MBB: NESCAC

nescac1 · March 08, 2019, 08:17:49 PM

Three observations from Hamilton -- 1. the crowd is absolutely lit, 2. how have we gotten to March without a single comment on the length of Nick Osarenren's shorts, and 3. Cutch Ellis is an amazing hoops name, right out of Hoosiers. By the way I'm buying Osarenren stock. He's gonna be really good.

nescacfaninbos · March 08, 2019, 08:45:43 PM

Great observations, Hamilton went in that run without any seniors in the game, Kendall and Osarenren's dunks ignited the crowd and the Conts... Still plenty of game left but it would be great for the conference to have a William-Hamilton Elite 8 game in that atmosphere tomorrow night...

lefrakenstein · March 08, 2019, 08:50:22 PM

Embarrassing the degree to which Amherst is being out-cheered in LeFrak. Wouldn't have happened in my day. In any case, great game right now. Huge run by Nichols, we'll see if the Mammoths can maintain their composure.

Conts Fan · March 08, 2019, 08:58:46 PM

Quote from: lefrakenstein on March 08, 2019, 08:50:22 PM
Embarrassing the degree to which Amherst is being out-cheered in LeFrak. Wouldn't have happened in my day. In any case, great game right now. Huge run by Nichols, we'll see if the Mammoths can maintain their composure.

Looks like the students went on break today, so I wonder how many are still around.

Colby Hoops · March 08, 2019, 09:17:29 PM

Tough loss for Amherst. Their defense was stout as usual, but they just couldn't buy a shot for most of the game. Credit to Nichols for a great defensive effort of their own.

Despite the loss, the future is bright for the Mammoths. They certainly exceeded preseason expectations.

nescac1 · March 08, 2019, 09:18:36 PM

Wow, Amherst goes down in a huge upset. I don't think many folks saw Williams beating Whitman, and Amherst losing to Nichols. Did Echeverria pass the concussion protocol? We'll never know. But damn, what a heroic performance from him.

JEFFFAN · March 08, 2019, 09:42:02 PM

This surprising 2018-2019 run by Amherst comes to a close due to a great performance by the two Nichols guards They outplayed the Jeffs guards in the second half Kudos to the Jeff's for coming back and ha I found a clear three to win it. Mild - at most - disappointment in this loss. It was a surprising season of overachieving by a very young team. This was all gravy. Congrats to a gutsy performance by a good Nichols team, one that I think might get smoked by a superior Swarthmore team. I predicted a Jeffs loss to Swarthmore so one game short of that!

Over and out for this year - when does football season begin? Although the NESCAC does have some serious men's lacrosse teams this spring ...

frank uible · March 08, 2019, 09:43:45 PM

Three cheers for the outgunned Kevin App.

nescac1 · March 08, 2019, 09:49:49 PM

Tough night for the NESCAC after a great late afternoon. A crazy day overall in the tourney with a good number of upsets. Hamilton was in good shape early but CNU hung tough and worked their way back in. I don't have a great feel for CNU other than that they have one elite plus two moret very good players, and across the board they are tough and physical. Some really burly dudes. They are relentless on the glass, that was the difference versus a more skilled Hamilton team. The Ephs will need to box out like crazy tomorrow night. I expect another pretty even matchup tomorrow between two teams that look pretty even on paper. Go Ephs!

Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) · March 08, 2019, 10:47:56 PM

Quote from: frank uible on March 08, 2019, 09:43:45 PM
Three cheers for the outgunned Kevin App.

Yeah, that coaching performance was something else. They seemed to have the press-break down early and the big guys stayed tough inside. Lots of discipline on both ends of the floor. Well deserved win over a very good team.

nescac1 · March 08, 2019, 11:00:29 PM

Agreed re Coach App. It took some real guts to trust in two barely-used frosh in big situations, but he didn't hesitate. And the Ephs played their normal rotation of bigs when personally I thought that might burn them. Delighted to be wrong! Williams' intense preparation for the press really paid off in building the lead. Whitman wears you down so much and the Ephs looked very tired in the last ten minutes, but all those easy baskets off breaking the press early on gave juuuusst enough cushion to survive the inevitable onslaught.

The Ephs will have to bring an entirely different strategy and mindset vs CNU, which will be a big challenge with no chance to prepare. But then again CNU probably hasn't seen an offense with sets quite like the Ephs, either.

JEFFFAN · March 09, 2019, 08:06:05 AM

Quote from: Conts Fan on March 08, 2019, 08:58:46 PM
Quote from: lefrakenstein on March 08, 2019, 08:50:22 PM
Embarrassing the degree to which Amherst is being out-cheered in LeFrak. Wouldn't have happened in my day. In any case, great game right now. Huge run by Nichols, we'll see if the Mammoths can maintain their composure.
Looks like the students went on break today, so I wonder how many are still around.

Hixon commenting on crowd. Amherst on spring break and Nichols - which was 5-0 versus NESCAC this year - brought a bus load of kids.

http://athletics.amherst.edu/sports/mbkb/2018-19/releases/20190308xz3jhz

Titan Q · March 09, 2019, 08:07:09 AM

Watched most of the Whitman/Williams game...I was really impressed with Williams. They are big, and very talented at every position.

What the Ephs did in slowing Whitman down and taking them out of their game is something that is hard to do.

amh63 · March 09, 2019, 11:34:39 AM

Had to gather my thoughts and feelings this morning after watching both the MBB and the WBB games yesterday. Several brief remarks on the women's side. Amherst lost in OT to the no. 2 team on their home court. Nice three year run with two national titles won. They should be in the running next season.
On the men's side, I will call it an evening of the "underdog wins"....though I not sure the Ephs' win was an upset. Anyway, congrats to the Williams' players! They now carry the Nescac banner.
At the Amherst site, Nicolas upset Amherst and The Garnet won over a higher ranked RMC squad. Should be a good game this evening though I may search for some D1 games to watch. I'm a fan of UConn WBB.
On the matter of limited Amherst fans....there were a large number on hand and I recognized the fans/alums that live in the Amherst area...and an alum from NY that helped bring the HC of the Lady Jeffs to Amherst. Sat with him and his wife in Salem Va. several times. Think he was on the board of Governors/trustees at Hamilton. As to the students....remember there are a number of student athletes elsewhere, including Florida...baseball, softball, swimming teams and indoor track, maybe even the tennis teams...on yes, the WBB team. Hats off to the Nicolas students/fans and the school in supporting their team.

mathteacherjedi · March 09, 2019, 12:12:38 PM

Great win for Williams yesterday!

Ran into a former Colby player ('98) at my daughter's swim meet today. Turns out, he played for a while in a Watertown, MA men's league with a group of Colby, Middlebury and Williams basketball alums. At one point, his team featured Nogelo, Crotty and Coffin. That must have been an impressive squad. Would have loved to have seen that.