MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[wooscotsfan]

9:00 left:  Wooster 46  Allegheny 29

Scots on a 14-1 run.  Justin Hallowell has 13 points so far in the 2nd half.   Nathan Balch with 8 pts. in the half

5:20 left  Wooster 50  Allegheny 35

OWU Update:  OWU 50  Oberlin 47 with ~8:00 left in Oberlin
OWU Update:  Oberlin 54  OWU 50 with ~6:00 left!

~1:50 left:  Wooster 52  Allegheny 38  Scots winning with defense and they will get the win in Meadville!

OWU Update:  Oberlin 58  OWU 53  with 3:52 left
OWU Update:  OWU 60  Oberlin 59  with 1:04 left, Yeomen have the ball
Oberlin missed shot, Bishops rebound with 0:50 left
Kyle Holliday scores again,  OWU 62  Oberlin 59  0:18 left  Yeomen ball and timeout
OWU fouls with only 4 secs left: 2 FT's by Oberlin  OWU 62 Oberlin 61, OWU ball and Oberlin timeout
OWU misses free throw (1&1) but OWU rebounds, Oberlin foul with 2 secs left:
OWU makes 2 FTs, Oberlin misses desparation shot
Final:  OWU 64  Oberlin 61  Bishops escape with a nailbiting road win.  Yeomen led this game with 1:20 left.

[wooscotsfan]

Final:  Wooster 52  Allegheny 39

Wooster was led tonight by Justin Hallowell with 17 points (15 points in the 2nd half), Nathan Balch with 10 points and Marty Bidwell also with 10 points.

Allegheny was led by George Raftis with 13 points and Henry Heeter with 10 points.

Ugly win for Wooster as they shot 33% from the floor but they held the Gators to less than 30% shooting.

Wooster is now 18-6, 13-2 NCAC

[wooscotsfan]

Final:  Wabash 68  Wittenberg 43

Wabash gets the home win.  Little Giants led by Chase Halton with 22 points and Wes Smith with 16 points.  Kevin Murray led Wittenberg with 8 points.

[Witt4ever]

Kenyon 75
Hiram 74 OT

[wooscotsfan]

All the 2/18 NCAC Final Scores in One List:

Denison 72  Earlham 70  Big Red clinch their NCAC tourney berth
Kenyon 75  Hiram 74 OT  Arce hits 3 pointer with 9 secs left for win with no Yelvington
Wabash 68  Wittenberg 43  Little Giants made 12 three pointers to get the win
Wooster 52  Allegheny 39
Ohio Wesleyan 64  Oberlin 61

[wooscotsfan]

Current NCAC Standings thru 2/18 Games:

1.  Wooster 13-2, 18-6
1.  Ohio Wesleyan 13-2, 17-6
3.  Hiram 10-5, 15-9
4.  Kenyon 9-6, 15-9
5.  Wittenberg 8-7, 12-12
6.  Wabash 6-9, 11-12
6.  Allegheny 6-9, 10-14
8.  Denison 5-10, 8-16
9.  Earlham 3-12, 3-21
10. Oberlin 2-13, 5-19

[smedindy]

Final:  Wabash 68  Wittenberg 43

Wabash gets the home win.  Little Giants led by Chase Halton with 22 points and Wes Smith with 16 points.  Kevin Murray led Wittenberg with 8 points.

With that offensive output, is Wittenberg gunning for membership in the Big 10?

Mark Turpin got a start - great for Mac and Mark. Turpin played 16 minutes, boosting his season total to 30. Going into this season, he had played 10 total minutes for the varsity. Wow. Sweet

And it was sweeter because 'Bash clocked Witt.

[David Collinge]

Seeding update:

#1/#2: Wooster will be the #1 seed if they beat Earlham on Saturday or if OWU loses to Allegheny.  Otherwise the top seed goes to OWU.
#3: Hiram, which owns the tie-breaker with Kenyon, should they need it.
#4/#5:  Kenyon has clinched at least a share of fourth place for the second consecutive year.  They will face Wittenberg on Saturday in Springfield, and the winner of that game will host the rematch on Tuesday in the NCAC quarterfinals.
#6/#7/#8:  There are four possibilities based on the outcomes of two Saturday games:
  a) OWU beats Allegheny; Wabash beats Denison:  Wabash #6, Allegheny #7, Denison #8
  b) OWU beats Allegheny; Denison beats Wabash:  all three tied for 6th, and the seeding would be Denison #6, Wabash #7, Allegheny #8
  c) Allegheny beats OWU; Wabash beats Denison:  WC and AC tie for 6th, with the seeds Wabash #6, Allegheny #7, Denison #8
  d) Allegheny beats OWU; Denison beats Wabash:  WC and DU tie for 7th; seeds Allegheny #6, Denison #7, Wabash #8

Oberlin and Earlham have failed to make the tournament field.

