The men's basketball team is on fire. It is riding a three-game winning streak, shooting well and is sitting at its highest NESCAC standing in half a decade. The Jumbos are showing roster depth unheard of in recent program history. A pair of wins against the conference's bottom two this weekend will put them in a commanding position to clinch a bid to the NESCAC tournament for the first time since 2007, barring a complete late-season collapse.
Tonight, Conn. College will come to Cousens Gym looking for its first league win of the season. At 0-4 in the conference and 9-9 overall, the Camels don't pose a major threat to the Jumbos on paper.
Tufts has a bad habit, however, of letting up when it gets a comfortable lead and will need to focus on pressing the team from the get-go and maintaining its effort throughout the game.
"Our main focus is coming out with energy," sophomore guard Alex Goldfarb said. "We can't come out flat. Using Wheaton as an example, we came out flat against them and had to play the whole game coming from behind. The NESCAC is too competitive to spot teams 10- or 12-point leads. We're going to have to play smart for a full 40 minutes instead of taking plays off like we've done in the past."
If the Jumbos play to their potential, the game should be a cakewalk. The Camels hold the highest turnover rate in the NESCAC, while Tufts is atop the conference in steals, led by junior guard Amauris Quezada who averages 2.71 per game. The Camels also sit second-to-last in another Tufts-led category: offensive rebounding.
Getting more offense in the paint will be a big factor for the Jumbos here, as they can ill afford to rely on what has been a gaudy 3-point percentage in recent games, especially by Goldfarb and freshman Oliver Cohen. The Jumbos aim to get their bigs established early in both games this weekend.
"We have to take our time running plays, executing and really looking to get our first and second options instead of letting the plays break down," Quezada said.
Tufts tomorrow will welcome a more formidable challenger in Wesleyan. The Cardinals (1-3 NESCAC, 9-9 overall) stole a NESCAC opener win from Trinity, but have since fallen to the league's powerhouse three — Middlebury, Amherst and Williams — in conference play. Wesleyan only lost by four to Williams earlier in the season and lost to undefeated Middlebury last weekend by just eight.
But Wesleyan's loss to Wheaton is a testament to its tendency to play to its opponent — for better or for worse. The Cardinals boast a skilled line of guards that will challenge the Jumbos' defensive unit, which has been known to struggle against a tough fast break.
"The most important thing against Wesleyan is going to be containing dribble penetration and keeping their guards out of the lane," Goldfarb said. "If we can force them to take outside shots instead of slashing and sending them to the free throw line we should be in really good shape."
Wins in both games would be a huge morale boost heading into the second half of the NESCAC schedule. Tufts has the skill and focus to go 2-0 and all but lock up a playoff berth, but it will need to keep the ball in possession, keep its opponents off the boards and stay out of foul trouble.
Both home contests should excite as Tufts looks to continue its explosive play and chase for that elusive conference tournament bid.
"I think these are two pretty good teams, but if we run our stuff and stick to what we do best, we shouldn't have too big a problem," Quezada said.
