MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[David Collinge]

Miscellany:
At Delaware, OWU scored the game's first 22 points; Witt didn't get on the board until David Nowicki hit a 3 more than eight minutes in.  At about that time, Witt switched to a zone defense, and OWU struggled offensively for most of the rest of the night, with Witt generally having the run of play until the last 10 minutes or so.  But by then the damage was done; Witt never got closer than 11--although they reached that point several times.  The loss drops Witt to 11-10, the second straight year with 10+ losses for the Tigers.  The last time that happened was 1955-56, which also happens to be the last season Witt had a losing record (8-12).  The last time Witt lost 10 games in the regular season (last year they lost 9, with the 10th loss being in the NCAC tournament) was in 1967-68, which also happens to be the last season Witt had a non-winning record (13-13).

At Gambier, neither Bryan Yelvington (illness) nor Dave Jolson (injury) suited up.  When you play without your leading scorer, rebounder, and assist man, you're in trouble, even against Oberlin.  Kenyon stays in a tie with Witt for the #4 slot, and the tiebreaker is up in the air.  The two teams face each other in the last game of the season, 2/21.

Hiram's loss means the only way they can earn the tournament's #1 seed is if they win out and both Wooster and OWU lose all of their remaining games.  I'll take the under on that.

We (at OWU) got score updates during the COW/DU overtimes from the PA announcer, but nobody seemed to care much.

[M.Knapke]

Gambier-Tomsich Arena
Congratulations go out to the Oberlin Squad. With many of thier players doubling,tripeling, thier average outputs.
Storyline simply this: Kenyon squad shoots low percentage with matching output . 50 points.
Particularly impressed with Gary, Tompsett, Dilworth.
Kenyon needed more production from the Total Team.

Tough Loss for the Lords. However, it seems the Lightning Bolts were striking elsewhere in the Conference as well.
Still a ways to go into the tournament. Certainly there will be a few more twists in the plot.

Mark   

[BigRedFan]

Wow is right!! 
Great game and congrats to the Scots for pulling it out.  But the Big Red certainly deserves a whole lot of credit for putting the fear of God into them on their home floor. 

I just have two points and I know hindsight is 20/20 but with time running out and your are up 3 why not foul Hallowell?
I know there are people that say you don't want them on the line.  But really, ONLY A THREE kills you.  It was a great shot and Hallowell deserves a lot of credit.  But if I were the coach I foul him.  Put him on the line and take my chances.

Missing 3 free throws with 20 seconds left also killed the Red.  What I am curious about is why take out Garabedian, .750 from the line, and Leffew, .895.  And put in McFerren at .532 and Stuhlfauth at .667.  I am aware of the offensive/defensive switch idea but Wooster had to foul.  And McFarren, according to the season stats, is the worst free throw shooter on the team.  At crunch time don't you have your best free throw shooters on the floor.

Again, hindsight is 20/20 and I was sitting watching a computer feed so I was not there.  But it would have been such a huge win.  The guys never gave up and have been playing terrific ball down the stretch.

If there is any such thing as a moral victory this had to be it but I also think moral victories are like kissing your sister.

But my hat is off to the Big Red they played a GREAT game.

The season is not over and I really think Denison is a team that needs to be taken REAL seriously or they will bite you.

[ScotsFan]

I thought this was the game where finally Wooster's lack of post play was going to get them. They didn't look inside, and barely scored inside. And when Wooster's offense starting stagnating in the middle of the second half, particularly from the outside, you could see this problem even more.

Bryan Wickliffe's play really has me puzzled of late.  He really didn't seem to have his head in the game AT ALL last night.  Well, at least until the 2nd ot when he was pretty clutch at the line to put the game away.  I will give him that...

But, as for the rest of his game, he picks up 2 early fouls in the first 3 minutes of the 1st half causing him to become a spectator for the remainder of the half.  Then in the 2nd half, he was called for a 3 second violation not once, not twice, but three times!  And one of the violations erased a Nathan Balch 3-pointer.  I'm sorry, but it's bad enough getting a 3-second call once in a game.  But to let yourself get caught 3 times in the span of 8 minutes is a sign that you don't have your head in the game.

At least he did vindicate himself, as I said, with his ft shooting performance in the 2nd ot.  And he also earns props for snagging 10 boards and earning his 1st career double double!

[smedindy]

I do believe the conference tournament will be wide open with no 'gimme' games, even in the 1-8 game. No one will be satisfied just making the tourney.

But Witt as a #5 seed and on the road in the first round. It could happen! Wowser.

[woosterbooster]

BigRedFan -

Fouling Hollowell would have meant fouling him in the act; it was literally a catch-and-shoot situation with him after he got the dump-off from Franks.  And, he was at the very least 26 feet from the basket; very likely 27 or 28.  Even for him, that's a long, long shot.  I'd say the odds are better that he'd have made the three free throws than that jumper.  Now, why they didn't foul Franks when he was bringing the ball up the court is another story.

