MBB: NESCAC

[amh63]

AmherstStudent05.....you got the video??  Amherst website and the Conferest website posted only stats.  Tried several times and even got a Wes site statement that there was no video.   Really strange experience all around for me.  NSN got me to the Wes site and Wes does not use NSN.  Seemed it was a last minute no video change down here in D.C. Where there are many strange things going on .

[AmherstStudent05]

AmherstStudent05.....you got the video??  Amherst website and the Conferest website posted only stats.  Tried several times and even got a Wes site statement that there was no video.   Really strange experience all around for me.  NSN got me to the Wes site and Wes does not use NSN.  Seemed it was a last minute no video change down here in D.C. Where there are many strange things going on .

I got it thru the Wes website.  It gave me an error message at first and continued to do so the first 20 or so times I hit refresh.  Late in the first half it finally started to work.  Trust me, you are better off for having missed this one.  At least following on live stats you could have let yourself imagine that most of our misses were just rimming out. 

[nescac24]

Interesting thought....Booyakasha.  The one wrt to a 12 th team....not Hamilton going back to a NY conf.  Hamilton was an original member of the CAC and their return was after some deliberation.  Travel, etc was considered in part.  The odd ball school is Conn College wrt sports...though this season they maybe returning to their glory years in BB...both women and men.
What school would you suggest for a 12th?   Union College?  That possibility has been discussed on another board!  Not likely as unlikely as a 10 game football season.

Amh63... Union was a charter member of NESCAC in 1971, but withdrew (or was asked to leave) in '77 when its hockey program began getting too big (and ran into its own set of growing pains). Its football program soon followed, although not at the same level but was a national D3 championship contender for the better part of 2 decades. Geographically and academically, Union would be a terrific fit, but Union still plays Division I men's and women's hockey, which is certainly a deal-beaker. (Union won the NCAA D1 Championship 2 years ago, beating Minnesota in the final). Skidmore and Vassar would seem like potential fits, although neither plays football and Vassar also does not play hockey. St. Lawrence and Clarkson might be other possibilities, but both, like Union play Division I hockey. Ditto RPI, which is also considering a move to D1 in all sports.

[GoWesYoungMan]

Well after losing by 28 Friday I could never have predicted a win tonight--much less a 27 point win. Some credit should go to both victors for their defense but as others have made clear these games were mostly about extraordinary offensive incompetence that happens very rarely, especially for Amherst. The game showed that Amherst is vulnerable on a bad shooting night, but I fully expect the Jeffs to bounce back this weekend.

For Wes it wasn't so much about how they showed in the stats, but more about showing up in general after a very disappointing start to the conference (and the really big difference in the games is that the first one counts in the NESCAC). The Cards could very easily have rolled over tonight but instead were ready to fight from the start, and when Amherst was obviously having a rough night Wes kept the throttle down and pulled away.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Isn't always funny how Amherst seems to win the game that counts in conference?

[P'bearfan]

Amherst shot just 20 percent from the field.  Remarkably, in a performance emblematic of Amherst's night, Johnny McCarthy finished with zero points on 0-14 shooting (0-8 from three).

I'm a big believer in regression to the mean, and given that both Bowdoin and Amherst shot poorly in their last games, this Friday's match-up could be a barn burner.

GoUBears!!

[OldCardinal]

If NESCAC were to add another school, it would be smart to think about what sports they have, in order to create an even number of schools per sport.  Looking at it that way, a school without football would be better.  Since Hamilton was added to league scheduling, many sports like soccer, FH, Basketball and others now have 11 teams which causes someone to have an open date each Saturday.  Going to 12 in those sports would be great, while staying at 10 in football.  My two cents.

[amh63]

Regression to the mean.....nice P'Bearfan.  Though I am not sold on it!  Do not think if I ever did.  Guess the Wes vs Amherst games were six sigma ones .

Old Cardinal....good sense!   Ten football schools is the key number, IMO.

[nescac1]

If NESCAC does expand, I think Vassar would be the perfect choice.  No football, so doesn't create an issue there, but competes in just about all the other NESCAC sports.  Academically, a perfect fit, would only enhance NESCAC's image as the home to top liberal arts colleges in the northeast (it's the best-ranked liberal arts college that could remotely be called a candidate).  Geographically, about as good a fit as you could ask for as well, very easy road trips for the Connecticut schools, Amherst, Williams, Hamilton, rough for the Maine schools but that is going to be an issue for almost any good candidate.  Should Vassar ever express an interest, I think NESCAC should jump all over it.  Could then create two six-team division for most sports, probably a north-south type deal (CBB, Williams, Middlebury, Hamilton, and then Tufts, Amherst, the CT schools, and Vassar).  Or, if don't want to break up the Little 3, could go CBB/Tufts/Midd/Hamilton and then the Little 3/Trinity/Conn/Vassar). 

