HADLEY, Mass. - Amherst College, the two-time defending NESCAC Men's Basketball Champions, will begin its quest for a fifth NESCAC title when the quarterfinals of the 2007 NESCAC Men's Basketball Championship kick off on Saturday, Feb. 17, at the top four seeds. Amherst, the number-one seed for the third-consecutive year, will host a first round matchup along with Trinity, Williams and Middlebury, as the Panthers' earned the right to host a quarterfinal game for the first time in tournament history this year.

While top-seeded Amherst (23-1, 8-1 NESCAC) locked up the number-one seed last weekend with a pair of wins at home over Connecticut College and Wesleyan, the Lord Jeffs fell on the final day of the regular season in a thriller at Trinity, 62-59. Amherst will look to return to its winning ways when the Lord Jeffs takes on eighth-seeded Bates (18-6, 3-6 NESCAC) in first round action. After starting the season 11-0, the Bobcats struggled in NESCAC play, falling in back-to-back games over the final weekend against Maine rivals Colby (63-62) on Friday and Bowdoin (66-58) on Saturday. Although Bates and Bowdoin finished tied in the NESCAC standings at 3-6, Saturday's win by the Polar Bears gave Bowdoin the head-to-head tie- breaker over Bates. The quarterfinal contest between the Lord Jeffs and the Bobcats will be a rematch of last year's semifinal between the two squads, which Amherst won 86-66 en route to the 2006 NESCAC Men's Basketball crown. Amherst took the lone meeting of the regular season on Jan. 13, 79-64 in Lewiston, Maine, and the Lord Jeffs have won both NESCAC playoff meetings.

Saturday's thrilling 62-59 win over Amherst secured Trinity (20-3, 7-2 NESCAC) the second-seed in the tournament for the second year in a row. The Bantams head into the 2007 NESCAC Men's Basketball Championship with plenty of momentum, after winning eight of their last nine outings, and boast an unblemished 12-0 record at home this season. In order to reach the semifinals for the fourth consecutive year, Trinity will have to surpass seventh- seeded Bowdoin (14-9, 3-6 NESCAC), one of only three teams to defeat the Bantams this season. Bowdoin handed Trinity a 75-69 decision in Brunswick, Maine on Jan. 26 in the only meeting between the two teams, and a repeat performance for the Polar Bears will give them their first trip to the semifinals in tournament history. Bowdoin capped the regular season with a split road effort, falling at Tufts on Friday in overtime, 94-84, before cementing its spot in this year's tournament with a 66-58 win at Bates. These two teams have never faced each other in NESCAC tournament play before.

Third-seeded Williams (13-11, 6-3 NESCAC) earned home court advantage in the quarterfinals for the first time since the 2004 tournament with a pair of road victories over Connecticut College, 61-55, and Wesleyan, 80-65. The Ephs, the only team besides Amherst to ever win the NESCAC Men's Basketball title, will take on sixth-seeded Tufts (14-9, 5-4 NESCAC) in what is becoming a familiar first round matchup. Only a year ago, it was Tufts that served as the third seed hosting then-sixth-seeded Williams, with the Jumbos extracting a measure of revenge after a regular-season loss to the Ephs with a shootout 101-89 victory. The storyline is similar this winter, as the Jumbos marched into the Chandler Athletic Center and came away with a 82-65 win on Feb. 3, the only loss at home for Williams during NESCAC play. Tufts enters the tournament after a split at home during the final weekend of the regular season, upending Bowdoin in overtime 94-84 on Friday before falling to Colby 89-84 on Saturday. The quarterfinal meeting will be the fourth all-time between the two teams in tournament action, with Williams holding a 2-1 advantage.

Fourth-seeded Middlebury (15-9, 5-4 NESCAC) picked up a win on Saturday over Connecticut College 69-59, and that combined with Tufts' loss to Colby gave the Panthers their first home game in the quarterfinals ever. Middlebury, Colby and Tufts all tied in the NESCAC standings with a 5-4 record, however Middlebury holds the head-to-head tie-breaker over both teams with a 2-0 record. The Panthers will be able to thank the Mules for their help in making tournament history in person this weekend when fifth-seeded Colby (14-10, 5-4 NESCAC) comes to town for the quarterfinals. The two teams met to start the regular season on Jan. 12 in Middlebury, Vt., with the Panthers winning 100-93. Since that game, both teams have taken a slightly different road to their meeting on Feb. 17, with Middlebury going 5-6 over the stretch and Colby posting a 6-3 record, winning their last four games. There has only been one meeting in tournament history between these two clubs, coming during the inaugural 2001 NESCAC tournament. Colby, then the number-two seed, came away with a 54-49 win over Middlebury, which was the seventh-seed at the time. It is the only time Colby has reached the semifinals in tournament history, while Middlebury has never advanced past the first round.

2007 NESCAC MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarterfinals - Saturday, Feb. 17 at Higher Seeds
No. 8 Bates at No. 1 Amherst - 3:00 p.m.
No. 7 Bowdoin at No. 2 Trinity - 3:00 p.m.
No. 6 Tufts at No. 3 Williams - 2:00 p.m.
No. 5 Colby at No. 4 Middlebury - 3:00 p.m.

Semifinals - Saturday, Feb. 24 at Highest Remaining Seed
Highest remaining seed vs. Lowest remaining seed - 2:00 p.m.
Remaining first round winners - 4:00 p.m.

Championship - Sunday, Feb. 25 at Highest Remaining Seed
Semifinal winners - 12:00 p.m.