MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[kiltedbryan]

Well, since I have a kid at Wooster, and since it is in Hope's interest for Wooster to win tonight, I'll be pulling vigorously for the Scots. My daughter said something about some kind of big dance on campus tonight. Am I right in assuming that is going to conflict with the game?

I believe that there's a Roaring 20's dance tonight, but I think its not until after the game.


My sources tell me it's winter gala at Woo, but having gametime at 7 p.m. should help.  Plus, it's Woo-Witt, for the championship.  I suspect students will still make it out, plus I would anticipate a pretty large community audience.  Should be a great game atmosphere.

[goscots]

I'm hoping Brandon Johnson's thumb injury isn't severe enough to keep him from playing. He has really been playing well lately. Because of his discontinuous time on the team (ala-Ryan (Jimmy) Snyder), no one noticed that last nights game was Brandon's 100th win as a Scot (26-4, 29-5, 23-5, 22-5). I am counting the two games he did not play in this year (not sure when the second was but I remember he missed the first game of the Moses Hole).

[David Collinge]

ScotsFan,
In yesterdays post, you mention the"dearly departed Wooster Booster."
His initials would not happen to be E.E.?

(On behalf of ScotsFan): no, they wouldn't.

[ScotsFan]

OWU's coach [definitely] has a right to be jacked.

Personally, DeWitt had more to be displeased about wrt his own team than thinking Coach Moore was trying to show up the Bishops.

Not being there (or having paid the extortionist video fee), all I can add is that both of these statements can be, and probably were, true at the same time.  I've no doubt that Coach DeWitt's displeasure at the performance of his team only made him more easily upset by factors external to his team.  To the best of my knowledge, Mike DeWitt and Steve Moore are on very friendly terms, and that each accords the other the highest respect.

I just look at it from the standpoint that Coach Moore isn't in the business of showing other coaches up.  Was it a mistake not having his roster better prepared pre-game?  Yes.  Was it an honest mistake?  Again, I believe the answer to be yes.  I also agree with David wrt the relationship between Moore and DeWitt and I'm sure Moore has probably explained himself and apologized and at the same time, DeWitt doesn't strike me as the type that is going to hold a grudge.

[fantastic50]

Well, since I have a kid at Wooster, and since it is in Hope's interest for Wooster to win tonight, I'll be pulling vigorously for the Scots. My daughter said something about some kind of big dance on campus tonight. Am I right in assuming that is going to conflict with the game?

I believe that there's a Roaring 20's dance tonight, but I think its not until after the game.


My sources tell me it's winter gala at Woo, but having gametime at 7 p.m. should help.  Plus, it's Woo-Witt, for the championship.  I suspect students will still make it out, plus I would anticipate a pretty large community audience.  Should be a great game atmosphere.

Yes, the Winter Gala is tonight, with a Roaring 20's theme and swing band, but it starts at 10:00 p.m., giving students well over an hour in between the two.  A couple of my students wanted to know if my wife and I were coming to the dance, and I thought it was a great idea until I heard how late it starts.  We'll get our minute-and-a-half in the spotlight shortly before tip-off, and then let the students have the rest of the evening.

Let's go Scots!

[David Collinge]

We'll get our minute-and-a-half in the spotlight shortly before tip-off, and then let the students have the rest of the evening.

Let's go Scots!

Are you a piper as well as a professor?

[smedindy]

If you're even thinking about playing them, dress them and put 'em in the book at any rate. Scorebook mistakes happen (see Matt Painter this year), but I think it's bad form to send someone into the locker room during the game.

[kiltedbryan]

Unlike most Wooster-Wittenberg games, Wooster has come out strong tonight while Witt hasn't shot well at all (2-11 from the field).

16-6 Scots, Witt timeout at 11:54 in the first.

21-13 Scots, 9:20 left.  Balch has 12 for Wooster in the early going (2 threes).  

23-18 Scots, 6:30.  Witt has had the better of the play for a few minutes; Wooster missed five straight shots at one sequence.  

30-20 Scots, 4 mins left.  Balch has 14, but also two fouls and is sitting now.  Fegan hits his first hoop of the night, a 3, to push it to 33-20, the Scots' biggest lead so far.

Both teams protecting the ball well; only 3 turnovers apiece.  At the line, Wickliffe makes both and moves it to 35-20.  Wick has 10 pts in the half.

Cooper has 8 for Witt.  He's been the best offensive force so far for the Tigers.  Now commits a foul and he'll sit probably for the rest of the half.

Scots catch another run...pushing the lead out to 45-27 at the half.  The Scots have turned in another dominating first half, doing well in all phases of the game in the first half.  Wooster is shooting about 45% while holding Wittenberg under 30%, and that's the story of the game so far.

