MBB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[Fifth and Putnam]

Highlights from last night's Marietta-Capital game:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woTDtCKWoS0

[Dr. Acula]

This is like the Etta game all over again so far.  Mount is down 14-2 out of the gate.  Shooting 1-8 while ONU is 6-7.

[Dr. Acula]

ONU shoots a sizzling 11-16 from deep in the first half, but Mount did a good job of getting the ball down low and fought back to within 3 at half.  It's good to see them fighting back despite digging an early hole and not shooting the 3 ball well at all (5-18).

[Dr. Acula]

The top 3 all held serve yesterday.  Mount heads into a tough stretch starting with a huge game at Etta Wednesday.  Then due to the Musky rescheduling they'll be on the road at Berg Saturday and again at Musky Monday before JCU Wednesday.  I can't say that I like the way that rescheduling fell by squeezing another game (and on the road) right before JCU, but it could be worse.

[EttaFan1]

Have to say I'm stoked for the two games this week in Marietta.  They will be, by far, the best opponents to come to campus since Catholic University was here early in the year.  It should be a great atmosphere and hopefully two really good basketball games. 

[Fifth and Putnam]

Have to say I'm stoked for the two games this week in Marietta.  They will be, by far, the best opponents to come to campus since Catholic University was here early in the year.  It should be a great atmosphere and hopefully two really good basketball games.

It's weeks like this one that make me miss living in Marietta and walking over  on a cold Wednesday night or Saturday afternoon for a big OAC game in a jam packed Ban Johnson. Hoping to make it down Saturday for the JCU game.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Regional Rankings: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2016/02/10/first-2016-regional-rankings-released-today/

[EttaFan1]

So BW upsets jcu and Marietta defeats mount.

Interesting developments for certain.

Some observations from last night's game....

Mount is a different animal this season.  DeAllen Jackson, who was one of the top players in the league a year ago is no where near where he was last year.  He is not 100%.  And even with his limitations he is so good with the ball in his hands and breaking down defenders one on one and getting to the basket.  A healthy Jackson is good for 15+ points per game.  He ended with 7, but through the first 35 minutes only had 4 points.  His injury has had a significant impact on Mount's success.  Mount also misses Nate Jacubec.  He was open from the parking lot and could get any shot he wanted.  He was one of the most frustrating opponents to watch last season from a Pioneer perspective.  Ruffin was a solid contributor last night.  He is such a strong player who has decent range.  He was unstoppable in the post.  The most impressive player for Mount is JJ Kukura.  "Pure Scorer" doesn't even begin to describe him.  He has good range.  He is a good ball handler.  He gets his shot anytime he wants.  He has decent size and he works really hard.  In my mind he is a first team all-OAC guy. 

Mount was unable to defend at a high enough level last night.  Marrietta shot 55% from the field for the game and 56.7% from behind the arc.  Mount had no answers for AJ Edwards down low.  They tried the 6-10 guy, but he wasn't quick enough to defend Edwards. They didn't defend the perimeter very well either. 

It was a great atmosphere for basketball last night.  Hoping we see more of the same on Saturday afternoon when the Blue Streaks come calling. 

And speaking of the Blue Streaks...

It would be interesting to hear about what happened last night against BW.  That was kind of a surprising result, as BW had really been struggling. 

[Dr. Acula]

Mount's last 3 games their opponents' FG % has been 59%, 54%, 55%.  That's what leads to dog fights with middling teams and blowouts by good teams.  If Etta is shooting 55% and 56% on threes you're in trouble. 

[Fifth and Putnam]

Watching the first 5-10 minutes of the Etta-Mount game last night I really thought Marietta was going to struggle to stay in it. Mount came out excited and super aggressive defensively and really made Marietta unsettled. Mount pushed the lead to 17-10 and from that point on it was all Marietta the rest of the night. Edwards had a great night down low against Mount's big men and what can you say about Dillon Young. 24 points on 8-12 shooting. Things snowballed a bit on Mount in the 2nd half and the Pioneers pushed the lead past 30 before emptying the bench. The scary thing was Marietta hit the 100 point mark with 5-6 minutes left and the back of the bench only managed a handful of points the rest of the way. Truly a gem of an offensive night from the Pioneers.

