MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[smedindy]

A. The difference between the top 5 or 6 is a lot smaller than it was.
B. In 2008, it definitely wasn't Wooster and Witt.
C. I can see the NCAC winner this year at 12-4 or 11-5, instead of 14-2 as in the past. Just my gut.

[ScotsFan]

A. The difference between the top 5 or 6 is a lot smaller than it was.
B. In 2008, it definitely wasn't Wooster and Witt.
C. I can see the NCAC winner this year at 12-4 or 11-5, instead of 14-2 as in the past. Just my gut.

We've heard this prediction over the past several years as well and yet, Wooter's worst conference record was 14-2 over their 7 year reign as conference champs.  Not saying you aren't wrong in your thinking, just saying there's been years in the last 7 championship seasons where Wooster didn't appear as strong and yet the end result was the same.

[woosterbooster]

So we will play the games.  Wooster, for their part in opening the season, the exhibition portion of it anyway, should be either on their way to Illinois or already there.  The Bradley Braves, who beat DII Wisconsin-Parkside 87-77 in their first exhibition, await them tomorrow night at 7 CST.  It now appears that there might be radio coverage on Peoria's WMBD, here:

http://www.1470wmbd.com/Bradley-men-prepare-for-Wooster/11401719

After further review of Bradley's recent history, I'm lowering the unofficial over-and-under to 24.  Bradley had serious trouble last year, a poor season which included dropping their first eleven games in the Missouri Valley Conference.   

[smedindy]

A. The difference between the top 5 or 6 is a lot smaller than it was.
B. In 2008, it definitely wasn't Wooster and Witt.
C. I can see the NCAC winner this year at 12-4 or 11-5, instead of 14-2 as in the past. Just my gut.

We've heard this prediction over the past several years as well and yet, Wooter's worst conference record was 14-2 over their 7 year reign as conference champs.  Not saying you aren't wrong in your thinking, just saying there's been years in the last 7 championship seasons where Wooster didn't appear as strong and yet the end result was the same.

I hate to give credit, but now DPU's in the mix. DPU > Earlham. Another tough team Wooster will have to face, instead of dealing with the Quakers. Oh, you know it's true!!!

(don't care if Earlham's out of the league, love that callback...)

[woosterbooster]

Earlham, on the road, always gave Wooster way more trouble than anyone would have expected.  They never won, but the scores were almost always reasonably close, and sometimes the games were nail-biters.  In Wooster, however, they always played horribly, and even their uniforms had a 1972 Polish Olympic team look about them.  No doubt DePauw will be tougher, and I'm looking forward to seeing them when they come to Timken.  They make the league stronger, a little more credible, and I think that's always a good thing.  Besides, I've heard rumors that they hate Wabash, and how can you not like that?   

[smedindy]

But they're also TIGERS, which you know, is evil incarnate! 

[Gregory Sager]

At least William Blake thought so.

[sac]

Is this tournament at DePauw correct? Is there a possibility that Wabash and DePauw meet in the championship game?

http://www.depauw.edu/ath/mbasket/2012/rokicki.asp

[smedindy]

I don't know, really. Last year Wabash hosted the Tip-off Classic with DPU, Earlham and Marian and Wabash and DPU just played the other two teams. Sometimes it's like that - sometimes it's not. And Wabash has a TBA on its site for the second game, so yeah it could be an actual tournament.

[seinfeld]

I don't think I've seen mention of this yet, but Witt has a pretty significant transfer this year, maybe even more so than DeBoer of Wooster. Zach Leahy played in 30 games at Toledo last year and averaged 18 minutes and nearly five points a game. Was the Northwest Ohio Div. II Player of the Year in 2010. May be their starting point guard:

http://www.utrockets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=18000&ATCLID=205024452

[woosterbooster]

Surprise, surprise, the Bradley announcers can't pronounce Wooster.  Fer chrissakes, isn't that one of the first things you do when preparing to broadcast a game: learn how to correctly pronounce the name of the opposing school?  Geeze, now they're even calling us Wooster College.  How is it possible that these guys get these jobs?

Alright, so be it.  WQKT is going to get my input.  From now on, it's WHITE-en-berg, WAYbash, and KEANE-yon.

Ok (even as my karma drops), I just got off the phone with WMBD, the guy was very nice, and he promised to contact the announcers and correct them about both the name of the school and the pronunciation.   

[Gregory Sager]

Surprise, surprise, the Bradley announcers can't pronounce Wooster.  Fer chrissakes, isn't that one of the first things you do when preparing to broadcast a game: learn how to correctly pronounce the name of the opposing school?  Geeze, now they're even calling us Wooster College.  How is it possible that these guys get these jobs?

I agree. That's absolutely unprofessional. And WMBD can't even hide behind the usual "they're just students" excuse; WMBD is a privately-owned and professionally-operated station that is not affiliated with Bradley or any other university.

[woosterbooster]

I've got to give them real credit, though.  The guy at the station worked with me to get the name correct, and the very next time the announcers said it, they had it right.  Now, if Wooster could just guard them.  Right now, they're on a pace to lose by 80. 

[smedindy]

I haven't seen Wooster's game notes, perhaps a simple prono helper there would help in the section they list all of the other pronunciations. When I did PA, I checked the guide, but I always asked someone on the other team as well how to say some names.

[smedindy]

I've got to give them real credit, though.  The guy at the station worked with me to get the name correct, and the very next time the announcers said it, they had it right.  Now, if Wooster could just guard them.  Right now, they're on a pace to lose by 80. 

Hopefully Wooster will keep it closer than Morehouse did against Kentucky.

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/9157/getting-mad-about-the-morehouse-rout