MBB: NESCAC

nescac1 · January 20, 2018, 04:48:36 PM

Midd hangs on to beat Williams 70-66. Midd dominated most of the second half and was up 68-50 very late in the game until the Ephs waged a FURIOUS comeback to cut it to two before Midd closed it out. Bobby Casey, who had been having an off day, scored eight points in about 30 seconds to I'm sure nearly give the Midd fans a heart attack. But it was not Williams' day -- too many missed makeable shots, a few really poor unforced turnovers in key situations, and too many second chance points for Midd. Midd played (for the most part) really strong defense today, they brought the intensity, and Williams needed to make the shots that were there, when they were there, and just couldn't sink enough to hang in during Midd's big run.

For Williams, Heskett led the way as usual with 19 points, but his minutes were limited by foul trouble and he couldn't quite get into his usual rhythm. Midd did a very good job on Karpowicz but also he missed some looks that usually go down for him -- still finished with 8 points, 10 boards, 2 steals and a block in 20 minutes, but limiting him to 4-11 is a huge victory for any team. Casey was very quiet until his crazy late-game explosion.

The bad news for the Ephs, besides the loss, is that Mike Greenman suffered what looked like a very bad injury late in the game. Judging by his reaction and that of his teammates, my guess is that it may to his surgically-repaired foot, which would be career-ending no doubt. Fingers crossed it was not as bad as it looks. Greenman was having a great game, with 11 points, 3 assists and 2 steals before he got hurt. If the Ephs are down two starters, that is gonna be really rough (Greenman's backup, Chris Galvin, was also unavailable today). But, I will say Williams played with the most passion and intensity I've seen all year in the last six minutes of that game. If they play with that sort of fire the rest of the year, they are gonna be a tough team to beat, even down a few key guys. I was also pleased by the offensive rebounding effort all game. Feinberg is still figuring things out, but I love the toughness and energy he brings on both ends. Just needs to add a bit of polish.

Kudos to Midd for a strong overall game. Dahlel and Leighton were particularly good for Midd and Jack Daly had a prototypical Daly game, controlling the action (mostly in a positive way, but the Ephs did hound him into 8 TOS) without much scoring. I hope these two teams play again, and hopefully next time it's Williams turn in what remains a terrific back-and-forth rivalry.

Cards Fan · January 20, 2018, 05:08:48 PM

A massacre at Silloway as Wesleyan takes down Conn 89-51.

I'm convinced that Austin Hutcherson is the second coming of Jack Mackey's record setting year. This kid does not miss threes. He has more than made up for the loss of Salim Green in the off-season. Jordan Bonner looked more dialed in today as well. 16 points. David Dixon, who is becoming a regular rotation player, has begun to become a rebounding factor for the cards, as well as some scoring!

This is irrelevant, but Trinity just held St. Joseph's to 30 points. I know this is a meaningless out of conference game, but I feel defense like that deserves a mention.

amh63 · January 20, 2018, 05:19:01 PM

It was an interesting MBB game in LeFrak this afternoon. Hamilton coming in 15-0 has never beaten Amherst in CAC history....and it was not going to happen today. At halftime, Amherst was leading 41-22. Hamilton who has a scoring average of 90 plus pts/gm was going to have a tough time to reach that avg. I turned to the WBB game in Clinton....and the halftime score was 41-23 Amherst...against a solid Hamilton team.
Amherst won 75-49 and held leads of 30 plus for most of the 2nd half. To say that Amherst's defense was stopping the Continentals would be correct. Amherst played almost everyone. JMac was outstanding...scored in double figures and pulled down 15 rebounds, etc, etc. Amherst dominated the boards...again and looking at the stats...had 20 TOS...ugh. It was a game that Amherst had a lot of fouls but in the end, it did not impact the game. Hamilton actually played a full court press to get more chances to score. Amherst did slow the game down with less than 2 minutes to go and a big lead. Only nEgative news was that TMac is lost for the season...ACL. Had surgery this week as he was on crutches today...not on Wednesday in Willytown.
Oh yes, the Ladies won their game at Hamilton.
See that Midd's win gives them the CAC lead. Amherst is still in the tourney race.

JEFFFAN · January 20, 2018, 06:25:41 PM

I don't know how to read the Amherst win today other than the Jeffs put things together simultaneously with Hamilton having its worse game of the year. I would like to read more into it than that but cannot at this point. Having said that, I am pleased with the progress of some of the younger players. It is a barbell team - a few very good seniors surrounded by raw freshmen and sophomores - and they are working at getting better. I was impressed with the rebound differential as the Jeffs were much stronger inside. The downside is - again - 20 plus turnovers, something that has affected the team negatively all year.

But we take the win and are happy for it!

amh63 · January 20, 2018, 07:25:25 PM

Another shocker, IMO, in the Nescac....Bates Beat Tufts!
Amherst has two games in Maine this upcoming weekend.....Both Trinity and now Tufts have found the Maine road trip very "bumpy".

