MBB: NESCAC

[jumpshot]

The Middlebury "Miracle" devours the Hamster. Payback for hixongate and other offenses ?

[polbear73]

Wow, great game by Middlebury.  Gives us fans from other schools some hope!  Congratulations on a well deserved championship!

[JEFFFAN]

Kudos to Middlebury. Terrific championship tournament and victory today. Midd did what others were either unwilling or unable to do, which was to exploit Amherst's serious defensive deficiencies inside. They just kept pounding the Jeffs inside and the boards. A well earned win.

[jumpshot]

By the way, note how the hamster's offensive percentages are inversely proportional to the amount of time the ball stays in the hands of perpetual drilling point guards (reducing the shot clock or elevating the number of turnovers), as the other players frequently force poor shots knowing they are likely to get few touches. Quickness has its advantage up to a limit ....

Coach Toomey was an exception, yet the Ephs finally designed a defense even for him at the end of his outstanding career ....

As mentioned yesterday, Panther Pride is real ....Congratulations to the Midd Nation!

[jumpshot]

oops .... "dribbling", not drilling ....

[Middfan]

Congratulations to the Panthers!  This team demonstrated that with hard work and belief in your teammates you can achieve so much more than anyone expects.  Credit to the coaching staff for developing roles for each player that fit his strength and improving their weaknesses.  And importantly, by this time of the year the rookies are no longer rookies.  Let's go Midd!

[JustAFan]

Congratulations to Middlebury on a pair of terrific performances this weekend. The Panthers deserved the title. The question now becomes whether the NESCAC will get 3 at large bids or will Tufts be left out in the cold (I do not think Amherst or Trinity have anything to worry about? I don't think the Jumbos will get the short straw, especially in a year like this when many of the other leagues in New England are a bit down, but the NEWMAC will be looking for 3 bids (champ Babson plus WPI and MIT, who beat WPI by 16 in the semis and lost to Babson by 12 in the finals) so you never know...

It may be a bit of a long shot, but I hope Middlebury get to host some games  in the tournament.

[Vandy74]

I've enjoyed some great basketball since returning to Middlebury 10 years ago.  I've never been prouder of any Middlebury team than I am of this one.  You gotta believe.

[grabtherim]

Exceptional back and forth game with many lead changes. Could have gone either way.  Midd hung in there and came up big down the stretch 5 years and one day after cutting the nets down at Williams.  Total team effort like Midd teams of recent vintage.  Much to be proud of for Panther faithful with a team which was all but written off when the NESCAC season began and well beyond that as well

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

So, two years in a row the NESCAC tournament won by a team who wouldn't have gotten in otherwise.  Four NESCAC teams again.

[amh63]

Just got back home and saw the score!  A little unhappy but Congrats to Middlebury!  Going t o the dance!  There should be 4 Nescac teams in the post season. 
Sorry Justafan...do not think the Newmac will get three teams, now that the Panthers gets the AQ.  Just my opinion though.
My sadness reduced a lot by the other "upset" today in the Nescac.....Amherst WBB team beat Tufts in Medford....by a point!  Wow!
Oops....forgot something AmherstStudent05 pointed out in an earlier post...foul shooting!!
Looking over the stats...if Amherst just shot a little better on the foul lane...a possible different outcome maybe.  Of course getting beat on the boards badly is not good .

[pinseeking1]

I expected to see some comments about that late "carry" call... To me it was obvious, so maybe even the Amherst folks agreed?

[JEFFFAN]

Watched the whole game and the refs called it just fine.   As I noted earlier, Midd took it inside on the Jeffs offensively and when they missed, pounded the boards.   No complaints whatsoever other than at losing!  Middlebury played a good game and deserved the title.

[Old Guy]

I expected to see some comments about that late "carry" call... To me it was obvious, so maybe even the Amherst folks agreed?

I think it was a good call, kind of a gutsy call, actually, at that point in the game. I was watching with three others, all serious hoop fans and former players, and two of us called out "carry" immediately. Hardly surprising, I realize.

Then again, 80% of the time we call out "travel" or "over the back" or some such, we don't see the call made.

I think most point guards today "carry" the ball (including Jake Brown) in their natural dribble, especially when they crossover. We were taught, years ago, to keep our dribble hand on top of the ball. As soon as it dropped down, we were called for "palming" the ball. I find myself often faulting refs for not calling the "carry." Times change.

