Life’s really not fair, man. I mean what an unbelievable couple of months. What a ridiculous, confusing, maddening, twisted couple of months. As a baseball player, I feel for all my fellow spring athletes who had their seasons taken from them because of these terrible circumstances. I, like many other seniors, never got a chance to take the field knowing that I’d be playing my final game. We never got to play the senior season that you train your entire life for. It sucks. It really, really sucks. Words can’t describe the emotions we all feel and that’s not what I intend to do here. Instead I’d like to take this opportunity to reflect a bit on my amazing time at Bates and at Nothing But NESCAC.
There are several people from NbN that I’d like to give a huge thanks to right off the bat: first of all, Joe and Adam for creating the site all the way back in 2015. What those guys were able to do was incredible and the fact that the site is alive and well several years after their graduation is a testament to all of their hard work and dedication. I’d like to thank Pete Lindholm who was the editor-in-chief when I started writing for NbN, because he allowed me to dip my feet in the water and as I got more comfortable he gave me more to write. Pete is a huge reason that I was able to have the success that I did as a writer and I often attempted to mimic his voice in my early writings as I was still establishing an identity. I want to thank Colby Morris who, in addition to being a hell of a pitcher, is also a hell of a sports writer and who helped train me on how to take over the site. He definitely kept me grounded at times when I needed it and I appreciate him not getting too fed up with me when I made some mistakes in the early going.
Another big thank you goes to Matt Karpowicz who I would argue was the best big man in NESCAC hoops during my four years and who has some of the hottest NESCAC sports takes you’ll ever hear. I owe big thank you’s to Haven Cutko and my baseball teammate Ryan Moralejo who were always willing to write an article whenever it needed to be done, even at the very last minute. Those guys are both excellent writers and they were huge parts of the NbN staff this year. My roommates at Bates – Nolan Collins, Jack Arend, and Jon Lindgren – sat on the couch with me as I wrote every single article, pitching ideas and offering suggestions. I love those three guys to death and I absolutely would not be where I am today without them.
Lastly I’d like to thank the people who make Nothing But NESCAC possible – the players, coaches, administrators, fans, and everyone who follows the site. Knowing that people pay attention to what we say is a bit scary at times, but it’s a lot of fun. Hearing from players or coaches that they like what we’re doing is the best feeling and it makes all the long nights, extensive research, and awkward conversations 100% worth it. We even started to interact on social media with the athletic departments of some of the schools, and that was a really cool validation of what we were doing.
I first heard about Nothing But NESCAC on my overnight recruiting visit to Bates because they had recently released a NESCAC fantasy football draft in the early days of the site and the baseball players at Bates were buzzing about it. As a high school student at the time, following the site gave me a way to stay invested in NESCAC sports when I was on the outside. I continued to follow NbN as a freshman at Bates and towards the end of the year I finally decided I wanted to get involved. I started off the 2017 football season slow, but once the 2017-2018 basketball season rolled around I became a full-time contributor and really established my voice as a writer. Ultimately, Pete recognized my passion and genuine interest in what we were doing so he allowed me to help take over the site the following year.
One of the things that I always pushed for from the day I started at NbN was to add some sort of podcast. I thought this would be a really cool way to put us onto another platform and make it even more interactive. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get around to that until the short weekly interview series I did with the men’s basketball player of the week this year. I wish I had a chance to put some more time into that and get a bit more creative with it, but being a full-time college student with an athletic schedule to worry about forced me to put it to the side at times.
Nothing But NESCAC has given me the chance to explore a side of myself that I never even knew was there. Before college I never considered myself much of a writer, but I had a passion for sports and I had read enough NbN articles to at least be able to mimic the way they wrote. As I wrote more I began to get more comfortable, and started to realize that I had a knack for this. I was able to expand my writing beyond game recaps and analyses, trying my hand at pure entertainment for a change. This led me to produce what ended up being my all time most-viewed article, the 2019 NESCAC Baseball All-Roster Pic Team. NbN gave me a chance to meet people I would never have met and try things I would never have tried and for that I will always be thankful.
Being on this side of things is funny – I sometimes found myself confused about why people were getting upset over the opinions of a bunch of college kids. If someone ever took issue with something we said it meant that people were paying attention and that was what we wanted, right? Learning that your words carry weight is not an easy task for a college student and that was definitely one of my biggest takeaways from running the site. There were also times when I felt pressure to get an article out on time because I knew there were people waiting to read what we had to say this week. Nothing But NESCAC might not be ESPN, but there were definitely expectations that people had and it turned out that recruiting writers and regularly publishing articles was a bit harder than I made it out to be.
In the end, Nothing But NESCAC became one of the greatest sources of pride and accomplishment for me during my time at Bates. It’s hard right now amidst the chaos to really reflect on the last four years and how they’ve impacted us. In a way, the year ending like this resembles the end of an athletic season. Sports have a deceitful way of collapsing down to one game or one moment, and that’s certainly what this year has felt like. When we look back on our seasons and careers, we won’t remember the arrant throw or the missed shot that affected one game. What we’ll remember is the time we spent with our teammates; the long bus rides, the hours in the locker room, the grueling conditioning sessions. When we reflect back on the (almost) four years spent at our respective colleges it won’t be about how the coronavirus cut short our senior year. It’ll be about all the good; the relationships formed and experiences had during the time we actually were there.
The NESCAC likes to think of itself as special when it comes to the way they operate. Often times we resent the restrictions they arbitrarily place on the number of games and out-of-season practices, and rightfully so. Some of the rules that the conference has in place only feel like they exist so that NESCAC schools can maintain a sort of self-righteousness. These 11 schools like to think that they’re better than their peer schools, and in many respects they are. But let’s not forget, however, that Williams recently put $22 million into their football field, Middlebury poured $46 million into a new fieldhouse, and Colby broke ground on a new $200 million athletic complex, among others. There’s a reason NESCAC schools so frequently compete for national championships, and it’s certainly not because they have a superior balance between academics and athletics.
That being said, NESCAC sports are special. They aren’t necessarily special for the reasons that the administrators believe, but they truly are. Getting a world class education while competing for a national championship is something that very few people get to experience in their lifetime. Having a real college experience while still playing your sport at a very high level is a really awesome thing and shouldn’t be taken for granted. The NESCAC may be shifting towards the rest of the NCAA more than it would like to think, but it still is a bit of an enclave when it comes to the way they handle athletics on campus. It will always have a special place in my heart.
For the first time ever, the Nothing But NESCAC will be crowning a baseball champion virtually. With no NESCAC baseball being played in 2020, everyone across the league is left thinking that this could have been their year. Fortunately, we have a way to bring some sort of satisfaction to those who are feeling this lack of closure. We’ve decided to hold the 2020 Nothing But NESCAC baseball tournament online via MLB the Show 20. For those of you who don’t know, MLB the Show has been the best baseball video game franchise on the market ever since Backyard Baseball stopped releasing new editions. This will allow us to have the most realistic tournament that we can possibly have, played over the weekend when the actual NESCAC baseball tournament was supposed to have been played. Each of the 10 NESCAC baseball teams have selected one member of their program to represent them for a chance to bring home the only baseball championship trophy that will be handed out this year.
The tournament format looks like this: -NESCAC East and NESCAC West will remain separate and each team will play everyone else in their division on Friday, May 8th and Saturday, May 9th to determine seeding and eliminate the 5th place team on each side -Remaining teams will be seeded 1 through 4 on each side based on pool play record with tiebreakers being head-to-head results followed by overall run differential (and a coin flip if still tied) -Bracket play will take place on Sunday, May 10th -The bracket will have two sides: on one side the top seed in the East will face the fourth seed in the West, while the second seed in the West will take on the third seed in the East…the other side of the bracket will look identical except the seeds will be flipped (i.e. 1 West vs 4 East, 2 East vs 3 West) -We plan to stream the bracket play games online so that anyone can tune in and follow what’s going on
Not only will this tournament let us recognize a champion for the season, but it is also intended to provide a platform for us to give as much help as we can to those who are most affected by COVID-19. We’ve started our own fundraising page through GlobalGiving (link below) to help get masks, ventilators, and other lifesaving medical supplies to hospitals and clinics, deliver essential items to struggling families and older individuals in quarantined cities and refugee camps, feed children that rely on school meals as their only source of nutrition, and much more.
Obviously we all would have liked to play baseball as usual this year (take it from me, a senior who lost his final season), but something much bigger than us is going on right now. The NESCAC is a family and I trust that our family understands the type of difference that we can make. If you like the idea of this tournament or if you’ve enjoyed our content here at NbN, please consider donating even just a few dollars because – as cliché as it sounds – every bit really does count.
Not having any spring sports played certainly makes our job difficult given that there isn’t much to write about, but we haven’t forgotten about the baseball that we typically cover around this time of year. In fact, this weekend was supposed to be the opening weekend of conference play for everyone, so we thought we’d honor that with an article recapping the opening day games as if they had actually been played. Please understand that these situations are all completely made up and somewhat dramatized so work with us a little bit. This article was co-written by Ryan Moralejo and Cameron Carlson, and we’re simply doing our best to keep people entertained during these tough times, so take our opinions with a grain of salt because we have no idea how these games really would have gone. We tried to keep lineups and situations somewhat realistic, but certain things were hyperbolized purely for entertainment’s sake. With that being said, let’s find out how each team did (or would have done) on Friday:
Williams @ Hamilton (Neutral Site @ Tampa, FL)
It’s pretty bizarre to have NESCAC play occur so far out of state, but it’s equally as awesome to have a venue like the New York Yankees Spring Training Complex host the beginning of league play. First up we have Hamilton, who (to be quite honest) has been pretty irrelevant in a division that is usually quite competitive and volatile in terms of the playoff hunt. Since 2013 (because that’s as deep as the Hamilton baseball website will allow me to dive into an archival list teeming with underwhelming seasons), the Continentals have finished below the .500 mark against their divisional foes; however, they did bring in some young talent a few years back such as the swiss army knife Matt Zaffino ‘21, SS Ethan Wallis ‘21 and RHP/celeb-shot hitter Gavin Schaefer-Hood ‘21, the 2020 season would (hypothetically) be the time in which Hamilton could surprise a few folks. For the Ephs, last year’s run to the NESCAC Playoffs was in large part due to their plethora of loud bats, and despite returning Preseason 3rd-Team All American Eric Pappas ‘21, a regression was absolutely on the horizon. LHP John Lamont ‘20, a freshman phenom who sadly lost his sophomore season to Tommy John and never fully returned to his dominant form, would seem to be in line to start opening day of league play.
