MBB: NESCAC

[jumpshot]

Bucket, we all vividly remember Hixongate, along with his cranking up the baskets preventing Ephs cutting down the nets after beating amherst in LeFrak for NESCAC championship, among other moments with various opponents ....

[D3BBALL]

Ummm D3bball no one else on Wesleyan did anything!  He was by far their best player today. Aren't you the guy who said Pohlman should be POTY?  No shade on him, Trinity's guards play suffocating D, but he had 4 points, zero boards and seven TOs today.  Wolinski was the only guy who could do anything today.

Wolinski had a great first half no doubt but it wasn't from the outside. Looked like trinitys game plan on defense was not up give up threes and just give up twos. Wesleyan was 3 for 15 for the game on 3's. Wesleyan averages about 24 attempts per game. Trinity just wouldn't let them shoot threes.

[D3BBALL]

Yeah kinda felt like Trinity was saving this extra gear.  They are now fully in tourney mode and will be very tough to beat.  They can raise their defense up to such an intense level that it wears you down inevitably. I think with three Nescac titles, and what they've done and will likely keep doing in the NCAAs, they've locked down best Nescac team ever and are firmly in the D3 pantheon.  Especially if they reach a third straight final four, which is very, very rare.

Best team ever? Not so fast my friend.  I of course agree that the book on Trinity has not been written yet and a repeat National Championship would be an unprecedented accomplishment in the NESCAC but I do not think anything is "locked down" just yet.  I feel honor bound to remind you that Amherst won three consecutive NESCAC championships from 2012-14 and only lost ONE conference game during that stretch (which of course included some pretty good competition).  We were an overtime a way from a four-peat.  The 2013 team remains the only NESCAC team to win the NESCAC regular season, NESCAC Tournament and NCAA Tournament all in one season. 

Don't agree with NESCAC1 much recently, but also add that Trinity just won 3 NESCAC championships on the road knocking of the number 1 seed each time. I don't believe any team has won 3 in a row on the road. Their senior class is special. 34-5 in their last 39 conference games including playoffs and 37-5 if you count conference opponents in the ncaa. Pretty impressive.

[D3BBALL]

Looks like it is official Amherst is in at least from d3datacast numbers. Congrats NESCAC conference 5 teams wow!!!

[AmherstStudent05]

Very exciting to be back dancing!

D3, this Trinity senior class is certainly already in the NESCAC Mount Rushmore — no argument from me there. However, I actually think winning the NESCAC Championship three times in a row at home is much more impressive. For three straight years that Amherst team was tops in the NESCAC in both the regular season conference slate as well as the conference tournament. But again, three in a row is a tremendous accomplishment however one slices it.

[D3BBALL]

Very exciting to be back dancing!

D3, this Trinity senior class is certainly already in the NESCAC Mount Rushmore — no argument from me there. However, I actually think winning the NESCAC Championship three times in a row at home is much more impressive. For three straight years that Amherst team was tops in the NESCAC in both the regular season conference slate as well as the conference tournament. But again, three in a row is a tremendous accomplishment however one slices it.

It's the only thing this class lacks, a regular season title. So winning 3 straight regular season and titles is very impressive but winning 3 straight on the road is harder. In the end does anyone remember regular season champs😉.
Tie breaker will be how far this team goes in NCAA.

[SpringSt7]

Congrats to Amherst who has been in the tournament for a month despite all of our best efforts to comment their way out of the dance!

In all seriousness, great for the league to get 5 teams in and Amherst being good again is good for everyone. NPI is pretty clearly a positive for the NESCAC

[ziggy]

Congrats to Amherst who has been in the tournament for a month despite all of our best efforts to comment their way out of the dance!

I tried telling you all!

[D3BBALL]

Congrats to Amherst who has been in the tournament for a month despite all of our best efforts to comment their way out of the dance!

I tried telling you all!

Ziggy you had to be a little worried, they did end up as the last in correct? And babson was only up 2 or 4 at the half😏

[ziggy]

Amherst goes in as at-large #19/21. Otterbein was last team in, Johns Hopkins was second-to-last.
Would have survived another upset or two.

[D3BBALL]

Just posted the in the tourney thread as well but ....
First complaint, how do they put Trinity and Tufts and Wesleyan all in the same bracket. The announcer just said, it's good that Tufts and Wesleyan can't meet until elite 8, that is wrong they will meet in sweet 16 and then a potential Trinity vs Tufts/Weslyan in elite 8, makes no sense at all.

[el_jefe_90]

Congrats to the 5 teams who made the NCAA Tournament, with a special shoutout to Bates who hasn't been in since I believe 2015!

Agree with D3BBALL, how does that happen? I do believe all three get to the Sweet 16 if Gyimesi is healthy. I think Amherst has a tough matchup right out of the gate. I don't think they make it out of this weekend. I can certainly see Bates either bowing out in the 1st round or advancing to the Sweet 16.

Can't wait!

[nescac1]

Agreed, absolutely brutal draw for sure in that that NESCAC-heavy bracket.  Trinity/Redlands/Tufts/Wesleyan is a stacked potential sectional.  Redlands is not easy to play and even if Trinity survives that (and I think they would because they have so many good ball-handlers and can get it up the floor in a hurry) it's an exhausting game to play before a brutal rivalry game the next day.  Plus Hood, NYU, and Babson as tough programs with a lot of tourney experience in that bracket too.  I do think all three NESCAC teams have a very good chance of advancing to a near-repeat of the NESCAC conference tourney. But a shame that Wesleyan wasn't sent to the other side of the bracket. 

Surprised they didn't swing one of those teams to the Emory bracket where there are plenty of New England teams.  Emory could have a glide path to the Final Four - IWU is very banged up and unclear if their star will be available, not totally sold on Montclair, NJAC hasn't been loaded in awhile, and Endicott isn't going to compete with Emory if they get that far, although Roanoke is definitely a tough second round match-up to get past. 

I think Bates has a solid chance of making the Sweet 16.  Amherst-WPI should be a good game, Mary Washington in the second round is tough for Amherst is they can survive that one. 

I'll go with Trinity over Wesleyan, Chicago over Mary Washington, Emory over ?, RMC over Wash U, with Emory beating Trinity for the national title.  I'm sure I'll be wildly wrong as usual! 

[deiscanton]

Just posted the in the tourney thread as well but ....
First complaint, how do they put Trinity and Tufts and Wesleyan all in the same bracket. The announcer just said, it's good that Tufts and Wesleyan can't meet until elite 8, that is wrong they will meet in sweet 16 and then a potential Trinity vs Tufts/Weslyan in elite 8, makes no sense at all.

Unfortunately, Pat Coleman mixed up the NPI ranking of Tufts with the NPI ranking of Endicott.   Since Wesleyan is currently ranked at #8 in NPI, and Tufts is ranked at #9 in NPI, Tufts and Wesleyan can play against each other in the Sweet 16 for the right to go to Fort Wayne.   Endicott is a protected seed, and Wesleyan is a protected seed, but not Tufts-- the Jumbos fell just outside of the top 8 in NPI. 

[lumbercat]

Critical for Bates will be the status of Brady Coyne, their best shooter and team leader. Suffered what looked to be a significant ankle injury very late in the game on Saturday.