The only two schools in NCAA Div. III with 1,500 all-time men's basketball victories – The College of Wooster (1,507) and Wittenberg University (1,601) – will add another chapter to their historic rivalry this Saturday night, Jan. 23, when Wooster, currently ranked No. 25 by D3hoops.com, travels to Springfield, Ohio, for the first of two regular season meetings between the North Coast Athletic Conference foes. It will mark the rivals' 95th meeting on the hardwood, with Wittenberg owning a 50-44 advantage, despite the Fighting Scots having prevailed in the last three. Incredibly, 40, or 42.6 percent, of previous Wittenberg-Wooster games have been decided by five points or less, including seven of the last 10 as well as 20 of the last 39.
History dictates that the outcome of the teams' season series will go a long way in determining the 2009-10 NCAC champion. Since Wittenberg joined the conference in 1988-89, one of the two rivals has either won outright or shared the NCAC regular season championship (Wooster with 13 and Wittenberg 11), and they have combined to win all but three NCAC Tournament titles over the 20 years. Also since then, the squads have met 47 times, with Wittenberg slightly ahead at 25-22, and neither has won more than four in a row against the other during that stretch and the average margin of victory has been just 7.7 points. One last note, the Scots have totaled 3,075 points to the Tigers' 3,072 over this current 47-game stretch.
While it's interesting to reflect on those numbers, of more pressing concern for both teams is this season's conference race. Wooster has an early leg up via a 7-0 record, which puts it two games ahead of second-place Wittenberg (5-2) and Wabash College (5-2). Saturday's tip-off at Wittenberg's 3,000-seat Pam Evans Smith Arena is set for 7:30 p.m.
Ticket Information: There will be no pre-sale of tickets at Wooster's Physical Education Center. Wittenberg's ticket office will be open starting at 1 p.m., on Saturday. All seating is reserved and the cost is $8 a ticket.
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."
Additionally, Wittenberg will be providing live video of the game at the following link: http://www4.wittenberg.edu/news/athletics/sportsnetwork/video.html
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 10 of their 11 contests, with the lone loss coming on the home floor of No. 5 Randolph-Macon College. Wooster is currently riding a seven-game win streak, but several of those have been close calls with the margin of victory at 10 points or less in four of them, including each of the last three.
In conference games, the Scots have had some good fortune during their 7-0 start. 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 Wooster comeback from a 63-57 deficit with 1:28 remaining. On Jan. 13, the Scots 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.
Franks, a junior guard, has been the difference maker for Wooster throughout the season with an average of 17.2 points, which has ballooned to 22.7 against NCAC competition. Also in double figures are Justin Hallowell (Columbus, Ohio / Thomas Worthington) and Bryan Wickliffe (Columbus, Ohio / St. Charles Prep) at 10.7 and 10.1 points, respectively, and not far behind is Balch at 9.9 points. More than half of Hallowell's and Balch's scoring comes from 3-point range, as they've combined for 64 3-pointers made, while Wickliffe is the Scots' primary post presence. He pulls down a team-leading 6.3 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 3.7 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 5.7 points and a .418 3-point percentage.
This and That: Wooster is trying for an unprecedented sixth-straight NCAC championship this year. The Scots' current streak of five is shared by the 1990-94 Wittenberg teams ... Brandon Johnson (Columbus, Ohio / Groveport Madison) became the 33rd player in team history to score 1,000 points on Nov. 29, and now with 1,051 points, he's just 32 shy from moving into the top-20. Wooster's lone senior also ranks third in steals (163) and fifth in assists (356) in the school annals. In games with Johnson in the lineup, the Scots have compiled an 88-18 record (.830) ... After leading the NCAC in scoring offense the last six seasons, Wooster currently ranks first in scoring defense (63.8 ppg) ... The Scots' average of 69.1 points per game is the lowest since their 1995-96 season (68.6 ppg) and their current team 3-point percentage of .340 would be an all-time low (.347 in 1996-97) if it stays there ... While Wooster has admittedly struggled from the outside, especially over the last three games (.194; 14-for-72), it has made up for it at the free throw line, hitting shots at a rate of .753 from there, including .804 (78-for-97) during the past five games.