MBB: NESCAC

[deiscanton]

Wesleyan just defeated #1 Trinity (CT) at Silloway Gym in Middletown, CT -- 64-62.

Trinity's 32 game consecutive winning streak has been snapped.

This is the second year in a row that Wesleyan has beaten Trinity in regular season single round robin NESCAC conference play.   Last year, Trinity got revenge on Wesleyan in both the NESCAC championship game and the national semifinal game on its way to winning the 2024-25 DIII men's national championship. 

[D3BBALL]

Great game congrats to Wesleyan.
 The refs were terrible on both sides. None of them should ref a game again in the NESCAC. The ruined it for both teams. Phantom calls on both sides and easy missed calls. Sooner of later the refereeing has got to get better.
That being said Trinity is not playing well and out coached the last 2 minutes. How could the 3 best players on the team not take the final shot???

[jumbomumbo]

Today could be a great day in jumbo nation. Tufts leading Conn 57-50 with 8 left. Trinity dropped to Wes. Home court advantage is there if we want it. Jumbos been on an absolute roll lately

[jumbomumbo]

76-73 final. Tufts wins. The shot making down the stretch for both Conn and Tufts has been incredible. Zion Watt with 3 threes in a row, some of them crazy pulls off the dribble but he like that. Couple different conn kids drilling crazy threes too.

[NEhoops]

Statement win for Bowdoin at home in the rivalry game against Colby. Feels like any at large bid chances for Colby are slipping away.

Amherst holds serve at home. Hamilton scored 9 points in the first half - did they really beat Bates or was that a dream? 

Big win for Wesleyan as their impressive start to conference play continues. This game has turned into a great rivalry too.

Tufts escapes with a good road win. Huge home weekend for them next week (Wes/Tri). Schedule doesn't get any easier for Conn.

I'll let the Wil/Mid supporters weigh in on that one. Cleary the 3-point line was the difference.

Bates drops their road game at St. Joe's - still no Pouye. I could see St. Joe's being more competitive if they didn't turn it over so much (18).

[D3BBALL]

If Watson of Wesleyan was not up for freshmen of the year, he needs to be after today. He was fantastic.

[ItsATuftSituation]

Situation here...I was at the Conn. and Tufts game on Saturday and I think it's time we start to give Joshua Bernstein a little more love on this board.

I'm not saying that he's a lock to make All-NESCAC, and maybe he shouldn't be. But he's a difference maker, shooting 67 percent for the season, averaging nearly 10 boards. But more importantly is his improved confidence with the ball in his hands not at the rim. He has become a better passer, can handle it (made a Conn. player fall down with a crossover Saturday). He also has been better about his fouling.

Should be entertaining this weekend in Medford with the CT teams coming to town.

[jumbomumbo]

Situation here...I was at the Conn. and Tufts game on Saturday and I think it's time we start to give Joshua Bernstein a little more love on this board.

I'm not saying that he's a lock to make All-NESCAC, and maybe he shouldn't be. But he's a difference maker, shooting 67 percent for the season, averaging nearly 10 boards. But more importantly is his improved confidence with the ball in his hands not at the rim. He has become a better passer, can handle it (made a Conn. player fall down with a crossover Saturday). He also has been better about his fouling.

Should be entertaining this weekend in Medford with the CT teams coming to town.

Bernstein can now grab rebounds and push the ball in transition which is scary. Have even seen him make a euro step on a defender. He's been crucial and will continue to be crucial to th success of this team

[jumbomumbo]

It's time to briefly shift discussion to the Super Bowl. I'm sure there are a lot of biased Patriots fans here, including myself.

Last year I gave everyone Eagles moneyline and it was the easiest bet of all time. This year I don't expect it to be easy, but THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS ARE GOING TO WIN THE SUPERBOWL.

[Caz Bombers]

I don't mean to troll but I think Seattle by 2 touchdowns. The Pats beat up a lot of bad teams and they're probably not here if Bo Nix doesn't break his ankle against Buffalo.

They'll have to make it another rock fight and try to win 13-10.

[NEhoops]

ItsATuftSituation - I heard it was an interesting end to that game, specifically the final possession. Any more details, what was your perspective?

[el_jefe_90]

The NPI is out for anyone interested:

Trinity and Tufts are essentially locks. Wesleyan looks comfortably in as well. Bates is currently at 11 in Pool C. A couple more wins, and a win against a CT team, could put them over the hump.

Colby is right on the outside with their Pool C rank at #22 (21 at large teams get in of course). Big game against Amherst Friday night. They have a tough final two games on the road so they need some wins.

Bowdoin (31 Pool C Rank) and Conn (33 Pool C Rank) are a little aways from that mark. Conn is hosting the other CT teams this weekend. Could be a bump up if they get a win.

Amherst is sitting at a #42 Pool C Rank. Their SOS in the early season certainly didn't help. They have a massive weekend hosting Colby and Bowdoin. Seems like this could define their season. A weekend sweep would be huge.

Williams (92), Middlebury (136) and Hamilton (228) need to go on a run, that's if they can even make the NESCAC Tournament.

Here's to another great NESCAC weekend. I'm sure most eyes will be tuned into Medford!

[ItsATuftSituation]

ItsATuftSituation - I heard it was an interesting end to that game, specifically the final possession. Any more details, what was your perspective?

Yeah, so...It looked like they wanted to set the play up on the side, but the ball was underneath. So, they ran a play to get the ball up top to call a timeout? It was unclear honestly. There was 1.5 seconds left, the clock ran while the inbounds was in the air, and then they stopped it...then the shot was whistled down because of the timing error. They talked about it and gave the ball back to Conn with 1.2 seconds to go on the side near the bench. The shot off the inbounds was no good, though I think it was after the buzzer. The clock all game was kind of bad, the timing and shot clocks were off a few times. It happens, but just a tough day at the office.

[NEhoops]

I agree the BOW/COL at AMH/HAM matchup is a going to have a huge impact moving forward.


WES – A win at Tufts would likely seal the deal, if the Trinity win didn't already. 

BAT – They beat Colby and Bowdoin twice but are still lacking a signature NESCAC win. They need to protect home court against Wil/Mid this weekend. Any update on Pouye?

COL – A sweep this weekend (at Amherst/at Hamilton) would make things interesting.

BOW – They also need to be thinking sweep if they want to stay in the conversation

CON – A win against Tufts could have changed their trajectory. The losses to Bow/Col are tough because the rest of their schedule is daunting.

AMH – They have a very favorable schedule with four games at home and somewhat control their own destiny regarding the four seed and a potential bid.

[el_jefe_90]

If Watson of Wesleyan was not up for freshmen of the year, he needs to be after today. He was fantastic.

Unfortunately, I don't think he'll get enough playing time as some other first years just because of the starting guards for Wes and other teams needs. Really solid player with a bright future though!

Mason Dawkins of Bowdoin is probably the front runner for the award. 11.4ppg, 5.2rpg, 2.6apg and 1.9spg. Really good numbers.

While Rookie of the Year is normally given to first years in the NESCACn, does anyone know if transfers are eligible? The two Conn players (LaFrance and Cantwell) would probably be the favorites if that's the case.