Marietta College Pioneers vs. Ohio Northern University Polar Bears
OAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Quarterfinal
Tuesday – February 22 – 8:00 pm
February 22, 2022 by C. Jay Prescher
The #2 ranked Marietta College men’s basketball team is set to host the Ohio Northern Polar Bears tonight at Ban Johnson Arena. It’s one of four quarterfinal games tonight in the 2022 Men’s Ohio Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament. The Pioneer women host Mount Union in the lady’s bracket as well. Tip-off for the women’s game is at 6:00 pm with the men to follow at 8:00 pm. Lot’s of exciting college basketball tonight at “The Banjo”.
Ohio Northern is coming off an exhausting comeback win against Muskingum. Monday’s game at The ONU Sports Center required an extra five minutes of overtime to decide the winner. The Muskingum Fighting Muskies played their hearts out. But at the final horn, the Polar Bears earned the right to move on to the quarterfinal round against the OAC tournament’s top-seeded Pioneers.
Just like in the head-to-head regular season series against the Pioneers, ONU got swept by the Fighting Muskies. But the third time was a charm Monday night. The Polar Bears lost 11 out of their last 13 regular season games. The final loss was last Saturday to those same Muskies. However, ONU rolls into Ban Johnson Arena with a needed boost in confidence. Overtime comeback wins have a way of doing that for a basketball team.
And, as the number eight seed in this year’s OAC tournament, Northern really has little to lose. The Pioneers are obviously heavy favorites to advance. Nevertheless, basketball pundits insist that it’s hard to beat a team three straight times in one season. These words resonate even louder in the tough Ohio Athletic Conference. But usually, when a team’s talent and ability level are so vastly superior, these become cautionary words used to motivate a team.
However, no one wants to get blindsided this time of year. A smart coach will remind his team of this. Every Pioneer fan can bet Head Coach Jon WanderWal has kept his team’s focus on the “next game”. From here on out; nothing else matters. Losses become more than simply losses. College basketball losses in late February and early March are painful. Many end promising seasons. Now is not the time to have a letdown. Every remaining game for the 2021-2022 Marietta College Pioneers men’s basketball team is a big game with high stakes.
Big Games – High Stakes
Great players step up for big games. The best will thrive in the moment. Beginning in late February, every college basketball game is a big game and the stakes are high. Often, a loss will bring a disappointing end to a promising season; even a college basketball career.
That is the mindset for every Ohio Northern Polar Bear on Tuesday night. Unless they win their way to the OAC tournament title, ONU will not be playing basketball in March. The next Polar Bears’ loss will end the season. The stakes are high. But make no mistake about it; the stakes are equally high for the Marietta College Pioneers.
Marietta wants the automatic bid into the NCAA Division III championship. With it will come the next goal that this team covets; another OAC banner. Ahead of NCAA Division III Selection Monday, there are other things at play for Marietta during this final week of tournament basketball. Marietta College’s name will be announced on Monday, February 28.
There is no doubt the Pioneers will make the final field of 64 teams. However, depending on how Marietta College does in the OAC conference tournament, a lot more could be at stake. If the Pioneers win out, they will complete the 2021-2022 OAC schedule undefeated both during the regular season and through the conference tournament. The Otterbein Cardinals accomplished that feat way back in 1986, defeating Marietta College in that OAC tournament final, 100-86.
Prior to that Otterbein run, the 1979 Wittenberg Tigers went undefeated through the entire conference schedule as well. Needless to say, this is not an easy task to accomplish in such a strong basketball conference. Marietta College has also not lost since November. Their last defeat came against the team currently ranked #1 in the D3Hoops poll. By continuing to win, the Pioneers will cement themselves as one of the top-four seeds in the country.
The implications are huge. It means Marietta’s road to the 2021-2022 NCAA Division III Final Four in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on March 18 and 19, could realistically travel through Ban Johnson Arena.
The last time that happened was during the 2016-2017 NCAA Championship. That didn’t work out as well as the Pioneers would have liked. No member of the 2021-2022 Marietta College men’s basketball team was on that squad.
However, all five of Marietta’s current seniors were on that 2018-2019 Elite 8 team. The Pioneers had to win a Sweet 16 battle with Oswego State, and then play for the 2019 DIII Sectional Championship in Illinois. Rock Island, the host site, was a short two-hour drive from the Wheaton College campus.
