow out the Continentals (7-8, 0-3) and the Ephs slipped by Wes.

Bottom line: great game today at Middlebury. Two good teams playing their hearts out.

My wife and in-laws watched the game on TV, thanks to the technology which allows a connection from the computer to the wide-screen TV. Is this heaven or what: NESCAC hoop on TV! No question in my mind: I would watch any NESCAC basketball game before I'd turn in Duke and UNC, or any other national game. Brave new world.

Bates, my other passionate interest, lost by one to Bowdoin in OT today in Brunswick. How about an account of that game? 

[frank uible]

Can we all agree that we will sit tight quietly until the schedules are complete (which will occur shortly) and then abide by what the completed schedules tell us on their faces? No? I was afraid we couldn't.

[madzillagd]

This is the Discussion Board.  I think SCOREBOARD is what you are looking for Frank.  There you can stare at the scores with zero discussion just the way you like it.

To my earlier comment, I don't think Nolan fouled him at all.  It looked to me live and on the 2 or 3 replays they showed on the feed that after the switch was made away from Nolan, the 2nd defender (sorry don't know his name)  had his hands high in the air but then he used his body to bump Sha off course and eventually to the ground.  Maybe he slipped after the contact but there was definitely some contact there that helped him on his way I think.

No biggie, not going to make much difference either way I don't think.  This is going to come down to the Amherst/Midd/Williams showdown that we all expected I think. 

[lumbercat]

Old Guy-
Glad it went well for the Panthers again today with a thrilling victory.
In terms of the Bates-Bowdoin game we were not offered a quality video such as the one you enjoyed today or any coverage for that matter. I hooked up to the Bowdoin website to find disappointment. The Polar Bears offered no video or even live stats....I guess the video resources went to the Bowdoin-Trinity hockey game.
My inference is that is that it was a classic Bates- Bowdoin game that came down to the wire. In looking at the play by play account it looks like Bowdoin guard Hurley hit a ten footer in the final seconds of OT to win it for the Balck and White following a Bates comeback to force OT. Bates G Mattarazzo's chance to win it in regulation went "in and out" in the final seconds in the words of the late Johnny Most.

[frank uible]

madzillagd: Is that right? I must have taken a wrong turn at the intersection of Opinion and Information.

[nescac1]

Nice article on future NESCAC rivals Duncan Robinson and Harry Rafferty, both of whom should make impacts as frosh next year.  I believe that Duncan Reid, also mentioned in this article, will be attending Wesleyan with Rafferty. 

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20130113-SPORTS-301130334