Great Lakes Region

[ScotsFan]

Score of the night

Marietta 73 Capital 48 ---this was a 31-31 tie early in the second half.
http://oac.org/sports/mbkb/2011-12/Box_Scores/20120215_wluq.xml?view=plays

this result, couple with JCU's win makes a 3-way tie atop the OAC.  JCU @ Marietta Saturday, and Capital hosts Muskingum.

How about Marietta finally playing like everyone thought they would to start the season?  After losing back to back roadies at JCU and Cap back in the middle of January, all the Etta Express has done is win 8 of their last 9 games to barge their way back into a tie for first with one game to go in the OAC!  Had they not inexplicably lost at ONU a couple of games ago, Etta would be alone in first place right now?!   

If both Cap and Marietta win Saturday, I believe (not 100% on how the OAC tie breaker works) Marietta would earn the right to host the OAC tournamant due to winning the tie breaker vs. Cap.  You have to go all the way down to Wilmington to sort it out but the Quakers were 2-0 vs. Cap this season and were 0-2 vs. Marietta.  Who would have thunk it when just a week ago, Cap had a seemingly comfortable 2 game lead heading into the final week of the season that Marietta would have had a chance to pull off a regular season title?

Ohio Wesleyans win over Wabash looks to drop the Little Giants below Bethany and out of the Pool C consideration.  Does Marietta have the numbers to make a late run for a Great Lakes region ranking?

I think you can stick a fork in Wabash's chances for a C after last night's home loss to OWU.  The only way Wabash is getting into the NCAA tournament is by winning the NCAC automatic which isn't out of the realm of possibility in this year's NCAC.

As for Marietta, I definitely see them having a shot at getting into the final GL Regional rankings if they win on Saturday.  I would even say that Marietta is not a team I would like to face as we head toward the post season.  They are one of the hottest teams in the GL at the moment and are finally healthy and playing like the team everyone expected them to be at the start of the season.  Of course, I probably just gave them the kiss of death by hyping them up and all... 

[Gregory Sager]

If both Cap and Marietta win Saturday, I believe (not 100% on how the OAC tie breaker works) Marietta would earn the right to host the OAC tournamant due to winning the tie breaker vs. Cap.  You have to go all the way down to Wilmington to sort it out but the Quakers were 2-0 vs. Cap this season and were 0-2 vs. Marietta.  Who would have thunk it when just a week ago, Cap had a seemingly comfortable 2 game lead heading into the final week of the season that Marietta would have had a chance to pull off a regular season title?

Well, I would have thunk it, for starters. Every veteran observer of D3 men's basketball knows full well that the OAC has the reputation of being the most topsy-turvy league in the country. Doesn't matter whether the league's having an up year or a down year; it's always a crapshoot as to how that league will play out.

[BPhillips44]

Exciting end to the PAC this Saturday.  Thiel vs Grove City and Bethany vs St. Vincent.
   If Bethany wins they win the conference, obviously.  BUT, if Thiel beats GC and Vincent beats Bethany I believe Thiel wins the conference.  I think they have the tie breaker over both Thomas Moore and Bethany.  The first two tiebreakers are even (head vs head, record vs higher seeds) but the third is in-region SOS, which I think Thiel has the advantage with playing Capital and Wooster.  Should be an interesting finish.

[sac]

Several important games across the region today.

OAC

John Carroll @ Marietta--winner gets at least a piece of the OAC Championship
Muskingum @ Capital--A Capital win earns a share of the OAC Championship


NCAC

Todays games are all about NCAC tournament seeding and for NCAA Pool C chances for a couple teams.   I don't know all the NCAC tiebreakers but each game seems to play a part in some way or another.
schedule is here: http://www2.northcoast.org/mbasketball/schedule_2011-12


MIAA

Is also all about tournament seeding.  We believe Trine and Adrian are in regardless of outcomes.

Adrian @ Albion
Calvin @ Olivet

Should Calvin and Albion end up in any kind of a tie, there will be a play-in game Monday night between those two.  Either Calvin or Albion will be the fourth seed with opposing results.


PAC

Bethany @ St. Vincent--  Bethany win the PAC with a win.  A loss could create a 3-way tie.
Grove City @ Thiel--  Thiel needs a win and a Bethany loss to win a piece of the PAC.

Thomas More is off this weedend, they would earn a share of the league with a Bethany loss.

[ScotsFan]

John Carroll beats Marietta 78-76 in OT to win the OAC regular season title!  Joe Meyer hit his only triple of the game with 6 seconds left to lift the Blue Streaks to the big road win.

[sac]

John Carroll beats Marietta 78-76 in OT to win the OAC regular season title!  Joe Meyer hit his only triple of the game with 6 seconds left to lift the Blue Streaks to the big road win.

Capital holds off Muskingum 60-55 to claim a share of the OAC title.  JCU gains #1 seed with 2 wins over Marietta to Cap's one.

The OAC has changed its tournament format and wins the award for goofiest post-season tournament format on record.





First Round: Monday, February 20

#8 Otterbein (6-12) plays at the #5 Wilmington (10-8)-8p.m.