Game Recap
Game one of the three-game series pitted Schaefer-Hood against Lamont. Pappas led off the game with a scorching double to left-center (no surprises there), and despite retiring the next two batters, Schaefer-Hood allowed a two-out single to Erik Mini ‘21, plating Pappas and giving the Ephs the early advantage. Lamont struck out the side in the bottom half of the inning, firing up both of Williams’ supporters in the stands. Schaefer-Hood settled down and delivered his best performance to date, allowing a total of four hits in seven innings of one-run ball with six punch outs. Lamont faced the minimum during the first three innings but began to struggle with control the second time through the lineup; after back-to-back walks to open the bottom half of the fourth, Zaffino barreled a ball that clipped the left-field line and rolled to the fence, scoring Wallis and moving Brady Slinger ‘22 90 feet away from taking the lead. Keeping the momentum going, Matt Cappelletti ‘21 (every time I read that last name I have to say it with an Italian accent) knocked a single through the right side to score both Slinger and Zaffino, giving the Continentals their first lead of the day. The southpaw found a way to exit the fourth without allowing further damage in large part due to a much-needed 6-4-3 double play with runners on the corners to end the frame.
Eric Pappas ’21 (Courtesy of Williams Athletics)
Hamilton added to their two-run advantage in the following inning; Sam Rowley ‘20 worked a ten-pitch walk to lead things off and after advancing to second on a wild pitch, Wallis dumped a flare into shallow left center that fell just out of reach for Mike Stamas ‘20. Lamont would again work out of a jam to keep Hamilton from tacking on, ending his afternoon with four runs in five innings of work, striking out seven while walking three. With the score remaining 4-1 through the seventh-inning, the Ephs began to feel the game slipping away and got loud in the dugout, but failed to do any damage in the top half of the eighth (Alexa, play Sweet Caroline). In the final frame, catcher David Driscoll ‘22 worked a two-out walk against RHP Jamie Hauswirth ‘22 (c’mon Jamie, two-out walks will kill you). Hauswirth beared down and induced a ground ball off the bat of Mini, but Slinger short-armed the throw and it got away from first baseman Graham McOsker ‘20. With runners at second and third and the dangerous Pappas on deck, Hauswirth again delivered in a pressure situation, forcing Jakob Cohn ‘23 to fly out to center. The victory was the Continentals’ first opening-day NESCAC win since 2011.
Final Score: Hamilton 4-1
Trinity @ Tufts (Medford, MA)
In a battle of the two preseason East Division heavyweights* (asterisk because we all know who Trinity’s Daddy really is in that Division), the Bantams head to Medford oozing with confidence; having notched a slew of quality wins, including taking two of three from Southern Maine and a sweep against Amherst, the Jumbos don’t scare the boys from Hartford. If you recall correctly, the Bantams should have taken the series last year until the pitching staff absolutely collapsed in the ninth inning, blowing a 6-2 lead that was capped off by a two-out, two-strike grand slam by JP Knight ‘20. While the Jumbos did lose a significant amount of talent, including 2019 NESCAC Pitcher of the Year RJ Hall ‘19 and First-Team All-Energy Casey Santos-Ocampo ‘19, they returned most of their pop in the lineup, including every single arm from their pitching staff with the exception of Hall. Coach Casey always has one of the most disciplined and hard-working teams in the league (most likely because they’re absolutely terrified of the man), so this series was sure to be one of, if not the most hyped regular season series of the year.
Game Recap
Tufts opted to roll with RHP Aidan Tucker ‘22, who as a freshman impressed with a 7-1 record and a 50:16 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Trinity countered with fellow sophomore RHP Cameron Crowley ‘22, who adopts a pitch-to-contact type of mentality and led the Bantams with an 8-2 record and a 2.42 ERA in 2019. Tucker worked a quick 1-2-3 inning, but the same can’t be said for Crowley as a one-out hit by pitch quickly went awry when Peter DiMaria ‘22 launched a two-run moonshot to left. Crowley regrouped and retired the next two batters, but the damage was done and the Jumbos took a 2-0 lead into the second inning. After fanning Vincent Capone ‘21, A-Roid – I mean Alex Rodriguez ‘20 – smacked a double to right-center to get things going for Trin. 2B Robbie Cronin ‘21 kept the bats going with a single up the middle, putting runners at the corners; however, Tucker worked his magic and got the third baseman Patrick Dillon ‘23 to roll over on a 2-0 curveball into a 5-4-3 double play, stranding both runners and keeping the Bantams off the scoreboard. Crowley retired the first two batters in the second before hitting Ryan Daues ‘21 on what clearly seemed to be yet another traditional Tufts case of leaning into a pitch. Coach Adamski was irate and let the home plate umpire know his feelings on the matter but did not leave the dugout. Crowley stranded Daues at first base after fielding a comebacker.
Coach Casey and Kyle Cortese ’22 (Courtesy of Tufts Athletics)
The Jumbos stretched their lead in the bottom of the third; after SS Elias Varinos ‘20 singled through the left side with one out, Knight tattooed a ball off the left-center wall, easily scoring Varinos. After a groundout to second moved Knight over to third, Kyle Cortese ‘21 dropped a perfectly placed bleeder in right to give the home team a four-run advantage. Tucker continued to evade trouble until the fifth, when OF Matt Koperniak ‘20 launched a two-run shot to put the Bantams on the board and simultaneously cut the deficit in half. Crowley returned to the mound for the bottom of the fifth, and promptly plunked OF Justin Mills ‘20 on a 1-2 fastball on what this time was a clear indication of the batter leaning over the dish to take a HBP. Coach Adamski went absolutely bezerk on the home plate umpire and bellowed phrases that can not be repeated in this recap to the point where he is ejected from the game. Adamski got the last laugh, however, when after continuing his heated conversation with the field umpire, he promptly took first base and threw it into right field. Crowley managed to evade any further trouble in the fifth, and a fired up Trinity side came into the dugout ready to rake. The only problem is Tucker tossed a 1-2-3 sixth, staring down the Trinity dugout after catching Brett Stevenson ‘20 looking at strike three to end the frame.
Crowley ran into some trouble after giving up a pair of singles but worked his way out of the pickle in his final inning of work, and the score remained stuck at 4-2 heading into the seventh. Coach Casey decided to roll out Tucker despite his pitch count nearing 100; after allowing a leadoff single to Mack Lauder ‘20, a wild pitch moved him up 90 feet. Koperniak worked his magic again and singled to left to score Lauder, but was foolishly thrown out at 2nd trying to catch the left-fielder napping. Tucker was relieved after 6+ innings of solid work, and Steven Landry ‘22 came out of the bullpen to retire the next three hitters in order as the Jumbos now found themselves leading by just a single run. Tufts went to work against RHP Justin Olson ‘21, with DiMaria lacing his second double of the afternoon down the left-field line to open things off. After a sacrifice bunt from Mills, Knight once again came up clutch and clapped a ball way over the left fielder’s head for an RBI double. Olson was relieved by veteran Andrew DeRoche ‘20, but Daues rudely greeted him with a single back up the middle to score Knight and stretch the Jumbos’ lead to 6-3. With the eighth inning featuring virtually no action, the Bantams were left with three outs to score three runs off of closer Spencer Langdon ‘20. The senior didn’t bat an eye, fanning two consecutive hitters before securing the game with a weak infield popup.
Final Score: Tufts 6-3
Bates @ Bowdoin (Neutral Site @ Colby College)
With the Mules down in Florida and the typical Maine winters preventing either team from preparing their respective fields for game shape, both coaches agreed a neutral setting would be perfectly acceptable. The Bobcats came out of the gate in 2020 on a sluggish note, having dropped seven in a row after winning their opening game in the Sunshine State. If you look back at previous years, however, the ‘Cats have notoriously started on the slower slide and tend to ramp up their quality of play into another gear once conference play kicks in. For the Polar Bears, the 2020 season seems to be more of a rebuilding project with the loss of some key upperclassmen from both sides of the ball; however, the young roster no doubt possesses plenty of talent – in fact more than enough to take the series from the favored Bobcats if the latter comes into this series with a passive mindset.
Game Recap
Nolan Collins ’20 (Courtesy of Bates Athletics)
For the Bobcats, senior ace Nolan “Dirty 30” Collins ‘20 took the mound in his usual Friday role. The hard-throwing righty dominated the Polar Bears a season ago, tossing a complete game with eight K’s, allowing only one hit after his first inning of work. The Polar Bears countered with RHP Colby Lewis ‘20, an effective pitcher who traditionally fills up the zone and pitches to contact. Lewis started off the game with a casual 1-2-3 inning, successfully mixing in a slew of offspeed pitches and forcing the Bates’ hitters to chase out of the zone. Similar to last season’s opening game between the two, the Polar Bears struck first: Eric Mah ‘20 led off the bottom half of the first with a single to right, taking second on a passed ball. Following a sacrifice bunt, Brendan O’Neil’s fly ball to center was just deep enough to plate Mah from third, giving the Polar Bears a 1-0 advantage. Collins fanned his first victim of the day to end the inning, burying a slider in the dirt to get right-fielder Gavin Cann ‘22 check swinging (you could hear “It’s not a sword” echoing out of the Bates dugout). A few innings went by and the score remained unchanged; Lewis faced one over the minimum through three innings, while Collins settled in nicely and retired six in a row, four of those coming via the punchout.
The Bobcats finally got things going in the fourth, with senior catcher Jack Arend ‘20 (playing through a broken hamate bone) working a leadoff walk. Newcomer Henry Jameison ‘23 patiently smacked a get-me-over curveball into the right-center gap, scoring Arend and knotting the game at one apiece. After Bryan Gotti’s ‘22 deep fly ball to right moved Jameison up to third, Antonio Jareno ‘22 knocked a single just past the outstretched arms of Mah at short, giving Bates a 2-1 lead. The hit parade didn’t stop there, however, as Zach Avila ‘20 ‘21, Giovanni Torres ‘20 and Will Sylvia ‘20 each found barrels of their own. When all was said and done, the Bobcats scratched across four runs, which was more than enough for Collins to work with. The senior workhorse ended up going eight strong, allowing two runs (one earned) on just four hits with an impressive ten strikeouts. The Polar Bears attempted to claw their way back in the seventh, getting a run across on some defensive miscues in the seventh. They had an opportunity to cut into the lead further on a single to left from Stephen Simoes ‘23, but left-fielder Jon Lindgren ‘20 absolutely hosed a runner at the plate to keep the Bobcats’ advantage at 4-2. Bates responded in the top half of the eighth with some more offense of their own: facing RHP Peter Mansfield ‘20, Pat Beaton ‘20 (pinch-hitting for Lindgren) worked a leadoff walk. Beaton promptly stole second, and a beautifully-executed hit and run by Christian Beal ‘21 found a gap in right-center as he slid into third with a triple. Arend’s single up the middle would plate another run for the Bobcats, extending their lead to 6-2. After Collins finished off the eighth and RHP Ryan Winn ‘21 worked a quick ninth, Coach Martin called on senior closer Miles Michaud ‘20 to shut the door. After plunking OF James McCarthy ‘21 with a heater in the back, Michaud turned a comebacker into a 1-6-3 double play, taking the wind out of the Polar Bears’ sails. The man they call “Slenda” caught Nick Lam ‘22 looking on a slide-piece for strike three, ending the ballgame.
