With both of their seasons on the line, the men's and women's basketball teams went in very different directions over the weekend. While the men suffered a pair of tight losses that will keep them out of the NESCAC Tournament, the women put together a pair of wins to make it to the postseason and keep hopes of an NCAA Tournament berth alive.
To make it, though, the Jumbos - who finished at 14-8 overall and 4-5 in the conference - will have to fight their way to the top from the very bottom of the bracket. As the seventh seed, Tufts will have to win three road games, including games against the top two regular season teams in the NESCAC. But all they were hoping for coming into the weekend was a chance, and that's exactly what they'll get.
It starts tonight with a game at Colby (7-2, 18-6), the number-two seed. The White Mules were one of the top teams in the NESCAC throughout the regular season, and they caught fire as the season progressed before suffering a 71-59 loss at the hands of first-place Amherst this weekend, with the top seed in the tournament on the line. Colby had won eight of nine games, including a 70-59 home triumph over the Jumbos on Feb. 2.
In that game, Colby had a 39-31 lead before Tufts rallied to tie the game with just under ten minutes remaining. But Colby's Bianca Belcher, who scored a game-high 19 points, led a 21-10 run that put the finishing touches on the Jumbos and dropped them to 1-3 in the conference, while the White Mules improved to 5-0.
While Colby stumbled slightly after that game, finishing the season 2-2, including a double-overtime home loss to Bates the next day, the While Mules remain a major hurdle for Tufts to overcome. Should the Jumbos do so, though, the road will only get more difficult, with the top-seeded Amherst Lord Jeffs awaiting them this weekend.
Amherst (8-1, 21-3) enjoyed the most successful season in the history of its women's basketball program. And by winning twice this past weekend, 50-44 over Bowdoin on Friday and 71-59 over Colby on Saturday, the Lord Jeffs earned not only first place, but a first-round bye and the right to host the semifinals and finals of the tournament. Boasting the leading rebounder and shot blocker in the NESCAC, sophomore Sarah Walker, the conference leader in assists, Sara Bozorg, and freshman Shannon Russell, the top three-point shooter, the Lord Jeffs have been virtually unstoppable all season, reeling off nine straight wins to close the regular season.
In other first-round action, third-seeded Bowdoin (7-2, 16-7) hosts the number-six seed, Middlebury (4-5, 15-9). Bowdoin had a great chance to earn the top seed, starting the NESCAC season 6-0 before falling at home to Colby last Saturday and losing to Amherst on Friday. The Polar Bears did regain their winning form, however, with a 75-66 victory over Trinity, powered by a strong first half in which the Polar Bears jumped ahead 36-24.
Middlebury, on the other hand, has been scarred by near misses all season. The Panthers took Amherst to overtime earlier in the season, but lost that game, in addition to losing by one point on the road against Bates, which would finish the regular season 7-2. Outside of a win at Cousens Gym on Feb. 10, Middlebury has won the games it was supposed to win and lost those it was supposed to lose. If that form holds, it will have little chance against Bowdoin.
The four-five game is perhaps the most intriguing, pitting Bates (7-2, 17-7) against Williams (4-5, 12-12). The Bobcats, who have made the NCAA Tournament four consecutive years, stumbled out of the gate at 2-2, but have won six straight games (five in the NESCAC) to jump to the four seed and earn a home game in the tournament.
Williams has had its ups and downs all season. While two losses to doormat Wesleyan and a .500 overall record make it tempting to dismiss the Ephs, two games against Amherst earlier in the season make it impossible. In a non-conference game against the Jeffs, Williams took the NESCAC's best team to overtime before losing. But less than a week later, in each team's conference opener, the Ephs stunned Amherst on the road, 61-59, still the only blemish for the top seed in the tournament. Perhaps Williams just happens to match up well with Amherst, or perhaps the Ephs will pick up their game and give Bates a major challenge.
On the men's side, despite Tufts' two losses and failure to qualify for the tournament, there will be plenty of excitement, given a wide-open field that features no clear-cut favorite.
Top-seeded Trinity (6-3, 17-5) earned the first-round bye and home-court advantage, mainly through tiebreakers, as it was one of five teams - half of the NESCAC - to finish 6-3 in conference play.
The second seed goes to Colby (6-3, 16-8), just as in the women's tournament. The White Mules, though, bring some question marks into the weekend. They have been wildly inconsistent this season, as witnessed by this past weekend. First, they demolished Trinity, 76-49, and looked like world beaters. But the next night, they were on the receiving end of a 66-49 thrashing from Amherst.
Middlebury (3-6, 15-9) will be their opponent in the two-seven game. While Middlebury has looked very beatable at times, whether the Panthers can take advantage is a major question. They got into the tournament mainly on the strength of one strong weekend (Feb. 9-10), in which they beat Bates and Tufts. Outside of those two games, Middlebury, which lives and dies on the perimeter, struggled to a 1-6 mark.
Two more evenly matched games will take place, though, when third-seeded Wesleyan (6-3, 14-9) takes on number six Conn. College (5-4, 17-6) and number four Amherst (6-3, 18-5) takes on fifth seeded Williams (6-3, 18-6). The first game features the two teams that defeated Tufts this past weekend. Both Amherst and Conn. College are young and somewhat inconsistent teams. However, each has a good deal of talent, which should lead to an evenly matched game.
The Amherst-Williams game, between traditional rivals, features a pair of solid teams, either of which appears capable of winning the tournament from its seed. The Ephs, NCAA Tournament participants a year ago, have won six straight games and seem to have hit their stride after struggling for most of the regular season.
Amherst, though, may be the team that can stop Williams' run. The Lord Jeffs, who boast a four-game winning streak of their own, have beaten the Ephs twice this season, and could very well boast a psychological edge.
While the five-way tie atop the men's tournament could mean a good deal of excitement, all eyes at Tufts will be on Waterville, Maine this evening. That is because if women's team can upset Colby, it can wreak havoc with the bracket and put itself two wins from a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
