MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[David Collinge]

Welcome to page 1000!

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Welcome to page 1000!

Well done, David. 

[David Collinge]

4) Wittenberg 9-8 (gets #4 seed with a win over Hiram, as tiebreaker at 10-8 would be win over Wooster)
4) Denison 9-8 (gets #4 seed with a Witt loss, as tiebreaker at 9-9 would be Denison's two wins over top three teams)

Just wanted to clarify this in my own mind, even though all that is at stake is home court advantage in the 4/5 game...and the home team lost both games in the season series! The tiebreaker in question is #2: composite record vs. all teams ahead of tied teams; in either case (both win or both lose) that's OWU, Wooster, and Hiram. Denison was 2-4 vs. this trio, having swept Hiram. Wittenberg is 1-4 so far, with a win over Wooster and a game left at Hiram. If Wittenberg loses, they lose this tiebreaker with Denison (who plays at Allegheny Saturday.) If they (both) win, tiebreaker #2 is a wash, and we move to #3: record vs. individual teams starting at the top. Both were swept by OWU, but Witt beat Wooster whereas Denison did not.

Remember when Wittenberg would never even think of being down in the standings with Hiram, Denison and Kenyon. I think that went away with Artie Taylor's red suits.

I think it's great that Oberlin has been safely in the field for some time, and Hiram has a home game, while DePauw (the defending champion, fer chrissakes) is on the outside looking in, and Allegheny, who used to be fairly good, is basically the new Oberlin. This is the league we've all been waiting for, except maybe for the Wooster-always-on-top part.

I'd have to guess that the alumni and donors are getting pretty tired of finishes outside the top 2 in Springfield, to say nothing of losing to Wooster over and over again. At one point during the most recent Woo/Witt contest, WQKT's Mike Breckenridge made note of Bill Brown's out-of-character calm demeanor in a tense situation, and openly speculated that Matt Croci was not just his assistant but the "coach in waiting." Not that Mike would be in any position to know such things, but you have to wonder how long this can continue.

BTW I see that Artie is no longer at Ohio Dominican. He's been the head coach at the Wellington School, a private Columbus high school, since 2014. Red is not one of their colors, evidently.

[Bishopleftiesdad]

Wellington school is in my neck of the woods. Just a few blocks from me.

[fantastic50]

4) Wittenberg 9-8 (gets #4 seed with a win over Hiram, as tiebreaker at 10-8 would be win over Wooster)
4) Denison 9-8 (gets #4 seed with a Witt loss, as tiebreaker at 9-9 would be Denison's two wins over top three teams)

Just wanted to clarify this in my own mind, even though all that is at stake is home court advantage in the 4/5 game...and the home team lost both games in the season series! The tiebreaker in question is #2: composite record vs. all teams ahead of tied teams; in either case (both win or both lose) that's OWU, Wooster, and Hiram. Denison was 2-4 vs. this trio, having swept Hiram. Wittenberg is 1-4 so far, with a win over Wooster and a game left at Hiram. If Wittenberg loses, they lose this tiebreaker with Denison (who plays at Allegheny Saturday.) If they (both) win, tiebreaker #2 is a wash, and we move to #3: record vs. individual teams starting at the top. Both were swept by OWU, but Witt beat Wooster whereas Denison did not.

Yes, this is what I came up with on the 4/5 tiebreaker.  Given the relatively short distance between the two schools, and that neither is likely to draw a big crowd for a Tuesday night quarterfinal, I don't think that home-court advantage will matter much.


