MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[smedindy]

Thanks, Buford!

[ScotsFan]

However, how quickly you forget ScotsFan, that #1 Wooster handed #7 Wabash its first loss just two seasons ago, 67-65 in Crawfordsville. Wabash didn't actually drop in the poll with the loss. Wooster met Wabash on Jan. 8, 2011 - here's the poll from immediately after that game was played: http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/men/2010-11/week6

As far as I know, this is the only non-Woo/Witt Top 10 NCAC matchup in the D3hoops poll era.

Ah, you're right kb.  I guess I forgot because of the fact that Wabash finished that season unranked and failed to even get an at large bid to the tournament... 

[ScotsFan]

Allegheny (2-4, 8-7) @ Wooster (6-0, 12-2) - Before the big matchup Saturday, the Scots need to dispatch the Gators. Again, on paper, this shouldn't be an issue. But Allegheny keeps hanging around and hanging around in almost every game they play. They hung around again Saturday and almost knocked off the Bishops. I can see them lingering around again, for sure, just in case Wooster is peeking ahead to the OWU game. (That's not likely, of course, as Wooster is very focused on the game ahead, but still it's a bit of human nature to look forward to the big events and not notice the small events in our way.)

Ohio Wesleyan (6-0, 13-1) @ Hiram (2-4, 8-7) - This looks like a trap and smells like a trap. The Bishops can't really show up and coast by the Terriers - they're too talented. Hiram plays well at home and looked pretty decent against Kenyon. I think OWU will be ready for this game but they'll need to focus and not get sucked into the trap-game pitfall.

Both of these games have the potential to be trap games for Wooster and OWU as they look forward to their big showdown on Saturday.  However, if there is one thing, among many, that Coach Moore does well it is preparing his teams against trap games and winning the games they are supposed to win.  I'm not saying this is a guaranteed win by any means.  I'm just saying that if Wooster happens to lose tonight it's because the Gators outplayed them and not because Wooster was caught looking ahead to Saturday.

[woosterbooster]

There's also, now, another possibility.

It would make for great theater for Wooster to throw the next half dozen games, giving themselves no chance at the NCAA's save to win the conference tournament.  During this time a psuedo-inebriated Doug Cline will wander onto the court and receive a technical.  Some of the losses will feature brawls and players getting thrown into glass trophy cabinets.  Coach Moore will nearly be dismissed, only to be saved by the miraculous reappearance of Tim Vandervaart, who, with somehow another year of eligibility, will spout, "I play, coach stays. Coach goes, I go."

At this point the Scots, with the eighth and final seed in the NCAC tournament, will go on a rampage of barn-burner wins.  Wooster's last-second shots will drop for victories, while those of their opponents will actually deflate on the rim before falling awry.  Enroute to the championship game at OWU, the Scots bus will get get stuck in a blizzard.  The players and coaches will walk the final twenty-five miles, some carrying the children of other roadside victims of the storm.  Wooster will go on to win that game on a buzzer-beating 70-foot heave by Jake Mays, a strike reminiscent of his days pitching in the Little League World Series.

I can't wait for the sequel, the trip to the NCAA's!

[wooscotsfan]

Final:  Wooster 92  Allegheny 68 

Impressive win by the Scots as they shot 51% from the floor and outrebounded the Gators 43 to 23.  Wooster was led tonight by Doug Thorpe with 24 points (4 three pointers), Josh Claytor with 14 points (8 boards), Kenny DeBoer with 12 points (7 boards) and Jake Mays with 10 points (9 boards).  Scots made 9 of 18 three point shots and only had 5 turnovers.

Top scorers for Allegheny were Josh Valentic with 19 points, Chris Milon with 18 and Ryan Stanko with 12.

Wooster is now 13-2, 7-0 NCAC    Big showdown this Saturday as Wooster plays at Ohio Wesleyan

GO SCOTS!

[wooscotsfan]

Final:  Hiram 78  Ohio Wesleyan 65

[wooscotsfan]

Updated NCAC Standings:

Wooster 7-0
Ohio Wesleyan 6-1
Wittenberg 5-2
DePauw 3-4
Hiram 3-4
Oberlin 2-3
Wabash 2-4
Allegheny 2-5
Denison 2-5
Kenyon 1-5

[MIAA in Exile]

Kenyon is 2-5 after their in over Oberlin....Oberlin is 2-4.

