MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[wally_wabash]

Ohio Wesleyan vs. #11 Wabash
Well, if you're Allegheny and Wabash you're happy you don't have to play OWU again. They are a young team, but as I noted a few games ago, I think they are starting to come around and play some good basketball. They held a three point lead at the half 36-33 but they Wabash came out shooting the ball quite a bit better. Wabash was 3/18 from deep in the first half, but in the second half they were 5/9 from deep. Harry Hallstrom was a beast for Wabash as he scored 20 points on 9/12 shooting. He really got going in the second half early on and OWU didn't have an answer for him. Grant Gossard was a pain to contend with and ended with 17 points as he was in foul trouble all game long. OWU threw a full court press, a 1-3-1, 2-3, and a 3-2 zone at Wabash and did a really good job defending what Wabash likes to do. Wabash only hit 8/27 3-pointers and scored 80 points, that is scary for teams in the league. OWU is going to be a tall task coming up for every team in this league. Two starters were also missing for Wabash in this one as Rotterman and Stachowski did not play. Box Score

I think Wabash is going to see a lot more of this going forward.  OWU's constantly changing zone defenses definitely had an impact in that Wabash took a lot of really poor 3FGAs in the first half.  Wabash tried to shoot over the zone(s) and it just didn't work out.  One positive is that Wabash didn't turn it over a bunch, so OWU wasn't constantly racing to the other end for easy buckets, but it did take a half of basketball for Wabash to adjust, commit to Hallstrom and Eberhard inside, and wear out the Bishops from the inside out.  Good coaching, good adjustments, good execution. 

Another thing that keeps popping up over the last couple of weeks is the depth Wabash has.  You mentioned two high-minutes guys that didn't play last night.  FR Jayden Edwards gave Wabash huge effort minutes in this game with 7 rebounds and 3 steals.  Edwards really defended the post well against some bigger dudes last night.  Until last night, Edwards was a guy that was getting the bulk of his minutes at the end of lopsided games.  It's great to see him come in and play so well.  It's a huge luxury for Brumett to be able to go, what, 10 deep(?) and not have to hide that guy when he's out there. 

Looking foward to Saturday afternoon at Timken.  Outside of the few conference tournament championship games Wabash has been a part of, it's hard to think of a bigger NCAC game than this one coming on Saturday. 

[WLGHistorian]

Let me just add my 2 cents worth.

I have seen all games in person or online.

Wabash operates at a "higher gear" when Rotterman and Davidson both start. Davidson missed the Kenyon game. Although the final score does not indicate it, Wabash did not start to pull away until towards the end of the 1st half.  It was 29-20 with 7:41 left in 1st half...37-26 at 3:57...and 44-30 at the half.


Wednesday night there was a bit of hesitation by the offense...caused both by OWU and 2 starters missing (out for the game...Rotterman and Stachowski).  OWU is tough to handle as indicated by their results recently but I still wonder how Rotterman would have altered the game.


I hope Wabash is at full strength against Wooster.  Both Wooster and Wabash struggled with their shooting Wednesday night, both teams play great defense and have some players than can turn the tide of a close game.


Looking forward to see what happens with a huge crowd and an early preview of "tournament atmosphere."

[CollegeGolf18]

Ohio Wesleyan vs. #11 Wabash
Well, if you're Allegheny and Wabash you're happy you don't have to play OWU again. They are a young team, but as I noted a few games ago, I think they are starting to come around and play some good basketball. They held a three point lead at the half 36-33 but they Wabash came out shooting the ball quite a bit better. Wabash was 3/18 from deep in the first half, but in the second half they were 5/9 from deep. Harry Hallstrom was a beast for Wabash as he scored 20 points on 9/12 shooting. He really got going in the second half early on and OWU didn't have an answer for him. Grant Gossard was a pain to contend with and ended with 17 points as he was in foul trouble all game long. OWU threw a full court press, a 1-3-1, 2-3, and a 3-2 zone at Wabash and did a really good job defending what Wabash likes to do. Wabash only hit 8/27 3-pointers and scored 80 points, that is scary for teams in the league. OWU is going to be a tall task coming up for every team in this league. Two starters were also missing for Wabash in this one as Rotterman and Stachowski did not play. Box Score

I think Wabash is going to see a lot more of this going forward.  OWU's constantly changing zone defenses definitely had an impact in that Wabash took a lot of really poor 3FGAs in the first half.  Wabash tried to shoot over the zone(s) and it just didn't work out.  One positive is that Wabash didn't turn it over a bunch, so OWU wasn't constantly racing to the other end for easy buckets, but it did take a half of basketball for Wabash to adjust, commit to Hallstrom and Eberhard inside, and wear out the Bishops from the inside out.  Good coaching, good adjustments, good execution. 

