WBB: NESCAC

[feces monkey]

Barton is an excellent player, and will rightfully earn league honors again, but there is less margin of error for Bates this year (for obvious reasons), and she needs to be more efficient with the ball. Losing to Norwich once can be chalked up to a couple of bounces. A second loss is disturbing, with or without Coffin.

Looking forward to seeing Tufts this year. The 20-point win over Salem State has me intrigued (especially since the Lady Vikes beat Williams earlier). Maybe the Jumbos will be the first team to stay within 14 of Bowdoin, although I think the Polar Bears will be tested by Emmanuel.

I'm a Polar Bear fan, but how is Hope not the No. 1 team in the country?

[nescac hoops]

ASSIST/TURNOVER RATIO (Min. 3.0 assists/game)
## Player-Team               Cl  G Asst   Avg Turn   Avg  Ratio
---------------------------------------------------------------
1.Katie Cummings-BOW....... SR  8   40   5.0   12   1.5   3.33
2.Kaylan Tildsley-WIL...... SR 10   42   4.2   15   1.5   2.80
3.Julia Loonin-BOW......... SR  7   24   3.4   11   1.6   2.18
4.Shaina Pollack-AMH....... JR  9   43   4.8   21   2.3   2.05
5.Sarah Barton-BAT......... JR  8   70   8.8   36   4.5   1.94

katie cummings with 5 assists and a 3.33 ratio isn't too bad herself and has 24 less turnovers that barton, granted she has 30 less assists. but still, i think barton needs to handle the ball better.

as for hope vs/ bowdoin, i agree with you that i think hope should be #1 albeit by a very close margin. i think neither teams with the exception of 1 top ten win for each in baldwin wallace and southern maine has had too tough a schedule. however, hope has only played 6 and bowdoin has played 8 and southern maine is slightly better this year thatn baldwing wallace and traditionally better then baldwin walllace. if hope beats wash u (who they play right after xmas) i think those teams will flip-flop #1 and #2 again.

[whoarewebobcats]

personally, i think sarah is the special kind of player where you can overlook the mistakes. from the fan's standpoint, she's fun to watch; from a plain basketball standpoint, she's extremely important to the team. she doesn't necessarily have the tools of the prototypical point guard, but she knows her game and maximizes it, and other teams have to change their entire defensive strategy when she's out there (there's a reason when murphy pulls her it's usually only for about 30 seconds to settle her down). i don't know that stats back it up, but when it all comes down to it i want her running my team.

[feces monkey]

personally, i think sarah is the special kind of player where you can overlook the mistakes.

For me, Coffin fell into this category. Being the primarily ball-handler magnifies Barton's mistakes. Again, still an excellent player.

Interesting numbers, NH, I had not seen those before. Cummings has been overlooked on those Bowdoin teams (and still is to some degree) but has been consistent, although not flashy (as Loonin sometimes is).

As for the rankings, barring a loss by either team, Bowdoin will hemorrhage votes until Hope overtakes them, probably sometime in mid-January (about three months too late). Then, because its loss came early in the season and was not indicative of its "current status," USM will leapfrog Bowdoin a short time later (about two months too early). Thank goodness for the WBCA.

[Pat Coleman]

Guess we'll find out.

[feces monkey]

From the D3hoops.com front page:

"No. 1 on the women's side fared better, as Hope won its 38th consecutive game and improved to 3-0 in the MIAA with a 68-56 win against Albion."

Well, Pat, it seems you've taken the suspense out of it. Or have you gone with the WBCA poll, too?

Yikes.

[Pat Coleman]

Nope, just to mess with your head.

[Balder Eagle]

Only Losers Post On Christmas Eve   

[feces monkey]

Things are so bad for Mary Washington that its fans have resorted to self-loathing on the NESCAC board. I'm sure there's a bottle of cooking sherry in the pantry you can crack open and ease the pain.

Actually, there should be some self-loathing after losing to York. Is that even an accredited academic institution? Frankly, it sounds made up.

Keep your head up, slugger.

[Balder Eagle]

Keep your head up, slugger.

Actually I am a displaced Bowdoin Fan   

[feces monkey]

No seats left on the bandwagon. Move along.

Maybe Frostburg State has an opening...

[Balder Eagle]

Moving along only requires a few key strokes     Frostburg State should prove to be an interesting trip, best of all to both teams.

Tell me Monkey are you one of those colorful lads that stands at the far corner of Morrell Gymnasium attempting to unnerve opposing women basketball players who come to enjoy the game? Do you dress like your picture?  

I have never been to Frostburg State, I have been in Morrell Gym many a time though 

[feces monkey]

I have been known to wear fur, but it's strictly 100 percent chinchilla, with a tangerine scarf as an accent. I leave the simian outfits to those attending the safety school over in Lewiston.

The players provide my entertainment in Morrell, and I allow the more outgoing types to provide the sideshow. Perhaps I can handle my liquor a little better.

[nescac hoops]

predicted nescac standings.....

1. bowdoin
2. williams
3/4. tufts/bates... i think this one is a toss up
5. middlebury
6. amherst
7. wesleyan
8. trinity
9. colby
10. conn

[feces monkey]

Excellent. Back to hoops.

My predictions as conference play draws near:

1. Bowdoin - I thought this team would struggle early and maybe find momentum down the stretch. Hopefully it'll play Norwich on Thursday as the Lady Cadets (?) are obviously a strong team and should be receiving votes. Same with Emmanuel. Things are changing in the GNAC, evidently. If they win both, the PBears will likely finish with only one or two losses.

2. Williams - Salem State loss is looking worse and worse, but a ton of talent. Not the favorite any more (I would have thought so heading in), but could change that on the 12th.

3. Wesleyan - Two losses to Emmanuel, and we'll see how legit those are when Bowdoin plays the Saints on the 6th. Not sure how good those midwest teams were.

4. Bates - Jim Murphy is the second best coach in the conference. It's a shame about Coffin, as Bobcats are a Top 10 team with her from my view.

5. Tufts - Would have been a lot higher had they not lost to WPI. Reasoning: Bowdoin beat RPI by 50; RPI beat WPI by one; WPI beats Tufts by six. (And, yes, I know comparative scores mean nothing). Salem State win has lost its cachet.

6. Middlebury - Racking up a decent record against Sister's of the Poor, but don't have enough to be a threat. Middlebury is a hockey school, but this program used to be really good (and should be).

7. Amherst - At the advent of the NESCAC tourney ('01), Amherst was the team to beat. The Lady Jeffs seemed to be back on course a couple of years ago, and then Kostakis transferred and it has been tough sledding.

8. With the current climate, Polar Bears are now officially an endangered species, but as long as the Chickens are still around, Bowdoin will get to the second round of the conference tourney. Another team that used to be really good (and should be better).

9. Conn. College - The Lady Camels are improving, but still a ways off. Date against Colby could be game of the year.

10. Trish O'Brien (current coach at MIT) should give back her last two year's salary to Colby for the hatchet job she did on this program.

Conference is down as a whole, but should get three teams in (Bowdoin, Williams & Wesleyan). Bates would need a conference title to get in, which is not out of the question.