Bucket · January 20, 2018, 08:02:59 PM

Quote from: amh63 on January 20, 2018, 07:25:25 PM
Another shocker, IMO, in the Nescac....Bates Beat Tufts!
Amherst has two games in Maine this upcoming weekend.....Both Trinity and now Tufts have found the Maine road trip very "bumpy".

Except Tufts lost to Bates in Medford!

Old Guy · January 20, 2018, 10:54:03 PM

Good win for Midd - wonderful atmosphere: 1000+ fans, good student turnout. There were contests in all the adjacent indoor venues in the athletics complex, all under one roof, connected to a central lobby: men's hoops, women's ice hockey (vs Bowdoin), a track meet in the new field house with 7 teams (including Williams), M/W squash against Franklin and Marshall, M/W swimming and diving vs Union. A carnival of sports, three ring circus, sports heaven (feel free to provide your own metaphor).

Two good hoop teams going at it. Middlebury played great, for 30 minutes — not so well at the beginning and at the end: one hoop in the last five minutes, a long pass and a breakaway layup by the big guy, McCord, that iced the game. Midd missed a couple of front ends of one-and-ones. I was annoyed at the game's end when many of the Midd fans could only talk about how we almost blew an 18 point second half lead: I said, "Who do you think we're playing — the Little Sisters of the Poor? Williams is really good. No surprise they came back." Still, too close for comfort.

Best moment of the game might have been a Folger block on Karpowicz at the rim in the first half. His corner three at the halftime buzzer to give Midd the lead also got an enormous reaction from the crowd. Daly assist, natch (he had 11). It was Folger's only three (1-6) but he had 8 rebounds and 4 blocks. Joey Leighton's play was crucial — he 's a shooter and went 7-10 with 2 threes (16 points). He's been getting more and more time and hit some really big shots today.

I hope Greenman is okay. He went down on a drive to the hoop when Daly swooped in, knocked the ball out of his hands, but fouled. Not much contact — looked like Greenman came down awkwardly on his ankle. He was helped off the floor. He was having a fine game, running the show for Williams: 29 minutes, 4-8 from the floor, 11 points.

I can't provide much game analysis as I was on Grandpa duty with 16 month old granddaughter for much of the game, and she did not want to sit and watch the game. Her complaints and wanderings kept me from getting too anxious. We moved around a lot, saw the game from many different angles and locations, even took a couple of breaks and watched the track.

Great day of sports!

polbear73 · January 21, 2018, 07:45:56 AM

Bowdoin, after leading by as many as 19 in the second half, beat a persistent Colby by 6 behind 29 points from emerging star sophomore David Reynolds. Turnovers continue to plague Bowdoin as they had 20 yesterday, many were caused by Colby's defense but many were also self-inflicted/ With Hamilton and Amherst coming to Morrell over the weekend, Bowdoin is going to have to clean this aspect of their game to be competitive. It should be noted that Freshman point guard Zavier Rucker continues to improve and was extremely solid against Colby.

amh63 · January 21, 2018, 10:22:52 AM

Bucket.....thanks for the correction! Even a more surprising win. Only saw the score on the D3 hoops listing. Now time for me to look at the Maine based opponents of Amherst. Guess Amherst and Hamilton are sort of "travel partners" this coming weekend.
Some random comments. Did check on the Midd vs Williams and my fat finger hit the wrong button and up comes a track picture on the screen. Was the Midd hosted track event mentioned by Old Guy. Nice venue.
"Little Sisters of the Poor" expression brought a smile. Wondered about the origin of the expression and connected it to the famous former all female "seven sisters" Colleges. Glancing over the WBB scores, the remaining members of those schools...Smith, Vassar, Mt. Holyoke, etc. fielding teams are having a bad year to date..."poor records". Old men like myself make such connections. There seems to be an area in the nearby unique Holyoke mountain range....east-west running range...that the men lacrosse team run through that is referred to as the Seven Sisters.
Best I go back to my chores now.

Old Guy · January 21, 2018, 02:49:57 PM

"Little Sisters of the Poor" is actually a Roman Catholic order https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Sisters_of_the_Poor

My college coach, he of the colorful language, would often sprinkle his speech with references to it when describing a particularly weak opponent (or more often in reference to our own play!). LSP probably does not deserve my irony.

Five of the Seven Sisters colleges still are all female: Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Smith, Mt Holyoke, Wellesley (the other two were Vassar and Radcliffe). For folks my age it is always a bit of an adjustment in perspective when we play against one of the formerly women's schools; for example, in our schedules at Middlebury, Skidmore and Conn College primarily. We used to play Colby-Sawyer in men's basketball, had some good games. I know Wheaton College (MA) has had some good men's teams (baseball) and Vassar's really good in men's soccer.

Dave 'd-mac' McHugh · January 21, 2018, 04:17:18 PM

By this point in most seasons, the usual names appear at the top of conferences races and conversations surround the usual suspects. Not the case this year. There are new names at the top, or in the mix, of conferences around the country.

That excitement is what is driving the 2017-18 season and makes any night in Division III must-watch.

