Nothing But NESCAC

How They Stack Up: Power Rankings 2/18

Our usual Power Rankings writer, the esteemed Dave Peck, is busy this week with work and other endeavors so I am going to fill in for the week. Keep that in mind if these rankings look very different from the ones last week. However, I think Dave has been doing a fantastic job and have not made too many changes, though one of my decisions near the bottom might surprise you.

1. Trinity (19-5, 9-1) Last Week: 1

This Saturday will mark exactly one month since the Bantams lost a game. Trinity fell to Fisher, an NAIA school, on January 21 and has won six NESCAC games since then. Nothing much has changed since last week for them. They handled their business against Middlebury for 38 minutes, but the Panthers did make a late comeback to make things interesting. Trinity continues to get little respect nationally, as they are not ranked in the D3Hoops poll and were below Amherst and Bates in the first NCAA regional rankings.

Captain Hart Gliedman '15 made life miserable for the Panthers' Dylan Sinnickson '15 in Trinity's last regular season game, a 90-85 win at Middlebury. (Courtesy of Trinity Athletics) — Captain Hart Gliedman ’15 made life miserable for the Panthers’ Dylan Sinnickson ’15 with outstanding perimeter defense in Trinity’s last regular season game, a 90-85 win at Middlebury. (Courtesy of Trinity Athletics)

2. Bowdoin (17-7, 7-3) Last Week: 6

The Polar Bears rocketed up the standings this weekend, and now they rocket up the Power Rankings. Plenty has been said about back-to-back NESCAC Player of the Week Lucas Hausman ’16 and his improvement this season, but one should not overlook the improved quality of play from his classmates Matt Palecki ’16 and Jake Donnelly ’16. Palecki has settled into the power forward position and is even providing some needed three point shooting, and Donnelly is also now in the starting lineup as a third guard. His contributions do not always come through on the stat sheet, but he is the best perimeter defender for Bowdoin and is the primary ball-handler when Bryan Hurley ’15 needs a rest.

3. Amherst (18-6, 6-4) Last Week: 3

The Jeffs bungled their chance to get the number two seed in the NESCAC tournament and subsequently hurt their NCAA at-large chances with a loss Sunday to Middlebury. Yet the loss does not really change our opinion of the Jeffs. Besides Connor Green ’16, nobody played well for Amherst, and there is way too much talent on the roster for that to happen again. The key for Dave Hixon will be figuring who has the hot hand and get them on the court as much as possible Saturday.

4. Bates (19-5, 7-3) Last Week: 2

The Bobcats second game against Bowdoin went completely differently than the first one which was a rout for Bates. Do not put too much stock into this loss because the Bobcats ran into the perfect storm for Bowdoin. The important thing is that they took care of business Saturday against Colby and now have a home game against Wesleyan in the first round of the NESCAC tournament. This is most likely the final home game for Bates this season, and seniors Graham Safford ’15, Adam Philpott ’15, Cam Kaubris ’15 and Billy Selmon ’15 would love to finish their final season at Alumni Gym undefeated.

5. Tufts (13-11, 6-4) Last Week: 5

It is starting to seem like Tufts has simply been treading water the last couple of weeks since Hunter Sabety ’17 got hurt. The Jumbos went 3-3 in their final six NESCAC games without him. To be fair, those three losses were all by single digits and Tufts was either winning or tied at halftime of each of them. Tom Palleschi ’16 has benefited from the extra space on the inside and has been scintillating to watch lately. However, he went cold down the stretch against Bowdoin, a big reason why Tufts could not keep up at the very end.

6. Wesleyan (16-8, 5-5) Last Week: 9

No team made a bigger statement in their two games last weekend than the Cardinals. They went from squarely on the bubble of making the tournament to the sixth seed and a chance to redeem a close lose against Bates. The Cardinals are a very unselfish, balanced team that had four players finish with 11 or more PPG over the course of the regular season. No other team did that, even though as a team Wesleyan was only the fifth highest scoring team this season.

7. Williams (15-9, 5-5) Last Week: 4

The final weekend did not treat Williams as well as they might have hoped. Wesleyan ended up blowing out Williams at Chandler Gym in what was one of the worst shooting performances for the Ephs all season. In fairness, a lot of the shots they missed seemed to rattle in and out, but the fact remains that Williams lives and dies by the three. While that makes them a terrifying opponent to play against, the chances of them having three straight great shooting games in a row to win the NESCAC tournament are long.

8. Middlebury (17-7, 4-6) Last Week: 8

I know that Middlebury did not make the playoffs, but after watching them play Amherst, you think Trinity is thankful that they are playing Colby and not Middlebury? That is no disrespect to Colby, but the Mules are a different team without Chris Hudnut ’16. The improvement of Matt St. Amour ’17 (19.6 PPG, 62.7 percent FG [32-51] in his last six games) as the year went along is an encouraging sign for a Middlebury team that will look to get the program back quickly to the high level it was performing at a few years ago.

Once he recovered from an ankle sprain suffered in late January, St. Amour looked like a different player. The Vermont native will be at the center of Middlebury's reloading effort in 2015-16. (Courtesy of Michael O'Hara/Middlebury Campus) — Once he recovered from an ankle sprain suffered in late January, Matt St. Amour ’17 looked like a different player. The Vermont native will be at the center of Middlebury’s reloading effort in 2015-16. (Courtesy of Michael O’Hara/Middlebury Campus)

9. Colby (13-11, 4-6) Last Week: 7

Give credit to Colby: they are fighting like crazy and having a lot of guys step up in order to stay competitive right now. Not many teams could have lost their projected starting power forward and center and still lose to Tufts and Bates by single digits. While an upset of Trinity is a longshot, it certainly is not impossible. Luke Westman ’16 and Ryan Jann ’16 are right up there as one of the top backcourts in the league. Both of them need to play superbly Saturday.

10. Hamilton (14-10, 2-8) Last Week: 10

The Continentals closed out their season with a victory over the Mules. Despite the 2-8 record, there were a lot of positives for the Continentals who had to deal with the unexpected loss of Matt Hart ’16 to transfer. Joseph Lin ’15 was one of the best stories of the season, but he suffered an unfortunate injury that cut short his campaign. On Saturday for his final home game, Conn College allowed Lin one last basket at home.

11. Conn College (7-16, 0-10) Last Week: 11

For the second time in three seasons, the Camels finished the season without a win in conference. The good news is that everyone should be back next year for Conn, barring any transfers. There appears to be a foundation for at least respectability in place in New London, but winning will not come easy for Conn. The current sophomore and freshmen classes are both big so Conn will rely on the growth of those players next year.

Cardinals Fly at Expense of Panthers: Stock Report 2/16

Going into the weekend, the biggest piece yet to be solved in the playoff puzzle was whether Middlebury or Wesleyan would take the final spot (Colby could have also fallen out under one unlikely scenario). On Friday the Cardinals breezed past Hamilton while Middlebury could not complete a miraculous comeback and fell just short to Trinity. Only a Wesleyan loss and Panther victory Sunday would send Middlebury to the playoffs. By late Saturday afternoon the playoff field was set. Wesleyan sucked out the drama from the proceedings when they opened up the second half with a 14-0 run to take a 20-point lead over Williams, eventually closing out the Ephs with a 74-52 victory. Middlebury actually finished the season on a high note with a nice win over Amherst, but their fate had already been sealed.

