Pioneers Set to Battle Heidelberg
Tip-Off Scheduled for 4:00 pm
What’s at Stake for Marietta Today
February 19, 2022 by C. Jay Prescher
• Maintain Momentum
Marietta College has clinched another OAC regular season championship. There will be yet another banner hanging on the far wall inside Ban Johnson Arena. The Pioneers are also the #1 seed heading into next week’s OAC tournament.
All roads to the OAC’s automatic invite into the NCAA Championship should travel through “The Banjo”. So, for Marietta, there might not appear to be a huge sense of urgency on Saturday. It might be perfectly understandable for the Pioneers to ease off the gas and rest up.
Play the best game possible against the Student Princes on Saturday, but don’t risk anything ahead of Tuesday’s quarterfinal match at “The Banjo” . Just load up the bus after Saturday’s game, and roll back to Marietta healthy in preparation for their first OAC tourney matchup.
Adding an OAC tournament championship banner is this team’s obvious next goal. It’s an important one as well. With the conference tournament championship comes the automatic OAC bid into the 2021-2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
That’s where the ultimate banner is to be won. But it’s going to require an outstanding effort to win the Ohio Athletic Conference tournament.
Just because you’ve been anointed the regular season champ means nothing but home court advantage. Every team in the OAC will be gunning for that automatic NCAA Championship bid. You can count on it.
Because of how significant every conference tournament game is, momentum can be huge. Heading into Saturday’s 4:00 pm tip-off, the Pioneers are on a roll. Since losing to the #1 ranked Randolph Macon Yellow Jackets way back on November 20, Marietta College has won 19 straight games. It’s been an impressive run.
The Pioneers have clearly established a head of steam. A loss at Heidelberg will not affect Marietta’s tournament seed. It probably won’t have a huge impact on how favorably the selection committee views the Pioneers in regards to their seeding for March Madness.
However, a loss would suck some of the momentum away from a team that has been rolling along like a locomotive. After the Pioneers leave Seiberling Gymnasium, and climb aboard the bus back to Marietta, every “next game” will be a one-and-done situation.
After Saturday, the stakes become high, very high. Rolling into the conference tournament and maintaining momentum should be a huge motivational factor against the Student Princes. Momentum is always important. Now is the point in the college basketball season when it becomes increasingly urgent.
A loss of momentum at the wrong time after Saturday will mean an abrupt end to the pursuit of a lofty goal. Ultimately, losing momentum could mean a regrettable ending to a promising season. Maintaining their momentum is something that’s at stake for the Pioneers on Saturday. Momentum is critical. Now is not the time to lose it.
• A Chance to Make OAC History
There’s something else at stake in Saturday’s regular season finale. What’s at stake for the Pioneers is an opportunity to match an 83 year old OAC record for excellence in a season. With a victory, Marietta College will finish the 2021-2022 OAC regular season as the “undefeated champion”. The Pioneers would reach 17 OAC regular season victories for the second time in school history. Marietta went 17-1 in 2015-2016. Other teams have matched that 17-win conference record.
No OAC school has ever done it twice. Finishing at 17-0 in the conference will also propel the 2021-2022 Pioneers into any conversation about the greatest teams in OAC history. A win in Tiffin on Saturday would make the Pioneers the first unbeaten OAC team since the 1985-1986 Otterbein Cardinals. At 17-0, the Marietta College men would also match the best undefeated season in conference history.
The only other team to win 17 OAC regular season conference games, and not lose a single one, was the 1938-1939 Wooster Fighting Scots. That is the best single-season mark ever in the OAC. So yes, Saturday does have a great deal more significance than just being the final away game for a team that has already locked up a conference title. A win over Heidelberg would cement this team’s legacy as one of the best basketball teams in OAC history.
Tip-off from Seiberling Gymnasium in Tiffin, Ohio is about 3 hours away for thr #2 ranked men. A lot on the line in today’s game between Marietta College and Heidelberg University. For the Pioneers, it’s an opportunity to seize a piece of OAC history.
Stream both games live on BOXCAST. Pioneer women tip-off in about an hour, followed by the men’s game. The Marietta College men’s basketball team is riding an impressive 19-game winning streak. Now’s not the time to let off the gas.
The Word Jester is not employed by Marietta College, and is not affiliated with the Ohio Athletic Conference or D3 Hoops.com
The opinions expressed in this article are the exclusive viewpoints of the author.
They do not reflect the points of view, policies, or principles of any outside agency or organization.
