Marietta College Pioneers at John Carroll Blue Streaks
Saturday – February 4 – 2:00 pm
Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center – University Heights, Ohio
Live Stream Link
Pioneers Look to Upend the No. 7 Ranked Blue Streaks
February 4, by C. Jay Prescher
Marietta College’s victory over the Muskingum Fighting Muskies last Wednesday was difficult – more difficult than it needed to be. Maybe they were looking ahead, maybe they weren’t. Regardless, the Navy Blue narrowly escaped Performance Court with their fourth consecutive win. The Pioneers seemed to have the game in hand with just over three minutes left on the clock and a double-digit lead. They didn’t.
Multiple missed opportunities at the offensive end of the court opened the door for the Fighting Muskies. They took advantage. After a Muskingum three-pointer at the 24-second mark, Marietta clung to a 1-point lead. Following 10 seconds of frantic, nail-biting chaos, the Pioneers’ Lovenson Xavier corralled a missed Muskie layup with just two ticks remaining. Number 11 buried both free throws for the final three-point margin. Again, it didn’t need to be that difficult.
Marietta College coaches, players, and fans alike departed New Concord, Ohio, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. A realistic chance at a once-improbable postseason run was still alive. But if the Pioneers’ faithful thought the end of last Wednesday’s victory was tough, the road ahead for the Marietta College men is a gauntlet. It begins today in University Heights.
Over the next 14 days, the Marietta College men’s basketball team will face each of the top three teams in the current OAC standings. Next up for the Navy Blue, the No. 7 nationally ranked John Carroll Blue Streaks. There’s a more seasoned Blue Streaks’ team waiting than the one that defeated Marietta by 22 points at “The BanJo.”
But that was way back before the Christmas holiday. While the Pioneers played much better in the second half of that 95-73 loss, they were still clearly a team searching for an identity. Up until Wednesday’s last three minutes against Muskingum, they appeared to have found it. Hopefully, they shake off that mini-meltdown and rekindle what was a steadily building team confidence.
• Game Notes •
- John Carroll has won 10 in a row and sits at #7 in the latest D3Hoops.com national poll.
- Luke Chinone has been on fire for the Blue Streaks recently. The sophomore point guard is averaging 26.5 points a game and shooting over 55% from the field in the last two Blue Streak wins.
- Fellow sophomore Luke Frazier has scored 14.5 points per game in these two games as well.
- Up until they made only 4 out of 7 in the win over Muskingum, the Pioneers had buried over 70% of their free throws in three consecutive wins. The Navy Blue must take advantage of their trips to the charity stripe on Saturday.
- Cooper Parrott has scored more than 17 points per game in the Pioneers’ last three victories. The junior’s rediscovered long-range marksmanship has been instrumental in Marietta’s resurgence.
- Marietta nailed half their 28 three-point attempts against Muskingum. In December against the Blue Streaks, they barely hit the 30% mark from beyond the arc. The Pioneers will need to hit their open threes on Saturday.
• Keys to a Pioneer Victory •
- Defensive Intensity – In the majority of Marietta’s seven defeats, the defensive intensity has been less than adequate. It can’t be on Saturday. John Carroll averages over 80 points per game. The Pioneers must fight to keep the Blue Streaks under that number.
An up-and-down the court shootout will not be to the Navy Blue’s advantage. Other than the 84 points to Baldwin Wallace in Berea, the Pioneers have held three of their last four opponents under 70 points. However, Ohio Northern, Otterbein, and Muskingum are not John Carroll.
The Blue Streaks have multiple weapons. It will take nothing but a stellar effort to hold them in check. For any chance of upsetting the No. 7 team in the nation, Coach Jon Vanderwal’s Pioneers must bring an unwavering level of defensive intensity. If they do, they are talented enough offensively to be in this game.
- Eliminate the Bad Shots – At various points during the 2022-2023 season, bad shot selection has plagued the Pioneers. It’s led to a few “less than flattering” team shooting percentages. It’s also led to a couple of disappointing losses.
Against a team as good as John Carroll, Marietta must take advantage of virtually every trip down the court. When they work to get looks, the Pioneers shoot better. They’re going to need to shoot well on Saturday. If they do, they’ll be in the game right down to the final buzzer.
The final two weeks of the 2022-2023 season offer the Marietta College Pioneers a chance to atone for five of the seven losses they have experienced. Every remaining game is against a team that defeated Marietta in the previous meeting. The Pioneers have an opportunity to “balance the books,” so to speak, while building momentum for what are becoming realistic postseason aspirations.
Marietta will face two top-10 ranked teams during this five-game stretch to end the 2022-2023 regular season. After John Carroll on Saturday, Marietta returns home this coming Wednesday to host #5 Mount Union – game time 7:00 p.m. The Pioneers will welcome Wilmington to “The BanJo” for Winter Weekend on February 11th and then host Heidelberg on the final Saturday, February 18th. In between, the Navy Blue will travel up to Columbus for a February 15th Wednesday night rematch with Capital.
First up are the Blue Streaks. It will take a monumental effort to upend the seventh-best team in the nation, especially on their home floor. But Marietta has been building momentum. The Pioneers are a young team that’s gradually discovered its identity. If the Navy Blue execute and play up to their capabilities, don’t be surprised if there’s at least one NCAA D3 top-10 upset on Saturday.
Player photographs courtesy of Marietta College Pioneer Athletics – Men’s Basketball
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.
