I am hoping this topic will keep the chat in one place for 2 weeks. ;)
For what its worth, this quadrant of the bracket contains the top-ranked teams from four of the NCAA's eight regions, one per pod.
Although Whitworth is clearly the top seed, it looks to me like this bracket is set up for Wooster to host the sectional. Every team in the three non-West-Coast pods is within 500 miles of Wooster, and most if not all are within 500 miles of Marietta as well.
Whitworth fans will be rooting for Centre, Benedictine, and SUNY-Purchase in order to ensure that the sectional is in Spokane.
Bracket rankings:
1. Whitworth (1 spot) HOST round 2
2. Wooster (2 spot) HOST
3. Marrietta (4 spot) HOST
4. Chapman (8 spot) HOST round 1
5. Manchester (7 spot)
6. La Roche (5 spot)
7. SUNY Purchase (6 spot)
8. Cabrini (3 spot) HOST
Top 2 seeds path:
Whitworth despite the bye has the hardest path to final 4 having to play (by ranking) the 3rd and 4th highest ranked teams in the bracket.
Wooster has to get by the 5th best team then against the winner of the weakest pod (7 or 8) in bracket.
Quote from: David Collinge on February 28, 2011, 03:01:23 PM
For what its worth, this quadrant of the bracket contains the top-ranked teams from four of the NCAA's eight regions, one per pod.
Although Whitworth is clearly the top seed, it looks to me like this bracket is set up for Wooster to host the sectional. Every team in the three non-West-Coast pods is within 500 miles of Wooster, and most if not all are within 500 miles of Marietta as well.
Whitworth fans will be rooting for Centre, Benedictine, and SUNY-Purchase in order to ensure that the sectional is in Spokane.
Yes David, it is a golden paved highway for Wooster. If Wooster is upset, it becomes a coin flip with 4 sides and only 1 side is Spokane.
Bringing this over ;)
Quote from: David Collinge on February 28, 2011, 03:12:18 PM
Quote from: 89Pirate on February 28, 2011, 02:57:29 PM
So, now that they are out...am I reading the bracket right in that the commitee is rewarding Whitworth with what on paper looks like a slightly easier road to Salem rather than let them host round 3/4? Makes $$$ sense, but still does not seem fair...but I am biased.
Is there ANY way depending on who loses in rounds 1/2 that they could host???
It depends on how mercenary you think the NCAA is. I'm pretty sure that everyone in the Wooster pod is within 500 miles of everyone in the Marietta pod, so there will be a site available with two or fewer flights. Would the NCAA put a sectional at Centre or Bethany, just to avoid flying one team to Spokane? Sources hazy, ask again later.
As I pointed out on another board, every team in the Marietta, Wooster, and Cabrini pods is within 500 miles of Wooster. So if Wooster advances to the third round, they seem a good bet to host the sectional.
I liked the d3hoops mock bracket better. I thought Whitworth could realistically host a sectional with the Midwest teams (and no UW-SP) in their corner of the bracket.
Oh well, you at least 7 of Whitworth's 8 main contributors experienced playing in Greensboro last year against a top #10 team only a couple hundred miles from home. Hopefully they can get by Chapman/Redlands and then take their act on the road...and win this time
Quote from: (509)Rat on February 28, 2011, 06:54:06 PM
I liked the d3hoops mock bracket better. I thought Whitworth could realistically host a sectional with the Midwest teams (and no UW-SP) in their corner of the bracket.
Oh well, you at least 7 of Whitworth's 8 main contributors experienced playing in Greensboro last year against a top #10 team only a couple hundred miles from home. Hopefully they can get by Chapman/Redlands and then take their act on the road...and win this time
Whitworth doesn't have UW-SP in its path until the last game. Chances of hosting have always been low. I think there is only 1 flight on the books right now (SO CAL game). So the good news is they haven't blown the bank. Anything is possible.
Sorry if I wasnt clear. I meant the projection didn't have SP, but did have basically the rest of the Midwest and Texas. That meant a real shot at hosting and no national champ standing in the way...didnt mean to imply that SP was now in their corner of the bracket.
Quote from: (509)Rat on February 28, 2011, 08:04:17 PM
Sorry if I wasnt clear. I meant the projection didn't have SP, but did have basically the rest of the Midwest and Texas. That meant a real shot at hosting and no national champ standing in the way...didnt mean to imply that SP was now in their corner of the bracket.
I agree it would have been great to see the Texas pod in our (Whitworth) bracket but with no 4th team to complete pod, you can't have 2 byes in the same bracket. :(
I misread the old bracket...gotta stop looking at stuff on my phone :-\
It would be nice to have a bracket where you got a sectional with Whitworth, a Texas team, St. Thomas, and someone like UW-RF...there might be enough teams in the midwest to make that happen. But no use in dreaming... ;)
As expected Chapman takes down Redlands at home convincingly. Unfortunately, scoring 62 points won't win in Spokane. Traveling to your execution can't be a fun trip. ;D ;D
Seriously and all fan yap aside, Chapman needs to be within 10 points THE WHOLE GAME or they get rolled. I am pretty sure this will be the last game of the day so it might have a sizeable online audience. Whitworth 85-61, our bench plays 4 minutes.
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 04, 2011, 01:42:14 PM
As expected Chapman takes down Redlands at home convincingly. Unfortunately, scoring 62 points won't win in Spokane. Traveling to your execution can't be a fun trip. ;D ;D
Seriously and all fan yap aside, Chapman needs to be within 10 points THE WHOLE GAME or they get rolled. I am pretty sure this will be the last game of the day so it might have a sizeable online audience. Whitworth 85-61, our bench plays 4 minutes.
The Chapman coached asked the players to stop scoring at the end of the game. If you read the play-by-play, you will see no shots taken in the last 4 or 5 possessions, that was just because Chapman didn't want to embarrass the other team. These clock violations were their own doing.
Chapman is going to Spokane with the advantage of being the underdog (nothing to lose) and the experience from last year, where they were just happy to be there and got a little bit shellshocked. This year, they know what to expect and are going there to win. Period.
Old Chap: I would expect nothing less and I do think as well that last year's experience helps. Do you think CU is a better team than last year? Why?
nwhoops1903;
I don't think that "as expected" is that correct. I know the Chapman team (although they always expect and play to win, as all teams should) took this game lightly at all. Anyone who followed Redlands during the year that they were not the same team that Chapman played and beat twice back in December. They were much improved. But, I realize that on paper, based on the whole year statistics, that it would appear that way.
