Preview: #14/15 Chargers look to stay focused with big tests on tap

Dec 08, 2021

There are no easy weeks in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference this year for the #14/15 Hillsdale College men's basketball team.

Coming off a tough road trip last weekend, the Chargers face another big test this week, with a road trip to one of the three teams tied with the Chargers atop the G-MAC standings, Cedarville, looming on Saturday.

And before the Chargers get there, a dangerous trap game against Ohio Dominican is on tap on Thursday night. The Panthers are just 1-7 on the year but have put scares into several quality teams already.

Hillsdale will look to stay focused and stay unbeaten in league play heading into another slate of big contests the following week.

Schedule

Ohio Dominican (1-7, 0-2 G-MAC) at #14/15 Hillsdale (6-1, 2-0 G-MAC) | 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI

#14/15 Hillsdale (6-1, 2-0 G-MAC) at Cedarville (4-3, 2-0 G-MAC) | 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11 | Callan Athletic Center | Cedarville, OH

Follow/Watch

Additional Info

Projected Starters

Hillsdale: #15 Patrick Cartier, So., F, Brookfield, WI/East (24.6 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.1 spg); #24 Austen Yarian, Sr., F, Cleveland, OH/St. Ignatius (8.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 4.1 apg); #1 Tavon Brown, Jr., F, Columbus, OH/St. Charles Prep (7 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.1 spg, 1.6 bpg); #2 Kyle Goessler, Jr., F, Brunswick, OH/Brunswick (9.6 ppg, 3.1 apg); #5 Cole Nau, Jr., G, Brookfield, WI/Central (3.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.4 apg)

Ohio Dominican: #10 Zach Szul, So., G, Waterville, OH/Anthony Wayne (10.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg); #12 Sean Marks, Jr., G, Delaware, OH/Olentangy (12.1 ppg, 2.6 apg); #13 Mitch Wilkinson, G/F, So., Grand Rapids, MI/Forest Hills Central (5.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg); #23 Alek West, Jr., G, Sylvania, OH/Northview (13.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 4.7 apg); #44 Max Stepaniak, Fr., F/C, Ross, OH/Ross (8.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1 bpg)

Cedarville: #2 Branden Maughmer, Sr., G, Chillicothe, OH/Chillicothe (20.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.7 spg); #10 Kollin Van Horn, Sr., C, Proctorville, OH/Fairland (6.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg); #32 Jayvon Maughmer, So., F, Chillicothe, OH/Chillicothe (8.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.4 apg); #35 Conner TenHove, Sr., F, Valparaiso, IN/Valparaiso (10.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg); #55 Quinton Green, Sr., G, Columbus, OH/Homeschooled (17.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.4 spg)

Scouting the Opposition

Ohio Dominican: It's been a frustrating start to the season for the Panthers, who are 1-7 with zero wins against NCAA DII opponents despite credible performances in an 83-76 loss to a nationally ranked Ferris St. team and solid Salem and Kentucky St. squads.

ODU does have a potent three-guard lineup in Zach Szul, Sean Marks and Alek West, all of whom score in double figures. West in particular has emerged as a critical player who's able to generate his own shot and set up others. The Panthers also have a deep bench, with several players getting minutes, and ODU has used several different starting lineup combinations throughout the season to try and find a winning mix.

There are issues for the Panthers at both ends of the floor. ODU is scoring 68.3 points per game, next-to-last in the G-MAC at this juncture. Their defense isn't faring much better, giving up 78.1 points per game, the ninth-best in an 11-team conference. But, as shown in that near-upset of Ferris St. to start the season, ODU does have the talent to make life hard for opposing G-MAC squads if it can sort things out.

Kelly Winter is the head coach for the Ohio Dominican men, in his third season with an 18-38 record and a 13-26 mark in G-MAC play. An Ohio native who played at nearby Capital University, Winter was an assistant coach for five seasons at ODU before taking the reins in the summer of 2019.

Cedarville: One of only four remaining unbeaten teams in the G-MAC after the opening weekend, Cedarville's 4-3 record is deceiving, as the Yellowjackets have played a brutal schedule to this point and picked up multiple quality wins already.

Nearly every player of consequence returns for a squad that reached the G-MAC Tournament title game last season, led by 2020-21 first team All-G-MAC honoree Branden Maughmer and second-team members Quinton Green and Kollin Van Horn. Super-sub Isaiah Speelman gives the Yellowjackets a weapon off the bench as well.

If Cedarville has a weakness, it's defense – the Yellowjackets are giving up a G-MAC-worst 79.1 points per game. But some of that is the tough schedule they've played, and so far Cedarville has been able to simply outscore opponents – they're averaging 80.1 points per game, third-best in the G-MAC. The Yellowjackets' collision on Saturday with a Hillsdale team that boasts the G-MAC's best scoring defense will be one to watch.

