By Riley Zayas
February 5, 2023
Well…how do you put this past weekend into words? I don’t think you do. #1 went down this afternoon, 3 Top 25 teams fell in their respective conferences on Saturday, the OAC provided us with some thrilling matchups, and so did the UAA. Don’t forget about the WIAC, where Whitewater made a statement on its home court. And Trinity and Tufts are now locked in battle for 1st place in the NESCAC. Let’s get into it! (I broke this weekend article into categories because there was just so much to cover!)

The Upsets

• There was no bigger upset than the one of Sunday afternoon in the final game of the week. Colorado College, on its home floor, took down #1 Trinity (TX), 70-64. I was very surprised, thought I thought CC might have a chance with the way they’d be playing as of late. On the other hand, I really thought Trinity was unbeatable. Even giants can fall. But I’d also add that CC is very sound on both ends of the floor, and is a team we’ll likely see in the regional rankings this coming week. On top of that, this loss might be good for Trinity. Remember what Hope said about last year’s loss to Trine that ended “the streak?” The loss took off some of the pressure that had been weighing in the team and allowed them to refocus, reset, and play a bit looser en route to a national title. Trinity didn’t have as much of a streak to defend in this instance, but the comparison seems valid nonetheless. As far as the game itself, CC did an exceptional job defensively, perhaps better than any Trinity has faced so far. CC challenged nearly every shot, and held Trinity to a 1-of-13 mark from three-point range. That’ll hurt you. Ashlyn Milton had just 2 points for Trinity, which also didn’t help. Audrey Bayston was excellent for CC, with 23 points, and converted FTs late when it really mattered, with no lead entirely safe against a team like Trinity. They played team basketball, were engaged defensively, and took quality shots, which allowed them to overcome their 20 turnovers.
• #14 Baldwin Wallace was my “dubious” pick on Hoopsville this past week, and Otterbein seemed to prove that correct, pulling off a massive victory on senior day at home, 58-55. It was a complete game from Otterbein on its home floor, as BW was held to a shooting percentage of 27.8% while the Cardinals were 40% with 10 more points in the paint than the opposition (28 to 18). This is one of those late-season situations where Otterbein’s win here could really play “spoiler” in BW’s quest for the OAC title and conference tournament hosting privileges. I was really impressed by the toughness displayed by Otterbein, who erased a four-point BW lead in the early minutes of the fourth quarter.
• Moravian was been a team I thought had a shot against #24 Elizabethtown, especially at home, but at 11-9 overall an with a sub-.500 record in the Landmark Conference (4-5), I wasn’t sure how the Greyhounds would fare against a prominent program like Elizabethtown. ETown was 18-2 entering the game with its only losses having to to #4 Scranton, but Moravian added its name to that list in a 75-70 win. It was such a closely-contested game, and a look at the box score reveals just that. Both teams shot above 40%, though Moravian really won the game at the FT line. Moravian was 9-for-9 at the line in the final quarter.
• Wheaton also pulled off a fairly surprising win over #25 Millikin, who I have been voting for in each of the last four polls. It more because of the 85-66 margin than anything else, especially since Millikin was 11-0 in the CCIW entering that one. Wheaton shot the ball so well, and ended up with four players in double figures in points. Wheaton seems to be one of the midwest’s more overlooked teams.

The upsets that were…then weren’t

• It looked like Capital had #13 Ohio Northern all but defeated, leading 42-29 at halftime. It had the makings of the day’s biggest upset, especially with Capital at home. But ONU pulled off a scoring run to a degree that I haven’t seen this season. Down 65-56 with just over three minutes to play, the Polar Bears rattled off a 14-0 run that closed the game, winning 69-65. It was incredible. Every shot seemed to fall, and on the other end, Capital’s hot shooting quickly fizzled out.
• UC Santa Cruz led #3 Christopher Newport by five at halftime, and though this wouldn’t have been a “big-time” upset, it would’ve been a surprise regardless. Though it was competitive through the second half, a few key UCSC players got into foul trouble, and CNU looked so much sharper over the final two quarters, winning 73-62. In fact, the Captains held UCSC to just 4 points in the entire 3rd quarter. I’m anticipating a rematch in the C2C Tournament Championship here in a few weeks.

