The first weekend of conference play gave us our best data points yet on teams. With that in mind, here are the Power Rankings.
1. Bates (11-2)
So far the Bobcats have been able to live up to and surpass the pre-season hype that surrounded their team back in November. The leadership and play of Graham Safford ’15 along with the production of his his right-hand man Mike Boornazian ’16, averaging 15.8 and 14.2 point per game, respectively, has propelled Bates to the number one spot in this week’s power rankings. Although they are 11-2, and seemingly in a good spot, they have only played one in-conference opponent, beating Middlebury 57-53. Their next opponent resides in Hartford Connecticut, a team that has been nipping at their heels all season. The Trinity/Bates game will be a good benchmark to see how dangerous this Bobcats team really is.
2. Trinity (12-3)
After the Bantam offense went through a stretch of four 70+ games, all manifesting in a win, the ability to score has begun to fall. Putting up only 60 point against Hamilton and then 56 against Merchant Marine, it seems as though the offensive augmentation has come to an end. While this may be the case, it has been the Bantam defense that has put them in a position to be ranked number 3 this week. So far they allowed their opponents a stingy 61.3 points per game., ranking second only to Bowdoin in team defense in the ‘CAC. As it stands now, juniors Shay Ajayi and Jaquann Starks are the consistent scorers for Trinity, but they will need more consistent production from players like senior forward Alex Conaway, as conference play heats up.
3. Middlebury (10-2)
The Panthers dropped to number three in this week’s rankings in large part due because of their 80-63 loss to Tufts (5-7) earlier this week. As the former No. 1, this defeat could be seen as solely a fluke loss, seeing as they followed the loss with a 94-56 onslaught against Castleton State. What keeps Middlebury towards the top is their ability to score points leading the league with 78.5 per game. Dylan Sinnickson ’15 continues to lead the offensive charge for the Mids top ranked offense as well as with his league leading 11.3 rebounds per game. Already 0-2 in the conference does not help as they will be facing a physical Wesleyan team later this week, defensive consistency has to be at the forefront of attention for the Panthers.
4. Amherst (10-3)
The Lord Jeffs are consistently in the mix for a NESCAC title, and this year is no different. Offensively Amherst is putting up decent numbers ranking fourth in points per game. Although they did lose to Williams 71-70, I remain adamant in my decision to put them above the Ephs, for now. Amherst’s next two games are against a Tufts team that embarrassed Middlebury, followed by a Bates team that seems to have everything working for them. The play of Johnny McCarthy ’18, who leads the league in steals per game (2.0) has enhanced the Amherst defense. That being said, the Jeffs still have plenty of room to improve in the coming weeks.
5. Williams (11-4)
The Ephs sit directly below an Amherst team in this weeks rankings, despite beating the Lord Jeffs 71-70. Why then, are the two rivals not flip flopped? Defense. Williams has struggled to protect its own hoop this year, allowing a last place 71.8 points per game. The defensive struggles have been countered by a second ranked offense, led by Daniel Wohl ’15 and Hayden Rooke-Ley ’15. It has been well documented that a strong defense is key to making a playoff run. In the Ephs case, a defense that even ranks in the middle of the pack would be enough to support this team, given that they continue the offensive prowess that is ranked second in the league right now.
6. Wesleyan (11-4)
The Cardinals are middle of the pack in a lot of ways, but one area where they stand out is from beyond the arc. As a team, they are ranked second in three point field goals shooting 36.7 percent. The production is in large part due to play of Jack Mackey ’16 and Harry Rafferty ’17. The fact they have been so good from three makes their 2-15 shooting performance as a team against Amherst on Tuesday all the more frustrating. The athleticism of Joseph Kuo ’17 has made itself apparent with his team leading 13.3 points per game. Not everything has fallen into place thus far, but the skill is there to claim a spot in the conference playoffs.
