Marietta College Pioneers NCAA Selection Show Preview
2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship March 4th – March 19th
What’s Coming Up this Week?
February 27, 2022 by C. Jay Prescher
Those who couldn’t be part of the crowd Saturday night at Ban Johnson Arena, we’re sorry. It was something truly special. The nationally 2nd ranked Marietta College Pioneers, and the 8th ranked Mount Union Purple Raiders played for the OAC Tournament Championship. Simply put, it was an incredible game.
Marietta outlasted Mount Union in an exceptionally physical basketball game, 63-61. With the victory, the Pioneers added yet another banner of excellence to hang on the Fenton Court walls. Marietta also earned the conference’s automatic bid into the upcoming 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship as well.
These were the two strongest teams in the Ohio Athletic Conference all season. Likewise, they have both been highly ranked in the D3Hoops.com national poll throughout 2021-2022. Unlike the two head-to-head OAC regular season games, this one was a nail-biter. The outcome of this bitter rivalry game, one with important postseason implications, wasn’t decided until the final horn.
As advertised, Saturday night was truly a basketball barnburner. Both teams left everything on the court. Hundreds of rowdy and rambunctious fans left a piece of themselves at The BanJo as well. This was a basketball game not soon forgotten. The next big event on the NCAA Division III men’s basketball calendar is “The Division III Selection Show”.
The complete 64-team field for the upcoming championship tournament will be announced on Monday. The “Selection Show” starts at 12:30 pm. The broadcast can be streamed live on the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball website. Here’s a quick look at some upcoming stories that will post this week ahead of Friday’s opening round games of the 2022 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship tournament.
Upcoming Stories
• Who’s coming to Marietta? After the brackets are announced, we’ll focus specifically on the four-team group heading to Marietta for the opening two rounds. We’ll look at how all four teams set to play this weekend at Ban Johnson Arena got there. Plus, we’ll dissect Marietta College’s first opponent on Friday night.
• A second Sweet 16 at The BanJo? Later in the week, we’ll analyze the complete 16-team portion of the Pioneers’ bracket. Four teams, those who survive the opening two rounds in Marietta’s overall 16-team bracket, will make up one-fourth of the “Sweet 16”. If the Pioneers are victorious in rounds one and two, one of these Sweet 16 brackets will be in Marietta. We’ll explore who those four teams could potentially be.
• What does the rest of the 64-team bracket look like? Ahead of all 32 Friday opening-round games, we’ll take a peek at who the big powerhouse teams are. And since it’s March Madness, we’ll see if we can predict which Division III schools might be ready to wear the “Cinderella Slipper”. Finally, we’ll talk a little about how the top seeds earned their spot, and which teams in each bracket might be the most dangerous.
What Saturday Meant – The Historical Significance
The Marietta College campus exalted in jubilant victory celebrations Saturday night. They earned it. However, the historical significance of this dramatic victory over Mount Union should not be overlooked. Sure, the Marietta College Pioneers’ men’s basketball team is going to make the NCAA DIII Championship Tournament.
Even before the OAC Tournament started, there was absolutely no doubt. However, as the conference tournament progressed, especially through to Saturday night’s exhilarating finale, the stakes for Marietta became higher. As the scoreboard reached 0:00, with Marietta ahead by a single basket, a new level of excellence in Pioneers’ basketball was achieved. It was a remarkable victory, but it also sets this team apart in the record books.
• First back-to-back OAC Tournament Championships in school history.
• First back-to-back OAC Tournament Champions in the conference since 2005 and 2006.
• First complete undefeated OAC season, both regular season and tournament, in school history.
• First team to complete an undefeated OAC season, both regular season and tournament, since Otterbein in 1985-1986.
• Most total conference wins in one season, 20, by an undefeated team in Ohio Athletic Conference history. Eclipses the old record of 17 held by the 1938-1939 Wooster Fighting Scots, prior to a conference tournament.
• The 2021-2022 teams’ current 23-game winning streak eclipses the old school record of 21, set back in 2014-2015. That Pioneers’ team reached the Elite 8.
• Marietta’s 17 regular season wins also ties the school record held by the 2015-2016 Pioneers.
• Over the last eight years, the Pioneers’ string of conference regular season titles and OAC tournament championships rivals the great seasons by the Wittenberg Tigers in the early 1960s.
The Marietta College Pioneers’ men’s basketball team accomplished another goal on Saturday night. They earned their second banner of the 2021-2022 season. With the win came a huge number of historical accolades. This basketball team is deserving of mention as one of the best in OAC conference history. But there are still goals ahead. This team covets one special banner.
March Basketball at “The BanJo”
Three other Division III basketball teams will travel to Marietta, Ohio to play for the right to move on. Marietta College controls their own destiny.
If they persist with tenacity, Ban Johnson Arena will host a third round and the subsequent quarterfinal game involving the “Elite 8”.
After those four Elite 8 battles, only four NCAA Division III basketball teams will be left standing.
These four survivors will load up and travel to the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. After the 64th school is announced on Monday, all 64 Division III men’s basketball teams will believe they have a shot. They do. We call it March Madness for a reason.
Suit Up & Show Up – Bring the Noise!
The Marietta College Pioneers’ men’s basketball team experienced a historic, record-breaking season. They have battled for and attained each goal they have set for themselves thus far. There are more. Next Friday night inside Ban Johnson Arena, these outstanding student-athletes will begin their pursuit of another. There’s March basketball at “The BanJo”. There could be “a lot” of March basketball in Marietta, Ohio.
Everyone who packed “The BanJo” full on Saturday night played an instrumental role in helping a tremendously talented basketball team reach for greatness. These young men are not finished. There are more lofty goals left ahead. This team is good enough to attain them. The basketball games will be won on their shoulders. The Pioneer players will score the baskets. They will defend and they will rebound. Coach Jon VanderWal and his excellent staff will establish a strategy and make in-game adjustments.
But every Marietta College Pioneers fan has a role to play as well. “The BanJo” is a weapon. The Mount Union Purple Raiders were affected by the deafening BanJo crowd on Saturday. The teams coming to Marietta for potentially two straight weekends should be blown away. The Marietta College Pioneers players will be the ones who win the games. But Pioneers’ fans can play a critical role in helping. The next assignment happens this coming Friday. Suit up, Show up, and bring the noise. Be Loud! Be Proud! Be a part of something truly special.
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.