"As Expected" = Favorite in my lexicon. Congrats to Redlands on what turned out to be, a fine 2nd half of a season.
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 04, 2011, 02:51:01 PM
Old Chap: I would expect nothing less and I do think as well that last year's experience helps. Do you think CU is a better team than last year? Why?
To answer your question, read my post in the SCIAC forum:
http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=1144.4290
That's my take on the subject, but of course other people may have other opinions and I fully respect that.
There yo go, intimidating me with those big words again. I understand, I was just trying to drive the point home that Redlands deserves respect for makin the tourney and playing their hearts out. I know you agree. :-)
oldchap:
Would you please wish 'em well? And cheer extra loud for me in my absence. And don't let those Pirates steal one from us! Have a safe trip, and I know the team and coaches really respect your support, and that fact that you must have a zillion miles on your car driving to all the home and away games as much as you do, although I missed you at the La Sierra away game. You did miss a duzzy for the last 5-8 minutes.
You Whitworth fans, take it easy on oldchap, he's a good guy. Go by the Chapman section and introduce yourself, oldchap would love it!
Just FYI:
I attended the Cabrini pod tonight. Hartwick was no slouch, but SUNY-Purchase was much better, very athletic with 9 seniors on the roster.
However, both NJCU and Cabrini were lights out. Just super impressive teams. Cabrini won out over the athleticism of NJCU with pure execution. Their coach needs to win some awards, he had them ready to play. They were switching between a number of defenses, hustling and banging hard, running crazy complicated cut and pass offensive sets that would make Jerry Sloan drool - and, when things got tight, they never blinked.
Really impressed with them. I don't think they'll have much trouble with Purchase, unless the battle tonight depleted them too much. I think they'll even be able to make Wooster work.
Quote from: dahlby on March 04, 2011, 03:06:23 PM
oldchap:
Would you please wish 'em well? And cheer extra loud for me in my absence. And don't let those Pirates steal one from us! Have a safe trip, and I know the team and coaches really respect your support, and that fact that you must have a zillion miles on your car driving to all the home and away games as much as you do, although I missed you at the La Sierra away game. You did miss a duzzy for the last 5-8 minutes.
You Whitworth fans, take it easy on oldchap, he's a good guy. Go by the Chapman section and introduce yourself, oldchap would love it!
Dahlby,
Thanks for the compliment. I hope I can live up to it!
There's not much I can do at this point for the Witworth/Chapman game. The Chapman players just know I have their back, especially on these boards... ;D That's the least I could do.
As for you Pirates fans, yeah, we don't like your team right now, but it's all fun and game, nothing personal. I also would like to add that I had a great time last year in Spokane and met nothing but nice people. I hope to have the same experience all over again... even if our team wins this time.... ;)
I am sure Chapman fans will be treated kindly and fairly. You will see some new looks in the Fieldhouse with baseline stands and courtside seats being added.
As for winning, sure it happened 37 games ago in Spokane. It would snap a great streak and rank as a top upset in D3 tourney history. Chapman will have to do everything right and Whitworth many things wrong, but it is possible. ;)
nwhops 1903:
You are right, and that is why they play the game. Our women's team, along with Oxy's team, almost proved it tonight. But, both teams earned some respect.
Watched the Chapman v Redlands game. Wasn't impressed with anything outside of the play from Riley and Ramme.
I like the way Whitworth matches up. M Taylor is fully capable of slowing down Riley, and the Gebbers brothers should both be able to limit Ramme. If Ricard, Consani, and Lin are the ones who have to beat the Pirates I like Whitworth's chances.
Furthermore, I'd put Dave Riley on Ricard who must play some defense because he was pretty useless on the offensive end of the court against Redlands. Felix will guard Consani.
The nice thing about Chapman is that they aren't real big and their post players aren't big physical presences on offense (defensively they did a great job of shutting down Redlands). Whitworth can bring in Loofburrow for a guard or Felix and I don't see any mismatch problems for the Pirates either way.
What is Chapman going to do if they get down by 10 or so? They don't like pushing the tempo, and they really aren't good at it.
(509)Rat:
Probably lose.
(Written tongue in cheek) LOL Dahlby :-)
Whitworth is the better team. Whitworth is playing at home. The Fieldhouse is one of the better home court advantages in the country (from what I've seen in person and on other video streams), weird visuals, regularly packed, etc. Whitworth's strength is their defense which is always a plus in any post season play...
But thanks to Williams, RMC, etc. and their close calls, I am quickly reminded that this is basketball. One guy can beat you (Ask the 2008 Pirates about Kent Raymond). Foul trouble can kill you. Cold shooting can lose a game regardless of how the other team's defense performs.
Chapman only has 2 guys that can beat you but in this sport that's all it takes. I think this one will be closer than last year.
Whitworth up by 4-5 at the end of the game, stretches the lead with FT's and wins by 9.
I sure hope I'm wrong and it is a blowout with 15 minutes to play ;D
Marietta beats Wittenburg on a bucket with 8 seconds left. Was watching the live feed. It really looked like the baseline ref called a foul on Marrietta (who looked to be hooking the Wittenburg big man), which would have put Witt on the FT line with .2 seconds left...but Marietta was playing at home and got the call, whatever it ended up being.
Winner tonight will play Marietta, most likely in Ohio (unfortunately)...
Home teams advancing so far. Go Pirates...up 11-3 after 5 minutes.
Did the NCAA know that the host city couldn't even keep its $%!# together? :D ;)
March 6
WOOSTER -- The city's wastewater treatment plant experienced enough extra water from Monday's flooding to cause multiple overflows of wastewater into surrounding waterways.
lol
If you've ever spent time East of the Mississippi, you'll realize how lucky we are to live in the PacNW...
The news out of Ohio doesn't surprise me at all...although you know if Spokane got to host that the sewage treatment plant by Downriver would probably go and spring another leak :D
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 07, 2011, 09:42:34 AM
Did the NCAA know that the host city couldn't even keep its $%!# together? :D ;)
March 6
WOOSTER -- The city's wastewater treatment plant experienced enough extra water from Monday's flooding to cause multiple overflows of wastewater into surrounding waterways.
