MBB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[john201]

Wait a minute. Toph you are going to sit here and tell me that Chris Day is a better player than Craig Hannon (1300 carreer points and still has a year left) and Nick Adams who had 16 points in the game? Rosatelli was not the only advantage WC had. The last time I checked you werent allowed to stand under the hoop, get there late and take a charge. It was an awful call that should have been a no call. And if you would have read what I said, Joseph did miss the shot so you're right it wouldn't have mattered. By the way, Westmini beat Marietta at Marietta by about 30 so to say that WC wouldn't make the OAC playoffs is a joke. John Carroll is not as good as you think, they are a good team but nothing for all of you fans to get all crazy about. They should beat Lake Erie but I have seen Wooster and the Scots will roll over this team. Mimes is the only player that can even play at the level of those guys. I'd love to see WC play more OAC teams because your eyes will open. OAC got blasted by Centre and got outplayed in the first round and got by. Again, JCU ISNT THAT GREAT!!!---- I feel like I am going Dan Hawkins here and having to point out the obvious. Go Scots. Tom Port is a beast.

[David Collinge]

By the way, Westmini beat Marietta at Marietta by about 30 so to say that WC wouldn't make the OAC playoffs is a joke.

LOL!  You do realize that Marietta finished five full games out of the last playoff spot in the OAC, right?  That they were 5-20 on the season and 1-17 in the OAC?  That they are the rough equivalent of Thomas More?  I think you have a reasonable argument that Westminster is underrated, but a victory over Marietta by whatever margin (it was 25) on whatever court does not advance it.  In fact, by far the most damning thing you can point out about Ohio Northern was that they somehow managed to lose to 'Etta.

[kiltedbryan]

Re:  How in the World did Capital win the OAC?

Last night was the fifth time I've seen Capital this year, and second time on the road.  The two road losses had much more in common with each other than the three home wins.  Capital's effort last night was lacking, espeically later in the game.  Perhaps they really did just get tired; perhaps they were just never able to "gear up" enough to meet the level of competition that an NCAA game requires.

This is still a young team.  As I noted on the SCAC board and the national team profiles/preview board, Capital was already on something of a cinderella run.  Picked fifth in the OAC preseason poll, they rose above that and played better basketball late in the season and defended their home court to key their OAC tournament run, and the NCAA automatic bid.  The NCAA tournament game saw their sudden return to early season form- but this is a team gaining experience and they should be a legitimate factor in the OAC and perhaps into the NCAAs for next season, too.

I saw their lackluster effort last night, same as several of you, but I think we should note that this team already exceeding expectations and congratulate them on a good season that they should be able to build on next year.

[onefan]

Got to get my two cents worth in regarding the recent discussions concerning Cap, John Carroll, Westminster College and the strenghts of  each team etc....I too am still trying to come to grips with just how Capital finished on top of the OAC. Overall I think John Carroll and ONU are better teams, but as posted previously, sometimes strange things happen in the OAC...John201 needs to take a look at recent history before proclaiming Wooster would administer a major "butt whipping"to John Carroll  should they meet in the tournament...ONU took down Wittenberg with relative ease early in the season and then at the Mose Hole Classic beat two pretty decent teams in Wooster and UW-LaCrosse in back to back contests...They couldn't get one win in four tries against Cap and John Carroll...Of course anything can happen in a tournament, but I don't see John Carroll or Wooster for that matter getting blown out by anybody in division III unless they have one of those "What the Hell happened to us" games like ONU had against Marietta...losing to them by four after having beaten them by thirty earlier in the season. I don't see JC getting to the final four, they just don't have the horses to get it done, but I do think they could give Wooster all they can handle. Oddly enough I have seen Wooster play twice this year and they lost both times, to ONU and Witt...Ther're a very good basketball team and well coached, but I don't see them as a final four team either. As for Westminster College....I doubt that they considered trouncing Marietta as a watershed moment in their season....By the way they won by twenty five, not "thirty or so"...98-73...

[ScotsFan]

Oddly enough I have seen Wooster play twice this year and they lost both times, to ONU and Witt...Ther're a very good basketball team and well coached, but I don't see them as a final four team either.