Stock Up

Point Guard Jack Mackey ’16 (Wesleyan)

If you look at his statistics from the weekend, it seems like Mackey had his normal productive if somewhat cursory weekend. That would miss the fact that he scored 13 straight points for Wesleyan in the second half when Williams tried to mount a comeback. More importantly, it would miss the defense that Mackey played on the Williams guards. Mackey was a big part in holding Hayden Rooke-Ley ’15 to six points. Mackey is a tenacious and physical defender. Though he does not use his quickness very often on the offensive end, he has good lateral quickness which makes it hard for opponents to get into the lane against him. Mackey is a big reason why Wesleyan finished the season ranked third in the league in scoring defense with 64.0 PPG allowed.

Shooting Guard Lucas Hausman ’16 (Bowdoin)

Lucas Hausman '16 tallied 44 points on Friday night, the highest total recorded in the NESCAC this season. (Courtesy of Bowdoin Athletics/CI Photography) — Lucas Hausman ’16 tallied 44 points on Friday night, the highest total recorded in the NESCAC this season. (Courtesy of Bowdoin Athletics/CI Photography)

Hausman was absolutely on fire Friday night tying the Bowdoin single game record with 44 points. He went 20-25 from the field while scoring in almost every way imaginable: fast break layups, fall away jumpers off of his trademark spin move, and threes with a hand in his face. In fact, the only way he didn’t score was from the foul line where he went 0-1 on the night. Yet on the season he has made the most free throws in the NESCAC. Hausman cooled off Saturday against the Tufts zone, but he still scored 16 points as Bowdoin won to secure a home playoff game. Dan Wohl ’15 has been the favorite to win Player of the Year honors for most of the season, but Hausman is making a worthy late charge. Because the NESCAC tournament is also included when deciding who will win NESCAC honors, the award might come down to how Hausman and Wohl play against each other when Williams plays at Bowdoin in the first round.

Trinity

The Bantams already had the number one seed sewn up before the weekend, but they still were big winners because of two things. First, they went up and controlled the game against Middlebury. The bench, led by Rick Naylor ’16 and Ed Ogundeko ’15, had 29 of the team’s 39 first half points. Trinity’s 90 points in the game was a high for them in conference. The second thing that went well was Colby finishing with the eight seed. The Mules are still dangerous without Chris Hudnut ’16, but they simply do not have the size that Trinity has inside. The Mules are definitely a preferable matchup for Trinity compared to Middlebury or Wesleyan. I’m not saying that Colby can’t get hot shooting the ball and shock the Bantams this weekend, but it will take a heck of an effort to do it.

Stock Down

Amherst’s Sense of Urgency

Going into Sunday, Amherst knew a win got them the two seed while a loss dropped them all the way to the five seed and a trip to Tufts in the first round. That didn’t seem to show as Middlebury led wire-to-wire, and Amherst never really made a run. Maybe it was the delayed start time because the referees were late or that Amherst lacked somebody who could rally the team and tell them that this was a must-win. Whatever the case, the win cost the Jeffs and deprives us of a third Williams vs. Amherst matchup in the first round of the playoffs. Instead, Amherst has to take on Tufts, a team that blitzed them in a 27-point victory. Granted, the outcome is very unlikely to be the same because Hunter Sabety ’17 is hurt, but the Jeffs did themselves no favors this weekend.

Forward Marcus Delpeche ’17 (Bates)

Though we often lump them in as one unit, the Delpeches are in fact two different basketball players. Marcus has played slightly more and put up bigger numbers than Malcolm overall this season. Against Colby and Bowdoin, Marcus scored 7.0 PPG, not that far below his 9.7 PPG average on the season. What was concerning was that he had only four rebounds against Bowdoin and ONE against Colby. Bates still managed to do okay on the boards as a team. Don’t be fooled by Bowdoin having eight more rebounds than Bates on Friday. The reason for that was not Bates’ rebounding but their defense: since Bowdoin made 63.5 percent of their shots, there were less defensive rebounds for Bates to grab. Still, Marcus Delpeche should be getting way more than five rebounds over two games. Hopefully a return to Alumni Gym will get him going.

Williams

Saturday was senior day in Williamstown for Ryan Kilcullen ’15, Rooke-Ley and Wohl, but the day did not end the way supporters of the Ephs were hoping. The blowout loss to Wesleyan means Williams finishes the year at 5-5, seventh in the league standings. For all intents and purposes, this year’s team was the product of Mike Maker, the former Williams coach. He recruited all of the players on the roster, and though Kevin App changed some things schematic-wise, the team retained the same up-tempo three point heavy style. The talent still on the roster was properly recognized as one of the most talented in the league before the season began, but they have been inconsistent all season. While they blew out Middlebury, they also lost to Hamilton and struggled to put away Conn College. There is still a distinct possibility they get hot and make a run to win the NESCAC title. If not, then the season will end far short of where it did a season ago. The Ephs lose three starters in Rooke-Ley, Wohl and Kilcullen after this year. None of their juniors this year saw very significant minutes. This is going to be a very young team next season led by Dan Aronowitz ’17 and Mike Greenman ’17. The heavy lifting of the rebuilding process is just beginning for App.

The 10 Most Important People This Weekend

Graham Safford '15 might be holding flowers, but he still has his eyes on the prize: two wins this weekend. (Courtesy of Bates Athletics) — Graham Safford ’15 might be holding flowers, but he still has his eyes on the prize. (Courtesy of Bates Athletics)

Usually in our weekend preview we tell you three players who we think are going to have a significant impact on the weekend. Given how big of a weekend this one is, three is simply not going to be enough. The criteria for this is not simply the best players on each team. The most important players are the ones who will have the biggest impact on how we look back on the weekend.

10. Small Forward Peter Kazickas ’15 (Hamilton)

The emergence of Joseph Lin ’15 has overshadowed the improvement of Kazickas, another senior who has stepped up in his final season. Last season Kazickas was a secondary option for Hamilton and only made 0.4 threes per game. This season he is shooting an unfathomably hot 59.1 percent from three in conference while making four times as many threes as last year. Yes, Hamilton is officially eliminated from the tournament, but as Williams learned earlier, traveling to Clinton is not an easy task. The Continentals could play spoiler to Wesleyan, if Kazickas shoots like he has been recently.

9. David George ’17 (Amherst)

If George watched the Middlebury-Bowdoin game, he was salivating at all the dunks John Swords ’15 had against the Panther frontline. He could have a great game Sunday if Amherst makes a concerted effort to get him the ball. George has been a very good player this year for the Jeffs, but he has not been close to the dominant force he looked like for parts of the NCAA tournament. He is shooting 52.8 percent from the field which honestly is not a great percentage for a big man. A big game going into the NESCAC tournament will put fear in Amherst’s opponents.

8. Shooting Guard Hayden Rooke-Ley ’15 (Williams)

Any doubt about who the best pure shooter in the NESCAC is was put to rest by Rooke-Ley Friday night against Bates. He went 6-8 from three, many of them with a hand in his face. To shoot for the season 46.7 percent from three given the difficulty of most of those shots is impressive. Finding him in transition is an absolute must. Rooke-Ley might not create very many opportunities for others, but he cashes in on the ones he has. At 4-4, Williams could be primed for a 2-0 weekend against Wesleyan and Conn College. If they got to 6-4, it would be the first time all season they have been more than a game away from .500 in conference.

