In the past week, the menís basketball team (7-0 NCAC, 12-4 overall) has sneaked by its opponents, despite poor perimeter shooting. When the Scots travel to Wittenberg University (5-2, 13-3) tomorrow night, they will look to correct their surprising shooting slump. Otherwise, they will find out how long they can last while struggling from behind the three-point line.
The perimeter-oriented Scots have historically thrived from long range. When other phases of the game have broken down, the Scots have relied on their ability to make it rain from downtown. This season, however, the Scots have struggled through a prolonged shooting drought.
In each of the past five seasons, the Scots have shot at least 40 percent from the three-point line. Moreover, for nine straight seasons, the Scots have shot at least 48 percent from the field. However, this season the Scots have struggled in both areas. The Scots are shooting 44 percent from the field, and just 34 percent from three-point line. In games against Allegheny College (3-3, 6-8), Earlham College (1-5, 3-12) and Oberlin College (0-7, 4-12) they chucked up a combined 72 three-point attempts and made 14 of them.
Up to this point, the Scots have gotten away with it. The Scots have pieced together their longest winning streak of the season, with six straight victories. Furthermore, they have moved back into the national rankings at No. 25.
Recently, the Scotsí struggles from the outside have been offset by strong play inside. In their 69-68 win over Allegheny College, the Scots outscored the Gators in the paint by a margin of 32-26. In the 63-54 over Earlham, the Scots steamrolled the Quakers in the paint ó outscoring them 46-18. Furthermore, the Scots out-rebounded the Quakers 45-24. Last Wednesday, the Scots† out-rebounded the Yeomen 39-27.
In part, the Scots have accomplished this mini-run during a cushier part of their schedule. The combined winning percentage of their opponents in the first nine games was 56 percent. The combined winning percentage of the opponents in their last seven games was merely 37 percent.
The Scots will be challenged tomorrow night when they travel to Springfield to take on the hated Tigers. The Wittenberg-Wooster rivalry is one of the fiercest in Div. III. While the two schools have historically been equally matched, Wooster has taken the upper-hand in the rivalry over the last three years.
In the past decade, the Scots and Tigers have been the powerhouses of the NCAC. They are the only two teams to win the NCAC regular season title since 2000. The Tigers, the winningest program in Div. III, reached the national championship game in 2006. However, they have failed to make the NCAA Tournament since that run to the title game. Their win totals have decreased in each of the past three seasons. After posting a 30-4 season in 2006, they have gone 22-5 (2007), 16-8 (2008), and 13-13 (2009).
This season the Tigers seem to be back on track, racing to a 13-2 start. Their most notable victory came on Nov. 24, when they upset No. 22 Capital University ó the team that bounced Wooster in the second round of last yearís national tournament ó and subsequently cracked the national polls. The Tigers have since fallen out of the top 25, but are enjoying their best season since 2006. The Tigers would like nothing better than to steal a win from the Scots tomorrow and prove that theyíre back.
Against Earlham, the Scots were able to dominate inside. Bryan Wickliffe í11 was a force to be reckoned with, scoring 17 points and grabbing eight rebounds inside. While the Scots will need another big performance from Wickliffe tomorrow night, Wickliffe will have a much tougher assignment. Post player Mark Snyder, a 6-6 forward, is averaging nearly seven rebounds per game. Last Saturday, forward Michael Cooper scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds against the Gators. The Tigers have more depth inside than either Allegheny or Earlham. Wickliffe will need help from Josh Claytor í13, who grabbed a career-high eight rebounds against the Quakers.
The Tigersí strength inside makes the Scotsí slumping perimeter game an even greater issue. When the Scots have fallen behind of late, they have rallied on the back of Ian Franks í11, who is averaging 23 points per night in his last three games. Franks has been able to penetrate into the lane and draw contact. Based on the Scotsí recent performances, the Tigersí defense will collapse on Franks .
Tomorrow the onus will be on the perimeter duo of Justin Hallowell í12 and Nathan Balch í11. If the two are able to make a few outside shots early, it will free up lanes inside. If the two canít find a rhythm, Franks will be forced to shoulder the load, as he has done so often this season. If thatís the case, the Scots will have to scratch and claw one out against the Tigers.