Walker is going to be an important piece of the equation for the Cardinals this year as the loss of Austin Hutcherson ’21 leaves quite a large scoring void. Walker has been an effective member of the backcourt for three years now, but this season he’ll be asked to take a leap given that he’s one of the most experienced players on the roster. He’s also one of just two players on the team under 6’4”, so he’s almost always going to matched up with a bigger guard. This means that he’ll rely heavily on his lightning quickness and physicality in order to compete. If he continues to produce at the level he has been then he’ll see success, but Wesleyan won’t reach the same heights that they were able to last season. The Cardinals will go as Walker goes.
G: Sam Peek ’22 (3.8 PPG, 2.0 REB/G, 11.2 MPG)
Peek is in the classic position of having to go from being a marginal role player to a consistent starter because of the losses of a few key members of last year’s team. The good news for Cardinal fans is that he seems to be more than ready for this new challenge. Peek is already averaging over 12 points and 8 rebounds per game, while dishing out nearly 3 assists as well. He hasn’t shot the ball incredibly well – especially from 3-point range – but his 82.1% mark from the free throw line indicates that he’s got a good stroke; the shots just haven’t been falling. Peek also plays one of the most loaded positions league-wide, so his defensive abilities will immediately be put to the test. He seems to have things figured out pretty well so far, but we’ll keep an eye on this guy to see how things go come conference play.
G: Preston Maccoux ’23 (DNP)
It’s always hard to know what to expect from a freshman, but Maccoux is almost exactly the same size as Sam Peek so I have to assume that he’ll play a similar role. He hasn’t had a huge impact so far, but cracking the starting lineup as a freshman tells you something and he has certainly held his own – particularly in the rebounding department. The Wisconsin native doesn’t appear to be a huge scoring threat, but if he can help the Cardinals spread the floor and open up opportunities for other guys then that will be exceedingly valuable for the rest of the offense. As I said for Peek, it’ll be important to focus on what Maccoux brings to the table defensively because he’ll be forced to defend some of the most talented players in the NESCAC at times. It’s shaping up to be a big year for the rookie.
G: Kevin McDonald ’20 (1.3 PPG, 52.4% FG, 5.2 MPG)
McDonald represents the third member of this starting lineup that falls within the 6’6”, 190lb range and will also play a similar role to Peek and Maccoux. The senior is a role player if there ever was one, really only appearing in the box score because he’s listed as a starter. I don’t want to beat a dead horse so I won’t say much about McDonald because of his similarities to the two prior guards, but being the only senior in this starting lineup should not go unnoticed. He’s also one of two team captains and the only senior on the team that plays significant minutes. This guy may not be the most lethal player on the team, but leadership goes a very long way. McDonald has played with some of the most talented players in recent Wesleyan memory and he knows what it takes to make it through the ebbs and flows of a NESCAC basketball season.
F: Jordan James ’21 (7.0 PPG, 4.6 REB/G, 64.1% FG)
Jordan James is the X-factor for this team. He is by far the most talented big man on the roster and he has the ability to change games in the post. James shoots a very high percentage from the floor and hauls in rebounds like it’s his job*. He has rightfully started shouldering more of the scoring load this season and (impressively) hasn’t seen much of a dip in his shooting percentage. One area of focus for him is his ability from the charity stripe, because the junior has barely broken 50% from the line over the course of his career. If he can improve his free-throw percentage then he will be nearly impossible to stop on the offensive end. His offensive efficiency combined with his defensive prowess make James one of the best big men in the NESCAC. If he can continue trending upward then it’ll put Wesleyan in an excellent position to make yet another postseason run.
*If anyone from the NCAA is reading this I would like to go on record and say that rebounding is not James’ job as that would be a violation of the association’s rules.
Everything Else:
Much like several other teams across the league, Wesleyan is tasked with replacing several of their key performers from last season. Losing star guard Austin Hutcherson ’21 (transfer to D1 Illinois) is an obvious hit, but it’s hard to understate the graduation of Jordan Bonner and JR Bascom as well. These were easily the three best players from the 2018-2019 squad and that’s never easy to replace. With that being said, I’ve always been a huge fan of Coach Reilly and have the utmost confidence in his ability to figure out the identity of his team and get the most out of his players. In fact, they’re already off to a 7-2 start and are doing a nice job developing some of their younger guys.
Freshman Gabe Millstein ’23 adds some depth to the Cardinal backcourt as a solid ball handler and an excellent three-point shooter. He provides a solid complement for Antone Walker ’21 in the backcourt and will hopefully ease the point guard burden a bit. Shackylle Dezonie ’22 is a large wing who can finish around the rim and will likely spend some time defending in the post despite being just 6’5”. He, too, will add another deep ball threat and forces opposing defenders to close out on the perimeter. Sophomore big man Joe DeLollo ’22 will also have to step up quite a bit this year since he’s really the only big that plays any real time besides Jordan James ’21. The southpaw’s soft touch around the rim and ability to step out and knock down a three from time to time will be huge for the Cardinals to bring off the bench. I see DeLollo having a breakout season in 2019-2020.
All told, this will be an interesting year in Middletown. Lots of player turnover means guys will be thrust into roles that they haven’t been in during their careers to this point. There isn’t a ton of depth on the roster, but they have a lot of talent in their current 8-man rotation and if the pieces fall into place they will be very difficult to stop. They haven’t really shown us much so far in the young season given that they’ve beaten everyone they should and took two blowout losses at the hands of Williams and Eastern Connecticut. This team will make the NESCAC Tournament and will be a very tough matchup for whomever they face, but they’ve got a long way to go. It appears as though they will get better and better as the season progresses, so you’d better hope that your team is playing them early in the year. Don’t let the Cardinals get hot.
Tufts pulled off what some consider the impossible last weekend. The Jumbos made the tumultuous trek up to Vermont and defeated top seeded Middlebury. The Jumbos were led by freshman guard, who went to my high school, Tyler Aronson. Aronson played an all around complete game, proving to the conference why he will be an elite player for years to come. Similar to what happened to UVA last year during March Madness, Tufts was not intimidated by playing the top seed. The Jumbos looked poised and cruised to a nine point victory. Tufts’ opponent this weekend, Hamilton, should be weary about playing Tufts. It was about three weeks ago when Hamilton squeaked out a four point win against the Jumbos. I consider three weeks an eternity ago. Like Jim Mora famously muttered, “Playoffs?!” the playoffs in any sport have proved to be a different beast. Considering how competitive the league is, which Tufts displayed this past weekend, Hamilton needs to come out of the gates hot. The Continentals need to prove why they’re hosting the game— boasting an earned cockiness and swagger. Hamilton beat Williams and lost by a point to Midd this month. Kena Gilmour continues to dominate the scoring sheet. Gilmour has proven to be the league’s elite scorer this year. Even though basketball is a team game, I am excited to see the individual match up of Aronson versus Gilmour this weekend. Let’s take an in depth preview of the game.
Eric Savage needs to move a mountain to bring the Jumbos some rings.
Overview
Tufts is one of those teams no one wants to play in the playoffs. They’re simply a team with momentum. You know those teams. The ‘07 Giants, who barely earned a wildcard, went on to defeat the 18-0 Patriots. The Blackhawks when Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews were in their primes. And most famously, the 1980 Men’s Olympic hockey team. Their run was quite a ‘miracle.’ Tufts, based on their regular season performance, doesn’t deserve to be in this spot. Their 4-6 conference record barely squeaked them into the playoffs. Then they go and beat a one seed. That’s sports. Every game starts 0-0. Previous games don’t matter; it’s what about what you give today. Although at first glance it’s a shock for Tufts to have defeated Midd, it’s terribly surprising. Tufts has a young squad led by veteran coach Bob Sheldon. Coach Sheldon has been around the block a few times. He has experience in big games and knows how to create a game plan that once featured big man Tom Palleschi and now is centered around guard Tyler Aronson. I will get to Aronson in the next section, but now I want to focus on Tufts as a team. Their general statistics don’t jump out at me. They shoot 43% from the field and around 32% from deep. What is particularly striking is that they have a 66% free throw percentage. I don’t want to jinx anything, but having a number like that may come back to bite them in a big game. The Jumbos on average get outrebounded per game as well. Was their victory against Midd an anomaly? Maybe. I don’t want to say anything further, however, since playoffs are so much about momentum. Frankly, numbers get thrown out the window at this point.
Hamilton has five legitimate weapons in their starting lineup.
Hamilton has been a powerhouse all year long. They’re that team who you know is very good, but for some reason, they don’t garner the same respect as a Williams or Midd. One reason is that Hamilton is so far away. In the NEW ENGLAND Small College Athletic Conference, an upstate New York school outside of Utica is out of the picture. The Continentals have proven year in and year that they’re a very good basketball team. This year is no different. Hamilton posted a solid 7-3 conference record—finishing nearly undefeated at home (11-1). I am going to take one more shot at upstate New York here. Tufts playing Hamilton is like the Florida Gators traveling to play the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. That ride is far even if you’re not playing the day of travel. Regardless of home court advantage, Hamilton has proven that defense wins games. They allow on average 70 points per game, one of the best in the league. They’re tough inside too with a six rebound advantage per game. Hamilton plays a tough brand of basketball with a potent inside force and strong scoring led by Kena Gilmour.