7. Guard BJ Davis ’16 (Wesleyan)

Staying in front of Davis is a nightmare, and he gives Wesleyan more dynamism in their offense now that the Cardinals are running more offense through him. The Cardinals might need to win both of their games this weekend, and Davis is the one player who can truly be a difference maker for them. His shooting percentages are not great recently as he is drawing opponents’ top defenders. In conference games Davis is Wesleyan’s leading scorer and passer with 13.6 PPG and 4.0 APG. It is possible that on Saturday Williams puts Dan Wohl ’15 on Davis. If that is the case, Davis will probably try to use his quickness to get in the lane and forgo shooting from outside.

6. Point Guard Jake Brown ’17 (Middlebury)

Nobody thought that Middlebury would be here, needing at least one victory in the final weekend against Trinity or Amherst to even think about making the tournament. Brown could be important in very different ways. Friday against Trinity, Brown will defend Jaquann Starks ’16. Starks has been in double-digits the last five games, but Brown will be a real challenge for him. If Brown shuts down Starks, the Bantams offense could grind to a halt for long periods. Then, on Sunday Brown might take advantage of his athleticism against Reid Berman ’17 to get into the lane and cause Amherst headaches. Last Sunday Brown was limping at periods with what looked like an ankle injury, and if he is less than 100 percent, Middlebury will be in even bigger trouble than they are already.

5. Center John Swords ’15 (Bowdoin)

A fired up Swords is the best type of Swords, and that is the version we saw on Sunday against Middlebury. It probably helped that he only had one game that weekend and did not have to worry about his knees. Though his offensive production against Middlebury was great, it will be his defense and rebounding that Bowdoin really relies on this weekend. Because Tom Palleschi ’16 did not play last year, Swords and him have not matched up for significant minutes yet. The two will likely spend the beginning of the game feeling each other out with Palleschi probably relying on his jump shot initially.

4. Power Forward Sam Willson ’16 (Colby)

Willson is basically the entire Colby frontcourt right now. We aren’t sure because Colby does not publish the height of their players on their website, but based off of this photo, after Willson, Luke Westman ’16 was the second tallest player who played for Colby against Middlebury. Willson wasn’t even supposed to start this year, but a preseason injury to Patrick Stewart ’16 and more recent injury to Chris Hudnut ’16 leaves Willson as the only big man left. Offensively his role is the same as he is still really a stretch four who is good in pick and roll situations. On defense is where he will really make or break the Mules’ weekend. He could have a tough time going against Tom Palleschi ’16 and Marcus Delepeche ’17. He will need to use his strength and rely on help from his teammates to keep Colby afloat down low.

3. Center Tom Palleschi ’16 (Tufts)

In the first half against Williams, Palleschi looked unstoppable draining midrange jumpers, hook shots, and layups down low on his way to 22 points. Then suddenly in the second half he went cold and didn’t score in the final 17:20 of the game. That was a big reason why Williams came back to win and plunge Tufts back into the thick of things. Without Hunter Sabety ’17, Palleschi is the only inside threat for Tufts. He has to exploit Colby who is still playing without Chris Hudnut ’16. If Tufts stumbles Friday then Palleschi will have to deal with Swords. His ability to hit shots from outside might give Swords problems, but he has to make them first.

2. Power Forward Dylan Sinnickson ’15

His Player of the Year candidacy is over after last weekend, and Sinnickson just has not looked like the same explosive inside-out threat that we saw earlier this year. In his past four conference games, Hamilton was the only one where he scored more than 13 points or grabbed more than nine rebounds. He needs to be the man for Middlebury for at least one game this weekend. Something like a 20 and 15 performance. He most certainly has to outplay Connor Green ’16 when those two meet on Sunday. Maybe returning to Pepin will help Sinnickson to get back to the player who looked almost unstoppable for stretches earlier in the season.

1. Point Guard Graham Safford ’15 (Bates)

We have been saying all season that Safford is the single most important player to any team. There is a reason why he is averaging an insane 36.9 MPG. But how much of a toll is it taking on him? The last two Friday NESCAC games Safford has averaged 26.0 PPG, but on Saturday that average dips all the way down to 9.5 PPG. Both of those games have still been wins, but they were against Hamilton and Conn College, the two worst teams in the NESCAC. Bates might struggle Saturday against Colby. So maybe Safford knows that Friday is the game that Bates needs to win. After all, he was in the Bowdoin gym Sunday afternoon watching Middlebury and Bowdoin play.

Decision Time: Weekend Preview 2/13

This weekend is all about preparing for the playoffs. Trinity has the top seed under wraps, but otherwise no team has clinched a home playoff game. There is a scenario in which six teams, Bates, Amherst, Bowdoin, Tufts, Colby and Williams, could all finish 6-4. In that case, Amherst, Bowdoin and Williams would host playoff games. However, if Amherst loses on Sunday to Middlebury they could end up going on the road next weekend if Tufts and Williams both win out; Bowdoin will probably lose a top-four seed if they lose to Tufts; and Williams needs to sweep to have any chance of hosting next weekend.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the ladder, the Panthers likely need one win to carry them through to the tournament, but they play two of the league’s best in Trinity and Amherst. They hold the tie-breaker over Wesleyan, but the Cardinals also get a soft matchup in Hamilton before they play Williams. If Wesleyan wins both games, they will almost certainly be playing playoff basketball. What’s more, Williams, who as I just mentioned has a chance to host, could miss the playoff altogether if Middlebury pulls off two upsets, Wesleyan sweeps, Colby wins at least one and the Ephs collapse and lose to both Conn. and Wesleyan.

Suffice to say it will be a chaotic weekend. We are breaking up the weekend preview somewhat so check back in later today for our look at the most important players for this weekend. Here are the best games to watch over the next few days. With the added flair of a prediction for each.

1. Trinity at Middlebury, Friday 7 PM

The Bantams are unlikely to rest on their laurels since the top seed is still unfamiliar to them, while the Panthers are fighting for their playoff lives. Trinity should be able to slow Middlebury down on the break, but Jake Brown ’17 and Co. will try to push the tempo nonetheless. Though Middlebury has been criticized for their defense recently, these are still the two top defenses by field goal percentage allowed, so it will be physical and could get ugly. These teams are also 1-2 in rebounding margin, but a large part of the Panthers’ success on the boards comes from Dylan Sinnickson ’15 out-jumping his matchups. Unfortunately for him, the Trinity forwards who will likely guard Sinnickson, Alex Conaway ’15 and Shay Ajayi ’16, are great at boxing out and will make rebounding difficult.

I think we see a lot of points but not necessarily great shooting numbers. These teams are going to be running up and down the floor a lot, so the benches could be a factor, which I actually think plays to Middlebury’s advantage, but it’s not enough for me to side with the Panthers.

Prediction: Trinity 79, Middlebury 75

2. Wesleyan at Hamilton, Friday 7 PM

I don’t think Wesleyan can handle the Ephs on Saturday, so if they want to make the tournament then they have to beat Hamilton. I hope Joseph Lin ’15 (assuming Lin returns from an injury sustained at Bates) and BJ Davis ’16 go at each other all game because they are both great penetrators who distribute well. Neither is too shabby at shooting the long ball, either. I think in some sense those two offset one another. So I think this comes down to inside play, and Wesleyan clearly has the edge. Hamilton does not rebound well, even with seven-footer Zander Wear ’18 getting more minutes lately, while Wesleyan has a few forwards who can bang on the boards. The Cardinals’ front court holds the advantage on both ends of the floor, and they just need this game more. If there is going to be a game where Hamilton can play at another level and win a big game it will be at the seniors’ last home game on Saturday against Conn.

