Allegheny, Wabash Look to Prevent OWU-Wooster Rematch

James Cooper was named MVP of last year's NCAC Tournament after scoring 65 points in three games.

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(all three games)

Gold Rush!: Wooster fans are encouraged to wear Gold shirts to Friday's semifinal game against Wabash.

The College of Wooster and Ohio Wesleyan University are the top two seeds for this weekend’s North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals and finals, based on their performance during the regular season, and they met in last year’s championship game. To get there again, though, they’re going to have to get past two challenging semifinal foes, as several seniors on the Wabash College team are hoping to extend their careers at Wooster and upstart Allegheny College will take a shot against Ohio Wesleyan.

During the regular season, the Fighting Scots won a pair of hard-fought games from Wabash, first coming back from a second-half double-digit deficit to eke out a 72-70 road victory on Jan. 12 and then earning an 83-71 win here at Timken Gymnasium about three weeks ago (Feb. 9). The Battling Bishops also swept Allegheny, one coming during last week’s regular season finale when they utilized a 10-2 run late in the second half to pull out a 72-62 triumph.

The winners of Friday’s semifinal games will advance to the title game Saturday, which is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off, and the NCAC Tournament champion will receive the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Div. III Tournament. The NCAA bracket will be announced Monday, March 3, at noon.

Here’s a capsule of each semifinal team:

Allegheny has reached the NCAC semis for the first time since 2003 after upending traditional power and third-seeded Wittenberg University 65-63 on Tuesday. The Gators led by 10 with 4:00 to go (59-49), but then needed a runner in the lane by Charlie Jaicks with just :04 remaining to break a 63-63 tie and overcome Wittenberg. Most didn’t see the upset coming, but Allegheny was playing well down the stretch of the regular season, including close losses to three of the top-four teams in the conference – 72-62 against Ohio Wesleyan Feb. 23, 84-74 at Wooster on Feb. 20, and 88-77 at Kenyon College Feb. 16. The Gators suffered a couple key injuries this year, with the most noteworthy knocking out all-NCAC post player Ryan Hollihan for the season, but they’ve fought through them and gelled of late. George Raftis has been very effective stepping in for Hollihan, as he leads the conference in rebounding (8.7 rpg) and his team in scoring (12.7 ppg). Allegheny also has a stable of guards capable of exploding on any given night, led by Craig Devinney (11.2 ppg) and Jaicks (10.4 ppg). The duo has combined to make 89 3-pointers this season.  

Ohio Wesleyan, in the conference tourney semifinals for the third-straight time and sixth in eight years but still looking for its first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 1988, brings a veteran group to Timken Gym. The Bishops, who rank second in the NCAC in scoring defense (65.0 ppg) and third in scoring offense  (74.6 ppg), include five seniors among their regular rotation – posts Jesse Jean, Ryan Rozak, and    Dustin Rudegeair, wing Brian Cafarella, and point guard Casey Teeters. Jean is a force in the interior, averaging 13.7 points on a .567 field-goal percentage as well as squad highs of 8.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots, while Rudegeair serves as Ohio Wesleyan’s top point producer (15.4 ppg), effectively using his 6-5 size on the inside and extending the defense as a viable 3-point threat (24-for-73). On the outside, Cafarella has connected on 61 3-pointers and is nearly a double-digit scorer (9.7 ppg), along with junior wing Kyle Holliday (11.1 ppg). Teeters is the playmaker, dishing out about 3.0 assists per game (2.8) and having the ability to hit the big shot (45-for-113 on 3-pointers).

Wabash has been a near fixture in the semifinal round since joining the conference in 1999-00, having reached at least this far seven times now. This year’s group of Little Giants seems to be built for a potential postseason run, as they lead the league in defensive field-goal percentage (.423), blocks (4.2 per game), and steals (9.2 per game), and have senior leadership in the form of Earl Rooks, Gary Simkus, and Andrew Zimmer. A soon-to-be two-time member of the All-NCAC First Team, Zimmer is the key to Wabash as he leads the way in scoring (17.5 ppg), rebounding (7.7 rpg), and blocked shots (1.3 bpg). Simkus, who was not part of the Little Giants’ squad at this time last season due to studying abroad, averages 12.0 points and gives them good size, matching Zimmer’s 6-6 height. Also adding bulk to the frontline is 6-5 sophomore Aaron Brock, who chips in double figures (10.1 ppg), while 6-3 freshman Wes Smith gives Wabash another dimension. A defensive standout and viable candidate for NCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year honors, Smith ranks first in the conference in steals (2.4 spg). Others to watch include sophomore sharp-shooter Chase Haltom (40-for-107 on 3-pointers) and Rooks, who directs the team from his point guard position.      

Wooster is the defending NCAC tourney champ and ranked No. 11 in NCAA Div. III (D3hoops.com). The Scots have translated their perimeter-oriented, up-tempo lineup into the conference’s top scoring team for the fifth season in a row (87.1 ppg). Their offense is very efficient, having made a Div. III-best 44.7 percent from 3-point range and 51.0 percent from the floor overall. The backcourt consists of seniors James Cooper, who is likely to earn the second NCAC Player-of-the-Year award of his career, and Devin Fulk, as well as junior Brandon Johnson. Cooper became just the third in conference history to hit the 2,000-point milestone for a career on Tuesday and has averaged a career-high 19.6 points this season. Fulk and Johnson are also at career highs in scoring, currently at 11.8 and 11.4 points, respectively. All together, the trio of guards has combined to hit 47.8 percent of its 3-pointers (153-for-320). Up front, Wooster has relied on senior Evan Will, junior Marty Bidwell, and freshman Bryan Wickliffe. Will, the top rebounder (6.6 rpg), can make his presence felt on the offensive end at times and excels defensively. Bidwell uses his aggressive style to be a highly effective defender and in the transition game (3.7 apg), while Wickliffe has steadily adapted to the collegiate game, now averaging 10.9 points and 5.5 boards.