Tufts X-Factor
G Tyler Aronson
Tyler Aronson ’22
Aronson, a Holliston, Mass, native and my former classmate at Rivers, has been the guy for Tufts all season. He has averaged 9.4 points this season and posted solid assists and turnover numbers. I do not think Aronson’s stats jump off the page. He is not the guy that will get you twenty-five, ten, and five on a daily basis. He is, however, one of the smartest basketball players I have seen. I want the ball in his hand with the game on the line. His handle is one of the best in the league and is a smart player. He will not throw away the game with a stupid turnover. I am excited to watch him develop into one of the league’s best these next few years. He is not huge like Wesleyan’s Austin Hutcherson, but he’s quick and bouncy. He can seriously fly. If Tufts wins the game, I guarantee Aronson will have a breakout game.
Hamilton X-Factor
G Kena Gilmour
Kena Gilmour ’20
In life people overcomplicate things. They think in order to sound smart they have to sometimes evade a logical answers. Think back to all those multiple choice exams. What if instead you picked the answer that was a bit more wordy and complex, you picked the one that simply answered the question in a well-constructed sentence? Makes you wonder. Kena Gilmour is the obvious choice for Hamilton’s x-factor. Sure he has great teammates, but he has proven that he is one of the best in the league scoring wise. Aronson can use Gilmour as a model for his own progression. Gilmour needs to start off hot to show that he is the alpha right now in the league. He needs to assert himself right away. He and Hamilton can’t let Tufts have a glimmer of hope. He needs to crush any hopes of a Tufts’ miracle from the jump.
Final thoughts
Aronson has come out of nowhere to put Tufts in the Semis.
This game is definitely an interesting matchup. Every single statistic I look at points in Hamilton’s favor. The Continentals have a better offense, defense, home court advantage, etc. You get the general picture. Something doesn’t sit right by writing Tufts off immediately. Aronson is a young, confident player. He has young guys around him looking to make a difference. There’s no reason to pick Tufts except for the fact that they’re coming off a huge win at Midd. It’s like I am sitting in that multiple choice exam where the right answer is in front of me, but there is another option that mentions something from a textbook reading from the first week of the semester. I am split; however, I cannot go against the simple answer. Hamilton will win this game.
The best time of the year is here – playoff season, baby. Saturday is going to be an awesome day filled with awesome games that should be as exciting as ever. In fact, the lower seed beat the higher seed when the teams met in the regular season in three of the four first round matchups (with Williams vs. Trinity being the exception). Each of these teams will battle for the coveted automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament that is awarded to the winner of the NESCAC Championship, and it’s shaping up to be a very exciting tournament as always. The results of this tournament will have an impact on the NCAA Tournament field because the NESCAC could have anywhere from four to six teams in this year’s NCAA’s. If Colby and Wesleyan are able to steal a win or two (or even win the whole thing) then we could see some extra teams sneaking in. There’s still a lot left to play, so check out our previews for each of the quarterfinal matchups:
1. #25 Middlebury vs. 8. Tufts
Tyler Aronson and the Jumbos will have to make a little tournament magic happen if they want to pull off the upset
We start off with a very interesting matchup between Tufts and Middlebury. In their regular season matchup the Panthers traveled to Medford and were dropped on a game winning shot by Brennan Morris ’21, keeping the Jumbos in the playoff race. That game also took place a very long time ago – over a month, in fact. Middlebury is a very different team now than they were then, and the Jumbos are very, very young. The trio of Matt Folger ’20, Jack Farrell ’21, and Max Bosco ’21 are averaging a combined 46 points per game and they have been absolutely on fire for the Panthers when they’ve needed it. The Jumbos are very guard-heavy and have proved that they’re capable of getting hot, so this could be an intriguing matchup between two particularly young backcourts. It’ll also be very interesting to see what we get out of the battle down low because each of these teams boast outstanding big men. Tufts features a 6’8”, 230lb giant in Luke Rogers ’21 who hauls in rebounds at a high rate and scores better than just about any other big in the league. On the other side, Eric McCord ’19 isn’t a huge contributor scoring-wise, but he averages a league-best 9.9 rebounds per game and does an excellent job locking down opposing centers. Both of these guys had big games in their first meeting, so if one if them can do a better job defending the other this time around then their team will have a huge advantage. Middlebury has (a little) more experience and I truly do think they’re the better team in this one, so I’m going with them to move on to the semifinals next weekend.
Prediction: Middlebury 86, Tufts 77
2. #10 Hamilton vs. 7. Colby
I feel like I find myself saying this a lot but I think this could be the year for Hamilton. They’ve had an outstanding season and have looking simply dominant much of the way. Their success has earned them a home game in the first round and a rematch with one of the only three teams that beat them this season. When they met in late January the Mules were able to travel to New York and take down the Continentals on the back of Sam Jefferson ’20 who scored 29 points on 9-14 shooting including 6-10 from three-point range. Colby is a team who, similar to Tufts, is very young and has a very promising future ahead of them. The problem is that I’m not sure if they’re quite ready to compete with the experience that a team like Hamilton brings to the table. Hamilton’s top six leaders in minutes played this season are all juniors and seniors, and they’ve been terrific. Led by NESCAC Player of the Year favorite Kena Gilmour ’20, the Continentals have shot their way to first in the league in points per game second in field goal percentage during their outstanding 2018-2019 season. The Mules aren’t far behind (3rd in PPG, 5th in FG%), and they’ve had some of the hottest shooting streaks we’ve seen in the NESCAC this year. I like that Colby is young and they play like they have nothing to lose because they don’t and I think they’re going to be great in the near future. This is going to be a close game, but I think that Hamilton’s depth and experience will end up being too much for the youthful Mules.
Prediction: Hamilton 90, Colby 87
3. #11 Amherst vs. 6. Wesleyan
Austin Hutcherson hopes to lead a tournament run in just his second season
I think that out of all the first round matchups, this is my favorite. The Little Three rivals split their regular season meetings, but the Cardinals won the official conference meeting. Wesleyan is not a particularly deep team but they’ve got a few stars that have taken them a very long way. I’d honestly be shocked if Austin Hutcherson ’21 didn’t take home a Player of the Year trophy in one of the next two years, because he has been absolutely outstanding. The league leader in points per game (20.4) has had some incredible performances this season, most recently coming in the form of a season-high 37 points on 81.3% shooting while adding 9 rebounds as well. This guy is a total stud who can light anyone up on any given night, but in the first two meetings between these two teams Hutcherson hasn’t looked quite as impressive. He totaled 25 points and 7 rebounds in those two games combined, well under his regular numbers. He’s going to play the biggest role on the Wesleyan side because if he comes to play then they’ll be very hard to stop. Amherst on the other hand plays a deeper rotation of guys and they share the scoring a bit more evenly. There’s no doubt that Grant Robinson ’21 is their go-to guy, but they have a number of players that can step up when they need to. They’re no. 11 in the country for a reason and there’s never a year when they should be taken lightly. However, star power goes a very long way in this league and Wesleyan wins the battle there. I’m going with the upset in this one.
Prediction: Wesleyan 66, Amherst 62
4. #18 Williams vs. 5. Trinity
It doesn’t bring me any joy to say this, but I’m not very excited for this one. Williams dominated Trinity in their regular season meeting and I don’t see this one being any different. The Ephs boast three of the most prolific scorers in the league in James Heskett ’19, Bobby Casey ’19, and Kyle Scadlock ’19, and these guys have now had so much experience playing in the NESCAC and NCAA Tournament over the past three seasons. The fact that Williams ended up the number four spot is very sneaky, because I still think they might be the favorites to win the whole thing. Bobby Casey ’19 is very much a candidate to win Player of the Year with his 18.5PPG (3rd in the NESCAC), 4.6AST/G (1st in the NESCAC), and 5.3REB/G. We’ve said it time and time again, but this team has a lethal combination of size and shooting ability that is nearly impossible to stop. I’m a bit surprised that Trinity ended up at 6-4 and in the fifth spot, but I certainly owe them one. They had a much better season than I predicted and Donald Jorden, Jr. ’21 has emerged as one of the top forwards in the league. Jorden is actually 4th in the league in offensive rebounds per game, so the Ephs will have to be careful not to get lazy on the defensive glass. The Bantams have had an unpredictable season so there’s no question that they could come out and prove me wrong, but I just think that Williams is too good to lose this early. Their talent and experience is really unmatched and I see them making a very deep run. Somehow I think the 4-5 matchup is the worst out of all the first round games – I don’t think this game will be very close.
March is Overrated, “February Frenzy” is Upon Us – Power Rankings 2/13
Chaos doesn’t even begin to describe this week’s edition of the Power Rankings. Heck, we didn’t even know that Midd was the #1 seed until last night! In these past two weeks, we’ve witnessed the unexpected: Williams tumbling out of the top three? Yup. Trinity catching fire late while Wesleyan sinks like a stone? Sure. Amherst blitzing past everyone in their path? Check. These two weeks have proven that any of the top eight teams in the postseason tournament have the ability to get hot and win the entire thing, which makes for an extremely entertaining set of games. It’s also an indicator that the teams we consider to be a part of the upper echelon of NESCAC basketball are nowhere near safe, even in their opening games. Without further ado, here’s my interpretation of the madness.
