MBB: NESCAC

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Hood is definitely really good.  They held up well under the Redlands chaos.  They're pretty small, though, so Trinity will have an advantage there at nearly every position.

[D3BBALL]

Trinity height wise is not huge, Norris is tall, but not sure if he is a good matchup for Trinity to use against Hood. But Trinity is strong, strength wise at every position.

Hood plays zone a lot from what I have watched, will be interesting to see how Hood handles Davis, Okorougo and McDonald on the offensive boards compared to how many Trinity gives up as well. Okorougo could be the zone killer, if he goes off down low, could see a lot of open threes. Half court set maybe Trinity has the advantage?

On the other end, not sure Trinity has played a team that wants to get up and down as much as Hood has, will be interesting to see who controls the pace of play and does Trinity want to run. Maybe Hood advantage here?

1 game for the weekend, see Trinity giving more minutes to starting 5 and top 7.

Seems Hood doesn't mind giving up turn overs, as they create so many. Trinity all year has feasted on turn overs. In the end, turn overs just might be the determining factor.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Trinity height wise is not huge, Norris is tall, but not sure if he is a good matchup for Trinity to use against Hood. But Trinity is strong, strength wise at every position.

You're used to NESCAC size.  Trinity is pretty darn big compared to most teams outside the power conferences.  Hood is not at all big.

[NEhoops]

Yeshiva is only real outlier remaining from an NPI standpoint (#64). They had an impressive win against Maine-Farmington and Samet only scored 16 points (on 5-17 from the field).

However, containing the guards of Emory, particularly Knight and Pearce, will be a tall task. It is arguably the best backcourt they have faced all year.

[nescac1]

I mean, Emory has the best backcourt in the country, so I think safe to say it's the best backcourt Yeshiva has faced all year!  Some other great ones left in the tourney for sure, RMC, Trinity, Wesleyan, Hood, UChicago, Mary Washington ... but Emory has to be the best. 

[D3BBALL]

Yeshiva is only real outlier remaining from an NPI standpoint (#64). They had an impressive win against Maine-Farmington and Samet only scored 16 points (on 5-17 from the field).

However, containing the guards of Emory, particularly Knight and Pearce, will be a tall task. It is arguably the best backcourt they have faced all year.

Yeshiva will need their front court to shoot the ball well to take pressure off Samet. Zakheim will need to protect the ball as well for them to have a shot on the road against a top 4 team.

[D3BBALL]

I mean, Emory has the best backcourt in the country, so I think safe to say it's the best backcourt Yeshiva has faced all year!  Some other great ones left in the tourney for sure, RMC, Trinity, Wesleyan, Hood, UChicago, Mary Washington ... but Emory has to be the best. 

I'm surprised you don't have Bowdoin on this list, lol.

Seriously I still think of Vetter as a guard, I know he plays the small forward, but I will be a NESCAC Conference fare weather fan and choose Vetter and Lazarre as best backcourt in the country. They both shoot it better than Emory and Vetter and Lazarre, in close games, just find a way to get it done. If they ever play against each other, whoever Lazarre guards, it is going to be a great match up to watch.

[redbirds]

Looking ahead here - but if Wesleyan takes care of Tufts this weekend they will play the winner of the Trinity/Hood game in Fort Wayne. Seems like there is a high likelihood of a Wesleyan/Trinity rematch in Fort Wayne (assuming Gyiemesi is not playing). Looking even further ahead, formal Cardinal Shane Regan led his team to hosting a Sweet 16 game. If they get to the Final 4, he would be matched up with either Wesleyan or a rematch against Trinity. Very interesting how things can unfold.

[lumbercat]

yes, couldn't agree more but these AD's so pre occupied with budgets hotels and busses for teams of 15 people they don't even think about flexing a game by 30 or 60 minutes......after all, why consider the concerns of the Fans, Alums and DONORS.

The ADs don't set times for NCAA Tournament games. The NCAA Tournament committee does.

I get that Pat but if the AD's endeavored to bring about change I believe the starting times could/should be staggered a bit.

[Patrick Coleman]

yes, couldn't agree more but these AD's so pre occupied with budgets hotels and busses for teams of 15 people they don't even think about flexing a game by 30 or 60 minutes......after all, why consider the concerns of the Fans, Alums and DONORS.

The ADs don't set times for NCAA Tournament games. The NCAA Tournament committee does.

I get that Pat but if the AD's endeavored to bring about change I believe the starting times could/should be staggered a bit.

You'd be surprised how little effect that can have, I guess.

[lumbercat]

It seems like something could be done but you know better than I.

[Patrick Coleman]

Something could be done -- just not by the ADs. That's a miss by the committee.

[SpringSt7]

Dartmouth has announced that HC and Colby alum Dave McLaughlin will not be returning next year. It was obvious then and even more obvious now that he should've taken the job at his alma mater last year assuming it was actually offered to him as some reported.

I don't know that any of them would be serious candidates based on how Dartmouth has operated in the past but I wonder if any of Cosgrove, Reilly, or Linton get calls

[nescac1]

I think if any NESCAC coach will be on the D1 radar over the next few years, it will be Linton.  Cosgrove and Reilly are already a bit on the older side for a first-time D1 coach, and both have deep roots and ties to those programs and communities and will go down as Hixon-like figures, likely with courts named after them, unbreakable wins records, etc. after they retire.  Also, both have been exclusively D3 guys for a long, long time.  I'm not sure there is a ton of incentive for either to leave at this point, unless they are just desperate to give any D1 opportunity a go to finish off their coaching careers.   

Linton has the right sort of resume to move up - he's the perfect age for a first-time D1 coach (just under 40), he still has fairly recent D1 assistant coaching experience to point to, and in his six full years of coaching D3, he has five NCAA tourney appearances, all with at least one NCAA win, and the only season he missed was with a team he inherited that wasn't really in a position to make the tourney.  Also, his record has (gradually) improved each year at Tufts, and this year he's done it despite a fair amount of injury woes.  He has just enough experience while still feeling like a hot young up-and-coming coach.  Not saying he has any desire to leave - Tufts is a great situation, as with the benefit of a bigger university with more programs (including grad programs) closely proximate to Boston he has advantages a lot of NESCAC coaches don't, and he can almost surely be coach for life there, while taking a lower-tier D1 job is a big career risk.  But if he does, I'd think he is probably one of the half dozen or so D3 coaches who would have the most appealing resume to a D1 program, and especially an Ivy type of program. 

[D3BBALL]

I agree Linton would probably be the only one to try and move up. Has a good appealing resume, is young and has recruited fairly well and if he can get to the final 4 would be a hot commodity.
Cosgrove is not leaving Trinity and not sure he is a good fit in D1, certainly not the Ivy's.
Reilly, who I agree is probably happy where he is, I think, would do the best job at the next level of these 3. He is just better at X's and O's and late game coaching than Linton, IMO, at this time.
As NESCAC states if Linton wants stability, he stays at Tufts. Also, to me Dartmouth, while a great academic school, probably harder to sell to athletes. It's great area, but nothing around it and it's cold. It's a little like BC in the ACC.