MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[wally_wabash]

Dinged for a Hoosiers reference? C'mon!  

On a more serious note, Denison is an enigma to me.  A couple of years ago they were something like 0-12 and came in to Chadwick and outplayed Wabash in a big way.  The game was close and the whole time I kept thinking to myself that no matter if Denison wins or loses (they did win), I couldn't understand how on Earth they could possibly be 0-12.  There are some good players there, but getting the consistent effort every game seems to be the next step for that group to take.  

[ScotsFan]

I wouldn't say Denison is much of an enigma this season.  Losing a talented player like Farmer is a big reason the Big Red have found themselves in the midst of a 4 game losing streak.

I didn't realize he hasn't even been in the lineup at all since the Wooster game.  And in those 3 games Dension has lost by 14 to Witt, 5 to Hiram and 1 to M-SJ.  Those 15 ppg Farmer had been averaging could have helped this team tremendously over the last 3 games for Denison.  Not to mention, but when you look more closely at Farmer's numbers, it seems he was starting to really be hitting his stride heading into the Wooster game.  In the 3 games leading up to Denison's game with Wooster, Farmer was averaging over 20 ppg.  And, not surprisingly, all 3 games were Denison wins.  Furthermore, he had 8 points in the first half of the Wooster game prior to getting injured.  He finished the game with 10.

Clearly, losing a player the caliber of Farmer would be tough for any team to overcome.  But for Denison, it is proving extremely difficult to overcome...

[wooscotsfan]

...but the Scots non-conference opponents overall record right now is 35-21.
Now, the 35-21 record probably isn't telling the complete story either, since this may include some non-Div. III opponents/non-region opponents. But all that matters is that Wooster's non-conference schedule is as strong as it has ever been since the NCAA went to the criteria it now uses to select tournament teams.

Two good inregion examples of Seinfeld's point are Bethany and Ohio Northern, teams that Wooster already beat.

Excluding their loss to Wooster, Bethany is now 7-2 and tied for 1st in the PrAC.
Excluding their loss to Wooster, Ohio Northern is now 5-2 and in 2nd place in the OAC.

If the Bison and the Polar Bears keep on winning, this will help Wooster's regional ranking at year end.

[David Collinge]

New poll, if I did it right.  This one's designed to not end up as a Wooster-vs.-Wabash faceoff.

[woosterbooster]

New poll, if I did it right.  This one's designed to not end up as a Wooster-vs.-Wabash faceoff.

Are you making some hidden point about Hiram? 

[David Collinge]

Someone voted for Oberlin, and there's still no votes for Denison.  Ouch.

Saturday's action, all non-conference, all on the road:

Hiram at Case Western Reserve, 3pm -- video and live stats
Kenyon at Earlham, 3pm -- audio and live stats
Ohio Wesleyan at Franklin, 3pm -- live stats(?)

[smedindy]

Voting for Oberlin in this poll is like casting your ballot for the Very Silly Party.

Malcolm Peter Brian Telescope Adrian Umbrella Stand Jasper Wednesday (pops mouth twice) Stoatgobbler John Raw Vegetable (whinnying) Arthur Norman Michael (blows squeaker) Featherstone Smith (whistle) Northgot Edwards Harris (fires pistol, then 'whoop') Mason (chuff-chuff-chuff-chuff) Frampton Jones Fruitbat (laughs) (squeaker) Gilbert (sings) 'We'll keep a welcome in the' (three shots) Williams If I Could Walk That Way Jenkin (squeaker) Tiger-drawers Pratt Thompson (sings) 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head' Darcy Carter (horn) Pussycat (sings) 'Don't Sleep In The Subway' Barton Mainwaring (hoot, 'whoop') Smith - 2

[GoRed]

Someone voted for Oberlin, and there's still no votes for Denison.  Ouch.

I had to go with my head, not my heart.  Besides, everyone would know where the lone vote came from.

I'm going to try to watch Hiram vs. Case on video this afternoon since the Big Red has been up against both already this season.  The outcomes of those games, along with Case's record, would lead one to believe Hiram should win.  But if Case can use its height properly, they could give the Terriers a lot of trouble.  Hiram will have to hit their outside shots if Case defends properly. 

[David Collinge]

I'm a little surprised at the strength of support for Hiram in the poll.  I kind of figured that OWU would take this one in a walk, based on reputation if not YTD results.  And actually, their results haven't been that bad.  They got trounced by Wooster, but that's not really much of a demerit.  They lost relatively close games at Wabash and DePauw, and beat two teams that have beaten Wittenberg, including Capital at Capital.  Hiram did show up better against both Wooster and Wabash, and they have a better record than the Bishops, but against generally weaker competition I'd say. 

Full disclosure: I voted for Hiram myself, because I'm in the "rebounding wins championships" camp.  I figure these two are the top contenders to meet in the 4/5 game, and decided to favor the Pups because I think they have a better chance to win in Delaware (Feb. 5) than the Bishops do in Hiram (Jan. 15).  (Those are two games I'd like to be at, by the way.) 

I'm curious about the reasons you voters had for selecting the teams you did in this poll.

[smedindy]

My reasoning? Hiram's better.

[David Collinge]

Both Hiram and OWU have big second-half leads this afternoon.  Kenyon, however, is struggling at Earlham, tied inside the final 4:00.

[David Collinge]

For those watching Hiram destroy Case who perhaps have never been to Horsburgh Gym, you might like to know that the camera is inside the student workout facility, and the sound you're hearing is Case coeds running, and chatting, on treadmills.  Makes for an interesting play-by-play.

Hiram finishes off the blowout, winning 103-69.  Pups were +12 on the glass and led by Aaron Stefanov's 20 points, mostly on 6/6 shooting from the arc.  Hiram shoots a robust 59%, including 13/23 (57%) from University Circle, and forces 21 Spartan turnovers.  

Earlham gains their second victory of the season, both over embarrassed NCAC teams, as the Qs beat Kenyon 76-70.  Evan McCulley had 16 while Kodey Haddox was held to just 4 points.

OWU holds off Franklin, 82-66.  Tim Brady's 24 leads four Bishops in double figures.  If OWU had done a better job on their many free throws (20/34), it wouldn't even have been this close.

NCAC non-conference record stands at 32-25. 

[wally_wabash]

They lost relatively close games at Wabash and DePauw, and beat two teams that have beaten Wittenberg, including Capital at Capital. 

In the interest of accuracy, OWU's game at Wabash was not a close game.  Wabash scored the first 12 points, held a 20-point advantage for most of the second half, and the Bishops never mounted any kid of meaningful comeback. 

[woosterbooster]

I've seen both OWU and Hiram and the pups were easily the top dog.  Perhaps Wooster just matches up better against this OWU team, although they really didn't impress in any facet of the game.  Hiram can hit the offensive boards and pressure the ball.  If they make shots and don't give up too many layups, they're capable of beating anyone, including Wooster or Wabash.  Not so the Bishops.

[wooscotsfan]

Hiram got my vote in the poll because I think that they are more athletic than the other teams and capable of pulling an upset of the Top 3 if they play well as Wooster Booster also noted.

Surprising result in the OAC tonight - Otterbein upsets John Carroll 86-83.  JCU drops to 6-3 overall, 2-2 OAC.

Which JCU shows up for the Mose Hole?  The one that beat a tough CCIW team (Carthage) on the road or the one that lost to Ott this evening?  JCU will probably be motivated to upset a top ranked Wooster team so the Scots should be ready for the full court pressure.