Looking back (Jan. 12) | Men's Basketball: Amherst 96, Tufts 92 (OT)
For the men's basketball team, Jan. 12 had been circled on the calendar for months. Ever since the Jumbos' elimination from the NCAA Tournament at the hands of then-sophomore guard Andrew Olson and the Amherst Lord Jeffs last March, the Jumbos were waiting for their chance to avenge last year's overtime loss.
It wasn't meant to be. For the third time in a row, the Jumbos lost their grip on a second-half lead over the Lord Jeffs, eventually falling in overtime. Junior guard Ryan O'Keefe, who led the Jumbos with 24 points, drained back-to-back threes early in the second half, giving the Jumbos a 56-43 lead with 16:51 remaining. The Jeffs charged back, led by sophomore swingman Brian Baskauskas, making just his third career start in place of the missing sophomore Adolphe Coulibaly. Baskauskas, who led all scorers in the game with 25, tied the game for the first time in the second half with 3:21 left, knocking down a long three to even the score at 78.
Olson and senior quad-captain Dan Wheeler shot the lights out for the Jeffs in the ensuing extra session, and a Baskauskas jumper with 27 seconds left gave the Jeffs the lead for good. Olson drained two free throws in the final seconds to ice the 96-92 win. The Jeffs now stand in a three-way tie with Middlebury and Williams atop the NESCAC standings at 2-0, and Baskauskas is the reigning NESCAC Player of the Week.
Looking ahead (Jan. 21) | AFC Championship: New England at Indianapolis
It's all been said before. Brady vs. Manning. Belichick vs. Dungy. Playoff toughness vs. regular season dominance. Offensive finesse vs. team grittiness.
But a few things have changed this time around. Although the Colts have yet to earn a playoff win against the Patriots in the Belichick Era, and the statistically dominant Peyton Manning is still seeking his first trip to the Super Bowl, Indianapolis does enter Sunday's contest with two-straight regular season triumphs over the Patriots at Foxboro under its belt.
Furthermore, while the first two playoff meetings of the decade between these two teams took place in New England, the Patriots will travel to the RCA Dome this time around. And perhaps most importantly, New England's former playoff X-factor, kicker Adam Vinatieri, signed as a free agent with the Colts this past offseason.
Arguably the NFL's two best teams of the decade, New England and Indianapolis enter Sunday's conference title game each playing their best football of the year. New England's uncertain recieving corps has solidified itself of late with Jabar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell stepping up to play big roles, and the Colts' once-porous run defense has suddenly become stingy, thanks largely to the emergence of Anthony McFarland.
No matter the result, look for the winner of this weekend's game to be at least a touchdown favorite in the Super Bowl.