It will be great if NESCAC gets four teams in NCAAs. It would be fitting in this year when the league was so competitive, top to bottom. Midd won the NESCAC tournament but lost to ConnCollege and Hamilton. Last year, Midd didn't qualify for the NESCAC tourney but defeated the two teams that played for the championship (Wes, Amherst). We'll know more tomorrow. Well-done, Panthers.

[Bucket]

Back from Hartford—thrilling weekend to say the least.

Such an intense and championship-worthy effort by both teams. Ten ties; 23 lead changes. Wow. It was like a heavyweight fight from back in the day, two terrific teams giving each other their best. Amherst sharpshooters bombing from three; Midd ferociously attacking the basket. Would have been a delight to watch as a neutral observer; as it was for most everyone in the gym, though, it was terrific basketball viewed through very emotional lenses.

Observations:

*With Trinity out, I wondered what the atmosphere would be like. Close to tip, it seemed like an evenly split crowd, but with the game revving, it sounded more like a pro-Middlebury side. I thought that might have just been because of where I was sitting, but when I spoke to a player after the game, he said it was just like playing at home. Kudos to all those who made the trip.

*Total team effort by the Panthers, everyone executing so well, playing so well together. Matt Daley having perhaps the best weekend of his career, going against the most athletic bigs in the league (Ajayi/Ogundeko and George). 16 points today on a near-perfect 7-8 from the floor, gliding to open spaces in the paint and always ready for pinpoint passes from the guards.

*Speaking of—they consistently found bigs inside and got to the tin, while also sticking keys shots. 22 (and 7 boards) for MSA; 9 pts, 9 assists (vs only 2 TOs) and 3 steals for Jake Brown. But the effort that epitomized how the Panthers played, collectively, all weekend was Jack Daly: 13 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals. Jack is listed as 6-3, which means he's probably 6-1 or 6-2, and he pulled down 12 boards—and 7 offensive rebounds!—against a much, much bigger Amherst squad.

*Zach Baines is no longer a freshman. His 12 points for Midd were huge: when he entered the game midway through the first half, Amherst had gone on their big run to go up 11. Some big buckets by Baines, and the emotional lift he appeared to give everyone on the floor, got the Panthers right back in it. And then there he was, on the floor in crunch time, calmly sinking a pair of free throws with :26 remaining to extend Midd's lead to three.

*So many weapons for Amherst. When one guy is having a subpar shooting game, as Johnny Mac had today, so many others are there to pick the team up: Connor Green (3-6 from 3); Jeff Racy (3-6 from three); and Riopel by the near-perfect long-range bomber today (4-5). But when Amherst had to have a three on the last two possessions, Midd did a great job extending and staying home, forcing McCarthy to attempt highly contested shots. Still, when the ball left his hands, I thought for sure it was finding the bottom of the net.

*George-and-Conklin are very efficient post players. If I was an Amherst fan, I would want to see them getting more touches. Only 8 shots between them (or as many as Jayde Dawson attempted). The problem might be that there's only one ball and so many good options; not a bad problem to have! And I make that comment of Dawson taking as many shots as the George/Conklin combo, yet all he did was sink half of them! So many weapons.

*I'll echo others in saying I thought the officiating was good. I've never seen a Roberto Marquez crew ref a bad game. Very gracious of JEFFFAN to say as much. Regarding the carrying call—yes a gutsy call at that point of the game, but a good one I thought. And from what I saw, the Amherst bench did not protest at all, which reinforces my belief that it was the right call and even makes me wonder if the officials had said something earlier in the game to McCarthy, a warning of sorts about palming the ball.

*Great seeing so many past Panthers in the stands supporting the program: Kizel, Jensen, Roberts, Churchill, Nasciemento. Past parents, too! I was wedged in between the Jensens and the Churchills, dear friends, while texting père Wolfin throughout.

*Jeff Brown has to be coach of the year, right? Two weeks after Midd drops regular-season contests to Amherst and Trinity, Coach Brown devises near-perfect game plans for the rematches; totally different games, not to mention outcomes. On the year (regular season and tournament), Middlebury beat all eight tourney teams (and one, Wesleyan, twice), while then capturing the NESCAC title.

*Well, he's coach of the year in my book, if for nothing other than his extreme graciousness in offering Little Bucket the chance to be the first to ascend the ladder and take a snip of the net. The nine-year-old, in his first campaign on the bench as a water boy after years of being the "biggest little fan," demurred. Later, he told me he was worried about going first and not knowing how to do it right. But before I could say anything he added, "But I'll know what to do next year. I'll go up the ladder then." I hope so, son.