[BigRedFan]

CONGRATS to the Big Red for making it back to the BIG DANCE!!!!   

Hindsight again being 20/20 the Big Red could easily be 9-6 had they beat Allegheny on 12/6 (64-5-63) and Oberlin on 1/11 by the same score, both games at Denison.

And this past week they had Wooster and Hiram beat. 

But again, would da, should da, could da doesn't win the games but they sure have played well down the stretch. 

I am real happy for the coach and the kids for not folding and getting themselves back into the tournament!!!

[wally_wabash]

The Little Giants continue to mystify...great stuff in thrashing Wittenberg (always a good time when that happens). 

And now it's on to Denison to earn that #6 seed.  Should Wabash do that, they'll enter the tournament riding a 4-gamer and draw a Hiram team that will have lost four or five of their last six.  Revisiting last week's conversation, I think it's becoming clearer that drawing a scuffling Hiram team is preferable to drawing either OWU or Wooster at this point.  But that, of course, all hinges on Wabash getting that win in Granville on Saturday.  I'd have to believe that Wabash learned their lesson a couple of weeks ago and will come out ready to match Denison's energy.  The LGs certainly did not do that when they hosted the Big Red at Chadwick. 

With that offensive output, is Wittenberg gunning for membership in the Big 10?

I watched the Penn State/Illinois "game" last night.  39-33...with a shot clock and a three point line?  Embarassing.  Those two set basketball back 40 years.  The "competing" institutions and the league should issue an apology to the general public for that abomination.   

[David Collinge]

Wittenberg is now 12-12.  They basically need to sweep Kenyon on Saturday and Tuesday to guarantee their 41st straight winning season.  They could lose Saturday, but then they'd have to win the NCAC tournament to have a winning season.  The other version of this streak, non-losing seasons, sits at 52 years, and would be extended to 53 with a win Saturday.  If they lose Saturday, they need to reach the NCAC finals to finish 14-14 or better.

Take a moment to let that soak in, if you never have before.

The last time Wittenberg's men's team had a losing record in a complete season was 53 years ago, in 1955-56.  Since then, they've only had one .500 season, in 1967-68.  Those are Joe DiMaggio-like streaks, absolutely mind-boggling.  I know the Tigers aren't everyone's favorite team in here, but partisanship aside, these are achievements I think we all can and should applaud.

Wittenberg record book (pdf)

[Gregory Sager]

Agreed, DC. It's also interesting to look back upon the 2006 Final Four and check out where those teams are this season:

1. Virginia Wesleyan	13-11	7-8 ODAC
2. Wittenberg	12-12	8-7 NCAC
3. Illinois Wesleyan	13-11	5-8 CCIW
4. Amherst	19-5	7-2 NESCAC

Only Amherst has thrived this season, although of course one can't help but wonder what the record of the Lord Jeffs would look like if the NESCAC played a double round-robin rather than a single.

There may be a perception out there that it's the same teams that dominate D3 over and over every year, and that's not really true.

[woosterbooster]

I know the Tigers aren't everyone's favorite team in here, but partisanship aside, these are achievements I think we all can and should applaud.

Ok, I've applauded them, silently.  Now, if you'll pardon me, I'm going to root like hell for Kenyon.

[drt]

Woo Boo,
Your karma reflects how truely classless you and your opinions are.  Class equals respect for your traditional rivals.  Woo-Witt is one of the great rivalries in D3. 
Wallow in your enjoyment of Witt's down year.  I doubt Steve Moore is.....
I don't see your team ranked highly in any polls, and I see it as an unfortunate trend for the NCAC, not as an opportunity to gloat.
Not that you would understand the nuance of this post, but I thought I would throw it out there for everyone else.

[wooscotsfan]

The last time Wittenberg's men's team had a losing record in a complete season was 53 years ago, in 1955-56.  Since then, they've only had one .500 season, in 1967-68.  Those are Joe DiMaggio-like streaks, absolutely mind-boggling.  I know the Tigers aren't everyone's favorite team in here, but partisanship aside, these are achievements I think we all can and should applaud.

Congratulations to Wittenberg on an amazing streak.  Not having a losing season since 1955-56 is an impressive accomplishment.

Many posters on this board probably know that the North Coast (NCAC) includes the two winningest teams in all of Division III basketball.  Entering this season, Wittenberg was #1 in all time wins with 1,575 and Wooster was #2 with 1,472.   Each team deserves a smiley face on those numbers!