MIT, Jeremy Lin, and ESPN

Former MIT assistant coach Oliver "Doc" Eslinger, now the head coach at CalTech, was featured as a guest writer on ESPN.com. Coach Eslinger talks about his experience recruiting Jeremy Lin to MIT.

Read more here: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/37066/development-in-lin-years

MIT Caps Historic Season with Win

The #3 ranked MIT basketball squad avenged their only loss of the season against WPI with a 71-66 victory on Wednesday. The visiting Engineers, now 23-1, went on a 21-1 run to start the second half, and downed last year's regular season champions on their home court. MIT's 23rd victory sets the record for most wins in program history.

The big-man duo of All-American Noel Hollingsworth and All-Region Will Tashman combined for 41 points, 19 rebounds, and 5 assists. Point guard Mitchell Kates led the second-half surge, scoring all of his 11 points in the frame along with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Senior Billy Bender connected on two big threes and nailed all four of his crucial free-throws for 12 points.

MIT, the NEWMAC Regular Season Champions, will play host to this year's Conference Tournament next weekend. MIT plays on Saturday, Feb. 25th, at 1pm in Rockwell Cage versus the winner of the Wheaton vs. Babson quarterfinal game.

Tech Back to #3 in Polls

In this week's D3Hoops.com Top 25 Poll, the MIT Men's Basketball team moved its way back up to #3 in the nation.

Other Northeast Region schools in the top 25 include Amherst (#2), Middlebury (#4), and Albertus Magnus (#20). Just outside of the Top 25 are Western Connecticut (#26), Keene State (#27), Wesleyan (#32), Williams (#34), Eastern Connecticut (#35), Rhode Island College (T-#38), and WPI (T-#38).

MIT Clinches Title in OT Win

The MIT Basketball team earned its second regular season championship in three years in thrilling fashion over the weekend with a 63-60 overtime win over Clark University.

Mitchell Kates scored 16 points with 5 assists and 2 steals while stat-stuffer Billy Bender pitched in 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and an assist. Freshman big-man Andrew Acker and senior Dan Mccue continued their hot streak off the bench for the Engineers. 6'8" Acker posted 11 points and 7 rebounds in 22 minutes, while Mccue knotted 8 points with stellar defense.

With the win, MIT ties the program record for most wins in a season (22), clinches the NEWMAC Regular Season Championship, and will host the Conference Tournament as the #1 seed.

In their last regular season game, MIT travels to WPI on Wednesday to avenge their only loss of the season.

MIT Upends Babson 59-47 on Senior Night

After trailing 40-27 to Babson with 15 minutes left, Tech went on a 32-7 run to end the game and earn their 21st victory of the season.

6'5" Senior Billy Bender uses his length to overpower smaller guards on Senior Night (Pic: Tom Gearty) 

Mitchell Kates led the way with 13 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds, sharp-shooter Jamie Karraker connected on three three-pointers for 11 points, and All-American Noel Hollingsworth pitched in 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Big-man Will Tashman had a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with his 9 points, while senior Billy Bender capped his Senior Night with 7 points and 6 rebounds.

6'8" Will Tashman shows why he is the most dominant rebounder in the NEWMAC  (Pic: Tom Gearty)

The stars of the show, however, were Dan Mccue and freshman Andrew Acker. Their boost of energy off the bench was the turning point of the game, after the Engineers suffered one of their worst halves in recent history. Acker made timely defensive plays while Mccue nailed two three-pointers to swing the momentum Tech's way.

All-American Noel Hollingsworth has still put up league-leading numbers, despite constant double and triple teams (Pic: Tom Gearty)

Prior to the game, seniors Billy Bender and Arni Lehto were recognized for their contributions to the team over the past four seasons. Former Engineer great David Koch was also recognized for his endowment of the head coach's position.

Former MIT Basketball greats with Head Coach Larry Anderson (Pic: Tom Gearty)

MIT travels to Clark on Saturday and look to tie their highest win total in Institute history.

Senior Day Profile: Dan Mccue

No one has a story quite like Dan Mccue's. The whiz kid from a farm in Maine joined the MIT squad back in the 2007-2008 season, and his impact on the team was immediate. His freshman season was highlighted by an 18-point, 5-rebound performance versus Springfield College while earning Team Rookie of the Year honors.

It was then learned that Mccue had been playing his entire freshman campaign in complete pain. A hip disorder caused his bones to grind against each constantly, forcing him to undergo two hip surgeries. Mccue would have to sit out his sophomore season. After providing support on the sidelines during the 2008-2009 year, and putting in countless hours of rehabilitation every day, Mccue was told his hips did not heal properly. Another season missed and three hip surgeries later, doctors told Mccue he would never be able to play basketball again.

But this wouldn't stop Mccue. After even more rehabilitation, the 6'3" guard returned to the court last year, helping lead the team to a NEWMAC Championship and the 2nd Round of the NCAA Tournament. He was most well-known to fans for his two-point bank-shot in the last minute versus Ithaca College of the 1st Round of the NCAA Tournament, a shot that put the Engineers ahead for the win.