We had quite a mess in Ohio last week, caused by several inches of rain, which melted the 12"+ of snow we had in the few days prior. Highways were shut down, businesses and homes flooded, etc. It was the worst flooding in this part of Ohio in 40 years.
This should be a great sectional this weekend. The atmosphere was terrific at Wooster for the first/second rounds, with crowds of ~3000 both nights, including lots of Wooster students, the bagpipers, etc. This weekend, the students will be gone on spring break, but I suspect that the community will still turn out in force; if Marietta upsets Whitworth on Friday evening, then they'll bring a bunch with them on Saturday.
Quote from: fantastic50 on March 07, 2011, 08:10:34 PM
if Marietta upsets Whitworth on Friday evening, then they'll bring a bunch with them on Saturday.
Nobody wants that... ;D
My report on the Chapman - Witworth game has just been posted in the West Region Independent forum:
http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=5506.105
Here's a link to Wooster's Sectional Tournament information page. (http://www.woosterathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2010-11/ncaa/sectional/index)
Getting closer to games Friday. Looking back, Wooster and Marietta both survived seriously close games to advance.
Marietta looked vulnerable inside against Wittenburg but fought back from 9 down. The 3 from Puch was huge. How did that shot/play develop in 10 seconds?
Wooster survived low scoring game with Manchester in what appears to be a poor shooting game or excellent defense game that Wooster was 29 points below their season average? 16 turnovers by the Scots could lead to some real problems this weekend vs Cabrini. Can Wooster play that way (Franks 4-16) on Friday and win? Doubtful.
Scotsfan,
Any word on students sticking around for games this weekend? I remember you saying they were on break...looks like Marietta will bring at least a bus-load of students for the Whitworth game.
I think Wooster shakes off the rust and beats Cabrini soundly, much like several of the top ranked teams did in the second round after first round scares
Marietta just didn't look that good against Wittenberg...very comparable to Chapman. A long swingman (Halter) although Halter shoots from outside much better than J Riley, he isn't nearly as athletic. An undersized post (Knab and Kilpatrick) although Knab appears to be much more of an offensive threat than Consani from Chapman. and a guard that can create his own shots (Hammond). Again, you take away two guys and Marietta should struggle, much like Chapman did without Riley and Ramme.
I still like the way Whitworth matches up. I think Mike Taylor gives up a little size and guards Halter. Stick Riley on Humphrey and the Gebbers brothers take Owens and Hammond, and Felix will guard Knab. Again, Loofburrow can come in and relieve Felix, Riley, or one of the Gebbers and Whitworth should still match up fine.
Quote from: David Collinge on March 07, 2011, 10:31:56 PM
Here's a link to Wooster's Sectional Tournament information page. (http://www.woosterathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2010-11/ncaa/sectional/index)
Will they be broadcasting/streaming the Whitworth/Marietta game as well?
Quote from: 89Pirate on March 08, 2011, 01:56:10 PM
Quote from: David Collinge on March 07, 2011, 10:31:56 PM
Here's a link to Wooster's Sectional Tournament information page. (http://www.woosterathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2010-11/ncaa/sectional/index)
Will they be broadcasting/streaming the Whitworth/Marietta game as well?
I believe that the article states that there will be live video/audio of all three games.
Quote from: imderekpoe on March 08, 2011, 01:58:51 PM
Quote from: 89Pirate on March 08, 2011, 01:56:10 PM
Quote from: David Collinge on March 07, 2011, 10:31:56 PM
Here's a link to Wooster's Sectional Tournament information page. (http://www.woosterathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2010-11/ncaa/sectional/index)
Will they be broadcasting/streaming the Whitworth/Marietta game as well?
I believe that the article states that there will be live video/audio of all three games.
That is good, cause I already took the afternoon off from work, would hate to have to lie about 'watching' the game.
The link to video is on the sectional page. But here you go,
http://www.teamline.cc/sportpage?teamcode=1100&eventcode=6
Real question is Castle broadcasting? No Audio link...
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 08, 2011, 02:02:15 PM
The link to video is on the sectional page. But here you go,
http://www.teamline.cc/sportpage?teamcode=1100&eventcode=6
Real question is Castle broadcasting? No Audio link...
Yes, Castle is going. Audio will be available locally on KSBN 1230 as always.
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 08, 2011, 12:34:50 PM
Getting closer to games Friday. Looking back, Wooster and Marietta both survived seriously close games to advance.
Marietta looked vulnerable inside against Wittenburg but fought back from 9 down. The 3 from Puch was huge. How did that shot/play develop in 10 seconds?
Wooster survived low scoring game with Manchester in what appears to be a poor shooting game or excellent defense game that Wooster was 29 points below their season average? 16 turnovers by the Scots could lead to some real problems this weekend vs Cabrini. Can Wooster play that way (Franks 4-16) on Friday and win? Doubtful.
I just think the Wooster/Manchester game was more of a case of two teams playing some excellent defense in a game where the officials were allowing things to get a bit physical which also favors the defenses. Also, Wooster does place an emphasis on defense as evidenced by their 3rd best defensive fg% in the country. And while Wooster may have been 29 points below their average, Manchester wasn't much better coming up 27 points short of their average.
Also, Manchester was better than I think many are giving them credit for. They had won 12 in a row coming into that Wooster game. Only Stevens Point has a longer win streak in D3.
And I also think Wooster looked a little bit tight. Knowing the opportunity that laid ahead, I think Wooster may have been playing with the added pressure of knowing that if they won, they would probably be hosting the next weekend and what a golden opportunity they would be wasting if they lost.
As for the question regarding whether Wooster can play like they did vs. Manchester with another 4-16 performance by Ian Franks and win on Friday? I would say, why not? The Scots already proved they can play poorly and win vs. a good Manchester team. Hopefully, we don't have to find out and Wooster will come out and play much better vs. Cabrini. 8-)
One thing I will agree with you on is your comment regarding turnovers. Wooster has been plagued ALL season by committing far too many turnovers and many are of the unforced variety, i.e. lazy, errant passes and careless ballhandling. Cabrini appears to be a team that likes to pressure the ball handler creating steals and turnovers. One thing I will agree with you on is your comment regarding turnovers. Wooster has been plagued ALL season by committing far too many turnovers and many are of the unforced variety, i.e. lazy, errant passes and careless ballhandling. Cabrini appears to be a team that likes to pressure the ball handler creating steals and turnovers. IMO, turovers will be more of a determinant as to whether or not Wooster can advance to Saturday more than anything else. If Wooster can limit their turnovers to under 15, I like their chances. The closer they get to 20 or more, the less I like their chances.