(5) 1. #11 Amherst (20-3, 7-2)
At this very moment, no team is hotter than the Mammoths. Winning six straight conference games until last night was no easy task, especially considering the volatile nature of the NESCAC this season. Their two most impressive wins of the season came last weekend; on Friday, the Mammoths traveled to Williamstown and secured a season-sweep of rival Williams, and if that wasn’t enough, they followed up that performance with a road win against Middlebury. Grant Robinson ‘21 (19.0 PPG last two games) and Fru Che ‘21 (15.0 PPG last two games) paced the Amherst attack, and bench players Garrett Day ‘21 and C.J. Bachmann ‘19 reach double figures in both contests. What’s more impressive is Amherst is a team that usually grinds down teams with its defense, but against the Panthers they proved they can outscore teams by dropping 97 points. Even with their loss to Hamilton last night, I’d still consider Amherst as the front-runner for the NESCAC Championship.
(3) 2. #25 Middlebury (18-6, 7-3)
If the Panthers had defeated the Mammoths on Saturday, they would have clinched regular season crown; instead, they had to wait for Hamilton to knock off Amherst. A weekend split between Hamilton and Amherst is nothing to be ashamed of, however, and the Panthers’ win against the Continentals was massive in the sense that the result ensured they would earn a top two seed for the postseason tournament. Jack Farrell’s ‘21 18 points paced Middlebury against the Continentals, but it was sharpshooter Max Bosco ‘21 who sunk a three-pointer with 2.4 seconds left to give the Panthers their seventh conference win. The Panther defense that had been brilliant in recent games was non-existent in their matchup with Amherst, as Middlebury allowed a season-high 97 points, including 56 in the second half. The Panthers will now turn their focus to their matchup against Tufts in the first round of the postseason tournament and will be expected to advance.
(4) 3. #10 Hamilton (20-6, 6-3)
The Continentals bounced back from their heartbreaking defeat against the Panthers with huge wins against Williams and against Hamilton. Those wins cemented their place as the two seed for the postseason tournament. Kena Gilmour ‘20 was sensational, registering 25 points, six rebounds and four assists, as three other players joined him with double figures in the scoring department. Hamilton also held the Ephs to just 7-23 from beyond the arc and forced 16 turnovers in the process. The Continentals have really picked up the quality of their play in recent games even with the one blemish against Middlebury, and they’ll be undoubtedly one of the favorites in the NESCAC tournament and possibly beyond.
(1) 4. #18 Williams (19-5, 6-4)
What on Earth is going on in Williamstown? No one would have predicted the former #2 team in the country to endure a three-game losing streak this late in the season and plummet to #18 in the national rankings. After defeating Colby, the Ephs and the rest of the NESCAC community were left stunned when Bowdoin’s Sam Grad ‘21 nailed a game-winning three in overtime. This past weekend, Williams lost to rival Amherst, and if that wasn’t bad enough, their second-leading scorer, James Heskett ‘19, tweaked his ankle and missed their regular season finale against Hamilton. Word on the street is he should be ready to go in their quarterfinal matchup, and he’ll be needed because Bobby Casey ‘19 cannot do it all by himself, despite averaging 21.0 PPG over their last three. The Ephs might want to focus their attention on the whole defensive thing: They’ve allowed opposing teams to shoot 52.2% in the past three games, including 44.7% from downtown.
(9) 5. Trinity (17-7, 6-4)
After getting absolutely pounded by Williams and Middlebury by a combined 71 points (ouch), Trinity was sitting at 2-4 in conference with just four games remaining. Their win against in-state rival Wesleyan completely re-energized this squad, and the Bantams rattled off three straight conference wins against Conn, Tufts and Bates to soar up the standings into fifth place. Their most recent win against Tufts was the most impressive sans the upset against Wesleyan, as the Bantams dominated the Jumbos from start to finish en route to an emphatic 20 point victory. Four players reached double-digits, led by Donald Jorden Jr.’s ‘21 20 point, 10 rebound performance. Trinity now has plenty of momentum heading into their quarterfinal matchup, and the league’s fourth best defense will have to be ready to shut down a Williams team that hung 85 on them last time out.
(2) 6. Wesleyan (16-8, 6-4)
Even with the loss to Tufts, Wesleyan looked like it was in position to snag a top three seed. They had a very favorable remaining schedule and already boasted wins against Middlebury, Hamilton and Amherst. Then came the loss to Trinity, but hey, the Cardinals only shot 19% from deep and when you have an in-state rivalry game, anything can happen. Next up was a non-conference loss to Amherst; not a huge deal considering Amherst is a great squad and it was only a one point loss, but concerning because Austin Hutcherson ‘21 struggled to score for the third consecutive game. Stopping the bleeding after the Amherst loss was essential in order for the Cardinals to hold on to a top three seed; well, the Cardinals responded by going down 26 points – at halftime – to Colby, and despite a frantic comeback, the deficit was too large to overcome. Hutcherson had a horrific first half (5 points, 2-11 from the field) before finding his stroke in the final twenty minutes, and only one player (Sam Peek ‘22) contributed off the Cardinals’ bench. Hutcherson (37 points) and Wesleyan bounced back the following day by annihilating Bowdoin, but the damage from their recent defeats was done and Wesleyan fell in the standings to simply a middle-tier team. Don’t get me wrong: Wesleyan certainly has the capability to make a deep run in the postseason, but the shine from their blazing start has worn off and those three losses severely hampered their quest an NCAA at-large selection. Winning the tournament might be the only way we see Hutcherson, Jordan Bonner ‘19, and company make it to the Big Dance.
(6) 7. Colby (17-7, 5-5)
If I’m being completely honest, I have no idea what to think of this team. Colby has some of the strongest wins in league play (@ Amherst, @ Hamilton, and this past Friday, @ Wesleyan). Against the Cardinals, Matt Hanna ‘21 (19 points) led the offensive assault as the Mules drained 18 three’s, and freshman sensation Noah Tyson ‘22 recorded a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) while knocking down four triples of his own. Their performance against Conn on Saturday, however, was much less exciting, as the Mules were unable to finish off the only winless NESCAC squad until the very waning minutes. Sam Jefferson ‘20 (20 points, carried an offense that hit only 39.7% of their shots, 21.1% from deep, and a head-scratching 58.3% from the charity stripe. As strong as some of their wins are, the Mules do own losses against both Bates and Bowdoin, so maybe it’s just an instance of Colby playing to the level of their competition? If so, it’s good news that this team will open up the NESCAC tournament against the #2 seed, Hamilton.
(7) 8. Tufts (11-13, 4-6)
On February 1st, The Jumbos sat one game ahead of Bowdoin for the eighth seed in the NESCAC standings with three games to play. One win in those three games would have ensured their participation in postseason ball. Well, the Jumbos proceeded to get whacked by Amherst, lose a close one to Hamilton, and get annihilated yet again, this time by Trinity. Luckily, the Jumbos own the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Polar Bears, so despite their three-game losing streak, Tufts lives to see another day. In their most recent loss to Trinity, Eric Savage ‘20 led the Jumbos with 20 points and big man Luke Rogers ‘21 (14 points, 11 rebounds) added yet another double-double to the stat sheet, but the defense (or lack thereof) is a real cause of concern for Coach Sheldon and his team. Tufts is dead last in defensive PPG, FG% and 3PFG%. The boys in brown and blue have a lot of work to do this week in order to prepare for their first round matchup.
(10) 9. Bowdoin (15-9, 4-6)
The win against Conn gave the Polar Bears a real shot at snagging the seventh seed from Colby (due to their head-to-head victory over the Mules back in January), as long as they could beat a Wesleyan team in full nosedive mode. The Polar Bears trailed by nine at half, and were eventually run out of the gym as they saw their postseason hopes fade away in what was surely one of their worst performances of the season. They shot just 36.2%, and David Reynolds ‘20 and Jack Simonds ‘19 combined to shoot just 9-26 from the field. The defense was porous to say the least, allowing Austin Hutcherson to explode for 37 points as he and the Cardinals hit at a 54.5% clip on the day. What’s more, the Polar Bears committed 19 fouls, leading to 26 free throw attempts for Wesleyan. All in all, the poor performance will certainly leave a bitter taste for Polar Bear fans, who will have to wait until next season to see if their squad can make the postseason dance.
(8) 10. Bates (7-17, 3-7)
I really thought the Bobcats were going to make a late push for a playoff spot, but they ran out of gas and dropped their last three league games. Defending the long ball has been a weak spot for Bates all season, and it was evident in their losses against Hamilton and Trinity. Despite forcing 21 turnovers against the Continentals, the Bobcats allowed them to sink 16 triples, and the Bantams drained 13 of their own in what proved to be the difference in a tightly-contested contest. Center Nick Lynch ‘19 capped off his career with a 20-point performance against Trinity before fouling out with 1:12 left, and Jeff Spellman ‘20 came alive with 14 points in the second half, helping erase an 11 point deficit with under five minutes and claw within one point. With the season over for the ‘Cats, there’s plenty to look forward to as Spellman, Kody Greenhalgh ‘20, Tom Coyne ‘20 and Nick Gilpin ‘20 will all return for the 2019-2020 season; the biggest concern will be filling the role of Lynch (13.4 PPG, 7.3 REB/G).
