MBB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[ste24vie]

Ok, to chip in a little on the OAC grades......

JCU...A-...Some thought they might go undefeated in the OAC, no superstar tho.
Wilmington...A...severe lack of depth, but Coach Hunt played them.
Capital...A...picked 3rd in preseason coaches poll, finished 3rd.
ONU...B-....finished exactly where they were picked, not much help for Meyer.
Heidelberg...C...Up and down, when they were good, they were very good.
BW...C-...over rated.
Mount...C-...Another up and down team.
Marietta...D-...Not much leadership..
OC...F...You were much too nice, time for a change at the helm.
Musk...D-...Dont blame the talent, good coaches can win with marginal talent.

[ste24vie]

Now, how about an OAC MVP. Not necessarily the best player, but the player most valuable to his team. The player his team cannot do without.

ONU Meyer was conference Player of the Year and his team woulda won several less games without him.
JCU has Kirbus, but enough other quality players to survive.
Wilmington has 3 quality seniors and White.

I think you subtract Knab from Marietta and Pollock from Otterbein and their teams win zero games.

[David Collinge]

Good start for the OAC as both John and Wilma win (and the MUC women wipe out a ranked W&J team).  Competition steps up a couple of notches tomorrow as the unranked OACers play a pair of top 10 ODACers on their home courts (JCU at #4 Guilford, Wilma at #7 EMU).  Good luck to the Ohioans!

[billy the kid]

Well, lets see now......Labor Day has come and gone...football is well into its season and ......I HEAR BALLS BOUNCING IN THE GYMS ALL OVER OHIO....

OAC whatcha got this year?  Can JCU repeat ?   Did Wilmington get crushed by graduation?   Can Cap get back to the top ?  Will Muskington and Otterbein ever get back to the playoffs?

Hard to tell this year ........HERE GOES.....

1. JCU without a doubt
2. Cap might be the only team to push for the top spot
3. BW lots returning
4. Marietta can score but needs a floor leader
5-6-7 da Berg, ONU, and the Mount to close to call
8. Wilmington, wow did I really put them here. Lost entire heart and soul
9. Otterbein, underachievers
10. Muskingum...gettin kinda used to this spot

[albertjackson]

Has anyone heard anything about new recruits on campus? Outside of JCU I'm not expecting much from the OAC this year. Muskingum & Otterbein will again be insignificant. Wilmington did lose alot but will remain competitive. Look for Marietta & Berg to move up standings along with maybe B-W. The Yellow Jackets need to learn to defend but they have plenty of talent to contend with everyone except JCU. The days of JCU & BW being a rivalry are apparently long gone. I saw the games last year and it was laughable how easy JCU crushed them. Not sure what to expect from ONU... guess we'll see what their new coach was able to attract to Ada. Gotta expect Capital to be in top half of conference. And I anticiapte Mt. to again flounder around 7th place. The OAC is not what it was 4-5 years ago! Overall talent is way down. Oh well...looking forward to another crazy season.

[ste24vie]

I could be wrong(I usually am), but it appears to be the same situation as last year. Everybody chasing JCU. But, you all know the OAC. On any night, anybody can win.

On another note, you notice how many ties there are in OAC soccer...Can you imagine a basketball game ending in a tie, there would be a total riot. Soccer is already boring enough. How about that 0-0 tie today in the OAC. How  much fun was that game to watch.....

Bring on the basketball season............

Is there no controversy this season....

Who is the longshot to make some noise???

How about preseason Player of the Year?

[bouncer1]

My input on POY---JCU may have the best team going into season but their system usually doesn't allow for stats for one player to be considered for player of the year. My two pre-season picks would be Frazier from Cap and Knaab from Marietta with the pick going to whichever team finishes higher in the standings.  Cap seems to have the better chance.  Thoughts......?

[ste24vie]

Frazier and Knaab seem to be worthy choices, I think maybe T White from Wilmington also in the mix. JCU has the studs also, but only 20 minutes of PT with the up tempo pressure and constant subs which should end with a conference championship once again.

[bouncer1]

Heard a rumor that Crozier and Hartnett might not be playing this year for JCU.  Any truth to that???  They have many players but that would hurt their rotations.  Plus Crozier is a real force inside with one of those groups. Any news on new players to any of the programs--transfers or freshmen?? Might there be some immediate impact players that are new to schools?

[ste24vie]

Looks  like Wilmington had a good recruiting year....They list 12 guys on their roster 6'5" or bigger...They seem to be the only OAC team tapping into the Cincinnati schools.

[Hugenerd]

Congrats to Tyler White of Wilmington for making the Preseason All-American HM team.  White is out of Colerain HS in Cincinnati, which is in the Greater Miami Conference.  The GMC is a powerhouse in football and basketball.  Colerain football teams seem to always be ranked nationally and have players go to all types of big programs across the country every year.  Basketball in the GMC is also strong, with players like Jordon Sibert (now at Ohio State) and Erik Daniels (former Kentucky star and NBA player), both from Princeton HS, and the legendary Jerry Lucas who player for Middletown HS(way back). I also played in the GMC, so that elevates it even more...

Another interesting fact about the GMC, former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin was a teacher at Oak Hills High School before becoming a professional fighter.

[ste24vie]

Knowing that there is plenty of recruits in Cincinnati area, why is it that Wilmington seems to be the only OAC school recruiting there? When will the rest of the OAC wake up to the fact that the Cincinnati area is an abundant recruiting area?

[ste24vie]

Ok, now I will see how well I know the OAC.....

Its no secret, JCU plays high pressure and constant subs....#1 no doubt
#2, Capital with good coaching and constant reloading
#3, Wilmington with full court pressure start to finish, getting the most out of what they have.

Do you see a pattern with the top three? High pressure and lots of subs.

The middle of the pack
#4, Marietta...Just cannot seem to get over the hump and break into the top 3.
#5, BW with lots returning but need to be more consistant.
#6, Heidelberg could be a lot better
#7, ONU lost their 2 best players and not sure how the recruits are gonna work out. Might be lower

The bottom....

#8, Mount Union gonna struggle this year, lucky for them they play Otterbein and Muskingum twice each.

#9, Otterbein really struggling the last few years, half court game not getting it done anymore and still playing no defense.

#10, Muskingum enough said.

[wooscotsfan]

Final:  John Carroll 70  Carthage 69 

Congrats to JCU on a very impressive road win in Wisconsin against #5 Carthage!

[David Collinge]

Wow, a road win over a ranked opponent!  That's a great win and should really help JCU come tournament time.

What?  It counts for bupkes, according to the NCAA?