MBB: NESCAC

[amh63]

Thanks Nescac1 ......good and thoughtful post.  Plus k to the ephs' Top fan here.

[old_hooper]

Nescac1 good insight as usual.  Here is one worth mentioning... Whitman the last two years has had epic losses on the big stage of the NCAA tournament.  First in final four semi finals against Babson in 2017 Whitman came in 31-0.  They had built a 25 point lead early in the game only to lose it against Joey Flannery and company.  Second, last year 2018 against Nebraska Wesleyan in sectional finals a devastating loss of 130-97 getting beat at their own game from a hot shooting team.  The caveat of those losses, both teams who beat Whitman went on to win the National Championship. 

If Williams can handle the pressure, depth of Whitman, stay out of foul trouble, use the half court offense to control tempo of game and keep game in 70s, I like the Ephs chances.  Many ifs here... but looking at how Whitman has done against competitive teams outside of conference, not sure they have seen a starting five this year like the Ephs.

[JEFFFAN]

Despite his obvious Williams heritage, NESCAC1 provides insight that none of us can touch.   Keep it up - very interesting storylines indeed.

[MiddWatcher]

Some might say the " wing defenders" are already there. One of them held opponents to 14.3% shooting on Spot-Up jumpers; while another held total opponents' shooting to 32.5% overrall. ( Bonner, by comparison, held opponents to 33.9% ). Same guy was in on coverages that gave Jefferson and Morris ( both in Top 10 in NESCAC three point shooting ) their most misses in single games for the entire season.  Midd also had guards that gave up 46% and 60% on spot-ups. ( these figures from the Synergy Sports website, the coaches Bible ).  We won't go into names. They are there. ( this writer does not want to cast any aspersions. As I have mentioned many times since I began on this site ... these guys are all D3, they are great students first and foremost, and the basketball is a nice part of their overrall education.  The d3 mantra. )  But there are a couple of guys at Middlebury who have exceptional motivation to become much more a part of the show at Middlebury. It has been a challenging three years for each thus far; if only because through no fault of their own, posts appear ( like the one from a terrific poster like Colby Hoops ) that do not even recognize these guys for their talents because, perhaps, they have only been on display in rare occasions during their time at Middlebury.  This past Midd team was outscored 196-144 in the final 8:00 of their 8 losses .... giving up the lead that they held with 8:00 to play 6 consecutive times as the season wore down.  And only certain people were on the court, time and time again.  Perhaps next years' rotation will be altered somewhat with the loss of two starters. Time will tell.

[Canvas Hightops]

MiddWatcher, thanks for the coaches' bible stats.  Very interesting.
Do you think the Middlebury coaching staff is unaware of the situation you call to attention?

[amh63]

Up early.....checked the weather, etc.,etc...and of course the Amherst website .  There is a nice piece on both the MBB and WBB teams going to the sweet 16.  Can find it on the Amherst athletic site and the twitter area.  There is an interview by the local western mass. TV station with several players including Robinson and spot appearances by both HCs.  Nice pics of the ncaa banners too .  Still inept in providing an easy touch online connection. 
Now back to my chores....it is still cold here in Md....haven't put my snow shovels away.

[BluesBrother]

Greetings from the Northwest. In case any of y'all are interested in a little reading about Whitman before tomorrow's game:

http://kogakoalition.org/ben/2019/03/06/who-the-eph/

http://kogakoalition.org/ben/2019/03/07/blues-savoring-every-moment-as-end-of-road-looms/

[nescac1]

Good stuff BluesBrother!  Plenty of astute comments by Whitman. These two teams certainly understand how each will want to press its advantage.  Willians just can't hang athletically if it becomes a madcap up-and-down sort of game, but at the same time you can't always pull back and slow it down when you play with an advantage after beating the press.  Should be fascinating!

[amh63]

BluesBrother......interesting info.  Yes, your school's writeup of Williams MBB team is knowledgeable.  However, there is an error....the Ephs were never the no.1 ranked team in the NCAA NE regional rankings.  Still the EPHs are always a tough team to beat....in any sporting event.

[Pat Coleman]

Yes, your school's writeup of Williams MBB team is knowledgeable.

It's not a school write-up.

[nescac1]

Pat, amh63 is referring to the link to the school write-up, which does indeed feature an error (the Ephs were the no. 1 ranked NE team, I believe, early in the season, but finished behind the three other remaining teams from the region, Amherst, Hamilton and Nichols). 

A few thoughts on Whitman's players, from an admittedly very small sample size of watching.