(11) 11. Conn (7-17, 0-10)
The Camels had nothing to play for this weekend, but credit this team for fighting hard until the very last whistle of their 2018-2019 season. They could have easily folded against Bowdoin and Colby knowing that they were effectively eliminated from postseason ball, but they made the Maine schools earn their wins. Unfortunately, we’re not here to hand out participation trophies, and Conn’s valiant performances does not mask the fact that the Camels have not won a NESCAC game since February 10th, 2017 (a streak that has extended to 21 consecutive games). It does not help that Conn will graduate David Laboissiere ‘19, a prolific scorer who ended a fantastic career with combined 34 points over the two contests. On the bright side, the Camels only graduate three seniors, and forward Dan Draffan ‘21 (21.0 PPG last two games) and company will hope to erase the Camels’ woes on the hardwood next season.
It was quite the weekend for the Mammoths as they knocked off two of the top NESCAC teams, both victories on the road (84-79 W @ Williams; 97-93 W @ Midd). Despite uncertainty regarding their depth entering the season, they have proved to be the most consistent team in the conference in 2019 and control their own destiny to lock up the #1 seed in the NESCAC tournament. Grant Robinson and Fru Che combined for 68 points over their last two games and are constantly on the floor, playing nearly every minute, never giving their opponents a break from their attack. If they beat Hamilton this weekend, again on the road, they will be the favorites entering the postseason and will be a top national seed in the NCAA tournament. Their drive back to campus after their win at Midd must’ve been a fun one.
Middlebury Guards
Despite a key loss to Amherst last Saturday that could’ve locked up the #1 seed for the Panthers, they still had a solid weekend with their last minute comeback win against Hamilton. This young Midd team knocked off the experienced and deep Continental team (with a pretty weak home crowd) much to my surprise. Jack Farrell and Max Bosco, both starting as sophomores, are legit DIII players and will give any team in the country a run for their money. Max Bosco made a deep, contested three in the final seconds of the game to give Midd the lead and had an impressive, quick release on the shot. Jack Farrell out dribbles opponents and is too quick to defend and is starting to find his shooting groove. They also have fellow sophomore Griffin Kornaker as the sixth man coming off of the bench to give them a hand. This stock up is about the guards, but they aren’t even the best players on the floor for the Panthers. Watch out for this team in the tournament.
Max Bosco made a good move by choosing a college in the North Pole because he has ice in his veins.
Stock Down
Eph Dominance
The reign of terror of Williams is over. I don’t even care if they win the NESCAC and NCAA tournament, an 0-2 weekend for a team with this talent is inexcusable. They really struggled against Hamilton without James Heskett who was out due to an ankle sprain but even lost two in a row to Bowdoin and Amherst with him on the floor. Williams’ losing streak is now at three games and this cold streak couldn’t be coming at a worse time. Bobby Casey is just 13-52 from deep in his last five games, good for just 25% of his massive amount of shots. The Ephs went with an unusual and big starting lineup against Hamilton on senior day, with Marcos Soto, Jake Porath, and Michael Kempton all on the floor to begin the game. It definitely hurt them to not have Henry Feinberg and Matt Karpowicz on the floor for more minutes and Kyle Scadlock was basically a non-factor in the offense. It will be fascinating to see how these preseason favorites fare in the NESCAC tournament as they might have an early exit if they play like they have the last two weeks.
Kyle Scadlock is a hugely underutilized weapon in the Ephs’ offense.
Cardinal Depth
Wesleyan is now tied for the best team in Connecticut with Trinity as both are now a surprising 6-4 in NESCAC play. Trinity has been playing much better than expected and better than they were at the beginning of the season, while Wesleyan has struggled, especially last weekend against Colby. This upset win for the Mules revealed a weakness in depth off the bench as just six players managed to score points in the contest. While Austin Hutcherson and Antone Walker had monster games, combining for 47 points, the bench shot just 4-9 as a group. They simply didn’t put up enough shots to give themselves a chance to win against a deep-ball shooting Mule team. The Mules put up 15 more threes than Wesleyan and had a 27 point advantage on such shots. Colby is likely the only team to gain such an advantage on perimeter shooting, but if Williams’ Bobby Casey gets hot, the Ephs could also take over a game in a similar way. For the Cardinals to beat a team like Colby on a hot shooting night, they will need to better distribute their scoring.
Bowdoin/Conn/Bates
The bottom three are set for the 2019 season. It’s too bad that Bowdoin finds themselves on the outside looking in as they really could’ve given teams a challenge in the playoffs, but a crucial loss to Tufts doomed them despite a win over Williams. We will see these teams again in 2020…
Every week I closely follow the results of all the conference games, hoping that as each weekend passes we’ll be provided with more clarity on where each team falls relative to one another. Unfortunately, I haven’t once come away from a weekend this year feeling like I knew exactly where each team stood and how they would fare in the upcoming games. As a fan, this is exactly how I like it. I really hope the NESCAC is still working on that deal with ESPN 8 “The Ocho” because the entertainment value is off the charts. It’s a fool’s task to try and look through stats and box scores to decide who you think will win a given game because it’s more or less a crapshoot. This conference is a dream come true for a fan of the game, but as someone who has a horse in this race* it makes me but my nails to the nubs on a weekly basis. I guess you could call that fun. Anyways we’re a little over halfway through conference games, and there is still very little set in stone so take a look to see how far everyone has climbed or fallen in the rankings:
*If anyone from the NCAA is reading this I just want it on record that I have never involved myself with any sort of gambling or sports betting and I do not condone or endorse such behavior, this is merely a figure of speech; an idiom, if you will.
(3) 1. #6 Williams (18-2, 5-1)
Last week: W 86-50 vs. Trinity
This week: @ Colby, @ Bowdoin
The Ephs only had one game on the weekend, and they demolished Trinity by a score of 86-50. Four of five starters scored in double figures, with Bobby Casey ’19 contributing 20 points to lead the way. Williams was able to get out to an early lead and the Bantams completely folded, seeing their 24-point halftime deficit turn into a 36-point loss. It seems that the losses to Middlebury and Amherst are in the past because the Ephs are looking an awful lot like the dominant team they were to start the season. Questions still exist moving forward about their depth and what they can get out of their bench, but they really just have so many talented scoring options. Any of their guys can beat you on a given night, so even if one of their best players is off they’ve got another right there to pick up the slack. They lead the NESCAC in shooting percentage at 49.8% and average over 83 points per game, so they’re about as devastating a team as you can find. Matchups with Colby and Bowdoin this weekend should be interesting given that the two teams are trending in opposite directions. Colby surprised us last weekend, so Williams will have to be certain that doesn’t happen again.
(1) 2. Wesleyan (15-5, 5-2)
Last week: W 85-75 @ Bates, L 75-71 @ Tufts
This week: vs. Trinity
The loss to Tufts on Saturday is unfortunate, but I’m not down on the Cardinals just yet. They’ve already got wins over Middlebury, Hamilton, and Amherst, and a somewhat favorable remaining conference schedule. Austin Hutcherson ’21 has absolutely exploded in his second season, as he’s currently tied with Kena Gilmour for the league lead in points per game at 19.9. He does this while shooting over 45% from the floor and over 40% from behind the three-point line. Not all he does is score though; Hutcherson averages nearly 6 rebounds and over 3 assists per game, the latter a team best. Jordan Bonner ’19 and Antone Walker ’21 have also done a nice job in their secondary and tertiary roles, with Bonner chipping in 14.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and Walker adding 13.6 points per game. The Cardinals could still very well end up with the top seed, but they would need Williams to lose at least twice since they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two. It’s been a crazy year so far, so who knows what’s still in store.
(5) 3. Middlebury (15-5, 4-2)
Last week: W 75-38 vs. Trinity
This week: @ Bowdoin, @ Colby
Matt Folger has been the man on the court this year, and that mustache tells us he has also been the man off the court
Much like Williams, the Panthers took care of business in their only game of the weekend at home against Trinity. The Bantams simply couldn’t get anything to fall, and Middlebury remains one of the four 2-loss teams near the top of the standings. Max Bosco ’21 has continued to impress since he entered the starting lineup, and he led the way with 15 points and 5 assists on Saturday. His size isn’t particularly imposing, but Bosco is so quick and has so many different ways to score, obviously making him incredibly difficult to defend. The Panthers have so many guards in their lineup that sometimes they don’t have a ton of size on the court, but Matt Folger ’20 has done an outstanding job alongside big man Eric McCord ’19 to do the bulk of the work. The duo combines for 19.5 rebounds per game, and Folger averages 15.4 points per game as well. Middlebury will also take the trip to Maine to visit Bowdoin and Colby this weekend in a very important couple of matchups. Colby has been red hot and this could end up being a very exciting game, but Bowdoin has been struggling recently and this is a game that the Panthers need to win if they want to stay near the top. Lots of eyes will be on the results from Maine this weekend.
