MBB: NESCAC

[nescac1]

I'm never gonna burn a guy who was surely exhausted from carrying his team on his back for 45 minutes for trying to make a hustle play on a loose ball and colliding with another moving player, even if the situation called for more prudence. 

[ephsandbantams]

Always a good sign for the Ephs when Jumbo Mumbo makes a anti-Ephs score prediction. Hopefully we get something similar out of Jumbo Mumbo ahead of Middlebury this Saturday. Thanks Jumbo!

[D3BBALL]

On Amherst, they have enough talent to be better and win more games. The inconsistency of lineups and minutes played is puzzling. Scherer is a perfect example. I have said this before but the coach has him too many times 20-25 feet from the hoop setting screens. He is not athletic or quick enough to be effective from that far out and he is not an outside shooter. Just makes no sense. Put him on the block, away from the ball, screen for him and feed him on the other block. That is where he can do damage. Setting screens 25 feet from the hope or hoping he can drive on someone is just going to get him in foul trouble. Also tough for Sears or maybe anyone to have to replace a legend in Hixon, a HOF.

[nescac1]

Just for the heck of it, thought I'd list the best players I think the Ephs have faced this year.  Obviously, I'm not seeing these guys in other games, generally, so my POV is biased by how they played against Williams, but I also try to take into account their stats and general reputation:

1. Tristan How, NYU - big and physical in the paint with good touch from everywhere and plays with a ton of intensity.  Hard to keep him off the glass. Had his best statistical game against Williams, but he's certainly an all-American level player. 

2. Octavio Brito, Keene State - can do it all offensively, big, smooth, athletic, and can shoot against really tight defense.  Looks like a D1 wing out there.

3. Shane Regan, Wesleyan - tough, gritty and crafty off the dribble.  Good passer and rebounder.  Great touch in the paint and at the line.  Lack of a consistent three point shot is the only thing holding him back a bit, but still very difficult to contain.

4. Ousmane Kourouma, RIC - absolutely a mid-major D1 athlete.  So strong and such a quick jumper, utterly dominant within a few feet of the rim, surely the best rebounder in D3 and a high-level rim protector.  But his foul shooting is SUCH a huge problem especially for a guy who gets fouled a ton (2 for his last 27 from the line over three games, which seems almost impossible). 

5. Scotty Gyimisi, Tufts - didn't have his biggest game against Williams, but the guy just looks massive out there and punishes a defense with his physicality and interior touch.

6. Henry Vetter, Trinity - struggled with his shot against Williams and has been up and down this year for Trinity, but is capable of a massive game on any given day and the guy every defense gears up to stop.   

7. Xavier Hill, Oneonta - crazy strong so he plays way bigger than his height as an undersized post, and tremendous footwork in the paint.  Tough as nails.

8. Elias Espinosa, Conn - shoots the hell out of the ball and moves really well especially working off screens.

Honorable mention: Elias Chin, Amherst (he'd be high on the list for sure if the Williams game wasn't a statistical outlier); James Morakis, Tufts;  Hampton Sanders, NYU; Nicky Johnson, Wesleyan.  I'm curious to see where Hank Morgan ends up on this list - I assume very high. 

[jumbomumbo]

Always a good sign for the Ephs when Jumbo Mumbo makes a anti-Ephs score prediction. Hopefully we get something similar out of Jumbo Mumbo ahead of Middlebury this Saturday. Thanks Jumbo!

Haha you're welcome. I already posted my prediction: 57-55 Williams over Midd
That being said, I will now change it just for you: 57-55 Middlebury.

[el_jefe_90]

I saw quite a bit of bad shot selection and several bad fouls 40 feet from the rim.  To me that reflects on the coaching.

Hindsight is 20-20, but I thought it was a mistake to leave Scherer in after picking up his 4th foul with 12:57 left in the 2nd half. Less than 2 minutes later, he fouled out.

[jumbomumbo]

Had a chance to watch Nichols - Endicott last night. Endicott ended up winning in OT. Nichols was 3-6 when they upended the Jumbo's, but have been climbing with a strong CNE performance so far, so might not turn out to be too bad of a loss for Tufts. They're 8-8 right now, and have some good pieces. Flowers-Smith and Percy are legit and the team is very well coached, use fakes well and could surprise in that league. WNE, Endicott and Suffolk are the other contenders to win that league. The Endicott win was a solid one for Tufts too - they are now 7-2 in league play and would be top of the standings if they had not coughed up a home game against WNE which they led for all but maybe 5 seconds.

[jumbomumbo]

Mumbo's projected NESCAC playoff seedings:
1. Tufts
2. Wesleyan
3. Trinity
4. Colby
5. Conn College
6. Hamilton
7. Bates
8. Amherst

Noticeably absent: Williams

[D3BBALL]

Jumbo, wow, middlebury and Williams out. I would take that bet!!!

[jumbomumbo]

Jumbo, wow, middlebury and Williams out. I would take that bet!!!

Message me. If you can give me +300 odds on 2 of the following 3 missing the tournament, I will accept your bet: Williams, Middlebury, Bowdoin

[SpringSt7]

Reported over on the football board that Trinity AD Drew Galbraith is leaving to take a job with the NBA. Has a background in a number of sports but wonder if it will have any noticeable impact on their basketball program

[Bucket]

Always a good sign for the Ephs when Jumbo Mumbo makes a anti-Ephs score prediction. Hopefully we get something similar out of Jumbo Mumbo ahead of Middlebury this Saturday. Thanks Jumbo!

Always a good sign? Really? He seemed to be quite accurate last weekend.

[Bucket]

On Amherst, they have enough talent to be better and win more games. The inconsistency of lineups and minutes played is puzzling. Scherer is a perfect example. I have said this before but the coach has him too many times 20-25 feet from the hoop setting screens. He is not athletic or quick enough to be effective from that far out and he is not an outside shooter. Just makes no sense. Put him on the block, away from the ball, screen for him and feed him on the other block. That is where he can do damage. Setting screens 25 feet from the hope or hoping he can drive on someone is just going to get him in foul trouble. Also tough for Sears or maybe anyone to have to replace a legend in Hixon, a HOF.

I believe that Mike Maker would have kept this program at an elite level had he been hired.

[D3BBALL]

Reported over on the football board that Trinity AD Drew Galbraith is leaving to take a job with the NBA. Has a background in a number of sports but wonder if it will have any noticeable impact on their basketball program

Big loss for trinity

[jumbomumbo]

Always a good sign for the Ephs when Jumbo Mumbo makes a anti-Ephs score prediction. Hopefully we get something similar out of Jumbo Mumbo ahead of Middlebury this Saturday. Thanks Jumbo!

Always a good sign? Really? He seemed to be quite accurate last weekend.

Thanks Bucket, you are quite smart for recognizing me as a sharp. I have a good feel on the league. Anything can happen, but I truly do not think Williams has the pieces to be competitive in the NESCAC this year. I don't think many of their players would get rotation minuets on Wes, Tufts, and Trin.