Prediction: Wesleyan 73, Hamilton 64

3. CBB Battles: Bates at Bowdoin, Friday 7 PM and Bates at Colby, Saturday, 3 PM

The CBB is always full of drama. Technically, Bates won it back in December when the three matched up in non-conference play, but for a second suppose these game count towards the CBB as well. Colby has gone 1-2, dropping its first matchup with Bates and splitting with Bowdoin, Bates is 2-0 having beaten each team once already and Bowdoin is 1-2. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they all ended up tied.

Bates should still be favored in their matchup with the Polar Bears, though the return of Neil Fuller ’17 really strengthens their bench. Fuller is likely still shaking off some rust, but he was a 24.5 MPG starter for Coach Tim Gilbride before he went down with injury so he is a boost for a team that had been running out a pretty short rotation. We’ll have to wait and see if John Swords ’15 and Matt Palecki ’16 can handle the Delpeche duo. Last time these two teams met, Malcolm and Marcus combined for 21 points and 17 rebounds, but what’s even more impressive is that Swords had just five points and three boards.

Matt Palecki '16 will have his work cut out for him tonight. Not many players can out-jump the Delpeche brothers like Palecki did here. (Courtesy of Bowdoin Athletics) — Matt Palecki ’16 will have his work cut out for him tonight. Not many players can out-jump the Delpeche brothers like Palecki did here. (Courtesy of Bowdoin Athletics)

Prediction: Bates 62, Bowdoin 58

As for the Saturday tilt between Bates and Colby, Ryan Jann ’16 has been a man possessed recently. He’s taking a lot more shots in the absence of Chris Hudnut ’16, but somewhat surprisingly for someone who suddenly has to take on a lot more responsibility, they are mostly going in. In four games without Hudnut, Jann is 26-56 (46.4%) from the field and 12-21 (57.1%) from deep and his confidence just seems to be growing. I don’t think Jann alone is enough for me to pick Colby in this one, but he sure is fun to watch.

Prediction: Bates 80, Colby 71

Setting the Stage: Power Rankings 2/12

Trinity solidified their spot at the top this weekend and is the undisputed top dog for now. Others are not far behind though, and this week saw a lot of shuffling around for teams. Before the crazy final weekend of NESCAC play, this is how we think the conference is really shaping up.

1. Trinity (18-5, 8-1) Last Week: 1

Trinity stands at the top for the third straight week, making them the favorite going into the conference tournament. After playing two of the three bottom teams last week (Wesleyan and Conn), the Bantams have clinched the right to host the NESCAC tournament. They will close out their regular season on the road against a struggling Middlebury team. Trinity’s top ranked defense will be difficult to beat as they enter the tournament in a week and a half.

2. Bates (17-4, 6-2) Last Week: 3

In their last two games, the Bobcats were able to hold off their opponents, beating both Williams and Hamilton by two points. Everything seems to be going right for the Bobcats, and at the right time too. The third ranked defense has stifled its opponents, especially down the stretch, as we saw in the Hamilton game when they allowed 0 points in the last 1:36 of the game. Malcolm Delpeche ’17 has elevated his game, particularly in the last two games, scoring 13 and 14 points respectively. Beating a Williams team that’s playing some of its best basketball gives us a reason to put them above Amherst.

3. Amherst (17-5, 6-3) Last Week: 2

Amherst, like Bates, won both its games since we last reported, beating Conn and Wesleyan. The gap between Bates and Amherst right now is close, seeing as both teams went undefeated last week. Looking at strength of schedule however, gives the edge to the Bobcats. The Lord Jeffs did what they had to do against two struggling teams, so the drop in ranking should be taken with a grain of salt. That being said, while Amherst lost to Williams earlier in the season in a non-conference game, Bates was able to edge the Ephs out, lowering Amherst to No. 3, if not 2A.

4. Williams (13-8, 4-4) Last Week: 6

Williams jumps up two spots this week after playing Bates to a close 68-70 point game and for taking down Tufts 80-75 on the road. In the conference standings the Ephs sit one game behind Tufts, but with a head-to-head win, and with Conn and Wesleyan left to wrap up conference play, their performance in Medford gives Williams the advantage. Hayden Rooke-Ley ’15 and Daniel Wohl ’15 are quite the dynamic duo offensively, averaging 23 PPG each in their last three games.

5. Tufts (12-10, 5-3) Last Week: 4

Tufts went 2-1 since last week, beating Hamilton and Fitchburg State while losing to Williams in a close 75-80 game. In four of their last five games, the Jumbos have allowed their opponents to score over their season average (64.6 PPG), making it even more difficult for an already struggling offensive unit. Their last two conference games, Bowdoin and Colby, will be a good test to see if their offense can get something rolling going into the playoffs.

6. Bowdoin (15-6, 5-3) Last Week: 7

While they only played one game in their last week, Bowdoin took advantage of the break, resting up, and coming out fighting against Middlebury, beating them in an 88-70 thrashing. Bowdoin’s stalwart defense has continued to play well, but it’s been the variety of production from their starters that’s gotten the Polar Bears rolling. That being said, the bench accounted for only 10 points in their 88 point game. In the tournament, Bowdoin will need some kind of spark to keep things rolling off the bench, a spark that could come from forward Neil Fuller ’17 who recently returned from injury.

7. Colby (13-9, 4-4) Last Week: 9

Colby and Bowdoin have been similar in their game all season long, and this week was not different. Like the Bears, Colby only played Middlebury and was able to beat them, albeit by less of a margin, 84-80. Colby’s offense has been huge for them all year, and lately it’s been no different with Ryan Jann ’16 leading the way. Finishing up against Bates and Tufts, the Mules need continued, if not increased, production to ensure themselves a playoff spot.

8. Middlebury (16-6, 3-5) Last Week: 5

Middlebury’s recent struggles seem to have come out of nowhere, seeing as just two weeks ago the Panthers were ranked second in our power rankings. They’ve lost four of their last seven, three of which coming against fellow NESCAC opponents. Their struggles are rooted from their poor defensive play of late, which not even their number one ranked offense could counter. With Trinity and Amherst waiting for them next, you can bet that Dylan Sinnickson ’15 won’t let his team finish their season on a bad note.

9. Wesleyan (14-8, 3-5) Last Week: 8

Wesleyan’s struggles continued last week, losing to both Amherst and Trinity on consecutive nights. It hasn’t been easy for the Cardinals, who played Tufts and Bates back-to-back in their previous two games, as they quickly find themselves with a losing record in conference play. A positive for Wesleyan has been Middlebury’s recent struggles, which gives them a great chance to sneak into the playoffs. While Middlebury finishes with Trinity and Amherst, Wesleyan will take on Hamilton and Williams. I shouldn’t speak too soon, but it seems more likely that the Cardinals could send the Panthers back to the Green Mountains a little earlier than they imagined. Who knows, maybe Middlebury players want to catch the end of ski season.