Final Score: Bates 6-2
Middlebury @ Colby (Neutral Site @ Orlando, FL)
It’s always nice to start NESCAC play in sunny Florida, particularly on the back end of a successful spring break trip. While this game may not officially count towards the NESCAC standings, it pits two interesting teams against each other with both teams trying to make some noise before they head back up north. For Middlebury this game represents an opportunity to show that they’re the favorites in this league, behind an impressive pitching staff with the dangerous 1-2 punch of RHP Michael Farinelli ’21 and LHP Alex Price ’22. They also return speed demon Justin Han ’20 and power-hitter Henry Strmecki ’21 who is a legit candidate for farthest ball hit this season with the ugliest swing. On the Colby side, Frank Driscoll ’21 is truly one of the best starting pitchers in the league, but they boast a relatively unproven lineup. Will Phillips ’21 and Will Wessman ’21 are important returning pieces, but it’s hard to know who would step up for the Mules this year.
Game Recap
Justin Han ’20 (Courtesy of Middlebury Athletics)
The matchup of Farinelli vs. Driscoll proved to be quite an exciting pitcher’s duel. Working around a leadoff walk to Justin Han ’20 in the top of the first, Driscoll was able to strike out the side, stranding Han at second base. Farinelli responded by striking out the Colby side in the bottom half of the first, despite 3-hitter Dylan Nastri ’22 yanking a ball down the right field line that missed the foul pole by mere inches. Over the next 3 innings Driscoll worked his way out of a few jams, keeping the Panthers scoreless through 4. Farinelli put together 1-2-3 innings in both the 2nd and 3rd, but a leadoff triple by Will Phillips ’21 in the 4th put the Mules in an excellent position and forced Middlebury to bring the infield in. After inducing an Andrew Russell ’21 pop up to the infield, Nastri was able to draw a walk, putting runners on the corners with just one out. A Will Wessman ’21 fly ball was just deep enough to score Phillips, putting Colby ahead 1-0. However, Farinelli punched out Drew Miller ’23 to minimize the damage and end the inning. The Panthers were finally able to get to Driscoll in the 5th behind a gap shot from Alec Ritch ’22 and a two-out, bloop single from Alan Guild ’20 to even the score.
The game remained tied through 7, when Coach Leonard decided that Farinelli’s day was done. He handed the ball to known psychopath George Goldstein ’21, who worked around a walk in the 8th to keep the score knotted at 1 as they headed to the final frame. Driscoll, still in the game to start the 9th despite a pitch count at 117 and counting, surrendered a leadoff single to Justin Han ’20 and Coach Woods turned to Patrick Carbone ’21 out of the bullpen. After Han picked up his 4th and 5th stolen bases of the day to get to 3rd base, the floodgates opened for the Panthers. A Strmecki home run was followed by back-to-back-to-back doubles from Andrew Hennings ’20, Alec Ritch ’22, and Hayden Smith ’20 to make the score 5-1 without an out recorded in the top half of the 9th. At this point Coach Woods made another change, bringing Wessman in from first base to pitch, and he got two quick outs before allowing an RBI single to Gray Goolsby ’20, adding to the Panther lead. Wessman was finally able to retire the side, catching Brooks Carroll ’20 looking to end the inning. Goldstein allowed a one-out single to George Schmidt ’20, but was able to secure the win for Middlebury by striking out the final two hitters.
Final Score: Middlebury 6-1
Wesleyan @ Amherst (Amherst, MA)
Two teams perennially in contention; Amherst and Wesleyan both find themselves right in the mix again this year in a crowded West Division. The Mammoths suffer the loss of their top two starting pitchers from last season in Andrew Ferrero ’19 and Davis Brown ’19, along with closer Mike Dow ’19. They don’t lose much from their lineup, aside from breakout star Chase Henley ’19 and former Little League World Series hero Nick Nardone ’19. This leaves their pitching largely in question, however they bring back impressive lefty Andrew Nagel ’21 who will start game one. Wesleyan, on the other hand, loses key bats Andrew Keith ’19 and Danny Rose ’19, but not a ton of pitching. Former ace Mike McCaffrey ’19 sputtered out at the end of his career and relief man Ryan Earle ’19 didn’t really impress in his final season either. An important note is that Wesleyan lost LHP Kelvin Sosa ’21 after he left the school in the first semester for undisclosed reasons*. This game is sure to have great impact on playoff position in the west at the end of the year.
*While the reasons may be undisclosed, there are some pretty nasty rumors out there so it does not appear that Sosa left the school on good terms.
Game Recap
Jonny Corning ’20 (Courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics)
While Amherst sent lefty Andrew Nagel ’21 to the hill, Wesleyan countered with funky right-hander Pat Clare who decided to put on the Cardinal uniform for his 5th year with the program. Wesleyan got on the board early in this one as Andrew Kauf ’20 crushed an 0-2 pitch into the left-center gap to score Adam Geibel ’22 from 1st, making it 1-0 Cardinals. Clare set down the Amherst side in order in the first, but doubles from Stephen Burke ’21 and Severino Simeone ’20, followed by a single from Will Murphy ’20 made the score 2-1 in favor of the Mammoths after 2 innings. Tanner Fulkerson ’20 led off the top of the 3rd with a single followed by a walk from Ryan Molinari ’23 put two runners on with nobody out. A throwing error by SS Stephen Burke ’21 allowed a run to score and put runners at 2nd and 3rd, still with no outs in the inning. Nagel then induced a weak pop up for the first out and followed that by walking Kauf to load the bases. A one-hopper by Wes Fritch ’22 was snagged at 2nd base by Daniel Qin ’22 and turned into a 4-6-3 double play to end the frame, keeping the score tied at 2. After two scoreless innings, Jonny Corning ’20 broke the tie in the top of the 6th with a solo shot deep to straightaway left, chasing Nagel from the game with just one out in the inning. Based on the recommendation from first-year assistant coach Kyle Bonicki, Coach Pyne turned to one of his senior captains Zach Horwitz ’20 to escape further trouble. A walk followed by a strikeout and a single from Fulkerson put runners on the corners with two outs, bringing up the top of the Cardinal lineup. A huge break for Amherst came at this point when Fulkerson tried to advance on a ball in the dirt but Seve Simeone ’20 picked it up and gunned down the runner at 2nd to get out of the jam.
Coach Woodworth – not known for his game management skills – decided to make a change and bring in Joe Mescall ’21 to pitch the 6th despite Clare having set down the last 8 hitters in order. Mescall immediately let up a bomb to Joseph Palmo ’21, proving that Coach Woody absolutely made the right decision with the pitching change. This was followed a few hitters later by a pinch-hit, 2-out, 2-run homer from Topher Brown ’20, making the score 5-3 in favor of the Mammoths. After a scoreless 7th inning, Coach Woodworth made another mind-boggling decision by pinch-hitting for Andrew Kauf ’20 – likely the team’s best hitter – in the top of the 8th. Miraculously, pinch-hitter/right-handed pitcher Nolan Webb ’20 delivered with a single to leadoff the inning. A double by Wes Fritch ’22 and a sac-fly from Jonny Corning ’20 brought the Cardinals within 1 with a man on 2nd and one out in the frame. Coach Pyne decided to hand the ball to sophomore Sachin Nambiar ’22 to relieve Horwitz, who did a nice job keeping Wesleyan at bay for 2+ innings. Nambiar allowed a seeing-eye single to Jake Alonzo ’20, plating Fritch and tying the game at 5 mid-way through the 8th. Alonzo was asked to relieve Mescall in the bottom half of the 8th and set down the side in order, sending the game to the 9th even at 5 apiece.
Things got a little crazy in the 9th as Ryan Molinari ’23 reached on an error and advanced to 2nd on a sac bunt. Alex Cappitelli ’20 then hit a soft line drive into right-center field that Kai Terada-Herzer ’21 laid out for and appeared to come up with a miraculous catch, however the umpires claimed that the ball hit the ground first and thus it was ruled a trap. Molinari had taken off on contact believing that there were two outs, so at first it looked like Amherst might have come up with an inning-ending double play. Because the ball touched the ground, however, Molinari was able to score with ease, giving Wesleyan a crucial 6-5 lead. Pinch-hitter Nolan Webb ‘20 delivered yet again, placing a ball perfectly down the right field line, scoring Cappitelli from first and scampering to 2nd for a double. Nambiar set down the side after this, but the damage was done. Alonzo retired the Amherst side in order in the bottom of the 9th, giving the Cardinals a wild victory in this one.
Hamilton (14-8, 2-6) vs. Conn College (4-18, 0-8), 7pm, Clinton, NY
Because of their loss last weekend to Bowdoin, Hamilton must win both their games this weekend in order to even possibly qualify for the postseason tournament; if Bates and/or Bowdoin wins one game, Hamilton will be eliminated regardless of their outcomes. The Continentals wouldn’t have been in this position had they not blown a 23-point lead in the second half of their game against the Polar Bears, but they’ll need to shake that one off and take the Camels seriously in order to move on to Saturday and keep their postseason hopes alive. It’s already been established that Kena Gilmour ‘20 is the heart and soul of this team as he’s the only player averaging double figures, but someone else really has to step up during these last two games as a reliable second scorer. Even if it’s the Gilmour show again, Hamilton can get away with it against Conn, although it won’t be as comfortable of a win as they’d like it to be.
Writer’s Pick: Hamilton 78, Conn 69
Amherst (16-6, 6-2) vs. Trinity (15-7, 5-3), 7pm, Amherst, MA
With both teams having already locked down postseason spots, this game remains crucial for seeding purposes. After last week’s impressive sweep of both Bowdoin and Colby, the Mammoths are just half a game behind the Mules and have an opportunity to leap them for the second seed. Conversely, a slip-up against Trinity would allow the Bantams to surpass them, so it’s safe to say this one will be a hotly-contested matchup. Trinity rebounded from their beatdown against Tufts by absolutely throttling the slumping Bobcats. Nick Seretta ‘20, Colin Donovan ‘21, and the rest of the Bantams’ bench ran the show, pouring in 65 points. It should be a tight and hotly-contested affair early, and while Trinity has had a slew of impressive victories during the course of the season, Amherst currently has the hotter hand and will deliver a huge win in front of their home crowd.
