WOMEN
First-round games
(played at higher seed on Saturday)
No. 1 Amherst vs. No. 8 Wesleyan (3 p.m.)
No. 2 Colby vs. No. 7 Trinity (2 p.m.)
No. 3 Williams vs. No. 6 Bates (2 p.m.)
No. 4 Tufts vs. No. 5 Bowdoin (3 p.m.)
Game of the Week, Bowdoin at Tufts: This game will be a rematch of the Jan. 23 contest between the two squads, both of which were ranked in the top 20 in the country at the time. Tufts, which beat the Polar Bears 52-40 behind 16 points from senior Julia Baily, lost consecutive NESCAC games after falling to Amherst and then being upset by Bates the ensuing weekend. Since losing to Tufts, Bowdoin has gone 6-2, but on the year is averaging just 54.5 points per conference road game, well below its season average of 66.2. The Jumbos, on the other hand, are 8-1 in the newly renovated Cousens Gym.
Player to Watch, Caitlin Hynes, Bowdoin: The ninth-leading scorer in the NESCAC at 12.2 points per game is, along with fellow senior Leah Rubega, the Polar Bears' top threat in the post. Though Hynes struggled against the Jumbos in January, putting up just four points in only 19 minutes, she has averaged 12.67 points per game in the six contests leading up to this Saturday. Given Tufts' undersized roster, Hynes could prove to be trouble if she continues her recent streak of high-level play.
Inside the Numbers, 1: The number of Amherst players ranked in the top 10 in individual scorers in the NESCAC. Yet, the balanced Jeffs' offense has Amherst at a perfect 24-0 and averaging 77.5 points per game, 10th-best in the country.
MEN
First-round games
(played at higher seed on Saturday)
No. 1 Williams vs. No. 8 Wesleyan (4 p.m.)
No. 2 Middlebury vs. No. 7 Trinity (3 p.m.)
No. 3 Colby vs. No. 6 Amherst (4 p.m.)
No. 4 Bates vs. No. 5 Bowdoin (3 p.m.)
Game of the Week, Amherst at Colby: The conference's second-ranked scoring offense visits the second-best scoring defense in the 3-6 match-up this Saturday. The Lord Jeffs enter the game in the midst of a five-game losing streak but are still putting up 76.8 points per game. Colby, likewise, has lost three of its last five but ended the regular season on a winning note when it defeated Wesleyan by 16 last weekend. Amherst and the Mules last met on Jan. 30, with Colby squeaking out a 72-68 win, though the Jeffs were within two with eight seconds left.
Player to Watch, Shasha Brown, Wesleyan: The first-year Brown has been a powerful force on the floor for the No. 8-seeded Cardinals, averaging 17.7 points per game, good enough for fourth in the conference. Brown is also sixth in the league in assists and fourth in steals, and could prove crucial if Wesleyan has any shot of upsetting the national No. 2 Ephs, though Brown did have 20 points in Williams' 79-63 win on Jan. 22, a game in which the Cardinals were within two points points early in the second half.
Inside the Numbers, 36.3: The shooting percentage that opposing teams are putting up against Middlebury this season, giving the Panthers the top field-goal percentage defense in the country. They also rank second nationally with 7.4 blocks per game.
