Top Four Teams Host Quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 23

HADLEY, Mass. - The 2008 NESCAC Men’s Basketball Championship begins on Saturday, Feb. 23 with quarterfinal action at the top four seeds. Amherst College has earned the number-one seed for the fourth year in a row, as the Lord Jeffs will begin their quest for a record fifth NESCAC crown and third in the last four years next weekend. Bowdoin, Middlebury and Trinity also earned the right to host a quarterfinal game this year, with the Polar Bears capturing home court advantage in the first round for the first time since 2004.

Top-seeded Amherst (22-2, 9-0 NESCAC) locked up the number-one seed a week ago with victories at Connecticut College and Wesleyan. The Lord Jeffs completed the perfect conference slate for the first time since 2004-05 with a 69-58 win over Trinity on Saturday afternoon, snapping a two-game losing streak to the Bantams in the process. Amherst will host eighth-seeded Colby (13-11, 3-6 NESCAC) in first round action. The Mules raced out to a 7-2 start before faltering in the New Year, going 3-6 in the month of January. Colby however has won three of its last four games, including its final two league matches with victories over Bates and Tufts. The lone meeting between these two teams came on Feb. 1 in Amherst, a game where Amherst led by as many as 16 in the first half but had to hold off a late charge by Colby for a 72-66 victory. Saturday’s quarterfinal contest will be a rematch of two semifinalists from the 2007 championship, as the Lord Jeffs cruised to an 82-55 win over the Mules. This will be the third playoff meeting between the two teams, with Amherst holding a 2-0 edge.

Bowdoin, Middlebury and Trinity all tied for the second spot in the NESCAC standings with identical 6-3 records. After applying the conference’s tie-breaking procedures, Bowdoin was relegated to the fourth-seed due to the Polar Bears’ loss to NESCAC rival Bates on Saturday afternoon, 65-62. After separating Bowdoin from the mix, Trinity edged Middlebury for the second-seed thanks to a 74-71 win by the Bantams over the Panthers on Jan. 26. Trinity (18-6, 6-3 NESCAC) will host seventh-seed Connecticut College (17-7, 4-5 NESCAC) in a battle to represent the Constitution State in this year’s semifinals. Trinity finished the regular season having won four of its last five, while Connecticut College broke a three-game skid on Saturday with a 93-86 win at Middlebury, the most points for the Camels in nearly 20 games. Saturday’s game will be only the second meeting between the two in tournament history, as the top-seeded Bantams edged the sixth-seeded Camels 76-72 during the 2001 semifinals. Trinity took the lone contest this season in New London by a 69-57 score on Feb. 9.

After earning a home quarterfinal contest for the first time in tournament history last year, third-seeded Middlebury (18-6, 6-3 NESCAC) is once again hosting a first round game. The Panthers will be looking to add a trip to the semifinals to the list of firsts already accomplished this season, as they finished the regular season in third place, the best finish in program history, and earned their 18th win of the season on Friday, a school record. Middlebury will host its travel partner, sixth-seeded Williams (17-7, 4-5 NESCAC). The 2007 NESCAC Men’s Basketball Champion Ephs looked primed for a repeat after they opened the season with 12 consecutive victories, however an inconsistent showing in conference play put Williams on the road in the first round. Middlebury won the only meeting between the two this season, a 63-60 victory in Williamstown, Mass. on Feb. 2. Saturday’s quarterfinal contest will be the second between the two teams in tournament history, as Williams won 74-52 in the quarterfinals en route to the 2004 NESCAC championship.

The four-five game will be a bit of deja vu for players and fans, as fourth-seeded Bowdoin (19-5, 6-3 NESCAC) will host fifth-seeded Bates (17-7, 5-4 NESCAC) for the second weekend in a row. The Bobcats rallied from a four-point deficit in the final 24 seconds of Saturday’s match to defeat the Polar Bears 65-62. It was the second win of the season for Bates over Bowdoin, after the Bobcats edged their Route 196 rivals by a 66-65 score on December 1 in Lewiston. The two squads are arguably the two hottest teams in the NESCAC at the moment, with Bates going 8-2 in its last 10 outings while Bowdoin is 7-3. Having already set a program record for wins with 19 this season, the Polar Bears are looking to reach the semifinals for the first time in championship history, while the Bobcats are hoping to make the semifinals for the fourth time in five years. Saturday’s showdown will be the third quarterfinal meeting between the two, with Bates winning both previous meetings (2004, 2006).

2008 NESCAC MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarterfinals - Saturday, Feb. 23 at Higher Seeds
No. 6 Williams at No. 3 Middlebury - 2:00 p.m.
No. 7 Connecticut College at No. 2 Trinity - 3:00 p.m.
No. 8 Colby at No. 1 Amherst - 4:00 p.m.
No. 5 Bates at No. 4 Bowdoin - 4:00 p.m.

Semifinals - Saturday, March 1
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, March 2
Semifinal winners - 12:00 p.m.