Three Conference Preseason Favorites Make Up 2014 Van Wie Field

While the 21st annual Al Van Wie/Rotary Classic has a different feel to it – the traditional two-day tournament format has been replaced by a three-team, round-robin event over three days – it brings together an outstanding field of NCAA Div. III basketball teams once again. In fact, all three are preseason favorites to win their respective leagues – the University of Mount Union in the Ohio Athletic Conference, Saint Vincent College from the Presidents' Athletic Conference, and The College of Wooster in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

Wooster, the NCAC champions nine of the last 10 years and ranked No. 10 in the D3hoops.com top-25 poll, will first play host to Mount Union, which won last season's OAC regular season championship but then fell in the semifinals of the league tourney, Friday at 7 p.m. On Saturday evening (6 p.m.), the Fighting Scots welcome Saint Vincent to Timken Gymnasium again, as it marks a rematch of a hard-fought opening round game from the 2014 NCAA Div. III Championship that Wooster eventually won 76-67, and the Classic will conclude Sunday with a neutral-site game between the Purple Raiders and Bearcats, starting at 2 p.m.

Here's a team capsule on each of this weekend's competitors:

Mount Union has taken great strides under the direction of fourth-year coach Mike Fuline, highlighted by the 2013-14 OAC championship – the school's first in men's basketball since 1996-97 – and it also notched the program's second-ever 20-win season (20-6). If Tuesday night's opener is any indication, it doesn't appear the Purple Raiders have been resting on their laurels. They began with a 17-0 run and ended up drilling Bethany (W. Va.) College by a 92-49 score, thanks to 55.7 percent field-goal shooting and a 42-25 rebounding advantage. Junior guard Cody Dillon is coming off a first-team all-OAC season, in which he connected on 47.0 percent of his 3-pointers and averaged 13.0 points, while senior guard Nate Jacubec is also a sharpshooter as he made 3-of-3 from outside the arc during Tuesday's opening 17-0 run. On the inside, Mount Union leans on 6-5 junior forward Jarrett Ruffin, who contributed 12.6 points and 6.6 rebounds last year.

Saint Vincent, guided by veteran coach D.P. Harris, has already played three games this season, going 1-2 as the Bearcats are still transitioning from the losses of their top-two players – Dillon Stith and Isaac Turner. They combined for 44 points during the NCAA Tournament game here. Now, Harris is looking for Sean Kett, a 6-5 senior forward who is averaging 8.7 points and 6.0 rebounds early on, to lead the way. Saint Vincent's junior class is particularly strong with the likes of Pat Jones, Jaylon Bell, and Ben Klimchock. Jones has been the team's go-to scorer in the two games he has played with 20 points in the season opener and 19 on Tuesday, while Bell, a transfer from Saint Leo University, has made an instant impact with 27 points, seven assists, and six steals through three appearances. Klimchock, who dropped in 4-of-7 3-pointers at Wooster last year, is a strong outside shooter.

Wooster, coached by Steve Moore, who ranks third in NCAA Div. III history with 733 career wins, officially kicked off the 2014-15 season with a rousing 97-80 victory against Cabrini College, ranked No. 20 in the national preseason poll. The Scots received a career night from junior center Josh Kipfer (26 points, 15 rebounds) in that one, but they're more likely to consistently rely on the likes of senior perimeter players Xavier Brown, Jalen Goodwin, and Evan Pannell as well as sophomore forward Dan Fanelly. Brown, a preseason All-American, had a quiet opener, in part due to still recovering from an injury, but looks to return to around his team-leading scoring average from last year of 14.7 points. Goodwin is the starter at point and Pannell, who drained all four 3-pointers he took during the Cabrini game, a force on the wing. Fanelly, who poured in 14 points before fouling out in 14 minutes last Saturday, has the potential to develop into a standout presence on the inside.

Ticket Information: Fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items for half off admission. Donations are being collected by People to People ministries.