MBB: NESCAC

[madzillagd]

Unfortunately I think Bates has the best chance simply because the Ephs were down two starters last night and we don't know who will be available on Saturday.  The team settled down in the second half and found their groove with the 'new' line up so hopefully that carries over to Saturday.  Amherst is a lock for the semifinals.  I have a hard time believing Wes can beat Midd even though it was close last time. 

[Bucket]

Well, time to tug at your heartstrings again.

Forgive me if you feel that I am indulging in too much Bucket Family navel gazing, but  I thought Mrs. Bucket's observation of last night was too poignant and life-revealing not to share:

http://downsouthstreet.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/30t/

[lefrakenstein]

Not unreasonably one can debate whether or not Hixon's action is "bush league" - but the smart money asks "what absolute standard of conduct more elevated than 'bush league' should be mandated for coaches in the bushes?"

Man, I just got the chills thinking I was back in metaphysics 101.  Can someone please supply an english translation?

When Frank first got admitted to the d3hoops hall of fame, Pat posted on this board that, while there are no stated criteria for HOF membership, Frank would provide a model for others to emulate.

I think it would be hilarious if everyone's posts were like Frank's. Maybe Pat is onto something.

[nescac1]

Agree with Larry, 2/3.  Williams beat Bates pretty easily at Bates.  But Williams was playing its best ball during that portion of the season, and more importantly, was healthy.  If Wohl and Klemm both play, I think Williams just has too much collective size and offense for Bates.  With one out, I still like Williams but Bates is scrappy enough to pull an upset.  With both out, I'd call it a toss-up, because Bates could use its perimeter quickness to exploit the depleted Eph guard rotation.  So hard to predict right now.  I'll leave the spreads to the expert Walzy. 

Midd really got a tough draw in Wesleyan. We know from experience that Wesleyan can hang with Midd, and the Wesleyan seniors will be absolutely desparate not to be one-and-done in their last postseason, in hopes of redeeming a disappointing year. That being said, especially after last night's heartbreak, I expect Midd to come out very, very focused from the get-go, and to put the Cards out of their misery. 

As for Colby, frankly, it's an upset based on pre-season prognostication to even make the NESCAC tourney.  They won't beat Amherst this year, but Strahorn clearly has the program on an upwards trajectory and the post-season experience will be valuable.  In two more years, watch out! 

Bowdoin-Tufts will be very interesting.   Two teams that seem to be playing better at the right time, although Tufts has the deeper pool of talent, and is not a team that anyone (including Amherst) can look past. 

[amh63]

Wow grabtherim...you took metaphysics 101?
At a "CAC" school?

[Panthernation]

http://kenpom.com/blog/index.php/weblog/entry/yet_another_study_about_fouling_when_up_3

Another study from a really smart guy that says fouling may not be the way to go.

It would appear that I spoke too quickly and far too definitively regarding whether fouling up three is the right play or not. This study suggests that the decision to foul or not has little impact one way or the other, though the author notes that the fouling sample is still too small to be statistically significant. One point he made that struck me, however, was that intentionally fouling sometimes forces the team that fouled to successfully execute another possession. Here's his example of what happened in a Utah Valley — North Dakota game:

"This is one of the drawbacks of fouling that needs to be considered and introduces a much higher chance of the insta-loss.

As an example, take the game between the Utah Valley Wolverines and the North Dakota Fightin' North Dakotans on 1/20/11. NDFND was up 3 and chose to foul UVU late in the 3rd overtime. UVU made both free throws with three seconds left, and then NDFND had trouble inbounding the ball. They called a time-out. They didn't have any left. UVU made one of the two technicals to force a fourth OT. Now you might say that kind of mistake is preventable with enough practice, but it's equally true that mistakes happen, and mistakes (both by the players and the officials) need to be considered when implementing a strategy. I might say after NDFND's blunder, they were lucky to avoid the insta-loss since one of the technical free throws was missed. The possibility, though remote, of an extra possession makes a difference here. (The 11 OT cases after fouling are listed in Appendix B.)"

The reason why I found this particularly interesting was because if you'll recall, after Middlebury intentionally fouled Toomey with about five seconds left and he missed the first and then accidentally made the second free throw, the Panthers struggled to in-bound the basketball and were out of timeouts. Luckily Wolfin got free and got the ball, but this is an example of how the extra possession could make a difference.

