MBB: NESCAC

[fpc85]

yeah and the user poll thought they didnt have a chance to win the title either.

Interesting story, though not true. I can reactivate the poll and show you on the page if you like. Of course, these are popularity contests anyway.

Who wins the men's national title?
Amherst: 33.8%
Virginia Wesleyan: 28.1%
Washington U.: 17.1%
Wooster: 19.6%
1016 votes

i stand corrected!

[La Verdad]

Your knowledge of the Spanish language is impressive, so I'm sure you know that it is very common for a man's name to be a feminine verb.  Call Oscar de la Hoya senora and see what happens.

Actually, in Spanish, verbs are not masculine or feminine, and verdad (truth) is a noun, not a verb.

You got me Pat, but I think you know what I meant.

[Agent_Zero]

fpc, ill tell you where i have been. after watching the jumbos play some extremely sub par basketball these past couple weeks, ive taken the time to reflect, look at some stat lines, and try to educate myself. so ill throw some tufts stats out there for general consumption...

when Jake Weitzen takes 11 or more shots in a game, TU is 2-6
when Jon Pierce takes 16 or more shots in a game, TU is 6-2
when Jon Pierce take 15 or less shots in a game, TU is 2-5
in the last four games, Pierce has taken 16 or more shots once...TU is 1-3 in said games

Jake Weitzen is 76-168 from the field for a .452 FG%. Within those numbers, he is 13-52 from 3 for a 25% 3PT FG %. Pierce is 135-247 for a .547 FG% while shooting 28-63 from 3 PT land, good for a 44% clip.

I bring these numbers up to say this...GET PIERCE THE BASKETBALL. Jake Weitzen is a great bball player. I think Pierce benefits from his game tremendously. However, Tufts is at its best when Weitzen is serving as their play maker, getting pierce and others the touches. maybe there isnt the same glory in those kind of stats, but as a basketball fan, i certainly take notice. I was in the stands for the Bates game and watched Pierce, who had had a dominant first half, not touch the ball for large portions of the second half while other Jumbos took contested 3 PT. jumpers. it was literally mind boggling to watch. and part of this is on Pierce, he has to simply get to wear his teammates can see him and get him the ball and he must demand it. However, certainly in Saturdays game, he was in position several times and did not receive the pass. Pierce isnt a playmaker. Thats not really his skill set. However, he is one of the best scorers in the league, flat out. Let him do that. Tufts is a better team when that happens. THIS IS NOT a dig at Weitzen. Like i said, i feel he is key to the jumbos success because of his ability to create shots. But the numbers speak for themselves. The shots he needs to be creating are for Pierce and others, not necessarily himself. Otherwise, another mediocre season is all this will be as well for TU.

[maineball]

Will be in Hartford for Friday's contest between Trinity (14-4) and Bowdoin (15-3). Interesting match-up considering Trinity seems to be struggling to score recently(only 48 vs. Williams friday night) While Bowdoin and Trinity boast some of the leagues league's most impressive defensive clubs. Bowdoin leading the league in  field goal % Defense and both teams are among those atop the conference in scoring defense and rebounding margin on the season. Trinity wins the match-up of the guards most likely continuing their trend of applying quite a bit of pressure on opposing guards most likely forcing turnovers and easy baskets at home. Bowdoin might win the match-up inside however as Fliegel and Sargentson seem to have both the edge in Field goal percentage and rebounding on Martin and Rowe. Match-up to watch might be Robert Taylor vs. Kyle Jackson. Have to give the edge to Trinity at home in such a big contest but should be a close one pitting two classic veteran NESCAC clubs against one another mid-season on the first night of the weekend. 

[FormerPolarBear]

Bowdoin v. Trinity will be a great game this weekend.  Bowdoin upset Trinity last year and then Trinity returned the favor by ending their season.  The match-up to watch will not be Jackson v. Taylor b/c Sargentson will be guarding Taylor.  Sargentson almost always guards the best/toughest player on the other team and last year he had the assignment of guarding Taylor. Taylor is a beast but Sargentson is one of the best defenders in the league so it should be entertaining. Look for Hippert to have a big game, he had two good games last yr agaisnt the Bantams.  Hippert seems to be getting healthier and he is the key to Bowdoin's success.  The other player to watch for Bowdoin will be Pg mike hauser.  If he can play well, which he has been all season, then Bowdoin will have a good chance to win.  Hauser must play his game and defend Olson (on Saturday) and Hasuik as tough as possible.  I believe Hauser will play well and Bowdoin will defeat Trinity 58-56. 

[formerbant10]

Bowdoin might win the match-up inside however as Fliegel and Sargentson seem to have both the edge in Field goal percentage and rebounding on Martin and Rowe. 

