MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[David Collinge]

Both Wooster and Wittenberg have gymnasiums (gymnasia?) that seat 3000 or more spectators, and that's generally enough for these games.  Witt didn't sell out in December (about 2900), and I'll be surprised if Wooster sells out Saturday (I expect about 3000).  This isn't Hope/Calvin, where they could probably admit 10,000 if they had enough seats.

[smedindy]

I agree - keep neutral sites restricted to the tourney. It's funny, though, Indiana and Kentucky play their series at 'neutral sites', but the RCA Dome and Freedom Hall aren't really 'neutral' even though half the tickets go to each team.

[kiltedbryan]

As a Hiram fan its tough to add anything to a debate regarding a need of tickets.

This is such a big game, any chance it could ever be played at a neutral site say Akron, OSU? Now that would be fun, right? Just a thought...

The only neutral-site games that I've seen work are the Wooster-Orrville and Wooster-Triway high school games held at Timken Gym at The College of Wooster.  They work because it provides a larger venue for the heavily-attended local interest game.  Travel doesn't really become an issue, and the game draws attention from the whole county.  However, the games themselves haven't really been that interesting recently, as Wooster's current high school basketball teams are, well, distrubingly bad.

For Woo-Witt, from seeing this rivalry in both gyms, you just have to have that defense of home court element that just adds to the underlying tension.

[David Collinge]

Here's how the NCAC teams stack up in the latest NCAA stats update (through 1/28):

Scoring offense: Wooster #8, 90.1 ppg (#1 is Redlands, 121.2)
Scoring defense: Wittenberg #10, 60.2 ppg; Ohio Wesleyan #43, 63.1 ppg (NYU, 56.6)
Scoring margin: Wooster #2, +19.7; Ohio Wesleyan #13, +14.7; #40 Wittenberg, +10.3 (Amherst +24.0)
FG %: Wooster #7, 51.1% (Whitworth, 53.4%)
FG % Defense: Wittenberg #14, 39.1%; Ohio Wesleyan #43, 40.6% (NYU, 34.7%)
3-pt. FG per game: Wooster #12, 10.2; Ohio Wesleyan #50, 8.2 (Grinnell, 18.5)
3-pt. FG%: Wooster #10, 41.5% (Hope, 44.5%)
Free Throw %: Hiram #4, 78.3%; Wooster #17, 75.9%; Oberlin #19, 75.5%; Earlham #24, 75.0% (UW-Stevens Point, 83.6%)
Rebound Margin: Wooster #25, +6.7; Ohio Wesleyan #26, +6.5; Wittenberg #49, +5.2 (NYU, +11.8 )
Assists per game: Wooster #10, 18.8 (Emory & Henry, 21.7)
Blocked Shots per game: [no NCAC teams in top 50] (Gettysburg, 6.7)
Steals per game: [no NCAC teams in top 50] (Redlands, 19.6)
Turnovers per game: Ohio Wesleyan #8, 11.7; Wittenberg #13, 12.3; Earlham #16, 12.4; Wooster #35, 13.2 (UW-Stevens Point, 8.7)
Personal Fould per game: Earlham #15, 15.3; Wittenberg #38, 16.1 (Carleton, 13.2)

(I was going to give individual leaders as well, but the NCAA stats site has gone down )

[David Collinge]

NCAC players found among the individual statistical leaders in the NCAA (through games of 1/28):

Points per game: #43 Dan Hodgkinson, Denison, 19.8 (Mike Hoyt, Mt. St. Mary [NY], 33.3)
Field Goal %: #11 Ben Chojnacki, OWU, 64.0%; #20 Tim Vandervaart, Wooster, 61.8%; #28 Dan Hodgkinson, Denison, 60.9% (Michael Romes, Mt. St. Joseph, 68.9%)
Three-pt. FG per game: [none in top 50] (Amir Mazarei, Redlands, 6.4)
Three-pt. FG %: [none in top 50] (Steve Hicklin, UW-Stevens Point, 56.5%)
Free Throw %: #7 Jordan Beard, Oberlin, 89.5%; #26 Mike Staley, Hiram, 86.9%; #44 Bryan Yelvington, Kenyon, 85.1% (Joseph Chatman, Lesley, 94.4%)
Rebounds per game: #22 Dane Borchers, Wittenberg, 10.1 (Jeff Prebeck, Coast Guard, 12.9)
Assists per game: #8 Mike Staley, Hiram, 6.8 (David Arsenault, Grinnell, 8.4)
Blocked Shots per game: #43 Dane Borchers, Wittenberg, 1.8; #50 Andrew Zimmer, Wabash, 1.8 (Kerry Gibson, UW-Oshkosh, 4.0)
Steals per game: [none in top 50] (Elbie Murphy, St. Joseph's [Me.], 4.7)

[gotigers]

also, gotigers----you need to check your spelling and grammar before you post

sory me tri to due beter next thyme haha lol

[jimmychitwood15]

Witt vs. Woo Week...

