NESCAC playoff picture shaping up

The men's basketball team faces a bleak future after this weekend's road trip. Not only did Tufts lose to two teams back-to-back by a combined total of 67 points, but it is likely that one of those teams or Williams would be the Jumbos' first round opponent in the playoffs.

But before the team can worry about the prospect of playing Williams, Amherst, or Trinity in the quarterfinals, the team must first worry about getting such an opportunity. The Jumbos now find themselves hanging on to the last playoff spot in the NESCAC. Tufts' 1-4 record in the conference puts them in a tie for seventh place with the Middlebury Panthers.

Standing in the way will be the Panthers and the Colby White Mules. Colby is currently in ninth place with a 1-5 record, and it will be only two of these three teams that make the playoffs.

To make things more interesting, Tufts faces both teams in the final two weeks of the season. If any ties need to broken to establish playoff standing, then the winner of the regular season head-to-head match up earns the spot. Therefore, each squad controls its own destiny.

Middlebury's postseason prospects look the strongest right now considering it still has yet to face Connecticut College, the team responsible for Colby's and Tufts' sole respective victories. Also, Middlebury already beat Colby during the regular season, so it is more concerned with gaining a higher seed rather than making the tournament.

Tufts' final four NESCAC games include Bowdoin, Colby, Middlebury, and Williams. Williams is currently ranked as the number two Division III squad in the country, and last weekend was able to edge out an 84-80 overtime victory over the same Amherst team that just beat Tufts by 45 points. While anything can happen in any single game, Tufts cannot let the fate of its postseason rest on its game against Williams.

In order to circumvent that scenario, the Colby and Middlebury games become must-wins for the Jumbos. The squad plays Colby on the road next Saturday and then returns to face Middlebury at home the following Friday. The home court will certainly prove advantageous for Tufts, which has the talent to beat both teams.

Before that happens, Tufts travels to 3-3 Bowdoin, another team that the Jumbos can feasibly beat. In fact, if Tufts goes 3-1 in these next four games, it could possibly propel the team into the sixth seed and most likely a first round matchup with Trinity. A first round match up with the Bantams might not make the team sleep easy, but it sits a lot better than the prospect of Amherst or Williams in the first round.

Most unlikely but most ideal would be for two of the four, five, and six teams (Wesleyan, Bates, Bowdoin) to falter in these last few weeks, allowing Tufts an opportunity to play one of those three teams from the fifth spot. Tufts has already played on of its best games of the year against Bates, a 65-62 loss at home two weeks ago. If given a second chance at the Bobcats in a quarterfinal round, Tufts' playoff picture looks a lot prettier.