Ann McGree of Wittenberg Dining Services shows her team spirit. The men's basketball game against Wooster on Saturday is being promoted as "Jam The Gym" night. Click Here For Details
Setting The Scene:
With the 2004-05 regular season coming to a close the Wittenberg Tigers are trying to edge their way into first place in the North Coast Athletic Conference. The Tigers return home after a hard-fought victory over Earlham in Richmond, Ind. on Wednesday tied for first place in the NCAC and riding high with a 15-game winning streak.
Wittenberg, the program with the most wins in NCAA Division III history, has already clinched a 48th consecutive non-losing season and 36th consecutive winning campaign, dating back to a 13-13 season in 1968-69, but there is a desire for more after several years of strong regular seasons followed by disappointments in the national tournament. The Tigers enter the game against Wooster at 20-2 overall and 12-1 in NCAC play, and they will square off with their primary conference nemesis, Wooster, which has a 21-1 overall mark, including a 12-1 record in the conference.
Tight Tickets:
While it has been several years since Wittenberg men's basketball has experienced the thrill of a sellout crowd, it appears that Saturday's game against Wooster may reach that status. Due to the number of complimentary tickets and season tickets, only 2,000 general admission tickets will be sold, beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the HPER Center lobby. It is advised that spectators arrive early to assure their place in the gym.
Ticket prices are: $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students. Wittenberg faculty, staff and students gain admission free of charge.
The Rankings:
Wittenberg is ranked No. 6 nationally after starting the season at No. 10 and dropping down with losses to Washington University and Denison University in the first month of the season. The No. 6 ranking is the highest of the season for the Tigers.
Wooster is ranked No. 3 nationally and has been among the top five all season. The Scots returned four starters off a team that advanced to the NCAA Elite 8 a year ago, and they started the season with 14 straight wins to move into the No. 1 spot, only to be beaten by Wittenberg on Jan. 15.
What It All Means:
Obviously, there are major implications in terms of postseason seeding involved in the game. The winner of the game will be in the drivers' seat to claim the NCAC regular season title with just two games remaining for each before the conference tournament Feb. 22-26. With that regular season crown comes home court advantage for the NCAC Tournament.
In addition, both teams appear to be in fine shape to advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament, but only the tournament champion is guaranteed of a berth. Wittenberg is currently No. 1 in the Great Lakes Region, while Wooster is No. 3. Additional in-region losses, even to teams as highly ranked as Wittenberg and Wooster, could lead to disappointments come Selection Sunday, Feb. 27.
Scouting The Tigers:
It is the play of the Tiger big men that has led this year's Tiger team to its current record and lofty national status. Juniors Dane Borchers, Dan Russ and Kenny Brady are first, second and fourth respectively on the team in scoring, combining for more than 37 points a game. Russ and Brady, who comes off the bench, were both second-team all-conference honorees a year ago, while Borchers saw his first varsity action in 2003-04 after sitting out his freshman season due to a back injury.
But balance is the key to any great team, and the Tigers have that. On the perimeter, the Tigers are led by seniors Andy Bucheit and Danny Brywczynski, as well as junior Phil Steffes, who has started all 23 games in 2004-05 after playing sparingly his first two seasons in the Red & White.
The Tigers are extremely productive from three-point range, as evidenced by a 106-60 home victory against against Hiram on Feb. 5 in which the Tigers set school and NCAC records with 21 three-pointers (in 35 attempts for a .600 shooting percentage). Wittenberg plays a half-court oriented hi-lo offense, working the ball through the post and then kicking it back out to open perimeter players.
The Tigers are averaging 74.8 points per game, good for third in the conference. But it is the Tiger defense that has excelled and helped the team dominate opponents. Wittenberg is ranked first in the NCAC in points allowed at 53.5, which is almost 10 points less than the second-best team, Wooster. The Tigers are led individually by the twin towers, Russ and Borchers, who both have more than 20 blocks and 15 steals on the season as they create match-up nightmares for opponents. The Tigers also receive a defensive boost when a pair of brothers Billy and Brett Bowen enters the game. Both have 15 steals on the season.
