MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[David Collinge]

Last Second Shot Propels Gators to Victory
Allegheny 68, Westminster 66.  Sorry, ScotsFan!  'Gheny outrebounded Westminster 46-27...Gators had 18 offensive rebounds (vs. 23 defensive for Titans). 

[David Collinge]

Slow news day in Wooster; the Daily Record's Mike Plant uses a Scots JV game as an excuse to write about JVs in general.  Link to article (subscription may be required).  In the game, the Scots defeated Wayne College  77-41.

Wooster's varsity team extended their Top 25 streak to 79 weeks, second only to Amherst (81), but just barely: in the new poll released this morning, the Scots are #25.  Both Wittenberg and OWU lost what little support they were getting; in the case of the Tigers, it's the first time in 57 weeks that they've not gotten at least one vote.

[kiltedbryan]

That drop in the ranking seems a bit dramatic to me- maybe I don't understand enough about how people view NAIA-II programs, but Cedarville is a highly ranked team (4th).  The game was also at Cedarville.

Anyway, I'm not really interested in dwelling on the rankings, I just was expecting to see Wooster more around 19-21 than at 25th.

Far more crucial is the start of conference play for the Scots (and most of the rest of the NCAC).  Hopefully Oberlin will serve as a game where the Scots can find a nice rhythm and can put in a good all-around performance.  I know they'll need everything they've got for the absolutely crucial early season conference tilt at OWU Saturday.  It might be as close to a must-win game as you can have this early in a season.

[David Collinge]

Cedarville completes the sweep, defeating visiting Wittenberg 73-58.  Cedarville drains 17 of 32 treys (53%), thwarting numerous Tiger runs.  Witt was led by Gregg Hill's 19 and Kevin Murray's 17.  Witt shot 33%, just like Wooster did at Cedarville; Cedarville shot 46%.

That drop in the ranking seems a bit dramatic to me- maybe I don't understand enough about how people view NAIA-II programs, but Cedarville is a highly ranked team (4th).  The game was also at Cedarville.

I'd venture to guess that part of Wooster's drop is trepidation over the upcoming OWU game.  The voters don't like to over-rank teams when they can avoid it.  If Wooster wins that game (and the Oberlin game), then their ranking should go back up into the high teens or low twenties.

Far more crucial is the start of conference play for the Scots (and most of the rest of the NCAC).  Hopefully Oberlin will serve as a game where the Scots can find a nice rhythm and can put in a good all-around performance.  I know they'll need everything they've got for the absolutely crucial early season conference tilt at OWU Saturday.  It might be as close to a must-win game as you can have this early in a season.

It is certainly a must-win game, especially psychologically, for the Scots.  But it may be even bigger for the Bishops, since they must protect their home court if they want to win the conference title.

[sac]

That drop in the ranking seems a bit dramatic to me- maybe I don't understand enough about how people view NAIA-II programs, but Cedarville is a highly ranked team (4th).  The game was also at Cedarville

Those familiar with NAIA II know that good basketball players and teams can be found at this level.  Some very comparable to top 25 D3 teams.

Outside the 4 state region of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan not much respect is given to the NAIA II's from the D3 crowd.

With regards to the poll, Wooster has 2 losses, hard to justify a team with 2 losses being much higher than 20 in a poll this early in the season.  There are many, many teams that will make it January with fewer losses.

[David Collinge]

With regards to the poll, Wooster has 2 losses, hard to justify a team with 2 losses being much higher than 20 in a poll this early in the season.

About #20 is what we (Bryan and I, and perhaps others) were expecting:

Anyway, I'm not really interested in dwelling on the rankings, I just was expecting to see Wooster more around 19-21 than at 25th.

There are, however, two teams ranked above #20 that have two losses: #12 Wash U. and #18 Calvin...and Calvin now has three losses, as they were beaten by Aquinas by 16 tonight (they lost to AQ in 2OT earlier this season).

Personally, I have concerns about Wooster's depth and post play, and would be very hesitant to rank them any higher than where they are now.  Furthermore, I have predicted that they'll lose at OWU on Saturday, and thus drop out of the poll altogether.  But I also expect them to improve as the season progresses and end up back in or near the top 10.

[woosterbooster]

I see the Woo - Ohwoo game as basically a pick'em.  It could all come down to the final seconds as it did two years ago when Tom Port's last second game-winning three attempt rimmed out from the corner.  That was my first Wooster road game, and I got hooked.