(4) 4. #11 Hamilton (17-2, 3-2)
Last week: W 77-42 vs. Bowdoin, L 86-78 vs. Colby
This week: vs. Bates, vs. Tufts
Things certainly didn’t go the way the Continentals had hoped this weekend after they earned a solid win on Friday, but were stunned by Colby on Saturday on their home court. They were simply outplayed by the Mules in nearly every aspect of the game, so once Colby took the lead late in the first half they never looked back. Kena Gilmour ’20 had a solid 24-point day, but no one else could really get anything going on the offensive end and Hamilton only shot 39.3% as a team. This was an unfortunate loss, but the Continentals are still very early in their NESCAC season since they had their game versus Amherst postponed. They’ve only got 2 losses in conference play and two winnable games in the weekend ahead of them. They finish the season with games against Middlebury, Williams, and Amherst, so if they want to host a first round game in the conference tournament then they’ll have to go 2-0 against Bates and Tufts. It’s hard to envision Hamilton winning more than one or maybe two of their final three games, so this weekend is a big one.
(2) 5. #23 Amherst (15-3, 3-2)
Last week: L 83-73 vs. Colby, W 86-62 vs. Bowdoin
This week: vs. Tufts, vs. Bates
Well Amherst is in literally the exact same position that Hamilton is in. They’re behind in games played so at 3-2 in conference they’ve still got a lot left to play. Their game with the Continentals still doesn’t have a date set, but you can obviously see the importance of that head-to-head matchup. They also have two games this weekend that are essentially must-win to stay in contention for a first round home game. The Mammoths are a pretty balanced squad, but Grant Robinson ’21 and Eric Sellew ’20 have put forward a good effort in leading the way. Robinson is averaging 15 points and 3 assists per game (both team bests), but he ups those numbers to 18 points and 4 assists in conference play. Sellew pitches in 11 points and 8 rebounds per game, bringing some size to the lineup and finding a place among the top forwards in the conference. Amherst is a very well coached team and they are loaded with talent as always, so this weekend shouldn’t be a challenge right? Tufts and Bates are two of the weaker teams in the NESCAC so surely the Mammoths should secure two home wins shouldn’t they? What makes this conference so fun is that we really have no idea what’s going to happen in those two games – NESCAC football could certainly take some notes from this kind of parity.
(10) 6. Colby (15-5, 3-3)
Last week: W 83-73 @ Amherst, W 86-78 @ Hamilton
This week: vs. Williams, vs. Middlebury
Sam Jefferson has elevated the Mules to another level over the last few games
Well I’ll be the first to admit that Colby shocked everyone over the weekend, going on the road to beat both Amherst and Hamilton (teams that previously had 3 combined losses between them) in convincing fashion. Neither game was a blowout, but the Mules were in control the whole way in both affairs, led by NESCAC Player of the Week Sam Jefferson ’20. Jefferson tied for the team lead with 24 points against Amherst on Friday, and then torched Hamilton to the tune of 29 points and 8 rebounds, while shooting over 56% on the weekend. This was a jaw-dropping effort from a team that has quickly changed the trajectory of its season. The Mules now sit at 3-3 in the conference with games left against Williams, Middlebury, Wesleyan, and Conn College. A win in at least one of those games likely gets them a spot in the postseason, but two wins secures it without a doubt. What Colby also proved is that they’re capable of winning big games on the road, a quality that will serve them well and terrify opponents come playoff time. They look like the hottest team in the NESCAC right so we’ll have to wait to find out who will be the first to slow down the Mules.
(9) 7. Tufts (10-10, 4-3)
Last week: W 91-87 vs. Conn College, W 75-71 vs. Wesleyan
This week: @ Amherst, @ Hamilton
Tufts is in an interesting position because they appear to be right near Colby and Bates in the middle tier of the conference standings right now, but having 4 wins under their belt puts them at a huge advantage. Usually having 4 wins gets you into the tournament, but they’ve still got a chance to add to their resume with games left against Amherst, Hamilton, and a struggling Trinity team. The Jumbos have already shown us that they’re capable of beating the best teams by knocking off both Middlebury and now Wesleyan. Brennan Morris ’21 led the way over the weekend, putting up team-leading totals of 16 and 20 points against Conn College and Wesleyan, respectively. What makes the effort by the Jumbos all the more impressive is the scoring balance that they’ve displayed. In both games this weekend Tufts had at least three guys in double figures and saw nine different players score at least one basket. This is the way that they’re able to compete with teams on the level of Wesleyan and Middlebury: Tufts doesn’t have one true stud player, but they have a deep rotation of guys that can score and they play good team basketball. A huge road trip lies ahead of them, but each of their opponents fell to Colby last week so truly everyone is vulnerable.
(8) 8. Bates (6-13, 3-4)
Last week: L 85-75 vs. Wesleyan, W 76-59 vs. Conn College
This week: @ Hamilton, @ Amherst
This might be a generous ranking given their 6-13 overall record, but I’m going with the hot hand. The Bobcats looked atrocious in non-conference play, but have looked like an entirely different team in the New Year. In NESCAC play, Bates is actually first in both shooting percentage and three-point shooting percentage, first in assists per game, and they turn the ball over less than anyone. Kody Greenhalgh ’20 has come alive in conference play, averaging 12.6 points and a team-high 1.6 steals per game. Tom Coyne ’20 has helped provide another legit scoring threat since returning from injury and Nick Lynch ’19 has put up 3 consecutive 20+ point games while shooting over 60% from the floor. The Bobcats started very slow, but their recent emergence has made them a much scarier opponent to face. They surely aren’t the favorite in either of their games this weekend, but if they could find a way to steal one on the road then they’ll be in a terrific position to lock up a playoff spot. This team is a total wild card right now and I have to say it makes them very fun to watch.
(6) 9. Trinity (13-7, 2-4)
Last week: L 86-50 @ Williams, L 75-38 @ Middlebury
This week: @ Wesleyan, vs. Conn College
Nick Seretta and the Bantams have some work to do if they want to play postseason basketball
Trinity and Bowdoin both had horrendous weekends and have nearly identical records, so I’m going with the winner of the head-to-head matchup. In both of their games over the weekend Donald Jorden ’21 was the only Bantam to score in double figures, and he never got higher than 12. Losing by a combined 73 points is about as bad as a weekend could possibly go, and a deeper dive into the numbers doesn’t make things seem any better. Between the two games, Trinity shot 25% from the field and 19% from deep, they were out-rebounded by 17, they turned the ball over 9 more times than opponents, and they even committed 17 more fouls than their opponents. These are abysmal numbers by any standard, but especially not for a team that’s hoping to sneak into the NESCAC Tournament. Having two conference victories definitely keeps them in the conversation for the playoff race, but it’s an uphill battle from here for the Bantams. They’ve got 4 games left and would likely need to win 2 (maybe even 3 depending on tiebreakers) to clinch a playoff spot. They aren’t out of it, but they’ve got their work cut out for them.
(7) 10. Bowdoin (12-7, 2-4)
Last week: L 77-42 @ Hamilton, L 86-62 @ Amherst
This week: vs. Middlebury, vs. Williams
The same thing I said for Trinity applies here for the Polar Bears. They had a truly awful weekend that they’ll look to put behind them, and they’ll have to pull off an upset or two to find their way into the postseason. At this point it really looks as though Bowdoin only has four guys that actually do anything. David Reynolds ’20 and Jack Simonds ’19 score as much as anyone in the league, Zavier Rucker ’21 has a hand in the scoring and does a fine job running the point, and Hugh O’Neil ’19 grabs a ton of rebounds. No one else on the roster has an impact whatsoever on the game, and it’s really hurting the Polar Bears right now. They’ve got a good foundation with some valuable players in solid roles, but they simply need more production from their other guys. As Colby showed us, things can change a lot from week to week so who knows what to expect this weekend. Bowdoin isn’t out of the equation yet, but they do still have quite a bit left to prove.
(11) 11. Conn College (6-14, 0-7)
Last week: L 91-87 @ Tufts, L 76-59 @ Bates
This week: @ Trinity
It really does get challenging sometimes finding new things to say about a team that really hasn’t changed much. The Camels now run their losing streak in conference games up to 18 dating back to the very end of the 2016-2017 season. I’m not quite sure what needs to happen in New London, but things have been very bleak for a while now. David Labossiere ’19 and Dan Draffan ’21 continue to impress, but that’s about all they’ve got. It would be nice if they could be getting more out of the NESCAC’s tallest player, Ryan Omslaer ’22, who stands at 7’0” and weighs in at 215 pounds. You’d think a guy that much taller than everyone else would thrive, but I guess he’s still a work in progress. After all, he is only a freshman. Conn was almost able to steal their first conference win against Tufts on Friday, in an impressive effort fueled by David Labossiere who scored 26 points and hauled in 8 rebounds. At this point in the season their starters must be absolutely gassed because they pretty much only use 7-8 guys per game, and even the few guys that do come off the bench usually only see 10-15 minutes at most. They face Trinity this weekend and if there was ever a team that was struggling enough to lose to Conn this year, it could be the Bantams right now. Hopefully the action heats up on Sunday in Hartford.