This gave the Thunder an advantage. It still took a record-breaking performance to keep Marietta from achieving the Pioneers’ first trip to the Division III Men’s Final Four. It was a heartbreaking loss. The five seniors on this year’s outstanding Pioneer team remember the feeling all too well. These five talented student/athletes, and the rest of their Pioneer teammates, are on a mission. The first step in that mission is another OAC tournament banner.
If Marietta can accomplish that goal, the next mission will be to earn a trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana. But first, the team needs to attain goal number one. The Pioneers aren’t interested in a guaranteed NCAA at-large bid. They want another OAC banner. With it, the Pioneers will earn the chance to host potentially four of the biggest games in their college basketball careers. Big players step up in big games. From here on out, they’re all BIG.
Big Game Players Step Up in Big Games
Four of Marietta College’s seniors have collectively been in the starting lineup for all but eight of the Pioneers’ 2021-2022 games. Seniors Jason Ellis and Lukas Isaly started all 24. Tim Kreeger started in all but three. Fellow senior Mason Lydic has been part of Marietta’s first five in all 19 games he’s been available. These four young men are big-time players with big-time talent.
However, these aren’t the only players who have stepped up big time for the Pioneers this year. Sophomore Addy Black entered the Marietta starting five for the first time back in December. That game was against this same Ohio Northern team. Black didn’t score in that game, but he hauled down five rebounds and blocked two shots.
That’s been Black’s trademark stat line this season. The 6’4” post player has provided timely rebounding and outstanding defense. Fellow sophomore Cooper Parrott has stepped into the starting lineup five times. Parrott scored in double-digits in three of those five starts. The 6’3” wing has also buried some huge shots, including five three-pointers earlier this month against Wilmington.
But Marietta’s most impactful player off the bench has undoubtedly been Sahmi Willoughby. Willoughby has been a monster on the glass. The 6’3” junior is two offensive rebounds shy of hitting the 100 mark for the season. Willoughby can score as well. He has six double-doubles on the year, including four in the last six Pioneer games.
Often, opponents and fans alike, stand in awe watching Willoughby outmaneuver other post players to secure a loose rebound. It’s something that ignites the Pioneer crowd. However, after teams force Marietta into a tough shot defensively, it’s even more demoralizing for an opponent to watch Willoughby vacuum up the miss.
Beginning Tuesday night inside Ban Johnson Arena, the Marietta College Pioneers men’s basketball team will begin a series of big games. Each one will get even bigger. The stakes are high. Now is the time when big game players step up big. The 2021-2022 Marietta College Pioneers can expect nothing less. They’re on a mission.
Production from the Bench
Both teams’ primary players are going to show up to play in Tuesday’s quarterfinal at “The Banjo”. Marietta College has one of the steadiest top eight to ten man rotations in the country. Ohio Northern relies heavily on their top players as well. But the players off the bench have the potential to have a big impact on Tuesday’s quarterfinal outcome. The Polar Bears are playing back-to-back nights. That’s hard to do. When the first night is a hard-fought overtime comeback, the issue compounds itself.
To match the Pioneers’ depth, Ohio Northern will have to get uncharacteristically strong games from their bench. Marietta College could use their reserves in a little different manner. Comparing how far down the bench these two teams go during any given game makes this point somewhat obvious. Marietta College Head Coach Jon VanderWal’s Pioneers go at least 10 deep virtually every night. After ONU’s normal starting five, Head Coach Rick Bensman’s Polar Bear team simply does not.
Ohio Northern has a core of six players who average over 25 minutes per game. Granted, six other Polar Bears average over or near double-digit minutes per game. However, that number is deceiving. Three of these ONU bench players have appeared in a total of 11 games collectively.
One of ONU’s primary subs, 6’7” junior Grant Heileman, hasn’t played over 10 minutes in the Polar Bears’ last five games. Heileman didn’t see any action in two of those. Heileman’s made one basket and has two rebounds over that stretch. If he sees much court time Tuesday night, Heileman has to be rusty.
Sophomore Carson Conley and freshman Garrett Chapin have seen their role in Coach Bensman’s rotation increase gradually. Back in January, Chapin did play some big minutes when ONU was shorthanded. Conley’s minutes have remained fairly steady, but so has his contribution. It’s been minimal at best. The 6’0” guard did nail a big first-half 3-pointer last night against Muskingum, plus he had a timely assist. But in the second half last night, Chapin and Conley saw a combined total of four minutes court time.
