Senior Michael Onuorah DePauw leads a fast break.
DePauw won 69-68 in a barn burner.
DAVID KOBE / THE DEPAUW
Wednesday’s 69-68 win over Denison University helps, but DePauw’s men’s basketball team isn’t where they need to be at this point of the season.
Through 18 games, the Tigers sit at 12-6 overall and only 5-6 in North Coast Athletic Conference play. If the current standings hold, DePauw would qualify for the conference tournament as a five seed and would play Allegheny College in the first round.
While six games over .500 isn’t a bad place to be, when compared to their positioning a year ago, the Tigers need to step it up and they need to do it quickly.
On Jan. 30 of last year, the Tigers had worked to a 14-4 record and had thrown in two winning streaks of four games or more. They were nationally ranked at 23rd in the nation and were getting set for a run to the semifinals of the conference tournament.
Even then, despite finishing the season with an overall record of 19-8 and going deep into the NCAC tournament, the Tigers weren’t awarded an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
With that knowledge in their head, it is getting to the point that the Tigers only route to the national tournament will be through a conference championship.
Their statistics aren’t the problem this season, however, the issue moving forward for the Tigers is the competition they face in their own conference.
Sitting enviably at the top of the NCAC standings are The College of Wooster and Ohio Wesleyan University who have seven losses in their combined 36 games.
With those two at the top of the conference, the rest of the league is pretty much up for grabs. Hiram is 9-9 overall but has a 3-8 record in conference play, yet they sit only one out of the eighth and final spot in the NCAC tournament.
DePauw and Wittenberg have the same conference records at 5-6, but both sit tantalizingly close to falling out of postseason position.
These are dangerous times for the Tigers and every game right now is crucial.
The Tigers have finished their regular season series with both the Fighting Scots and the Battling Bishops but still face a difficult run to the finish. With a 6-1 record at home, the Tigers have had trouble winning when they leave the confines of Neal Fieldhouse.
The Tigers are 2-5 on the road this year and play four of their final seven games away from home. DePauw faces an always difficult seven hour road trip to Pennsylvania to face the Gators and then will take on the Little Giants in Crawfordsville in what is sure to be a highly spirited game.
Adding to the Tigers’ problems is the loss of 6-foot-9 senior Tommy Ferntiz due to a diagnosis of mononucleosis. The forward is leading the Tigers in scoring and rebounding with over 15 points and 9 boards a night.
While Clint Cunningham stepped into Fernitz’s role last night and played well, scoring 17 points and collecting four rebounds, the Tigers will need the senior back on the floor as soon as possible.
This news couldn’t come at a worse time for the Tigers, while they sit only one game in front of the seventh and eighth seeds, they are also in a position to quickly find themselves on the outside looking in at the NCAC tournament.