Women
Game of the Week: Bowdoin at Wesleyan — A talented Cardinals team might represent the final major hurdle standing between the Polar Bears and their fifth regular season NESCAC title. Boasting two of the NESCAC's top four scorers in senior guard Ali Fourney and graduate co-captain Lucy Sprung, Wesleyan (11-9, 3-4 NESCAC) has underachieved this season. But with their talent, the Cardinals are certainly capable of repeating last season's 62-49 victory over the Polar Bears. If Bowdoin gets past Wesleyan, it will have a chance to clinch the conference's top seed Saturday against Conn. College, which hasn't won a conference game all season.
Player to Watch: Jennifer Shinall, Conn. College — The conference's fifth-leading scorer is on her way to completing the top scoring season by a freshman in the last five years. No NESCAC first-year has done better than Shinall's 14.3 scoring average since Margaret Miller posted 15.6 points per game for Williams in 2004. In a down season for Conn. College (8-14, 0-7 NESCAC), Shinall has been a bright spot. She'll be faced with one of her most challenging matchups of the season this weekend, as the Camels host first-place Bowdoin in their season finale on Saturday.
Inside the Numbers: 4 — Number of teams tied for fifth place heading into tonight's games.
Men
Game of the Week: Middlebury at Amherst — Only two games separate Middlebury from an undefeated NESCAC record. However, one of those will come against Amherst, the second-best team in the conference. With the best offense in the league and home court advantage, the Lord Jeffs might have the fire power to knock off the Panthers. Senior Brian Baskauskas, averaging 16.6 points per game, is the latest dynamic scorer to go up against Middlebury and will look for help from junior Steven Wheeler. The Panthers' last four league games have featured three wins by seven points or less, so they seem to be ripe for an upset.
Player to Watch: Ben Rudin, Middlebury — Rudin, last week's NESCAC Player of the Week, has been one of the driving forces behind Middlebury's best-ever 16-game winning streak. Last weekend, the senior guard averaged 26 points as the Panthers earned victories over Bowdoin and Colby. At almost 15 points per game, Rudin is the top scorer for the conference's best team and also dishes out 4.59 assists a game. With a 10-game run of scoring in double digits, Rudin will try to keep both his team's and his own streak alive.
Inside the Numbers: 18 — Points needed by Tufts junior co-captain Jon Pierce to tie former teammate Jake Weitzen (LA ‘08) for seventh on the Jumbos' career scoring list.
