Scots Seeded No. 2 for NCAC Tourney, Will Host Oberlin in Quarterfinals Tuesday

After earning a share of the North Coast Athletic Conference championship – the league's first tie for first-place in the regular season standings since 1993 – The College of Wooster will take a shot at another this week, as the NCAC Tournament is set to be held Feb. 23-27. Having lost out on a tiebreaker to conference co-champ Ohio Wesleyan University (22-3), Wooster will be the No. 2 seed and open its quest by hosting seventh-seeded Oberlin College (12-13) in quarterfinal action on Tuesday. Opening tip at the Fighting Scots' 3,400-seat Timken Gymnasium is set for 7:30 p.m. Ironically, the two teams closed the regular season against each other just a few days ago, and it also marks the third time in the last four years they've faced off in the NCAC quarterfinal round.

Following Tuesday's action, the highest remaining seed will host the NCAC Tournament semis and finals Friday and Saturday. If that is top-seeded Ohio Wesleyan, then the times for the semis will be 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., with the host playing the latter game, and the championship will tip at 5 p.m. The winner of the NCAC Tournament receives the league's automatic berth into the 2016 NCAA Div. III Championship field.

The Scots' potential semifinal opponents are No. 3 seed Hiram College (18-7) and sixth-seeded Kenyon College (11-14), while if Ohio Wesleyan can get past eighth-seeded Wabash College (13-12), it will play either No. 4 seed Denison University (14-11) or fifth-seeded Wittenberg University (14-11) in the other semi.

Ticket Info: As determined by the conference office, ticket prices for the quarterfinals are $7 for adults, and $5 for children/students (without an NCAC institution ID) and for those with an NCAC guest pass. Admission is free for NCAC students (with NCAC institution ID).

NCAC Tourney Notes: Wooster has had a great deal of success in the NCAC Tournament, having captured 15 of the 31 previous titles, nine more than any other school in the conference. The Scots, champions in 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014, are a league-best 64-16 all-time (.800) in NCAC tourney play.

Overall, Wooster has 23 NCAC Tournament championship game appearances to its credit, highlighted by a streak of 11 in a row (1997-2007). Last year, also as the No. 2 seed, the Scots  rode a hot start to a resounding 106-68 victory over Denison in the quarterfinals, then trailed much of the first half before coming back for a 68-55 win versus third-seeded Wabash in the semis before fourth-seeded DePauw University went on an 11-2 run midway through the second half to spring a 69-56 upset in the finals.

Wooster has been the No. 2 seed eight times all-time, winning the NCAC tourney four times (1992, 2001, 2004, 2012).

Regular Season Recap: Wooster started out ranked No. 20 in the D3hoops.com preseason top-25 poll, but playing six newcomers among its typical 12-man rotation right from the outset resulted in some growing pains.

The Scots were an uncharacteristic 6-4 through the opening 10 games, though, two losses came against top-10 teams Marietta College and Ohio Wesleyan University and another was against regionally-ranked Salisbury University.

As the calendar turned to 2016, Wooster showed improvement while continuing to tinker with the rotation. A four-game win streak included a 100-69 rout of regionally-ranked Hiram College, then archrival Wittenberg University halted that momentum by tripping up the Scots 82-77 in overtime.

That setback, plus the insertion of freshmen Mitch Balser (Centerville, Ohio / Centerville) and Reece Dupler (Newark, Ohio / Lakewood), may have been the turning point of the season, as Wooster has played its best basketballball since. Chief among the highlights was a 91-90 victory over Ohio Wesleyan when Spencer Williams (Bedford, Ohio / Orange) sank two free throws with 0.7 seconds remaining and a 99-86 overtime win against Wittenberg as the Scots came back from 10 down with 8:33 to play in regulation.

Hiram prevented Wooster from earning the North Coast Athletic Conference championship outright via a one-point decision (70-69) on Feb. 10, but the Scots still earned a piece of the title – their league-leading 17th and 10th of the last 12 years.

A very balanced, efficient offense and solid defense have been the keys to Wooster's success. Seven players are averaging at least 6.0 points, but just two in double figures – Williams at 14.4 and Dan Fanelly (Uniontown, Ohio / Green) at 13.1 – and as a team, the Scots shot 50 percent or greater from the field seven of the last 12 games (after reaching that level just once the first 13) while averaging 88.3 points during that stretch. On the other end, the Scots lead the league in defensive field-goal percentage (.404) and are helping to force the opposition average 16.1 turnovers.

This and That: Wooster has used an unusual number of different starting lineups this year, currently at 12. For some perspective, the coaching staff only went with a dozen starting lineups the previous three seasons combined ... Senior forward Alex LaLonde (Wooster, Ohio / Wooster) had his career come to a premature end recently due to a blood clot. The two year-starter and team's best defender was averaging 8.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.4 blocked shots, and his 95 career blocks rank seventh in school history ... Junior Dan Fanelly (Uniontown, Ohio / Green) needs just nine more points for 1,000 for his career. He will become the 41st player in the Scots' tradition-rich history to reach that level.