MBB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[albertjackson]

Taking in the JCU - Capital game before the storm. Back & forth game, big technical by Haynes gave Cap chance to cut it to 6. Crusaders shooting awful from FT line somewhere around 50%. Still taking JCU to win tourny over Pioneers. 6 pt lead with 2:54 to go.

[David Collinge]

Marietta 70, Heidelberg 55
John Carroll 81, Capital 74

Marietta will host JCU in the championship game on Saturday.

[albertjackson]

As expected Blue Streaks and Pioneers saturday. Final 81-74. Shontz, Hartnett, and Hester lead victory. My question is this - does loser of the championship have any shot at playing in NCAA?

[kiltedbryan]

I see others have beat me to this, but I added a few additional comments, so posting anyway...

FINAL:
#5 Heidelberg 55
#1 Marietta 70

Congratulations to the Pioneers!

Marietta will host its first-ever OAC Tournament Championship on Saturday. Marietta earns its third overall championship appearance, and its first appearance since 1996. In both previous OAC finals appearances, Marietta was a 7-seed. The Pioneers are the only current OAC team that has never won the OAC Tournament. Marietta may have made themselves a "cold, hard, lead pipe lock" for Pool C with the win tonight. (KS, your opinion?)

FINAL:
#3 Capital 74
#2 John Carroll 81

John Carroll will visit Marietta for the OAC title and the Pool A bid on Saturday. (Don't worry, the JCU announcers already assured us all that "it's really hard to beat a team three times in one year" as Marietta beat JCU twice this year...even though this was JCU's seventh straight win  against Capital.)

[kiltedbryan]

As expected Blue Streaks and Pioneers saturday. Final 81-74. Shontz, Hartnett, and Hester lead victory. My question is this - does loser of the championship have any shot at playing in NCAA?

John Carroll has to win to get in, I think. Marietta is probably in good shape to get a bid either way—might be considered a "lock" at this point.

[D-III Insider]

Marietta is a LOCK to get to NCAA Tournament with winning the OAC regular season championship and now reaching the tourney finals.

[David Collinge]

"Winning the OAC regular season championship" is neither a primary nor secondary criterion for tournament selection.

[D-III Insider]

When was the last time the OAC regular season champion did NOT get an invite to the NCAA Tournament?  Especially after going 23-2 in the regualr season?   I got a hunch I know the answer....

[D-III Insider]

Marietta is now 25-3 I believe in arguably the best D-III conference in the country top to bottom.  They will be in the NCAA regardless of what result is on Saturday.

The last time an outright OAC regular season champion did not get an invitation to the NCAA tourney was 1994 (JCU 14-4). 

[Gregory Sager]

I see others have beat me to this, but I added a few additional comments, so posting anyway...

FINAL:
#5 Heidelberg 55
#1 Marietta 70

Congratulations to the Pioneers!

Marietta will host its first-ever OAC Tournament Championship on Saturday. Marietta earns its third overall championship appearance, and its first appearance since 1996. In both previous OAC finals appearances, Marietta was a 7-seed. The Pioneers are the only current OAC team that has never won the OAC Tournament. Marietta may have made themselves a "cold, hard, lead pipe lock" for Pool C with the win tonight. (KS, your opinion?)

FINAL:
#3 Capital 74
#2 John Carroll 81

John Carroll will visit Marietta for the OAC title and the Pool A bid on Saturday. (Don't worry, the JCU announcers already assured us all that "it's really hard to beat a team three times in one year" as Marietta beat JCU twice this year...even though this was JCU's seventh straight win   against Capital.)

That does it. I'm rooting for Marietta, just because the JCU announcers used that stupid cliche.

Marietta is now 25-3 I believe in arguably the best D-III conference in the country top to bottom.

You'd lose that argument.

[sac]

Marietta is now 25-3 I believe in arguably the best D-III conference in the country top to bottom.  They will be in the NCAA regardless of what result is on Saturday.

The last time an outright OAC regular season champion did not get an invitation to the NCAA tourney was 1994 (JCU 14-4). 

Big argument, Masseyratings.com currently has the OAC 9th in D3, behind the MIAA.

[ScotsFan]

Marietta is now 25-3 I believe in arguably the best D-III conference in the country top to bottom.  They will be in the NCAA regardless of what result is on Saturday.

The last time an outright OAC regular season champion did not get an invitation to the NCAA tourney was 1994 (JCU 14-4). 

Ummm.  The OAC wasn't anywhere near the best DII conference in the country this season.  The OAC was, IMO, fairly down this year, comparitively speaking to recent years.  Still, I think Marietta should get in win or lose on Saturday.  JCU...  Not so much.  As KB said, JCU needs to win to get in.

[sac]

Marietta needed a last second jumper to beat John Carroll just this past Saturday.  Could be another good game.

[kiltedbryan]

FINAL:
#3 Capital 74
#2 John Carroll 81

John Carroll will visit Marietta for the OAC title and the Pool A bid on Saturday. (Don't worry, the JCU announcers already assured us all that "it's really hard to beat a team three times in one year" as Marietta beat JCU twice this year...even though this was JCU's seventh straight win   against Capital.)

That does it. I'm rooting for Marietta, just because the JCU announcers used that stupid cliche.

The best part was that, without missing a beat, they relayed these two things nearly in adjacent sentences. It was "well, it's really hard to beat a team 3 times in one year" then in nearly the next breath "if JCU wins tonight, it will be the Streaks' 7th straight win over Capital" without any apparent irony. If you're the better team, you're the better team...

Marietta needed a last second jumper to beat John Carroll just this past Saturday.  Could be another good game.

But I do agree with this—should be a great third game, just as the two previous games were good games. Shouldn't be hard for the teams to get motivated...Marietta with a chance for its first-ever OAC Tournament Title, and its first chance to cut down the nets at home, and JCU surely knows that it won't be able to count on a Pool C bid, and so it's do or die, win to get in. It just won't be any harder for Marietta (or easier for JCU) because it will be the third matchup between these two this year.

[jcu_fan]

Both the JCU Men and Women are in the championships today.  The JCU pep band will be at both games.  Wish us good speed.  This will be the craziest double-header we've ever pulled.