First of all, it's hard to get a good gauge on a team after seeing them once or twice in a season.  I only saw ONU once, but I came away with them very impressed.  I really didn't foresee the fall they suffered as the OAC season wore on.  As for your opinion of Wooster not being a Final 4 caliber team after seeing them twice (granted both losses) I'd like to add that maybe if you had gotten the opportunity to witness any of their last 3 games you might change your opinion of Wooster being a Final 4 team.  Of course, JCU will not be an easy task in their quest to reach Salem, but as the coaches of each of their last 3 victims have stated, if Wooster continues to play at the level they have since the postseason began, they will be tough to beat.

[Toph]

1300 carreer points and still has a year left

You forgot to add "in the PAC."  He may be a better player...but I didn't say that JCU had better players at every position.  Reread my post.  I said that Rostelli was the only player that gave WC a significant advantage at any position.  I can't believe we're still talking about this.  You lost, and JCU is in the Sweet 16.  Now we'll get to see if you're right about Wooster "rolling" over the Streaks.

In case you need a history lesson, in JCU's last two playoff appearances they're 3-0 against the NCAC...all on the road, not on a neutral floor.  I guarantee the Wooster players and fans don't have the same mindset that you do.

[diehardfan]

Hey guys, I just thought I'd pop in to let you know about a little project we did. A group of around 40 posters banded together and created a Unofficial Guide to the 2006-2007 NCAA Tourney, that contains a team-by-team breakdown of the teams in the tournament. This is especially cool given the fact that the official NCAA guide gives you very little insight into the teams, and nearly all of the previews in the Unofficial Guide were made by fans of the team.

The website is: http://wheatonhoops.googlepages.com/ncaatourney and on that website you can find browsable information, as well as a 19 page printable PDF document. This was updated as of this morning.

While I doubt that we'll ever get any posters to submit information for the 11 teams that did not submit previews, it does include previews from 48 of the 59 teams in the tournament, and all of the teams in the Sweet Sixteen. I hope you check it out and enjoy the content!

If there are any corrections or content additions you would like to me, please submit them to me by PM. Thanks!

[David Collinge]

JCU ticket information:

A limited number of tickets allotted to John Carroll for Friday night's game against Wooster will be sold at John Carroll beginning on Wednesday, March 7, from 12p - 7p and on Thursday, March 8, from 10a - 12a (or until sold out) at the DeCarlo Varsity Center entrance. Tickets are $7 for adults, $4 for senior citizens/students with ID/children. Children under 2 are free

Please note that Friday's games are being treated as a split session, meaning soon after the John Carroll-Wooster game has concluded, the gym will be cleared so that ticket holders for the second game between St. John Fisher and Brockport State can be seated.

The JCU vs. Wooster game will not be televised -- but will be carried on three separate /audio broadcasts

Those three broadcasts are JCU's student station, WQKT/Wooster, and D3hoops.com.

[pacfollower]

OAC is a good league, but nowhere near as good as they think. Moran's kid plays because his dad is the coach. Rosatelli from Westminster scorched him for 27 and dominated him all night.  Rosatelli and Hannon  from Westminster would easily start for John Carroll.

Walsh and Mims great players, but Wooster should roll.

[Pat Coleman]

Moran's kid plays because his dad is the coach. Rosatelli from Westminster scorched him for 27 and dominated him all night.

Yeah. After all, anyone could average in double figures. Those kids are a dime a dozen.

[pacfollower]

Moran didn't score against Lake Erie, he is a stiff. Walsh and Mimes carry that team.  But they have a beaten coming against Wooster.

[Pat Coleman]

Guess we'll find out. I look forward to seeing that game in person.

[ScotsFan]

I wish I could share in the overconfidence that pacfollower and john201 seem to have in Wooster beating JCU, but I don't.  There's just something about John Carroll stepping it up a notch come tournament time.  Moran just seems to get the best out of his players this time of year, especially against Wittenberg and Wooster! 