Another thing that keeps popping up over the last couple of weeks is the depth Wabash has.  You mentioned two high-minutes guys that didn't play last night.  FR Jayden Edwards gave Wabash huge effort minutes in this game with 7 rebounds and 3 steals.  Edwards really defended the post well against some bigger dudes last night.  Until last night, Edwards was a guy that was getting the bulk of his minutes at the end of lopsided games.  It's great to see him come in and play so well.  It's a huge luxury for Brumett to be able to go, what, 10 deep(?) and not have to hide that guy when he's out there. 

Looking foward to Saturday afternoon at Timken.  Outside of the few conference tournament championship games Wabash has been a part of, it's hard to think of a bigger NCAC game than this one coming on Saturday.

I agree. I wonder if Wooster will throw anything different at Wabash today. Rott and Stak are back today so that will be a plus, although I would imagine that Edwards does get a little more time than usual today still. I do think that this is the de facto championship if Wabash wins.

[wooscotsfan]

Final: #18 Wooster 91  #11 Wabash 84

Saw a great game at Timken this afternoon as Wooster led the entire game and beat Wabash to force a first place tie in the NCAC.   Both teams now 11-1.

The two best players in the NCAC rose to the challenge with Jack Davidson scoring 34 points for the Little Giants and Danyon Hempy led the Scots with 31.  Keonn Scott provided a big lift for Wooster off the bench scoring 18 and hitting 6 of 6 free throws late to ice the game when Wabash was forced to foul.  Very competitive game as Wabash cut the lead to one point in the second half and it was still a 3 point game with ~30 seconds remaining.  Yes, WAF so kudos to the Little Giants.  Wooster had a slight edge on the boards (39 to 37), made 9 three pointers compared to 4 for Wabash and the Scots had fewer turnovers that converted to an edge in transition points.

Wabash has 2 home games left (Kenyon, Oberlin) and 4 road games (Allegheny, Hiram, DePauw, Witt)

Wooster has 3 home games left (Kenyon, Oberlin, Witt) and 3 road games (OWU, Denison, DePauw)

Both squads looked like NCAA tourney teams today and they could easily meet again in the conference tournament championship game.

[wally_wabash]

It's always tough to win at Wooster and it's nearly impossible to do if you don't score for the first six minutes of the game and work back from a 14-0 deficit.  In some previous seasons or maybe even if this game had happened in December, I think Wabash would take a lot of positives away from it, but with where this team is at this point in the season, I think this was a big time missed opportunity and one that these Little Giants can kick themselves over for a couple of days.  The scoring drought at the top of the game and a few really lazy passes around the perimeter that led to runouts for Wooster were really uncharacteristic of this team and something they'll correct going forward.  In any case, all kinds of credit to Wooster for this win.  It was a must win for the Scots if they intend to host the league tournament (of course they do) and they answered the bell as they've done for so long in this league. 

Quick prediction on how this affects the polling- I think  Wooster will jump Wabash, but they'll be lumped together somewhere in the 13-14-15 area.  We'll see how that plays out later today. 

No Wednesday game for Wabash as they gear up for the Allegheny-Hiram double this Friday-Saturday.  Gotta get that sweep this weekend. 

[fantastic50]

Give Wabash a lot of credit.  After a very rough start, they kept their composure and quieted the crowd, and fought all the way to the buzzer.  I was more impressed by the LGs in this game than in their win over Wooster.  The Scots are playing better basketball now, and the game was on the road, yet Wabash wasn't that far from coming away with another win.

The remaining schedule favors Wooster slightly, but either way, I expect a terrific third game between these teams in the conference final.  Both teams are physical and talented, and each has the potential of making it to the second weekend of the NCAAs.

[sigma one]

As Wally predicted, Wooster is #13  and Wabash #14 in this week's poll.  As expected, Wittenberg, last week #24, dropped out of the Top 25.    I think the remaining schedule favors Wooster by more than a little.  Road trip this week with back to back games;  at Witt; DePauw in Greencastle on the horizon for the LGs.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

The Hoopsville Marathon Show ... is tomorrow!

Tune in starting at 12:00 p.m. ET as we talk to guests from around the country about nothing but #d3hoops.

It is all about celebrating the season, student-athletes, coaches, and an exciting season.

For more information, click here: http://bit.ly/2HGx0N3

We will share more about the show a little later.