Yeah, post play and depth, in no particular order.  With just a little improvement in those areas Wooster will probably win the conference.  But it will take some serious bolstering (Elam, maybe, eventually?) for Wooster to make any sort of run in the tournament.  I hope it happens, but I haven't seen the beginnings of it yet.

By the way, I saw Kyle Molz's name in the Wooster JV boxscore.  I'd heard that he had a bad ankle injury and it's nice to see that he's back on the court.  I'm still thinking that someday, if not later this year, he can help the varsity program.

[ScotsFan]

There are, however, two teams ranked above #20 that have two losses: #12 Wash U. and #18 Calvin...and Calvin now has three losses, as they were beaten by Aquinas by 16 tonight (they lost to AQ in 2OT earlier this season).

I'm also surprised that Wooster took such a drop losing to such a good team.  As far as the other teams still ranked ahead of Wooster with two losses, WashU was the preseason #1 and their losses were to ranked opponents so I can see why they are still as high as they are.  As for Calvin, I guess they are still riding the coat tails of beating WashU when they were still #1.

Personally, I have concerns about Wooster's depth and post play, and would be very hesitant to rank them any higher than where they are now.  Furthermore, I have predicted that they'll lose at OWU on Saturday, and thus drop out of the poll altogether.  But I also expect them to improve as the season progresses and end up back in or near the top 10.

I agree with your concerns with regards to Wooster's depth and post play.  I think Melick made some strides in that Cedarville game but foul trouble thwarted what could have been a career game for him.  I also think that getting Elam back will help kill two birds with one stone as it should help in post play as well as lengthen Wooster's bench. 

Far more crucial is the start of conference play for the Scots (and most of the rest of the NCAC).  Hopefully Oberlin will serve as a game where the Scots can find a nice rhythm and can put in a good all-around performance.  I know they'll need everything they've got for the absolutely crucial early season conference tilt at OWU Saturday.  It might be as close to a must-win game as you can have this early in a season.

It is certainly a must-win game, especially psychologically, for the Scots.  But it may be even bigger for the Bishops, since they must protect their home court if they want to win the conference title.

I commented on this game being a must win when I made my prediction on the Pick 'Em board.  I agree with David in that it is a must win for both teams and it is hard to tell which team needs the win more.  For Wooster, as David pointed out, a loss could be devastating to Wooster from a psychological standpoint.  I really think they need this win to get them back on track to having a successful season.  For OWU, this is a game that could put them in control of the conference early on.  In seasons past, they have always found ways to lose games they shouldn't, thus pretty much eliminating them from contention.  An early win over Wooster could go a long way in helping them carry that momentum throughout the season.

Should make for one heck of a game down in Delaware on Saturday night.

[kiltedbryan]

Should make for one heck of a game down in Delaware on Saturday night.

I totally agree. I'll definitely be in attendance, but for those Woo/OWU fans who might be more geographically challenged, OWU will be streaming the game live over the internet.

With regards to the poll, Wooster has 2 losses, hard to justify a team with 2 losses being much higher than 20 in a poll this early in the season.  There are many, many teams that will make it January with fewer losses.

I am aware of this. 2-2 is not an impressive body of work; nor would 3-3 be (if Wooster were to split their games this week).  There hasn't been enough time to feel out just how good this Wooster team is, unlike last year when it was known from the start as a legitimate national contender.

Wooster does already have a "signature win" on their resume, though, as they represent the "1" in St. Thomas's 6-1 record, a win that looks better almost every day.  (Wooster scored 85 pts. in that game, and UST has yet to give up more than 70 to any other D3 opponent.)

I remember thinking last year that Wooster was significantly better than Capital, a matchup that almost came about in the tournament. I'll see the 2008 version of Capital tomorrow and consider how they might matchup this year.

[kiltedbryan]

Wooster downs Oberlin, 94-54.  Box Score.

Wooster puts six in double figures, highlighted by Fulk and Geitgey each going 4-4 from behind the arc.  I didn't listen to it, any comments?

[David Collinge]

Also...
Hiram drills Franciscan 97-71 to get off the schneid.  Four Terriers score 15 or more points.  Recap - Box Score.