Writer’s Pick: Amherst 77, Trinity 68
#12 Colby (20-2, 7-2) vs. Wesleyan (13-9, 2-6), 7pm, Waterville, ME
The Mules have now lost conference games in consecutive weeks, officially eliminating them from obtaining the number one seed in the postseason tournament. Even in their close win against Hamilton this past Friday, the Mules struggled to put together a complete effort and record a convincing win. Most of their problems have (surprisingly) come on the offensive end in recent games, including their 72-61 win against Bates on Tuesday evening. The Mules shot just 39% from the field, with multiple major contributors struggling (Matt Hanna ‘21, Noah Tyson ‘22 and Alex Dorion ‘20 a combined 5-26 from three). Thankfully for Colby, their defense saved the day with fantastic perimeter defense. At 2-6 in conference play, the Cardinals would need to win out and have some help in order to steal that final seed. Having dropped four consecutive conference games, however, doesn’t instill much confidence in me to believe they can actually achieve this. We don’t know the status of Jefferson, but I expect the Mules to bounce back regardless and shake off those offensive woes.
Tufts has already secured the title of regular season champions, but this match-up poses real threats to their unblemished conference record. Similarly to the Mules, the Panthers like to spread opponents out; however, they have some more height to combat star big man Luke Rogers ‘21 with the duo of Matt Folger ‘20 and Ryan Cahill ‘21 (still waiting on the return of big man Alex Sobel ‘22). The defense has started to show signs of tightening things up, and the offense drained fourteen triples in their last game against Wesleyan. As for the Jumbos, don’t think that this game is meaningless because they’ve already wrapped up the top seed for the conference tournament. Despite having accomplished that in addition to a victory over the Mules, the Jumbos are slotted eighteen in the national polls, a distant third behind #12 Colby and #10 Middlebury. Tufts will surely feel disrespected and motivated to leave Pepin Gym with a resounding victory. It feels like we’ve been waiting for Tufts to finally drop a game in conference play, and I think we might just see it today as they venture outside the confines of Medford. Rogers and veteran guard Eric Savage ‘20 will surely make this a game, but I think the Panthers put together another well-rounded performance to give the Jumbos their first conference loss.
Writer’s Pick: Middlebury 83, Tufts 76
Williams (11-11, 4-4) vs. Bates (11-11, 3-5) 7pm, Williamstown, MA
Last week’s win against Wesleyan was significant because it locked down a top eight seed for Williams. Where they will finish, however, is anyone’s guess. Currently occupying the sixth seed, the Ephs are one game behind the four seed, and conversely are one and a half games ahead of Bowdoin for the eight spot. They’ve had their ups-and-downs this season, but this game might just come down to how effective our Nothing But NESCAC brethren Matthew Karpowicz ‘20 is. Coach App surely has seen the numbers Luke Rogers put up against the Bobcats and will try to recreate offensive sets for his big man similar to how the Jumbos featured theirs. For the Bobcats, it’s been tough sledding on offense end these past two games, and that’s not a great sign considering the Ephs are second in the NESCAC in points allowed per game. Bates needs just a single win in one of their next two games to automatically qualify for the conference tourney, but with the potential absence of sharp-shooter Kody Greenhalgh ‘20, another poor shooting night could derail those hopes.
Writer’s Pick: Williams 71, Bates 65
Saturday
Amherst (16-6, 6-2) vs. Conn College (4-18, 0-8), 3pm, Amherst, MA
Onto the Saturday slate, where Amherst really should have no problem dealing with a Conn team that seems primed to go winless in conference play for the third consecutive year. The Mammoths seem to have been motivated upon their disappearance from the Top 25 rankings back in mid-January; most notably, they’ve found a real groove on offense, averaging 84.8 ppg over their past five contests. That’s a scary statistic for the rest of the NESCAC given that Amherst also boasts the league’s top defensive unit.
Writer’s Pick: Amherst 83, Conn College 62
Hamilton (14-8, 2-6) vs. Trinity (15-7, 5-3), 3pm, Clinton, NY
Not to overlook the Conn game, but this match-up right here is essentially do-or-die for the Continentals. Under the presumption that Hamilton beats Conn, even if they win against Trinity, they may not make the conference tournament if Bates wins one game or if Bowdoin defeats Wesleyan. However, they surely don’t have a chance if they drop this contest against the Bantams, so they’ll need to rally together on Senior Day because everyone wants to see Gilmour work his magic in the postseason. Unfortunately for the Continentals’ faithful, I just don’t see enough consistency out of this team to merit a victory over a better caliber opponent. Take the over on Gilmour’s points, but the Bantams will grind down the home team and leave New York victorious.
Writer’s Pick: Trinity 77, Hamilton 72
Williams (11-11, 4-4) vs. #18 Tufts (18-4, 8-0), 3pm, Williamstown, MA
Whether they win or lose against Middlebury on Friday, the The Jumbos will be weary from their game against the Panthers as they hit the road again to take on the Ephs. This match-up pits the two best big men in the conference against one another in Rogers and Karpowicz. Karpowicz might have the experience, but Rogers has been more of a force on the glass and has the surrounding shooters to allow for more isolation plays. The Eph defense will keep this one close for a half or so, but give me the Jumbos to conclude their end-of-season road trip with a quality victory.
On paper this appears as if it could be a bloodbath given the way both teams are trending, but circle this one as a hangover game for the Panthers. I really do think they defeat Tufts on Friday, and if they do, then I fully expect a sluggish start against a Bates team that could very well be playing for their playoff lives on Saturday. That kind of desperation, coupled with a more relaxing vibe on Senior Day after an important home victory the previous night is a recipe for a bit of chaos. Key cogs in the offense such as Stephon Baxter ‘23 and Jeff Spellman ‘20, haven’t shot well recently, but with some added adrenaline it’s very possible the offense starts knocking down shots. I’m not saying Bates will win, but I believe this one will be much closer than most people believe. Middlebury scrapes by with a win, and Bates still makes the tournament with Hamilton’s loss to Trin.
Writer’s Pick: Middlebury 83, Bates 78
Sunday
Bowdoin (8-15, 3-6) vs. Wesleyan (13-9, 2-6), 3pm, Brunswick, ME
Winners of two of their past three, the Polar Bears are currently holding onto the last remaining spot in the conference tournament. They must defeat Wesleyan, however, as a loss would in all likelihood bounce them out. A huge piece of Bowdoin’s run has been star David Reynolds ‘20. The senior poured in 33 points in their remarkable overtime comeback against Hamilton, and can get hot very quickly from just about anywhere on the floor. Wesleyan doesn’t really have a defined, go-to scorer like how Bowdoin has Reynolds, although Antone Walker ‘21 and Jordan James 21 form a nice duo. Still, it’s hard not to believe the Polar Bears will rise up on Senior Day in the most important game of their season, and behind David Reynold’s 25+ points, Bowdoin will finally secure a playoff berth in a thrilling win.
Last week: W 85-73 vs. Bowdoin, W 80-67 vs. Colby This week: @ Trinity, @ Conn
This one shouldn’t be much of a surprise- the Jumbos cemented themselves as the current big dog of the NESCAC after handing Colby their first loss of the season. They have been getting it done with the play of their big man Luke Rogers ’21, who had 19 and 12 against Colby on Saturday, and Eric Savage ’20, who had a ridiculous stat line the night before against Bowdoin- 13-17 from the field and 5-5 from deep to finish with 35 points. Sophomore Tyler Aronson ’22 is another offensive talent that needs to be addressed in any opponent’s defensive gameplan. As Cam mentioned in this week’s stock report, Tufts guarded Colby probably better than any team has all season. Starters Noah Tyson ’22, Matt Hanna ’21, and Sam Jefferson ’20 combined for 17 points- a stat that made it awfully tough for Colby to win. With Tufts being the only Boston-area NESCAC and also having the largest enrollment, many of the recruiting pieces are there. We could be witnessing the start of a dynasty with this team. They visit a tough Trinity team Friday night in what should be a good one.
(1) 2. #9 Colby (18-1, 6-1)
Last week: W 101-84 @ Bates, L 80-67 @ Tufts This week: vs. Hamilton, vs. Amherst
The Mules finally drop out of the top spot in our rankings after their hot shooting was dampened by Tufts. A big reason for the loss was Tufts’ defensive gameplan- they did not allow Sam Jefferson ’20 to even take a shot in the first half, and he only finished with 3 points. He’s been their big scorer up to this point, so he’ll have to learn to adjust and find other shooters when teams focus on him. Tufts also took advantage of Colby’s lack of size and out-rebounded them by 20, in large part thanks to Luke Rogers ’21. The good news for the Mules is that they finish their conference slate with four straight home games. There’s no doubt that they can win all four, but Tufts showed that a team with a strong big man and a good defensive gameplan can give Colby major problems.
(7) 3. Trinity (14-6, 4-2)
Last week: W 82-76 vs. Middlebury, W 73-60 vs. Williams This week: vs. Tufts, vs. Bates
Trin’s upperclassmen-laden rotation is finally starting to play to potential, which is a scary thought for everyone else in the conference. Last weekend, Trinity took down Middlebury and Williams- two teams that blew them out just last season. Between Donald Jorden’s dominance on the boards, Colin Donovan’s elite shooting, and Kyle Padmore ’20 being the frontrunner for DPOY, all the pieces we know the Bantams have are starting to come together. In their past three games, Donovan shot 10-19 from deep, and as Cam mentioned, Jorden has been impossible to box out- 15.6 rebounds per game! This has helped the Bantams’ offense keep up with their traditionally physical and aggressive defense that gave Williams’ inexperienced guards fits. They have two more opportunities to defend their home court this week, as they host an equally hot Tufts team followed by Bates.
(4) 4. Amherst (14-6, 4-2)
Last week: W 75-53 vs. Wesleyan This week: @ Bowdoin, @ Colby
The Mammoths (and Middlebury too, for that matter) are knocking hard at the 3 spot, but they’ll be at 4 for now just because their wins last weekend didn’t come against opponents that were as strong as Trinity’s. They looked good against Wesleyan shooting 15-27 from three, but their two losses to Williams hurt their ranking and I know they hurt the hearts of Mammoth faithful even more. Amherst hasn’t really found their go-to guy yet, but we know from their past few conference games that guys like Garrett Day ’21, Grant Robinson ’21 and Fru Che ’21 can give you buckets on any given night. With Bowdoin and Conn College being two of Amherst’s last few games, they’ll likely still salvage a solid NESCAC record despite not being the alpha of the conference as they often are. We’re not sure what their postseason will look like quite yet, but we do know that the Mammoths have been a power for too long to be counted out.