[ScotsFan]

Nice 2nd half for the Scots tonight.  They only led by 8 at the half and blew the game open in the 2nd half.

How about Doug Thorpe's play since he cracked the starting line up due to Goodwin's injury!  I think Moore is going to have a tough time taking Thorpe out of the starting line up once Goodwin returns.

[seinfeld]

Quite a stunning result at Hiram. Not a complete shock that OWU would lose up there, as it has happened before, but by that score, very surprising.

Very odd game at Wooster. The Scots went over 31 minutes without having a foul called on them, and for the game, the two teams combined for just 10 total fouls. But it's because neither team played physical in any way. Allegheny was absolutely MIA on the defensive end, allowing 20 offensive rebounds. All the easy put backs for Wooster masked the fact that they still are missing a lot of make-able shots. One player who isn't missing anything is Thorpe. He has gone from a key bench player to the Scots best player, supplanting Xavier Brown in that role. He has been dynamic now for several games.

[WAlum]

[/quote]

Both of these games have the potential to be trap games for Wooster and OWU as they look forward to their big showdown on Saturday.  However, if there is one thing, among many, that Coach Moore does well it is preparing his teams against trap games and winning the games they are supposed to win.  I'm not saying this is a guaranteed win by any means.  I'm just saying that if Wooster happens to lose tonight it's because the Gators outplayed them and not because Wooster was caught looking ahead to Saturday.
[/quote]

Good call.  Bishops go down to Hiram.  This makes Saturday even bigger as the Scots could take serious command of the league race with a win at OWU.  I say its over if Woo wins Saturday. the middle muddle and poor teams at the bottom (only 3 league teams over .500 in the standings) make for wins for the Scots and OWU still has to head to Timken.  An OWU win and the big 3 of woo, Witt, and owu are all alive in the hunt.

[ScotsFan]

Good call.  Bishops go down to Hiram.  This makes Saturday even bigger as the Scots could take serious command of the league race with a win at OWU.  I say its over if Woo wins Saturday. the middle muddle and poor teams at the bottom (only 3 league teams over .500 in the standings) make for wins for the Scots and OWU still has to head to Timken.  An OWU win and the big 3 of woo, Witt, and owu are all alive in the hunt.

I think Witt is all but out of it.  Witt already has 2 league losses and both were at home.  They would have to win @ OWU and @ Woo to have a chance and I don't se that happening.

[smedindy]

Final:  Hiram 78  Ohio Wesleyan 65

Cue the Admiral! IT'S A TRAP!!!

[smedindy]

Other scores:

Wabash falls to Witt 50-45 after holding a lead for the entire first half. However, the offense totally died in the second.

Kenyon bests Oberlin 67-56.

DPU beats back Denison 79-65.

The middle is truly muddled, again.

[BigRedFan]

It has been a another LONG season following the Big Red this year!!!!

Is there some reason Hale isn't given a chance to display his talents!!!  Pre-season POY

The Big Red are 1-10 over the last 11 games....if you look at results of the year they have lost 6 games by a TOTAL of 16 points!!
Hale shoots the ball not even 12 times a game!!  At 52.2%!!  Does that mean if he shot it only six more time a game he adds another 6 points to his average and Denison wins ALL those games........obviously it is not that easy...but come on!!!  The kid is a great player, a team player!! Give him the ball!!!!!!!! Leave him in the game!!!  There is NO upside to having that kid on the bench!!!

For instance...last night at DePauw...Big Red is down 41-37 with 16 minutes to go........ALL THE STARTERS ARE ON THE BENCH!!!  DePauw has 3 of their 5 starters on the floor!!!!  Why is our team on the bench?  They are the starters!!!!!!!  PLAY EM!!!!  Next thing you know we are down 10 and never got close from there!!!

Well it was last year at this time the Big Red got hot and made a terrific run!!!!  Here is hoping history repeats itself!!!!!