That strategy won’t work Tuesday against a deep Pioneer bench. Two OAC schools were excited at the prospect of everyone making the season-ending tournament. However, for the #8 seeded Polar Bears, that meant an extra game before traveling down to Marietta. That game turned out to be a war. In fighting off a valiant effort by the Muskies, ONU had to put their key players on the court for huge minutes.
Junior C. J. Napier and senior Brandon Waugh both played over 40 minutes. Three other primary players in the Polar Bears rotation played over 30 minutes each. Both Napier and Waugh were huge contributors. Both posted double-doubles to lead the ONU comeback. But how much will they have left in the tank tonight against a deep Pioneers’ team? That’s where one of Marietta College’s biggest assets could be key.
Marietta’s productive use of their bench is obvious. The Pioneers have five non-starters, who all average over 12 minutes per game. These are not sporadic minutes, either. Marietta College can essentially in two completely different five-man lineups on the court. It’s often an impossible thing for opponents to overcome. But in Tuesday’s quarterfinal tournament game, how these bench players perform could prove invaluable.
If Marietta’s lead guns can wear down the Polar Bears, the Pioneers’ second unit could see a lot of court time. This would take the burden off Marietta’s leading contributors. With the quick two-day turnaround before the next game, this advantage could give the Pioneers a big edge. When Mason Lydic has been banged up, Cooper Parrott has stepped up big. The same situation happens when sophomore guard Jac Alexander is asked to take on a bigger role.
Junior Brennan Crawford has produced flashes of excellence as well; subbing in for Marietta’s other post players. Sahmi Willoughby, who’s started on two of the 21 games he’s appeared in, needs no explanation. When the 6’3” sophomore is on the court, he is a force. Sometimes, Ryan Reidy’s box score contributions do not do the senior guard justice. Reidy has hit more than one clutch 3-pointer this year, and at times his defense has been smothering.
Likewise, getting minutes out of unexpected players can also be a huge advantage during these difficult tournament runs. Back in January, junior Brett Martin had 18 extremely productive minutes in the win over Ohio Northern. Martin hit both his shots and grabbed four rebounds. If Martin is available on Tuesday night, it would be a big boost to Marietta if he contributed some productive minutes. Sophomore wing Torin Lochow also saw a few extra minutes down the stretch. Lochow scored a couple of baskets, but he also plays an intensely hawkish style of defense.
Depending on Mason Lydic’s injury status, or the need for the senior to even play big minutes, Lochow and Martin could be welcome contributors. Marietta College’s bench players have produced all season. Tournament games are always scheduled very close together. When a team can go deep down the bench, they will not only wear an opponent down physically, they can carve away at their emotional willpower. The Pioneers bench must seem like a gauntlet to opposing coaching staffs. Even when the Pioneers’ top players get a well-deserved breather, it can feel like “who’s next” to an already battle weary opponent.
40 Minutes of Maximum Intensity
When the legs are tired, the will can be broken. The Marietta College Pioneers wear teams down. Pioneer fans who’ve watched most or all of every Marietta College men’s basketball game this season appreciate this. Often, Marietta’s opponents have been able to stay close early in games. Some have even scratched and clawed their way back. But invariably, as the game unfolds, something becomes obvious. As the Pioneers ramp up their intensity, the other teams begin to wear down both mentally and physically.
Clean looks at the basket and open jump shots begin to catch front iron. Foul shots frequently do the same. Shooting accuracy suffers when the legs get tired. The 2021-2022 Marietta College Pioneers are both talented and deep. They need to use that depth to their advantage. When a team can bombard an opponent with one fresh player after another, it becomes difficult to maintain a high level of intensity. That’s how the Pioneers can achieve the team goals that lie ahead. Maintain intensity one-game-at-a-time for ALL 40 minutes.
The Marietta College Pioneers are no strangers to big games. There have been dozens of them during Head Coach Jon WanderWal’s successful 15 years at the helm. Much of the reason the Pioneers have been so successful is an inherent mindset to focus on the “next game”.
Championships are won by focusing on “one game at a time”. Anything else can result in shocking surprises. Beginning Tuesday night at “The Banjo”, each remaining game on the Pioneers’ 2021-2022 schedule is a small step towards the pursuit of an ultimate goal; a championship. A loss now is more than just a loss.
From here on out, losses destroy dreams. Losses can abruptly end an otherwise promising season as well. The rest of the games for the 2021-2022 Marietta College Pioneers men’s basketball team are big games with high stakes. But we all know; big game players step up in big games.
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.