(2) 5. #13 Middlebury (18-3, 4-3)
Last week: L 82-76 @ Trinity, W 77-61 @ Conn This week: @ Wesleyan
The Panthers didn’t have a great road trip to Connecticut, taking a loss to Trinity on Friday night and then only being up by one against Conn College before pulling away to win by 16 the next day. Earlier in the year, it wouldn’t have been fathomable for the latter matchup to be that close at all, but Midd has definitely fallen back towards the pack after a hot start. One bright spot for the Panthers has been Tommy Eastman ’21, who went 9-14 from the floor for 22 points with 12 rebounds against Trinity followed by 20 more the next day. Outside of Eastman, the shooting needs to improve for Midd to make a deep postseason run and justify their national ranking. Going a combined 8-43 from deep on the weekend for a team with that much talent is inexcusable. Every team has bad shooting nights sometimes and Midd will likely rebound in a big way at some point over their last three conference games, but there’s got to be a sense of urgency moving forward if the Panthers want a shot at a national bid.
(8) 6. Williams (10-11, 3-4)
Last week: W 71-62 @ Conn, L 73-60 @ Trinity This week: @ Wesleyan
The road continues to be rocky for the Ephs. Their NESCAC slate over the weekend included a single-digit (!!) win over Conn, and a loss to Trinity in which the Bantams put the game away early in the second half. Additionally, they suffered a loss this Monday to Yeshiva…a school I had to Google because I had honestly never heard of it before. The story continues to be that the younger guards cannot consistently match the strong inside play of Matt Karpowicz ’20. We know that guys like Cole Prowitt-Smith ’23 and Jovan Jones ’22 can play, but they just don’t seem to be playing with the cohesiveness of last year’s veteran unit. Karpowicz held his own against Donald Jorden in Hartford with 15 and 12, but the team’s 17 turnovers and 5-24 three-point shooting showed both the strength of Trinity’s defense and the inexperience of the Ephs. Going 2 for 2 against Amherst on the year always feels good, but Williams could really use a win on Friday against Wesleyan to solidify their playoff positioning.
(5) 7. Hamilton (14-6, 2-4)
Last week: W 78-67 vs. Wesleyan This week: @ Colby, @ Bowdoin
The 7-9 spots are just as messy as the 3-6. Hamilton gets the 7 this week, but that’s not to say that a lot more wasn’t expected out of them coming into this season. We all know how good Kena Gilmour ’20 is, but it’s his senior year so what that means is that teams have finally started to do a better job gameplanning for him. He’s still been putting the ball in the basket, but not at the rate that earned him Player of the Year last season. We have yet to see one of his teammates step up and become that consistent second scoring option when Gilmour is being double teamed or smothered by a strong defender. Hamilton also can’t afford any more random defensive lapses like the one they had on January 18, when they gave up 98 points to Bates. The Continentals are making the long trip to Maine this weekend to take on Bowdoin and Colby, and they’re in trouble if they don’t come back having won at least one of those games.
(9) 8. Wesleyan (13-7, 2-4)
Last week: L 75-53 @ Amherst, L 78-67 @ Hamilton This week: vs. Williams, vs. Middlebury
Sorry to Cardinals fans, but this team just has not been very exciting since Austin Hutcherson transferred to Illinois. It has to be disheartening to lose by 20 in your conference game against Little Three foe Amherst when you beat them earlier in the season. They followed that game up with a tough loss to a very beatable Hamilton team. Like Amherst, Wes is a team still kind of looking to find their identity. They’ve got guys like Antone Walker ’21 and Jordan James ’20 who will give you 10 or 15 a game, but that just hasn’t been enough for the Cardinals to be a force. The Cards have a tough four-game stretch to end the season, with Williams and Middlebury at home this weekend and a road trip to Maine with Colby and Bowdoin to finish out. My prediction is that their one-point loss to Bates earlier this year will come back to haunt them come postseason play.
(10) 9. Bowdoin (7-13, 2-5)
Last week: L 85-73 @ Tufts, W 78-73 @ Bates This week: vs. Amherst, vs. Hamilton
Bowdoin’s win last week over Bates may not be turning any heads at the top of the league, but it vaulted them from a clear second-to-last rank into the muddled pack of teams battling for the final seeds. They have a shot at getting one of these last spots, but it will be tough with them having played one more game than many of the teams they’re battling. Their best hope will be if David Reynolds ’20 and Sam Grad ’20 both go off in the same game…for a few games. Keep an eye on their games against Hamilton and Wesleyan to see how the lower seeds will sort themselves out.
(6) 10. Bates (10-9, 2-4)
Last week: L 101-84 vs. Colby, L 78-73 vs. Bowdoin This week: @ Conn, @ Trinity
The Bobcats are being placed below their other two-win counterparts because it was a surprise that Bowdoin beat anyone besides Conn in the conference, but they made it happen against Bates. You would think this team has another run of good basketball left in them due to their abundance of seniors, but we have not seen them put together a consistent stretch of winning this season. We know they can put up big points every now and then (98 against Hamilton), but the loss to Bowdoin has has to hurt. The insult to injury for the Bobcats is that they finish their conference slate with five away games. Bates will likely be battling for one of the last few playoff spots.
(11) 11. Conn College (4-16, 0-6)
Last week: L 71-62 vs. Williams, L 77-61 vs. Middlebury This week: vs. Bates, vs. Tufts
While Conn may still be searching for that ever-so-elusive conference win, they have at least been competitive lately. Things continued to look up after their heartbreaking double overtime loss to Trinity- the Camels only lost by 9 to Williams and were within one of Middlebury at halftime. Trust the process. At this point, I wouldn’t totally count out the possibility of a win in their last three games. I’m not saying it’s likely, but Conn’s last few performances have given me faith. Freshman Ben McPherron ’23 has been a player to watch, averaging 12.1 ppg on the season. A few more strong showings will cool down coach Tim Sweeney’s seat a bit once the season concludes.
This one is relatively straightforward, but the Jumbos are for real: anyone who was not a believer in this squad before Saturday’s monumental home victory against the Mules, you are surely one now. Tufts was not even remotely phased by Colby’s plethora of talented guards, sticking with their plan of centering their offense around big man Luke Rogers ‘21. The big fella got his own with 19 points and 12 boards, and both Eric Savage ‘20 (22 points, 6 rebounds) and Tyler Aronson ‘22 (14 points) provided big buckets down the stretch, allowing Tufts to pull away. What was most impressive above all, however, was the stifling defense displayed by the Jumbos against one of the country’s most prolific offenses. Tufts held Colby to just 41% shooting from the field, smothering (in particular) Sam Jefferson ‘20 (three points on 1-5 shooting). With an immaculate 6-0 record in conference, Tufts is now (in theory) two full games ahead of Colby for first place because of their head-to-head victory and should absolutely be placed higher than their #21 national ranking. The slate ahead won’t be particularly easy with road games remaining against Trinity, Middlebury and Williams, but the Jumbos fear no one and have made it clear to the rest of the NESCAC that they (not Colby) are the best team in the league.
Donald Jorden Jr. ‘21 and Trinity
Don’t look now, but Jorden is quietly cementing himself as one of the best big men in the NESCAC. Over the past three games, the 6’6’’ junior is averaging 16.0 PPG and a jaw-dropping 15.6 REB/G. His seven offensive rebounds in Trinity’s upset victory against Middlebury displays how relentless Jorden is on the glass, and it is truly safe to say that he is the most instrumental player to both the Bantams’ recent success. The weekend sweep of Middlebury and Williams vaulted Trin into the third spot in the standings, and with a home game against Tufts still to come, a higher ascension within the conference standings is not totally out of the question.
League Parity
It’s not even March and the NESCAC is already experiencing some early madness vibes. Aside from Tufts (6-0), Colby (6-1), and Conn (0-6), the rest of the NESCAC is separated by two games or fewer. While it may come to hurt some teams seeking an at large bid, it nonetheless makes for an exciting home stretch in which no game is really an absolute gimme for any team. Even the infamous Conn College, despite their winless streak in conference play reaching 27 games, has started to show signs of life with a double-overtime heartbreaker to in-state rival Trinity coupled with a hard-fought loss to Middlebury (whom they were beating midway through the second half). Bowdoin’s upset over Bates has allowed them back into the playoff picture, patiently waiting behind the cluster of Williams, Bates, Hamilton and Wesleyan, all sitting with four losses. Next week will surely see some movement in the standings, but I’ll be the first to admit that most of these matches can go either way.
Stock Down
Bates’ Playoff Chances
The Bobcats might very well be the most volatile team in the ‘CAC this season – they can compete with the very best (as we saw last weekend giving the Jumbos all they could handle), and yet struggle with some of the traditional bottom-feeders. This type of behavior was on full display on Friday and Saturday; Bates went toe-to-toe with Colby for roughly 25 minutes before the defense collapsed, and then proceeded to sleepwalk the following day against Bowdoin. Having already defeated the Polar Bears comfortably by 14 on the road earlier this season, I assumed that, despite the natural hangover that comes with losing to your rival, the ‘Cats would rebound quickly against their other in-state rival in a must-win game. Instead, the Bobcats turned in their worst offensive performance of the season, shooting an abysmal 31.9% from the field. Sitting at 2-4 in conference play and currently tied for seventh (they hold the tiebreaker over Hamilton and Wesleyan due to their head-to-head victories), Bates is still firmly in the playoff picture – however, all four of their remaining conference games are on the road, and besides Conn (who is still not nearly as much of a pushover as we previously thought), all of those games are against very quality opponents in Trinity, Williams, and Middlebury. It’s safe to say the Bobcats now face an absolute must-win against the Camels, and will probably need another victory from that other group of three in order to safely secure a spot in the conference tournament.
Middlebury
The Panthers are in trouble not so much for the conference tournament as they are for their overall seeding come national tourney time. Checking in as the current five seed in the NESCAC isn’t the best look for a top fifteen team nationally, who is expected to run the table of sorts and dominate inferior opponents. It was a relatively rough weekend for Midd as they dropped one to Trinity and severely struggled with Conn until midway through the second half. The remaining slate isn’t the most favorable for the Panthers, having to hit the road next weekend to face a desperate Cardinals team before hosting both the undefeated Jumbos and a talented, yet inconsistent Bobcats squad the following weekend. The offense has experienced a slight downward tick in production over those past two games, but there’s plenty of time for a team as uber-talented as Middlebury to pick up the pace and head into the conference tournament on a high note.