[polbear73]

If NESCAC does expand, I think Vassar would be the perfect choice.  No football, so doesn't create an issue there, but competes in just about all the other NESCAC sports.  Academically, a perfect fit, would only enhance NESCAC's image as the home to top liberal arts colleges in the northeast (it's the best-ranked liberal arts college that could remotely be called a candidate).  Geographically, about as good a fit as you could ask for as well, very easy road trips for the Connecticut schools, Amherst, Williams, Hamilton, rough for the Maine schools but that is going to be an issue for almost any good candidate.  Should Vassar ever express an interest, I think NESCAC should jump all over it.  Could then create two six-team division for most sports, probably a north-south type deal (CBB, Williams, Middlebury, Hamilton, and then Tufts, Amherst, the CT schools, and Vassar).  Or, if don't want to break up the Little 3, could go CBB/Tufts/Midd/Hamilton and then the Little 3/Trinity/Conn/Vassar).

Vassar would be an ideal fit and nescac1 makes a compelling argument.  Giving it a little thought, adding a 12th, non football playing member would mitigate some of the issues often discussed on this board with respect to scheduling and travel partners and create options for yearly home and home basketball intra division basketball games, playing other conference members once each year.  In fact, it makes so much sense from every angle, that it probably won't happen, unfortunately. 

[JEFFFAN]

I am willing to take all criticism for this suggestion (!) but is there a chance that Hixon would have played that game last night differently if it had been a NESCAC game?   He never once tried to slow down McCarthy from shooting threes nor anyone else for that matter.  I am not suggesting in the least that he wasn't trying to win so please don't jump down my throat thinking that I had suggested that, but his apparent indifference to changing things up at all surprises me.

[AmherstStudent05]

I am willing to take all criticism for this suggestion (!) but is there a chance that Hixon would have played that game last night differently if it had been a NESCAC game?   He never once tried to slow down McCarthy from shooting threes nor anyone else for that matter.  I am not suggesting in the least that he wasn't trying to win so please don't jump down my throat thinking that I had suggested that, but his apparent indifference to changing things up at all surprises me.

JEFFFAN, I think this is a very valid point to raise.  I obviously can't speak for what Coach Hixon was thinking.  I know that watching the game live, I was fully counting on McCarthy, Racy, and Green shaking off the first half ugliness and being part of the solution for our second half comeback.  So, in my real time thinking, I had no problems with Coach Hixon leaving his starters out there.  I thought that lineup gave us the best chance of erasing the 13-point deficit, especially once Jayde went out early in the second half due to foul trouble.  Obviously, in hindsight, I wonder whether this was the wisest strategy, particularly since McCarthy especially wasn't just missing but was missing badly (a few of Green's misses were pretty bad as well).

Also, to respond to an earlier comment about Amherst's recent success in league games vs non-league games, I think that (fortunately!) Amherst's Little III record has been pretty strong overall in recent years.  And, to the extent there has been an easily identifiable variable to determine wins and losses, I suspect that home court advantage has played a larger role as opposed to the "league" games. 

[amh63]

Historically, Coach Hixon plays Little Three games the same whether they count towards the conference or not.  Why should he change...or any coach.  With respect to JEFFFAN's outside shoots vice drives concerns, several comments.  First, the present players play in an offensive systems built on their strengths.  Both PGs have developed an outside shot to complement their driving skills.  Second, Green, JMac will often go inside to score and rebound. Riopel likewise.  Amherst would like to have an inside game...George and now Conklin.  A good inside game opens up the outside game, etc.  In the close games with ECSU and CC, the inside game took awhile...may not in the Conn game.  In the Wes game on Monday, both George and Conklin were not efficient due to Wes.  All of Amherst players attempted drives and for the most part points were not made.  JMac missed both inside and outside shot....period.  Look carefully at the stats.  When a team only makes 20 percent of its shots.and the other team makes 40 percent, it is not hard to conclude which team will win.  Amherst lost because they were out rebounded, had less assists, steals, blocks etc.....not because of the Coach's strategy to an non conference game.
Not aware of any other reasons for solice, I look forward and take some comfort in the non conference aspect. 
My present concern is that there will be Two conference counting games in Maine..a tough road trip in possibly bad weather.  A Northeaster is predicted for Friday-Sat.  The opponents are tough away ones    in good weather!
Remember several seasons ago, the delayed arrival of a Middlebury team in bad weather.  Believe the trip down left the team weary and with little warm up time...even with the delay.  Forgot who won the game?  Think it was a non conference opponent.

[with age came?]

Relatively new poster (especially to this board) so I'm asking for knowledge....can anybody explain to me the Dr. Jeckyl /Mr. Hyde team of Middlebury??  Bad bad bad road losses and wonderful home wins?!!  Is that the answer or am I missing something? Know I could ask the Magicman but I think he gets sick of educating me all of the time???!!

[Old Guy]

Relatively new poster (especially to this board) so I'm asking for knowledge....can anybody explain to me the Dr. Jeckyl /Mr. Hyde team of Middlebury??  Bad bad bad road losses and wonderful home wins?!!  Is that the answer or am I missing something? Know I could ask the Magicman but I think he gets sick of educating me all of the time???!!

Three "bads"? Which were the bad, bad, bad, road losses? Conn College by a bucket? RPI by 2 pts? Skidmore by 5? Those very early games in Buffalo and Rochester?

Most of us view the 10 game pre-holiday schedule (eight games on the road!) as a killer, the silver lining being that it may have given the team some iron for their games after the break. A creampuff early schedule helps with rankings but not so much in the league.

My partisan perspective.