As for the tip-off game Friday night, I'm very intrigued by this matchup. Even though Marietta is within close proximity to Wooster, I know virtually nothing about them except for the fact that they have been winning a TON of close games. Not once, not twice, but FOUR times Marietta has eeked out a win with a basket in the closing seconds of games this season including the OAC Championship game and last Saturday's tournament win vs. Witt. Just one word of advice. If your Pirates are in a tight one and Marietta has the last possession with a chance to win, you'd better hope that the ball doesn't end up in either Trevor Halter's or Tyler Hammond's hands... ;)
BTW, are you making the trek east to Wooster this weekend? How many WW fans can we expect? I saw on Marietta's website they already have at least one charter bus lined up so I'm expecting them to bring a pretty big crowd. Not sure on how many Cabrini will bring. Manchester had a pretty large contingent last weekend as well.
Cabrini didn't even fill their own gym for the Friday game (I didn't attend Saturday, but with students on break, its doubtful). You probably won't see too many Cabrini faithful there.
Cabrini plays smart. Their lack of mistakes and unreal discipline is what gives me a little fear about them playing Wooster. Woo tends to keep games close (due to the tight defense) and Cabrini's had a knack for really kicking it up a notch at the end of games.
Lazy passes will turn into points against Cabrini. One of the things that really impressed me about Cabrini was how they turned up the intensity (and the ball pressure) at the end of the game, when the other team was tired and riding on adrenaline. Lots of late turnovers forced.
I'm hoping to watch this matchup Friday. I'm probably more excited about this one than any of the others.
Quote from: 89Pirate on March 08, 2011, 01:56:10 PM
Quote from: David Collinge on March 07, 2011, 10:31:56 PM
Here's a link to Wooster's Sectional Tournament information page. (http://www.woosterathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2010-11/ncaa/sectional/index)
Will they be broadcasting/streaming the Whitworth/Marietta game as well?
As long as there are no technical difficulties?! :P ;D
Wooster got an earful from fans because they had technical difficultes arise that weren't a quick fix and thus had no online video available for the NCAC semis and finals at Wooster.
But, they were able to get everything up and running again prior to last weekend's games and they did provide online video of all 3 games (I was able to cacth the 1st half of the Manchester/Bethany game online before I headed up to the hill to catch the remainder of that game in person as well as the Wooster nightcap. So, I would assume the same should be expected this weekend barring any mishaps.
Quote from: ScotsFan on March 08, 2011, 02:28:13 PM
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 08, 2011, 12:34:50 PM
Getting closer to games Friday. Looking back, Wooster and Marietta both survived seriously close games to advance.
Marietta looked vulnerable inside against Wittenburg but fought back from 9 down. The 3 from Puch was huge. How did that shot/play develop in 10 seconds?
Wooster survived low scoring game with Manchester in what appears to be a poor shooting game or excellent defense game that Wooster was 29 points below their season average? 16 turnovers by the Scots could lead to some real problems this weekend vs Cabrini. Can Wooster play that way (Franks 4-16) on Friday and win? Doubtful.
As for the tip-off game Friday night, I'm very intrigued by this matchup. Even though Marietta is within close proximity to Wooster, I know virtually nothing about them except for the fact that they have been winning a TON of close games. Not once, not twice, but FOUR times Marietta has eeked out a win with a basket in the closing seconds of games this season including the OAC Championship game and last Saturday's tournament win vs. Witt. Just one word of advice. If your Pirates are in a tight one and Marietta has the last possession with a chance to win, you'd better hope that the ball doesn't end up in either Trevor Halter's or Tyler Hammond's hands... ;)
Pirates haven't played a tight one all season. We even lost a game that wasn't actually close ;) but not because WE were getting blown out. We have responded to that loss (5 minutes) pretty well. I hope Friday isn't close for obvious reason but mainly so we have 100 percent for Sat. NWC plays Fri Sat games so we know how to prepare but Sat games can be affected by an intense Friday game.
Quote from: (509)Rat on March 08, 2011, 01:54:49 PM
Scotsfan,
Any word on students sticking around for games this weekend? I remember you saying they were on break...looks like Marietta will bring at least a bus-load of students for the Whitworth game.
I think Wooster shakes off the rust and beats Cabrini soundly, much like several of the top ranked teams did in the second round after first round scares
Haven'theard difinitively one way or the other on the student situation. Their break starts Friday I believe.
And I hope you're right about Wooster shaking off the rust and winning soundly! 8-)
I can't say I know much about Ohio D3 but I can speak to Far West teams a bit and the Marietta at La Verne game 2 months ago is interesting.
http://www.d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2010-11/contrib/20101231t492bj
1st off, La Verne lost to Oxy, and we all know who Oxy lost too this season. La Verne was no slouch but Chapman was CLEARLY a better team than the Leopards. Marietta narrowly won this game. La Verne held them below their averages and got them into some foul trouble. This game was the night after they had dismantled Redlands. Probably some over confidence and time zone fatigue played out. La Verne outrebounded and had 7 more made FT's but overall, this game was too close.
I suspect they will embrace the underdog roll Friday night and get a shot at Wooster, assuming Scots win. Why doesn't OAC play NCAC more? Marietta's game against Dennison was again, too close for a #11th ranked team. Capital couldn't match Wittenberg and they owned Marietta. :-X
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 08, 2011, 04:45:10 PM
I can't say I know much about Ohio D3 but I can speak to Far West teams a bit and the Marietta at La Verne game 2 months ago is interesting.
http://www.d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2010-11/contrib/20101231t492bj
1st off, La Verne lost to Oxy, and we all know who Oxy lost too this season. La Verne was no slouch but Chapman was CLEARLY a better team than the Leopards. Marietta narrowly won this game. La Verne held them below their averages and got them into some foul trouble. This game was the night after they had dismantled Redlands. Probably some over confidence and time zone fatigue played out. La Verne outrebounded and had 7 more made FT's but overall, this game was too close.