This year, Mccue was voted team captain, and has been an invaluable leader on the floor and in the locker room. The shooting guard is also 7th in the conference in A/TO ratio (1.5). Off the court, Mccue is an Economics major with concentrations in Political Science and Finance and has applied to MIT's Graduate School. If admitted, Mccue will return for his final year of eligibility.

Senior Day Profile: Arni Lehto

Arni Lehto came to MIT from Helsinki, Finland, with a wealth of basketball experience playing on club teams in his homeland. Lehto's hard work, skill, and passion for the game earned him a spot on the squad, and ever since, the "Finnish Fury" has been an incredible leader during MIT Basketball's most successful era in history.

Lehto, a two-time Academic All-Conference selection, has helped lead the Engineers to four 20-win seasons, three NCAA Tournament Appearances, two Conference Tournament Championships, one Conference Regular Season championship, and a number of team records. Lehto will join Bender as MIT Basketball's all-time winningest class with a record of 83-24.

Off the court, Lehto was recently featured on the blog for his work with HelmetHub, an award-winning idea that has received much publicity. Lehto, a mechanical engineering major and economics minor, has been accepted to Stanford's Graduate School.

Senior Day Profile: Billy Bender

Bender in his Sophomore year drives past current New York Knick Jeremy Lin (Pic: Tom Gearty)

Billy Bender came to MIT from Woodlands, Texas as a freshman on the famed 2008-2009 squad, and his quirky knack to find the ball and get it in the hoop was discovered immediately. The 6'5" guard/forward possessed all the skills a utility player needs; Bender could do everything.

Bender is considered one of the top defenders in the NEWMAC (Pic: Tom Gearty)

Billy Bender started off his career with a bang. In fact, the current success of the MIT Basketball can be traced back to "The Shot" by Bender his freshman year. Down two with seconds left in the quarterfinals of the 2009 NEWMAC Tournament versus Coast Guard, the quiet but deadly freshman nailed a baseline jumper to send the game into overtime. MIT would go on to win the game and eventually the program's first conference championship. In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Bender's heroics were needed again as he sunk all four of his free-throws in the final seconds of the overtime upset of #17 Rhode Island College. "Big Shot Bender" had emerged.

Bender comes into Senior night with 702 career points, 389 rebounds, and 183 assists (Pic: Tom Gearty)

Since then, Billy Bender has quietly been a force for the Engineers, and has turned into not only the most efficient offensive player in the conference, but one of the premiere defenders as well. Bender is currently ranked in the top 15 in more categories (12 out of a possible 13) than any other player in the conference, reflecting his overall impact on the game. He currently leads the NEWMAC in field goal percentage (57.9) and three-point field goal percentage (47.3). He is also 4th in FT% (76.6), 4th in defensive rebounds (4.6), 8th in steals (1.4), 8th in rebounds (5.8), 8th in A/TO (1.4), 9th in 3FGM (1.2), 11th in minutes (29.2), 12th in assists (2.0), 13th in blocks (0.4), 15th in scoring (10.2). More importantly, Bender consistently guards the opposing team's best player.

Off the court, Bender is a Chemical Engineering major, and has offers from a number of different chemical manufacturing firms for next year.

Tech Wins 20th Game

The #5 MIT Men's Basketball team triumphed in a thriller versus 2nd-place Springfield College yesterday afternoon with a 69-67 victory. Tied with under a minute to go, sharp-shooter Jamie Karraker nailed a three from the corner and hit the final two free-throws (his 999th and 1000th career points) of the game to secure MIT's fourth 20-win season in a row in front of a packed house at Springfield College. This is MIT 's 10th straight win versus the Pride of Springfield, as the Engineers move to 20-1 on the season and 8-1 in conference.

The MIT Engineers continue to make history (Pic: Shri Ganeshram)

Leading the way with another incredible performance was big-man Will Tashman, scoring 17 points with 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and a thunderous block that pinned the ball against the backboard. All-American Noel Hollingsworth followed suit with 16 points, while Mitchell Kates scored 15 points to pass current Assistant Coach Bill Johnson '10, Bill Eagleson '64, Joe Levesque '95, and David Tomlinson '91 to move into 17th all-time on the MIT scoring list (1,067).

Junior Will Tashman currently sits at 875 points and 632 rebounds for his career (Pic: Shri Ganeshram)

Senior Billy Bender scored 10 points along with his 7 rebounds, all while holding Alex Berthiaume, who is tied with Hollingsworth for the NEWMAC scoring crown, to just 4-of-15 shooting.

This is Head Coach Larry Anderson's fifth 20-win season (Pic: Shri Ganeshram)

Tech takes on Babson College at home on Wednesday at 6pm in the final regular season home game for the Engineers. This Senior Night will honor Billy Bender and Arni Lehto, MIT's all-time winningest class with a record of 83-24 (0.78).

MIT Basketball Featured on SportsIllustrated.com

The MIT Men's Basketball Team, ranked 5th in the country, appears today on Sports Illustrated's website. Read more here: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/alexander_wolff/02/03/middlebury.mit.wolff/index.html?sct=cb_wr_a1