MBB: NESCAC

[D3BBALL]

Wesleyan and Tufts control first place, with Trinity having to beat both to have any chance, the Williams loss most likely going to seal their fate for 3rd place. 4th thru 11th who know at this point, Conn with big wins away at Middlebury and Williams, but could easily see them losing 4 out of next 5 just a really tough schedule. Williams lots of home games but they are not playing well. Who would have had Middlebury at 0-4. Amherst and Hamilton both have tufts on the road as well as Conn and then finish with Midd/Williams. Colby bates and bowdoin are no easy guarantee wins.
For player of the year I get Morgan as NESCAC1's choice right now, but I have Regan 1, Gyimesi 2, Morgan 3.
Morgan was phenomenal against Trinity, I was at that game, couldn't be stopped until some Trinity subs came in and Morgan was held in check for about a 5 minute stretch where the game was decided. Same thing happened against Wesleyan. Regan 18 2nd half points, Morgan 6. Have to win some of those games. 2 home games, tied or with the lead at halftime and lose, not going help. Player of the year has come from a team that finished first or second in league the last 10 years. Unfortunately that is going to hurt Morgan.

[D3BBALL]

So, I have a question...what happened with Wesleyan?

They had a strong (16-9), but not overly dominant team last year, losing in the NESCAC quarters at home to Colby. They had losses to Emmanuel and Farmingdale last year.

Is it just bringing most of everyone back and them making incremental improvements? Langs is fifth in scoring after being lower in the lineup last year. Obviously, Regan, Johnson and Cormier all back and better is a reason, but is there anything else that sticks out? I did notice last year they gave up 72 points per game, this year its 58.3? Their scoring is down a point, so obviously the offensive efficiency is still there? Anything else of note?

It's almost exactly what happened with Trinity last year, 16-9 in 2022-23, then exploded in 2023-24...weird things going on in CT.

Think you have it spot on, Johnson very good, Regan playing great and Cormier and Lyttle playing very well. They are getting what they need out of their bigs, playing with confidence and have the best coach in the league when it comes to x and o's and making in game changes. Might have helped, like it did trinity last year, that they played a weak non conference schedule to get them on a roll.

[rdanie03]

I get the point, but Bates prior to this change was the exception. Everyone else when they play a two-game weekend at home play Friday-Saturday

N1- Thanks for the response.
Bates parted ways with AD on 12/31. Hopefully his successor will get a handle on this. Would think Coach Furbush cannot be happy with this but I guess time will tell.
[/quote]

[Titan Q]

Joe Reilly on the Q-cast:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMQDM0RtINo&t=1255s

[nescac1]

I was high on Wesleyan heading into the season (I think I picked them second) and I'm not surprised by them making a leap.  They were actually 13-12 last year not 16-9 so an even bigger leap than credited for!

They had a very young team last year and brought everyone of note back.  A lot of their losses were very close and they played to the level of their competition but couldn't quite get over the hump (losing in OT to Tufts and Trinity and by two to Williams in games they all could have easily won).  They definitely underachieved their talent level last year but part of that was being young - Cormier, Lyttle, and Cameron were all in their first year playing college ball (Cormier I assume hurt as a FY?) and that trio have a ton more experience now - the athleticism jumped out and they just needed some polish, still a lot of unrealized upside as a group, but they really get after it defensively. This year they seem more poised down the stretch.  Johnson is able ti play as more of a facilitator (his best role) with a lot of guys who can finish plays.   And Regan is a handful for anyone to try to check and a legit all-American.  Totally fair btw to have him as favorite for POTY, but he has so much more help than Morgan.  Either will be worthy.

Wes continues to struggle at times with outside shooting but they seem to make them in big situations and also added two frosh who really help there.  Edelman in particular I think will have a big career, one of the prettiest outside shots you will see for a big guy, I see him ending up somewhere between Ryan Kilkullen and Andrew Schiel. 

They also have benefited from a pretty easy schedule, to be sure, but sweeping the Little 3 (even in down years for both Amherst and Williams) is never easy and 18-0 is 18-0.  We will see over the next two games just how legit they are!!
   

[jumbomumbo]

So, I have a question...what happened with Wesleyan?

They had a strong (16-9), but not overly dominant team last year, losing in the NESCAC quarters at home to Colby. They had losses to Emmanuel and Farmingdale last year.

Is it just bringing most of everyone back and them making incremental improvements? Langs is fifth in scoring after being lower in the lineup last year. Obviously, Regan, Johnson and Cormier all back and better is a reason, but is there anything else that sticks out? I did notice last year they gave up 72 points per game, this year its 58.3? Their scoring is down a point, so obviously the offensive efficiency is still there? Anything else of note?

It's almost exactly what happened with Trinity last year, 16-9 in 2022-23, then exploded in 2023-24...weird things going on in CT.

Would be nice to hear from someone who's watched a lot of them, or from a Wesleyan fan. I'm wondering the same thing, would be impressive if they can continue what trinity did last year, but the toughest opponents they will face all year are still ahead so who knows. Impressive rise regardless.

