Marietta College Pioneers vs. University of Rochester YellowJackets
2022 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship Second-Round
Saturday – March 5th – 7:15 pm
At Ban Johnson Arena
Pioneers vs. YellowJackets Game Preview
March 5, 2022 by C. Jay Prescher
Last night, Ban Johnson Arena was the site of two opening round games in the 2022 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship tournament. In game number one, the University of Rochester YellowJackets gradually pulled away from the Eastern University Eagles. In the nightcap, the Marietta College Pioneers men’s basketball team erupted right out of the gate. The Medaille College Mavericks tried to punch back, but the Pioneers countered every Mavericks mini-run.
The YellowJackets/Eagles game was somewhat more competitive than the 23-point final margin of victory. In all honesty, Marietta’s 12-point win over Medaille wasn’t really as close as the 91-79 final. Now the YellowJackets and the #2 nationally ranked Pioneers are set to square off for the right to advance to the “Sweet 16”. This is billed as a colossal match-up between two outstanding NCAA Division III men’s basketball programs. There will also be a light fragrance of sweet revenge in the air at “The Banjo”. Let’s dig into what needs to happen for a “Sweet” ending tonight for the Marietta College Pioneers.
NCAA DIII Championship Round Two
Ban Johnson Arena @ 7:15 pm – Saturday, March 5
Marietta College vs. University of Rochester
Winner advances to the “Sweet 16”.
Tickets for tonight’s second round match-up can be purchased through the Marietta College Online Ticket Platform. The winner of tonight’s game advances to the NCAA Division III “Sweet 16”.
Pioneers on a Mission
Raise the Intensity
From the opening tip-off Friday night, the Pioneers played with tremendous intensity. However, the stakes keep getting higher. In NCAA tournament basketball, the pressure kind of intensifies until it plateaus at “Madness”. Then, it just sort of hovers there. Each next step in the tournament carries an excruciating level of pressure. They’re all big. It’s called “March Madness” for a reason.
Throughout the 2021–2022 season, the Marietta College Pioneers have increased their intensity when necessary. It’s been obvious. It’s been a spectacle to watch. On Friday, the BanJo crowd watched the Pioneers play with that intensity right from the opening tip.
Marietta never let up. Every time it seemed the Medaille College Mavericks would sense a shift in momentum, Marietta would overwhelm them with another mini-run. Fans could see it in the faces and mannerisms of the Mavericks’ players.
Marietta played with determination and reckless abandon. Pioneer fans held their breath as Jason Ellis went hurdling over the Pioneers’ bench into the crowd. Lukas Isaly hit the floor more than once. Tim Kreeger dove for loose balls. Addy Black vacuumed up nine rebounds, plus had a blocked shot and a steal.
Kreeger, a huge part of this Pioneers’ victory, went 9 for 11 from the field for 20 points plus hauled down seven rebounds himself. Jason Ellis was Jason Ellis. One of the five senior leaders on this team added another of his trademark “big game” performances. Ellis shot 9-17 overall, including 6-12 from deep, for a game-high 25 points. Senior Mason Lydic didn’t shoot up to his normal standards, going 2-8 overall.
Lydic also missed on all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. However, the senior wing snared six rebounds and dished out five timely assists. Likewise, Isaly didn’t have his usual deadly marksmanship from long range. But he drove the ball to the basket, drawing fouls and creating open looks for his teammates. Isaly also shook off some uncharacteristic foul line demons he’d been battling, burying all eight of his free throw attempts.
When Kreeger took a rest, Brennen Crawford kept pounding at the Mavericks’ post defense. Crawford contributed a huge nine points on 4-6 shooting. Cooper Parrott added three timely buckets. Ryan Reidy nailed a critical three-pointer to silence a Mavericks mini-run.
Jac Alexander didn’t score last night, but the sophomore guard got four rebounds himself.
Alexander played smothering defense as well. Sahmi Willoughby only played two minutes, which will certainly have the Pioneer faithful wondering about Sahmi’s status for tonight. Brett Martin filled in for five minutes of court time. While Martin missed his only shot, he snared a pair of rebounds. Just like all season, it will need “all-hands-on-deck” for Coach Jon VanderWal’s Pioneers tonight.