Amherst (13-6, 3-2) vs. Wesleyan (13-5, 2-2), 7pm, Amherst, MA
We’re kicking things off with a very interesting game out of western Mass. Wesleyan won the non-conference meeting between these two, but that was three weeks ago and these teams have each come a long way since. Amherst has been fairly inconsistent so far, taking down Middlebury, Hamilton, and Bates but losing to Williams and Tufts. These are all good teams mind you, but the Mammoths haven’t really found much of an identity yet and we can’t seem to figure out exactly how good they are. Senior swingman Eric Sellew ’20 suffered a shoulder injury a few weeks ago at Bates and hasn’t played since, so we’ll have to keep an eye on his status for this weekend because he had been one of the most impactful players in the league to start the season. The Cardinals, on the other hand, have won 4 in a row and have looked like a different team since their opening weekend losses to Tufts and Bates. Wesleyan has shown recently that they have an array of guys who can go off on any given night. Antone Walker ’21, Jordan James ’20, and Gabe Ravetz ’21 seem to be taking turns as the team’s leading scorer and the fact that they all play different positions is huge for the versatility of the lineup. I expect this game to be fairly low scoring, but with Sellew sidelined I think the Cardinals are going to pick up their 5th win in a row on the road in this marquee Little Three matchup.
Writer’s Pick: Wesleyan 72 – Amherst 67
Conn College (3-14, 0-4) vs. Williams (9-9, 2-3), 7pm, New London, CT
There’s never much to say about the Camels. They had a golden opportunity to seal the victory against Trinity last week but a few late missed free throws and a miracle, full-court heave by the Bantams allowed them to come away with the win. Dan Draffan ’21 and Ben McPherron ’23 have been Conn’s leading scorers all year, but they both fouled out late in the game against Trinity and had to watch both overtimes from the bench. It seems like nothing can go right for the Camels so we’ll have to keep waiting for them to put it all together. Williams has been another fairly inconsistent team this year, beating Amherst twice but blowing a 15-point lead against Hamilton and struggling in a few other conference games. Matt Karpowicz ’20 is the best center in the league but was essentially a non-factor in their last game at Middlebury, so look for him to try and get more involved this weekend. Cole Prowitt-Smith ’23 has been remarkably streaky, having flashes of looking like the most talented player in the league while also have stretches of playing completely out of control and undisciplined. I don’t see the Ephs losing this game, but they’ve got some things to figure out moving forward.
Writer’s Pick: Williams 84 – Conn 61
#22 Tufts (14-4, 4-0) vs. Bowdoin (6-11, 1-4), 7pm, Medford, MA
I’d say we pretty much know what to expect from this game too. Tufts has been one of the hottest teams in the league (although they did lose a non-conference game this week) and Bowdoin has had a fairly disappointing season thus far. The Jumbos have had a lethal scoring attack, led by talented big man Luke Rogers ’21 and senior captain Eric Savage ’20. This team already has impressive wins over Wesleyan, Hamilton, Amherst, and Bates despite having just one senior on the roster. Tufts is very talented and very explosive and they can score in a hurry. They also have the ability to really lock in on defense and their opponents often go through long stretches without scoring. The Polar Bears have not seen the same success and have been ridiculously one-dimensional this season. David Reynolds ’20 is putting up over 20 points per game, but it doesn’t really look like anyone else can contribute anything in the scoring column. Zavier Rucker ’21 is a solid point guard, but when Reynolds is the only guy you’re passing to it’s not very hard to defend. The Polar Bears may steal a win at some point this year, but this will not be the day. The Jumbos aren’t dropping this one on their home court.
I think this game has the potential to be interesting. The Bantams always seem to surprise us, as they did last Saturday at Conn when Christian Porydzy ’20 hit the shot of the year and Trinity managed to escape with the win. They have 4 players averaging double figures in scoring, led by reigning NESCAC Player of the Week Donald Jorden ’21, who is averaging a double double on the year. The problem, however, is that they’re going up against Middlebury. The Panthers are one of the best teams in the league and they’ve got quite a few scoring threats of their own. In fact, 5 of their players are averaging double figures in scoring and they have some of the craftiest guards in the league. Jack Farrell ’21 and Max Bosco ’21 can score almost any way, while Matt Folger ’20 is probably the biggest wing in the NESCAC and uses that to his advantage. Middlebury has already taken two losses in conference (against good teams) but they have some very impressive non-conference wins on their resume and their talent is undeniable. The Bantams could make things interesting playing in their own gym, but I think the Panthers will roll tonight.
Writer’s Pick: Middlebury 81 – Trinity 70
Bates (10-7, 2-2) vs. #5 Colby (17-0, 5-0), 7pm, Lewiston, ME
Call me biased, but this game has my pick for game of the day. We’ve talked about Colby all year long and deservedly so. Sam Jefferson ’20 is the most talented scorer we’ve seen in recent years and he’s surrounded by a bunch of dudes who can freaking shoot. The Mules are 2nd in the NESCAC in shooting percentage and 1st in 3-point percentage, while leading the league in points per game by a fairly large margin. It doesn’t matter that they only have 1 guy in their rotation over 6’4” because if you give anyone on their team the tiniest bit of space then they’ll kill you. All of that said, the Bobcats always tend to surprise us as well. They have a good recent track record against Colby and bragging rights are on the line in this CBB matchup. Bates will also have the advantage of playing in famed Alumni Gym, where they’ll play in front of a raucous crowd that is sure to play a factor in this one. Omar Sarr ’23 didn’t have his best day in their last game against Tufts, but he has a chance to really exploit the Mules’ lack of size. Aside from the low post these teams actually matchup fairly well, so my guess is that this one will come down to whoever has the ball last. There is sure to be a lot of scoring, but the hostile Alumni Gym environment is likely not something Colby has seen yet this year. All signs seem to point to a Bobcat upset.
Writer’s Pick: Bates 86 – Colby 83
Saturday
Trinity (12-6, 2-2) vs. Williams (9-9, 2-3), 3pm, Hartford, CT
This game is a lock for 2nd best game of the day. Each of these two have bounced around the bottom/middle of the league and are looking to distinguish themselves. Williams has the advantage of playing Conn the night before, so they likely won’t have to have their starters overdo it. I’m intrigued to see how the Matt Karpowicz-Donald Jorden matchup goes given that they’re two of the most talented big men in the league but play very different styles. We’ll also keep an eye on Spencer Spivy ’22 who missed a game with illness and didn’t play extended minutes in his first game back. I believe that the Ephs have the more talented lineup, but the Bantams have experience and that goes a long way. Trinity starts 5 upperclassmen who have played together for years, so they have a wealth of experience in these big conference games. Playing at home is always nice too, but I really don’t see that making enough of a difference, especially having to play Middlebury the night before. My guess is that this is a tough weekend for the Bantams…
Writer’s Pick: Williams 78 – Trinity 68
#22 Tufts (14-4, 4-0) vs. #5 Colby (17-0, 5-0), 3pm, Medford, MA
We’ve been waiting for this one for a little while now. These two have identified themselves as the top two teams in the league right at the moment and they also have each gotten some national recognition. Tufts is coming off a mid-week loss against a talented New England College squad, but that was just their 4th loss of the season and they still have yet to lose a NESCAC game. Luke Rogers ’21 is going to be the key for the Jumbos because he’ll be able to really go after Colby’s lack of size. Tufts’ backcourt has a chance to be competitive with their talented Mule counterparts, so Rogers is going to have to really make a difference. It basically seems like Tufts will have to take one of two approaches against Colby: either expect Sam Jefferson ’20 to have a big game as he always does and don’t let anyone else beat you or key in on Jefferson and make someone else beat you. So far neither of these strategies has worked for anyone yet, but it feels like the Mules have to lose at some point. The Jumbos have a lot of talent and home court advantage doesn’t hurt, so I think they’ll give Colby their first (or second) loss of the season.
Writer’s Pick: Tufts 88 – Colby 82
Conn College (3-14, 0-4) vs. #10 Middlebury (17-2, 3-2), 3pm, New London, CT
This is about as lopsided of a matchup as you’ll find in NESCAC basketball. Middlebury, a perennial power, heads south to take on a Camel team that is truly struggling at this point in the season. The Panthers really don’t have to worry about losing this game, but we should be paying much closer attention to the injury status of big man Alex Sobel ’22. Sobel is very talented and was off to a terrific start to the season when he went down with injury. The sophomore has missed the last 7 games and we have no time frame on his return. Jack Farrell ’21 is a potential POY candidate for the Panthers and will likely dominate in this one. Middlebury should head home on Saturday sitting pretty at 2-0.
Writer’s Pick: Middlebury 89 – Conn 60
Bates (10-7, 2-2) vs. Bowdoin (6-11, 1-4), 3pm, Lewiston, ME
It’ll obviously be very important to see how each of these teams do on Friday because that always has an impact on the attitude heading into the second game of the weekend. That said, it’s hard to envision Bates losing this game. The Bobcats won the first meeting between these two back in December and we have no reason to expect a different result this time. The emergence of freshman Stephon Baxter ’23 has added a huge spark to this senior-dominated backcourt and he has done a really impressive job making mature plays for the offense. Kody Greenhalgh ’20 and Jeff Spellman ’20 are as good as anyone in the NESCAC at creating their own shot and making teams really pay when left unchecked. Bowdoin likely won’t have an answer for Omar Sarr ’23 underneath and I don’t think David Reynolds ’20 will be able to shoot the Polar Bears to victory on the road in Alumni Gym. Bates will be coming off an emotional game against Colby the night before, but I think they’ll respond against Bowdoin either way.
Writer’s Pick: Bates 79 – Bowdoin 67
Sunday
Hamilton (13-6, 1-4) vs. Wesleyan (13-2, 2-2), 1pm, Clinton, NY
The final game of the weekend comes from upstate New York, where two teams who desperately need a signature win will square off to get one step closer to the NESCAC Tournament. Much like Bowdoin, Hamilton has been very one-dimensional this year. Kena Gilmour ’20 was last year’s NESCAC Player of the Year and is following that up with another stellar season, but he can’t do it all himself. Wesleyan has been nearly the opposite, with someone new stepping up each night. Antone Walker ’21 and Sam Peek ’22 have been the go-to guys around the perimeter, while Jordan James ’21 is on our Alonzo Mourning Center of the Year Award watch list. The Cardinals have a crucial matchup on Friday with Amherst so a lot will be decided then, but I think they’re going to be a little bit too much for the Continentals to handle. The trip to Hamilton is never fun, but I think Wesleyan will be happy on their ride back.