[wally_wabash]

Interesting weekend in the North Coast.  Wabash has the tricky road back-to-back starting with Allegheny this evening and then a matinee at Hiram tomorrow.  Wooster travels to OWU where the Bishops have been playing better ball as of late.  They've won three of four, losing at Wabash in a game that they were in until the very late stages.  Wabash won the game by 12, but that was a late separation.  They also lost an OT game to Wittenberg prior to this four game stretch, so Coach DeWitt has his team figuring some things out.  Quality stuff as we hit the home stretch of the regular season. 

[wooscotsfan]

Final: Allegheny 80  Wabash 68

Allegheny pulls the big upset knocking off #14 Wabash in Meadville.  Shooting percentage was the difference in this game as the Little Giants only shot 36.6% from the floor including a cold second half where they only made 10 of 33 shots.  Jack Davidson led Wabash again with 27 points but he was only 7 of 20 from the field.  Jordan Rawls was unstoppable for the Gators with 31 points and overall, Allegheny shot 41.7% to register the win.

Wooster at 12-1 now has a one game conference lead on Wabash who is now 11-2.  Scots at OWU tomorrow.  Little Giants at Hiram.

[wooscotsfan]

Final: Wooster 76  Ohio Wesleyan 74

Wooster escapes from Delaware with a tough road win as OWU misses a three pointer at the buzzer that would have won the game.  Scots were actually down 72-66 and rallied to win the game.  Danyon Hempy had 23 points, Dontae Williams had 16 and Trenton Tipton had 13 points including a huge three pointer near the end that put Wooster back into the lead.  Dontae Williams had an ankle sprain/injury near the end of the game so it will be interesting to see if he is able to play next week.

Scots retain a one game lead over the Little Giants as Wabash knocked off Hiram today.

Wooster is now 18-3, 13-1 NCAC 

GO SCOTS!

[sigma one]

Just noticed that Wabash's Jack Davidson is working on a string of 59 straight free throws made.  He's 98/100 on FTs since late December. And 77 of his last 78. Seriously, some streak.  For the season his FT% is .926.  Wabash as a team is shooting .811.  I hope I'm not jinxing anybody.
      Good comeback today for the LGs with a win v. Hiram.  They have to finish out and let the chips fall.  Wooster is not likely to lose again.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Just noticed that Wabash's Jack Davidson is working on a string of 59 straight free throws made.  He's 98/100 on FTs since late December. And 77 of his last 78. Seriously, some streak.  For the season his FT% is .926.  Wabash as a team is shooting .811.  I hope I'm not jinxing anybody.
      Good comeback today for the LGs with a win v. Hiram.  They have to finish out and let the chips fall.  Wooster is not likely to lose again.

Single season FT streak record for d3 is 66, so he's not far off.  The career record (over multiple seasons) is 84.

[wabashsid]

Davidson's actual streak is 67 consecutive free throws made. He finished the Wilmington game making 17-of-18 free throws, but he closed out the game making eight of his last eight attempts after going 1-2 from the line with 10:21 remaining in the game. The 67 (and counting heading into Wednesday's game at DePauw) would eclipse the NCAA Division III record.

[wally_wabash]

Davidson's actual streak is 67 consecutive free throws made. He finished the Wilmington game making 17-of-18 free throws, but he closed out the game making eight of his last eight attempts after going 1-2 from the line with 10:21 remaining in the game. The 67 (and counting heading into Wednesday's game at DePauw) would eclipse the NCAA Division III record.

Just noticed that Wabash's Jack Davidson is working on a string of 59 straight free throws made.  He's 98/100 on FTs since late December. And 77 of his last 78. Seriously, some streak.  For the season his FT% is .926.  Wabash as a team is shooting .811.  I hope I'm not jinxing anybody.
      Good comeback today for the LGs with a win v. Hiram.  They have to finish out and let the chips fall.  Wooster is not likely to lose again.

I had counted 59 also, but upon further inspection, the Wooster game on 1/26 isn't located in the right sequence when I click on Davidson's game-by-game lines.  So going backward:
2/2 vs. Hiram: 5-5 (5)
2/1 vs. Allegheny: 10-10 (15)
1/26 vs. Wooster: 8-8 (23)
1/23 vs. OWU: 7-7 (30)
1/18 vs. Denison: 13-13 (43)
1/16 vs. DePauw: 0-0 (43)
1/12 vs. Kenyon: 0-0 (DNP) (43)
1/9 vs. Wittenberg: 8-8 (51)
1/5 vs. Oberlin: 8-8 (59)
12/29 vs. Bryant & Stratton: 0-0 (59)
12/28 vs. Wilmington: made the last 8 attempts after missing at 10:21 2H (67)

I think this is certified.  And impressive.