I suspect they will embrace the underdog roll Friday night and get a shot at Wooster, assuming Scots win. Why doesn't OAC play NCAC more? Marietta's game against Dennison was again, too close for a #11th ranked team. Capital couldn't match Wittenberg and they owned Marietta. :-X
First of all, I wouldn't look too much into that close game out in Cali. As you said, it was the 2nd game of a 2 night west coast swing for the Pioneers so I'm sure there was some time zone fatigue going on as you mentioned and just fatigue in general from playing 2 games back to back.
Second of all, the OAC and NCAC do play quite a bit. But there's also several other Great Lakes Region teams from conferences such as the PrAC, HCAC and MIAA to name a few which offer alternatives. Wooster went 3-0 vs. the OAC this season BTW (ONU, JCU, Wilmington).
Lastly, I wouldn't put too much stock in trying to use comparitive scores either. Wooster beat Denison by 30 the first time they played and only by 8 in the re-match. Conversly, Wooster needed a last second 3-pointer to beat Allegheny in their first meeting and then waxed the Gators by 32 in the re-match. And Denison beat Chicago who beat IWU who was an at-large team in the NCAA tournament. Does that make Denison better than IWU? Not so much.
Also, it was Witt that couldn't match Capital as the Crusaders won that early season matchup to the tune of 80-56. Witt was also without the services of 2 returning starters who were still transitioning from football to basketball in that game and had some other key early season injuries to deal with which would explain Witt's slow start and strong finish to the season. Another reason not to put too much stock into comparitive scores because you don't know if one team might have been dealing with injuries or whatnot...
I sure read that Capital Witt game backwards. :-[ Glad you corrected me Scotsfan, I was about to underestimated OAC. I am thinking the NCAC is traditionally and historically considered a superior conference. Is this correct over the last 5 years? Common opponents has some validity regardless of date on schedule IMHO. Teams should be improving but then so should the team they played. Teams that get hot in Feb. are dangerous but my theory is that the tourney is the third season in a year. Some teams know how to win their conference but not much else.
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 08, 2011, 06:31:19 PM
I sure read that Capital Witt game backwards. :-[ Glad you corrected me Scotsfan, I was about to underestimated OAC. I am thinking the NCAC is traditionally and historically considered a superior conference. Is this correct over the last 5 years? Common opponents has some validity regardless of date on schedule IMHO. Teams should be improving but then so should the team they played. Teams that get hot in Feb. are dangerous but my theory is that the tourney is the third season in a year. Some teams know how to win their conference but not much else.
I would say that historically the best teams in the NCAC have been stronger than the best in the OAC, but the OAC has been stronger from top to bottom. This year was probably an exception where the NCAC may have been stronger overall as well.
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 08, 2011, 06:31:19 PM
I sure read that Capital Witt game backwards. :-[ Glad you corrected me Scotsfan, I was about to underestimated OAC. I am thinking the NCAC is traditionally and historically considered a superior conference. Is this correct over the last 5 years? Common opponents has some validity regardless of date on schedule IMHO. Teams should be improving but then so should the team they played. Teams that get hot in Feb. are dangerous but my theory is that the tourney is the third season in a year. Some teams know how to win their conference but not much else.
To tag onto derek's post, the OAC has always been superior to the NCAC top to bottom, IMO. In fact, it wasn't too long ago that one could argue that the OAC was right up there just behind the WIAC and the CCIW as one of the top basketball conferences in the country. In comparing the OAC with the NCAC, at the top, (top 3-4 teams) it's pretty even between the two conferences. But the OAC is much deeper as far as quality teams go. The NCAC has been getting more competitive from their mid-tier teams the past couple of years, but they haven't been even with the OAC. Now, with that said, I don't think the OAC was as strong this season as it has been in years past, and as derek said, the NCAC may have been a bit better, but that's a matter of debate. The depth just wasn't there this year in the OAC that we are accustomed to seeing and even the top teams weren't as strong as evidenced by only one team making it into the NCAA's.
And trust me, I can testify firsthand to teams getting hot at the wrong time of the season. Wooster has done this faaaaar too often where they look unstoppable at certain parts of the season only to lose that edge come tournament time and bow out far too early. :-\ Wooster has been seeming to improve on their performances in the NCAA's this past decade as they have made it to Salem twice and have advanced as far as the sweet sixteen in 7 of the last 13 tournaments. And as a result of their improved performances over the last decade, their overall NCAA tournament record has finally surpasssed the .500 mark as they came into this season at 20-20 in their 20 appearances in the tournament. They now sit at 22-20 with their 2 wins last weekend! :)
Gonna be a great weekend! Can't wait.
Favorites and Underdogs
Whitworth over Marietta
Wooster over Cabrini
Amherst over Rhode Island
Augustana over MHB
Is there a HEAVY favorite? All 4 'dogs believe they can win anywhere. I predict 1 upset and an OT narrow miss by a second. No idea which is which. :D
Anyone can win
UW - Stevens Point vs St. Thomas
St. Mary's vs Buffalo St.
Rochester vs Middlebury
Williams vs Virginia Wesleyan
Home team advantage could be difference makers here. Point looks for revenge and St. Mary's looks to go deeper.
I think Wooster and Amherst would be big statistical favorites in their games.
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 10, 2011, 04:21:28 PM
Gonna be a great weekend! Can't wait.
Favorites and Underdogs
Whitworth over Marietta
Wooster over Cabrini
Amherst over Rhode Island
Augustana over MHB
Is there a HEAVY favorite? All 4 'dogs believe they can win anywhere. I predict 1 upset and an OT narrow miss by a second. No idea which is which. :D
Anyone can win
UW - Stevens Point vs St. Thomas
St. Mary's vs Buffalo St.
Rochester vs Middlebury
Williams vs Virginia Wesleyan
Home team advantage could be difference makers here. Point looks for revenge and St. Mary's looks to go deeper.
I think that #3 Augie is a 10-point favorite over (RV) UMHB on a neutral court. I believe that Augie also has a 7 point Home Court Advantage over a team that is flying from another part of the country. Augie by 15-17 points. That margin may vary depending on how many minutes the Augie starters play. Leading UMHB by 14 with 6 minutes to play may give Augie a chance to rest the starters for a really tough battle on Saturday, in turn seeing the margin melt down to 10-12.
Quote from: sac on March 10, 2011, 04:34:50 PM
I think Wooster and Amherst would be big statistical favorites in their games.