One of my first power rankings this season highlighted how far above the competition Hamilton and Williams were after the preseason. I’ll get to that misinterpretation more later, but the point for this stock up section is that I would have never expected Colby to upend Hamilton at any point in the season. Amherst has been a bit of a surprise themselves, but the Mules managed to beat them this past weekend also which shows that it really is anybody’s championship to win (except Conn). After all, we saw Middlebury upset Williams recently, which nobody (not even a big Panther fan) saw coming. This is a good year for NESCAC basketball, and while we don’t have quite as many teams in the top-25 as normal, as it is just Hamilton and Williams for now, each weekend contest is much more entertaining to the average viewer.
The Mules are going up, up, and up after last weekend.
Balance
In a related point, I don’t think we have ever had such a log-jam in the top ten NESCAC teams. Trinity, after an awful weekend, is still just two games out of third place. Now, I have no inclination that they will make a run for a home playoff game, but it’s still good to see how meaningful these last 3-5 NESCAC games will be for each team in the final weekends before the playoffs. The race is particularly interesting when it comes down to who will host the first round playoff games as its five teams in right now for four spots. In an unexpected turn of events, Hamilton now finds themselves tied with Amherst at just 3-2 in conference play and nearly on the outside looking in. Balance is not just in the standings, either, as each team has a group of weapons that make each unit dangerous in their own way. Hamilton has Kena Gilmour amongst four seasoned and talented senior starters, Middlebury has Matt Folger and some out-of-nowhere productive guards, Colby shoots lights out, Williams has three potential POYs, Wesleyan’s Austin Hutcherson is a beast in the simplest of terms; Amherst’s Grant Robinson is breaking out this year, Bowdoin has a trio of terror in Jack Simonds, Hugh O’Neil, and David Reynolds, Tufts’ duo of Eric Savage and Brennan Morris can turn the tables in any contest, and Bates has one of the best guards in the league in Jeff Spellman. Enough said. NESCAC basketball can bring it on any given night.
Gilmour and the Conts need to lock it in before the playoffs if they want to have a chance against the Ephs.
Stock Down
Preseason Scheduling
Non-conference games have contributed to our confusion as a writing staff at this point in the season. Hamilton is the main culprit here as they appeared narrowly behind Williams in talent level after they finished their non-conference schedule. Both of the Continentals’ losses have come in conference, while Amherst has also lost two of their three games this season against NESCAC teams. Colby, on the other hand, has been making moves up the power rankings, showing that their early season blunders were more of an aberration. Bates too shows that not all preseason schedules are made the same as they were 3-9 and now find themselves 3-4 against NESCAC teams.
The Mighty Chickens and Words of the Jealous
Trinity needs to figure out whatever went wrong last weekend.
We often have complaints during football season from non-Trinity football fans, claiming that the Bantams are athletically far and above any other NESCAC school due to their “lower” academic standards. I do not endorse or agree with such claims and firmly believe Trinity should belong in the NESCAC for good, their basketball team’s performance last weekend goes to put those fans’ opinions to rest. Sure, they are great at football. But if you were a recruit looking to play at a high academic school, why is it so ridiculous to think that the majority wouldn’t choose a school in an urban setting and one with a fantastic track record of success. As DIII sports continue to get more competitive, it is no surprise that Tufts, a stone’s throw from Boston, has made a quick transition into a successful football program either. Regardless, since football is only one of many NESCAC sports, schools’ success in other areas should indicate whether all of their students have an athletic advantage. Trinity, as good as they are at football, really threw up a dud against Middlebury last weekend. No, their season is not over and they could easily make the playoffs, however, 22.4% FG will not win any games, ever. Their high scorer, Donald Jorden, put up 11 and led the team with a 50% shooting night. That definitely can’t happen again. And to those NESCAC fans that continue to find excuses for why other teams can’t beat Trinity: If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen. That’s a hot take on a cold winter day.
Williams had gone completely undefeated until last weekend when they lost their first two games in a row to Amherst and Middlebury. Before this it seemed pretty clear that Williams was the favorite in the CAC and one of the favorite seeds nationally, but at this point we may need to reevaluate. In their game against Midd the Ephs shot a measly 10% from 3-point range. Could this possibly explain what seems to be an out of place loss? Maybe, maybe not, though. The Amherst loss was probably an even bigger blow to Williams, they were leading at half and had all the opportunity in the world to take that game but they couldn’t pull it out. This next game needs to be a turning point for Williams if they still wish to fulfill their lofty goal of a national championship. Trinity, on the other hand, are feeling good right now. They went up to snowy Maine and took both games from Colby and Bowdoin, much improving their NESCAC record. They also were able to sweep their latest 2 mid-week games, putting them up to a 4 game win streak. This would be a huge opportunity for the Bantams to shake up the conference. The only question is whether or not the Bantams have the grit to hold of big bad Williams.
Score Prediction: Williams 81 – Trinity 72
#25 Wesleyan (14-4, 4-1) @ Bates (5-12, 2-3)
The Cardinals are on a roll at the moment as they have won their last 6 games. To make that even more impressive, within those 6 wins they faced 4 NESCAC teams and 3 nationally ranked teams. All of these feats have pushed them into a national ranking of their own. Jordan Bonner and Austin Hutcherson continue to thrive as the core of the Wesleyan team with terrific support from Antone Walker and others. As of now I would consider Wesleyan a member of the top 4 elite in the NESCAC along with Williams, Hamilton and Amherst. The fact that they have taken down two of those three already shows their talent. Bates has been a surprise team as of late. Looking at their preseason record I was not expecting much from the Bobcats but they have held their own in conference thus far. Big wins over Tufts and Colby have lifted them every so slightly out of the cellar of the NESCAC. Despite their success against these low to mid tier teams, I just don’t think they have what it takes to take down a team like Wesleyan, especially not right now.
Score Prediction: Wesleyan 82 – Bates 69
Connecticut College (6-11, 0-5) @ Tufts (8-10, 2-3)
Justin Kouyoumdjian will have to bring his A-game for the Jumbos to make a turn around this weekend
Tufts is a confusing team, to say the least. One game they will take down a Middlebury squad who have received national votes and then the next game they will lose to a bottom-tier team like Bates. It’s fairly evident that consistency is an issue for this squad, but at the same time they are talented enough to hang with most teams. Luke Rogers has been a solid big man for the Jumbos, nearly putting up a double-double a game. Beyond him no names and numbers really stand out on the stat sheet and that is their issue. Tufts has a lot of solid role players but not enough star players. If everyone happens to get hot then they are extremely dangerous but on your average game they are not anything to write home about. If anyone was going to hand Conn their first win of the year, it could be this Tufts team. While Tuft’s biggest issue is inconsistency, Conn’s biggest issue is their consistency: they are constantly losing. David Labossiere and Dan Draffan have been holding down the for for the Camels but there is only so much these guys can do. It’s clear that these guys are good NESCAC basketball players, they just need more of those to support them. I’m going to take a risk here though and say that Conn is going to roll into Medford and pick up their first conference win. I mean you can’t lose every game, right?
Score Prediction: Conn 81 – Tufts 80
Colby (12-5, 1-3) @ #19 Amherst (13-2, 2-1)
The Mammoths find themselves back in the national rankings this week after taking down formerly undefeated Williams in a non-conference matchup. After the last 2 intense matchups that Amherst has had, there will probably be a sense of relief for them being able to stay home and face a slightly less dangerous squad. Amherst has only lost 1 home game this season and it was against a very good Babson team. The thing I like most about this Amherst team is that they receive contributions from everyone on the roster. They have 8 guys that have clocked in for every game and nobody has played less than 7 games this year. When everyone gets a chance to be involved, it is much harder for the defense to develop a game plan and that has showed in Amherst’s success. Colby has been fairly frustrating to watch as a team this year. The big win over Tufts to start the season was extremely uplifting and gave that team a lot of hope but since then it seems as if everything has gone wrong. Losing tight games to Trinity and Bowdoin as well as a loss to Bates really hurts the Mules’ slim chances of making playoffs. With a very talented lineup that includes Sam Jefferson, Matt Hanna, Wallace Tucker and Noah Tyson one would expect that the Mules can compete game in and game out. While they have been competing they just haven’t been finishing. Maybe this weekend can change that, but I doubt it.
Score Prediction: Amherst 92 – Colby 81
Saturday
Bowdoin (11-5, 2-2) @ #19 Amherst (13-2, 2-1)
After facing Colby on Friday the Mammoths with play host to another Maine team in Bowdoin. So far this year it seems as if Bowdoin has taken the “gimme” wins in the NESCAC of Bates and Colby, although they were barely able to hang onto their win against the Mules. I actually think that Bowdoin has a really strong starting 5, or at least core 3, and am surprised that they weren’t able to find success against teams like Tufts and Trinity. Those wins could have been huge for the Polar Bears but they couldn’t pull them out and now they need to look in harder places to find wins, harder places like Amherst, Mass. As I just talked about Amherst in the last paragraph you know how I feel about their team. They are solid and well balanced and can compete with anyone in the NESCAC. I don’t see them losing this game either but I think Bowdoin might give them a little scare that they weren’t expecting.