Austin Butler is the best player, an athlete the likes of which Williams has not seen this season.  He is a two-way terror, the Ben Simmons of D3, as he is not an outside shooter  (if he was he'd be a D1 guard for sure) but does pretty much everything else at an elite level.  Tremendous moves, very strong, hard to keep out of the lane, and very explosive going to the rim with a head of steam as this video demonstrates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y071G8JxFO0   
The Ephs don't really have a good match-up for him but I wonder if they will try Feinberg on him just because he is the best match-up for him physically and athletically.   

Darne Duckett is also going to be a very difficult match-up for the Ephs, he is cat-quick with the ball, similar to Grant Robinson though a bit smaller and maybe slightly less polished, but exactly the type of guard who has given the Ephs fits.   Staying in front of him is a difficult task. 

The leading scorer is Joey Hewitt, an excellent all around player who is more typical of what you'd see from a top-tier NESCAC player and is the most versatile scorer on the team.  I think Heskett is the guy you want on him, he's not the same kind of blow-by quick player as the other guards, and hopefully Heskett's length can bother him a bit.  He will score points but you want to make him really work for it.  If not Heskett, then Scadlock. 

The other leading scorer is Jack Stewart, who has an unorthodox-but-pretty outside shot and will work off screens, kick-outs and in transitions.  The Ephs cannot help off that guy, ever, as he does not need a lot of room, quick release shooter.  I imagine Heskett or Scadlock will guard him and hopefully bother his shot with their length. 

The center is an undersized burly type, Cedric Jacobs-Jones, who seems to feast off being set up by penetrating guards and is a force on the offensive glass.  Keeping the guards from getting too deep in the lane is critical because he will hurt the Ephs on both layups and put-backs if the Eph bigs needs to help aggressively too often, but probably won't be the focal point on offense otherwise.

The best guy off the bench is Andrew Vickers, who was a big-time scorer before transferring into Whitman.  He seems like a guy who can get hot and go off in any given game, so have to pay attention to him coming into the game.  The other guy to watch is Trevor Osborne, a 50 percent three point shooter on the bench.  Whenever he comes in someone has to be sure to mark him closely on the perimeter and, like with Stewart, avoid helping off.   There are lots of other bench guys who play, but such short minutes that hard to get a sense of them in limited watching. 

If the Ephs can survive the press (a big if) there will as everyone has noted be opportunities inside.  Not only does Whitman press, but it plays it seems a pretty aggressive, risk-taking, extended defense.  If Williams can get the ball to Karp, Scadlock, Heskett close to the rim, they will have more room to operate down low than they are accustomed to.  Karp in particular should be a real handful for Whitman, if he doesn't get too worn down from all the full-court running (especially tough for a big guy since they are the ones who are finishing on one end and then have to sprint back on D).  Given that Whitman is almost certain to have a lot more shot attempts in this game, and shoots it very well from 3 on a high volume, Williams will need to convert inside at a very high rate ... probably at least around 55 percent from the field, maybe closer to 60.  That sounds tough, it takes mental and physical discipline, but is certainly doable if Williams can patiently work the ball in. 

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

The second weekend of the DIII Men's and Women's Championship Tournaments is set to start. Can the upset minded teams continue to prevail? Can the "favorites" maintain their poise? What home team will enjoy their own cooking? And who will still be playing in Fort Wayne and Salem?

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[middhoops]

We were mildly obsessed with Whitman this season.  My significant other and I love the ultra agressive style of basketball the Blues play.  Saw them maybe 10-12 games including playoffs.

nescac1 (of course) gave a perfect synopsis of the players.
For anyone who isn't familiar with Whitman, we have no similar teams in our region.  They take in-your-face defense to a whole higher level.
nescac1 is right that getting the ball to Matt Karpowicz would be tough on Whitman, but the thing is ..... you got to somehow get it to him.  That's tough.

Williams can play with Whitman IF they practice all week against 10 defenders, spread the floor and pass over the top and make their good shots.  The Ephs' bench may have to really step up in this game.  Coach App needs guys who's names we haven't heard much to provide some punch.

The Williams big guys are going to have many different players running full steam at the basket all the time.  And more than enough shooters to drain long 3s in transition. 
You can't run with Whitman.  The Ephs must slow the game to a pace that works for Casey/Heskett/Karpowicz to get quality looks.
Some lax officiating would not hurt, either.

I also saw Nichols play many times.  They impressed me from November, especially Marcos Echevarria. 
Nichols is a very solid team.  They are not, however, constructed to play well against the size, quickness and depth of Amherst.  The former LJs should win this game.  Hixon has his team improving at the end of the season.
Grant Robinson is upgrading from really good to great in recent weeks. 
If I had a team in the tourney, Amherst may be the last team I'd want to see in my bracket.

