MBB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[Dr. Acula]

I flipped on the MUC/JCU game, saw it was 25-5 and turned the channel.  So much for watching the Raiders on STO.

[sac]

Just two scores from the OAC, I assume the other games scheduled for Sunday were today's cancellations.  JCU now leads the OAC.

John Carroll 82 Wilmington 77
Capital 74 Bald-Wally 60

John Carroll 11-3
Wilmington 10-4
Ohio Northern 9-4
Heidelberg 8-5
Capital 8-6

[ste24vie]

TIRED LEGS, NO DEFENSE AND POOR COACHING DOOMS OTTERBEIN ONCE AGAIN....Coach Reynolds cannot seem to figure out that you cannot win OAC games with 6 players. Once again the Cards lose in the latter part of the second half despite another career high by sharpshooter Nathan Edick.

[ScotsFan]

Only 3 games played last night in the OAC.

As ste24vie touched on, JCU won it's 7th straight and remain atop the OAC as they outlasted Ott in a defensive oriented game, 103-93.          

And in the game of the night, MUC survives BW 84-82 in 2OT.

Also, Etta could have given themselves some breathing room in the battle for the 8th seed in the OAC tourney, but they lost to lowly Musky 71-64 meaning that Ott is still only a game behind the Pios for that last post-season birth.

Wilmington @ ONU was postponed as was Cap @ Heide.  Both games were rescheduled for tonight @ 7:30.

[ste24vie]

I am not sure of the tie breaking system...I presume heads up is first ....If OC beats Marietta(they play on Wednesday), there could be a tie, with each winning their home game. Next tie breaker I dont know. I certainly didnt think at the beginning of the season these 2 teams would battle for a chance to get thumped by the #1 seed.

[jcu_fan]

As ste24vie touched on, JCU won it's 7th straight and remain atop the OAC as they outlasted Ott in a defensive oriented game, 103-93.          

My only complaint about that is that JCU wasn't at home.  We would have gotten free chips and salsa!

[sac]

Watched JCU beat Capital on TV this afternoon.  Hard fought close game all the way.

The no call on Capital's shot to win it was terrible......and slowmo replay confirmed it.  JCU was fortunate to say the least.

[ste24vie]

Please Santa, is it too late to ask for a new coach ??  The train wreck continues for Otterbein...After beating Mount Union by 15 at home, the Cards take a beating at the Mount. Once again, tired legs and poor(make that NO DEFENSE) catches up with OC in the second half. Come on Coach, you put a 4 in at point guard........Another year out of the conference playoffs.

OFFENSE IS PRETTY .......BUT DEFENSE WINS GAMES

[albertjackson]

Stevie,
I think ur complaint is misdirected somewhat. Otterbein's struggles dont come from poor coaching, Reynolds is perhaps the best coach in the OAC. The Cards problems come from a lack of recruiting effort from Coach Reynolds. To win games u have to have the horses and Otterbein clearly doesnt have em. Muskingum is in the same situation. When you have these older coaches who dont want to go recruiting, and battle the younger coaches - u end up at the bottom of the conference. Coach Ford is undoubtedly a great coach, but trying to rely on coaching contacts to get players and not out at games chasing the best talent will doom you to the bottom of the league. The OAC is as down as it's ever been. Outside of JCU - I dont see the deep talented teams of the past. I also dont see a Davis Brother, Mims, Stahl, Thompson, Oberdick, or Gibbs level talent. Of course the same could be said for the NCAC - it too is down. Any thoughts on why.?

[albertjackson]

To validate my last post, I thought I should mention that I went on recruiting visits to Otterbein, Capital, Muskingum, Mt. Union, OWU, Wooster, Wittenberg, and B-W. (Though Coach Ford was not at Muskingum then). Cap, COW, & OWU were much different visits when it came to the involvement of Head Coaches. Just in my experience, though I was probably not a "Top Recruit" at any of these schools.

Thoughts of OAC as we head down the stretch.....
JCU will be the sole OAC NCAA tournament participant.   
Wilmington solid yr                                                             
ONU Up & down
Cap. good coaching brings em back, not enough talent around Pt g
Berg - tailed off, but better than expected.
BW - Some good young talent, cant finish games and lose large leads (23 & 18)
Mt. Union solid come back, Up & down as well
Marietta - dissapointing season, but watch out nxt yr.
Ott & Muskie.... enough said already
Any thoughts on how far the Blue Streaks can go in NCAA??? Perhaps I'm gettin a head of myself!!

[ste24vie]

Certainly, you must be thinking of a different Coach Reynolds.....The Coach Reynolds I see twice a week reminds me of inexperienced peewee coaches. OC has the best shooter in the league(Edick), Pollock is the best 2 in the conference though forced to be the point because of poor recruiting or poor development. Also, one of the better inside players(Ratai) and a big banger inside(Davis), all good offensive players but have to learn what it means to "close out", "box out", "help defense" and certainly "contain defense".  The Cards have lost numerous games at the end when it matters the most because of tired legs and foul trouble because Coach Reynolds refuses to develope his younger players. Any coach can win with great players. Good coaches can win with marginal players.

Maybe you are thinking of the Coach Reynolds in the Jeff Gibbs era.

Thanks for listening

And...."IF ITS NOT WORKING...CHANGE....." but please dont try a seldom used 4 at point guard.

[Gregory Sager]

Stevie,
I think ur complaint is misdirected somewhat. Otterbein's struggles dont come from poor coaching, Reynolds is perhaps the best coach in the OAC. The Cards problems come from a lack of recruiting effort from Coach Reynolds. To win games u have to have the horses and Otterbein clearly doesnt have em.

Recruiting is a part of coaching -- in fact, many coaches argue that it's the biggest part of the job. If you're accusing Coach Reynolds of being a poor recruiter, then you're accusing him of being a poor head coach.

[ste24vie]

Well, if your team has to play your best player(Pollock) out of position at the point....You tell me...Is that bad recruiting or bad development or both. But, thats not the reason for losing. Fatigue, attempting to play only 6 guys leads to major fatigue. Especially, when you struggle against the press, which causes more teams to press which accelerates fatigue. Then late in the second half, tired legs and fouls begin to creep into the situation. The Cards already play poor defense, now give them tired legs and its "NO DEFENSE". The best teams go ten deep, and have their best five on the floor at the end.

The bottom line for OC is .......Finishing ninth and losing their 2 best players and counting on recruits to replace that 30+ ppg.

Being able to develop players at the D3 level is a huge plus for any program, which Coach Reynolds cannot or doesnt want to do. Seems to be hoping for a D1 player to slip through the cracks of the system.

[Gregory Sager]

The best teams go ten deep, and have their best five on the floor at the end.

Technically, that's not really true. Of the current top five teams in the nation, the only one that plays a consistent ten-man rotation is St. Thomas. Wash U, Williams, and Guilford go nine deep each, while UWSP's rotation seems to be rather fluid and can consist of anywhere from eight to ten players on a given night.

Also, you don't necessarily want your best five overall players on the floor at the end of a game. If you're ahead by a close but not razor-thin margin, you want your best free-throw shooters and ballhandlers on the floor at the end of a game, because the other team is going to foul you every time you get the ball. If you have a one-possession lead, you want your best defenders on the floor. If you're trailing and you're in a must-score situation, you want your best scorers (most dominant post player, best penetrators, best outside shooters, or some combination thereof) on the floor. And if you're trailing by three with only enough time for one shot, you make sure that your top five perimeter threats are out there.

[Pat Coleman]

Well, perhaps your best five for the particular situation, then.