MBB: NESCAC

[toad22]

It is fair to say that there is no love lost between Williams and Wesleyan. It should be an intense, hard fought game at Middletown. A huge advantage that Williams has this year is that so many of their best players are upperclassmen, and Wesleyan is very young. That alone doesn't preclude the Cardinals from blowing the Ephs out, but it does improve the odds for Williams.

[Bucket]

DeLorenzo is very easy to root for. Very unassuming but talented. Great to see him aggressive and comfortable.
This was not a one game cameo. This was a product of hard work & patience that he can build on.

Keith Brown posting up Farrell for most of the game was a winner for the Panthers.
Trade 3s for 2s all day with the Gull's best 3 point shooter.
Perry provides an answer on defense to taller stronger guards posting up Farrell & Bosco.

One more note on Gulls. No cheap 3s at all. Several 27-29 footers had Coach Brown perplexed.

Spot on in your assessment of Perry. The fact that he was the first guard off the bench—not Bosco or Leighton, both of whom lit up the scoreboard in the previous two games—tells you that Perry has been standing out in practices, as well. Very happy for him to have performed so well against a very good opponent. Midd's guard depth is the team's differentiating strength, in my opinion. Kornaker and Ferrell are a two-headed monster when on the floor together, affecting pace, defensive intensity, and providing multiple points of attack on offense. And then each guard off the bench (Bosco, Leighton, DeLorenzo) brings something slightly different to the table. And with such depth, when one is off (as Leighton was against Endicott), Coach Brown has other valuable options.

Filling in a few more gaps in the recap of Endicott game: I'm tempted to give MVP of the game to Kornaker. He's shooting with such confidence—7-10 from the field, 4-6 from deep against the Gulls—and it seemed that every 3 he nailed was at a critical moment, stopping a Gulls run, extending a Midd run. And he brings an intensity and exuberance that reminds me of St Amour, when The Saint got going. So, Griff would have been my MVP against the Gulls had Folger not gone Beast Mode midway through the second half. He finished the game with 26 and 15, with a couple of blocks and 3 assists. Most of his highly efficient (11-16) offensive output was in the second half, at the same time that he was shutting down Endicott's terrific forward Matt McDevitt. Folger held the lengthy sharpshooter to five second-half points (2-7 and 1-5 from three), just one half removed from McDevitt dropping NBA-range 3s with ease (6-9 from behind the arc in the first stanza).

Also a quick shoutout to Max Bosco—he should be a factor in every game this year. He's stronger and playing with so much more confidence as a sophomore. He came to Midd with a reputation as a spot-up shooter, and while there were glimpses of that last year, there was not consistency. In a small sample size, not only is he knocking down the spot-up three, but he's shown that he can create his own shot and score off the dribble (and he did so as adeptly against a solid team like Endicott as against the earlier weaker opponents). He also sees the floor so well—perhaps the best of all of the guards—and will find ways to get the ball in the hands of teammates even (especially) when there appears no earthly way to do so. 

Finally, as good as Endicott is right now—and I think they are very good—the future is even brighter for the Gulls. Keith Brown—who scored his 1,000th point against Midd—is a junior. McDevitt is a sophomore. And the aforementioned (in an earlier post) Kyle Henderson is a freshman. And I think he's the best of the three. If he gets a little bit stronger—a necessity if he is to match-up on D with bigger guards—I wouldn't be surprised to see him receive multiple All-American honors. 

[JEFFFAN]

It's the end of November and declarative statements about March are already being made?  Can you pick stocks for my portfolio PLEASE based on your clairvoyance!

Do you disagree with those teams?

To be fair ... it was two years ago when people were predicting Amherst was going to make another run to the final four ... thanks in part to a thrilling victory, in overtime and at home, against Babson.

Amherst was 10-8 after that ... lost four of their last five including backdooring their way into the NCAA tournament and losing in the first round.

While I agree that Williams and Hamilton are certainly pretty good teams and most eyes are on them this season, there is still a LOT of basketball to be played.

BTW Tufts and Middlebury won the regular season two years ago...

And somehow the Jeffs won the NESCAC regular season last year!

[amh63]

Right on JEFFFAN! 
Like your style....plus K

[Mountain Man]

Just to add to the comments on Middlebury guards.  Jack Farrell had a growth spurt this summer on both planes. Two inches in height and width from a summer of working out. Keith Brown may have posted Farrell but Jack held his own and did get some stops that way.

