MBB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[David Collinge]

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.

For those who are curious, like I am, the women's game is at Mt. Union at 3pm, and the men's game is at Marietta at 7:30pm.  The two campuses are separated by about 130 miles of freeway.  I wish you both good (but legal) speed and godspeed.

I wish the NCAC would separate their championship games, but with the Friday/Saturday schedule, I suppose it's not feasible.

[kiltedbryan]

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.

For those who are curious, like I am, the women's game is at Mt. Union at 3pm, and the men's game is at Marietta at 7:30pm.  The two campuses are separated by about 130 miles of freeway.  I wish you both good (but legal) speed and godspeed.

I wish the NCAC would separate their championship games, but with the Friday/Saturday schedule, I suppose it's not feasible.

I may not be rooting for JCU's men's hoops team today, but I'm always willing to root for a pep band with your level of dedication. Good luck on the trip!

[David Collinge]

It's a great pep band, too, as anyone who has been to Salem in the past however-many years can attest.

[ScotsFan]

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.

For those who are curious, like I am, the women's game is at Mt. Union at 3pm, and the men's game is at Marietta at 7:30pm.  The two campuses are separated by about 130 miles of freeway.  I wish you both good (but legal) speed and godspeed.

I wish the NCAC would separate their championship games, but with the Friday/Saturday schedule, I suppose it's not feasible.

They should have plenty of time.   

Seriously though, the women's game should be over no later than 5 pm giving them a good 2 1/2 hours to head south on 77 to Marietta!  It might be cutting it close, but I think they should be able to pull it off.  Kudos to you and your band mates for attempting to pull this off.  You should post updates on how your day has been going!

[kiltedbryan]

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.

For those who are curious, like I am, the women's game is at Mt. Union at 3pm, and the men's game is at Marietta at 7:30pm.  The two campuses are separated by about 130 miles of freeway.  I wish you both good (but legal) speed and godspeed.

I wish the NCAC would separate their championship games, but with the Friday/Saturday schedule, I suppose it's not feasible.

They should have plenty of time.   

Seriously though, the women's game should be over no later than 5 pm giving them a good 2 1/2 hours to head south on 77 to Marietta!  It might be cutting it close, but I think they should be able to pull it off.  Kudos to you and your band mates for attempting to pull this off.  You should post updates on how your day has been going!

It is a great pep band...I hope I have a chance to hear them in Salem this year...

JCU is 0-1 on the day so far, as the women lost to Mount Union by a 92-84 score. The Lady Purple Radiers will represent the OAC in the DIII tourney.

[wooscotsfan]

Final:  Marietta 88  John Carroll 85

Congratulations to the Pioneers on winning both the regular season and OAC tournament titles!

[David Collinge]

OAC All-Conference team and special awards announced (pdf).

Coach of the Year: Jon VanderWal, Marietta
Player of the Year: Trevor Halter, Marietta
Freshman of the Year: Kyle Payne, Baldwin-Wallace

Congratulations to all the award winners!

[David Collinge]

Marietta gets a host nod, with Centre as their opponent and Wittenberg and LaRoche on the opposite side of the bracket.  The winner of this pod gets (probably) Whitworth.  Tough draw all around.

[jcu_fan]

They should have plenty of time.   

Seriously though, the women's game should be over no later than 5 pm giving them a good 2 1/2 hours to head south on 77 to Marietta!  It might be cutting it close, but I think they should be able to pull it off.  Kudos to you and your band mates for attempting to pull this off.  You should post updates on how your day has been going!

We made it with time to spare.  Great games, both of them.  It's a shame JCU didn't come out on top of either of them.  Really impressed with both the lady Raiders, and the men Pioneers.  Very good teams.  Hope you represent the OAC well, and if the Pioneers do make it to Salem, the JCU Pep Band will be there too.  (We've got to stay neutral, since we're the house band, but I've got to admit, I quietly root for OAC teams when they make it.)

[ohiofan1954]

Well I saw Wittenberg up close on saturday night  and those two big guys inside will be tough for marietta to handle but I still think from I have seen from the pioneers this year they should beat the tigers.  That being said if you play them get ready for a rough game, they are very physical.

david

[albertjackson]

WOW!!! What a come back for Pioneers! Ruined my prediction of a Blue Streak championship, but sounds like it was a game of 2 halves. Congrats to Coach VanderWal & Mr. Halter for COY & POY awards. Looks to be an interesting 1st rd. match-ups in Marietta this weekend. Good luck Pioneers!!

[albertjackson]

Has to be a tough pill to swallow if your Coach Moran & the Blue streaks....season comes to a screetching end with probably your worst 20 minutes of bball all season. Got me thinking... what will next year look like in OAC with JCU & Marietta having basically evryone back? Here's what I found:

Marietta everyone back including POY, 2 1st teamers, and a HM.
JCU everyone back but Mo Haynes.
Capital loses 32.1 ppg biggest losses in conf.
ONU everyone back and maybe best player in league in schnelle
Otterbein loses 2 players 7ppg, Davis back POY candidate....gonna have to catch ONU v OTT nxt yr for that
Heidelberg loses 12.6ppg but has 2nd teamer and HM player back
Mt. loses 23.8ppg 2nd biggest losses after Capital
Wilmington everyone back including 2nd teamer and a HM
BW loses 8.5 but has Freshmen of the yr. and many young guns including Mentor's Jaron Crowe
Muskie loses 5.3ppg


With that information Im early predicting another Pioneer V Blue Streak battle for 1st.
ONU, Wilmington & Otterbein nxt 3.
Cap, Berg, BW nxt 3, with Mount & Muskie sitting out tourney and battling for cellar!

Anyone else crazy enough to weigh in on thoughts for nxt year?

[kiltedbryan]

Centre 62, Marietta 67

The Pioneers are successful in their first NCAA tournament game in 36 years. And, ironically enough, the win gives them the right to host the team that ousted them 36 years ago, when the Pioneers lost to Wittenberg in the second round.

I'm a NCAC guy, but tonight I'll be rooting for the Pioneers, as I am thoroughly on the Pios' bandwagon. Marietta has never made the Sweet Sixteen. I expect a great matchup, this should really be a top-notch game, and at just the right level with a berth in the Sweet Sixteen on the line. Key questions will be to see how well Marietta's Knab will match up with Witt's Black on the inside, and whether Marietta's guards will expend the effort necessary to contain Witt's Sullivan. I'll take Marietta in a close one, with homecourt perhaps giving the decisive advantage.

Congratulations also to LaRoche and Centre on excellent seasons. The entire LaRoche community should keep their heads high after a tremendous and inspired campaign after the sudden death of their coach in mid-season. And I've been a Centre fan ever since they traveled to Wooster a few years ago ('07 I think?) and played a great set of two games and all of their fans were a complete class act.

[kiltedbryan]

Wittenberg 62, Marietta 63

Congratulations to the Pioneers, who keep dancin' in dramatic fashion with a late, come-from-behind win against Wittenberg.

Marietta has reached its first-ever Sweet Sixteen and earns the right to play the Chapman-Whitworth winner, probably on a "neutral court" in Wooster, but in all honesty I expect it'll feel like a Pios home game if the section is set in Ohio.

And stuff like this is why I find myself rooting for this team...

[ohiofan1954]

Can you imagine how much the house would be rocking in wooster next week if the scots and pioneers were too play each other. Better get  your tickets early because it will be a full house and the place too be in ohio basketball. Hope the students are still on campus next week(doubt it, maybe one of the great fans of wooster can clear that up). It would be great to have the pipers again.