Jumbos prepare for first place Amherst tonight

Maybe a home-cooked meal is just what they need.

The men's basketball team will return home tomorrow night to take on Amherst in its fourth NESCAC game of the year. And after seven straight games on the road, the last two of which were losses, the Jumbos are ready to be back.

"We haven't been home in like a month," coach Bob Sheldon said. "We need to fill this place up and get some home court advantage."

But the Jumbos homecoming might be anything but sweet considering their opponent. Amherst is 15-2 on the season, including a 4-0 conference record, and sits atop the most recent NESCAC and New England standings.

And despite a fairly uninspiring non-conference schedule to open the season, the Lord Jeffs did not play down to their opponents, crushing teams by margins of 37, 34, and 31 points. NESCAC opponents did not slow Amherst down either, as the team opened its conference schedule with three consecutive 30-point victories over Colby, Bowdoin, and Middlebury. The Lord Jeffs squashed any remaining doubts as to their talent with a 67-61 win last weekend over Williams, which was then ranked third in the nation.

"It'll be a good match up," Sheldon said. "They score a ton of points and play great defense too. But I think if we play well and play together we can beat anybody."

It may be a "good match up," but the Jumbos will certainly have their hands full tonight. After rattling off four straight wins, including two over NESCAC opponents Connecticut College and Wesleyan, and one over Wheaton (5th in New England), the Jumbos shooters went ice cold, and the team dropped consecutive games to Bates and Brandeis.

Nearly everyone on the team seems to have been affected the team's recent shooting woes, including its leading scorer, senior Mike McGlynn. McGlynn, who led the league last year shooting over 48 percent from beyond the three point line, has shot a combined 10-30 in the Jumbos last two losses, including a 5-19 mark from downtown.

"I think against Brandeis, he was really just pushing a little bit," Sheldon said. "But he should break out of it." McGlynn transferred from Brandeis to Tufts his junior year.

Tufts will need McGlynn to find his stroke against Amherst. While the team's main offensive strategy has been to pound the ball inside to its big man Craig Coupe, when Coupe is challenged the Jumbos rely heavily on outside shooting from their guards, including McGlynn, senior co-captains Brian Shapiro and Jim Wilson, and junior Deyvehn East.

And Coupe can expect a challenge tonight, as Amherst boasts one of the better big men in the league in the form of Pat Fitzsimons, a 6'8" senior who is second on the team in scoring. Coupe, listed at 6'7", should match up well against Fitzsimons. Statistically, Fitzsimons has a slight advantage in scoring (14.8 ppg), but Coupe has the edge in rebounds, averaging 10.5 per game. Entering Tuesday's game against Brandeis, Coupe was tied for 20th nationally in Div III rebounding.

Tonight may well prove to be the toughest game so far this season for Coupe, as Fitzsimons is arguably the most skilled big man the Jumbos have faced. Sheldon, however, sees things another way.

"It's not so much have we played anybody [with a legitimate big man], it's have they played anybody," he said. "We have four legit big guys who can pound with anybody."

Depth is indeed one of the Jumbos strengths, with four players, Coupe, sophomore Reggie Stovell, and freshmen Blaine Lay and Dan Martin, all listed at 6'5" or bigger, and all of whom are scoring threats.

But depth is also a strength of the Lord Jeffs, who boast five players who average double digit scoring. Senior forward Steve Zieja was named a preseason All-American this year, and leads the Jeffs with 17.9 points per game.

"They have a lot of depth. Before the season started, Amherst's coach had a quote in the Boston Globe saying that his team could win 18 games with his second five guys," Sheldon said. "I have the clip hanging in my office."

After a month on the road, the Jumbos are banking on their home turf giving them the edge they need against Amherst. And despite the typically lackluster crowds at Cousens gym, Sheldon is hoping for a strong turnout.

"A big crowd is gonna mean ten to 12 points on the scoreboard at the end of the night," he said. "You hear about Cameron indoor stadium and all of those places, and how tough it is to play there, we want Cousens to be like the third worst place in the world to play tomorrow night."