MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[imderekpoe]

No word on the Scot's winter roadtrip yet?

The entire schedule is now posted and it doesn't look like there's a winter trip this year.

With the 18 conference games, 2 home tourneys, and the early game against Cabrini it would be really tough to fit in their normal winter trip.  As a result they have a 12-day break between the Bradford game and the Mose Hole!

http://www.woosterathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2014-15/schedule

[David Collinge]

There is no winter trip, but evidently there was a fall one.

From the Scots' Facebook feed:

The Scots have returned from a nine-day trip to Spain that was a success on all fronts. Great experience, and three wins in four games. More details about the trip in the coming days.

Less than five weeks until the season opener.

[Urban For Prez]

If a basketball game is played in the heart of football season, is it really played at all? Wittenberg officially (or maybe it's unofficially) began its 2014-2015 season with an 80-69 loss to the University of Guelph in Canada.  No video, so all insight comes straight from the box score.  The Tigers lost every quarter (FIBA rules people) except the 4th, but mostly hung close with the Gryphons, who were playing their fourth game of the season. Sam Collins and Brock Kiesler were the only two Tigers in double figures. 

Some interesting notes: Jaelin Williams, a sophomore from nearby Shawnee HS, started the game and played a near-team high 20 minutes.  But he wasn't the only underclassmen to see playing time.  Not even close.  In fact, 11 of the 14 players who played tonight were underclassmen, with 5 of those players seeing their first "varsity" action.  Ben Bowen appears to be the early starter at PG, but certainly much can change before Wittenberg opens the season at Oberlin.  I was somewhat surprised to see John Albertson getting the start over Kiesler.  I really liked the potential Kiesler showed last year, and his stat line tonight suggests he might deserve some further consideration for that starting role. Of course, this could also just be a case of Coach Brown giving deference to seniors early in the season. Missing from the box score was Alex Fultz, who started 3 games and played in 23 last season.  Need to figure out whether he's yet another Tiger lost to attrition or whether he's missing the trip for another reason. Different looking team without Masin, Leahy, and Newell, but excited for the future of the program.

[smedindy]

That has to be an exhibition....

[woosterbooster]

The Wittenberg team went to Canada?  And we let them back IN?  (Sorry, just stretching a bit before the season starts.) 

[Urban For Prez]

That has to be an exhibition....

Yes, definitely an exhibition.  For both Wittenberg and the Canadian teams, as I understand.  I merely meant this was the official beginning of Wittenberg's season. 

The Tigers returned to Springfield (sorry WoBo) yesterday afternoon with a 1-2 record, but also with some apparent optimism for the upcoming season.  Following their loss to Guelph, Wittenberg defeated York University on a last-second three pointer, and ended the trip with a seven-point loss at Windsor--a team that recently beat IPFW.  It's hard to discern much from an out-of-country trip in which all 14 Tigers played in each game.  However, this much is clear: Wittenberg will be very young this year.  You're going to see plenty of sophomores and freshmen in the usual 10-man rotation.  And maybe that's not bad.  At times, I think Brown has been overeager to play freshmen in the past. Given the roster composition this year, however, I think his hand might be forced.  If the group is as talented as promised, this year may mark the beginning of an exciting 3-4 years.  If not, at least the young players will get needed experience. If nothing else, it sounds like Brown is encouraged from the team's play in Canada.   

[Ralph Lee Wilson]

I just looked through Wabash's roster and saw that Ross Sponsler wasn't there.  I know he was injured, but is he out for good?

[Urban For Prez]

Lost in the shuffle of last week's decisive football game (congrats to Coach Fincham and the Tigers) was the NCAC's preseason basketball poll.  Here's how the coaches voted on the men's side: 

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

What's surprising?

