Championship Preview
men’s basketball hosts fords in first round

The Muhlenberg men’s basketball program has a long and distinguished history that includes almost 1,150 wins, three NIT appearances in the 1940s and two Centennial Confrence championships in the 1990s. But only once have the Mules beaten the same team three times in a season (Moravian in 1992).

They’ll get another chance when Haverford visits Memorial Hall for the first round of the Centennial Conference playoffs tomorrow night.

The Mules (15-10) are in the CC playoffs for the 12th time, but this is their first

Three Earn All-CC Honors For the first time in the 16-year history of the Centennial Conference, the Muhlenberg men’s basketball team had three players voted to the All-CC team. Junior Peter Barnes was a second-team selection, while junior Ryan Foster and freshman Spencer Liddic earned honorable mention. Barnes leads the Mules in scoring (12.8 points per game), rebounding (9.0 per game), field-goal percentage (.599) and blocked shots (2.00 per game). He ranks in the top 10 in the CC in all four categories – first in field-goal percentage and second in rebounding and blocked shots. Barnes also leads the CC with 10 double-doubles. The versatile Foster leads Muhlenberg in three-pointers (52) and is second in scoring (11.7 ppg) and steals (25) and third in rebounding (6.0 rpg), assists (47) and blocked shots (13). Liddic, only the eighth freshman in CC history to earn all-conference honors, was the Mules’ top scorer in CC games, averaging 13.1 points. Overall, he is third on the team in scoring (11.4 ppg) and second in rebounding (7.0 rpg), field-goal percentage (.545) and blocked shots (39). Click here for the entire team.

home playoff game since 2002. They are 5-9 all-time in CC playoff games, with four of the wins coming in the championship seasons of 1995 and 1998. The Fords (12-12) are 2-4 in their previous appearances, reaching the title game in 2007.

The teams’ first two meetings this year were quite different. In the CC opener for both teams, back on December 3, Muhlenberg shot 53.8 percent from the field en route to a big 73-41 win. Two months later, on February 4, the Mules survived a late comeback effort to eke out a 53-50 victory.

“I think the biggest difference was that we were on the road,” said senior Chris MacIntosh. “Haverford is always pretty

Even when playing on one leg, MacIntosh has been one the keys to the Mules’ success. He is one of the team’s top defensive players and ranks second in the CC with a 1.68 assist-to-turnover ratio in league games.

good at home. They’re all smart players. They don’t have the biggest size or the most speed of the teams we face, but they’re very smart and witty, and they know how to get it done.”

They also know how to control the tempo of the game. The second game against Muhlenberg was one of eight played by the Fords in which neither team got to 60 points. They beat CC playoff qualifiers McDaniel (46-42) and Gettysburg (56-45) in similarly low-scoring games, both at home.

“The most important thing is that we have to limit our turnovers and not give them second-chance opportunities,” said MacIntosh. The Mules committed 26 turnovers in the game at Haverford and attempted only 39 field goals. “Each possession that they get they’re going to try to take time off the clock.”

Due in part to their pace, the Fords are one of only 12 teams in Division III allowing fewer than 60 points per game. But the Mules know something about defense too – they are fifth in Division III in field-goal percentage defense (.384).

In addition to defensive prowess, another similarity between the two teams is a strong finish to the regular season. Haverford was 2-6 in the CC before winning seven of its last 10 games to finish tied for fifth with Washington (which it swept). Muhlenberg was 7-2 in its last nine league games to set a school record with 11 CC wins.

It was a big difference from last year, when the Mules dropped their final five regular-season games to fall out of the playoff race.

“This year, down the stretch we play like a veteran team, home or away,” noted MacIntosh. “We handle the situations really well; we’re a little smarter and make good decisions. It’s the difference between coming out with a close win or a close loss.”

Muhlenberg showed its poise down the stretch in the last game of the regular season, coming back from a 10-point deficit with less than three minutes to play to force overtime at Ursinus. Although the eventual overtime loss cost the Mules a first-round bye in the playoffs, MacIntosh saw benefits in not having to wait until Saturday to play.

“We haven’t had a week off since Christmas break, so this keeps us on track, just like our usual routine,” he noted. “It always gives us a big boost being at home. I think we’re going to come out with a lot of energy.”