Cedarville is coached by Patrick Estepp, who is entering his 13^th season leading the Yellow Jackets in 2021-22. He's guided Cedarville to six 20-win seasons, a G-MAC championship in 2013, and perennial success in the National Christian College Athletic Association Tournament, including national titles in 2012 and 2019.

Scouting the Chargers

Hillsdale kicked off the G-MAC season with two critical road wins against Kentucky Wesleyan and Trevecca Nazarene, and now faces a big week that ends with a road contest against an early conference co-leader

The Chargers are looking to build off of one of the most successful seasons in school history in 2020-21, a campaign that saw Hillsdale repeat as G-MAC regular season champions, earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, and reach the Atlantic Regional Final round, with a 21-3 final record.

Three starters return for the Chargers, led by G-MAC Male Athlete of the Year and consensus All-American Patrick Cartier. A high-volume scorer scorer whose efficient offense consistently draws double-teams in the paint, Cartier has the perfect running mate in fellow first team All-G-MAC forward Austen Yarian, whose versatility and outside shooting touch causes significant matchup issues of his own for opposing defenses.

Also back is junior forward Tavon Brown, whose defense, rebounding and energy were critical to the team's success last season, and who could have another breakout year as his offensive game continues to mature.

Two top subs from 2020-21, juniors Cole Nau and Kyle Goessler, have moved into the starting lineup to help fill the void left by the departures of second-team All-G-MAC honorees Connor Hill and Davis Larson, while fellow junior Jack Gohlke, sophomore Noah Applegate and redshirt freshman Charles Woodhams, among others, have taken on expanded roles.

Directing the Chargers for the 15^th straight season is head coach John Tharp, who is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a 257-137 record. Returning as assistants on Hillsdale's bench this year are associate head coach Keven Bradley, assistant coach Eric Weiss, and assistant coach David Choi.

Other Notes

The Chargers are 15-5 all-time against ODU, though Hillsdale is just 5-4 against the Panthers as a G-MAC member. Hillsdale has won three straight in the series, including both meetings last season. The Chargers are also an impressive 9-0 all-time against Cedarville, although there have been multiple close calls over the years for Hillsdale against one of the top teams in the G-MAC, year-in and year-out.
Hillsdale was picked as the favorite to win the G-MAC crown for the third consecutive year in the conference's Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour, though by only a single vote over conference newcomer Ashland, which made the NCAA Tournament in its final year in the GLIAC last season. 2020-21 G-MAC runner-up Findlay was picked third and 2020-21 G-MAC Tournament champion Malone was picked in fourth.
The Chargers started the season ranked in both the NABC and D2SIDA polls for the first time in school history, and got as high as 7^th in the NABC Poll and tied for 3^rd in the D2SIDA poll. That tie for third place is the highest a Charger men's basketball team has ever been ranked in a national poll in program history. A loss to Ferris St. earlier in November dropped them a bit but they are still ranked 15^th in the NABC poll and 14^th in the D2SIDA poll.
The 2020-21 G-MAC Male Athlete of the Year, Patrick Cartier, continues to excel on the court in his junior season. Cartier has scored 17 or more points in all five of Hillsdale's games so far, and is currently first in the G-MAC and ninth in the nation at the DII level in points per game with 24.6. On Saturday, Nov. 13, the junior also became the 39^th player in Hillsdale College men's basketball history to surpass 1,000 points for his career with 30 points in an 83-61 win over Northwood.
At 947 points in his career, senior Austen Yarian is fast closing in on joining Cartier as the 40^th Charger to reach 1,000 points in his career. A first-team All-G-MAC player in 2020-21, Yarian has made a big impact as a rebounder so far, with six games of six or more rebounds and two 12-rebound contests up to this point.
Hillsdale's team identity under John Tharp is well-known, and it starts with defense – the Chargers lead the G-MAC in scoring defense and are 25^th in the nation in DII at 63.3 points per game. Unselfishness and taking care of the ball are also core tenets of the Hillsdale style of play, and the Chargers also lead the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.36) and are second in assists per game behind Kentucky Wesleyan (17.86).
Junior guard Kyle Goessler had the best game of his career for the Chargers in an overtime win against Kentucky Wesleyan last Thursday, knocking down a career-best six 3-pointers and finishing with a career-high 22 points. For the season, he's leading the Chargers in 3-point attempts per game while shooting a solid 36.1% from behind the arc. A sixth man last year, Goessler moved into the starting lineup this offseason and seems to be growing into the role quickly from week to week.
While it's a long road to get there, Hillsdale has the opportunity to chase unprecedented accomplishments in the program's history this year. The Chargers will be in contention for a third-straight G-MAC title, something that's never been done in the history of the program. The Chargers also will be looking for their seventh NCAA Division II tournament appearance in school history, and their first back-to-back appearance since the 2000-01 and 2001-02 teams made it in consecutive years.