MBB: NESCAC

[Bucket]

Agree that the Trinity senior class of Vetter, Okorougo, Lazarre, McDonald and Jordan is in contention for best NESCAC class of all time and if they win another national title I think I'd give them GOAT status. It's hard to pick one guy from that group as definitively the best - if forced to I go with Okorougo, but really it's how they play as a group that makes them truly special. 

Other contenders for greatest NESCAC class of all time:

1998 Williams: Mike Nogelo, Grant Farmer, Brendan McGuire (injury to Farmer limiting his impact as an upperclassman knocks them out, but that core did get to two Final Fours and Nogelo has the best individual resume)
2004 Williams: Ben Coffin, Mike Crotty, Chuck Abba - and Blake Morgan was supposed to be up there with them before a severe injury
2008 Amherst: Andrew Olson, Fletcher Walters, Matt Goldsmith, Kevin Hopkins, Brandon Jones, Adolphe Coulibaly
2010 Williams: Blake Schultz, Joe Geoghegan, Alex Rubin, Ethan Timmins-Schiffman, Charlie Cates, Will Hardy (do you get extra points for being the best hoops coach NESCAC has ever produced?). 
2013 Amherst: Willy Workman, Allen Williamson, Peter Kaasila (yeah Toomey was the best guy on that squad but still an insanely good trio by the time they graduated)
HM to 2019 Williams: Bobby Casey, James Heskett, Kyle Scadlock, Michael Kempton, Marcos Soto, Jake Porath (not really a contender but the biggest what if - if Scadlock hadn't gotten injured I think they'd be right up there, but as is, just didn't win enough). 

My current rankings: 2008 Amherst, 2026 Trinity, 2004 Williams.  I think the Trinity group has to win another title to eclipse that crazy 2008 Amherst class.  Olson is better than any current Trinity player, Trinity's next two are clearly better than Amherst's next two, but Amherst had a bigger class with more quality depth and a similar level of overall success - it's close. 

Midd's Jake Wolfin, Nolan Thompson, and Peter Lynch wasn't shabby, either.

[D3BBALL]

I did so well last week (5-5), here are my predictions for this week.

Friday
Hamilton 59 at Weslyean 74
Bowdoin 68 at Bates 72
Amherst 55 at Trinity 80
Williams 73 at Tufts 79
Middlebury 68 at Conn 65

Saturday
Williams 71 at Conn 69
Amherst 61 at Wesleyan 68
Middlebury 61 at Tufts 75
Hamilton 49 at Trinity 83

Sunday
Bates 73 at Colby 76

[Stickthe3]

Weekend predictions. 6-4 last week

Friday 1/17
Hamilton 62 at Wesleyan 79
Bowdoin 68 at Bates 74
Amherst 58 at Trinity 76
Williams 77 at Tufts 85
Middlebury 64 at Conn 74

Saturday 1/18
Williams 74 at Conn 67
Amherst 71 at Wesleyan 77
Middlebury 62 at Tufts 84
Hamilton 57 at Trinity 83

Sunday 1/19
Bates 72 at Colby 78

[midrangepullup]

I was 6-4 week 1, could have been better:

Friday:
Wesleyan 79 Hamilton 66
Bates 70 Bowdoin 64
Trinity 62 Amherst 49
Tufts 73 Williams 55
Conn 74 Midd 65
Saturday:
Conn 68 Williams 66
Tufts 77 Midd 68
Trnity 80 Hamilton 58
Sunday:
Colby 72 Bates 68

[jumbomumbo]

Those last year know Mumbo loves predictions. It saddens me that I didn't do them last week. I am less active these days, but the jumbo love is still there. I will stick to strictly tufts predictions going forward.

Record: 2-0 (yeah I didn't post here but I certainly didn't have us losing to Bowdoin or Colby.

Alumni weekend so we're all watching tonight and tomorrow.

Tufts 73 Williams 64. I hope this is a good game because tomorrow is goin to be Tufts 82 Middlebury 55. Normally would have us beating Middlebury by more but I want to see a good game tonight.

[D3BBALL]

Amherst played a very good first half. Trinity might be worse half of their season. Trinity was down 9 at one point now up 3 at half.

[jumbomumbo]

Williams is just a terrible basketball team. What an embarrassment, 36 points. At all times tonight, tufts had 5 better athletes on the court. Simple as that. Think #20 had a put back dunk that didn't count at the end of the game, maybe coach should play him more.

[ItsATuftSituation]

I don't post a lot on here because...well, I just don't have the passion to do so. But tonight, I was at the Tufts-Williams game and oh boy.

I've been around a long time, this has to be the most uninspired Williams team I've ever seen. Not having Lee obviously hurts them, but they're just not really all that good. Not that it's a surprise to people that have seen them play this season, but I'm not entirely sure they have a player in their lineup that starts for any of the top 4-5 teams in the league.

Now, Tufts did make it super hard for them to do anything...but 2-21 shooting from three? That's not defense, especially in the first half when they were getting open looks. I don't know, just a bad game, but 36 points? Yikes.

On the Tufts' side, good to see them be fine with Gyimesi in foul trouble. Defensive intensity was great and their wing depth defensively is impressive with Reilly, Medley, Watt, Wooten and Nieves all making it tough for guards.