Not if Wooster plays like they did last weekend. Now, if they can somehow find the form they showed in the NCAC semis and finals 2 weeks ago?
Quote from: ScotsFan on March 10, 2011, 07:43:12 PM
Quote from: sac on March 10, 2011, 04:34:50 PM
I think Wooster and Amherst would be big statistical favorites in their games.
Not if Wooster plays like they did last weekend. Now, if they can somehow find the form they showed in the NCAC semis and finals 2 weeks ago?
Which of my 4 favorites is most vulnerable? Sounds like Wooster. :o
If turnovers continue to plague Wooster then Cabrini presents an obvious problem. But some re-focusing and a home court should be enough for the Scots...
I'm sure the Spokane folk have seen this but here's an interview with Whitworth coach Jim Hayford. The "NCAA letter" comment was funny. Hopefully Hayford is right and the players take the travel situation as a big slap in the face. Just more motivation to beat Marietta in their own backyard. The EWU coaching vacancy was an interesting question...Marietta better hope it ends up distracting the players, and Hayford, and the assistant coaches, and the athletic trainers...gonna need all the help they can get to beat the Pirates tomorrow! ;D
Jim Hayford on Marietta, the Sweet 16 and more (http://www.krem.com/video/raw/Raw-Jim-Hayford-on-Marietta-the-Sweet-16-and-more-117717813.html)
Sounds like Whitworth will only have a handful of folks travel to the game. 50 ish. But over half of them will be from Brewester, WA!
If your local grocer doesn't have fresh apples this next week it's because the orchards owners will all be in Ohio to watch the Gebbers brothers and their cousin Mike Taylor :D
Quote from: (509)Rat on March 10, 2011, 11:20:33 PM
Sounds like Whitworth will only have a handful of folks travel to the game. 50 ish. But over half of them will be from Brewester, WA!
If your local grocer doesn't have fresh apples this next week it's because the orchards owners will all be in Ohio to watch the Gebbers brothers and their cousin Mike Taylor :D
I think there is a semi larger group waiting for Salem if it happens.
Quote from: (509)Rat on March 10, 2011, 09:28:34 PM
I'm sure the Spokane folk have seen this but here's an interview with Whitworth coach Jim Hayford. The "NCAA letter" comment was funny. Hopefully Hayford is right and the players take the travel situation as a big slap in the face. Just more motivation to beat Marietta in their own backyard.
Now, just a sec here. It wasn't Marietta or Wooster that slapped Whitworth in the face. As a matter of fact, I have it on good stead that the Scots coaching staff got together and wrote their
own letter to the NCAA just prior to their determination of the sectional locations. Turns out I have a copy...
Dear August Body,
As we would certainly not want to imply that it is our choice rather than yours as to where the sectional match-ups will be held, we will not officially remove ourselves from hosting consideration. However, our gym is small, our fan base non-existent, our hospitality suspect, our politics dubious. As a matter of fact, this letter may be our last legal act of collective bargaining.
We believe that the number one ranked team, Whitworth University, deserves the honor. We understand that Spokane and the entire pacific northwest are beautiful at this time of year. Apples, rain, sasquatches, we love them. Besides, several of our players have noted that they are in need of new rims for their cars. Don't think for a minute that we rubes of Ohio haven't heard of Pacific Rims; we know they are the best.
Thanks for lending your ears,
Coach Moore and The College of Wooster Staff
My wife and I prefer the "jazz" apples from Washington. Very tasty and refreshing.
My wife also is cheering for the Pirates, as she thinks their mascot is really cute!
Finally got home from work... ::)
30 minutes till tip off. Go Bucs!
Let's hope Freidt has his legs. I think he wins the travel mileage award.
Pirates on fire both sides of the court. Was 8-7 Marietta now 28-12 Whitworth. Whitworth is playing with a confidence I haven't seen ALL year. Look out!!
Let's hope they all have a good game...would be cool for his Dad to see them win, coming all the way from Germany and seeing Felix play in person for the first time.
Whitworth up 29-12. Marietta getting flustered and throwing up TERRIBLE shots. Whitworth having an easy time getting into the interior of Marrietta D. They are gonna have to settle down and run their half court sets if they don't want this to get even uglier.
Listened to the guys doing the video feed for a minute...Taylor drains a 3, announcer "Are these guys for real?"
Pirates shooting over 80% at the time, I'd be a little stunned too.
Quote from: (509)Rat on March 11, 2011, 05:53:57 PM
Listened to the guys doing the video feed for a minute...Taylor drains a 3, announcer "Are these guys for real?"
Pirates shooting over 80% at the time, I'd be a little stunned too.
The color guy keeps saying "Here we go" when Marietta does something good. I don't think this Scot fan wants to see Pirates tomorrow. ;) ;D
These guys are doing a good job. And apparently Jack Loofburrow is Tyler Fitzpatrick and the Pirates are the Pioneers.
Marietta clawing back in it. Pirates missing shots. Clay Gebbers to the line shooting 3. Miss, make and miss 36-22.
2 Michael Taylors on the court.
Whitworth up 47-33 at the break.
Marietta did settle down, got to the basket and got to the FT line because of it.
Whitworth is better, but they'll have to play another solid 20 minutes. Marietta showed they could care less who they are playing, got rid of the jitters and started playing better offensively.
They need to stop Whitworth guards from penetrating or they will never get this game to within 5-6 points.
Oh, and big congrats to Mike Taylor. First Team All American.
Marietta is a good team and has it close enough to get back in it. Now if Whitworth comes out and scores the first 3 buckets...OxyBob would say "Game over". ;)
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 11, 2011, 06:14:05 PM
Marietta is a good team and has it close enough to get back in it. Now if Whitworth comes out and scores the first 3 buckets...OxyBob would say "Game over". ;)
That didn't happen.
Officials tag Freidt with 2 fouls quick. Ouch!! He has 4 now.
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 11, 2011, 06:33:04 PM
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 11, 2011, 06:14:05 PM
Marietta is a good team and has it close enough to get back in it. Now if Whitworth comes out and scores the first 3 buckets...OxyBob would say "Game over". ;)
That didn't happen.
Officials tag Freidt with 2 fouls quick. Ouch!! He has 4 now.
These refs are gonna keep it close. Calling everything on both teams. This favors Marietta obviously.
Marietta is in the bonus with 13 minutes left in the half??
Looks like refs trying to even things out a little, call two quick ones on Halter.
