The 12th-ranked Middlebury men's basketball team has earned the fourth seed in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament. The Panthers will begin their quest for the program's fifth title when they host fifth-seeded Tufts on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in quarterfinal action.
 
ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury is making its 18th overall appearance in the tournament since its inception in 2001, tying for the fourth-highest total among league schools. 
• The Panthers have won four NESCAC Championships (2009, 2011, 2016, 2017) and have played in the final on six occasions.
• The program has claimed the third-most NESCAC Tournament victories (20) and has a 20-13 all-time record in the conference championship.
• The Panthers have advanced to the semifinals in 10 of the last 14 tournaments.
• Middlebury ranks in the top-20 spots among Division III programs in several statistical categories this season. The Panthers are fourth in rebounding margin (+12.2), eighth in blocks per game (5.3), 11th in rebounds per game (44.13), 17th in scoring defense (62.0 PPG), 18th in offensive rebounds per game (14.26) and 20th in field-goal percentage defense (.388).

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Middlebury is paced by Alex Sobel who leads the team in many statistical categories. He sits atop the NESCAC rankings in scoring (19.2 ppg), free throws made (97) and rebounding (11.9 rpg). His rebounds per game also rank 11th in Division III. The senior currently ranks 13th on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,164 points, while his 780 career rebounds are fourth. 
• Sobel is second in Division III in blocks (89) and blocks per game (3.87), while his 15 double-doubles this season place him seventh nationally.
• Around the perimeter, Noah Osher ranks second on the team with 12.9 ppgt and has logged the most minutes (731). The junior has knocked down a team-best 49 threes (seventh in the NESCAC) and has tallied double-digit point totals in 18 games this season.
• David Brennan ranks 18th in Division III with 3.78 offensive rebounds per contest. He has 11 double-digit rebounding games this winter and his 8.7 rpg rank second in the conference behind Sobel. 
• Leading the team and ranking second in the NESCAC with an 83.8 free-throw percentage is Sam Stevens. The sophomore is second in the league with 83 made free throws and has contributed 11.5 ppg.

ABOUT TUFTS

• The Jumbos are making their 12th-consecutive appearance in the conference tournament.
• Tufts won its lone NESCAC Championship in 2020.
• The Jumbos are the fifth seed for the first time since 2011.
• Tufts has advanced to the semifinals eight times, most recently in 2020.
• The Jumbos have an 18-6 overall record and a 6-4 NESCAC mark this winter. The team has won four of its last five games, including a 74-59 road victory Saturday at Trinity to secure the fifth seed.
• Tufts leads the NESCAC in scoring at 76.5 points per game. 

JUMBOS TO WATCH

• Dylan Thoerner paces the Jumbo offense and ranks seventh in the NESCAC with 15.1 ppg. His 52.1 field-goal percentage is fifth in the league, while his 51 made threes place him sixth.
• A balanced scoring output behind Thoerner fuels the Jumbos. Tyler Aronson, Trumann Gettings and Khai Champion each average 8.8 ppg, respectively, while Gettings also pulls down 5.1 rpg.
• Carson Cohen ranks seventh in the NESCAC with 76 assists to go along with 5.4 ppg.
• Coming off the bench in every game this season, Theo Henry has contributed over seven points per contest (7.3) and handed out 63 assists.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Panthers and the Jumbos have met 63 times with Tufts owning a 40-23 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1925. 
• Middlebury picked up a 72-56 home victory on January 28, as the teams have split the last 10 meetings, with each program winning five.
• Tufts is 2-0 against Middlebury in the NESCAC Championship, including a 85-76 quarterfinal decision in 2019.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• Quarterfinals will occur at the top-four seeds on Saturday, February 18. The rest of the tournament will be hosted on Saturday, February 25 (Semifinals) and Sunday, February 26 (Championship) at the highest remaining seed.
• TICKETS - The NESCAC Quarterfinal game is free and no tickets are required. 
• Championship Central
• NESCAC Seeding Announcement