This past weekend was a weekend of blowouts. In total only three games on the women’s side of the NESCAC were decided by single digits. While this certainly indicates some lack of parity within the conference, I think it also points to a clear delineation between the different tiers of the conference. There are clearly top dogs, Amherst and Tufts, teams proving their place among the conference’s best, Bowdoin, Middlebury, etc., and a third tier of teams struggling to remain competitive in a conference where the top two teams have looked decidedly dominant. Of course, this being the NESCAC, a fickle and unpredictable thing if ever there was one, anyone can beat anyone on any given weekend. So don’t let these rankings get you down if you don’t see your team at the top of the list! There’s always next weekend, and always a chance for a lower rung team to get hot at the right time (just ask the Wesleyan Men’s team from two years ago who parlayed a 5-5 conference record into a tournament championship!)
1. Tufts (16-0, 4-0)
Weekend Results: Defeated Middlebury 54-38, Defeated Hamilton 70-42
Tufts remain the cream of the crop of the conference. Their shellacking of Middlebury, in the notoriously difficult to play in Pepin Gymnasium, and their dismantling of Hamilton a day later further cemented their position atop the league standings. The Tufts defense was stellar, holding Middlebury to 28 percent from the field and Hamilton to 30.9 percent. The Jumbos were also great at protecting the ball from the opponent, averaging a low 10.5 TO/G for the weekend. It’s hard to write anything about the Jumbos that hasn’t already been said. They’ve been dominant against any and all comers this year, remain unbeaten in the league and at large, and show no signs of slowing down. With games against Wesleyan and Conn College next weekend its hard to see the run of Tufts dominance ending anytime soon.
2. Amherst (15-0, 3-0)
Weekend Results: Defeated Wesleyan 71-33, Defeated Conn College 69-35
Holding one opponent under 40 points in a college basketball game is impressive, but not allowing 40 points in a game for an entire weekend is insane. Amherst’s defense has been rock solid. Amherst is sacrificing a measly 37.3 points a game to their opponents and have absolutely stifled the opposition. The team does not lack offensive power though, averaging 70 points per game for the weekend. Some might argue that Amherst’s weekend of absolute dominance might have been more impressive than Tufts’, and there is some merit to that. Since the beginning of NESCAC play the two teams have been neck in neck in points allowed per game and in field goal percentage. The matchup between Amherst and the Jumbos on Saturday, February 4th could decide home court advantage in the NESCAC playoffs if neither team falters along the way.
3. Bowdoin (12-2, 2-1)
Weekend Results: Defeated Williams 54-47
Bowdoin played in one of the three games this weekend that was decided by less than double digits. Their tilt with Williams was only decided by 7, but Bowdoin led by 8 at half and looked like the better team for much of the game. Bowdoin’s only NESCAC loss this season came against the top ranked Jumbos and it feels wrong to fault the Polar Bears for losing to someone that many consider the best team in the country. Bowdoin also retained their 19th national ranking in the most recent D3Hoops poll but there are certainly some issues facing them moving forward. Before conference play began I projected Bowdoin as perhaps a better team than Amherst or Tufts, but they have not shown that ability thus far in their conference games. While Amherst and Tufts have been blowing opponents out, Bowdoin has an average margin of victory of only 10.5. The team has also struggled to score in conference play, averaging only 55.7 points a game so far. Of course, NESCAC defense is notoriously tough so some might blame that for the recent swoon in points production, but certainly Bowdoin hoped to be challenging Amherst and Tufts at the top of the league and their offense will need to pick up to secure that position.
4. Middlebury (12-3, 3-1)
Weekend Results: Lost to Tufts 54-38, Defeated Bates 66-46.
Middlebury might not be too happy to catapult into the number 4 spot in these rankings. The last two teams slotted here, Trinity and Williams, have seen their fortunes turn sour over the last couple weeks as their weaknesses have been exposed. Hopefully (sorry for the bias), the same fate does not befall the Panthers. Their loss to Tufts, while ugly, is not a sign of despair. The team was boosted by the play of Catherine Harrison ’19 who recorded 12 points and 13 rebounds in the loss and continued her campaign for an all-league nod at the end of the year. The win over Bates was also certainly a positive sign. The Bobcats, far from being the bottom feeder I feared they might end up, have been a competent team for most of the year and played Bowdoin closely earlier this year. For the Panthers to blow them out as they did indicates that this team is for real. A win over Williams this Sunday and continued unimpressive (if still winning) basketball from the Polar Bears might propel the Panthers to the number 3 spot in these rankings!
5. Trinity (11-3, 2-1)
Weekend Results: Defeated Conn 77-72, Defeated Wesleyan 74-67
Trinity, after a disappointing first week of the season the Bantams bounced back with an impressive 2-0 weekend. While both of the team’s wins were close (only 5 and 7 point differentials in the two games), the milieu that is the middle of the pack needed a team at the top and Trinity fit the bill. Trinity’s overtime victory over Conn was particularly impressive. The team was led by a dominant performance from Courtney Erickson ’19, who poured in 19 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Erickson also paced the Bantams against Wesleyan again scoring 19 points and pulling down 8 boards. The Bantams were particularly unselfish over the weekend, averaging 18 assists a game. If they can continue this level of play next weekend against Colby and Bowdoin, Trinity might lock up a higher position in the NESCAC standings.