10. Hamilton (13-9, 1-7) Last Week: 10

All year, Hamilton has been competitive in almost all of their games, but they just haven’t been able to close out games. The same occurred last week as the Continentals were unable to put away Bates after having a 71-66 lead with only 1:36 left on the clock. With Wesleyan and Conn rounding out their season, perhaps Hamilton can close one out and end the season on a positive note.

11. Conn College (7-14, 0-8) Last Week: 11

Conn’s struggles have been there all season and will probably continue until next year. The guys down in New London are hungry to get one in the win column and know that their best chance will come against either Hamilton or Wesleyan. With a season of frustration almost behind them, Conn needs to go into these games with a chip on their shoulder to show the league that they won’t stop competing.

The Race Gets Tighter: Fantasy Report 2/11

Zuri Pavlin '17 was unstoppable on the boards this weekend, grabbing 29 rebounds. (Courtesy of Conn. College Athletics/Anika Goodhue Photography) — Zuri Pavlin ’17 was unstoppable on the boards this weekend, grabbing 29 rebounds. (Courtesy of Conn. College Athletics/Anika Goodhue Photography)

With Bowdoin thrashing my very own Panthers last weekend, my only chance to earn any bragging rights this winter over Adam is if I can thoroughly annihilate him in fantasy basketball. I had been cultivating a nice lead in the points, assists and rate categories, but as of last week blocks, steals and three pointers made seemed to be slipping out of reasonable grasp. With that in mind, and the loss to injury of two of my skilled big men, Hunter Sabety ’17 and Chris Hudnut ’16, I was forced to make some roster decisions. I would have loved to add sharpshooter Hayden Rooke-Ley ’15, but Adam had waiver priority and beat me to the punch, but I was satisfied to add Connor Green ’16 and Matt Daley ’16. I didn’t end up playing Daley this weekend, but I’m hoping for a big week from him in the final weekend coming up. Adam was forced to sit his best rebounds/blocks contributor, John Swords ’15, who had only one game, which gave me some hope that I could close the gap in those categories. Here’s how our lineups shook out:

	Lord of the ‘CAC (Adam)	Lin and Tonic (Joe)
Position	Player	Player
Guard	G. Safford	J. Starks
Guard	D. Wohl	L. Westman
Guard	H. Rooke-Ley	C. Green
Forward	A. Santos	E. Ogundeko
Forward	D. Sinnickson	D. George
Forward	Mar. Delpeche	H. Merryman
Forward	S. Ajayi	Z. Pavlin
Bench	J. Brown	J. Lin
Bench	J. McCarthy	M. Daley
Bench	J. Swords	L. Hausman

I rolled out a lineup with a little bit less scoring potential than usual. Of course, Lucas Hausman ’16 only had one game, but I also kept Joseph Lin ’15 on the bench who is among the league’s best at scoring. However, I felt good about the matchups I had. Two of my guards this week are very good rebounders, and I was hoping for a big week from beyond the arch from Jaquann Starks ’15, Green and Hunter Merryman ’15. Zuri Pavlin ’17 stepped up huge for me with 21 rebounds against Trinity. My strategy worked on the boards, but it was a cold week for my squad from deep, aside from Green who netted 10 of my 15 three pointers:

Category	Lord of the ‘CAC	Lin and Tonic
Points	235	178
Assists	26	18
Rebounds	100	116
Steals	7	13
Blocks	6	9
FT%	87.7% (64/73)	66.1% (37-56)
FG%	46.2% (73/158)	42.3% (63-149)
3PT Made	27	15

While I took over the advantage this week, the percentage gaps shrunk considerably, which makes me nervous. It will be tough to hang onto the slim margins I’ve created, but it’s always better to be ahead in a tight race than behind. Here are the composite standings:

Category	Lord of the ‘CAC	Lin and Tonic	Leader
Points	829	899	Joe
Assists	125	144	Joe
Rebounds	418	419	Joe
Steals	69	62	Adam
Blocks	65	48	Adam
FT%	74.0% (194/262)	75.1% (266/354)	Joe
FG%	45.6% (288/631)	47.5% (318/670)	Joe
3PT Made	78	40	Adam

Overall Score: Joe 5-3

Hometown Hero Jaquann Starks ’16 Talks Hartford, Hoops and Humility

This article was co-written by contributors Sean Meekins and Carson Kenney.

Trinity sits alone atop the NESCAC for the first time in a long time and there finally is some buzz surrounding this tenaciously defensive-minded team. The Bantams have clinched the opportunity to host the NESCAC tournament for the first time since the 2001-02 championship, and are the favorites to host the second league postseason title in school history.

Every successful team runs through their point guard, and Trinity has been following that formula with regards to point man Jaquann Starks ’16. Starks is averaging 13.6 points per game and is Trinity’s leading scorer. He has stepped up to the challenge of leading the first-place Bantams, improving his statistics across the board from last season while also bringing that intangible leadership quality that every good team needs. As a native of Hartford, every time Starks steps onto the court at Ray Oostings Gymnasium he is playing in front of the city he grew up in. Despite Starks’ success in front of his friends and family, he is far from content. He is often one of the last people to leave the gym. The junior is hungry to bring a NESCAC title to Trinity.

What’s been the biggest difference between this year’s team and last year’s team?

Jaquann Starks: Experience. Getting everyone back from last year has been big for us. Last year we were all sophomores and juniors, this year we’re all seniors and juniors. Another thing that has helped is our summer preparation going into this season. A bunch of us played together in the Hartford Pro-Am league. We were going up against NBA guys, players from overseas, college players. We would get beat but it toughened us up and has helped us get stronger which has helped us this season.

At the start of the year, you guys weren’t getting much love, with a lot of people predicting you guys to finish middle of the pack in the NESCAC. Would you guys say you have been playing with a chip on your shoulder this year?

JS: I feel like we always play with a chip on our shoulder especially after losing a lot my freshmen and sophomore year. We just kept preparing and working hard and trusting that good things would happen. We had a tough time beating a lot of NESCAC teams so we wanted to get them back.

What’s been the biggest obstacle the team has overcome to get to where it’s at right now? Was there ever a point this season where you guys had to regroup and bring it back together a bit?

JQ: I would say at the beginning of the year. We lost two games early, by a lot. A lot of us were really disappointed and frustrated. We were asking ourselves, “Why are we getting blown out? This isn’t supposed to happen.” But it was just about bringing the guys together and getting over that hump. We know we are a good team, we just had to keep working to put the pieces together, focus on staying together and playing as a team. There was another point where we won something like 10 straight and then lost our next THREE and after that we had to regroup and realize we’re a good team, but we can’t just show up and win every game. We have to keep preparing for every game as if we need to win.

What’s it like to play for Coach James Cosgrove? How has his coaching style influenced how you and the rest of the team play?

JS: He has elevated my game, especially defensively. I’ve learned that in order to be a great player you have to be able to defend well. In high school, I was mainly just a scorer. Coming into college, I realized that there’s more to just scoring in order to be successful and Coach Cosgrove has definitely been a part of that. He’s also motivated me and the rest of the team to get stronger and really work hard in the weight room because that helps you as an athlete perform better.

What’s been the biggest piece of advice from anyone that you’ve taken and used to help you become the player you are?

JS: Coming from multiple people; coaches, family, people that want me to succeed in general, [the best advice] has been to stay humble, continue to work hard, even through the bad times, and I genuinely believe that. Even when it’s not going your way, stay positive, work hard, and things will eventually fall back on track and good things will come. And that’s something our team has done this year.

