MBB: NESCAC

[FisherDynasty]

Now that the brackets are out, As a Fisher fan I am extremely happy that Amherst is in the top bracket and we will not have to go to Amherst this year for the sweet 16 if we make it.  Goodluck in the NE bracket.  Also, Williams is in ours this year, how is this years williams team, they seemed down in the beginning of the year but have been playing good as of late.  Think they will get past a very athletic talented brockport state team in the first round?

[nescac1]

I don't know that anyone here has seen Brockport play, or really knows much about them, so tough to make any kind of prediction.  Williams is playing very well right now, but this is the first trip to the tournament for this group and they are very young, starting two frosh and no seniors.  Williams is playing a lot better than a 16-11 record would indicate, but certainly isn't close to the level of the veteran 2004 squad that beat Brockport in the NCAA's.  They tend to have a tough time defending teams with dominant post presences, like many teams in NESCAC.  The Ephs' defense was porous early in the year but has improved tremendously.  From what I can tell Brockport plays a very different style from any other NESCAC team (Middlebury might be the closest but I doubt they have athletes like Brockport) so it is tough to say.  Ususually the Ephs like to push the ball against bigger teams, but that might back-fire against Brockport as, based on the sort of scores they put up, I imagine they most be an open-court style of team.  In short, I have no idea.  What is the scouting report on Brockport?

On another note, classic stuff Senator ... translation: "I'm not going to say that injuries cost Amherst the game, except for saying that injuries cost Amherst the game."  When Olsen plays with a broken hand or Hopkins toughs it out after undergoing back surgery, you can talk about injuries helping Williams, until then, stick with the "new" Senator and recognize that Williams was simply the better team on that day (just like Amherst was the better team the rest of the year up until that point), and had plenty of injury issues of its own this year.  (And Spengler, don't go blaming the refs either, there were plenty of questionable calls that went Amherst's way, and Blake Schultz, at least as valuable to the Ephs as McLaughlin is to Amherst, fouled out as well). 

[FisherDynasty]

Thanks for the fill-in nescac1.  The scouting report on Bport is, DO NOT TURN THE BALL OVER A LOT. Bport plays a crazy, hectic, very pressurizing game and they force teams into turning the ball over 20+ times a game.  They have very small quick guards that play very aggressive and also have good big men that are strong and also very athletic.  Bport can shoot the ball exteremely well too, if they are hitting their 3's they can probably come clost to beating any team in the country, but if they are not hitting their 3's they definatly can be beat by probably any team in the tourny as well.  As they apply so much pressure, they tend to give up transition lay-ups, so if a team has strong guard play then they can beat bport.  Having said williams is so young this year, i think they will have a very tough time beating bport as Fisher did their first time playing them with very young guards.  Either way, I think it is a tough first round match up for bport, there conference tourny lost is going to make it very tough to advance far in the tourny.

[nescac1]

Thanks Fisher.  Interesting.  On the plus side, Williams is very well coached with a great point guard (their most experienced player, a junior three year starter) who takes care of the ball, and they will be as well prepared as possible from a strategy perspective.  On the down side, no one in NESCAC really plays like that (or really even has the quickness to do so) so Williams has had very little experience combating that style of play, so it's anyone's guess how the players will respond to that kind of heat. 

[FisherDynasty]

Looks like its going to be a good game then.  yeah its tough to prepare for them, at times it seems like it is impossible to play diciplined basketball because they just create so much havoc.  However, having played Nescac schools in the past noticibly amherst the coaching was unbelievable and Amherst was definatly much better  prepared for Fisher then Fisher was them.  A well coached team definatly has a better chance at beating bport than a team that tries to play to their style and run with them. Being a fisher fan, I dont really want to play bport for a third time (if both teams make it that far) and watch that type of basketball again so I'll be routing for Williams. 

[bports]

Brockport was without starting guard shawn harris in the champioship game of the sunyac. He only played about 5 mins in the semis also. He sprained his ankle in practice and just could not go. He is one of there better all around players and there best defensive player. From what i hear he is back at practice and should be ready to go. Brockport had won 13 in a row until that loss any many of them were in blowout fashion. Hopefully Bport can get some revenge on williams, the last time they played williams had a great team. Bport will also go 11-13 deep and will come at you in waves, should be a good game.  GOOD LUCK

[nescachoopsfan]

when do the all nescac teams come out?

[walzy31]

when do the all nescac teams come out?

the all nescac team that matters is already out. page 226.
the real all nescac team comes out this saturday.