Where's oldchap to complain about the calls when you need him?
Whitworth is going to have to shoot well from the FT line. Marietta still can't stop them from getting to the hoop but they are making them ear buckets from the stripe.
73-60
TAYLOR!!! Whitworth 77-61 4:32 left.
Riley with a big 3!
82-66
Even with 8 guys on the court, Marietta hasn't been able to close the gap
Quote from: (509)Rat on March 11, 2011, 06:39:48 PM
Marietta is in the bonus with 13 minutes left in the half??
Looks like refs trying to even things out a little, call two quick ones on Halter.
Where's oldchap to complain about the calls when you need him?
Don't worry, I'm here! Now you guys got a taste of what we, Chapman fans experienced in Spokane. ;) But as one coach once said to me "if you want to win, you have to be good enough to even beat the refs..."
Anyway, Congrats to Whitworth!! They should go to Salem, but the question is, can they hold the distance?
Whitworth vs Wooster it is. The year of the W?!
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 11, 2011, 09:38:01 PM
Whitworth vs Wooster it is. The year of the W?!
Wooster looked very good tonight. Tomorrow will be an amazing game.
Gonna be a great game in Wooster tonight. Best game of the day across all divisions!
Whitworth has 3 players combine for 60+ while at the same time holding opponents top 2 scores under 30. Recipe for success.
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 12, 2011, 11:33:51 AM
Whitworth has 3 players combine for 60+ while at the same time holding opponents top 2 scores under 30. Recipe for success.
Recipe for success if the opponent has no depth. ;) Last night vs. Cabrini, Wooster's #4 scorer had 23 points, #3 scorer had 21 points and their #6 scorer had 15 points! ;D
Should be a great game tonight as you could argue that this is really a Final 4 matchup being played now.
Quote from: wooscotsfan on March 12, 2011, 11:57:44 AM
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 12, 2011, 11:33:51 AM
Whitworth has 3 players combine for 60+ while at the same time holding opponents top 2 scores under 30. Recipe for success.
Recipe for success if the opponent has no depth. ;) Last night vs. Cabrini, Wooster's #4 scorer had 23 points, #3 scorer had 21 points and their #6 scorer had 15 points! ;D
Should be a great game tonight as you could argue that this is really a Final 4 matchup being played now.
If this game is close AND the winner wins it all, loser gets lots of #3 votes in final poll. I agree, no arguement from me. :)
How did Cabrini's top 2 scores fare vs their averages?
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 12, 2011, 12:30:55 PM
How did Cabrini's top 2 scores fare vs their averages?
Dom Farello was held to 3 points below his average. Eleven of his 14 points came in the 2nd half when the game was already decided.
Lemons did manage to score 3 over his average but he was basically a one man team last night as he was trying to do it all. And it did take him 19 shots to get his 20 points.
Quote from: ScotsFan on March 12, 2011, 01:50:59 PM
Lemons did manage to score 3 over his average but he was basically a one man team last night as he was trying to do it all. And it did take him 19 shots to get his 20 points.
I thought Wooster did an excellent job on Lemons. When he penetrated, they stuck with him, so he rarely had available dish-offs. Until the game was over, he was missing shots badly. If he'd made those little pull-ups earlier, it would have been tougher.
This IS gonna be a great game. Let's hope your 3000 fans don't include 3 guys with wistles.
Quote from: Wooster Booster on March 12, 2011, 02:17:26 PM
I thought Wooster did an excellent job on Lemons. When he penetrated, they stuck with him, so he rarely had available dish-offs. Until the game was over, he was missing shots badly. If he'd made those little pull-ups earlier, it would have been tougher.
Good point. Penetrating and kicking it out to an open man seemed almost as big a part of his game as scoring was and Wooster did do an excellent job of preventing him from piling up assists.
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 12, 2011, 02:23:14 PM
This IS gonna be a great game. Let's hope your 3000 fans don't include 3 guys with wistles.
Trust me. For whatever reason, Wooster never seems to get the home court benefit when it comes to officiating. Now, that's speaking of NCAC officials, so since we won't be dealing with those fine folk, who knows. ;)
I just hope we have a crew that doesn't feel like the people came to see the officials as opposed to see two fine teams in what has the makings to be an epic game!
With all that said, I might conclude REB, FT and TO's will decide the winner.
Almost had to strangle someone after getting called-in to work...oh well, not gonna miss a minute of the game now. Bring on the bagpipers! :D
Two very good teams. Whitworth is probably slightly better but Wooster is at home. That should even it all out.
Wooster is the first team Whitworth has played in this tourney who has more than 2-3 scoring options. Whitworth hasn't had trouble limiting the other team's stars, but much like Whitworth, Wooster has 5-6 guys who can go for 20.
Hope the refs don't too nit-picky, foul trouble has never been an issue for the Pirates but judging from last night not all conference officials allow some of the physicality we see in the NWC. Whitworth's bench is better than people think but not as good as Wooster starters if it were to come to that.
Will be fun to see who steps up tonight for Whitworth. Taylor is going to get his points, he'll be the best player on the court, but somebody else is going to have to play like Wade did last night for Whitworth to win.
37-33 Wooster leads at the half. Tremendous game so far. These teams are like two prize fighters trading blows and just trying to contain the other.
Whitworth grabbed the early lead and maintained a 6 to 8 point advantage throughout much of the 1st period. Pirates were still up 27-19 with 6:31 left in the half, when Wooster went on a 12-2 run to take the lead for the first time since their opening basket, at 31-29. Whitworth came back to go up 33-31 but Wooster got a layup and 4 free throws to end the half up 37-33.
Whitworth in need of a rally as they are down 60-53 with 4:53 left in the game.
Pirates still down 7 at 66-59 with 2:58 remaining.
Score is now 68-59 with 1:09 left to play. Doesn't look like the Pirates are going to pull it off.
Big Congrats to Wooster. If these teams played 10 ties I'm sure they' split 5-5. Wooster was very comfortable shooting in their home gym. A lot of deep, contested shots that went through.
Whitworth picked a bad time to miss shots that they normally don't. Wooster picked a great time to play a great game. Wooster may have trouble with a bigger team but like Whitworth have 5 guys who can score and will be incredibly tough to beat. Good luck in Salem! Hope those of you posters at the game enjoyed it, maybe someday we'll get the same opportunity ;)
It's a final in Wooster as #1 Whitworth falls to #5 Wooster 76-66.
