When Thomas Paine referred to "the times that try men's souls" over 200 years ago, a big weekend of NESCAC basketball wasn't exactly what he had in mind. Those words ring true nonetheless for the men's basketball team this weekend, with the Jumbos' postseason hopes - which looked so promising just one week ago - on the line.
After a pair of road losses to Williams and Middlebury last weekend, the team sits at 15-7 overall, but at an all-important 3-4 in the NESCAC, leaving it in a three-way tie for sixth place with Bowdoin and Connecticut College.
Just two of those three squads can make the NESCAC Tournament, since the conference's top seven qualify for the postseason tournament, while the remaining three end their season early. With that knowledge, the Jumbos hit the road for tonight's game at Wesleyan and a crucial match against Conn. College tomorrow.
Tufts will need at least one win in order to make the tournament, but can only guarantee qualification by completing a weekend sweep. Both Bowdoin and Middlebury - which at 3-5 can enter the picture by topping Williams tomorrow - defeated the Jumbos this year, giving them the head-to-head advantage in case of a tie.
"Our only goal this weekend is to qualify for the tournament," freshman forward Phil Barlow said. "We know we can go wherever we want once we're in."
In order to improve his team's chances of getting in, coach Bob Sheldon tinkered with the lineup going into the weekend, inserting junior Bobby MacMannis and senior Brandon McKenzie into the starting unit, and bringing Fred Pedroletti and Kyle Van Natta off the bench.
"Coach has been keying on rebounding and defense this last week of practice," MacMannis said. "Hopefully Brandon and I can bring those two intangibles to the table and help us win a couple in Connecticut."
That move is part of an approach Sheldon and his team have used all week, emphasizing fundamentals in trying to work their way out of this two-game skid.
"We're not clicking right now," Sheldon said. "We've had peaks and valleys and we want to come out of this valley, so we've gone right back to basics this week."
The new approach and lineup will be tested tonight against a young Wesleyan team that has looked like world-beaters one game and a high school JV squad the next. The Cardinals are 4-3 in the NESCAC, boasting impressive road wins over Amherst and Williams, but their 12-9 overall record includes some bad losses, including one to a Suffolk team that Tufts beat earlier in the season. Which Wesleyan team shows up could play a big role tonight's result.
"They are young talented and athletic," Barlow said. "But we think we can take advantage of their lack of experience and leadership and exploit their weaknesses on defense."
Another key to the game will be shutting down Wesleyan's Leo Jones, a sophomore who leads the team with 18.8 points per game, 10.3 rebounds per game, and 2.8 assists per game. Often, Wesleyan goes as Jones goes, so stopping him will be very important.
"He is a magician on the court," Pedroletti said of Jones. "But we have [senior guard] Bob Mpuku who will keep him on lock-down."
"We are looking to end the drama at Wesleyan," Barlow said. "We don't want to be forced into a do-or-die situation with a very good Conn. College team. But we are prepared to win both games."
The Camels, meanwhile, enter this weekend at 3-4 in the NESCAC and 15-6 overall. Like Wesleyan, Conn. College is a talented group that has been plagued by inconsistency.
With a home game against last-place Bates tonight, the Camels are likely to enter Saturday at 4-4. A tournament berth and possible seeding will be at stake, meaning Conn. College will bring its "A" game into the showdown.
"They're pretty much the same team as last year," Sheldon said. "They're in the same boat as us, with a lot of talent - they beat a Trinity by 20, but have had some bad losses this year. They're up and down too."
Also in Conn. College's favor is the intimidation factor. The host Camels have had great success against the Jumbos in recent years, blowing them out at Cousens Gym last year on their way to a number one seed in the ECAC Tournament. That game effectively ended Tufts' NCAA Tournament aspirations, and while the Jumbos went on the win the ECAC, they did so without having to face the Camels, who were upset in the first round of the tournament.
"When it comes to Conn. College, we are like the Miami Heat," Pedroletti said. "We have the better players, the better team, but we just can't shake them. But I think we will shake the monkey off our back this year."
"I've told the team it's easy to show character when things are good," Sheldon said. "It's when things aren't that your true character shows."
That character will be on the line tonight, as the Jumbos must stare the prospect of elimination in the face. Given the expectations that have surrounded the team all season long, it doesn't get any more trying than this.
