The College of Wooster begins what it hopes to be an extended postseason run on Tuesday, Feb. 23, as Kenyon College (6-18) visits 3,400-seat Timken Gymnasium for the quarterfinal round of the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. As the NCAC regular season champions for a record sixth consecutive year, Wooster is the No. 1 seed, and thus, draws eighth-seeded Kenyon to start out the tourney. The Fighting Scots swept the regular season series, however, they needed a last-second lay-up to prevail 66-65 at Kenyon back on Dec. 5 and then a late 11-0 run to ease past the Lords 71-59 at Timken Gym Jan. 9.
If Wooster, also ranked No. 19 in this week's D3hoops.com top-25 poll, can take down Kenyon a third time, then it will serve as host for the NCAC Tournament semifinals and championship game Friday and Saturday, Feb. 26-27. The Scots' potential semi would be against either No. 4 seed Allegheny College (14-10) or No. 5 Ohio Wesleyan University (12-13) Friday at 8 p.m., or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first semifinal, which if seeds go to form would feature No. 2 Wabash College (17-7) and No. 3 Wittenberg University (19-6). The two winners advance to Saturday's finals at 7 p.m., with the winner of that receiving the conference's automatic berth into the 2010 NCAA Div. III Tournament.
On the Air: Every Wooster men's basketball game can be heard live in the Wooster area on WQKT 104.5 FM or anywhere in the world by following links on the radio station's Web site at http://wqkt.com/. Mike Breckenridge serves as the "Voice of the Fighting Scots."
Ticket Info: As determined by the conference office, ticket prices for the quarterfinals are $7 for adults and $5 for children, college students with ID, and those with NCAC guest passes. Prices for the semis (one ticket is good for both games) are $10 for adults and $5 for children, college students with ID, and those with NCAC guest passes, and the same $10/$5 pricing breakdown is in effect for the championship game.
NCAC Tourney Notes: Wooster has had a great deal of success in the NCAC Tournament, having captured 11 of the 25 previous titles, five more than any other school in the conference. The Scots, champions in 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, and 2009, are a league-best 48-14 all-time (.774) in NCAC tourney play.
Overall, Wooster, which has been the tournament host as No. 1 seed each of the last five years, has 17 NCAC Tournament championship game appearances to its credit, highlighted by a streak of 11 in a row (1997-2007). Last season, the Scots beat Denison University 101-68 in the quarters, Kenyon 89-71 in the semis, and Wabash 84-72 in the finals. As the top seed, Wooster has won the NCAC tourney six times (1995, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2007, and 2009).
Scots' In-Season Update: Wooster entered 2009-10 with typical high expectations, including a No. 9 preseason ranking (D3hoops.com), but got off to a 2-3 start in the month of November, thanks in part to a highly-challenging schedule that featured losses to then-No. 4 ranked University of St. Thomas (Minn.) and No. 2 John Carroll University. Since then, the Scots have won 18 out of their 20 contests, with the lone setbacks coming on the home floor of No. 5 Randolph-Macon College and to arch-rival Wittenberg University.
In the conference portion of the schedule, Wooster had some good fortune early. On Dec. 5, Ian Franks (Greenwich, Ohio / South Central) fed Nathan Balch (Westerville, Ohio / Olentangy) for a lay-up with :02 left, capping a 66-65 victory that saw the Scots come back from a 63-57 deficit with 1:28 remaining. On Jan. 13, they put together another furious comeback, this time down 45-33 with 15:47 to play and 59-51 with 5:40 on the clock before pulling out a 69-68 win at Allegheny College. Franks paved the way with a career-high 33 points, 24 coming during the second half.
With the exception of the loss to Wittenberg Feb. 13, Wooster has been playing its best ball of the season over the past four weeks, witness double-digit victories in six of the eight outings. The Scots have been shooting 51.0 percent from the field, raising their season average to 46.4 percent, and holding the opposition to a rate of .395, compared to .411 for the entire year. They've also averaged a +9.2 rebounding margin during this current stretch.
Franks, a junior guard, has been the difference maker for Wooster throughout the season with an average of 17.1 points, which has ballooned to 19.5 against NCAC competition. Also in double figures are Bryan Wickliffe (Columbus, Ohio / St. Charles Prep) and Balch at 11.3 and 11.2 points, respectively, and not far behind is Justin Hallowell's (Columbus, Ohio / Thomas Worthington) 9.9 points. More than half of Hallowell's and Balch's scoring comes from 3-point range, as they've combined for 102 3-pointers made, while Wickliffe is the Scots' primary post presence. He pulls down a team-leading 7.1 rebounds an outing.
Wooster's fifth starter is senior point Brandon Johnson (Columbus, Ohio / Groveport Madison), who endured a second ACL surgery in as many years this past summer. A gutsy return sees him averaging 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals to lead the team in each of those categories, while another key player for the Scots has been his back-up, Matt Fegan (Strongsville, Ohio / Strongsville), who chips in 5.9 points and a .417 3-point percentage.
This and That: Wooster's six consecutive NCAC championships is a conference record, bettering the five in a row by the 1990-94 Wittenberg squads ... Brandon Johnson (Columbus, Ohio / Groveport Madison) became the 33rd player in team history to score 1,000 points on Nov. 29, and now with 1,111 points, he ranks 20th on that list. Wooster's lone senior also ranks third in steals (174) and fifth in assists (384) in the school annals. In games with Johnson in the lineup, the Scots have a 96-19 record (.835) ... Junior guard Ian Franks (Greenwich, Ohio / South Central) may join the 1,000-point club soon, as he has 946 for his career entering this week ... Wooster leads the NCAC in free throw percentage (.766) and rebounding margin (+7.2 per game), and Bryan Wickliffe (Columbus, Ohio / St. Charles Prep) ranks first in field-goal percentage (.632).