#7 Mount Union (7-11) plays at the #6 Ohio Northern (8-10)-7:30

Second Round: February, Tuesday 21

winner of the #8/#5 game plays at the #4 Baldwin-Wallace (11-7)-7:30

winner of the #7/#6 game plays at the #3 Marietta (12-6)-7:30

Third Round: Thursday, February 23

winner of the #8/#5 vs. # 4 bracket plays at the #1 John Carroll (13-5)-7:30

winner of the #7/#6 vs. #3 bracket plays at the #2 Capital (13-5)-7:30

Finals: Saturday, February 25

at the highest remaining seed-TBA

[smedindy]

Actually, I've seen that kind of set-up in the Horizon League (for one) and put their top seeds into the semi-finals. Some of the lower majors wanted to protect their #1 and #2 seeds. But in D-3 I don't know if it makes that much sense.

[goscots]

This is the first I have seen the OAC setup and I like it for a couple of reasons:
1) In years past when the NCAC was much weaker than it was this year the quarter final game really hurt #1 or #2's strength of schedule. That has a much smaller chance of happening here
2) Basketball is the most upset prone game. If a bottom tier team gets "hot" - it has to sustain that over three games to get a shot at the regular season leaders - I like that.
3) I can't tell from the post about the championship game but the dreaded Neutral court game is eliminated through the semi's - that has to have fans very happy.

Because of geography the OAC is probably one of the few conferences that can consider this setup but I will be looking at how it plays out.

[sac]

Conference tournament play begins tonight

PAC

#9 Waynesburg 4-21 at #8 Westminster 6-19---winner gets #1 Bethany on Tuesday already.  Westminster won both games this season, at home by 3, on the road by 17


OAC


#8 Otterbein 9-16 at #5 Wilmington 12-12 -- winner travels to #4 Baldwin-Wallace on Tues.  These teams split their season series.

#7 Mount Union 11-14 at #6 Ohio Northern 12-13 --winner travels to #3 Marietta on Tues.  ONU lost to MtU twice this year.

[kiltedbryan]

OAC


#8 Otterbein 9-16 at #5 Wilmington 12-12 -- winner travels to #4 Baldwin-Wallace on Tues.  These teams split their season series.

#7 Mount Union 11-14 at #6 Ohio Northern 12-13 --winner travels to #3 Marietta on Tues.  ONU lost to MtU twice this year.

#8 Otterbein 65, #5 Wilmington 76
#7 Mount Union 52, #6 Ohio Northern 56

The Wilmington loss marks the end of the outstanding, 40-season career of Otterbein's Dick Reynolds, who has announced that he will retire.


Matchups for tomorrow in the OAC:

No. 6 Ohio Northern at No. 3 Marietta, 7:30 pm

No. 5-Wilmington at No. 4 Baldwin-Wallace, 7:30 pm

[sac]

Waynesburg stuns Westminster 63-57 on the road to earn the right to travel to Bethany Tuesday.  The two teams combined for 109 shots......49 of them 3's.

[sac]

Tuesday Tournament action

OAC

#6 Ohio Northern at #3 Marietta--the two split this year, both winning on each others floor.

#5 Wilmington at #4 Baldwin-Wallace--Wilmington won both regular season games, by 3 at home, and by 7 in OT at B-W.

Thursday Semi-Finals both at 7:30
ONU/Marietta at Capital
Wilmington/B-W at John Carroll


NCAC

all times 7:30

#8 Kenyon at #1 Wittenberg---played only once this season, an 8 point Witt win at Kenyon

#5 Denison at #4 Wabash--teams split this season, winning on each others floor.

#6 Hiram at #3 Ohio Wesleyan---OWU won both games this season by 13 and 7

#7 DePauw at #2 Wooster--teams split this season, played just 4 days ago, a 7 point Wooster win

Friday Semi-Finals at highest remaining seed
Hiram/OWU vs DePauw/Wooster
Denison/Wabash vs Kenyon/Wittenberg


PAC

#7 Washington and Jefferson at #2 Thiel  7pm--Theil won both games this year by 15 and 4

#6 Geneva at #3 Thomas More 7:30pm--Thomas More won both games by 12 and 14

#5 Grove City at #4 St. Vincent 8pm--These teams split winning on each other floor by 4 and 5

#9 Waynesburg at #1 Bethany 8pm--Bethany won both meetings by 28 and 29


Semi-Finals on Thurdays at two highest seeds:
The PAC re-seeds after quarterfinal play.



Rather than post all the links to livestats and video, I'll just point out you can find them either on the conference sites or the individual schools sites.

[sac]

As it always seems to be, the OAC provides upsets in its tournament.


Wilmington 76  Baldwin-Wallace 64
Ohio Northern 57  Marietta 54--Marietta 3 doesn't go in at the end.


Fri semi's
Wilmington @ John Carroll
Ohio Northern @ Capital

[sac]

Thiel's season probably came to a crashing end tonight as they lost to Washington & Jefferson 91-89


Thomas More clobbered Geneva 82-56 to advance and will get to host one of the two PAC semi-finals.

[sac]

In the NCAC

Denison pulled the mild upset over Wabash by the convincing score of 74-60.  This probably puts an end to Wabash's season.

Wittenberg 73 Kenyon 61--Witt will host the semi's and play Denison.

Wooster 59 DePauw 51

Ohio Wesleyan 96 Hiram 86--OWU will play Wooster