What has your experience been like growing up in Hartford and being able to play college ball in the same city that you grew up in?

JS: It’s definitely nice to know I’m in my own city and have my family and friends come support myself and the team. It’s an energy builder. I get hyped when I see family and friends in the crowd because I know I have to play well for them. As far as going to school in the same city, it is easy for that to be a distraction and lose track. But I like to keep Trinity life and home life separated sometimes so I can focus. But it definitely has been fun.

With the Bantams sitting at 18-5 (8-1), “fun” is something that the Bantams have been having a lot of on the court. They head to Middlebury this Friday before coming home to prepare for the tourney. Being led on the court by guys like Starks, Shay Ajayi ’16 and Ed Ogundeko ’17, Trinity has set themselves up to make a deep postseason push and prove many of the pre-season doubters wrong. After a couple years of struggling and players leaving the team for various reasons, Coach Cosgrove finally has a group that are all moving in the same direction – due largely in part to the sharpshooting floor general from Hartford.

Traveling to Maine Carries Significant Risk: Stock Report 2/9

Malcolm Delpeche '17 flushed this one home as the Bobcats slipped by Hamilton on Saturday, Feb. 7. — Malcolm Delpeche ’17 flushed this one home as the Bobcats slipped by Hamilton 73-71 on Saturday, Feb. 7.

The Maine triumvirate of Colby, Bates and Bowdoin combined on the weekend to go 4-0 at home. Behind hot shooting from Ryan Jann ’16 who finished with 26 points, the Mules beat Middlebury for their first win without Chris Hudnut ’16. Then on Sunday Bowdoin blitzed their way to an easy win over the Panthers to drop Middlebury to 3-5 in the NESCAC.

Meanwhile, Bates’ vaunted home-court advantage once again took center stage as the Bobcats pulled out close wins over Williams and Hamilton. The wins bring the Bobcats’ home record to 12-0 and 6-0 in NESCAC play. While you have probably heard all about how Alumni Gym rattles opponents, Colby and Bowdoin also boast great home records. Colby is 7-2 overall and 2-2 in the NESCAC at home, and this season has seen a resurgence in student attendance in Waterville. Bowdoin does not have as many students at their games (though I am one of the proud few), but the Polar Bears are 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the NESCAC when they play in Brunswick.

Of the three losses between them, two of them came at the hands of one of the other with Colby beating Bowdoin in Brunswick in December and the Polar Bears returning the favor in Waterville a few weeks ago. So the only team that has managed to come from out of state and beat a Maine school is Williams which beat Colby on January 17.

Stock Up

Center John Swords ’15 (Bowdoin)

As the only returning player from the All-NESCAC First Team, expectations were high for Swords coming into the season, but he has fallen short of them on the offensive end. Sunday was the Swords that Bowdoin fans were hoping for. The seven footer scored 20 points on 10-13 shooting, and at least five of his baskets came on dunks. Swords attacked from the very beginning of the game, forcing Chris Churchill ’15 to pick up two early fouls. He was not afraid to put the ball on the floor and go to the hoop, something that he has been hesitant to do for long stretches this season. He also took it personal when he got called for an offensive charge drawn by Matt Daley ’16 and attacked Daley the next time he got the ball down low. It was only one game, but if Swords continues to play like he did on Sunday, Bowdoin will be difficult for teams to handle.

Shooting Guard Rick Naylor ’16 (Trinity)

Sometimes it is hard to pick out specific players on Trinity who are difference makers beyond Jaquann Starks ’16. That isn’t meant to insult the ability of anyone on the Bantam roster, but they are so balanced that picking out individuals is difficult. Naylor is certainly a role player averaging 5.8 PPG for the season, but he has come up big in recent weeks. First against Bowdoin he carried Trinity down the stretch on offense, and on Friday he helped Trinity outlast a determined Wesleyan squad. He went 5-6 from three on his way to a team high 17 points. On offense, Naylor is pretty much a straight shooter with 63 percent of his made shots coming from deep. In conference play he is shooting 54.5 percent from three, the second highest percentage in the league. On the other end, Naylor fits perfectly into the hard-nosed style Trinity plays. Despite averaging only 20.6 MPG, he has fouled out of four games so far this season, the fourth most in the NESCAC this season.

Guard Connor Green ’16 (Amherst)

Not that Green’s stock was necessarily low, but it has sky rocketed recently as the Lord Jeffs have started to look more like the perennial title contenders that we are used to seeing. Over the last four games, Green has scored at least 24 points three times and thrice snagged double digit rebounds. Last week we handicapped the Player of the Year race and Green came in with the fourth best odds to win the award. If we ranked these players again today Green would probably have the second best odds and the gap between Green and favorite Dan Wohl ’15 would be much smaller than it was then. Amherst is playing much better of late, blowing out some of the NESCAC’s bottom feeders and a couple tough Maine teams. It took awhile for Coach Dave Hixon to work out the rotation, but he seems to have found a serviceable point man in Reid Berman ’17 and a reliable bench scorer in Jeff Racy ’17. The Lord Jeffs are dangerous right now and Green is only elevating his game as the season goes on.

Stock Down

Hamilton’s Luck

Honestly, I feel terrible for the Continentals. They have played better than their 1-7 record would indicate. On Saturday Hamilton almost pulled off the upset at Bates. A layup from Joe Pucci ’18 put Hamilton up 71-66 with 1:36 to go, but Bates scored the final seven points to storm back for the win. For the Continentals, it was merely the latest close loss. Six of their seven losses in conference have been by single digits. It is a shame, too, because they play a fun, uptempo brand of basketball with an eclectic crew. Peter Kazickas ’15 is lights out shooting the ball, and he also rocks the best ‘mun’ (man bun. It is a hairstyle I swear) in the NESCAC. Ajani Santos ’16 has a nice post game, and Joseph Lin ’15 is one of the most clever players I have seen. Because of tie-breakers, Hamilton is already eliminated from the NESCAC tournament. We knew Hamilton would miss the transferred Matt Hart, but this group exceeded expectations even if the final records don’t show it.

Clarity

Remember when I said that this weekend was going to go a long way in figuring out the NESCAC picture? Yeah, well I lied about that. Going into next weekend, the number of scenarios that can end up happening are endless. Trinity will host a quarter-final game, Bates will host for sure as long as they win one of their games this weekend, and Amherst will host for sure if they win against Middlebury. If those three host, then the winner of Tufts-Bowdoin will host the fourth game. Unless Colby or Williams goes 2-0 on the weekend and Tufts beats Bowdoin, then the Ephs or Mules would host because they both own the tiebreaker over Tufts. If Colby, Williams and Tufts are all 6-4 then Williams would host because they went 2-0 against those teams, but if Bates loses both games then there could be a four-way tie…OK we give up. Personally I am rooting for the scenario where Bates and Amherst go winless for the weekend, Tufts beats Bowdoin, and Williams and Colby go 2-0. That would mean that all six of those teams would finish at 6-4.

