The Lord Jeffs are NESCAC Champs!
With victories over Tufts and Williams over the weekend, the men’s basketball team wrapped up their second conference title in as many years. It is Amherst sixth NESCAC Championship overall and secures the team an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship tournament.
In the midst of an 11-game winning streak, the men’s basketball team certainly had a target on their back coming into this week. Since suffering their second loss of the season on Dec. 4, the Jeffs have been practically untouchable, inviting the extra attention of opponents seeking a big upset. Yet, Amherst has not been deterred, beating their opponents by an average of 16.5 points per game en route to one of the most impressive stretches in program history.
While most of their peers were enjoying a restful winter break, the men’s basketball team got down to business over the holidays. After starting their season on a strong note, winning their first five pre-season games, the Jeffs looked to be in a good place heading into the start of the regular season.
After earning two of the most thrilling victories in the program’s recent history to close out the regular season last week, the men’s basketball team seemed primed to play their best basketball to open the postseason.
While last year’s team posted an outstanding 25–4 record, they fell twice to both Middlebury and Williams; these conference losses left the Jeffs ready for vengeance this year.
With the postseason looming on the horizon, the sixth-ranked men’s basketball team continues to make adjustments and build confidence for the final stretch of the season. In addition, the past few weeks have tested the Jeffs’ composure against enemy crowds, as seven of their last eight games have come on the road. The last two trips took place over the last week, as Amherst went up against conference foes Bates and Tufts on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
The men’s basketball team hit the road this week to tip off against a pair of NESCAC opponents in Williams and Trinity before coming home on Tuesday to take on Rhode Island College.
While all three games were valuable experiences, the contest against the hated Ephs was an especially riveting match-up. Williams jumped ahead briefly in the first half, but the Jeffs fought back to go into halftime with the score favoring Amherst at 39–31.
While much of the Amherst student body finished the fall semester and went off to enjoy the holidays, the men’s basketball team remained hard at work throughout December and the first few days of the new year to build momentum over the middle of the season’s slate of games.
