Physical play and poor shooting squander Wabash’s chance to lead NCAC
With a chance to seize the reins of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) by defeating the 23rd-ranked Big Red at Chadwick Court, the Little Giants went cold from the field, from three and from the free throw line. Denison defended their position at the head conference by smothering Wabash 53-51 on Wednesday, February 5.
It seemed like the stars were aligning for the Little Giants, when Kenyon upset the previously undefeated – in the conference – Big Red the weekend before the game. This set the Scarlet & White up to avenge their previous loss to Denison and take a definitive lead in the NCAC.
But the hard truth is Wabash had their worst shooting night of the season. With a 3-25 showing from deep, eight missed free throws and an overall 36.4 shooting percentage, everything looked difficult for the team. What can be said for their performance is that they faced the most physical game of basketball of the entire season – by a wide margin. Each of their 51 points was earned with literal blood and sweat.
“I love my team,” said Head Basketball Coach Kyle Brumett. “But you don’t deserve [to win] when you miss eight free throws.”
Vinny Buccilla ’25 led the team in scoring with 14 points, including all three of the team’s makes from beyond the arch. But like everyone else on the team his performance came with a caveat as he only connected on 5-15 attempts.
Josh Whack ’26 was on fire through the second half and the main reason why the game ended up being so close. Cutting inside with willpower and athleticism, Whack seemed to have an answer every time it looked like the Scarlet and & White were fading for good.
Noah Hupmann ’25 was a powerful, but underutilized force on offense, knocking down all three of his shot attempts and two free
throws. However, Denison effectively prevented Wabash from feeding the big man.
Wabash’s big struggle came with an inability to take what Denison’s defensive scheme offered them. The Big Red rushed into a double team when Wabash turned to their usual screen at the top of the key. The key to defeating the defense would have been to swing the rock around and find the man left open by the double team, but the Little Giants were unable to capitalize due to poor three-point shooting and Denison’s remarkable recovery time.
“They were trying to leave the three-point line open for the furthest guy from the ball and give attention to Hupmann on the roll,” said Brumett. “But you either have to make them pay on the roll, or you have to make him pay from three.”
Despite their struggles on offense, the Little Giants were almost excellent on defense. The one struggle was guarding the three, as
the visitors knocked in nine threes. Noah Hupmann ’25 was everything inside for Wabash, sending back four shots and warding off several more with his presence in the paint. However, his struggles on the perimeter allowed Denison’s Trevor Reed to hit four threes in pivotal minutes of the game.
The Little Giants held on through the ups and downs to bring the game within one point with under 30 seconds left in the game. The team had several opportunities to win the game, but ended up leaving layups short and missing bold threes.
“Without watching the film, I don’t have a ton of dislike,” said Brumett. “We took a couple threes that might have been quick. But when you’d missed as many as we missed, you just kind of felt like we were going to make one eventually.”
Ultimately the Scarlet & White were unable to convert in the madness of the final seconds, eventually fouling and then watching time run out.
“We had the ball with five seconds left, down one with a chance to win,” said Buccilla. “We still put ourselves in a nice spot to win the game. And that’s all we can ask for. We have to live with this one for a little bit.”
With their second loss to Denison, Wabash is all-but guaranteed to miss out on the NCAC regular season title, which includes the rights to host the NCAC tournament. The ball is out of their court, and even with perfect play, the Little Giants need two more teams to upset the now 18-2 (10-1 NCAC) Big Red.
Realistically Wabash’s next move is to finish out the regular season strong, by securing the number-two seed in the NCAC Tournament and try to win the tournament on the road.
“We have to focus on the next play and just keep going,” said Hupmann. “Sometimes our shots aren’t on. But that doesn’t matter if all we’re looking for is the win.”
Wabash will continue its season on the road at Wooster on Saturday, February 8. The result will not immediately affect Wabash’s standing in the NCAC, but a loss will put them in a position where slipping into third place is possible.
Still, the goal remains the same for Wabash basketball – win the NCAC tournament and make the NCAA Division III playoffs for the third straight year. The challenge will be even harder after the loss. But for a team that has hung in with several of the top-ranked teams in the country, all it takes is the right night.