Scouting The Fighting Scots:
Wooster, like Wittenberg, has the ability to put points on the board in bunches, making the Scots dangerous and no lead safe. The Scots are led by the frontcourt trio of Tom Port, Matt Schlingman and Tim Vandervaart, who combine for just under 35 points per game and 17.5 rebounds.
Sharing the offensive load are guards Kyle Witucky and James Cooper. Cooper, a freshman from Springfield South High School, is averaging nine points per game in 18 minutes off the bench. The Scots are not shy about launching it from behind the arc, with three players who have attempted more than 60 three-pointers each. Wooster is shooting a phenomenal 52 percent from the field while averaging an NCAC-leading 80 points per game.
On defense the Scots are almost as formidable as the Tigers. The Scots are second in the NCAC in points allowed at 63.0 per game, and they hold their opponents to a paltry 37 percent from the floor. Led individually by Vandervaart, who tops the Scots in blocks and steals, the Scots are a physical defensive team that can make teams pay for sloppy passing.
Tigers on the Radio:
The Tiger faithful can turn their ear to the radio or internet for live coverage of men's basketball games. The Voice of the Tigers, both men's and women's basketball, in 2004-05 is Scott Leo, who also is the voice of minor league baseball's Richmond Roosters. Leo has been calling games in several sports at Wittenberg since 2000, and he has been instrumental in making the transition to the student station, 89.1-FM WUSO in the last year. Wittenberg junior Sean Golden has joined Leo on several women's basketball broadcasts this year and senior Bryan Metzger has lent his talents to analysis of the men's basketball games. Metzger doubles as the public address announcer for both women's basketball and softball.
On the internet Wittenberg fans around the globe can enjoy streaming audio thanks to Wittenberg's partnership with Stretch Internet. Wittenberg fans do not have to pay to listen to the internet broadcasts, and anyone with a computer and internet connection can log on and listen.
Tiger Milestones:
Danny Brywczynski
Brywczynski has 461 career points, putting him 39 away from the career landmark of 500...Russ will almost certainly break the 1,000-point mark sometime early next year - he has 855 presently...Borchers has a chance to reach 500 points in his career this year. Presently, he has 464 with three games remaining in the regular season. Borchers is averaging 14.5 points per game...Borchers has scored those points efficiently as well, with a .644 shooting percentage. If he keeps the pace, Borchers will set a school record for shooting percentage in a season. He ranks eighth in the nation in field-goal percentage.
NCAA Rankings:
The Tigers are ranked in the top 20 nationally in several key statistical categories. The Tigers lead the nation in two of those categories, scoring margin (21.3) and rebound margin (13.1). On the defensive end, the Tigers are second in points allowed per game at 53.5 and fourth in field-goal percentage defense at 36.1 percent. The Tiger perimeter players are also making their three-point shots at an impressive 40.6 percent clip, good for 18th in the nation.
Wooster is right behind the Tigers in many of the same statistical categories. The Scots are fifth in scoring margin (17.9), fifth in field-goal percentage defense (36.8) and sixth in rebounding margin (10.3). The Scots are ahead of the Tigers in the two offensive shooting percentage categories. They are ranked third in field-goal percentage at 51.7 and 14th in three-point field-goal percentage.
In the NCAC, Wittenberg and Wooster dominate almost all of the statistical categories. There are only two categories that the Scots and Tigers are not in the top five - turnovers margin and steals. There are only two other categories that the two teams don't lead, free throw percentage and three-pointers made per game.
That's Why They're Free:
Andy Bucheit
Brady and Bucheit lead the Tigers with stellar free throw shooting at 87 percent and 85 percent respectively. As a team, Wittenberg is shooting 70 percent, good for fourth place in the NCAC. Bucheit made 27 straight foul shots before missing three in a row late in a 56-48 win over Wabash on Feb. 2.