[kiltedbryan]

Wittenberg is making a strong comeback by shooting very well in the second half.  Cooper leads with 17 for Witt, but Hieber and Sullivan are doing the damage as well from 3.

64-57 Scots lead, 9:30 left.  Witt has outscored Wooster 30-19 in the second half so far.

[kiltedbryan]

Congratulations to the Fighting Scots for another NCAC Tournament Championship!!

Wooster wins 88-77 over Wittenberg and will now wait to see if they have earned hosting rights for the first rounds of the NCAAs.
Wittenberg likely saw their fine season end tonight, but they will wait and see if an (unlikely) Pool C bid materializes.

[fantastic50]

We'll get our minute-and-a-half in the spotlight shortly before tip-off, and then let the students have the rest of the evening.

Are you a piper as well as a professor?

No, although that would have been cool.  We just sang the national anthem.  I was a little bit disappointed that there were no pipers there tonight, but perhaps the rules pertaining to hosting post-season play don't allow for that.

Congrats to the Scots on getting the win over rival Witt and (more importantly) another NCAC title!  Hopefully, there will be more basketball in Timken next weekend.

[ArmingtonCave]

We'll get our minute-and-a-half in the spotlight shortly before tip-off, and then let the students have the rest of the evening.

Are you a piper as well as a professor?

No, although that would have been cool.  We just sang the national anthem.  I was a little bit disappointed that there were no pipers there tonight, but perhaps the rules pertaining to hosting post-season play don't allow for that.

Congrats to the Scots on getting the win over rival Witt and (more importantly) another NCAC title!  Hopefully, there will be more basketball in Timken next weekend.

I was at the game, you two did an excellent job.  I ran into Dr. Hodges tonight too (who I had for First Year seminar 20 years ago) he looks good. 

[David Collinge]

Nathan Balch was named the MVP of the tournament.  He was joined on the all-tournament team by teammate Ian Franks (who was 14 of 16 at the free throw line, all in the second half--talk about clutch!), Tigers Michael Cooper and David Hieber (a rookie), OWU's Tim Brady, and Chase Haltom of Wabash (the only senior in the bunch.)  Congratulations to all six, and to the victorious Fighting Scots! 

[seinfeld]

Good day for Wooster athletics, both short term and long term. Will start with short term.

Nathan Balch is becoming Mr. February/March. In six career postseason games for Wooster, Balch is averaging 17.8 ppg, shooting 67% (37-of-55) from the field and 66% (21-of-32) from three-point range. Another remarkable aspect of the win is how well Wooster played despite having two starters (Johnson & Hallowell) well below 100%. If it weren't for a couple of real shaky calls on Wickliffe at the end of the first half and Balch having to sit early in the second half, Witt never would have made their run, as the Scots came out in the second half playing like they did in the first.

As for hosting, Wooster will definitely host. They will be the No. 1 team in the Great Lakes Region. It's just a matter of who they will play.

As for long term, the College announced today that they will begin construction on a rec center, after all these years. Here is a snippet from the email that was sent out:

The board has voted to authorize construction of a 123,000 square foot Student Recreation Center, the first phase of our long-term master plan for the Campus Center. The timeline for the project is aggressive, but it means that those entering Wooster as first-year students this fall will be able to use the new facility by the second semester of their sophomore year.

This will be, in dollar terms, the largest capital project the College has ever undertaken: $30 million.

[ArmingtonCave]

Good day for Wooster athletics, both short term and long term. Will start with short term.

Nathan Balch is becoming Mr. February/March. In six career postseason games for Wooster, Balch is averaging 17.8 ppg, shooting 67% (37-of-55) from the field and 66% (21-of-32) from three-point range. Another remarkable aspect of the win is how well Wooster played despite having two starters (Johnson & Hallowell) well below 100%. If it weren't for a couple of real shaky calls on Wickliffe at the end of the first half and Balch having to sit early in the second half, Witt never would have made their run, as the Scots came out in the second half playing like they did in the first.

As for hosting, Wooster will definitely host. They will be the No. 1 team in the Great Lakes Region. It's just a matter of who they will play.

As for long term, the College announced today that they will begin construction on a rec center, after all these years. Here is a snippet from the email that was sent out:

The board has voted to authorize construction of a 123,000 square foot Student Recreation Center, the first phase of our long-term master plan for the Campus Center. The timeline for the project is aggressive, but it means that those entering Wooster as first-year students this fall will be able to use the new facility by the second semester of their sophomore year.

This will be, in dollar terms, the largest capital project the College has ever undertaken: $30 million.

Interesting.  I assume it will be located where the Field Hockey field is now and attach to Armington PEC?