Rowe is actually the shooting guard for the Bants.  But yes he rebounds well and makes a good percentage of shots. 

[ajsnc13]

Rowe at 6'4" plays the 2?  Is he a natural shooting guard? 

[eclinchy]

Tufts overcomes a late second-half deficit to beat WNEC, 97-89.  A little closer than I'd have liked -- WNEC had a big lead most of the way before collapsing in the last 10 minutes.

Pierce had 28 and 9, Weitzen 13 and 7.  Black was 4-for-6 from three-land for 18 points.

[formerbant10]

Rowe at 6'4" plays the 2?  Is he a natural shooting guard? 

He looks pretty natural out there.  Not that unusual for the wings of the NESCAC to be 6'4" or over.  Taylor started at the 3 his sophomore year and I'm pretty sure that Amherst has a few perimeter guys bigger than that.

[nescac1]

Williams falls to Hamilton by 4.  Even on the road, that is a bad loss.  That makes Saturday's game against Middlebury a virtual must-win ...

[walzy31]

AZ,

thanks for the tufts statistics. i will be sure to factor them into future lines.

jeffrook,

i would love PC's ballot but i would be slightly bias towards watching williams slide down the top 25 as fas as possible. (although with tonight's loss, they don't need my help).

Verdad,

yep. all nescac all crazy radio announcer will be awarded this year due to the rising budget that the selection committee has at its disposal. got any nominations you would like to make? other additions being contemplated are "craziest book keeper" and "craziest coaches corner online video excerpt."

cassie,

Odds PC drops by the diner to eat his fried dough ham sandwich:
Yes   +300
No    -800

Odds a drunk Trinity fan stops by the diner on the 16th claiming to be Pat Coleman and demanding a free Monte Cristo:

Yes   -110
No    -110

Marty Peretz,

Walzy has many sources...but he does have an extremely credible and knowledgeable UAA source. He was actually a member of UAA squad last year but decided not to play this year.

Nescac1,

I got a radio announcer, a fan, two coaches, one alum, and players from bates, amherst, and bowdoin so far. anyone who has nominations, please feel free to privately message them to me. your identity will not be divulged when the team comes out unless you want the credit.

[Old Guy]

Mid-week NESCAC malaise: enjoying the present, recalling the past.

When I played, lo these years past, Williams year after year was one of the best teams in the country. They killed us (Middlebury). Their coach from 1949-73, winning over 300 games, was Al Shaw, who still lives in Williamstown at age 100!

http://www.williams.edu/athletics/news.php?id=6603&sport=10&year=2003

Amherst wasn't so good, but they had an interesting club: their best player in my day was Ken Howard, the actor best known for his show, the "White Shadow," a classic, about a white coach in an inner city school. Does he come back for alumni hoop events?

http://movies.nytimes.com/person/94977/Ken-Howard

Howard was 6'6" and could really shoot, long Bird-like jumpers from the corner (well before the introduction of the 3 pt shot).

Little NESCAC hoop history

[JeffRookie2]

It seems Williams turned the ball over late off of an illegal screen call when they had the chance to take the lead. I'm not usually one to come to the Eph's defense, but D III officials are notoriously lax on that particular violation, and I am shocked that an illegal screen was called in a crucial situation late in a game. The ephs had better start winning, they are pretty much Amherst's only quality wins, we need them to stay respectable. Chris Rose has gone from carrying the team his sophomore year to being dead weight more often than not in his senior year. What is his shooting percentage since league play has started? I saw he was 2-7 tonight.

On Tufts-- Is it fair to say in retrospect, as we see the Jumbos disappoint for the 2nd consecutive year, that Dan Martin was way more important to that '05 team than we had all assumed? The Jumbos were pretty lethal that year, but with basically the same squad minus Martin, plus Pierce, the Jumbos have struggled mightily to meet expectations. I dont think Martin ever got enough credit for his defense and rebounding and how much they meant to that Jumbos squad. I wish he still posted on this board, he had great insights on the NESCAC.

[eclinchy]

I never doubted how vital Martin was to that team.

You're spot on about his defense and his rebounding... I don't think anyone here in Medford would disagree with you.

[Agent_Zero]

note on my previous post...

Tufts is now 7-2 when pierce takes 16 or more shots after the win against WNEC tonight. Pierce put up 24 shots, hitting 11. he struggled a bit from 3, going 2-7. however, unlike in the bates game, tufts went to him in the second half often. tufts is a better team the more he has the ball in his hands. he was the second leading assist man tonight with 3 as well. hopefully that continues as im not sure there are many teams left on the schedule who can defend pierce without committing two players to him on the catch.