MBB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[Toph]

So, pbrooks, how's this game going to go?

My honest, as unbiased as possible prediction for the Carroll game tonight...Catholics in a walk over the Presbyterians.

[diehardfan]

We're collecting previews for each team in the tourney on one of the multiregional boards. If I get them by friday I may even be able to stick them in one document for people to peruse. A fun little tourney resource of sorts. Could someone here do one for Capital and/or John Carroll? Thanks much!

http://www.d3sports.com/post/index.php?topic=5147.0

[sac]

5 min to go

JCU by 1 

whoa!

[sac]

1:18 left

JCU 83 Westminster 81 

[sac]

6.4 second JCU lead 85-83

Westminster ball

[sac]

Westminster layup to tie.......called a charge......JCU survives.

[Toph]

Survives is right.  Hopefully JCU can put together two good halves on Saturday.  A better opponent would've stepped on the throat and sealed this one.

[ScotsFan]

Toph,

Were you at this game?  Was that charge call a good call?

I can't believe Westminster came this close to upsetting JCU on the road considering they were coming off of an almost 20 point loss at home to Grove City!   

Was this a wake-up call for the Blue Streaks, or does this give some hope for the LEC Storm???

[Toph]

I was at this game, and the charge (as unbiased as I can possibly be) was absolutely the right call.  Moran was there well before Joseph came barreling through. 

I don't think enough credit has been given to John Carroll for their defense on that play.  No matter what anyone says, I will forever refuse to believe that the Westminster coach drew that up.  There is no way that he wanted Joseph handling the ball and trying to score.  To his credit, Joseph saw an opening (he was left virtually unguarded) and took it.  As he was coming down the floor, though, I was thinking "This is exactly who I want handling the ball (as a Carroll fan)."  For Rosatelli to not touch the ball on the final posession is ridiculous.  The guy had 27 points and he was quicker than almost every other player on the floor.

Here is the story of the game, I think:  First half FGs for JCU 12-32 (37.5%), 1-12 (8.3%) from three, and 3-5 (60%) at the line.  Second half:  18-39, 5-11, 18-19. 

Mike Moran wins the "backhanded compliment of the year" award for this one:  "We played a good team that had a great night."  Translation:  "We should've won by 15."

I'll take the win, and I hope that the LEC players who were at the game think that this is the JCU team they're going to get...and again, I hope JCU puts together two good halves.

[JK]

Six Killed in Bluffton baseball bus crash... this is just awful.   Our thoughts and prayers to all in the Bluffton Family:

http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/6522208

[john201]

This is killing me. First off the JCU and WC game, it was a bad call and should have been a no call. (Rosatelli was double teamed in the back court which is why Joseph was so wide open.)  I mean Joseph missed the shot anyway but man what a terrible call. They let Mimes get away with over the back every single play so why not swallow this whistle on this one. Second, why is everyone saying "Ohhh JCU escaped and they weren't ready to play" how about this one.....WESTMINSTER IS A GOOD TEAM!! You don't win 18 ball games by being a bad team. Why does everyone think JCU is so great, they are a good team that I feel Westminster would beat them 50-55 times if they played 100 times. Stop that garbage about JCU getting a scare; they almost lost to a team that I thought was better. Rosatelli, Hannon and Adams were just as good as those guys if not better. All of you OAC guys need to wake up and realize your conference isn't the best thing since sliced bread. WC is that close to you guys no matter what kind of night it is, and the PAC obviously isn't as bad as you think. THE OAC ISN'T THAT GREAT, WC IS BETTER THAN YOU THINK!!!! I hope that JCU gets to Wooster. That final will be 101-82 Scots in a ROUT!!!

[Toph]

This is killing me. First off the JCU and WC game, it was a bad call and should have been a no call. I mean Joseph missed the shot anyway but man what a terrible call.

No, a charge is a charge.  Joseph plowed into Moran.  That's what happens when a guy who is 6-3 250 runs into a guy who is 5-10 160...and he missed the shot.

They let Mimes get away with over the back every single play so why not swallow this whistle on this one.

No, they didn't.  If Mimes doesn't make contact, which he didn't very often, it's not over the back.  He reached over the WC players to tip the ball away from them.  He has an extremely large wingspan.  The fact that WC had no one in the post as athletic as him and didn't put a solid box out on him is hardly the fault of the referees.  Things might have been different if #42 could've gone 3 minutes without commiting a foul.

