There's only one game on the Hillsdale College men's basketball team's schedule this week -- and it's a big one.
The Chargers travel to their nemesis, the University of Findlay, for a critical Saturday clash that is both the latest chapter in a long-running rivalry between the two programs and also a critical game in the G-MAC title landscape.
Hillsdale is looking for revenge after a painful home loss to the Oilers on Dec. 18, and also for important stakes in the conference title race. At 10-3 in the G-MAC, Hillsdale is in second place, and with top team Malone traveling to Walsh on Saturday as well, could find themselves back in a tie for first place if things break right. Meanwhile, at 7-4, Findlay is still in the conference title picture but a loss at this juncture could spell the end of their hopes of a G-MAC crown.
You can follow along with the action at our video link below on the Great Midwest Digital Network, or purchase tickets to see the game in person on Saturday.
Schedule
#24 Hillsdale (15-4, 10-3 G-MAC) at Findlay (13-6, 7-4 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5 | Niekamp Arena | Findlay, OH
Follow/Watch
Live Stats vs Findlay | Video vs Findlay | Tickets vs Findlay
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Findlay Roster | 2021-22 Hillsdale Stats | 2021-22 Findlay Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #15 Patrick Cartier, So., F, Brookfield, WI/East (22.3 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.4 apg); #24 Austen Yarian, Sr., F, Cleveland, OH/St. Ignatius (9.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.9 apg); #3 Jack Gohlke, Jr., G, Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee (8.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg); #2 Kyle Goessler, Jr., F, Brunswick, OH/Brunswick (8.8 ppg, 3.1 apg); #5 Cole Nau, Jr., G, Brookfield, WI/Central (4.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.2 apg)
Findlay: #2 Anthony Masterlasco, Sr., F, Findlay, OH/Liberty Benton (11.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg); #3 Tre'Maine Gray, Sr., G, Akron, OH/Firestone/Sinclair CC (11.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.4 spg); #5 Nathan Bruns, Jr. F, Chickasaw, OH/Marion Local (14.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.8 apg); #14 Joey Edmonds, Jr., G, Cincinnati, OH/Wyoming (11.6 ppg, 3.3 apg); #24 Brady Wildermuth, Sr., F, Jackson Center, OH/Jackson Center (7.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
Scouting the Opposition
Findlay: After a disappointing start in conference play, the Oilers caught fire, reeling off six straight G-MAC wins to get back in the title conversation before a loss to Cedarville on Monday.
Findlay has one of the best starting lineups in the conference, headlined by returning first-team All-G-MAC power forward Nathan Bruns. Anthony Masterlasco, Tre'Maine Gray and Joey Edmonds are all double-figure scorers with significant game experience.
The return of top sub Ethan Linder has been a real catalyst in recent weeks, helping bolster the team's depth and stretch out what had been a thin rotation when he was gone.
Findlay is one of the top offensive teams in the G-MAC, averaging 75.9 points per game, and just good enough defensively (70.3 points per game) to make that a decisive advantage in many contests. While the Oilers have work to do in the final month of the season, they're still very much in play for the G-MAC title.
Findlay's head coach is Charlie Ernst, who's built an outstanding resume in 11 years at the helm. Ernst had a 226-70 record with the Oilers entering this season, and he's led Findlay to three G-MAC titles, four GLIAC South titles, three GLIAC Tournament titles, six NCAA Division II national tournament appearances, and two appearances in the NCAA Sweet 16.
Scouting the Chargers
Hillsdale has made a significant leap offensively since altering its lineup on Jan. 15, and that's helped the Chargers launch a five game win streak that has them just a half-game out of first place and in position to strike in the G-MAC standings.
The squad now faces a critical stretch in the season, with four straight games on the road, including three against top contenders for the conference title, beginning this Saturday with a contest at arch-rival Findlay.
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 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.
Three top subs from 2020-21, juniors Cole Nau, Kyle Goessler and Jack Gohlke, 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 sophomore Noah Applegate and freshman Joe Reuter, among others, have taken on expanded roles off the bench.
The Chargers have been dominant defensively so far, giving up 64.1 points per game, second lowest in the G-MAC and 16th in the nation in Division II. Continuing to play tough defense and improving offensively will be key to Hillsdale's hopes of a big run in 2022.
Directing the Chargers for the 15th straight season is head coach John Tharp, who is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a 266-140 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 have a longer history with the Oilers than any other G-MAC program, thanks to their long tenures in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference prior to joining the G-MAC. It's a series Findlay has dominated historically, with a 55-12 edge, but Hillsdale has won 4 of the last 7, including a first-ever season sweep of the Oilers in 2020-21. Findlay took the most recent meeting in Hillsdale, 85-68, on Dec. 18, 2021.
- 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. Currently, the Chargers are 10-3 in G-MAC play, sitting in second place, a half-game back of G-MAC leader Malone.
- The Chargers are back in the D2SIDA Top 25 poll at 24th this week after a three-week absence, thanks to a five-game winning streak. Hillsdale started the season ranked in both the NABC and D2SIDA polls for the first time in school history, and got as high as 7th in the NABC Poll and tied for 3rd 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.
- The 2020-21 G-MAC Male Athlete of the Year, Patrick Cartier, continues to excel on the court in his junior season. Cartier was recently named to the Bevo Francis Award Watch List, has scored 17 or more points in 17 of Hillsdale's 19 games so far, and is currently first in the G-MAC and 12th in the nation at the DII level in points per game with 22.3. His 62.9 field goal percentage is 11th in DII, and he is Hillsdale's career leader in the stat by nearly three full percentage points. On Saturday, Nov. 13, the junior also became the 39th 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.
- In five starts since moving into the lineup on Jan. 15, junior Jack Gohlke has hit double figures four times, including two 25-point performances. Twice Gohlke has hit seven 3-pointers in a game in that stretch, the most by a Charger in a single game since Stedman Lowry hit seven 3-pointers in an 82-72 road win over Cedarville on Jan. 20, 2018. The junior is shooting 57.1 percent from deep in that five-game stretch and currently leads the G-MAC in 3-point percentage with 45.8 percent shooting beyond the arc.
- Senior Austen Yarian joined Cartier on the list of Charger players to surpass 1,000 points for his career, becoming the 40th with 11 points against Northwood on Dec. 20. The 2020-21 first-team All-G-MAC player now has 1,061 for his career, and, with 692 rebounds, is also closing in on breaking into the top 10 all-time at Hillsdale in that stat as well.
- Hillsdale's team identity under John Tharp is well-known, and it starts with defense – the Chargers are second in the G-MAC in scoring defense and are 15th in the nation in DII at 64.1 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 (1.75) and in assists per game (18.05). Hillsdale's assist-to-turnover ratio is the third best of any team in Division II, and its 18.1 assists per game ranks ninth among all teams in the country at the DII level.
- Charger freshman Joe Reuter has carved out an early role off the bench for Hillsdale in his first season on campus, and had a huge game on Saturday, Jan. 8 against Malone, scoring 21 points on 10 of 12 shooting. It's the first time a true freshman has led the Chargers in scoring since teammate Austen Yarian scored 19 points in a 77-61 win over Trevecca Nazarene on Jan. 27, 2018 and the most points by a true freshman since Andrew Taylor scored 24 in a 75-71 loss to Ashland on Feb. 1, 2007. Reuter enters this weekend having scored in double figures in four straight contests, including 17 in a home win over Trevecca Nazarene on Jan. 20.
- 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.