DePauw's rank, although I think it's deserved.  The New Tigers return a legitimate POY candidate (if not the POY frontrunner) in 6'9" senior center Tommy Ferentz.  Collectively, the league's big men aren't nearly as strong as they've been in the past 8-9 years.  Ferentz is simply going to overpower some teams in the NCAC, Wittenberg possibly included.  That combination of size and skill can be troublesome at this level.  Be prepared to see plenty of his left-handed drop-step hook shoot.  And be prepared to see it go in.  DePauw's guards are still a question mark and Coach Fenlon is still waiting to make his mark in the NCAC, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the New Tigers in the NCAA tournament this year.

Wabash's rank, although I also think it's deserved.  Last year's Little Giant team finished with losing records overall and in the NCAC, making their preseason rank somewhat suspect.  But their roster boasts as much young talent as any in the league. Kyle Alton is a good scorer, and Purvilicius showed signs of genuine promise last year.   The most persuasive justification of their relatively high ranking, however, is the new coach in town.  The Antoine Carpenter experience simply didn't work out.  Coach Brummet was one of the top coaches in the HCAC, and should lead Wabash back into contention.  If Sponsler is out, that definitely changes the picture, but I still expect Wabash to take a Giant step forward this year.

Oberlin outside of the cellar.  Coach Cavaco has definitely changed the atmosphere surrounding the program in recent years, even if his records haven't always indicated that intangible shift.  I didn't catch too many Oberlin games last year, so I don't have much else to offer regarding this season's outlooks.  Perhaps the other coaches recognized that a 6'9" junior averaging 9 and 7 may spell success for the Yeomen in the future. 

What's not surprising?

Wooster and the other top three teams.  It pains me to say it, but the league goes through Wooster until someone proves otherwise.  Their recent success is undeniable, and while they lost some key contributors from last year's team, they bring back Xavier Brown.  And that's enough to warrant the spot atop the poll.  Similarly, I would put Wooster, DPU, Witt, and OWU in a tier ahead of the remaining six teams.  Wabash and Dension may be able to pull off a couple "upsets" at home, but I expect those four teams to finish at the top of the league again this year. 

[smedindy]

I'm just shocked at how far Allegheny has fallen in hoops and in football...

[sac]

DePauw shouldn't be that much of a surprise at two.  They handled Witt twice in the regular season last year easily and were in line to be the NCAC's at-large bid for the NCAA tournament, but for some reason lost to Witt in the NCAC tournament and consequently didn't make the tournament.  Witt lost far more to graduation than DePauw.

[Urban For Prez]

DePauw shouldn't be that much of a surprise at two.  They handled Witt twice in the regular season last year easily and were in line to be the NCAC's at-large bid for the NCAA tournament, but for some reason lost to Witt in the NCAC tournament and consequently didn't make the tournament.  Witt lost far more to graduation than DePauw.

No arguments that DePauw owned Wittenberg during the regular season.  And no argument that Wittenberg lost more than DePauw in the offseason.  In fact, I would have had no issue with the coaches ranking Wittenberg last out of the current "Power 4" given the letter winners they graduated last May.  Perhaps "surprising" was a poor word choice, but I do think DePauw's preseason rank is somewhat unexpected.  I would have said the same if the coaches had picked Wittenberg to finish second as well.  DePauw has never finished higher than fourth in the league.  Picking them to finish second is predicting them to accomplish unprecedented success.  But, as I said, I think these expectations are warranted given their roster this year.  So, admittedly, maybe "surprise" wasn't the most accurate way to describe DePauw's ranking. 

[smedindy]

DPU's never finished higher than fourth, but they haven't been in the league that long.

I personally hope my LG's stop DPU from finishing highly this year.

[Urban For Prez]

Xavier Brown listed as a First Team Preseason All-American.

http://www.d3hoops.com/awards/all-americans/men/preseason-2015

[sac]

Ummm, what?

Oberlin 65 Wittenberg 63
http://www.wittenbergtigers.com/sports/mbkb/2014-15/boxscores/20141115_12j7.xml

[smedindy]

I....I just don't know...

Wittenberg was 74-6 against Oberlin all time. The last time Oberlin beat Wittenberg? Feburary of 1979....