WBB: NESCAC

Started by Senator Frost, March 12, 2005, 09:18:11 AM

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Red1

Here's the early matchup we've been waiting for.  Bates v. Brandeis at Brandeis this afternoon.  On the downside both Meg Coffin and Matia Kostakis are benched with injuries.  If Brandeis wins it will show some strength, but not as much as if they beat a fully healthy Bates team since the two injured players are both stars.  If Bates wins it will show that Brandeis' record and rank benefit greatly from their weak non-conference schedule making them appear far better than they may actually be.  Good luck to all.

Red1

Snowman

Red,

Got love you. You all rip Brandies, they beat you and the excuses fly already. I would wonder if any of Brandeis starters were injured, except, you can only beat what you play. Hopefully everyone will be healed so the same excuses don't fly when you play USM.

feces monkey

Oh, great, now we have all the Brandeis nitwits coming over to the NESCAC board 'judging' themselves the best. At least we know that D3hoops will keep its long-standing tradition of taking into account injuries when putting together their poll.  ::) Methinks Bates won't get the same affection as USM did last year. Such is the price of being a NESCAC. I'll take the Bobcats at the end of the year.

It appears Bowdoin might be in danger of a step-off, as well, as they only managed to hang a 46-spot on the CCC frontrunners.  :D The USM game should be a gem in Gorham. Polar Bears have to be at least a 10-point underdog. I thought Williams would give the Huskies a better game, but the more things stay the same...

Jury is still out on Wesleyan. If they beat Trinity (Tx) on Sunday they would certainly get back on the scene. Three games in three days is tough for anyone.

Here's hoping all the work-study hours are all in line for USM. The new math can be tricky.


Snowman

Aren't we a bit sensitive? First off I am not a Bandeis anything, the real reference was regarding USM, but again I find it very interesting that you all beat the heck out of Brandeis and the first opportunity they get they win handily. I wasn't at it but was told they did the same to USM in our scrimmage. A little credit may be due, but all you do is make excuses. Winning with grace is easy but me thinks thou hast won to much and ist spoiled.

bearswatcher

Hey, thought I'd come back for a vistit after the Lady Bears laid the smackdown on the competition this weekend and after checking UAA results to find Brandeis handled your wonderful Bates. Snowman, you can be my new best friend, come to the UAA and the Central boards for a visit, we don't make excuses there, people get hurt, sick, whatever, and we just play, look back, no crying from us when Brandeis came to town and nipped us last year.

senatorfrost

  Two starters were out for Bates. I didn't realize that mentioning that made one a 'crybaby'. Hey it's good to see 'Deis' building not just one, but TWO programs. They are a force to be reckoned with, yessirreee! I remember last year Fig Newton warned folks of the dire consequences that would befall all those who did not believe in the power of 'Deis'. (or words to that effect)
   Personally I feel 'Deis' should be congratulated for their win over a quality NESCAC opponent. I now view 'Deis' in the same light as I view Salem State and Southern Maine. EXACTLY the SAME light, and in EVERY way.
    Now if that isn't enough praise, all I can do is shrug.

JeffRookie2

I think Amherst could be as high as 3rd or fourth in the conference. Although Matia left, last year's incoming class that included Muller, Reiff and Pollack is very solid. The terrible team chemistry from last season should be much improved now that pretty much the entire original '07 recruiting class has decidided to leave the team  (Glazier, Avis, Polales, Passmore), none of those players contributed much on the floor, and by all accounts as a group they caused a lot of problems. I've heard the incoming class might even be better than last years, and if there is one player to step into the pf/c role that kostakis left, the Jeffs would have a really solid starting five, with Latham, Reiff, Muller and Pollack being the other four. Football fans might notice that Ngai Otieno's little sister Amanda is on the team, hopefully she will be as athletic as her brother.

feces monkey

Hey, I understand posters coming over to the NESCAC board looking for affirmation. Being the best women's basketball conference in the nation, as well as the undisputed top overall academic and athletic conference available, it is high praise just to be mentioned on this board. Be thankful if your team is even acknowledged.

However, it does seem odd that a self-described USM fan and a Wash U backer would come visit this board to play up Brandeis/tear down Bates. Is it just an opportunity to take a potshot at the NESCAC? A chance to see your name in lights? It's envy, and it is transparent.

Back to the board:

I wouldn't be surprised if Amherst was a home-seed. They were decent last year and it sounds like they had addition by subtraction (I'll explain that concept later if the non-NESCACers are still reading). McBride had that outstanding team in 2001 and seems to be trying to rebuild ever since. With the quality of player Amherst attracts (see: men's team), I'm surprised they haven't been more consistent.

Midd is off to a decent start (called by Frost in the preseason). Not the stiffest of competition, but a good start. They get the almighty Wash U. this weekend, so it appears we'll be graced by Bearswatcher's presence for another 15 minutes of fame. If Midd can clean up the back-end of the conference, they should be a decent away seed.

