How will you spend your Thanksgiving break?
With one regular season game remaining, NYU's men's basketball team is hanging on by a thread in hopes of making the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The Violets had a chance to improve their tournament résumé until they were thumped on the road by the University of Rochester (81-68) on Sunday. Barring a miracle, it looks like they will make their fourth consecutive trip to the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament.
"That was one of the more disappointing losses of the season," senior guard Chip Borsi said. "Everyone wanted it and we knew how important it was for our chances in making the [NCAA] tournament."
Overall, the Violets have had a fairly successful season. They already won seven games in the UAA conference — three more than last season — including some tough games against stiff competition, such as a two-point win against Emory University on Friday night and an impressive home-game win 10 days ago against the University of Chicago.
They won most of their games with a well-balanced attack, ranking second in the UAA in team assists with 15.4 per game. The Violets are also shooting an impressive 47 percent from the field.
Their star player, senior forward Keith Jensen, is only six points away from having 1,000 career points for NYU. They also received stellar production from two of their freshmen: guard Kyle Stockmal and forward Carl Yaffe, who scored a career-high 22 points in the win Friday at Emory University.
But it looks like for another season NYU will fail to make it to the NCAA Division III Tournament, something they have not played in since the 1997-98 season. If they win their last game against Brandeis University on Saturday, and Emory University loses their last game to the University of Rochester, NYU will finish in second place in the UAA. But it most likely will not be enough.
"Losing to Rochester was a real shot in the stomach," sophomore center Andy Stein said.
Despite being third in the UAA in points allowed, the Violets pointed to defense as the area that has halted them from hitting their stride.
On Feb. 7, NYU lost a tough game to Case Western Reserve University (69-51), and Stein said his team needed to communicate better defensively.
Last Sunday, NYU lost to third-ranked Washington University, giving up three straight three-pointers to start the second half. The Violets never fully recovered.
On Sunday, Rochester continued to make big shots at the end of the game.
"We just couldn't get stops when we needed to," Borsi said. "A lot of it is just about focus."
The Violets can't dwell on Sunday's loss, and must focus on what they can control: working hard in practice and playing well at Brandeis on Friday.
"All we could do is give it all we got at Brandeis," Stein said.