What are some predictions by those that get to see these teams on a regular basis?

WillieBrown, what's the 'official' spread for this one?

[Li'l Giant]

also, gotigers----you need to check your spelling and grammar before you post

sory me tri to due beter next thyme haha lol

Me fail English? That unpossible!

[sac]

Both Wooster and Wittenberg have gymnasiums (gymnasia?) that seat 3000 or more spectators, and that's generally enough for these games.  Witt didn't sell out in December (about 2900), and I'll be surprised if Wooster sells out Saturday (I expect about 3000).  This isn't Hope/Calvin, where they could probably admit 10,000 if they had enough seats.

Not only could they, they did in 1997 at VanAndel Arena in Grand Rapids.  11,200+ jammed into the arena.  Calvin moved their home game and Hope got around 1,000 tickets, Calvin sold the rest to alumni and it sold out in October.  It was a nice event, but they definatley lost their home court edge and haven't returned and probably won't.

I have doubts they could do that now, that was a one time special event in a brand new shiney arena.  We've had about 8 or 9 other chances to fill that arena with an  early season tournament but the matchup hasn't happened yet.........when it finally did this year the tournament had been moved to Calvin and there were plenty of empty seats.

The regular season matchups are sold out, usually but not always well in advance.  There's rarely a public sale of tickets, if there is its for dozens of available tickets.  This year Hope had about 50 tickets that went on sale to the public for the game at Calvin, they were gone in about 20 minutes.

[smedindy]

Different sport, but I wonder how much a Monon Bell game in the dome would draw in the dome in Indy. But that would ruin the campus spirit, though.

[Li'l Giant]

Different sport, but I wonder how much a Monon Bell game in the dome would draw in the dome in Indy. But that would ruin the campus spirit, though.

I could see it ending up a wash. I think some would be attracted by it and others would be turned off by it.

It totally disgusts me to think about it anywhere but on campus, though.

[kiltedbryan]

NCAC players found among the individual statistical leaders in the NCAA (through games of 1/28):

Free Throw %: #7 Jordan Beard, Oberlin, 89.5%; #26 Mike Staley, Hiram, 86.9%; #44 Bryan Yelvington, Kenyon, 85.1% (Joseph Chatman, Lesley, 94.4%)

The requirement of having 2.5 made FTs per game to be ranked is what keeps Wooster's Devin Fulk (19-20, 95%) from being listed on the nation rankings.  Fulk is often in Coach Moore's offensive/defensive substitution rotation near the end of tight games because of his skill from 3-point land and his skill at the line.  However, in his regular play, Fulk is not an overly penetrating guard, and thus doesn't draw very many fouls in shooting situations.

[gotigers]

for those of you that can, could you post the witt score every once and a while throughout the game? the sound on my computer isnt working tonight. thanks

[wooscotsfan]

At the Half:   Wooster 59  Allegheny 36

Wooster jumped out to a 14-0 start, made their first 9 shots of the game and has been in total control of this contest tonight. 

Wooster is being led by James Cooper with 16 points (4 three pointers), Tom Port with 15 points (3 three pointers, one dunk) and Brandon Johnson with 10 points.

Allegheny is being led by Trevor Coffey with 8 points.

GO SCOTS!!

[gotigers]

follow me for a second.


say that wooster were to lose tonight to 'gheny (it would probably take an act of God to do so but for the sake of the argument, lets say they do) and then on saturday loose to witt and then both teams win out and both finish the year with the same confrence record. they both lost to each other once and they both, obviously, lost to another ncac team how do they determine who gets the regular season title, and if they share, how do they determine where the tourney is played. do they jut flip a coin or do they use a strength of schedule thing or what? ive a;ways wandered that.

and to end this post...at a risj of loosing karma (not that it really matters but hey i want a lot of it for some reason...)

GO WITT BEAT THE SCOTS!!!