7. Colby (9-5)
Although Colby was able to edge out Wesleyan last week in a close 82-80 game, they have not showed me enough so far to be above the Cardinals. The part of the Mules’ game that is worrying is their defense, giving up 71.0 points per game. It’s no secret that allowing 70+ points each game is not a winning formula. Sure, their offense is ranked third with 76.8 ppg, but that’s not enough for me to join the Mules’ bench personalities in celebration.
8. Bowdoin (9-4)
The Polar Bears hit the ground running at the beginning of the season, but their conference play has been dismal, losing to Colby, Bates, and Wesleyan (Colby and Bates games do not count towards conference records). Defensively the Polar Bears have been able to hold opponents to a league leading 60.3 ppg, led by the big man John Swords ’15 underneath. For the Bears to make a serious push into the tournaments more offensive rhythm is going to be key. Transition offense has been lacking thus far, but if they can get the big men running the floor, Bowdoin may have more time to set up and execute offensively.
9. Hamilton (10-4)
Hamilton, like Bowdoin, was hot out of the gate winning its first seven games. Since then they are 3-4, two of those coming against conference opponents Amherst and Trinity. At 10-4 this isn’t the time for the Continentals to hit the panic button, but if their offensive struggles continue, this fast start could turn into a disappointing end.
10. Conn (7-6)
Conn’s stuggles are apparent in their record, and as we mentioned earlier, the Camels are a young but promising team. Look for the rest of this year to provide players like Lee Messier ’18 and Isaiah Robinson ’18 with time to develop their skills at a collegiate level. Losing to Bowdoin and Colby by 29 and 9 points, respectively, put Conn in a tough position in conference play. Stranger things have happened, but it does not look this is the year for the Camels.
11. Tufts (5-7)
Tufts rounds out this week’s rankings but with less negativity than you’d think. Yes, the Jumbos are 5-7 this year, and their schedule will only get tougher as they’ll play Amherst, Trinity, and Bates over the course of the next two weeks; however, a ray of hope cast down on Medford when they easily took care of previously top-ranked Middlebury 80-63, led by Tarik Smith’s big 20 point game off the bench.
will disagree with your power ratings. bates is very good in their building, elsewhere not so much. nowhere close to #1. of the now top 4, my take is that 3 of them are for real, but all have warts. tufts has two serious bigs- pretty clear after saturday that sabety’s knee will not hold him back. but in the longer run i need to see more than ten days of their guards being able to compete on the level their bigs can. trinity plays hard, makes you earn everything, but is often offensively challenged. they are not good shooters (same problem as last year only a year older),and want a game around 60. higher tempo teams should take note of that. colby has balance and can play. they’re always the beneficiary of the long trek but this is going to be the first year they’ve had to make plays late in the game (and season) to prove they belong. maybe they can do that but not having done it yet- always leaves the question open. i don’t think the polarbearnation is for real – despite swords and hurley (who has done little since returning from the acl). although the record now is good i’ll stand by my story (as ben bradlee once said). into the second tier. amherst is not to be relied on. too erratic whether at home or away. they look like maybe the ‘five’ or ‘six’. know that i’ll take some direct hits from those drinking the hixon kool-aid. williams is feeling the loss of 55 pots. and 30 boards per game especially without rooke-ley. wohl has done a lot in his absence and their poise and commitment to a princeton style ‘o’ will keep them going for a longer than their naysayers may like, and make them always a tough opponent. bates is in the second tier. where, i’m not sure but till they prove they can win on the road, you can’t grade them higher. midd is still a question. their wesleyan highlight film was one of the most complete efforts in many a year, altho no one was wowed by the conncollege win. however there are no bad ‘w’s. would also say that with a weapon like dylan s.- there is a need forhim to take more than 7 shots. matt daley is playing his way back- the nescac world has not seen this kid yet. he can be very good. the rest- wesleyan has to play their way up. their team speed is average, they will play hard inside but don’t score much, and if you cover them on the arc or make them put it on the floor, their guards are less effective. if they get more out of the frosh-reed (and i think they will), that will help them speed-wise. hamilton and conncollege probably are spoilers only, if teams don’t tend to business. we’ll see how it develops. clubbo.