Men's basketball ready for postseason play Panthers set to host NESCAC tournament for first time in school history

Author: Jeff Klein

The storybook season the Middlebury men's basketball team has put together so far has been almost entirely the result of hard work, clutch performances and a strong team bond. So you'll have to forgive the Panthers if they got a little lucky this past weekend.

After a thrilling 78-76 double overtime victory at Trinity this past Friday, Feb. 13, Middlebury saw its 17-game winning streak come to an end when it fell to Amherst, 71-64.

However, Amherst's unlikely setback to Williams the night before, coupled with Middlebury's victory over Trinity, means that the Panthers finish the regular season with the best record in the NESCAC. Accordingly, they will host the upcoming NESCAC tournament for the first time in school history.

Middlebury begins its quest for its first-ever conference championship when it takes on Connecticut College this Saturday, Feb. 21, in a quarterfinal matchup in Pepin Gymnasium.

"It means a lot to be the number-one seed in the NESCAC," said Aaron Smith '09, who scored 19 points on the weekend. "We've worked so hard throughout the offseason and regular season to get to this point. Now it's a matter of using our home court advantage to finally win a championship."

"Grabbing the top seed in the NESCAC tournament is a great accomplishment," added Kyle Dudley '09. "Every year this conference is very tough. Finishing the conference regular season 8-1 is terrific and puts us in a great position to play at home, where we have not lost yet this season."

The nailbiter against Trinity provided a foreshadowing of the drama and excitement that Middlebury will most definitely be a part of come tournament time. A close game in regulation went into overtime when Trinity's Chris Applegate scored on a put-back with nine seconds remaining.

In the first overtime, things looked bleak for the Panthers when the Bantams established a six-point lead with less than a minute to play.

However, on the brink of its first conference loss of the season, Middlebury demonstrated the scrappy, resilient play that has come to epitomize its season. Aided by two layups from Ben Rudin '09 - the second set up by a steal from Dudley - the Panthers ferociously battled back and forced a second overtime.

With renewed vigor, Middlebury made the most of its new opportunity. After briefly falling behind 76-74 in the second overtime, the Panthers held the Bantams scoreless for the remainder of the contest.

Free throws by Tim Edwards '09.5 and Jamal Davis '11 knotted the game up at 76 apiece, setting the stage for an ESPN Top-10-worthy finish. With the clock ticking down, Middlebury's stifling defense forced Trinity into a long three-point attempt that missed. Andrew Locke '11 rebounded the ball, quickly passed to Rudin and sprinted down the floor, where he got the ball back and laid it up with three seconds left for the game-winner.

"The finish at Trinity was incredible," remarked Locke. "Rudin had been driving and hitting the five-foot fadeaway all game, so when he drove the lane in the final seconds, my man doubled and Rudin saw the open pass and I was able to finish. It was a great moment, exemplifying the unselfish attitude our team's had all year."

Asked about the excitement of the Trinity game, Dudley did not mince words. "The Trinity game was the greatest game that I have ever played in," he said. "The win really showed this team's heart and character. Down six with 45 seconds to go in the first overtime, the team just kept fighting and never gave up."

The thrilling win was clearly cause for celebration, but Amherst made sure to keep Middlebury focused the following afternoon, as the two teams became locked in a dogfight.

The game see-sawed back and forth in the first half, as each team would gain a small advantage only to see the other team come back. With Amherst up 37-34 in the waning moments of the first half, Rudin scored five points to give Middlebury a 39-37 lead at the intermission.

Amherst seized the momentum at the start of the second half, as the Lord Jeffs opened up a five-point lead just minutes into the latter stanza. The lead grew to nine before Middlebury responded with back-to-back and-one opportunities, which cut the Amherst lead to 54-52 with 9:17 left in the game.

Middlebury could not grab the lead, however. The Panthers closed to within three points with less than a minute remaining, but a shot by Rudin that would have brought them closer rimmed out, and Middlebury had to resort to fouling. Amherst drained its free throws to secure the win, handing the Panthers their first - and only - conference loss of the season.

"We learned a lot from the Amherst game," Smith reflected. "On any given night, if we don't play well, we can lose. We are going to use that feeling of losing to fuel us through the NESCAC tournament and into the NCAAs."

So now the Panthers prepare for Saturday, as they look to extend their run of success into the postseason, starting with Saturday's quarterfinal matchup against the Camels of Connecticut College. While Dudley asserted that "our only concern right now is Connecticut College," the Panthers would love to get another shot at Amherst later in the tournament.

"Hopefully we'll get a chance to play Amherst again at Pepin," said Locke. "We don't want there to be any doubt that we're the best team in the NESCAC."

The Panthers have every reason to be confident heading into the playoffs, especially the seniors, who have been responsible for the immense growth of the Middlebury basketball program since their freshman year. In just four years, Middlebury has gone from missing the NESCAC tournament, to hosting its first ever home playoff game, to winning its first ever playoff game and making the NCAA tournament, to finishing first in the conference and hosting the NESCAC tournament.

"It is an unbelievable feeling to be crowned the NESCAC regular season champions," said Rudin. "It is a true testament to the hard work that the seniors and our team have put in not only this year, but in years past as well."

The Panthers thus enter the playoffs with a surplus of experience and are looking to make major noise in the NESCAC tournament and beyond. With the players clicking on all cylinders, there's no telling how far they can go.

"In order to make an extended run in postseason play, we must continue to play Middlebury basketball," said Rudin. "We do that and we should be okay."

According to Smith, while last year the players were still relative newcomers to postseason action, "Now we know what to expect in terms of the atmosphere and level of play. We know how intense the games are and we're ready. It's going to be a fun ride."