MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[smedindy]

Frankly, I think the intrigue in the NCAC will continue for years to come! Most all of the schools (*cough, cough Allegheny*) have maintained or increased their level of play, and the top schools have shown they can recruit to fill gaps without much degradation in play.

It's a good (yet stressful) time to be an NCAC hoops fan.

[smedindy]

It's a preview:

Allegheny (3-8, 5-15) @ Wittenberg (10-1, 16-4) - This could have had the makings of a trap game if the Gators had more powerful jaws. The Old Tigers just have too much for the young Gators. It would be the upset of the year.

Ohio Wesleyan (7-4, 15-5) @ Oberlin (1-10, 6-14) - The Yeomen's season seem to have collapsed on itself after losing Josh Merritt. This will be a good game for the Bishops to get a breather before the final push to end the conference season.

Kenyon (3-8, 9-11) @ DePauw (6-5, 12-8) - DPU needs a win to get back into contention to host their first round NCAC tourney game. But this game won't be a cakewalk if the Lords play to their potential. The New Tigers should win, but need to play their game and not take Kenyon lightly.

Hiram (5-6, 12-8) @ Denison (5-6, 8-12) - This has a lot of downstream implications. The winner has a chance for fifth, depending on how DPU finishes out while the loser could be challenged by Kenyon for 7th if things break the other way. The Terriers have been quite inconsistent lately, and the Big Red have been playing better. We shall see if the trends continue.

Wabash (7-4, 15-5) @ Wooster (8-3, 17-3) - The game of the day has a 2:00 start, and in two hours the conference race could have a totally different look. A Little Giants win means Witt probably has the regular season crown, while a Scots victory could mean Wabash will have to scrap for a three-seed at best. Derek Bailey will be the key to this game - if he's fully back on track then Wabash will have their full arsenal.

[pennstghs]

Lets go Wabash!

[wooscotsfan]

At the Half:  Wooster 38  Wabash 27

Wooster was led in the half by Doug Thorpe with 11 points, Justin Hallowell with 7, Jake Mays with 7 and Josh Claytor with 6.

Top scorers for Wabash are Derek Bailey with 14 points and Nick Curosh with 8.

Scots shot 60% in the half compared to 31% for the Little Giants.

Great to check out this game from South Carolina...thanks to the internet connection. 

[wooscotsfan]

Final:  Wooster 77  Wabash 59

Excellent win for Wooster as they avenge an earlier loss to Wabash!    Scots also stay in the NCAC title race though still 2 games behind Witt.

Wooster was led by Doug Thorpe with 18 points, Justin Hallowell with 14 and Jake Mays with 9.

Top scorers for Wabash were Derek Bailey with 18 points, Andy Walsh with 10 and Nick Curosh with 9.

Wooster is now 18-3, 9-3 NCAC.    Big upcoming week with games at OWU and at Witt.

[smedindy]

Unfortunately for Wooster (and the rest), Witt avoided the trap that the Gators set. Allegheny closed to 71-70 with 1:39 left but the Old Tigers held on to win 79-72. Josh McKee and Zack Leahy had 15 for Witt, while Clayton Black added 14. Devone McLeod led everyone with 25.

[smedindy]

Denison continues its strong play, beating Hiram 81-74. Dimonde Hale led everyone with 23. Andrew Weigand led the Terriers with 21. The Big Red had a big lead but Hiram cut it to three late in the second half.

Ohio Wesleyan whaps Oberlin 81-57. No surprise there.

[David Collinge]

Jeez, I wonder what's suddenly gone right in Meadville? And why did it take 3 months for it to happen?

[imderekpoe]

Just back to Columbus from the game in Wooster.  Great performance by the Scots today!  I've gotta say that I LOVE the 5-man substitutions that they did today.  I ran some quick numbers and the '2nd team' scored more per minute than the first team, had fewer turnovers and rebounded at the same pace. Actually at one point with the Scot starters waiting to check in Carpenter called time out, and I commented that he probably wanted to get the Scots subs off the court.

[smedindy]

DPU outlasts Kenyon 92-82. Michael Wilkison led the New Tigers with 20, and Sean Haseley added 18. The Lords were led by Anthony Chun also with 20.