The YellowJackets are a talented basketball team, but Marietta is deeper. In the opening round game against Medaille, the constant wave of intensity from the Pioneers demoralized the Mavericks. This strategy must continue. To beat an exceptionally good University of Rochester basketball team, Marietta College must once again raise their level of intensity.
Throw the First Punch
After his Eagles fell behind early on Friday, Eastern head coach Dan Pruessner put it succinctly. In his postgame comments, Pruessner summed up what happened to his Eagles in one quote. “They are a tough team to get behind.” It will be critical for the Pioneers to start fast. If they can throw the first punch tonight, Marietta can put the YellowJackets on their heels. An early run will also ignite the Fenton Court fans. There will be momentum shifts in this game as well. There always are.
Maintain Momentum
If this game unfolds true to March Madness form, it will be full of mini-runs by each team. Marietta needs to throw one of their trademark haymakers right out of the gate. Then, the Pioneers must continue to punch and counterpunch. Marietta needs to try to seize momentum early and then snatch it back when it shifts to Rochester.
Keys to a Pioneer Victory
• Get off to a strong start: We already mentioned the importance of throwing the first punch in this game. Against Medaille, Marietta jumped out to a 16-0 lead at the 14:05 mark in the first-half. Eastern provided a few more early answers than the Mavericks did. But Rochester still had a double-digit lead at about the same point in their game as the Pioneers did against Medaille. Whichever team gets out of the gate the quickest tonight, will obviously gain a huge early advantage.
• Win strength on strength: Marietta and Rochester are statistically somewhat similar. However, there’s one huge distinction. Rochester has the 32nd best scoring defense in the nation. The Pioneers are the 22nd best scoring DIII team. Something has to give. Marietta needs to win the battle of team strengths.
• Protect the ball: Medaille College was an athletic and aggressive team. Their ball-hawking style of defense was intense. The Mavericks’ defense is partly responsible for forcing 14 “uncharacteristic” Pioneer turnovers. The YellowJackets committed 12 against Eastern. However, during the season, Marietta only averaged around eight turnovers per game. They force over 14 a game, the same number Rochester commits. The Pioneers had an outstanding +6.2 turnover advantage. The YellowJackets force almost exactly the same number of turnovers a game as they give away, 14. Marietta must protect the basketball and win the turnover battle.
• Box out on the boards: Both Marietta and Rochester average almost exactly the same number of rebounds per game. The team total rebounds per game is virtually identical. Rochester averages 38.3, while the Pioneers average 38.9 rebounds. But the YellowJackets’ edge per game against their opponents is one full rebound better than the Pioneers. They take advantage of missed box outs on the offensive glass and protect the boards on defense. Marietta will need to do the same. The team that boxes out better tonight will have an advantage.
• Take advantage of the free throws: The Pioneers are a solid free throw shooting team. In recent games, however, some Pioneer foul shots have defied the laws of physics. That happens. Good players shake themselves out of mini-slumps and move on. Nevertheless, in “one-and-your-done” NCAA tournament games, every foul shot is critical. Team percentage wise, Marietta shoots slightly better than Rochester from the charity stripe. But on average, the Pioneers get to the line a full four more times per game. Foul shots are called free throws for a reason. They produce free, unguarded points. Marietta needs to take advantage of their free throws.
Who Are the University of Rochester YellowJackets
Marietta College’s second round opponent is a talented and tall basketball team. They play outstanding defense. Many Pioneer fans may remember the University of Rochester YellowJackets with some bitterness. The YellowJackets came from behind to beat the Pioneers at Ban Johnson Arena in the 2017 NCAA DIII “Elite 8”. This time, Rochester stands in the way of Marietta’s hopes of reaching the “Sweet 16”, and probably hosting that game. Here’s an overview of the team the Pioneers must overcome to advance.
• The University of Rochester is a private research university in Rochester, New York.
• Rochester has an enrollment of approximately 6,500 students.