Statement….made

• If you’re looking for a statement-making type game, a good one is probably a battle between the two highest ranked teams in the conference. #23 UW-Whitewater took it to #17 UW-Eau Claire in a huge way, dominating in an 84-52 win. The Warhawks closed the game by outscoring the Blugolds 44-26 in the second half. It started on the defensive end, as Whitewater held UWEC to a shooting percentage of 32%, the second straight game in which the Blugolds, normally a high-scoring squad, struggled offensively. I was really impressed by the way Whitewater got its outside shooters in position for 3s, as they went 10-of-21 from beyond the arc. UWEC will drop quite a bit in the Top 25, after an 0-2 week.
• After taking its first loss in the NESCAC on Friday, Trinity (CT) responded with a 60-47 win at Middlebury on Saturday, showing that the Bantams are very much here to stay. Middlebury shot just 27%, as Trinity looked very solid on the defensive end. A wide disparity in the number of free throws for the two teams wasn’t there either, which seemed to help. Reilly Campbell posted yet another double-double, with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
• WashU, who successfully completed a season sweep of Rochester on Friday, found a late surge en route to a very solid 78-61 win over Emory on Sunday afternoon. I continue to be impressed by the Bears, and if they’re not ranked this week, I’ll be shocked. Despite three Emory players scoring in double figures, led by Claire Brock with 18, WashU pulled away in the 4th quarter, outscoring the Eagles 24-11. Watching the Bears’ big run in the opening minutes of the 4th, it’s no surprise why WashU has won so many big matchups in the UAA. They are able to generate momentum in a matter of seconds, and before you know it, they’re up by double digits. Maya Arnott had 26 points, and 12 boards in the win for WashU.

Other games of note that really provided some excitement this weekend

• Rowan won in crunch time at Kean on Saturday, 78-76, to tie for 1st place in the NJAC. Those are the kind of unranked matchups that may not catch a lot of national attention, but at this point in the year, determine a lot when it comes to regional rankings and the Pool C conversation. A big third quarter powered Rowan to the win, though I honestly liked a lot of what I saw from Kean. Kean was 12-of-34 from 3-point range, won the rebounding battle by +6, and had 9 more assists. But where Rowan was really strong was in its bench. 45 of their points came off the bench, compared to just 4 for Kean.
• Sofia Gonzalez stepped up for Tufts on Saturday in a key win at Bowdoin to keep the Jumbos tied for 1st in the NESCAC, scoring 23 points. The 66-54 victory saw Tufts really elevate its intensity defensively, as Bowdoin shot just 28%. The Jumbos were also 6-of-14 from 3-point range.
• UW-Stout came up with a fierce comeback at UW-Platteville, and ended up winning by 9 (70-61), despite trailing by 3 entering the 4th quarter. 4 of Stout’s 5 starters scored in double figures, led by Haylee Yaeger (17). Anna Mutch had 16, Raegan Sorensen had 15, and Amanda Giesen tallied 12. Stout’s 9-0 run midway through the 4th gave way to a 62-55 lead with 3 minutes left that put the Blue Devils in control for the final few minutes. The one glaring stat in this one: Stout had 17 second-chance points, Platteville had just 3.
• The MIAC continues to be a fun conference to watch…Carelton, just 5-12 in league play, pulled off an overtime win against Bethel, who was 11-6 in the MIAC. It was a thrilling game regardless of where the two teams stood in the standings. Bethel led by as many as 11 with 6:26 to go, before the Royals went ice cold offensively and did not score for the rest of regulation. Carleton took advantage, with an 11-0 run, capped by a pair of free throws with seven seconds left from Jasmine Choi, that tied the score. Both sides played strong defense in OT, though Carleton scored first and never relinquished the lead.
• #10 Chicago bounced back from the home loss to Emory on Friday with a 9-point win over #18 Rochester on Sunday. The 87-75 victory saw Chicago outscore the Yellowjackets 30-20 in a high-scoring 4th quarter. The crazy thing was that both teams seemed to be trading shot for shot throughout the game’s entirety; Chicago shot 50%, Rochester shot 46%. The key for Chicago in the win was attacking Rochester in the post. They had 52 points there, and weren’t forced to shoot for the perimeter as much as usual, it seemed. Chicago’s outside shooting isn’t necessarily a weakness, but a 3-pointer will almost always be a lower-percentage shot than a short-range jumper or layup in the paint. It’s hard to compare teams because not everyone has the same personnel or style of play, but that is one thing I thought Emory did a fantastic job in Friday’s win over Chicago. They forced the Maroons into 25 3-point tries (and they made just 7 of them), while Chicago had just 15 3-point attempts today (and still only made 4). If you’re going to beat Chicago, you have to stop the ball from getting into the post.

That’s probably long enough for today, haha. This weekend was truly packed with impressive results, and now I have the task of putting together a Top 25 ballot. I had said in past articles on the Top 25 that the easiest spot for me to fill in each week was #1. Not this week. #1-25 will be tough all the way around. So many teams are playing excellent basketball right now. Anyway, thanks for following along. Hope you have a great start to your week!