Snowman

COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF

GORHAM, Maine — Junior forward Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/Woodland) scored a team-high 16 points and grabbed a career-high tying 17 rebounds to lead the nationally-ranked University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 66-48 win over the nationally-ranked Bates College Bobcats, Tuesday at Warren G. Hill Gymnasium on the Gorham campus.
With the win the Huskies improve to 3-0 early in the 2005-2006 season. The Bobcats, suffering their second loss to a ranked opponent in as many games, drop to 1-2 overall.
The 5-9 Marble was tremendous on both ends of the floor for the Huskies shooting a sparkling 8-for-10 from the field en route to her second double-double of the season. Marble's 17 rebounds ties her career-high set in the Huskies last match-up with Bates in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Touranment. Marble also added two assists, a blocked shot and two steals in 26 minutes.
Senior guard Donna Cowing (Weeks Mills, Maine/Erksine Academy) was the only other USM player to score in double-figures as the Huskies had eight players score at least four points in the game.
Bates freshman forward Val Beckwith (Woburn, Mass.) led all scorers with a game-high 17 points on a 7-for-10 effort from the floor. Sophomore guard Sarah Barton (Portsmouth, N.H./Portsmouth) and junior forward Katie Franklin (New Preston, Conn./The Taft School) chipped in with eight points each.
Southern Maine controlled the game from the start and never trailed opening the game with a 7-0 run. The Huskies shot an outstanding 56 percent from the floor in the opening half, connecting on 14 of their 25 shots, to take a commanding 36-17 lead at the half. Conversely, Bates struggled offensively shooting a dismal 20 percent (7-for-20) in the first half.
Although the Huskies' shooting cooled in the second half, Southern Maine remained in control of the contest throughout and led by as many as 27 points with just over three minutes to play. Southern Maine ended the game shooting a solid 46.3 percent (25-for-54) and held a decisive 59-31 edge in rebounds. Bates ended the game with a sub-par 25 percent effort from the floor, connecting on just 18 of 72 shots.
Senior guard Katie Frost (Calais, Maine/Calais) and senior forward Megan Myles (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little) each scored eight points for the Huskies. Frost ended the game with eight points, four assists, two steal and a blocked shot, while Myles grabbed seven boards.
Southern Maine returns to action after the holiday break at home against in-state rival and nationally-ranked Bowdoin College Polar Bears on Tuesday, November 29 at 6 p.m. Bates heads back to the hardwood on the same date against the Husson College Eagles. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Snowman

Damn, I hope Bates can win some games this season, if they keep losing like this it will do nothing for anybody's strength of schedule ;D

senatorfrost

  The loss to Norwich and the loss to Mount Holyoke leave me beginning to doubt whether Amherst can have a really good season if you measure things in terms of W's and L's. Are the new coaches at Trinity and Colby going to improve their teams records? Amherst still has plenty of time to improve things but on the other hand Bowdoin is looking better and better.
How serious is the injury (or whatever) to Coffin? How long will Maggie Miller be out? These and other burning questions haunt the consciousness of the loyal fan whoever they may actually be rooting for. There should be injury reports and updates so I would have more free moments to concentrate on how nice my Girl's hair looks, now that she's finally found a  'True Stylist'

bearswatcher

Well, going to watch the Lady Bears play your Middlebury team today. Will report back to you all later. By the way I would match the academics at Washington, NYU, UChicago, Emory, URochester, Brandeis, Case Western Reserve and Carnigie Mellon with your NESCAC schools any day of the week. Heck I thought we were the elitists.

bearswatcher

WELL ALL I CAN SAY IS UGLY[/size

I think it is now UAA 2, Nescac 0 in head to head match ups..........

bearswatcher

Feces...wooooops I mean Senator ;)......no comments about being 0-2 against UAA opponents, maybe you want to go the academic back patting route some more.

I am going to go check to see if there are any more UAA/Nescac match ups this year, you guys are fun.


Red1

Unlike many of the UAA teams who schedule non-conference games against weak teams like Salve Regina, Coe, or Middlebury (very bottom of the Nescac pack) Bates has 12 out of 15 non-conference games on the road, 6 of them against top 25 teams (3 in the top 5), and 2 more against teams that are getting votes, and may get into the top 25 later in the year.  This is a suicide schedule (quite possibly the most difficult in the nation this year) and if Bates makes it through December with limited losses the Bobcats will be in great shape when their top two starters return.

While the UAA continues to play mostly weak non-conference games, and mostly home ones (although this is understandable given the amount of travelling they do for conference games.)  Bates takes on the best in the country and does it on the road.  USM takes pride in a difficult non-conference schedule with Bates and Bowdoin on the list.  When the best teams hit eachother the home team usually wins.  Perhaps this is why the Huskies are afraid to play any difficult games on the road (and don't try to tell me the conference road games are difficult.  The LEC is cake compared to the UAA and Nescac).

One last note:  Coffin injured her back near the end of the soccer season.  She'll return once it has healed.  The prognosis is the beginning of January.  Kostakis broke her foot at the end of the volleyball season.  She'll return when the bone has healed and is strong enough.  The prognosis is also the beginning of January.  Without these two players bates has an extremely small team and has been unable to establish a strong inside presence.  Coffin was one of the big rebounders for Bates last year, and Kostakis was a big rebounder last year too.  Bates will be a completely different team when their top players return.

Cheers,
Red1