Home Sweet Home:
Wittenberg has won 30 straight NCAC regular season home games, dating back to two straight losses against Earlham and Wooster to conclude the 1999-2000 season. In 2004-05, Wittenberg is a perfect 10-0 in the HPER Center, including a Dec. 4 victory over NAIA Division II then-No. 1 ranked Cedarville.
Since 1957, Wittenberg is an amazing 501-56 in Springfield, good for a winning percentage just a shade below .900. Since the HPER Center opened in 1982, the winning percentage is actually slightly lower, standing at .894 thanks to a record of 295-34.
Program Landmark:
Wittenberg is the winningest NCAA Division III men's basketball program by total wins and winning percentage, and the Tigers recently reached a program landmark of 1,500 all-time victories. Coming into the 2004-05 season, Wittenberg's record was 1,482-605 for a .710 winning percentage. Second place in the victories category is Illinois Wesleyan with 1,374 (prior to this season) and second in the percentage category is Cabrini at .698. Wooster is No. 3 in victories with 1,368 and 12th in percentage at .651.
Last Time Out:
The Wittenberg Tigers took care of business with a 78-54 victory at Earlham College on Wednesday, Feb. 9. After leading by as many as 24 points in the first half and 32 points early in the second half, the Tigers struggled a bit down the stretch against the scrappy Quakers. Still, Wittenberg won for the 15th straight time heading into the biggest game of the 2004-05 season at home Saturday against third-ranked Wooster, the NCAC co-leader.
Wittenberg is ranked first in the nation in rebounding margin at 13.1 per game, thanks in part to the twin towers, junior post players Daniel Russ and Dane Borchers. They were outstanding again on Wednesday with 10 rebounds between them, but the Quakers still became the first team all season to even the score on the boards as the two teams split 68 rebounds evenly. Part of the reason the Tigers gather so many rebounds is they force so many errant shots from their opponents as they also lead the nation in team defense and have held all but one opponent under 60 points since losing 89-79 in double overtime at Denison on Dec. 11. Earlham had no better success as the Quakers hit just 22 percent from the field in the first half and 28 percent for the game.
Offensively, Wittenberg spread the wealth as senior wing Andy Bucheit drained four first-half three-pointers en route to a team-high 17 points to lead four double-figures scorers. Borchers added 15 and Russ and junior wing Kenny Brady both finished with 14 tallies.
Series History:
Wooster and Wittenberg have a rich tradition of rivalry between the two schools, and this meeting will be the 84th meeting between the teams. The Tigers lead the series, 46-37. The first game between these two teams was played in the 1911-1912 season, with Wooster winning convincingly, 59-12. That initial game is the only time in the history of this rivalry that a team was defeated by more than 40 points.
Wittenberg has won eight of the last nine regular season meetings and of the last 10 meetings.
The Coaches:
Wittenberg is led by Head Coach Bill Brown, a 1973 graduate from Wittenberg, Brown had posted a 270-64 record at Wittenberg since taking the helm in 1993. Brown's teams have won six NCAC regular season championships and three NCAC tournament titles and have appeared in seven NCAA Division III tournaments. Ironically, Brown spent one year coaching at the College of Wooster - posting a 13-13 record in 1983 - before beginning his tenure at Wittenberg. Brown's career record, including one year at Wooster, five at Kenyon and 12 at Wittenberg, is 330-163.
Brown's 270 wins are the second-most of any Wittenberg head coach, behind only Larry Hunter, who compiled a record of 305-76 between 1976-89. His .808 winning percentage is second in Tiger men's basketball annals to Ray Mears, who was a sparkling 121-23 between 1957-62, good for an .840 mark.
Wooster is led by Head Coach Steve Moore, the youngest coach to be listed in the top 15 in NCAA Division III in career wins and winning percentage. Moore, a 1974 graduate of Wittenberg and a former assistant coach for the Tigers, took the reigns of the Wooster program in 1987 and has led his team to a 406-97 record, for a winning percentage of .801. He has led the Scots to nine NCAC regular season titles, nine NCAC tournament titles and to one NCAA Division III Final Four.