When the Wooster menís basketball team (14-1 NCAC, 19-5 overall) took on their arch-rival Wittenberg University (10-4, 18-5) last Saturday, the showdown was supposedly all but a formality. Wooster hadnít lost a game in two months and was set to cruise to an undefeated regular season in conference play. When the Tigers rained on the Scotsí parade harder than the Great Flood of Noahís Ark, they proved why this rivalry is the most intense in Div. III.
As expected, Saturdayís crowd of more than 2,800 was the biggest of the season. The student section was filled 30 minutes before tip-off. They welcomed the Wittenberg team with a chorus of boos. From the outset, though, Wittenberg controlled the tempo and silenced the home crowd.
Unlike in previous years, the regular season championship wasnít at stake in this match up. The Scots had already won the conference title, reserving Timken Gymnasium on Feb. 26-27 for the NCAC Tournament. For the Tigers, all that was on the line was a share of second-place. The Tigers had lost four straight to the Scots, with their last win in the series on Jan. 19, 2008. The Tigers had nothing to play for but pride ó which they fought tooth and nail for.
The Tigers came in with a level of energy and intensity that the Scots hadnít seen all season. The Tigersí defense was stingier than the tuition collectors in the Business Office, collapsing on the Scotsí perimiter players† every time they drove to the hole. While the Scots closed within 18-16 about halfway through the opening period, the Tigers went on a 19-7 run to close the half with a 37-23 lead ó the Scots had been chased off their home floor faster than Conan OíBrien from NBC studios.
On paper, the Scots should have been able put this one away. They were riding a 13-game winning streak and had won 22 straight conference contests. All aspects came together for them ó the outside shooters were finally heating up, the perimeter defense was locking down opponents† and the post players were dominating in the paint. The biggest home crowd of the season had showed up to give the team an extra edge.
Emblematic of a true rivalry game, none of those factors mattered Saturday. Wittenberg played its best game of the entire season. While the Scots had more talent on the floor, they couldnít match the energy and intensity that Wittenberg demonstrated. The Tigersí exhaustive press double-teamed Ian Franks í11 and Nathan Balch í11 every time either of the guards penetrated in the paint. Once the Scots got out of sync early, they were unable to find their focus. The Scotsí inability to hold onto the ball played a decisive factor in the upset ó the Tigers won the turnover battle 18-7.
So much emphasis is placed on the difficulty of winning on the road. Before Saturdayís game, Franks hinted that a raucous opposing crowd can actually motivate the visiting team. It showed on Saturday. Wittenberg seemed to feed off the hostile student section, intent on disappointing almost 3,000 fans. With 11 minutes left in the game, the Tigers led by a score of 58-35. While the Scots found their rhythm in the last 10 minutes to cut the final deficit (67-56) to 11, by that point it was as if the Wooster Police had come to break up a party on East University Street that had gotten out-of-hand two hours ago.
The loss was difficult ó the largest crowd of the season showed up to a game in which the Scots were pushed around like a grocery cart. The loss, however, was instructive. While the defeat snapped a 13-game winning streak, the Scots can use this game to refocus as they enter the most crucial stretch of the season.
Despite the loss, the season outlook remains positive for the Scots. The Scots remain nationally ranked at No. 21, dropping only two slots after the loss. Because regional rankings are such a critical determinant to the NCAA Tournament selection committee, the Scots could benefit as one of the top-ranked teams in the Great Lakes Region. Winning the NCAC Tournament would not only lock up an automatic bid, but could pay off with an opportune draw in the tournament.
This renders the NCAC Tournament as a must-win scenario for the Scots. The Scots are far and away the most talented team in the conference. The only team that has looked good enough to stop the Scots all season is Wittenberg.
From that standpoint, maybe the Scots should be rooting for someone else to trip up the Tigers ó who always seem to save their best for Wooster. Then again, itís hard to imagine the Scots not entering into a possible rematch against the Tigers with an unbelievable level of intensity and energy, ready to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament by exacting revenge on their arch-rival. From that standpoint, itíd be just like old times.
Maybe the Scots should root for the Tigers to make it back to Timken for a grudge match next Saturday.
