WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's basketball team closes out its 2022-23 campaign with a Senior Day contest against nationally-ranked John Carroll University on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The Teams: Wilmington and John Carroll (JCU). The Quakers enter the game with an 8-16 overall record, a 4-13 OAC mark and riding a two-game winning streak after a 78-72 victory at Otterbein University on Wednesday. The Blue Streaks are 21-3 on the season and 15-2 in league contests after a 99-94 defeat at rival Baldwin Wallace University on Wednesday evening.
The Coaches: Micah Mills enters his eighth season with the Wilmington men's basketball program with the 2022-23 campaign being his first as head coach. He helped WC to a 17-8 record during the 2018-19 season and came within a game of the program's first OAC regular season championships. Mills, a graduate of Ohio Valley University, spent three seasons as an assistant coach at fellow OAC member Otterbein University before coming to Wilmington. Pete Moran, a 2008 JCU alumnus, is in his sixth season as the helm of his alma mater. The Blue Streaks have made the second weekend of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament under Moran's guidance. He's the son of long-time JCU Head Coach Mike Moran.
The Players: Wilmington is led by a pair of frontcourt players as Abdul Kanu and Obed Achirem both score in double figures. Kanu leads the way at 13.3 points per game while Achirem nearly contributes a double-double with 10.0 points and 8.1 boards per contest. Bryce Bird averages 8.6 points per game for the Quakers while Domenic Farley assisted on over two baskets a game. Three Blue Streaks - Luke Frazier, Luke Chicone and Chase Toppin - score in double figures with Frazier and Chicone, both transfers from NCAA Division I institutions, scoring 16.9 and 15.3 points per game respectively. Henry Raynor grabs a team-best 5.4 boards per game.
Tale of the Tape: Points per game – Wilmington 68.5, JCU 82.4; opponents' points per game – Wilmington 78.9, JCU 71.2; field goal percentage – Wilmington 40.4, JCU 47.3; three-point percentage – Wilmington 33.4, JCU 34.7; free throw percentage – Wilmington 64.9, JCU 75.5; rebounding margin – Wilmington -3.4, JCU +2.7; assist-to-turnover ratio – Wilmington 0.67, JCU 0.90.
Recent History: Wilmington is 15-33 against John Carroll since becoming an OAC member prior to the 2000-201 season. JCU won a 66-64 decision in University Heights earlier this season. More information on the series history can be viewed by visiting the link above.
Senior Day: The game marks the final career contest for three seniors - Andrew Clark, Abdul Kanu and Noah Dado. A brief ceremony will be held prior to the contest.
Top 25: John Carroll checks in at No. 6 in the most recent D3Hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
OAC Title: The Blue Streaks, with a win, would clinch at least a share of the league title as well as the No. 1 seed for the upcoming OAC Tournament.
Tickets: Digital ticketing will be used for the contest. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of game time at the link above.
Coverage: Live statistics and live audio of the game will be available – visit the links above.
Social Media: Wilmington athletics is represented on Facebook (Wilmington College Athletics), Twitter (@DubCQuakers) and Instagram (@DubCQuakers). Follow all the happenings of Wilmington College on social media by using the hashtag "#WeAreDubC".