Amherst (11-6, 2-2) vs. Hamilton (12-5, 1-3), 3pm, Amherst, MA
Both of these teams really need a win to get back on track. Amherst followed up a nice road win against Bates by getting smacked in the mouth by Tufts, then proceeded to drop another game to Williams to complete the season sweep (albeit this was the non-conference tilt). Hamilton has plummeted towards the bottom of the standings with a dismal 1-3 conference record, and Kena Gilmour ‘20 is getting absolutely no help from the rest of his starters. The Bobcats did a great job limiting Gilmour to just fifteen points, but the rest of the starters combined to shoot 28%. What’s even more alarming for the Continentals is that they let the Bobcats splat eleven threes – the night prior, Amherst held the ‘Cats to just one triple. That combination of lackluster defense and inconsistent offensive production is, quite simply, not good enough to beat a team like Amherst. As long as Eric Sellew ‘20, Fru Che ‘21, and company are patient on offense and knock down their open looks, the Mammoths will have no problem getting by the Continentals.
Writer’s Pick: Amherst 83, Hamilton 70
Conn College (3-12, 0-3) vs. Trinity (11-6, 1-2), 3pm, New London, CT
Two words to describe Trinity’s performance against Wesleyan last weekend: not good. The Bantams shot just 33.3% from the field, including a head-scratching 10-30 from two. Conversely, Wesleyan got just about anything they wanted from inside the arc. The good news for the Trin faithful is that they essentially have a bye week against Conn, who just got absolutely obliterated 98-59 against the Cardinals. Although everything is falling apart for the Camels, the defense is especially a problem as they’ve now allowed at least 83 points in each of their three conference games. Trinity seems to have some offensive woes, but it would take an especially poor shooting day (think in the 20’s) for Trinity to drop this one. I’ve got Donald Jorden ‘21 tallying a double-double as Trinity rolls by double digits.
Writer’s Pick: Trinity 85, Conn 64
Bowdoin (5-10, 1-3) vs. #5 Colby (16-0, 4-0), 3pm, Brunswick, ME
Just like Trin and Conn, this inter-state bout looks like it won’t be very close. Colby has asserted themselves as the alpha dog in the NESCAC after their road victories against Middlebury and Williams. The most important stat from those two games is that they only turned the ball over a combined 19 times, signaling that this group feels no pressure in some of the more hostile environments in the conference. Sam Jefferson ‘20 has to be considered the MVP of the league by a considerable margin at this point, and it helps to have three alternate (and equally as talented) scoring options in Matt Hanna ‘21 (14.8 PPG, 4.1 AST/G), Alex Dorion ‘20 (14.1 PPG) and Noah Tyson ‘22 (12.4 PPG, 8.7 REB/G). What’s more, they annihilated Bowdoin by 46!!! earlier this season. In the second half alone against the Polar Bears, Colby exploded for 67 points and knocked down eleven threes. While it won’t be that much of a route this time around, expect the Mules to blow their rivals out of the water by at least twenty.
Writer’s Pick: Colby 92, Bowdoin 68
#12 Middlebury (16-2, 2-2) vs. Williams (9-8. 2-2), 3pm, Middlebury, VT
While Tufts and Bates could be viewed as the game of the week, I’m casting my vote for this particular matchup due to the unfamiliarity in the standings for both teams. Both Williams and Middlebury sit at .500 in conference play, and a loss would drop either team near that #8 seed cut-off for the conference tournament. Both these teams will almost certainly make the tournament when it’s all said and done, but the situation still presents an intriguing scenario. The Panthers had to have a quick turnaround after dropping a tough home matchup against the Mules, and they successfully did so by throttling the Polar Bears 93-71. Five Middlebury players hit double figures, led by Max Bosco ‘21 and Tommy Eastman ‘21. The defense is still a bit of a concern as the Polar Bears were able to hang around until the Panthers’ offense pulled away in the second half, but luckily for the Panthers, the Ephs isn’t known for their explosive offense. Williams likes to grind out games with a stout defense, and while it didn’t work against Colby, they held both Bowdoin and Amherst to 62 and 60 points, respectively. Jovan Jones ‘22 found his shooting touch with seventeen points, and Cole Prowitt-Smith ‘23 continued to impress with fourteen of his own. If this game was at Williams, I would consider looking into the upset; in the end, however, Middlebury was ranked as highly as number five in the national polls for a reason, and they are too talented drop this one at home.
Writer’s Pick: Middlebury 75, Williams 66
#23 Tufts (13-3, 3-0) vs. Bates (9-6, 2-1), 3pm, Medford, MA
I honestly have no idea what to expect from this one. Tufts continues to to keep pace with Colby as the last two remaining unbeaten teams in the ‘CAC, having just recently throttled Amherst by 18 in Medford. Everyone is contributing – all five starters hit double digits against the Mammoths, and the Jumbos got an additional 17 bench points to cushion the win. Right now, Luke Rogers ‘21 is the best big man in the league, having eclipsed twenty points in each of his last four games (three of those were double-doubles). The Bobcats’ best kept secret (although at this point I think the cat might be out of the bag) is freshman Omar Sarr ‘23. I’ve been raving about Sarr before conference play started, and the big man has become the best rim protector in the league. He’s averaging an absurd five blocks per game in conference play to go along with eleven points and eleven rebounds. He’s the most important player on the Bobcats, because without him, they lack a reliable shot blocker and rebound getter. Both teams have their fair share of shooters, but in the end I think Bates’ inconsistencies on the defensive end will allow Tufts to work inside and out well, pulling away late. The ‘Cats have won three in a row against the Jumbos, however, so a road victory wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
The Bobcats have gotten off to a very fine start in 2020 and sit at 3rd place in the NESCAC right now with a record of 2-1. What makes their 2-1 record more impressive is the fact that they’ve already played Wesleyan, Amherst, and Hamilton who have been some of the best teams in the league over the last several years. This is in stark contrast to last season when Bates finished 7-18 overall and just 3-7 in NESCAC play. One of the biggest catalysts behind the hot start in league play has been freshman Omar Sarr ’23. In conference play, Sarr is leading the NESCAC in both rebounds and blocks per game and he has really made his presence felt in the paint thus far. Fellow rookie Stephon Baxter ’23 has also been a huge addition to this year’s squad. The defensive spark that he brings off the bench is huge for Bates and allows Coach Furbush to mess around a bit with some of his defensive matchups. Baxter is also lightning quick and has displayed an impressive ability to create his own shot and make tough finishes. The addition of these two guys combined with elevated play from their loaded senior backcourt has made the Bobcats do a complete 180 this season and they now find themselves looking down at most of the league.
Sam Jefferson’s POY case
In non-conference play, Jefferson got off to one of the most incredible statistical starts to a season we’ve ever seen in the NESCAC. The question at that point was whether he could continue this elite level of play in their most crucial games against their most talented opponents. His numbers in their opening NESCAC weekend against Conn College and Trinity weren’t jaw dropping, but they also didn’t need him to perform as much because they handled those games with relative ease. This past weekend, however, Jefferson stepped up when it really mattered. On the road at Middlebury and Williams, Jefferson put up 55 points on 19-27 shooting, including 9-16 from 3-point land. These are star-caliber numbers and he delivered them against two of the very best teams in the league on the road in a pivotal weekend for the Mules. I’ve been hesitant to say too much about Jefferson until we got a chance to see him go up against stronger teams, but he this weekend he came through and then some. He has helped make Colby the team to beat right now, even beyond the NESCAC…
Colby’s national relevance
The Mules are now up to #5 in the nation with a 15-0 start to the season including 4-0 in NESCAC play. It feels like every week we’re waiting on them to have an off shooting night and have their lack of size haunt them, but every week they prove us wrong. Middlebury isn’t necessarily the biggest team in the league (although they aren’t small), but Williams is one of the biggest and Colby handled them just the same. The Mules have 4 players averaging double figures in scoring and they lead the NESCAC in field goal percentage (2nd in 3-point percentage), points, assists, steals, and blocks per game. Right now this is the best team with the best player in the best conference in America and it’s their spot to lose. Colby still has Bates, Bowdoin, Tufts, Hamilton, Amherst, and Wesleyan left on their NESCAC schedule so there’s a lot of basketball left to play, but at the moment it looks like the road to the NESCAC Championship runs through Waterville.
Stock down
Kena Gilmour star power
The reigning NESCAC Player of the Year had a rough weekend with the rest of the Continental squad, dropping games at Tufts and at Bates. Gilmour had 26 points on Friday against a nationally ranked Tufts team, but he shot just 9-22 so not exactly the most efficient night. On Saturday at Bates he was relatively nonexistent, except for a flurry of 3-pointers early in the second half. He really didn’t look very involved in the offense and the team simply couldn’t do it without him. He had a good weekend the weekend before and helped lead a furious comeback to steal a win against Williams, so hopefully this weekend was just a bump in the road. Hamilton has yet to prove that they can win when Gilmour doesn’t perform, so he’s going to have to be playing at a very high level to keep the Continentals in contention. This is a very different team than last year in Clinton.
Amherst’s consistency
This is somewhat a testament to the fact that the Mammoths are the class of the NESCAC year in and year out, but they haven’t really seemed to hit their stride yet in 2020. They started off very strong taking down previously undefeated Middlebury, then followed that up by losing to Williams at home the very next day. This past weekend they put together a nice win at Bates and turned around on Saturday to get crushed by Tufts. Eric Sellew ’20 suffered a shoulder injury in the first half of the game against Bates and didn’t play against Tufts so we’ll have to keep an eye on how long he’s out given that he has probably been the Mammoths’ most efficient player this year. Grant Robinson ’21 hasn’t been as dominant as he was last year and Fru Che ’21 has had some relatively quiet scoring nights as well. All that said, Amherst still isn’t in a terrible spot right now. They’re one of the 4 teams tied for 4th place at 2-2 in league play and they’re past the hardest part of the schedule so far. Their last 6 games are against Hamilton, Wesleyan, Bowdoin, Colby, Trinity, and Conn College so they have a very real chance of closing out the year 4-2 or 5-1 which would likely earn them a home game in the first round of the NESCAC playoffs. You can never count out the Purple and White.
Last week: W 83-50 vs. Conn College, W 91-77 vs. Trinity This week: @ Middlebury, @ Williams
I don’t care what the national polls say – at this point in the season, this is the best basketball team in the NESCAC. As a student at Bates, I’m not the most vehement supporter of the Mules, but it’s hard to ignore their impressive performance over the first thirteen games of the season. They’re the only undefeated team remaining in the conference, averaging a league-best 94.6 PPG. Another marker of dominance is the manner in which most of their contests were won; eleven of their thirteen wins have been by 14+ points. Some will point to their incredible three point percentage (41.9% with over 200 attempts already) as a reason why the Mules won’t keep up their first place standing, but with nearly 24 assists per game compared to just 14 turnovers, Colby is clearly taking care of the ball and finding open guys to knock down shots. They boast four of the top seventeen scorers in the conference, led by Sam Jefferson ‘20 (22.8 PPG). Noah Tyson ‘22 (13.8 PPG, 9 REB/G) opened some eyes as a freshman last season, and his quality of play has picked up against Colby’s first two conference games, tallying 16 points against Conn and 24 against Trinity. Rebounding may be a concern moving forward as the Mules tend to go with a smaller-than-average lineup, but this team is equipped with so many knockdown shooters that they can change a close game to a blowout in a blink of an eye.