Toph,

I was looking over the roster and statistics for JCU and it doesn't seem like they are as deep as in years past.  I remember their big thing when Wooster faced them back in the '03 and '04 tournaments was their 'hockey style' line changing.  Looking at the player's minutes, it doesn't seem like they play this scheme anymore.  How deep do the Blue Streaks go?  I noticed they have 4 guys right around 30 mpg in Moran, Mimes, Walsh and Day.  But after those 4, the minutes drop off considerably as there are 3 players listed averaging around 14-15 mpg.  I also was wondering who the 5th starter will likely be?  It looks like Moran can't settle on one 5th starter and it's been 2 freshman making a majority of starts.

Wooster plays pretty much an 8 man rotation.  I'm looking forward to seeing some of the matchups we'll see on Friday.  I'm wondering who Moore would put on Mimes and Walsh.  My guess would be that Tom Port would take Mimes.  I think Will and Vandervaart would be too slow to stay with Mimes.  I would guess a  combination of Andy Van Horn and Marty Bidwell (Wooster's defensive specialists) would be assigned to try and slow down Walsh.  These are just guesses on my part, of course.

Looking forward to Friday.  Unfortunately, I won't be there in person.  I had to choose between going this weekend or holding out hope that the Scots make it to Salem.  Needless to say, I would rather see the Scots in Salem than in Crapchester!

[Toph]

Moran didn't score against Lake Erie, he is a stiff. Walsh and Mimes carry that team.  But they have a beaten coming against Wooster.

Hopefully you have an English lesson coming from someone.  You're right about Moran, though.  All he's doing is averaging 10 points and 5 assists per game.  What team could possibly use that kind of production out of their PG?  He has absolutely no talent and no leadership skills...if his dad wasn't the coach they would sit his 10 points and 5 assists on the bench where they should be.

And PAC folks who keep claiming that JCU is going to get drilled...you were saying the same thing when the Streaks beat Bethany in the first round a couple years back.  In fact, Bethany's fans were chanting "You'll lose Sat-ur-day (clap, clap, clap clap clap)."  In case you forgot, JCU didn't lose.

If JCU has a "beaten [sic]" coming from Wooster, what would the Scots do to WC?  In the event that WC ever has to play Woo should they even bother showing up?  Sounds like a lot of sour grapes to me.

A lot of you (from the PAC no less) keep saying "the OAC isn't that good" and yet the OAC keeps doing well in the postseason.  Ask the Wooster fans if they think the Streaks have a "beaten [sic]" coming.

ScotsFan-
I also won't be able to make it over the weekend.  If the Streaks manage to get to Salem I'll be there.

As for the team not being as deep, you're right.  They don't quite go 10 deep like they used to.  The "starters" are getting more minutes than they used to in Moran's system.  Often times in the second half he will abandon the platooning and play matchups.  Moran loves to platoon, but he also loves to win, and he'll tweak "the system" as much as necessary.  Think about it this way:  Would you want Brandon Mimes out of the game simply because 10 posessions have passed?

The players to watch are Pete Moran (but I hear he's a stiff...Witt fans probably agree ),
Mimes of course, Terry Walsh (he's been pretty cold throughout the playoffs, but hit some big shots against LEC), Rudy Kirbus (frosh from Iggy...you may remember him as a QB...plays great inside and out), John Curran (tough, gritty kid...plays the right way), Derek Smith came up large in the LEC game.  Curran and Smith are more roleplayers.  More than anything this team features a couple big players and several guys who just need to stay in their roles.  Still, they have enough weapons to be dangerous against anyone.

If I remember correctly Wooster struggled down low last time the two teams met.  I expect much of the offense to go through Mimes because he will be the most athletic player on the floor.  Wooster's ability to shoot from the outside really helped them last time.  John Carroll will need to play better defense to win.  Their help side D (something Lake Erie does surprisingly well) was awful in the first two tournament games.

Hope it's a good one on Friday, and I hope JCU's streak against the NCAC continues!

[David Collinge]

I'm wondering who Moore would put on Mimes and Walsh.  My guess would be that Tom Port would take Mimes.  I think Will and Vandervaart would be too slow to stay with Mimes. 

My guess would be that the assignment to guard Mimes will rotate through the lineup, including all three mentioned above, and probably Bidwell, Fulk, Van Horn, and even Cooper at times as well.  Port may be the best defender of a big, athletic scorer, but we can't afford for him to get in foul trouble. 

Oh, and Port's pretty athletic himself, for those who haven't seen him this season.