I really like the combination of Farrell, Kornaker & Leighton or Bosco. The court is spread out more. It can be in anyone's hands. Don't underestimate the dribble drive penetrations of Farrell & Kornaker. Floor was wide open all day due to unpredictability.

How easy is it for a cerebral team like MIT to shut down Panthers when you know ball will be in Daly's hands for 25 of 30 second shot clock

Swarthmore coach (Top 10-D3) shut down Panthers in their own gym last year because of the predictability.

[maineman]

From all the positives coming out of the Middlebury-Endicott game, one cause for concern was the free throw shooting.  They only hit 50% from the line which included some key front ends of one-on-ones when the score was see-sawing back and forth.  Had the Panthers lost, that would have been the culprit.  Foul shooting had been a strong suit during the first two games of the season and it will have to move back in that direction if Midd expects to be competitive with upper echelon teams.

[toad22]

I am remiss in not mentioning that Bobby Casey hit his 1,000th point against MCLA. Congratulations to Bobby! Kyle Scadlock and James Heskett are close behind. It is a very rare thing to have three prodigious scorers in the same class. They represent a very formidable offensive force for the Ephs. I don't think the Ephs have even scratched the surface of their potential this year.

[Mountain Man]

From all the positives coming out of the Middlebury-Endicott game, one cause for concern was the free throw shooting.  They only hit 50% from the line which included some key front ends of one-on-ones when the score was see-sawing back and forth.  Had the Panthers lost, that would have been the culprit.  Foul shooting had been a strong suit during the first two games of the season and it will have to move back in that direction if Midd expects to be competitive with upper echelon teams.

Since I was sitting in the third row. Let's parse for accuracy. The one and one misses were at the VERY END of the game

2nd Half  Dahleh goes 2 for 2 & Folger 1 for 1 from line in 20-4 run that takes Panthers from down 73-70 to up 90-77 with 5 mins to go

Keith Brown hits 3 pointer to make score 101-96 with 1 minute to go Farrell and Kornaker miss 1 and 1's in last minute  Final 101-96.
Middlebury was 3 for 5 on fouls shots in 2nd half.

Better comment would have been that Middlebury needs their bigs to stay out of foul trouble because big drop off after Folger, McCord & Sobel (his emergence is KEY to any success this season)

One good win for Middlebury can be erased by one bad loss for Middlebury say next Saturday at home against Keene State

[nescac1]

As predicted Williams, Hamilton and Midd move up to 2, 3, and 12 in this week's top 25.  Williams and Hamilton in particular will have big targets on their backs .... a big game looms next week for Midd vs Plattsburgh, ranked one spot behind them. 

https://www.d3hoops.com/top25/men/2018-19/week1

Amherst sits at 30 and will likely crack the top 25 in a week or so if they don't pick up any losses in the interim.

The top 18 is dominated by power conferences (three each from WIAC, Nescac and CCIW) and programs. 

[Mountain Man]

As predicted Williams, Hamilton and Midd move up to 2, 3, and 12 in this week's top 25.  Williams and Hamilton in particular will have big targets on their backs .... a big game looms next week for Midd vs Plattsburgh, ranked one spot behind them. 

Great job on NESCAC Top 25 pulse.  Fun year ahead. Williams & Hamilton set the pace. Can Midd & Amherst develop enough to reach their level. Who is the wild card team??  Wesleyan has the next best group of talent followed by Bowdoin, Trinity

Not sold on Plattsburgh State. I do enjoy the Magicman and respect his opinion...Therefore, I will be in the 3rd row for that game.

This poll has put the Swarthmore game back on my calendar. I really want to see that game.

[Bucket]

Before Midd travels to Plattsburgh, Ty Nichols and Keene will be coming to Pepin next weekend. The Owls have opened with a very strong schedule, losing to Springfield and MIT, while beating Albertus in OT and stomping Salem State.

Midd-Keene is always a slugfest, and I wouldn't expect anything different on Saturday.