Score Prediction: Amherst 88 – Bowdoin 83
#25 Wesleyan (14-4, 4-1) @ Tufts (8-10, 2-3)
It’ll be a big weekend for Antone Walker and the Cardinals who are riding a 6-game win streak
Wesleyan drew the short straw this week, having to trek all the way up to Maine on Friday and then all the way to Massachusetts on Saturday. I hope that bus is comfy because those boys will be spending around 8 hours on it over a short 2 day period. Although the travel may pose some problems for the Cardinals, their opponents are less of a problem. Tufts’ loss to Bates put their abilities more into perspective. They are not the team they once were and are now struggling to maintain a middle-of-the-pack status in the conference. While Tufts has been falling behind Wesleyan has been catching up to the top of the conference at a rapid rate. Purely based on momentum this should be Wesleyan’s game.
Score Prediction: Wesleyan 86 – Tufts 71
Connecticut College (6-11, 0-5) @ Bates (5-12, 2-3)
Despite their decent NESCAC record, I don’t remember the last time that Bates was favored in a conference matchup. For Bobcat fans, today is your lucky day. Bates has proved that they are a gritty team who can play up to the level of their opponents, even against much stronger opponents. Conn has had many opportunities to surprise us and pull off an upset but they have never seized it and there’s just not too much to say about them. Bates, on the other hand, has the opportunity to sneak up the conference standing by taking a fairly easy game from one of the only teams that they may have an edge on. I wouldn’t expect this to be a quality basketball game as far as NESCAC basketball goes, but a win will be huge for either team that walks away victorious.
Score Prediction: Bates 74 – Conn 68
Colby (12-5, 1-3) @ #6 Hamilton (15-1, 2-1)
Michael Grassey will have to help lead the way for the Continentals
Hamilton has a pretty simple weekend ahead of them, two home games against two Maine teams that, on paper, they are far superior than. The Continentals have the most consistent starting 5 of anyone in the conference. All 5 of their starters have started every single game that they’ve had this season. That makes it clear that Hamilton has a strong gameplan that they are confident in and clearly they have been executing it well. Colby, much like Wesleyan, have a tough travel schedule this weekend as well as a tough schedule of opponents. When looking at all outside conditions it looks like Hamilton has a huge advantage well before the jump. When looking at all on-court factors, Hamilton wins big again. If Colby wins this game it will be through pure grit and lights out 3-point shooting. If Hamilton wins, it will be because they should.
Score Prediction: Hamilton 91 – Colby 80
Trinity (13-5, 2-2) @ Middlebury (14-5, 3-2)
Our final game of the weekend comes from Middlebury and Trinity. Midd id coming off of a lot of rest time for this game and they also have home court advantage. Trinity will have faced an elite Williams team in Massachusetts and then have to go to Vermont and have to face a ready-to-go Panthers squad. Midd should go into this game with heaps of confidence as the last time that they played a game was taking down formerly undefeated Williams last weekend. Although Trinity has a 4-game win streak heading into the weekend, it is more likely than not that that streak will be broken before they even reach Vermont.
As the title of this week’s Power Rankings suggests, Williams has been ousted from the top spot, something they’ve held for quite some time. If I’m being completely honest, any of the top four teams in this week’s edition of the power rankings has a legitimate case to be ranked number one, and that’s what makes this league so exciting. The chaos from top to bottom surrounding the league’s potential seeding makes every game a must-watch, and with some incredibly important conference games set to take place this weekend, hopefully we’ll get a more clear picture of where teams stand. Or, maybe it’ll be even more chaotic. There’s only one way to find out.
(2) 1. #25 Wesleyan (14-4, 4-1)
Last Week: W 78-70 @ Conn College
This Week: @ Bates, @ Tufts
After going back-and-forth, I’ve decided to stick with the hot hand that is Wesleyan. Since falling to Williams in their conference opener, the Cardinals have rattled off six consecutive wins. Their 4-1 mark in conference play is very impressive and because their conference schedule was front-loaded with teams such as Williams, Hamilton and Middlebury, the Cardinals have one of the league’s easiest remaining schedules. Wesleyan has cemented themselves as a force to be reckoned with; the question that remains, however, is can they beat the teams they’re supposed to beat? The first “test” came Saturday in New London, where the Cardinals staved off a frantic Camels comeback to secure a 78-70 victory. Everything was fine and dandy in the first half as Wesleyan jumped out to a 47-29 lead; the second half was a completely different story, as the Camels went on a 12-0 run to open things up and eventually cut the lead to five with a minute remaining before Wesleyan ended their hopes with some clutch free throw shooting. Austin Hutcherson ‘21 struggled from the field, but Jordan Bonner ‘19 carried the Cardinals with 24 points to go along with 10 rebounds, his 9th double-double of the year. Up next for the Cardinals is a feisty Bates squad before heading down to Medford to take on the Jumbos.
(4) 2. #19 Amherst (14-2, 2-1)
Last Week: postponed @ Hamilton
This Week: vs. Colby, vs. Bowdoin
*From the Nothing But NESCAC Community, our thoughts and prayers go out to Coach Hixon and his family regarding the passing of his mother this past week.
Amherst has quietly been lurking in the background amongst the perennial conference front-runners, but made their presence known with a marquee victory over bitter rival Williams. The Mammoths clawed their way back from an eleven point deficit in the second half, taking the lead with three minutes remaining on a Fru Che ‘21 three pointer. Che ended up scoring the game-winning shot with eight seconds to play to cap an emotional week for the Mammoths, who were without Coach Hixon for the first time in nearly 42 years. Amherst’s defense has been superb in conference play (59 ppg) and held Williams to just 35.8% from the field. This is a deep squad that consists of 11 players averaging 10 min/game or more, and their only conference loss was on the road at Wesleyan on a shot with seconds left. A convincing non-conference victory over a ranked Eastern Connecticut squad will have the team’s confidence sky high as they look to continue their winning ways with home games against Colby and Bowdoin this upcoming weekend.
(1) 3. #8 Williams (16-2, 4-1)
What’s wrong with Williams’ big 3? The trio will need to fix their offensive woes
Last Week: L 80-66 vs. Middlebury
This Week: vs. Trinity
The warning signs were there in their win against Bates, but many people shrugged off the Ephs’ sluggish performance. Their offensive woes continued in their non-conference loss to rival Amherst, but even more painful was a second consecutive loss at home to Middlebury. Some might say dropping Williams to #3 might be harsh, but their coaching staff and players will be the first to tell you they expect better execution than what’s been presented the past few games. This is a team that was averaging well over 85 ppg, but in their last three games against NESCAC opponents has mustered up 75, 62, and 66 points. In their loss to Middlebury, Williams shot an abysmal 2-20 from beyond the arc; Bobby Casey ‘19 was just 1-7 from three, and Kyle Scadlock ‘19 (13.8 ppg) was a non-factor, scoring three points. James Heskett, a normally deadly three point shooter, was a combined 3-24 from downtown in their most recent games against Bates, Amherst and Middlebury. Williams is still talented enough to win if one of the three has an off night, but they need more consistent production from their trio of stars in order to right the ship and fix their offensive woes. Next on tap are the Bantams, who’s defensive statistics are in the top half of all NESCAC teams.
(3) 4. #6 Hamilton (15-1, 2-1)
Last Week: postponed vs. Amherst
This Week: vs. Bowdoin, vs. Colby
Hamilton was supposed to play Amherst on Saturday, but extreme weather conditions postponed the game to a later date. With no non-conference games during the week, Hamilton will have gone ten days without a game when they welcome Bowdoin to campus on Friday. Kena Gilmour ‘20 continues to dazzle for the Continentals, leading the ‘CAC with 20.4 ppg. Like the three teams ranked ahead of them, Hamilton still controls their own destiny in regards to seizing the regular season championship. However, their final two games are absolutely brutal, with road trips to Middlebury and Williams back-to-back and the rescheduled home meeting with Amherst penciled in somewhere near the back portion of the schedule. But before we look too far ahead, Gilmour and co. must take care of business against Bowdoin and Colby – two teams that have no trouble shooting the rock – in order to keep pace with the rest of the league.
(5) 5. Middlebury (14-5, 3-2)
Last Week: W 80-66 @ Williams
This Week: vs. Trinity
I guess the Panthers read my stock report last week, because their defense came to play this past weekend against Williams. Middlebury did everything right: they only turned the ball over eight times (and forced thirteen turnovers of their own), shot 46% from the field while holding the Ephs to just 36.2% (including 10% from three) and converted 86.7% of their free throw attempts. Jack Farrell ‘21, Max Bosco ‘21 and Matt Folger ‘20 continued to set the nets ablaze, accounting for 59 points. Their next stretch of games is an opportunity for the Panthers to separate themselves from the likes of Bowdoin, Trinity, Bates, etc. and secure (at worst) the 5th seed for the conference championship. Middlebury can build off their phenomenal defensive performance when they face Trinity on Sunday, the worst offensive team in the NESCAC.