Christopher Newport, well I don't know squat about them.  But we're rooting hard for Hamilton to advance.

[Pat Coleman]

Pat, amh63 is referring to the link to the school write-up, which does indeed feature an error (the Ephs were the no. 1 ranked NE team, I believe, early in the season, but finished behind the three other remaining teams from the region, Amherst, Hamilton and Nichols). 

Ahh, thanks -- I totally did not make the connection that the reply to the two blog posts was about something else.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Pat, amh63 is referring to the link to the school write-up, which does indeed feature an error (the Ephs were the no. 1 ranked NE team, I believe, early in the season, but finished behind the three other remaining teams from the region, Amherst, Hamilton and Nichols). 

A few thoughts on Whitman's players, from an admittedly very small sample size of watching.

Austin Butler is the best player, an athlete the likes of which Williams has not seen this season.  He is a two-way terror, the Ben Simmons of D3, as he is not an outside shooter  (if he was he'd be a D1 guard for sure) but does pretty much everything else at an elite level.  Tremendous moves, very strong, hard to keep out of the lane, and very explosive going to the rim with a head of steam as this video demonstrates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y071G8JxFO0   
The Ephs don't really have a good match-up for him but I wonder if they will try Feinberg on him just because he is the best match-up for him physically and athletically.   

Darne Duckett is also going to be a very difficult match-up for the Ephs, he is cat-quick with the ball, similar to Grant Robinson though a bit smaller and maybe slightly less polished, but exactly the type of guard who has given the Ephs fits.   Staying in front of him is a difficult task. 

The leading scorer is Joey Hewitt, an excellent all around player who is more typical of what you'd see from a top-tier NESCAC player and is the most versatile scorer on the team.  I think Heskett is the guy you want on him, he's not the same kind of blow-by quick player as the other guards, and hopefully Heskett's length can bother him a bit.  He will score points but you want to make him really work for it.  If not Heskett, then Scadlock. 

The other leading scorer is Jack Stewart, who has an unorthodox-but-pretty outside shot and will work off screens, kick-outs and in transitions.  The Ephs cannot help off that guy, ever, as he does not need a lot of room, quick release shooter.  I imagine Heskett or Scadlock will guard him and hopefully bother his shot with their length. 

The center is an undersized burly type, Cedric Jacobs-Jones, who seems to feast off being set up by penetrating guards and is a force on the offensive glass.  Keeping the guards from getting too deep in the lane is critical because he will hurt the Ephs on both layups and put-backs if the Eph bigs needs to help aggressively too often, but probably won't be the focal point on offense otherwise.

The best guy off the bench is Andrew Vickers, who was a big-time scorer before transferring into Whitman.  He seems like a guy who can get hot and go off in any given game, so have to pay attention to him coming into the game.  The other guy to watch is Trevor Osborne, a 50 percent three point shooter on the bench.  Whenever he comes in someone has to be sure to mark him closely on the perimeter and, like with Stewart, avoid helping off.   There are lots of other bench guys who play, but such short minutes that hard to get a sense of them in limited watching. 

If the Ephs can survive the press (a big if) there will as everyone has noted be opportunities inside.  Not only does Whitman press, but it plays it seems a pretty aggressive, risk-taking, extended defense.  If Williams can get the ball to Karp, Scadlock, Heskett close to the rim, they will have more room to operate down low than they are accustomed to.  Karp in particular should be a real handful for Whitman, if he doesn't get too worn down from all the full-court running (especially tough for a big guy since they are the ones who are finishing on one end and then have to sprint back on D).  Given that Whitman is almost certain to have a lot more shot attempts in this game, and shoots it very well from 3 on a high volume, Williams will need to convert inside at a very high rate ... probably at least around 55 percent from the field, maybe closer to 60.  That sounds tough, it takes mental and physical discipline, but is certainly doable if Williams can patiently work the ball in.

You forgot to mention Michael Gutierrez, who was all MIAC as a sophomore before transferring - plus Jase Harrison and Jojo Wiggins, who were starters of Whitman's Final Four team two years ago - although all three come off the bench after another three veterans who also have yet to be named (Kirkley, Harvey, and Colton).  Oh, and if the Ephs do manage to stake out an inside game, they've also got 6'9" Ben Beattie and 7'0" Bryce Mulder on the bench, if needed.

It's a pretty darn deep team.  I doubt we'll see the likes of them in d3 again for a while.  Beatable, for sure, but pretty much everybody is going to be an underdog against them in this tournament.