• The YellowJackets play in the University Athletic Association (UAA). The UAA is geographically spread across the country. Colleges in the UAA come from St. Louis, Chicago, New York and Cleveland, Ohio.
• Rochester is now 18-8 overall.
• The YellowJackets finished 8-6, good for fourth place in the UAA conference.
• All three teams ahead of Rochester in the final standings are in the 2021-2022 NCAA tournament. Emory, Case Western Reserve, and Washington University all won their opening round games to advance.
• That makes the UAA 4-0 in this year’s NCAA tournament thus far.
• Rochester averages 73 points per game, but surrenders just 64.
• The YellowJackets’ 64 points per game allowed ranks 32nd in Division III.
One key statistic from Rochester’s opening round win over Eastern jumps off the stats page. The YellowJackets dominated the paint. Rochester outscored the Eagles 58 to 28 down low. It was an impressive performance. The YellowJackets’ dominance inside changed the whole complexion of the game. Rochester is also a deep team.
The Pioneers’ second unit will need to play an outstanding game. They virtually always do. However, Medaille’s bench outscored Marietta last night. The Pioneer reserves must step forward tonight. Rochester’s bench didn’t perform much better yesterday. The YellowJackets’ reserves only outscored the Eastern bench 14 to 5. But Rochester shut out the Eagles’ second unit in the second half.
The YellowJackets have used a handful of different starting lineups. That is, except for three seniors. Brian Amabilino-Perez, # 3, leads Rochester in both scoring and rebounding. He’s joined in the YellowJackets’ starting five by # 33 Ross Gang and # 4 Trent Noordsij. The 6’7” Amabilino-Perez overwhelmed Eastern. He went 10-13 from the field and 9-10 from the line for a game high of 29 points. Amabilino-Perez tacked on 9 rebounds. Noordsij hit for 18 points, including 3-4 from downtown.
Gang contributed a well-rounded stat sheet, bucketing 14 points to go with 7 rebounds and 8 assists. These three seniors are the core of Rochester’s rotation. Understandably, all three YellowJackets received All-UAA honors. Rounding out Rochester’s starting five against Eastern was # 10, Dan Masino, and # 13, Matt Wiele. Masino is a grad student, and Wiele is a sophomore. Masino scored only four points against the Eagles, while Wiele netted nine.
However, the rangy, 6’5” guard blocked four shots. Rochester’s second unit was manned by # 24, C. J. Amsellem, # 1, Andrew Jackson, and # 5, Matt Niemczura, all juniors. Another senior, # 11 T.C. Price, played a dozen minutes. Price only took one shot and didn’t score. Amsellem, Jackson, and Niemczura contributed all 14 of the YellowJackets bench points.
They made 7 out of 14 shot attempts and grabbed four total rebounds between them. Throughout Rochester’s 2021-2022 season, these have been the YellowJackets’ primary reserves. Collectively, the four contribute around 18 points and 9 rebounds per game.
Not a great deal of game-in-game-out production, but enough to spell the first five. Needless to say, the University of Rochester YellowJackets’ head coach, Luke Flockerzi’s, normal game strategy runs through these five primary players. Marietta has a tall and talented team to overcome with tonight. The Pioneers will be ready.
“The BanJo” Disc Jockey ignites the Pioneer fans with invigorating music. One of the first songs that blast through the Fenton Court speakers is, “IT’S A FIGHT’, IT’S A FIGHT, HEAD BUSTIN’ HEAD BUSTIN’! Saturday night is going to be a fight.
The University of Rochester is a talented and disciplined basketball team. So too are the Marietta College Pioneers. The game will be an intense back-and-forth battle for momentum. Someone will come out and throw the first punch. But it will be a basketball game full of punches and counterpunches.
One team will be left standing. One team will earn the right to advance to play next weekend. It will be “Sweet”. Unfortunately, the other team will not. It’s quite simple actually. The stakes are high. We’re just a few hours from tip-off Pioneers’ fans. IT’S TIME TO BRING THE “HEAD BUSTIN’ VOLUME”, Cause it’s gonna be a fight!
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.