Today's games...
DePauw (8-16, 4-13) at Ohio Wesleyan (21-3, 14-3), 3:00 - Bishops look to clinch the top seed, but an upset would take some of the sting off of a rough season for the New Tigers
Denison (14-10, 9-8) at Allegheny (3-21, 3-14), 3:00 - The Big Red might be looking ahead, and it's Senior Day for the Gators
Wabash (13-11, 7-10) at Kenyon (10-14, 7-10), 3:00 - The winner likely avoids a trip to OWU; will the LG's have anything left after Wednesday's marathon at DePauw?
Wittenberg (14-10, 9-8) at Hiram (17-7, 11-6), 4:00 - The Old Tigers are playing for a Tuesday home game, while the Terriers try to rebuild momentum
Oberlin (12-12, 7-10) at Wooster (18-6, 14-3), 7:30 5:00 - The Yeo can avoid a rematch with an upset, but the Scots need this one, too


NCAA Tournament outlook
- Barring back-to-back losses, OWU looks to be in good shape for a Pool C berth.  If the Bishops win out, they likely would host the first weekend.
- Wooster is in decent position for Pool C, but may need to reach the conference final; a semifinal loss would mean sweating out Selection Monday.
- Hiram has the weakest SOS among Great Lakes contenders, so even reaching the conference final (with wins over Witt and Wooster) likely won't be enough.
- So, anyone other than the Bishops or Scots likely needs the Pool A berth that comes with winning the conference tournament

[fantastic50]

Early results...
OWU 81, DePauw 56
Kenyon 82, Wabash 76
Allegheny 67, Denison 63

The 1/8 game Tuesday will be Wabash at OWU.

[David Collinge]

Hiram holds off Wittenberg 64-60. The 4/5 game will be at Denison, despite their loss to the last-place team. (Allegheny actually caught DePauw today; they finished tied for 9th.) Wooster nips Oberlin 97-56.

Tuesday quarterfinals:
8 Wabash at 1 OWU
7 Oberlin at 2 Wooster
6 Kenyon at 3 Hiram
5 Wittenberg at 4 Denison

[David Collinge]

http://northcoast.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2015-16/releases/TRNY-Announce

There's several potential complications mentioned in this article. If OWU hosts the weekend, as seems likely, the championship game will be at 5 Saturday due to the NCAC indoor t&f meet on campus. If anyone else hosts, it'll be at 4...unless it is Denison, and the DU women are also hosting. In that case, the women play at 3 Saturday, then, after clearing the gym, the men play at 7. The DU women are the conference champs, but for the men to host, OWU, Wooster, and Hiram all have to lose Tuesday. Ain't a-gonna happen.

Since OWU (and other potential hosts Hiram and Denison) is a "low capacity gym," the semifinals will be at 5:30 and 8:30, clearing the gym in between. In the unlikely event that Wooster (or even less likely event that it's Wittenberg) is hosting, the semis are at 6 and 8 and one ticket works for both games.

[David Collinge]

OWU downs Wabash, 100-80, and will host the weekend festivities. Wooster will be attending, having dropped Oberlin 78-63 for their 20th win, extending their streak of 20-win seasons to, like, 87 years or something. Hiram will also be there, holding off Kenyon 95-87 to keep their slim Pool C hopes alive. Denison completes the all-top-seeds quartet, ousting Wittenberg 81-75.

Friday semifinals:
Hiram vs. Wooster, 5:30
Denison vs. Ohio Wesleyan, 8:30
Reminder that each game requires a separate admission.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Final public regional rankings are out: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2016/02/24/third-ncaa-regional-ranking/

[smedindy]

If Hiram beats Wooster, and makes the final, do they have a chance? Does that knock Wooster out? Is there any way to get three NCAC teams in? I'm assuming OWU is 'safe'.

[Fifth and Putnam]

If Hiram beats Wooster, and makes the final, do they have a chance? Does that knock Wooster out? Is there any way to get three NCAC teams in? I'm assuming OWU is 'safe'.

Slim chance, but not impossible. Hope as many conference tournament favorites win their auto bids as possible not sucking up a lot of those Pool C slots.

[bufordscot]

I see where Alex LaLonde didn't play Tuesday night.  Any word on his injury / status for the weekend?

[imderekpoe]

I see where Alex LaLonde didn't play Tuesday night.  Any word on his injury / status for the weekend?

He has a blood clot and is out for the year.

[bufordscot]

I see where Alex LaLonde didn't play Tuesday night.  Any word on his injury / status for the weekend?

He has a blood clot and is out for the year.

Sad way for a senior to end a great career.