MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[wooscotsfan]

David posted all of the 1/25 results

Updated NCAC Standings with 1/25 results:

1. Wooster 9-1 (15-2)
2. Wittenberg 8-2 (14-3)
2. Ohio Wesleyan 8-2 (14-3)
2. DePauw 8-2 (13-4)
5. Kenyon 4-5 (7-9)
6. Denison 4-6 (8-9)
6. Wabash 4-6 (5-11)
8. Hiram 2-7 (4-12)
9. Oberlin 2-8 (5-12)
10. Allegheny 0-10 (3-14)

[David Collinge]

Due to Level 2 snow emergencies in Knox and surrounding counties, the Kenyon College basketball teams, as well as the track and field teams, will not participate in road contests today. Women's and men's basketball were originally scheduled to play at Hiram College with respective start times of 2 and 4 p.m. The track teams were scheduled to compete in a quad meet at The College of Wooster at noon. The meet will go on without Kenyon and Allegheny College present. The basketball games at Hiram have yet to be rescheduled.

[wooscotsfan]

Remaining games among the NCAC's Top 4: H = Home, A = Away

Wooster (2):  OWU - H 1/29, Witt - H 2/15

Wittenberg (3):  OWU - A 2/5, DePauw - H 2/12,  Wooster - A 2/15

OWU (3):  Wooster - A 1/29, Witt - H 2/5, DePauw - H 2/22

DePauw (2):  Witt - A 2/12,  OWU - A 2/22

As David noted, Wooster has the easiest remaining schedule now with two home games.  Ohio Wesleyan has the next easiest schedule and they would be in great shape if they pull the upset at Wooster next Wednesday because they have two home games after playing at Wooster.

Of course, it is also possible that one of the bottom six teams pulls a big upset which impacts the title race.

[woosterbooster]

Wooster's two post players, Fanelly and Kipfer, played a combined total of 25 minutes in this game, instead of the usual 40.  I don't know why, amazingly it's not mentioned in the article on the Wooster website.

Fanelly played 18 minutes before fouling out.  0 rebounds.  Are you kidding?  Kipfer, who always spells him, played 7 minutes instead of the 22 that should have been warranted.  He had three boards in that time, which is an excellent pace.  Likely he was hurt, but nobody's talking.

This would go at least some distance towards explaining the crazy slaughter on the boards.  More than that, I have to believe that Kipfer would have done a better job guarding DePauw's big Fernitz, who shot 8-12 from the floor from point-blank range.

[seinfeld]

Fanelly has a lot of talent and promise, but if he can't figure out how to stay out of foul trouble, the Scots are not going to advance very far when it matters. He has now fouled out of four games this year, including three of the past six, and had four fouls in six other games. And he is averaging less than 20 minutes a game. Over the course of the season, he's averaging one foul every 5.7 minutes played, meaning it's almost impossible to count on him to play more than half the game. Plus, when he gets in foul trouble, he becomes even less of a factor defensively and on the boards.

While Wingard and LaLonde don't play the post, their length and athleticism would have helped in games like this. They had the ability to come in from the wing and out jump people for the ball. They don't really have that now other than Evan Pannell.

This isn't meant to panic, as Wooster is still in real good shape and nearly won despite the bad rebounding effort. But when trying to picture how they might fare in the tournament, this is a pretty glaring problem that has to be figured out to some degree if they want to beat elite teams.

[gobash83]

While I am not one who normally defends DePauw, I will just point out that students were not on campus Saturday as they were on a break between the end of January term and the start of the second semester.

[smedindy]

Meanwhile, the back half of the NCAC is fluid as well - jockeying for seeding and Hiram and Oberlin trying to make it into the tournament.

[David Collinge]

While I am not one who normally defends DePauw, I will just point out that students were not on campus Saturday as they were on a break between the end of January term and the start of the second semester.

And the weather was horrific.

Meanwhile, the back half of the NCAC is fluid as well - jockeying for seeding and Hiram and Oberlin trying to make it into the tournament.

Which reminds me...from the Kenyon website:

UPDATE: The men's basketball game at Hiram College has been rescheduled for Sunday, February 2 at 2 p.m.

[woosterbooster]

You used to say that you weren't smart enough to have an avatar.  Now that you do, I'm apparently not smart enough (or, as some would say, too senile) to know who it is.

[David Collinge]

O my god, you're kidding, right? It's Lewis Black (nsfw, which could be his middle name), and quite frankly, since I've never seen the two of you in the same room at the same time...

The quote is from his third season appearance on The Big Bang Theory, in the episode entitled The Jiminy Conjecture.

[kiltedbryan]

Heady times for the NCAC, with the top 4 all ranked in this week's Top 25 + all currently inside Massey's Top 30.

D3hoops Top 25
#5 Wooster
#17 Ohio Wesleyan
#18 Wittenberg
#23 DePauw

Massey
#3 Wooster
#16 Ohio Wesleyan
#23 Wittenberg
#27 DePauw

Have we ever had 4 teams in the actual ranking (and not just, say, 3 ranked + 1 ORV)?

[David Collinge]

Furthermore, our Big Four are the only Great Lakes teams ranked. No OAC, no MIAA, no PrAC, but FOUR NCAC teams.

And of course we have the unanimous #1 on the women's side.

[David Collinge]

Tonight's agenda:
DePauw at Denison (DPU leads 39-29 at the half)
Wabash at Wittenberg
Allegheny at Hiram
Oberlin at Kenyon
oh yes and...
OWU at Wooster

[David Collinge]

DePauw holds off a determined Denison comeback effort, 68-63. Denison, which never led and trailed by 13 moments before the half, got as close as 3 with 0:16 left but couldn't get over the hump.

[David Collinge]

Witt leads Wabash 30-24 at the half.