WILLIAMSTOWN, MA—The Williams College Ephs men's basketball program entered the 2022-23 campaign with high internal and external expectations. Ranked as high as #3 in the early portion of the season, it seemed that the season was unfolding as hoped. However, after a 12-0 start during the non-conference schedule, the Ephs dropped three out of their first six NESCAC games. Following close losses to Amherst and Middlebury, Williams fell by 21 points to Tufts on its home floor on January 27. Sitting at 3-3 in the conference, the Ephs knew that time was running out for them to regain the competitiveness and patience that they were capable of—especially if they wanted the opportunity to host games down the stretch.
Down eight points to Bates on senior day at home, just a day after the loss to Tufts, the switch finally flipped. A 20-0 run led to a win for the Ephs that afternoon—but the momentum generated was much more significant than one victory. The Ephs closed NESCAC play by winning their final three games by double figures. Although earning a home game remained in the Ephs' control if they were to win out, they received some last-minute help from around the conference. As a result, they ended up with the #1 seed, benefiting from a fortunate four-way tiebreaker.
"This first weekend, there's no difference between 1 and 4," Eph head coach
Kevin App said regarding the seeding arrangement. "That's why one of our goals is just to get a home game. In a single round-robin, who you play and when you play can dramatically change matchups. Once the tournament starts, anyone can win."
To open the conference tournament, the Ephs will take on the Trinity Bantams at Chandler Gym at 4:30 pm on Saturday, February 18.
In the first matchup against Trinity this season, the Ephs opened the second half 8-10 from three-point range to take command in the final 15 minutes. The game was a prime example of sticking to fundamentals and waiting for an eventual run to happen. At the time, Eph head coach
Kevin App called it the Ephs' "best game of the year" to date. Still, the Bantams put up 79 points on the Ephs—the most of any opponent throughout the 24-game regular season.
Spencer Spivy and
Cole Prowitt-Smith generated major production on that day, posting 28 and 22 points, respectively.
"The main thing we took away was when we compete with energy to us and just embrace the moment, we're really good," App said regarding the February 3rd game against Trinity. "When you get the opportunity to play a team the second time, you know their tendencies more; you know their personnel and their sets better. Conversely, they know you better. We'll takeaway areas of the game that we have to get keep getting better at and that Trinity tries to highlight. We'll just try to get in that mentality that we've been in the last couple of weekends."
Saturday marks a special day in the entire Williams basketball community: the women's and men's teams are set to play a double-header in Chandler. Prior to the men's game at 4:30 pm, the #2-seeded women's team challenges Bates at 2 pm.
"It's never happened during my tenure," App said. "Internally in our offices, this was a big goal down the stretch—'how cool would it be if we both get a home game?' We know how hard the other works, and to see us both get rewarded and get to support each other will be fun."
The crowd will play a large role in that reward. The more Eph fans, the better this weekend. As App notes, last year's NESCAC quarterfinal was the first time the whole community could come to the gym with the subsiding of Covid restrictions, and this year's team seems to really enjoy these packed environments. "We've played some of our best basketball in front of energetic crowds," he stated. "That's what you hope the playoff experience is all about."
Having gone through three months of practice and games, the team has learned a lot about themselves both individually and collectively. "The regular season is about growth, and this group did that about as well as you can. It's that time of the year where all the things you worry about earlier in the year — roles, individual performance — go out the window."
"Now, it's about if we can collectively play as well as we're capable of and win. That usually opens up a door to another game, another opportunity to achieve a goal. That's what makes it fun. Let's just keep trying to be the best version of our team that we can be."
And with that, it's playoff time.