ScotsFan -

There's something to what you say about Wickliffe's play, but a little bit of it at least was bad luck.  On one of the three-second calls, he was the victim of great Scots' ball-movement.  Someone faked a three from the left wing.  Wick is in there for the offensive board.  A quick pass went to the corner, where it appeared another Scot was going to shoot, so Wick remained in rebounding position.  But, it was yet another fake, with another pass back to the wing.  By now Wickliffe was screwed and got called.

He was also unlucky twice in one Denison possession at the other end.  He had good rebounding position at the far end of the hoop on an attempted three-pointer from the corner.  Had his man boxed out and everything, but the ball took a long carom well over his head to the Denison guy.  This same situation then happened again, in the same possession.

On the other hand, he did miss a couple of important chippies, and those need to be put into the hoop.

It was one of those games where three or four players went from hero to goat to hero to goat to hero.  Hollowell is probably the best example, as he missed some relatively easy close-in shots and a big free throw, but also made many big threes including the monster game-saver.

It was an exciting game, marred only by the usual lousy officiating, especially during regulation when Wooster couldn't buy a call.  The fouls on Wickliffe that put him on the bench for virtually the whole first half were very suspect.  The same goes for the fouls on Bidwell, who along with Wick seem targeted by three or four of the refs that continually mar the contests at Timken Gym.

[wally_wabash]

It's amazing how Wooster can find ways to win despite getting screwed by the zebras in every single game. 

[smedindy]

Yeah, you'd think the NCAC would notice such blatant homerism, except when it's anti-homerism in Timken.

Well, it could be worse - the old ICAC refs with Eric Harmon in charge. You think Ted Valentine has issues?

[Witt4ever]

I do believe the conference tournament will be wide open with no 'gimme' games, even in the 1-8 game. No one will be satisfied just making the tourney.

But Witt as a #5 seed and on the road in the first round. It could happen! Wowser.

better than a #7 seed 

[wally_wabash]

I do believe the conference tournament will be wide open with no 'gimme' games, even in the 1-8 game. No one will be satisfied just making the tourney.

But Witt as a #5 seed and on the road in the first round. It could happen! Wowser.

better than a #7 seed 

Yeah yeah.  That's what happens when you go in the tank for three weeks and drop home games to Earlham and Denison.  Even so, I think there's a good chance Wabash can make up the one game difference on Allegheny and get the #6 seed.  Allegheny is closing with Kenyon, Wooster, and @OWU while Wabash is closing @Oberlin, Witt, @ Denison.  If the 80-points-in-36-minutes Wabash team gets back on the bus for those road games, the LGs should catch or pass Allegheny in the standings.  But we'll see what happens...I can't figure out the '08='09 LGs at all. 

[David Collinge]

Moving up from #7 to #6 is beginning to look like swapping out a trip to Wooster or OWU for a trip to Hiram.  As they say, be careful what you wish for...

[wally_wabash]

Moving up from #7 to #6 is beginning to look like swapping out a trip to Wooster or OWU for a trip to Hiram.  As they say, be careful what you wish for...

The only downside I see to getting Hiram in round 1 vs. OWU or Wooster is the length of the trip.  OWU and Wooster are teams that have recent success and routinely go deep in the tournament.  Not so much with Hiram.  I'd prefer the draw against the less experienced team. 

Even less important than that is how Wabash is playing when tournament time starts.  As we've seen, when Wabash plays well, they can beat anybody in our league.  And when they don't, they're fully capable of losing to anybody.  Just depends on which Wabash team shows up in a couple of weeks. 

[David Collinge]

I was alluding to both the length of the trip and its destination.  I don't think Wabash's chances are significantly better against Hiram than against the other two, so you may as well go to the closer and more comfortable venue.   

The LGs did recently lose to OWU by just 6, and they seem to have some kind of mojo working with Wooster, whereas they had to put on a furious comeback just to lose to Hiram by 8, and IIRC that was back when Wabash was healthy and playing pretty well.  I wouldn't count too heavily on Hiram's youth and inexperience helping; after all this is a team that had not beaten Wittenberg since 1968 until this year, when they swept the Tigers.  They also won on OWU's home court. 

If I were Wabash, the opponent (of these three) I'd want to face in the first round is Wooster.  OWU and Hiram rarely beat themselves (I still can't explain that Hiram/Franciscan game), but if Wooster is not hitting their threes, they're vulnerable.

[wally_wabash]

The inexperience factor is really about all I have to go on as I wasn't afforded the chance to see the new and improved Terriers play.  Hiram has dropped three in a row...perhaps the pressure of being in contention in February is getting to them?  It's hard to say. 

There are definitely pros and cons for any potential first round opponent.  The most important thing for Wabash is to be playing consistently well going into the tournament because if not it really won't matter who the opponent is.  Wednesday's result at Earlham (sans Aaron Brock even) is definitely a positive step for the LGs. 

[M.Knapke]

The excitement level around the League certainly is building.....
Great fun to contemplate and theorize over.
Another offered, "A team isn't measured by thier work/performance on a great day! but rather; the absolute guaranteed
minimum on thier worst day."

Let's enjoy this weekends games, good luck to all.

It's all part of the journey.

Happy Valentines Day.  Keep Smiling & Go Lords