Standings:

Wittenberg  11-1
Wooster      9-3
OWU          8-4
Wabash      7-5
DePauw      7-5
Denison      6-6
Hiram         5-7
Kenyon       3-9
Allegheny    3-9
Oberlin       1-11

[seinfeld]

This doesn't have much relevance to the NCAC, other than it might be a team that is competing with an NCAC team for a Pool C bid, but what probably qualifies as the upset of the year, as Earlham ended a 36-game losing streak by beating Hanover, on the road no less. This is the same Hanover team that beat Ohio Wesleyan and Denison to start the season.

http://www.hanover.edu/athletics/news?a=2870

[David Collinge]

New poll:
Wooster up to #13
Wittenberg re-enters at #22
OWU and Wabash with one vote apiece
Hope is the new #1 (making Middlebury the new #2), no other GL teams ranked

DePauw women move to #4, trailing three unbeaten teams.

[pennstghs]

Big game Wednesday for both Witt and Wooster. Needless to say I"ll be rooting for OWU, as an OWU win and Wittenberg win essentially clinches the NCAC for Wittenberg. Although it'd be nice to win the conference title by beating Wooster at home Saturday 

I know, I"m sure my karma will drop with that comment 

[ScotsFan]

Big game Wednesday for both Witt and Wooster. Needless to say I"ll be rooting for OWU, as an OWU win and Wittenberg win essentially clinches the NCAC for Wittenberg. Although it'd be nice to win the conference title by beating Wooster at home Saturday 

Wednesday will definitely go a long way in determining who will take home the regular season championship.  Witt has to make the trek to C'ville where Wabash has won 3 straight over Witt and 4 of the last 6 that have been played in Chadwick.  Witt has proven that they can win on the road with impressive wins at Wooster and at OWU, but their lone NCAC loss also came on the road in that headscratching loss at Hiram.  If Witt wins at Wabash, I think it would pretty much clinch things for them as far as the regular season title goes.

Wooster hasn't had as rough of a time at OWU as Witt has had at Wabash, but the Bishops have always played Wooster tough in Branch Rickey.  Wooster has won the last 2 down in Delaware including last year's 26 point drubbing but outside of that game, Wooster's MOV in the Branch has been just over 6 ppg dating back to 2003 and they've also lost twice in that timespan down there.  This game will be far from a gimme for Wooster.  And likewise regarding a Witt win in C'ville, I think a Wooster loss in Delaware pretty much clinches things for the Tigers as well.

Could be a pivotal night in the NCAC.  A Wooster win and a Witt loss would place the pressure squarely on the shoulders of Witt clinging to a one game lead with Wooster coming to town Saturday night.  A Witt win or a Wooster loss could prove to be the clincher for breaking up the 7 year reign Wooster has had on the NCAC.

[smedindy]

As many have said, tomorrow could practically cement Witt as the NCAC regular season title-holder, or could tighten the race up big time for a huge game Saturday. Let's see what's on tap:

Oberlin (1-11, 6-15) @ Kenyon (3-9, 9-12) - Big game for the Lords to see if they can qualify for the NCAC tournament. And even if they'll be a #8 seed, Kenyon won't be that easy of an out. The Yeomen are probably wishing for a quick end to the season. I would love to hear about a status on Josh Merritt, since he was a pretty good player and without him Oberlin slips back to the bad-old-days.

Allegheny (3-9, 5-16) @ Hiram (5-7, 12-9) - You may not think this, but this is a big game for both teams. The Gators could help themselves make the NCAC tourney with a win. The Terriers are playing for seeding and more importantly, to get back into a groove. Since beating Witt, Hiram is 1-3.

Denison (6-6, 9-12) @ DePauw (7-5, 13-8) - Another hidden big game. Both teams are now scrambling for a #5 seed, but DPU can fall back into a tie for the #4 (and hosting rights) if they win and Witt beats Wabash. After the turmoil of the season, it could happen that the Big Red could find its way into the final weekend of the tourney if it gets a good seed and keeps playing well. How about that?

Wooster (9-3, 18-3) @ Ohio Wesleyan (8-4, 16-5) - A huge game and a rematch of a very close and tense game earlier in the year. A Bishops win means they are back into a tie for second and makes a Witt championship almost a foregone conclusion. A Scots win tightens the race up, and with a little help it makes Saturday's game even more intense than a regular Witt / Wooster game. Can OWU keep Wooster from getting the ball inside? Can the Scots contain Tim Brady?

Wittenberg (11-1, 17-4) @ Wabash (7-5, 15-6) - Wabash's Derek Bailey is back on his game, but the Little Giants were over-matched at Wooster and really need to get their early season mojo back. Wittenberg hasn't exactly played like gangbusters recently, but they've won. This game will be over before the others unless there are multiple overtimes, so Wooster and OWU will know the exact implications of their game before it is over. Unless, of course, they observe radio silence in Delaware. Someone cut off the internet!