All that said, I still think Mount Union is a great team and will be a heck of an out in the OAC Tournament. They've got great shooters and on any night can shoot someone out of the gym. I think they give JCU fits next Wednesday in Alliance.

Let's hope Marietta saved a few buckets for the John Carroll game Saturday.

[EttaFan1]

There was a point in the second half when Marietta pushed the margin to 20 and Mount answered with a three to cut the lead to 17.  Fuline called a time out (about 5 minutes in).  I looked at my wife and said, "this game will get a lot closer than this before it ends.  They will make a big run and we will be fortunate to come out on top." 

I was wrong.  Marietta didn't lose their cool, and Mount just couldn't string baskets together consistently to make that run.  That 17 point spread was as close as it got from there on. 

Some other things I observed.
-Mount rarely sent guys to the offensive glass.  They bailed out on every shot especially in the first half.  They were a little better in the second half. 
-Outside of Ruffin, they really do not have anyone who can defend the post.  Their 6-5 guys aren't post type players.  They are more small forward type guys.
-Traveling does not exist in the OAC.  Period.  It was bad all night long for both teams.
-Marietta has improved steadily all year.  They are better about playing as a team this season than they were last year.  Last season, they would go into "playground" mode at times.  That happens far less often this season.
-I agree that Mount will be a tough out, if they can improve their defense.  They have the offensive weapons to stay with anyone in the league, but as Dr. A mentioned above, you can't let your opponents shoot better than 50% and expect to have success.
 

[Fifth and Putnam]

#8 Marietta-#23 Mount Union Highlights (admittedly from a Marietta perspective):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tCXk39pVKs

[Dr. Acula]

-Outside of Ruffin, they really do not have anyone who can defend the post.  Their 6-5 guys aren't post type players.  They are more small forward type guys.

Fuline seems to like more perimeter guys who are athletic and can run and shoot.  Ruffin can run and shoot too, but he just happens to be built like a defensive end so he's strong enough to push around with guys down low defensively.  Losing him will make next year interesting defensively.  Neuenschwander is an absolute load so hopefully he develops from his freshman to sophomore season enough to start.

-I agree that Mount will be a tough out, if they can improve their defense.  They have the offensive weapons to stay with anyone in the league, but as Dr. A mentioned above, you can't let your opponents shoot better than 50% and expect to have success.

If they get hot from beyond the arc they're going to be trouble in the OAC tourney.  The problem is that the defense has been an issue all season in that I have a hard time seeing them being able to string together that many consecutive great defensive efforts.  It just hasn't clicked this year consistently on the defensive end.  Again, I think we (I) drastically underestimated how valuable Nate Jacubec was as a perimeter defender.  He was really good and he was the leader that set the tone on defense.  They miss that and it's a credit to Nate more than a knock on the current guys.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Regional rankings are finally out and with them comes plenty of upheaval around the country. What do the rankings really mean? What teams should everyone be watching this week? Who is jockeying to lock up their conference's regular season title?

On Thursday night's Hoopsville, Dave McHugh hopes to get a lot of these questions answered. McHugh will talk to coaches from around the country who have their teams poised to capture conference crowns or at while also positioning themselves the best they can in the regional rankings.

Hoopsville is on the air NOW, but you can also watch it On Demand or listen to the podcasts (when the show is done) here: www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2015-16/feb11

Guests include (in order of appearance):
- Janice Luck, No. 12 Albright women's coach
- Jon VanderWal, No. 8 Marietta men's coach
- Lance Loya, Mount Aloysius men's coach - NABC Coach's Corner
- Tom Glynn, Nichols' men's coach

You can also tune into the podcast(s) after the show has aired:
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087

Don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com
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And a reminder the Hoopsville Fundraising Project has begun yet again. Please consider helping us cover Division III basketball the way it deserves to be covered: http://igg.me/at/hoopsville-fundraiser/x/6029509

Also, if you know any advertisers interested in promoting their company or products on the show, send them our way: hoopsville@d3hoops.com

Thanks!

[Dr. Acula]

Huge game today.  The OAC regular season title is pretty much on the line.  I'm definitely going to listen to as much as I can at work.  Mount plays at 2:00 so I'll get to hear most of the JCU/Etta game since it starts at 3:00.  Should be an exciting game.