(1) 2. #5 Middlebury (15-1, 1-1)
Last week: L 81-69 @ Amherst, W 77-76 @ Hamilton This week: vs. Colby, vs. Bowdoin
Panthers’ faithful might be a bit irked to find their squad at number two in this edition of the power rankings, but there is plenty to be excited about going forward. After a disappointing showing in both the NESCAC and NCAA Tournament(s), I am certain Coach Brown and his squad are hungry to bounce back and make a deep postseason run. Thus far, their play has garnered them a top five ranking in the national polls, with their sole blemish coming recently against Amherst in their first conference game of the season. Jack Farrell ‘21 leads a deep group of players in which five average double figures and another three chip in at least 5.5 points per game. Farrell has reached double digits in all sixteen games, including a season-high 31 against Endicott. Tommy Eastman ‘21 had a monster game against Hamilton, going for 23 points and 12 boards. If he continues to play at that level alongside Farrell, Max Bosco ‘21 and company, the Panthers have more than enough offensive firepower to upend the Mules and stake claim as the best team in the conference.
(3) 3. Tufts (11-3, 1-0)
Last week: W 92-85 @ Wesleyan This week: vs. Hamilton, vs. Amherst
It might be a surprise to see the Jumbos listed as high as number three on this list, but after a somewhat deflating 2018 regular season, Tufts has roared out to an impressive start. Few big men can match up with Luke Rogers ‘22, whose 15.7 PPG lead the Jumbos and his 12.7 REB/G lead all of the NESCAC. With Rogers garnering attention down low, it allows for veteran guards like Eric Savage ‘20 (14.8 PPG) and Brennan Morris ‘21 (11.7 PPG) to execute the offense at an efficient level, working inside and out to shuffle defenses around. In their opening win against Wesleyan, Rogers had another double-double (23 points to go along with 10 rebounds), and the Jumbos shot close to 55% from the field and sank 13 triples. If they can continue operating on offense in this manner while cleaning up the free throw percentage (converting only 15-24 against Wesleyan and 68% on the year), then this team will finish in the top four and garner some attention for an at-large bid when it comes time for NCAA Tournament selection.
(4) 4. #22 Amherst (10-4, 1-1)
Last week: W 81-69 vs. Middlebury, L 72-69 vs. Williams This week: @ Bates, @ Tufts
Don’t get me wrong – knocking off what was an undefeated Middlebury team is something that should be valued and highlighted when analyzing a team’s overall body of work. As strong of a win as that is, however, Amherst finds themselves fourth in the power rankings due to their inconsistent play against conference foes. Their game against Wesleyan was considered a non-conference affair; however, I personally don’t consider the Cardinals as a strong opponent this season, and that loss certainly was something Amherst could have avoided heading into their conference slate. The big victory against the Panthers was followed by a loss to rival Williams, who at 7-7 is looking to be more of a bottom-half finisher in the 2019-2020 NESCAC season. Similarly to the University of Virginia, Amherst wins with its prolific defense, holding opponents to under 64 PPG. They’re 7-0 when holding opponents under 65 points, but Williams and Wesleyan were both able to get into the 70’s range. Eric Sellew ‘20 leads the team in scoring thus far in conference play, but the Mammoths need someone or two to step up from long range and bring some variety to an offense that doesn’t score a ton from deep.
(5) 5. Hamilton (11-3, 1-1)
Last week: W 79-78 vs. Williams, L 77-76 vs. Middlebury This week: @ Tufts, @ Bates
It’s basically Kena Gilmour ‘20 vs. everybody when talking about the Continentals. The senior is tied with Jefferson of Colby as the conference’s leading scorer at 22.8 PPG, and no one other than the senior averages double figures (for the season) for Hamilton. It’s clear the offense revolves around him as evidenced by the sheer number of shots he throws up, but thus far the plan is somewhat working. The Continentals have split two conference games (each by a single point) with that one loss coming against Middlebury. Gilmour will most certainly need help around him as his supporting cast looks vastly different than the team that guided Hamilton to the Sweet Sixteen a year ago. Eric Anderson ‘22 seems the most likely candidate to become the Robin to Gilmour’s Batman, as the sophomore is putting in 14.5 PPG in their two conference matchups to date.
(9) 6. Bates (8-4, 1-0)
Last week: W 81-80 @ Wesleyan This week: vs. Amherst, vs. Hamilton
It was an absolute rollercoaster of a performance, but the Bobcats managed to escape Middletown with a win over the Cardinals in their preliminary conference tilt. Kody Greenhalgh ‘20 went from allowing a four-point play with eleven seconds remaining to give the Cardinals the lead, to then scoring a heavily-contested, game-winning layup. An overall record of 8-4 at this point in the season is pretty solid, and that victory over Wesleyan was imperative if Bates wanted to make some noise in the ‘CAC this season. Greenhalgh joins the veteran Spellman ‘20 (15.5 PPG, 4.2 REB/G) as the two leading scorers, but there are a plethora of guys who can explode on any given night. with some major opportunities to pick up quality wins in the recent future. Stephon Baxter ‘23 is a name to watch for rookie of the year consideration; although his scoring average (8.9 PPG) doesn’t jump off the page, the point guard is a tenacious defender, takes smart shots and is hitting close to 45% of his three point attempts. Thomas Coyne ‘20 is always a threat from behind the arc, and the emergence of Omar Sarr ‘23 as a shotblocker and rebounder has helped a team lacking height tremendously. Given that their next four NESCAC games are Amherst, Hamilton, Tufts and Colby, the Bobcats have plenty of opportunities to snatch up wins against quality opponents.
(7) 7. Trinity (10-5, 1-1)
Last week: W 84-70 @ Bowdoin, L 91-77 @ Colby This week: vs. Wesleyan
Aside from the Bobcats, the Bantams are a secondary selection as a dark horse to finish in the top five of the league standings. They boast one of the best rebounding squads in the league and four legit scorers. One name to watch is forward Donald Jorden ‘21 – the junior is shooting over 67% from the field, and given that he only averages 11.7 PPG, I’d advocate for a higher feature role for Jorden if he’s putting the ball in the basket that frequently. The Bantams were beating Colby by seven at intermission before the Mules exploded for 54 points in the second half, so this Trinity team does have what it takes to compete with the upper echelon of this league. Defensively, the Bantams will want to tighten up, and a date with Wesleyan will provide them that test.
(8) 8. Williams (7-7, 1-1)
Last week: L 79-78 @ Hamilton, W 72-69 @ Amherst This week: vs. Bowdoin, vs. Colby
This team experienced a ton of roster turnover from last year’s senior-laden team, but even with the emergence of fellow Nothing but NESCAC writer Max Karpowicz ‘20 as the team’s go-to scoring option, the Ephs struggled in their non-conference games heading into league play. The good news is that the level of play seems to have improved quite rapidly in their games against Hamilton and Amherst. Karpowicz’s (16.0 PPG, 9.1 REB/G) 21 point-performance paced the team in their hard-fought win over Amherst. The Ephs were also missing standout freshman Cole Prowitt-Smith ‘23 (13.3 PPG), validating the win as even more impressive given their offensive woes that plagued them early on. In no way is this ranking meant to indicate that the Ephs should panic, as there are plenty of opportunities in this league to rack up significant victories; moreover, I think this is the floor for Williams, and I expect them to move up given the talent they still possess.
(6) 9. Wesleyan (9-5, 0-2)
Last week: L 92-85 vs. Tufts, L 81-80 vs. Bates This week: @ Trinity, vs. Conn College
The loss of Austin Hutcherson ‘21 to the University of Illinois was undoubtedly a huge blow to a Wesleyan squad that had high hopes for the 2019-2020 season. A 9-5 record is nothing to be ashamed about, but the Bates game presented an opportunity to bounce back from a close loss to Tufts. Instead, the loss at home was especially deflating given the manner in which it happened, and a non-conference loss to Johnson & Wales pushed their losing streak to three. They’ve struggled to score for the most part, averaging under 74 ppg and shooting just 41% from the field. Jordan James ‘21 and Antone Walker ‘21 form a nice scoring duo, but the Cardinals lack depth to continuously push the pace and put the ball in the basket for 60 minutes. Additionally, they’ve allowed 80+ points in each of their two conference games, something that needs to be corrected quickly. A matchup against Trinity might not allow them the chance to fix their flaws on the defensive side, but it could allow them the chance to fine tune their offense.
(10) 10. Bowdoin (5-8, 1-1)
Last week: L 84-70 vs. Trinity, W 87-70 vs. Conn College This week: @ Williams, @ Middlebury
Apart from its past two games, the Bowdoin offense has been a disaster. They slot in ahead of only Conn in terms of points per game, and aside from David Reynolds ‘20, no one on this team is really playing up to the standard this team needs in order for them to be a serious contender for a top-eight finish. They lost to Trin by fourteen, right after getting absolutely pounded by rival Colby 108-62 (yikes). They did end their losing streak with a much-needed 17-point victory over Conn, scoring 87 points in the process. Reynolds carried the team with 29 points, and both Sam Grad ‘21 and Manav Randhawa ‘23 chipped in with fourteen points apiece. Maybe the offense has found some sort of groove these past two games, but it seems unlikely that they can compete with the likes of Middlebury or Williams this weekend.
(11) 11. Conn College (3-11, 0-2)
Last week: L 83-50 @ Colby, L 87-70 @ Bowdoin This week: @ Wesleyan
This team wasn’t very good last year, and with the departure of David Labossiere ‘19, many around the league would agree that not much was expected from Conn this season. At this point, it seems likely that they will go winless in conference play for a third consecutive year. Everything seems to be a problem: the Camels are averaging 62.8 PPG while allowing close to 75 PPG while committing close to 18 turnovers per contest. That recipe will certainly not win you many basketball games, and in this case, the Camels have just three wins on their schedule to date. Dan Draffan ‘21 (12.4 PPG, 7.5 REB/G) and newcomer Ben McPherron ‘23 (11.6 PPG) lead the way, but both are inconsistent and McPherron only shoots an abysmal 34% from the floor. Maybe they can pull a miracle win in their remaining league games, but every league game forthcoming will be quite the challenge for these bottom-dwellers.