I think the jury is still out on whether fouling or not is the right play, given the research that I've seen. Obviously every situation has its own unique variables to consider. In this specific situation, fouling seemed like the right thing to do, given that Workman had shot the ball so well from three, and Middlebury was scrambling back defensively and could have lost an open shooter in the shuffle. When the scenario occurs coming out of a timeout or even a dead ball, it might make more sense to play straight up, if you can matchup and ensure that you have good defensive positioning. Either way, however, teams that fouled in this study won the game in regulation 89% of the time (122/137) and Middlebury fell to the same play twice in the same season.

[LarryBasketball33]

Ladies and Gentleman: Here is a proud moment from your soon to be NESCAC Coach of the Year.  Now just in case you don't know it yet, this was the FIRST of two free throws in what you will note is a dead silent gym when the respected coach of the Lord Jeff's screams out "Box Out Guys." just as Jensen is about to shoot. Who is Hixon suggesting they box out on the 1st of 2 free throws, the ref?  The boos which follow prove that more than a few fans noticed this incredibly obvious bad sportsmanship from such fine leader of young men.  Hang in there to hear a lone female voice after Coach Hixon does his best to disrupt a 20 year old say: "That's why you will never be coach of the year".  Oh if she was right, but it says here she will not be.  If Willy's incredible play makes SportCenter, this clip should be a part of every coaching clinic from Los Angeles to New York on what not to do or say under similar circumstances. I read some say the comments today indicate that the posters do not know Dave Hixon or are jealous of his winning.  I dont want to know him and if winning is so important to act like this, it aint worth it.   
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BtggkunT2Lo#!

[pick and roll]

I am a proponent of fouling at the end, however, you need to have good foul shooters because as Panther Nation mentions your opponent doesn't get three but prolongs the game and creates opportunities for missed flu shots as happened or steals, offensive fouls, etc . 

Also to AMH63 refs did a good job overall considering the intensity - no complaints on this end even with our three guys fouled out; and BTW Kalema was falling and off balance as he drove so he was never even touched by Jensen and your alleged hit to the head on Toomey at the end of OT was clearly a flop. 

[jumpshot]

The YouTube video provided by Larrybasketball33 literally speaks for itself. Clearly an "out-of-bounds" tactic (as evidenced by the immediate crowd reaction) by an experienced coach who ought to know better. Unfortunately, it is proving to be a difficult time at Amherst on the playing fields and off. Perhaps the Lord Jeff nation should rebalance their primary stated objective by the athletic director of coaches winning national championships with the admirable competitive tone of Panther Pride.

[mainehoops]

As for Colby, frankly, it's an upset based on pre-season prognostication to even make the NESCAC tourney.  They won't beat Amherst this year, but Strahorn clearly has the program on an upwards trajectory and the post-season experience will be valuable.  In two more years, watch out! 

Completely agree Nescac!  Assuming Strahorn can build on what clearly is a very strong first recruiting class (and word is he has at least a couple solid players coming in next year) I see no reason why this team can't be a legitimate force down the road.  Granted 3 wins is 3 wins, but making the NESCAC tourney with 4 freshman as your leading scorers is no small feat and I'm glad to see Strahorn getting some well-deserved credit.  Anyone that has played for Strahorn when he was an assistant under Whit, or during his years at Columbia, has only the utmost respect for the type of person he is and I have no doubt he will continue to recruit well. 

Hoping for some tired Amherst legs come Saturday.  What a game that was... No matter the outcome, will be great experience for the young Mules. 

[lefrakenstein]

The YouTube video provided by Larrybasketball33 literally speaks for itself. Clearly an "out-of-bounds" tactic (as evidenced by the immediate crowd reaction) by an experienced coach who ought to know better. Unfortunately, it is proving to be a difficult time at Amherst on the playing fields and off. Perhaps the Lord Jeff nation should rebalance their primary stated objective by the athletic director of coaches winning national championships with the admirable competitive tone of Panther Pride.

How is it up there on that high horse? I'm sure there's never been a rape at Midd. I know it's no fun to lose a game like that, but thats an inappropriate dig.

[walzy31]

Alright, I'm done being nice on the chat pages.

It's funny to me that we are talking about respect and dignity. I used to like Middlebury basketball (up until about midnight last night) and what they have accomplished over the past six years. Going forward I will group them with Williams as basketball teams I love to root against (just like soccer).

I cannot wait until Amherst rolls through either the Ephs or Panthers for a 5th or 4th straight time in ten days.