Kenyon drops another heartbreaker, this time to Case, 84-81, at Gambier.  Frustrated in my plans to see the JCU/Muskingum game (which was postponed), I ended up at this game instead.  It was a thriller to the wire, but Kenyon actually lost the game in the final 8 seconds of the first half.  Trailing 42-40, Case held the ball for a last shot.  The Case guard initiated the offense with 8 seconds left, and 2 seconds or so later he had an open 8-foot jumper, caused by two effective screens and a sleepy Kenyon defense.  Then Kenyon lazily inbounded the ball, which was promptly stolen and laid in for two more at the buzzer.  Those 4 points account for the final margin, plus one for lagniappe.

Case continued its torrid shooting, hitting 46.6% for the game, including 45.8% (11/24) from the arc.  Case's hot shooting was the result of three interrelated factors: 1) they're just good shooters, especially 6'7" junior Brad Sutton  (22 points, 5/8 from the arc); 2) they pass the ball extremely well, leading to many uncontested shots anywhere from 1 to 21 feet from the hoop; and 3) they are excellent on the offensive glass, grabbing 10 offensive rebounds tonight.  Kenyon, on the other hand, is a streaky-shooting team (40.5% overall, but just 24.1% from deep, including only 3/16 in the second half) who has a certain amount of difficulty passing the ball.  Kenyon's ball movement around the perimeter tends to be just so slightly off the mark, which gives the defense an extra moment to react and/or interferes with the shooter's catch-and-release.  Their passes into the paint are also frequently just a wee bit awry, which tends to lead to turnovers (13 tonight, not too bad), blocked shots (Case had 4), and fouls (Case committed 20, mostly in the second half.)  Sending Kenyon to the line has so far been an effective strategy, as they're hitting at just a 61.1% clip this season and bricked 10 more attempts tonight (58.3%).

All this is not to suggest that Kenyon never functions on offense; quite the reverse.  Bryan Yelvington and Dave Knapke, both of whom have been effective both inside and out, each recorded double-doubles tonight.  Yelvington, the team's leading scorer (15.3) and rebounder (9.2) had 18 and 11, while Knapke, second in both categories, had his fourth straight double-double, recording 15 points and 11 boards.  Between them they snatched 9 offensive boards, with the remainder of the squad contributing another 9; the 8 rebound edge on the offensive glass led to an overall rebounding advantage of +2 for the Lords (43-41).  Knapke's stats included a sequence within the last 2:00 of the game that gave the Lords a 4-point lead: he followed his shot (something so few shooters seem to do these days), grabbing the rebound while driving through the lane, and recorded the stickback and foul, which he converted.  At this point Kenyon had all the momentum as well as the enthusiasm of the student section.  However, the Lords failed to score on their next three possessions (a charge and two missed threes), while Case hit an open three and three free throws to regain a lead they would not relinquish.  Kenyon falls to 1-5; Case moves to 7-2, including a 4-1 record against NCAC opposition (lost to Earlham, beat Kenyon, Denison, Oberlin, and Hiram.)  Box score.

[David Collinge]

I don't know if I missed it, but what exactly is the deal with [Craig] Elam?  I had read in the [Daily Record] last week that he is close to returning from an injury.  What exactly is the injury?

Elam has a lingering knee injury.  He's been cleared to play, but evidently hasn't felt like he can go all-out just yet, and the coaches don't want him to play at half-speed.

I see that Elam played 8 minutes tonight at Oberlin.  (Box score.)  I further see that Evan Will did not play.  Anyone care to comment on that? 

[kiltedbryan]

I see that Elam played 8 minutes tonight at Oberlin.  (Box score.)  I further see that Evan Will did not play.  Anyone care to comment on that? 

From the play-by-play box score, it looks like Elam was in for the very end of the first half and then about the last 6-7 minutes of the second half.

Devin Fulk's first career start tonight, according to the Wooster write-up.

[Gregory Sager]

Those 4 points account for the final margin, plus one for lagniappe.

Good to see that you're still carrying around a bit of Nawlins with you, DC.

[David Collinge]

I see that Elam played 8 minutes tonight at Oberlin.  (Box score.)  I further see that Evan Will did not play.  Anyone care to comment on that? 

According to Zach Bollinger of the Daily Record ('Fulk Helps Wooster Hand it to Oberlin', subscription may be required), Evan Will has a mild hamstring pull suffered in practice this week.  His absence is the reason for Devin Fulk's first career start.