(6) 6. Trinity (13-5, 2-2)
Last Week: Non-conference
This Week: @ Williams, @ Middlebury
The Bantams were off from NESCAC play this past weekend, where they stomped St. Joseph’s (L.I.) by a score of 92-38. Connor Merinder ‘19 led the way with 21 points and shot 5-6 from beyond the arc, and Trinity shot a season-high 61.8% from the field. The fun will be short-lived, however, because Coach Cosgrove and his squad have two conference games on the road this week that will really test their defensive prowess. First up is a Friday matchup with Williams, a team that is struggling on the offensive end but given their plethora of talent, can erupt at any moment. After a day off, the Bantams will have another go against a top five team, this time against Middlebury. It’s a matchup of contrasting styles, as Middlebury likes to bomb away from deep and can score at will, while the Bantams prefer to grind down their opponents on the defensive end. This game in particular is crucial for the Bantams in order to prove they belong in the discussion for a top six seed come tourney time.
(8) 7. Bowdoin (11-5, 2-2)
Last Week: W 72-69 @ Colby
This Week: @ Hamilton, @ Amherst
The Polar Bears avenged their non-conference loss to Colby earlier in the year with a 72-69 victory up in Waterville. David Reynolds ‘20 was once again the go-to-guy for Bowdoin, as the junior finished with 24 points and 8 rebounds. Jack Simonds ‘19 also had a nice game, tallying 18 points, and big man Hugh O’Neil ‘19 hit the go-ahead shot with 38 seconds remaining. It was a big win for the Polar Bears, who improved to .500 in conference play and into a tie with Trinity and half a game behind Middlebury in the conference standings. Road trips with Hamilton and Amherst certainly doesn’t bode well on paper, but if the duo of Reynolds and Simonds continues to put up lofty scoring numbers, they just might have a chance to spring an upset or two away from home.
(10) 8. Bates (5-12, 2-3)
Kody Greenhalgh ‘20 puts his athleticism on full display, driving to the hole for a layup
Last Week: W 76-65 vs. Tufts
This Week: vs. Wesleyan, vs. Conn
After two close contests against Williams and Midd, the Bobcats finally picked up a conference win on their own floor against the Jumbos by a score of 76-65. Nick Lynch ‘19 scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half and juniors Jeff Spellman ‘20 (16 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) and Kody Greenhalgh ‘20 (14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals) were extremely active on both sides of the court. The return of Tom Coyne ‘20 has been monumental for the Bobcats, and the sniper from long range turned in another impressive performance with 18 off the bench. The defense has played significantly better since allowing 100 to Middlebury, forcing 17 turnovers against Tufts and holding them to just 34.8% from the field. This team is peaking at the right time, and welcomes both the best team in the conference and the worst team to Alumni Gym this weekend. Saturday’s tilt with Conn is an absolute must win if the Bobcats want to secure a spot in the conference tournament, but they most certainly have a chance to knock off the Cardinals. It’s going to be an extremely exciting weekend for Bobcat fans.
(7) 9. Tufts (8-10, 2-3)
Last Week: L 76-65 @ Bates
This Week: vs. Conn, vs. Wesleyan
If the Jumbos defeated Bates, they more than likely would have solidified a place in the conference tournament barring a collapse down the stretch. Instead, they’re on the outside looking in. Luke Rogers ‘21 (18 points, 10 rebounds) was the only bright spot for a team that struggled to shoot the ball on Saturday, and the big man will be a thorn for opposing teams in the years to come. The starting five combined to shoot a paltry 3-18 from three, and as a team the Jumbos struggled mightily from the charity stripe (52.6%). They have the inverse schedule of Bates this weekend, with Conn first up to visit Medford on Friday followed by Wesleyan. Similar to the Bobcats, the Jumbos cannot afford to trip up against a Conn squad that did show some fight against Wesleyan, as a loss would all but doom their hopes of making the postseason dance.
(9) 10. Colby (13-5, 1-3)
Last Week: L 72-69 vs. Bowdoin
This Week: @ Amherst, @ Hamilton
The game between Bowdoin and Colby presented huge ramifications regarding the playoff picture, and the loss pushes the Mules towards the bottom of the league’s standings. Four of Colby’s starters (led by Sam Jefferson ‘20) finished with double digits in the scoring department, but they got very little production from their bench. The shiny overall record Colby experienced to the 2018-2019 season was inflated by a weak non-conference schedule, and it’s beginning to show. With just one win in conference play to date and remaining games against all of the league’s top five teams (starting with road games against Amherst and Hamilton this weekend), all of this doesn’t bode well for Colby’s playoff chances.
(11) 11. Conn College (6-11, 0-5)
David Labossiere has been one of the few bright spots for the Camels this season
Last Week: L 78-70 vs. Wesleyan
This Week: @ Tufts, @ Bates
The Camels are once again struggling in conference play, but I’ll give them credit for fighting back against Wesleyan this past weekend. The Cardinals came out and punched Conn in the mouth, taking an 18 point lead into the half. David Labossiere ‘19 and Dan Draffan ‘21 willed their team back in the second half, and the two leading scorers finally received some additional help on the offensive end from Phil Leotsakos ‘19, who finished with a career-high 16 points. Although this performance wasn’t enough to produce a win, the Camels should feel more confident about their chances against Tufts and Bates, two teams who aren’t as strong as Wesleyan. Road games in the ‘CAC are tough to win, and Conn hasn’t won a league road game since the 2016-2017 season; but if the Camels replicate their performance against Wesleyan (most importantly having a third solid scoring option), then they might just shock the NESCAC with a win this weekend.
The Jumbos come into this weekend’s contest
feeling good after a solid win over a very good Middlebury team. They were able
to come from behind and take down the Panthers with help from Luke Rogers (16
pts, 9 reb) and lots of help off the bench from Carson Cohen (15/6/4). Coming
up to Maine to face the Bobcats more than likely won’t intimidate this Tufts
squad. While Bates’ record holds a lot to be desired, when you look closer at
their last 2 games you can see that they’ve been putting up a fight against some
very talented teams. They took #3 Williams down to the wire and got handed an
impressive 7-point loss and against Midd they were also able to stay within
single digits. Despite all this I’m still not convinced that the Bobcats have
turned a corner.
Score Prediction: Tufts 89 – Bates 77
Middlebury (13-5, 2-2) @ #3 Williams (15-0, 4-0)
Folger has quietly been having a very solid year
Middlebury will have a tough task ahead of them, heading down to Williamstown and attempting to take down elite but recently defeated Williams team. Midd’s season has been a roller coaster thus far, going up and down with wins and losses. They split their two NESCAC contests last weekend against Bates and Tufts and then they split their midweek games too. The most consistency that the Panthers have seen is from Jack Farrell and Matt Folger. These two have near identical numbers on the season, Farrell is averaging 15.9 /5.1/ 4.4 while Folger is averaging 15.6/9.2/1.1. Whether or not these two can handle this Williams squad is yet to be determined. Williams has kept rolling all season but had a peculiar loss in the biggest trap game of all time against Amherst this past Wednesday. They breezed through their first 15 games of the season, but lost to Amherst in a bizarre non-conference matchup this week by one point, having the worst shooting performance that we will likely ever see from them. Praising Williams is just beating a dead horse at this point, we all know that they’re elite and could win every game until the last rounds of NCAAs. Now that somebody has finally beaten them there will be a lot more to talk about.
Score Prediction: #3 Williams 86 – Midd 63
Wesleyan (11-4, 3-1) @ Connecticut College (6-10, 0-4)
To understand how Wesleyan is playing right now you just have to look at the last three games they’ve played. Game #1: Win over (then) #24 Midd. Game #2: Win over #7 Hamilton. Game #3: Win over (then) #24 Amherst. After taking down three straight ranked opponents, I don’t think the Cardinals are going to be scared to face Conn. Part of the reason for Wesleyan’s success of late has been due to Austin Hutcherson. In the first two of those three games Hutcherson went off, dropping 36 and 32 points respectively. If Hutcherson can turn it on again this weekend there won’t be a Camel who can stop him. Conn has really been thrown into the fire in terms of NESCAC play. Their first 6 games are against the 6 best NESCAC teams. It is going to be a tough task for Conn to pull out a win over any of the first 6 NESCAC teams they play and an 0-6 record going into game 7 is a tough look. There have any been 4 games but it seems as if this year may already be over for Conn.
Score Prediction: Wesleyan 89 – Conn 69
Bowdoin (9-5, 1-2) @ Colby (12-4, 1-2)
Sam Jefferson will have to continue to lead the way for the Mules
The battle for the frozen tundra occurs this weekend in Waterville as Colby hosts Bowdoin. This has all the makings of an interesting game. To start it off, both teams are 1-2 in league. Bowdoin’s win came over Bates, who Colby lost to. Colby’s win came over Tufts, who Bowdoin lost to. There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot to separate these two on paper. Both teams have a solid core of starters with some quality bench players that can come on and make an impact. In their preseason meeting Colby was able to take down Bowdoin 83-70. While this may seem like a solid indicator of how this game may turn out, that is not necessarily true. When Colby faced Bates in the preseason they were able to beat them easily, but in conference they couldn’t get the job done. All in all, this game has all the makings of a classic.