The selective windows to compare team achievements has been entertaining: "What Brown and Maker have done in five years compared to Hixon in terms of Final Fours." I'm actually laughing. Nice endpoint selectiveness. The last two years have been fairly one-sided. Do Maker or Brown have any rings? Broadening out to 10 or 20 or 30 years is interesting too: four final fours, two elite 8s, and two national championship games while winning four NESCAC titles and a National Championship...all in the past 10 years. 700th win next season (that is, unless he gets fired for the most unsportsmanlike thing in the history of college basketball...yelling "box out" during triple overtime of a road game).

Thanks for giving our squad some more motivation that they didn't already need. Amherst has the best team in the conference and one of the best coaches in the history of division three basketball.

And I cannot WAIT to see Jensen shoot free throws in Lefrak in two weekends. I really can't. There will be at least one Amherst fan yelling Box Out each time he is shooting. Heck, I might do it for every shooter on Middlebury since I would rather play Williams and apparently fans can do this and it is completely fine.

What else other than sports can be a bonding experience when good, a commiserating experience when bad, and always has the potential to be polarizing no matter what. Gotta love it.

[formerbant10]

and BTW Kalema was falling and off balance as he drove so he was never even touched by Jensen

Why don't you check out David's mouth...I guess those 6 stitches were caused by him doing....

Jensen blocked the shot, then hit him in the mouth on the foul through.

Middlebury's replay ability allowed those watching on line to see it multiple times

[Panthernation]

Alright, I'm done being nice on the chat pages.

It's funny to me that we are talking about respect and dignity. I used to like Middlebury basketball (up until about midnight last night) and what they have accomplished over the past six years. Going forward I will group them with Williams as basketball teams I love to root against (just like soccer).

I cannot wait until Amherst rolls through either the Ephs or Panthers for a 5th or 4th straight time in ten days.

The selective windows to compare team achievements has been entertaining: "What Brown and Maker have done in five years compared to Hixon in terms of Final Fours." I'm actually laughing. Nice endpoint selectiveness. The last two years have been fairly one-sided. Do Maker or Brown have any rings? Broadening out to 10 or 20 or 30 years is interesting too: four final fours, two elite 8s, and two national championship games while winning four NESCAC titles and a National Championship...all in the past 10 years. 700th win next season (that is, unless he gets fired for the most unsportsmanlike thing in the history of college basketball...yelling "box out" during triple overtime of a road game).

Thanks for giving our squad some more motivation that they didn't already need. Amherst has the best team in the conference and one of the best coaches in the history of division three basketball.

And I cannot WAIT to see Jensen shoot free throws in Lefrak in two weekends. I really can't. There will be at least one Amherst fan yelling Box Out each time he is shooting. Heck, I might do it for every shooter on Middlebury since I would rather play Williams and apparently fans can do this and it is completely fine.

What else other than sports can be a bonding experience when good, a commiserating experience when bad, and always has the potential to be polarizing no matter what. Gotta love it.

Wait why is it "funny" that we are talking about respect and dignity? And why would anything about this discussion give you reason to stop liking Middlebury basketball? Nobody on the team said anything about it or reacted in any way at all, at any point, during or after the game. Neither did any coaches or any representatives of the team. They probably didn't notice or care. Isn't that what you want? So why take it out on them?

The only reason the last five years selectiveness was used was to respond to the accusation of jealousy. It wasn't to prove that Maker/Brown are better coaches with more accomplished records. Wasn't the context pretty clear? Jayhawk said the criticism was a result of jealousy, so Bucket explained why he isn't jealous since Middlebury also has a winning program and feels good about its coach.

Which brings us back to the point: it's worth discussing a coach yelling "box out" before a dead-ball free throw because it isn't very common and most people who have spent a lot of time around sports draw a similar distinction to that which has been expressed here, between conduct expected of coaches and fans. Nobody said it affected the game ("Did not effect the result. Never said that. In fact, I specifically mentioned that it did not effect the result." -Bucket), and it puts absolutely no tarnish on the win at all, as was made extremely clear from the start. Just don't see why the mere discussion of it seems objectionable to the point of being "done being nice on the chat pages."

And I can't imagine Amherst really gets motivated by a conversation on d3boards in which one action by their coach is questioned and heaping praise is piled on their play.

[walzy31]

You called a good game on the web last night. I hope Sha drops 40 on you and you extend a Pepin losing streak.

Workman's intentional miss video is on Deadspin and has 28,595 views in 11 hours.
http://deadspin.com/amherst-lord-jeffs/
Maybe someone should have told Wolfin to...box out

I have an issue with Midd fans having anything to discuss other than an amazingly well-played basketball last night. Personal attacks on people whom I respect are only going to ignite a competitive loyalty in me that is not willing to reason with anyone supporting the other side.