Congrats Scots. You are a very nice team and had contributions from all over your roster. We appeared frustrated on offense and lost rhythm in second half. The bounces on the rim did not go our way and we had turnovers we didn't see all season. I think the crowd was a big help but Scots deserved to win because of excellent clutch shooting.
Good luck!
Tough loss, nwhoops. Things might have been different in front of your home crowd or possibly a neutral site. It's too bad you guys are stuck on an island. I was really hoping for a St. Thomas/Whitworth final so it would be an all West of the Mississippi final. Oh well.
Quote from: Old School-Greek Tragedy on March 13, 2011, 01:56:20 PM
Tough loss, nwhoops. Things might have been different in front of your home crowd or possibly a neutral site. It's too bad you guys are stuck on an island. I was really hoping for a St. Thomas/Whitworth final so it would be an all West of the Mississippi final. Oh well.
Well, it would've been close, but St. Thomas is actually east of the Mississippi.
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 13, 2011, 01:46:36 PM
Congrats Scots. You are a very nice team and had contributions from all over your roster. We appeared frustrated on offense and lost rhythm in second half. The bounces on the rim did not go our way and we had turnovers we didn't see all season. I think the crowd was a big help but Scots deserved to win because of excellent clutch shooting.
Good luck!
Congrats on a fine season by WW as well. As I said on the NCAC board, I felt it would take a herculean effort by Wooster to win this game. I did feel going into the game that I thought Woo's defense could be the difference maker and that indeed ended up being the case. WW had to work much harder on offense at getting open looks than it appeared they had to the night before against Marietta and that is a credit to the defense played by the Scots.
I will say, this was a game between two pretty evenly matched teams. The shots were falling for Wooster and WW had several that just wouldn't fall. Add in the home court advantage and it was a recipe for a Wooster win.
I echo what Old School said about it being too bad that you guys find yourselves on an island out there in the northwest. It would be nice to see what your team could have done playing at home as they deserved. But, unfortunately, the NCAA is more concerned about the bottom line and until that changes, it's going to make things difficult for west coast teams.
To the Wooster community,
Please take care of business in Salem so I don't feel as bad about the loss last night!
Quote from: kiltedbryan on March 13, 2011, 02:08:18 PM
Quote from: Old School-Greek Tragedy on March 13, 2011, 01:56:20 PM
Tough loss, nwhoops. Things might have been different in front of your home crowd or possibly a neutral site. It's too bad you guys are stuck on an island. I was really hoping for a St. Thomas/Whitworth final so it would be an all West of the Mississippi final. Oh well.
Well, it would've been close, but St. Thomas is actually east of the Mississippi.
Isn't it north of the Mississippi...?
EDIT: It's north... but it's closer to the Mississippi in an easterly direction than a northerly direction.
Hopefully it's located to the left of Michele Bachmann. ;)
Quote from: ScotsFan on March 13, 2011, 03:21:09 PM
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 13, 2011, 01:46:36 PM
Congrats Scots. You are a very nice team and had contributions from all over your roster. We appeared frustrated on offense and lost rhythm in second half. The bounces on the rim did not go our way and we had turnovers we didn't see all season. I think the crowd was a big help but Scots deserved to win because of excellent clutch shooting.
Good luck!
Congrats on a fine season by WW as well. As I said on the NCAC board, I felt it would take a herculean effort by Wooster to win this game. I did feel going into the game that I thought Woo's defense could be the difference maker and that indeed ended up being the case. WW had to work much harder on offense at getting open looks than it appeared they had to the night before against Marietta and that is a credit to the defense played by the Scots.
I will say, this was a game between two pretty evenly matched teams. The shots were falling for Wooster and WW had several that just wouldn't fall. Add in the home court advantage and it was a recipe for a Wooster win.
I echo what Old School said about it being too bad that you guys find yourselves on an island out there in the northwest. It would be nice to see what your team could have done playing at home as they deserved. But, unfortunately, the NCAA is more concerned about the bottom line and until that changes, it's going to make things difficult for west coast teams.
Scots defense was definitely the best we had seen all year. WW top 3 scores combined for only 50 points. Taylor had no less than 3 shots climb OUT of the basket at key moments, he also had 7 turnovers. Probably 10 possesions we had in second half didn't go our way with the ball in MT's hands. Because of this, as I said, we got frustrated on offense. Our defense didn't shut down your top 2 scorers (or 3). Warnes was terrific. Franks was the first impact player our defense didn't stop ALL season. He is calm, poised and really good. 6 steals to 1, Wooster.
Wooster did what they do and Whitworth didn't. Homecourt advantage is big but not that big. Scots win and deserved it. Would we win in Spokane? I think yes but it doesn't matter and will never happen in an Elite 8 game. Scots get my #1. Hopefully they win it all.
Quote from: Wooster Booster on March 13, 2011, 11:12:35 PM
Hopefully it's located to the left of Michele Bachmann. ;)
Here is a
map (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MN06_109.png) of the 6th Congressional District.
I will let you decide for yourself. ;)
Quote from: nwhoops1903 on March 13, 2011, 11:22:33 PM
Warnes was terrific.
The story of Justin Warnes is an amazing one. As a freshman, he was nowhere on the radar, playing JV. Last season, he began to get scattered varsity minutes. Personally, I couldn't understand why. He appeared to be a pretty good athlete, but he looked like an intramural player. Decent defensively, but totally lost on offense. When the ball went to him, the offense stopped. He rarely shot, but if he did, the likely result was an air ball. Honestly, I couldn't understand why he was on the court, but the coaching staff stuck with him.
This season, early on, his minutes began to slowly increase. His defense had improved some, his offense still not so much. But then, by the holidays or so, you could almost see improvement game-by-game. Dramatic improvement. By the time of the league tournament, he was a defensive stopper. He (combining with Nate Balch) did an unbelievable job of shutting down Wittenberg's Chris Sullivan, a deadly long-range shooter. Prior to that, he'd made life miserable for Wabash's high scorer, Wes Smith.
I'll be the first to admit how wrong I was about this player. I saw the potential, but never figured it could be realized during his stay at Wooster. He was just so far behind, even beginning this, his junior year. But my hat is off to him for what he's done. He's now a crowd favorite, and one of mine, too.