[nescac hoops]

the conference awards have always come out the week following the nescac championship and before the ncaa tourny. it should be interesting to see how it all plays out given the weird year the nescac had. there are certainly some good players on teams that underachieved (tufts and bates) and some good players that play on some weak teams like stone. i would say that the coach of the year would go to paulsen or hixon, even though hixon made some very questionable decisions on sunday. given that he is an academic sophomore and that he got ejected from a game and suspended for the subsequent one, i am not sure if pierce will get the ROY award. if he doesn't, i think it needs to go to schultz, though geo-hee-gun would make a very good choice too.

[fpc85]

Article about Williams/Amherst game on SI.com (not sure if I linked it properly)


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/tim_layden/02/26/williams.amherst/index.html

[senatorfrost]

 I would vote for Schultz as ROY. I have no real opinion who should be POY. I watched the games this weekend and then chuckled as i read coach Paulsen say how Amherst had so much talent and was so deep etc. Actually I have been hearing that all year. The reality is that I haven't seen this great talent when Amherst is playing a top notch team who is really trying. I thought Williams was about as good as Trinity. It took a while but now the Frosh are playing older than they really are and are highly impressive. (In my opinion)
  I agree on the subject of O'Shea v Hopkins though O'Shea didn't play that many minutes v Williams. Right now I view Amherst as being maybe seven deep. Of course if they are playing some 'weak sister' they go a lot deeper than that but against the likes of Williams and Trinity and teams they might meet in the tourney I think seven is about it.
   Olson and Wheeler are reliable but I am still waiting for Olson to do what I saw Shalvoy do when guarded by maybe some of the very best defenders in NESCAC. I don't want to use the word dominating because that will go to his head. He seems to be getting better and better. After the game with Trinity I said that it could be a fluke and that I'd like to see it again and see it again I did.
   Yes Amherst could have made a few more shots at the line and yes I thought the call on McLaughlin was probably bogus but the game was AT Amherst. Thus I find it hard to come up with any excuses except that maybe McLaughlin would have made life a little tougher for Shalvoy.
   Snyder's shots go in now. Schultz is very good to put it mildly. The Frosh center is very good for a Frosh and plenty good enough as a player. Yes they are short and coaches love to look at tall teams and say 'wow' look at that but I haven't seen too many wows when matched up against Middlebury or Williams. So maybe coach Paulsen can enlighten me as to where all this talent and depth are. I see seven and of those, Walters runs hot and cold and Salerno is limited offensively. (Though I love his attitude and his defense) Remember I am talking about depth who can step in and make a mark versus Williams, Trinity, et al. Keep in mind that Trinity beat Amherst without Russ Martin

Olson And Wheeler  vs Rose and Shalvoy  ??

Hopkins v Geo hee gun

McLaughlin and Baskauskas v Schultz and Snyder

When I add up the total packages, acknowledging strengths and weaknesses I don't find myself having a strong opinion but I do have one. Having a beautiful and accurate jump shot is a very nice thing-Being able to get it off in and into the hoop within an alloted time period is very often another matter.

If Icons appear, I did not put them there.
 

[walzy31]

Senator,

Great to have you back!
You posted on December 27th, 2006 and then did not post again until Williams won on Sunday. That is true loyality only interrupted by what I'm sure was a crazy situation with your computer/internetprovider/wirelessconnection/electricaloutlets/abilitytogetonline
that coincidentally fell during the same two months that the Ephs were "finding themselves."


Winner of Williams/Brockport gets to Sweet 16 and loses to the Roch.

[La Verdad]

Spengler-

What demoralizing dunk are you talking about that has anything to do with Drew Cohen?  Was it another one of those phantom "dunks over Cohen" when he was trailing the play, like the one in Waterville?  Or was it a dunk over someone else when Cohen was sitting on the bench?  Or was it the one when Hopkins dunked in practice over a scout player pretending to be Cohen and you mistook that for being real?  I'm not sure which "demoralizing dunk" you're referencing.  Then again, I should probably take nescac1's advice and ignore your posts.

I have found photographic evidence of Hopkins dunking on Cohen.  It's really a beautiful picture.  I'd love to share it with all of you, but the site won't let me attach it.  Anyone who doesn't believe me is more than welcome to send me your email.  That way you too can enjoy the beauty that is Kevin Hopkins swinging from the rim as all five of Colby's players watch in awe.

[formerbant10]

Winner of Williams/Brockport gets to Sweet 16 and loses to the Roch.

Rochester probably won't beat Fisher at Fisher....neutral court I'm taking U of R.....but the little band box that Fisher plays in seems to treat them very well.

But agreed that St. Lawrence won't be there.

[ILive4This]

So what do we have on the Trinity/Brandeis Matchup at RIC??