Tufts has just Conn this weekend on Saturday. Conn has beat Tufts in last 2 matchups after tufts had won the previous 10. It would be nice to get back to a winning feeling against the camels. Espinosa looked real impressive against Williams but Tufts could have the guys to stop him. Would be easy to have eyes set on the CT weekend but this is a massive game for the jumbos. Has been a while since as 5-0 nescac start

[jmh21]

Conn's zone could make things tough on Tufts since Conn has some decent size and Tufts can get stagnant offensively but I suspect Gyimesi will be able to take advantage of some looks around the free throw line and mid post. Williams had some space there especially in the 2nd half but clearly wasn't comfortable taking those shots

[jumbomumbo]

Conn's zone could make things tough on Tufts since Conn has some decent size and Tufts can get stagnant offensively but I suspect Gyimesi will be able to take advantage of some looks around the free throw line and mid post. Williams had some space there especially in the 2nd half but clearly wasn't comfortable taking those shots
[/quot

Conn's zone could make things tough on Tufts since Conn has some decent size and Tufts can get stagnant offensively but I suspect Gyimesi will be able to take advantage of some looks around the free throw line and mid post. Williams had some space there especially in the 2nd half but clearly wasn't comfortable taking those shots

Last year they stalled us in the first half w the zone and we figured it out in the second half. If it was a 42 minute game, we would have won, but everyone knows the rules of basketball. They beat us fair and square. Hoping that 2nd half momentum from 12 months ago carries into the opening mins of the game! On that note, tufts plays a similar zone although the wing defenders are not as far extended. One thing Conn does really well that I would love to see more teams do - is their bench talk. They are so well connected players 1 thru 17 are engaged and it's beautiful. It truly takes a full squad effort to beat the Camels.

[jumbomumbo]

Conn's zone could make things tough on Tufts since Conn has some decent size and Tufts can get stagnant offensively but I suspect Gyimesi will be able to take advantage of some looks around the free throw line and mid post. Williams had some space there especially in the 2nd half but clearly wasn't comfortable taking those shots
[/quot

Conn's zone could make things tough on Tufts since Conn has some decent size and Tufts can get stagnant offensively but I suspect Gyimesi will be able to take advantage of some looks around the free throw line and mid post. Williams had some space there especially in the 2nd half but clearly wasn't comfortable taking those shots

Last year they stalled us in the first half w the zone and we figured it out in the second half. If it was a 42 minute game, we would have won, but everyone knows the rules of basketball. They beat us fair and square. Hoping that 2nd half momentum from 12 months ago carries into the opening mins of the game! On that note, tufts plays a similar zone although the wing defenders are not as far extended. One thing Conn does really well that I would love to see more teams do - is their bench talk. They are so well connected players 1 thru 17 are engaged and it's beautiful. It truly takes a full squad effort to beat the Camels.

On this note - they beat us in front of a full house as we were ranked 5th in the country at the time. I suspect if we would have won the crowds would continue to show up, but it died out over the course of the nescac season only ramping back up for the Trinity senior night game and the Midd Qfinal game. This year, tufts has seen a noticeable jump in attendance despite Students not being back from break. Im excited to watch more games at a packed Cousens and securing some home NESCAC / NCAA games would be massive. Nothing will ever beat the crowd Tufts had in the NESCAC championship against Colby in 2019. We need more of that! And being in such a big city it is nice to finally see some people paying attention! Would be cool if someone did an analysis on nescac attendance later in the year - maybe i can do it.

[el_jefe_90]

Really an amazing individual effort by Hank Morgan in the last two losses, scoring 21 out of 57 points vs. Wesleyan and an insane 36 out of 60 vs. Trinity.  Clearly, he needs more help, but he is having a stellar individual season and has to be the current leader among a strong group of POTY candidates (Regan, Vetter, Gyimisi, Espinosa), averaging 28 per game in league play against some of the best defenses in the league. 

Maybe this tidbit I'll say will have an impact or maybe not. 23 POTY awards have been given out by the NESCAC. 21 of those winners were from teams that finished the regular season as #1 or #2 in the NESCAC. The only two years that didn't happen are coincidentally the last two, ALex Sobel from Middlebury who was the 4 seed in 2023, though they finished tied for 1st with 3 other teams, and David Murray from #3 Conn College last year. I don't see Hamilton finishing in the Top 3 or Top 4 at this point. Morgan is certainly putting up the numbers to back a POTY award. It'll be interesting to see what gets valued higher when votes come out. Still have 6+ games left and still plenty of time!

[D3BBALL]

Jumbo and Names what are your predictions for this weekend, need to compare to the betting lines, lol!

[names jaismith]

Predictions for January 25
Wesleyan 62 @ Trinity 71 -- a close one until the final minute
Midd 66 @ Williams 76 --looking for a Williams bounce-back vs an average Midd squad
Amherst 65 @ Hamilton 78 -- Hamilton solidifying its position as a contender
Bowdoin 73 @ Colby 80 -- Bowdoin not living up to early promise
Conn 56 @ Tufts 76 -- Conn has frustrated Tufts in recent years but not this time

[jumbomumbo]

Wesleyan 61 - Trinity 54
Midd 55 - Williams 57
Ahmerst 60 - Hamilton 69
Bowdoin 62 - Colby 85
Conn 56 - Tufts 68

Will get Sunday predictions soon...

[GoUBears]

Bowdoin 73 @ Colby 80 -- Bowdoin not living up to early promise

Bowdoin 62 - Colby 85

You guys are funny. Who has scored 80 against Bowdoin this year? Nobody.
 

[jumbomumbo]

Bowdoin 73 @ Colby 80 -- Bowdoin not living up to early promise

Bowdoin 62 - Colby 85

You guys are funny. Who has scored 80 against Bowdoin this year? Nobody.
 

Tufts scored 76 and called the dogs off with 5 to play. Easily could have scored 80. Colby can light up the 3 point line real fast. 80 seems low