Middlebury Defense

There were some questions about the quality of Middlebury’s competition at the beginning of the year, but nevertheless their domination was impressive enough for us to rank them at the top of our initial power rankings, and a big part of that decision was the Panthers’ commitment to defense. Coach Jeff Brown challenged his guys to be the best defense in the country this season, and for a good chunk of the year the Panthers were ranked in the top five nationally in field goal percentage defense. In Middlebury’s first 13 games, during which stretch they started 13-0, they allowed 70 points only twice and both were easy victories. In the subsequent 11 games, opponents have scored 70 points seven times and Middlebury has gone 7-5. This weekend Colby and Bowdoin combined to shoot 47.3 percent from the field against the Panthers. Even Jake Brown ’17, possibly the best perimeter defender in the NESCAC, struggled against the athletic Lucas Hausman ’16 on Sunday. If Middlebury is going to right the ship (and even make the NESCAC tournament), they will need to get back to playing good defense.

Time to Shuffle the Deck: Weekend Preview 2/6

Malcolm Delpeche '17 dunks against Wesleyan last weekend. (Photo courtesy of Phyllis Jensen and Bates Athletics) — Malcolm Delpeche ’17 dunks against Wesleyan last weekend. (Photo courtesy of Phyllis Jensen and Bates Athletics)

The penultimate weekend of the NESCAC schedule should clear up the logjam in the middle of the conference. Only a game and half separates teams 2-9 right now, meaning that Colby, currently not even making the NESCAC tournament, would very likely be the #2 seed if they won their final three conference games. Now, that isn’t likely to happen, but it just goes to show that the standings are a mess right now. This might be the weekend when teams sort themselves out and some wannabe contenders reveal themselves as pretenders.

With the NESCAC tournament right around the corner, teams are jostling to get one of the top four spots in order to host a first round game. Any team that goes 2-0 this weekend has a good chance of accomplishing just that.

Three Players to Watch

1. Shooting Guard Mike Boornazian ’16 (Bates): Boornazian might be the most underrated player in the NESCAC. He is capable of guarding every position besides center because of his exceptional length. This weekend will be a treat with Boornazian tasked with slowing down Player of the Year favorite Dan Wohl ’15. The two are physically very similar: 6’5″ guards who are fluid enough to handle the ball. Boornazian is also no slouch on the offensive end. He only shoots 39.8 percent from the field to average 14.8 PPG, but he is crucial for taking pressure off of Graham Safford ’15. He can act as a secondary ball-handler when needed also. On Tuesday Safford sat out in order to rest, and Boornazian had one of his best games of the season finishing with 26 points. He might be overlooked at the end of the year for league awards, but Boornazian is critical for the Bobcats.

2. Power Forward Drew Madsen ’17 (Tufts): Per the Tufts student newspaper, Hunter Sabety ’17 sustained what appeared to be a serious knee injury that will keep him out for the rest of the year. If that is the case, then it is time to get familiar with Madsen, the talented 6’7″ backup to Sabety. He was already a part of the rotation before the injury, and now he will see his minutes climb even more. He has not put up tremendous per minute stats in his limited time so do not expect him to simply replace Sabety. However, he is a big body with enough skill to make plays. Given the ability of Tom Palleschi ’17 to make jumpers, Madsen should consider only ever leaving the paint when he needs to avoid a three second call. The rest of the time he should be battling position for any offensive rebound. Sabety, for all of his offensive prowess, was not a fantastic defender, so Madsen could offset his lack of offensive skill that way.

3. Shooting Guard Ryan Jann ’16 (Colby): The Mules started NESCAC play 3-0, and for a brief span they were at the top of the NESCAC standings. Since then they have lost their last four NESCAC games and found out Chris Hudnut ’16 is out with a knee injury for the rest of the year. Luke Westman ’16 is a great player, but his lack of a jump shot means he is not capable of being a go-to scorer. So now the sharpshooter Jann is the number one option for Colby. He exploded for 27 against Trinity, and he looked comfortable finding space to get his shot off. He has also gotten better as a distributor this year, but it is his scoring that will be most needed. The Mules need one more win to get into the NESCAC tournament, and Jann will have to shoot them there.

Three Games to Watch

3. Sunday 1:00 PM: Middlebury (15-4, 3-3) at Bowdoin (14-6, 4-3)

This is the NbN grudge match between myself and Joe. Last season saw Middlebury pull out a close victory because Coach Tim Gilbride called a timeout when he didn’t have one after Bowdoin tied the game with under five seconds remaining. The two rosters look very different than they did a year ago with Dylan Sinnickson ’15, Hunter Merryman ’15 and John Swords ’15 the only starters returning. How Middlebury defends Lucas Hausman ’16 could decide the game. The Panthers love to push the pace, but Hausman is exceptional in transition, even though as a team Bowdoin does not like to go fast because of their short rotation. Jake Brown ’17 usually takes on opponents’ point guards, but he might guard Hausman for stretches because of his quickness. Though Matt St. Amour ’17 is a good team defender who draws a lot of charges, he is still not as quick as he was before his ACL injury.

Given how Connor Green ’16 went off last weekend against the Polar Bears, Dylan Sinnickson ’15 could be primed for a big day. After struggling somewhat by his lofty standards in conference play, Sinnickson has averaged 25.0 PPG and 15.5 RPG in his last two games. He and Brown should look to attack John Swords ’15 at the basket because of the depleted Bowdoin backcourt, but an underrated improvement from Swords has been his ability to stay out of foul trouble in nearly every game, only fouling out once all season. The loser of this game will all but certainly be forced to go on the road in the first round of the NESCAC tournament.

2. Friday 7:00 PM: Williams (12-7, 3-3) at Bates (15-4, 4-2)

The Bobcats are a perfect 10-0 at home this season, and their fans are sure to come out for the final home games of the season this weekend. Beating them in Alumni Gymnasium, especially in what could be the seniors’ final home games, is going to be a tall task. Even though Williams is only 3-3, they just smacked Middlebury in their only game last weekend. Hayden Rooke-Ley ’15 looks 100 percent again after missing time due to a hand injury.

We all know Williams is going to play with Dan Aronowitz ’17 as an undersized power forward and Ryan Kilcullen ’15 at center, so the question becomes whether Bates coach Jon Furbush is capable of playing two big men for most of the game. He will want to keep both Marcus and Malcolm Delpeche ’17 on the floor for most of the game in order to control the boards and get easy baskets. However, Aronowitz will look to attack using his combination of shooting and slashing against a bigger defender. Bates can also easily go small with Adam Philpott ’15 acting as power forward. The chess match between the two youngest coaches in the NESCAC, Furbush and Kevin App, will be fun. App has played a tight rotation all season, but he could mix things up and play Darrias Sime ’16 or Edward Flynn ’16 for longer minutes.

Ultimately, a great deal of Williams’ games come down to how they shoot the ball. Because they shoot so many threes, when a lot of them go in they are hard to beat. Bates will try to make up for that by destroying the Ephs on the glass and sticking to shooters as closely as possible. This is going to be the most fun game to watch because of the possibility for offensive fireworks and a first rate atmosphere.

1. Friday 7:00 PM: Trinity (16-5, 6-1) at Wesleyan (14-6, 3-3)

In the same year that the University of Virginia is in the Top Five behind a suffocating defense, the Bantams are on top of the NESCAC in much the same way. By the way, Jaquann Starks ’16 has been absolutely en fuego from beyond the arc recently. In NESCAC play he is shooting the third best percentage from deep, 56.2 percent, while making the third most threes per game, 2.6. In fact, he is shooting a higher percentage from three than he is from the field. Though Trinity wants him to continue to get into the lane, they would prefer he simply continue to nail shots from downtown. Though we have harped on how Trinity’s balance means different guys step up every game, Starks is the one guy they need to perform. In the three Bantam loses in 2015, Starks has averaged an anemic 3.0 PPG, well below his 13.4 PPG season average.

