Archrivals Geared Up for 101st Meeting Wednesday Night at Timken Gym

The 101st edition of possibly the best rivalry in NCAA Div. III basketball has a twist to it, with No. 5 ranked College of Wooster welcoming Wittenberg University to 3,400-seat Timken Gymnasium this Wednesday, Dec. 7, instead of the usual Saturday night affairs during January and February that the fierce opponents are accustomed to.

No matter the date, the storylines remain the same. The game will likely have significant North Coast Athletic Conference Championship implications, as Wooster or Wittenberg has won/ shared every regular season title since 1989-90 (Allegheny College was the only team to break in via a co-championship during 1992-93), and the teams are off to 1-0 starts in league play this year.

The two programs have produced more victories than any other in Div. III history, with Wittenberg at No. 1 (1,631) and Wooster No. 2 (1,556), and neither appears to be slowing down. They have each advanced to the national championship game of the NCAA Div. III Championships recently, the Fighting Scots just last season and the Tigers in 2006.

Wooster, which owns the best winning percentage of any NCAA team of the 2000s (.854; 316-54), has prevailed in seven of the last nine meetings to cut into Wittenberg's all-time lead in the series, now standing at 52-48. Of those first 100 Wittenberg-Wooster games, the final outcome was five points or less in 41, including eight of the last 16 and 21 of the last 45.

The rivalry rejuvenated in 1988-89 when Wittenberg joined the NCAC. Since then, the two have played 53 times with the Tigers holding a slight 27-26 lead, and neither has won more than four in a row against the other during that stretch and the average margin of victory has been 7.9 points. Also noteworthy, one or the other has won the NCAC Tournament all but three times over the past 22 years, and they've met in the championship game 11 times (they also played each other in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament finals twice).

Tip-off time for the next chapter in this rivalry is set for Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

Blackout!: Wooster fans are encouraged to wear black in support of the Fighting Scots, and attempt to "Blackout" the gym Wednesday night.

On the Air: If you can't make it to Timken Gym, the audio and video from local cable provider Clear Picture, Inc., will be broadcast live over the Web at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wooster-mens-basketball.

Additionally, every Wooster men's basketball game can be heard live in the Wooster area on WQKT 104.5 FM or by following links on the radio station's website at http://wqkt.com/. Mike Breckenridge serves as the "Voice of the Fighting Scots."

Scots' In-Season Update: After graduating three of its top-four players from a group that extended Wooster's streak of NCAC championships to seven and advanced all the way to the national championship game of the 2011 NCAA Div. III Championships, expectations were slightly lower for the 2011-12 Scots, but here they are having opened up with a 5-0 record.

The key to Wooster's early-season success has been defense and rebounding. It has limited opponents to a .385 field-goal rate and owns a +10.2 rebounding margin through five games. Offensively, the Scots have scored more than 80 points three times (80.6 average) and are knocking down 43.8 percent of their 3-pointers to go with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio (69:68).

Individually, freshman point guard Xavier Brown (Bowling Green, Ohio / Bowling Green) has been a welcome addition, averaging 17.8 points and 1.8 steals, while senior and four-year starter Justin Hallowell (Columbus, Ohio / Thomas Worthington) also is putting up double figures for Wooster at 13.0 points per outing, which includes connecting on nine of his last 18 3-point attempts.

The Scots' other top outside threat is starting shooting guard Matt Fegan (Strongsville, Ohio / Strongsville), a senior who has made 12-of-25 3-pointers (.480) as part of a 7.8 scoring average, while senior defensive stopper Justin Warnes (Toledo, Ohio / Bowsher) and sophomore sixth-man Ryan Snyder (Canton, Ohio / St. Thomas Aquinas) also can provide an offensive spark. They're averaging an identical 8.4 points.

On the inside, juniors Josh Claytor (Oxford, Ohio / Talawanda) and Jake Mays (Tallmadge, Ohio / Tallmadge) are sharing time at the center position. The duo has combined for 13.6 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, with Mays currently serving as the squad's top rebounder (6.6 rpg).

Also look for freshman forward Kenny DeBoer (Westerville, Ohio / Westerville North), and sophomore guards Scott Purcell (Oxford, Ohio / Badin) and Doug Thorpe (Columbus, Ohio / Eastmoor Academy), who have all been part of the regular rotation thus far.

This and That: With his next 3-pointer made, senior forward Justin Hallowell (Columbus, Ohio / Thomas Worthington) will become Wooster's all-time leader in that category. He's currently tied with James Cooper (2004-08) at 241 ... Senior guard Matt Fegan (Strongsville, Ohio / Strongsville) has already played in 100 career games, helping the Scots to an 84-16 record (.840).