Second, why is everyone saying "Ohhh JCU escaped and they weren't ready to play" how about this one.....WESTMINSTER IS A GOOD TEAM!!

Because JCU is a much better team than Westminster, that's why everyone is saying JCU wasn't ready to play. 

You don't win 18 ball games by being a bad team.

No one said they were a bad team. 

Why does everyone think JCU is so great, they are a good team that I feel Westminster would beat them 50-55 times if they played 100 times. Stop

No one said JCU was great, just better than Westminster and better than they showed Thursday night.  And as for Westminster winning 50 times if they played 100...I doubt it.  Rostelli is the only player that really gives WC any kind of advantage over this JCU team.

All of you OAC guys need to wake up and realize your conference isn't the best thing since sliced bread

You're right, the MIAA is better...but that's about it.

WC is that close to you guys no matter what kind of night it is

No.  If they played in the OAC WC probably doesn't make the playoffs.

THE OAC ISN'T THAT GREAT, WC IS BETTER THAN YOU THINK!!!!

Yes is is, and no they're not.  No one said they were bad, no one said they were undeserving.  They just aren't as good as JCU (or Capital, or Northern, or BW).  You're starting to sound like a three year old whose ball was taken away from him.

I hope that JCU gets to Wooster. That final will be 101-82 Scots in a ROUT!!!

I think even the Scots fans disagree with you here.  You do realize that JCU has a lot of success in the postseason, don't you? 

[David Collinge]

I'm certainly not looking forward to the possibility of seeing JCU in the Sweet Sixteen.  But after watching Capital last night, I have to wonder about how good the OAC actually was this season.  I saw Capital early in the season look very mediocre against Denison and Kenyon; I believe I actually employed the term "understank" to describe their win over Kenyon.  I was looking forward to seeing the improvements they must have made in order to end up as co-champions and tourney champions of a tough league like the OAC.  Instead, last night I saw the same team that struggled to beat lowly Denison in November. 

I operate from the assumption that, with all their talent, JCU is a better team than Capital, as were B-W and ONU, at least in spurts.  But I am at a loss to explain how such a mediocre team as Capital could have gone 5-2 against those three and won the OAC.  Capital's play against Centre, coupled with JCU's narrow win at home vs. Westminster, makes me concerned that Lake Erie might actually beat the Streaks tonight, which would be a tough pill for the OAC to swallow.  Then again, Lake Erie is another team that struggled to beat lowly Denison, so who knows.

[ScotsFan]

All of you OAC guys need to wake up and realize your conference isn't the best thing since sliced bread

You're right, the MIAA is better...but that's about it.

I believe you're thinking of the WIAC?  There have been years that the MIAA has been good, but I would never put that conference above the OAC.

WC is that close to you guys no matter what kind of night it is

No.  If they played in the OAC WC probably doesn't make the playoffs.

I also wouldn't go that far as to say the Westminster wouldn't make the OAC Tournament.  I do agree that the Titans aren't as good as john201 is making them out to be, but at the same time, they aren't that bad that they wouldn't even finish in the top 8 of the OAC either.

THE OAC ISN'T THAT GREAT, WC IS BETTER THAN YOU THINK!!!!

Yes is is, and no they're not.  No one said they were bad, no one said they were undeserving.  They just aren't as good as JCU (or Capital, or Northern, or BW).  You're starting to sound like a three year old whose ball was taken away from him.

I totally agree with this.  Westminster did show that they were better than people might have thought and as an alumnus, I was proud to see the effort they put forth.  However, as Toph pointed out, while they did give JCU a good test, I still wouldn't be inclined to put the Titans in the same class as the B-W's, Northerns or JCU's.  Although, after seeing Cap's performance last night (or lack of one), I'm having trouble figuring out how they ended up winning the OAC?

I hope that JCU gets to Wooster. That final will be 101-82 Scots in a ROUT!!!

I think even the Scots fans disagree with you here.  You do realize that JCU has a lot of success in the postseason, don't you? 

This Scots fan totally agrees with you Toph!  Given the recent history between Wooster and JCU in the Dance, I wouldn't give either team the edge at this point if they end up meeting each other.

[Toph]

I meant the WIAC and when I said playoffs I meant national playoffs.  They would certainly make the OAC tourney.

As for Capital's showing last night...I wish I could've seen it, but I never thought they were better than JCU, BW, or ONU.  Sometimes in a crazy league, crazy things happen.