MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[woolax]

Wooster at #7 OWU tonight, what are people's thoughts? Do the Scots have a chance at pulling off the upset?

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Wooster at #7 OWU tonight, what are people's thoughts? Do the Scots have a chance at pulling off the upset?

I would argue that there is always a chance, especially in this season/era of parity. However, I think OWU is a far better team and I sincerely doubt they would be overlooking the Scots coming into their own gym on the road (the game is AT Wooster). Mike will have them ready.

[David Collinge]

Oberlin 76, Kenyon 59
Wabash 69, Wittenberg 54
Hiram 67, Allegheny 62
Denison 81, DePauw 60
Wooster 91, OWU 90

1. OWU, Wooster...9-2
3. Hiram, Wittenberg...7-4
5. Oberlin...6-5
6. Denison...5-6
7. Kenyon, Wabash...4-7
9. Allegheny, DePauw...2-9

I wouldn't even know where to begin breaking that first-place tie, since OWU lost to Hiram and Wooster lost to Wittenberg. Fortunately, with 5 games left, it's likely to work itself out.

Tonight's results could only have been better for Hiram and Oberlin if the other had lost. Otherwise a solid night for the northeast Ohioans, both still solidly in the mix for third place.

At the other end, only a miracle can save DPU and Gheny at this point.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Heck of a finish with OWU and Wooster - FTs and pure guts. Love watching teams who play well and take it to the end.

[wally_wabash]

Wabash 69, Wittenberg 54

Pretty sweet win for Wabash tonight at Wittenberg, which is a place that has been brutally hard for Wabash to win.  And it was a game that Wabash controlled from the start.  Witt missed a 3FGA with about 6 minutes left that would have cut what was a 20 point lead down to 9...could have got interesting from there, but the shot missed, Wabash pushed the lead back out to 16 or so and Witt didn't have another run in them. 

Really stark contrast tonight from Wabash's disaster game Saturday with Oberlin, but that's how it's going to go with this group.  Interesting game coming on Saturday at Wooster.  If we get good Wabash vs. an exhaling Wooster team, who knows.  Never know what you're going to get game to game with Wabash. 

I'm going to slowly back away from my hope for a top 4 finish, but stealing one tonight at Witt could help Wabash get out of the 7/8 spot by the time we're done, which would be preferable to catching a first round game against OWU or Wooster. 

[David Collinge]

Mike DeWitt on Wooster senior Alex LaLonde, who had 23 points:
"Alex LaLonde, he's not played well against us in the past and he played a great game. He was a big difference, and being a senior and a really good kid, I'm happy for him. He really gave his team a lift."

Keep in mind these comments were made immediately after a nailbiting defeat that knocked his team out of sole possession of first place, whereas a win would have given OWU what amounts to a 3-game lead with 7 to play, virtually clinching a second consecutive title.

Mike is really quite a guy.

quote excerpted from The Daily Record, original article hidden behind a paywall.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Mike is always a top-notch guy and I have never heard him speak ill of anyone or any team. He is soft-spoken, but I love the chances I get to chat with him either on the show or in person, especially with a beer in hand. He is one of the reasons the Great Lakes Region has such great basketball and good men playing it.

[David Collinge]

Looking at the remaining schedule for the top 5:
OWU: Hiram, Wittenberg, Allegheny, DePauw (home), Kenyon, Wabash, Oberlin (away)
Wooster: Wabash, Kenyon, Wittenberg, Oberlin (home), Denison, Hiram, Allegheny (away)
advantage: pretty even, but OWU's arguably the better, and certainly more more consistent, team
Wittenberg: Denison, DePauw, Kenyon (home), OWU, Oberlin, Wooster, Hiram (away)
....yikes!
Hiram: Wooster, Oberlin, Wittenberg (home), OWU, Wabash, DePauw, Denison (away)
Oberlin: DePauw, Denison, Wittenberg, OWU (home), Allegheny, Hiram, Wooster (away)
advantage: first, Hiram's toughest games are at home (except OWU), while Witt's are on the road, and Hiram already has a win over Witt. Wittenberg has a one game advantage over Oberlin, and a win over the Yeo, but Oberlin's home/road splits are better. Of note: Hiram's next three games are on the road in tough venues, while Oberlin's next three are at home.
Ridiculously early prediction:
1. OWU
2. Wooster
3. Hiram
4. Winner of Wittenberg at Oberlin (2/6)
...and watch out for Denison sneaking up; they're done with OWU and get Wooster at home.

[David Collinge]

Couple of take-your-breath-away scores today:
OWU 123, Hiram 95 !!!
DePauw 64, Oberlin 53 (@ Oberlin!)
Kenyon 79, Allegheny 61
Wooster 90, Wabash 66
Denison 69, Wittenberg 59 (@ Witt)

1. OWU, Wooster...10-2
3. Hiram, Wittenberg...7-5
5. Denison, Oberlin...6-6
7. Kenyon...5-7
8. Wabash...4-8
9. DePauw...3-9
10. Allegheny...2-10

The lead pair move out to a full three-game lead with 6 to play, while Denison gets a big road win that vaults them into a favorite for a top 4 seed. Wittenberg has now lost 5 home games (out of 7 losses in total, only one of which was a true road game), including back-to-back home losses twice. In fact, they've lost four of their last five at the Smith Center; the one win was over Wooster, of course. DePauw gets the miracle they needed, snapping a 7-game losing streak on Oberlin's admittedly not very intimidating home court. I wonder when the last time was that Hiram scored 95 and lost, much less by 4 touchdowns? Ouch!

[bufordscot]

With all the young talent Wooster has I can't help but wonder where there's a somewhat talented 6'10" guy that wants to put a ring on in the next few years.

[David Collinge]

Don't get your hopes up. Guys that tall almost never work out at the D3 level. If you can find a big, athletic guy at 6'8" or 6'9" that somehow gets overlooked by the higher divisions, probably because he matured while in college, he can take you far.  But much bigger than that and someone with scholarship dollars will be willing to take a chance. I'd settle for a couple of good 6'7" guys.

IIRC, Dan Russ was 6'9", and he was a genuine All-American. Dane Borchers was a very scrawny 6'10", but was a matchup problem because of Russ. (And when he grew into his body as a senior, and was great, Russ was gone.) And still Wittenberg came up a basket short of the title.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I can think of a couple of guys off the top of my head that would prove that point wrong: Ben Strong and Tyler Sanborn. Both played for Guilford with a year or two cross over. There have been many a tall player do well in Division III... but the point they tend to be found and picked up by higher divisions is an accurate one. However, to say they almost never work out in Division III I don't feel is accurate at all.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I can think of a couple of guys off the top of my head that would prove that point wrong: Ben Strong and Tyler Sanborn. Both played for Guilford with a year or two cross over. There have been many a tall player do well in Division III... but the point they tend to be found and picked up by higher divisions is an accurate one. However, to say they almost never work out in Division III I don't feel is accurate at all.

IIRC, Tyler was already 6'10 (or whatever) as a frosh (and must have been overlooked for other reasons), but didn't Ben shoot up several inches just before or during his freshman year?  hasanova is our Guilford poster, if anyone wants to query him.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Ben shot up in high school - I think junior or senior year(s). He came to Guilford already tall. Tyler didn't grow at school... already tall his freshman year... I saw him that year and called the two of them the Twin Towers.

[David Collinge]

You have a better national perspective than I do, Dave, but I still think dominant big men have been few and far between. In the NCAC, I can't recall anyone dominating in the past 15 or so seasons, apart from the aforementioned Russ and Borchers, but I can recall numerous very tall young men who didn't amount to much.