6. Bates (5-10, 2-2)
Weekend Results: Defeated Hamilton 60-44, Lost to Middlebury 66-46
My foot is firmly placed in my mouth. I projected the Bobcats, who had been woeful on both offense and defense, to be the worst team in the conference. But Bates has made me eat my words. Wins over Colby and Hamilton, albeit two of the lower teams in the conference, are nothing to sneeze at, and playing Bowdoin close in the first weekend of the season indicates that the Bobcats might be real. The ascendent play of Allie Coppola ’17 has been key to the success of the Bobcats. The senior forward led her team in rebounding and scoring in both games this weekend, averaging 24.5 points and 11 rebounds in her team’s two games. If Coppola continues to play like a bonafide player of the year candidate, Bates might scare some teams in the coming weeks. Things seem to be coming together for the Bobcats at just the right time.
7. Conn College (10-5, 1-3)
Weekend Results: Lost to Trinity 77-72, Lost Amherst to 69-35
Going 0-2 on a weekend is tough for any team, but the lower rungs of the NESCAC are so convoluted that it’s hard to distinguish one of these teams from any of the others. Conn gets the nod though due to their high powered offense. The Camels are averaging a barnstorming 68.3 points per game, 3rd in the league, while also shooting 40 percent from the field, good for 6th. The Camels are undeniably paced by the excellent play of Mairead Hynes ’18 who had 33 points and 12 boards against Trinity. But Hynes struggled mightily with Amherst, scoring no points and securing only 1 rebound in 14 minutes played. The team will need Payton Ouimette ’19 to help Hynes if the Camels hope to jump a few more spots and secure a position up higher in the conference.
8. Williams (11-5, 1-3)
Weekend Results: Lost to Colby 57-47, Lost to Bowdoin 54-47
Williams has been one of the hardest teams to pin down all year. They are clearly a talented team, especially when Devon Caveney ’17 is firing on all cylinders. The loss to Bowdoin this weekend is at least a little bit expected with how good Bowdoin is, but losing to Colby, particularly at home, has to raise some worries amid the Williams faithful. Williams’ offense looked positively dreadful against the Mules, mustering only 47 points on 29.4 percent shooting. The 6:20 assist-to-turnover ratio also spelled doom for the Ephs. The bench for the Ephs also only mustered 11 points per game over the weekend. Matchups next weekend against Hamilton, a team near them in the bottom of the rankings, and Middlebury, a team looking to secure their place towards the top of the conference, will surely be tests for Williams who will need to secure at least one victory to keep from becoming irrelevant in the closing weeks of league play.
9. Colby (7-7, 1-2)
Weekend Results: Defeated Williams 57-47
Colby, a team desperate for a win after starting the year 0-2, got just that when they defeated Williams 57 to 47 this weekend. The Mules were lead by Haley Driscoll ’18 and Emily Davis ’19 who pitched in 16 a piece during the game. The biggest takeaway for the Mules though might be the play of their defense. The team has sacrificed 56.4 points a game this season but beat that average by 9 points in the game against Williams. If the defense can continue to play this well, something that I can certainly see happening based off their steals per game (6th in the conference), blocks per game (3rd in the conference), and opponent 3 point field goal percentage (5th in the conference) Colby could gain steam and jump into the playoff picture. Of course they will also need to limit opponents’ opportunities closer to the basket, the team is allowing opponents to shoot 37 percent overall from the field, the second worst mark in the league. Colby can’t just try and outscore opponents all year, the upper echelon teams in the conference are just too good for that, so their defense will need to step up.
10. Hamilton (7-8, 1-3)
Weekend Results: Lost to Bates 60-44, Lost to Tufts 70-42)
Hamilton was certainly hoping to use their 1-1 start in conference play to jump into the upper reaches of the conference, but an ugly loss to Bates, and the expected defeat at the hands of Tufts have driven them farther and farther down in the rankings. Hamilton’s major problem has been their offense. Of course, a defense surrendering 65 points a game is not good, but their offense has been decidedly worse. The team averaged a pitiful 43 points a game for the weekend and struggled to shoot in both games, shooting 28.8 and 30.9 percent in their two games. The team also only averaged 7 assists a game for the weekend. Lauren Getman ’18 has been Hamilton’s rock for much of the season, but she disappeared for parts of the weekend leaving the Continentals without a consistent scoring option. Getman, and the rest of the Hamilton lineup, will need to score points on a more consistent basis to get out of the cellar they’ve found themselves in.
11. Wesleyan (5-9, 0-4)
Weekend Results: Lost to Amherst 71-33, Lost to Trinity 74-67
I’m not saying that a turnaround for the woeful Cardinals is impossible, but with each passing loss it is becoming more and more unlikely. With a conference season that only lasts 10 games, falling to 0-4 is a death knell for many a would be contenders. With games against the juggernaut Tufts and the talented Bowdoin still in the future, finding their way to a winning record seems a pipe dream at this point. Additionally, unlike other teams on the list Wesleyan has looked decidedly unimpressive even in their losses. Failing to crack even 35 points against Amherst is downright worrying, and allowing over 70 points in three of their four conference games is an equally distressing trend. I never want to write off a team before even the halfway point in the season, but Wesleyan looks to be in a pretty tough position, and maybe they should focus more on getting experience for their younger players, rather than trying to salvage a season that might already be gone.