Wesleyan needs to not back down from the physical presence of Trinity. An underrated part of the Bantams defense is how uncomfortable they make things on the perimeter for teams, so it helps that Wesleyan can rely on BJ Davis ’16, Jack Mackey ’16 or Harry Rafferty ’17 to handle the ball. Davis in particular is adept at getting into the lane, and even if he isn’t finishing amongst the big men, it could stretch the Trinity defense enough to get Mackey open looks. Both teams will be fine with a slow plodding pace. That should keep the game in the 50s, meaning that this game might come down to offensive execution in the final five minutes. There the edge goes to Trinity, who, even though they don’t play great offense overall, manage to find ways to grind out points at the end of the game. When these two met last year, Trinity led by about five points for most of the second half, and Wesleyan was never able to get over the hump.

The game is in Middletown, but the Bantams are hoping a road win helps them secure home court for the NESCAC tournament. Trinity’s home court advantage is not significant, but the Bantams would still love the #1 seed to have the opportunity to host the NESCAC semi-finals and final if they get past their first round opponent. If they beat the Cardinals, they will be able to taste it.

One Stands Above the Others: Power Rankings 2/6

With about a week left in the regular season, the league has begun to stabilize, relative to the amount of fluctuation the NESCAC has experienced this year. This past week we saw how middle of the road teams stacked up against the best, as well as a continued fight put up by the lowest rank, proving once again that the gap from the best to the worst is slim.

1. Trinity (16-5, 6-1) Last Week: 1

After two straight wins against threatening Colby and Bowdoin, the Bantams have a three game win streak, all of which came against conference teams. Trinity will finish its season on the road, taking on Wesleyan, Conn College, and Middlebury. Assuming all things go as planned, and the Trinity defense continues to shut down its opponents, the Bantams are in a good position to take the No. 1 seed headed into tournament play.

2. Amherst (15-5, 4-3) Last Week: 4

Amherst, like Trinity, thwarted the efforts of Colby and Bowdoin at the end of last week to give them their first winning record in conference play all season. Connor Green ’16 exploded for 33 against Bowdoin, and in the past three games he has averaged 20.6 PPG. The Lord Jeffs also have Wesleyan, Conn College, and Middlebury to close out conference play. Depending on how Trinity does, it’ll be interesting to use these last three games as a way to compare Amherst and Trinity going into the playoffs.

3. Bates (15-4, 4-2) Last Week: 6

Recalling last week’s rankings, Bates had just come off two tough losses to Trinity and Amherst, but rebounded with a win versus Tufts. Since then the Bobcats have extended their streak with wins against Wesleyan and Conn. The wins were made possible by their stingy defense. Here’s where Bates stands- they’ll finish out their conference play against four teams ranked lower than them in our rankings and the standings. That being said, the final push will be crucial for Graham Safford ’15 to round up his troops and get them ready for playoff basketball.

4. Tufts (10-9, 4-2) Last Week: 3

Tufts drops two spots from last week after they lost Saturday against Wesleyan. The Jumbos are still in a good spot as the tournament approaches, though the loss of Hunter Sabety ’17 could be devastating. What stands out the most with this team was the streak they had in mid-January, where they consecutively beat Middlebury, Amherst, and Trinity, allowing an average of only 57 PPG in the three game stretch. Tufts can put it all together in a short period of time against the top teams in the league. Why? Defense.

5. Middlebury (15-4, 3-3) Last Week: 2

Last week the Panthers could only grab one out of two in conference play, falling to Williams 87-62 while beating Hamilton in a tough 82-77 overtime game. Given the struggles that Hamilton has had all season, what does an overtime win say about the Panthers? Hamilton has been giving teams their all down the stretch, so maybe this is yet another example of the small margin between the top and bottom. Regardless, Middlebury still has its work cut out for them as they still have to play Trinity and Amherst, two teams ranked above them.

6. Williams (12-7, 3-3) Last Week: 7

Williams jumps up a spot after their decisive 87-62 win against Middlebury. The Ephs’ offense has been close to the top all year averaging 76.4 points per game, but they’ve struggled considerably on defense. That is why they remain below Middlebury, despite their emphatic victory over the Panthers. The Ephs have a huge road weekend coming up against Bates and Tufts. You can bet that Daniel Wohl ’15 won’t go down without a fight, seeing as he leads the league in PPG with 19.9.

7. Bowdoin (14-6, 4-3) Last Week: 5

Last week Bowdoin was posed with the difficult task of playing Trinity and Amherst in back-to-back road games. A loss to the Bantams 67-66 in OT was a heartbreaker that made it even more difficult to face off against Amherst. These two losses hurt Bowdoin and surely put them down in the rankings, but then again, who else besides Tufts has been able to handle the one-two punch of the Bantams and Lord Jeffs. With guard Lucas Hausman’s ’16 scoring dominance (ranked No. 3 in PPG with 19.0), along with the recent play of John Swords ’15 and Bryan Hurley ’15, Bowdoin is still in a position to fight with the best.

8. Wesleyan (14-6, 3-3) Last Week: 9

The Cardinals split their last two games, losing a close one against Bates 74-66 but coming back the following day to take down Tufts. Wesleyan has a tough stretch ahead of them with Trinity, Amherst, and Williams all on their schedule. As of late, even Hamilton has shown it can disrupt any opponent it faces, which makes things a little more difficult to a Wesleyan team that is on the cusp of the playoffs.

9. Colby (12-9, 3-4) Last Week: 8

Colby, who a few weeks ago was in a position to take a high seed in the NESCAC quickly dropped three straight to Bowdoin, Amherst, and Trinity, putting them in a tough spot to finish out the season. Not only that, but Middlebury, Tufts, and Bates all remain on their schedule, which makes for a tough final stretch. The Mules’ defense has been struggling recently, making it even more difficult for even their third ranked offense to consistently carry the load. We’ve all heard it before: defense wins championships, and a last place ranking in that category does not bode well for Colby.

10. Hamilton (13-7, 1-5) Last Week: 10

Not much has changed for Hamilton since last week. They still have only one win against NESCAC opponents, but once again they’ve proved that they’re not going to fold easily. Last week the Continentals battled with the Panthers of Middlebury, eventually falling short in an 82-77 overtime loss. Forward Peter Kazickas ’15 led the charge with 21 points while guard Joseph Lin ’15 dished a season-high nine assists in the loss. Neither their defense nor their offense has been exceptionally bad or good this season (6th ranked defense, 8th ranked offense) ; they just have not been able to put two good halves of basketball together.

11. Conn College (7-12, 0-6) Last Week: 11

Conn’s struggles continue after losing their eighth straight against Mitchell. Offense has been a problem for the Camels all season, and their last four NESCAC opponents (Amherst, Trinity, Williams, Hamilton) won’t make this season go by any faster. Forward Zuri Pavlin ’17 has proven he is capable of being Conn’s go-to guy in the coming years after a 31 point game against Mitchell. In addition, he’s ranked second in the league in RPG with 10.9. Definitely a force to be reckoned with in the future, Conn just needs to find him a little more support in the backcourt.