On Sunday's episode of Hoopsville, Dave talks to some new face leading or in the mix in their respective conferences from four or the regions around the country. Can these teams keep their success through the end of the season or has the challenge just gotten that much more difficult as the second half of conference schedules begins.

There is also some Top 25 discussion to be had. Ryan Scott makes his weekly appearance in "Top 25 Double-take."

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio. You can watch the show LIVE starting at 7:00 p.m. ET right here: http://bit.ly/2DnzrgG.

A reminder that Sunday shows tend to focus on the Northeast, Atlantic, South, and Central regions primarily.

If you have questions, feel free to interact witht he show (information to the right) or send an email (hoopsville@d3hoops.com) and maybe have your question be featured on the Hoopsville Mailbag segment.

Guests include (in order of appearance):
- Rusty Rogers, Concordia-Chicago women's coach
- Adam Stockwell, No. 14 Hamilton men's coach
- Katie Pearson, Cabrini women's coach
- David Smith, Methodist men's coach
- Ryan Scott, "Top 25 Double-take"

You can also tune into the podcast(s) after the show has aired:
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087
and VERY Soon on Google Play (waiting for verification)

Don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com
Twitter: @d3hoopsville or #Hoopsville
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville
Email: hoopsville@d3hoops.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/d3hoopsville

amh63 · January 21, 2018, 05:38:36 PM

Thanks Old Guy for the info, etc.
See that Midd played and beat Pine Manor today. Remember when it was a women only JC. A group of freshmen friends got lost in a slight snowstorm on our way back from Durgan Park...the original restaurant in the wholesale market in Boston..with the "rude" waitresses. Decided to scout the Wellesley campus and ended up on the Pine Manor one.
Believe Radcliffe is now only a section of Harvard, really loosing it's identity when graduates got a Harvard diploma.....in English!, no less. Barnard got upset with Columbia when Columbia Un. allowed in women as undergraduates...now having to compete for students.
Guess, I am digressing to much into past.
May listen to Hoopsville tonight....mainly to hear Hamilton's Men's HC.
Midd's gift to Amherst in Baseball..the Head Baseball Coach just announced the hiring of two new assistants. Yes, it is the middle of Winter and I mention Spring Baseball. Sort of a thank you bit of info to Old Guy...a Baseball fanatic, me thinks.

Dave 'd-mac' McHugh · January 21, 2018, 05:39:57 PM

Quote from: amh63 on January 21, 2018, 05:38:36 PM
May listen to Hoopsville tonight....mainly to hear Hamilton's Men's HC.

You are welcome to listen to the show even if a NESCAC team isn't involved. We cover a lot of the sport and even I learn a few things (I actually learn something new every show).

P'bearfan · January 22, 2018, 08:26:50 AM

Quote from: polbear73 on January 21, 2018, 07:45:56 AM
Bowdoin, after leading by as many as 19 in the second half, beat a persistent Colby by 6 behind 29 points from emerging star sophomore David Reynolds. Turnovers continue to plague Bowdoin as they had 20 yesterday, many were caused by Colby's defense but many were also self-inflicted/ With Hamilton and Amherst coming to Morrell over the weekend, Bowdoin is going to have to clean this aspect of their game to be competitive. It should be noted that Freshman point guard Zavier Rucker continues to improve and was extremely solid against Colby.

Congrats to the Polar Bears! It looks like Coach Gilbride has tweaked the starting line up with Reynolds now starting. Don't know if that was due to injury or if it will be permanent. Hope the Polar Bears can keep up the good play.

amh63 · January 22, 2018, 03:35:16 PM

Warm weather in MD today....good news in a day of good news.
Some MBB comment.
First comment. Agreed with Cards Fan on the two Wesleyan players cited. First Dixon comes into the game and his first TWO shots made are from 3- point land! Has smooth low post moves to score inside. A 6'9" player with glasses that needs attention. The FY Guard...the thinly built 6'6" PG named Hutchison does have a court awareness. Left unguarded, he makes Long 3- point shots a d quick passes to his teammates. His play was impressive against an athletic J&W team. Got a feeling the Cards will float to the top of the Nescac come Tourny time.
Took a look at Colby and Bowdoin today wrt to key players and record. Saw about a half of the Colby whipping of a solid Trinity team in Maine. Trinity's HC is an interesting person to watch during a game...pacing along the sidelines with his head downward. When a timeout comes, he gathers his chalkboard and uses it to to illustrate direction to his players. Remember his first year at Trinity in a game in LeFrak. I was sitting among some relatives of the HC plus his wife ON the Amherst Fan side!
Anyway HC Cosgrove is a fine coach and hard to beat. In the Coby game, I watched, he was NOT pleased with his team's play. In brief, Amherst should be weary of Colby. Also with Bowdoin on their home court. Do not want to hear too many "Bang" shouted out by the colorful home announcer when Bowdoin players makes an outside shot.
The Nescac teams have "turned the corner". CAC Tourny spots are up for grabs it seems.