[Mountain Man]

Keene State lost to Springfield 89-81 who got only 5 mins from All American candidate Jake Ross before he hurt his shoulder

Watched the entire Keene State-MIT game.  MIT wins by 20 at Keene State
MIT played without NEWMAC Freshman of Year Hamilton Forsythe & basically played 6 guys. They lead by 19 at half.

Took 42 points from Nichols and OT to beat Albertus Magnus who graduated their All American center last year

Not your typical Keene State squad. Three players Nichols, Anozie, & Prieto take all the shots, Very little offensive talent on bench

If this game is close, Middlebury did not play well.  Ultimate Trap Game

[Vandy74]

From all the positives coming out of the Middlebury-Endicott game, one cause for concern was the free throw shooting.  They only hit 50% from the line which included some key front ends of one-on-ones when the score was see-sawing back and forth.  Had the Panthers lost, that would have been the culprit.  Foul shooting had been a strong suit during the first two games of the season and it will have to move back in that direction if Midd expects to be competitive with upper echelon teams.

Since I was sitting in the third row. Let's parse for accuracy. The one and one misses were at the VERY END of the game

2nd Half  Dahleh goes 2 for 2 & Folger 1 for 1 from line in 20-4 run that takes Panthers from down 73-70 to up 90-77 with 5 mins to go

Keith Brown hits 3 pointer to make score 101-96 with 1 minute to go Farrell and Kornaker miss 1 and 1's in last minute  Final 101-96.
Middlebury was 3 for 5 on fouls shots in 2nd half.

Better comment would have been that Middlebury needs their bigs to stay out of foul trouble because big drop off after Folger, McCord & Sobel (his emergence is KEY to any success this season)

One good win for Middlebury can be erased by one bad loss for Middlebury say next Saturday at home against Keene State

A 25-9 run doesn't sound quite as as dominant as 20-4 but if you include the extension you find the key to Middlebury's success on Sunday.  Very good FT shooting teams have off nights.  Three games into the season is too early to determine if shooting from the line is a weakness in the Panthers' game but it wasn't their foul-shooting that could have cost them the win on Sunday.  It was their propensity to commit fouls.  At 10:11 of the second half the men in the striped shirts called #9 on Middlebury.  The score was 73-70 favoring the visitors who'd had just two infractions called against themselves.  The Panthers didn't foul again until the 3:57 mark and by that time held a 94-82 advantage.  For more than six minutes they stopped giving their opponents freebies and took control of the game.   Four more fouls were called against the hosts over the next two minutes and Keith Brown drained all eight shots but the final one left Endicott trailing 101-90 with under two minutes left to play.

While we're handing out all the well deserved accolades let's not forget Eric McCord's performance.  He pulled down 13 rebounds while scoring seven points and matched Matt Folger's 3 assists, two blocked shots and one steal complementary statistics.

Agreed, nobody will know how good this Middlebury team really can be until they face a test like Keene State should be on Saturday.  Three days later they meet Plattsburgh where Jonathan Patron plans to remind the Panthers that the Cardinal squad they took down 92-68 last season was flying without him. 

Note to magicman: Is Nick DeAngelis injured? 

[P'bearfan]

Tough loss on Sunday for the Polar Bears as they fell to Babson 84 - 63.  Babson got off to a hot start that Bowdoin couldn't overcome.  Two interesting notes from the box score:

Sam Grad didn't play - not sure why but hope he'll be back in the lineup soon.

Taiga Kagitomi played 15 minutes against Babson and finished with 6 points.  I saw him last week against UNE and he looked impressive - good size for a guard and he moves well.  Glad to see him getting more playing time.

Bowdoin will be back in action tonight against UM Farmington.

GoUBears!!

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

It's the end of November and declarative statements about March are already being made?  Can you pick stocks for my portfolio PLEASE based on your clairvoyance!

Do you disagree with those teams?

To be fair ... it was two years ago when people were predicting Amherst was going to make another run to the final four ... thanks in part to a thrilling victory, in overtime and at home, against Babson.

Amherst was 10-8 after that ... lost four of their last five including backdooring their way into the NCAA tournament and losing in the first round.

While I agree that Williams and Hamilton are certainly pretty good teams and most eyes are on them this season, there is still a LOT of basketball to be played.

BTW Tufts and Middlebury won the regular season two years ago...

And somehow the Jeffs won the NESCAC regular season last year!

Yep. I would have mentioned that if I was talking about last year.