#8 Blue Streaks Set to Welcome #12 Purple Raiders to the DeCarlo Center on Wednesday

1/9/2024 6:34:00 PM | By: Joe Ginley '16, SID

The Blue Streaks look to hold onto the top spot in the OAC standings in a battle of top 25 teams.

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS -- For a second straight year, John Carroll and Mount Union will meet on the hardwood at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center as top-15 teams.

In the D3hoops.com rankings released on Monday, JCU stands at #8, while Mount Union occupies #12. And thus, the stage is set for what could be another classic in the 101st meeting of the two programs.

The Blue Streaks and Purple Raiders both carry identical 12-1 marks, though JCU holds a narrow edge in the Ohio Athletic Conference race with a 6-0 mark compared to Mount Union's 5-1 record. The game is the OAC TV Game of the Week.

The Blue Streaks are encouraging fans to wear white. Students wearing Cleveland jerseys get in free (JCU students are free either way), while adults wearing JCU jerseys also get free admittance.

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The game certainly does not lack starpower, featuring three of the conference's top four scorers, at least statistically in terms of points per game. Luke Chicone (19.0), Christian Parker (18.7), and Luke Frazier (18.3) are three of the most prolific players in the conference, no doubt.

Blue Streak fans know all about Chicone and Frazier. The Mentor men form a formidable duo, racing up and down the court as a fast-flying scoring machine. Chicone is also getting it done in other ways, leading the OAC in assists per game (4.9), assist/turnover ratio (3.5), and steals per game (2.8).

The show does not stop with the Lukes, as Chase Toppin (10.2 ppg) also averages double figures. Luka Eller, David Gentry, Henry Raynor, and Will Yontek all contribute mightily in the post.

Parker is no doubt one of the best players to lace them up in Mount Union history. During his senior season, the 6-6 forward has leaped to second in program history with 1,540 points, doing the trick with a 22-point outing a week ago vs. Baldwin Wallace. The school all-time scoring record is in reach. At Parker's current pace this year, Aaron Shipp (1,719, 1994-98) has about 10 more games left as Mount Union's all-time leading scorer. And don't forget graduate student Collen Gurley, close behind Parker in third in program history with 1,508 points.

Physicality could play a role in the matchup. The Purple Raiders are one of the more physical teams in the league, averaging a conference-high 13.4 fouls per game. On the other side, the Blue Streaks love going to the line, averaging 25.8 free throw attempts per game, which ranks tops in the OAC and fourth in NCAA Division III.

But the Purple Raiders also have great deep threats, leading the league in three-point percentage (35.2%). Graduate student Darrell Newsom is a big reason why, leading the Raiders with a 38.8% clip from deep range. His brother, Quincy, is a star running back for the Blue Streaks.

Meanwhile, the Blue Streaks have tried 237 three-pointers this year, a league low. But the Blue Streaks still run one of the conference's best offensive attacks. John Carroll averages 87.8 points per game, five more than the next closest team. JCU's high-flying offense will collide with the league's best defense, as the Raiders surrender just 66.9 points per outing.

The matchup features two excellent head coaches in JCU's Pete Moran '08 and Mount Union's Mike Fuline, each past winners of the OAC Coach of the Year award. In the last meeting, Moran's Streaks eked out a 74-72 win in front of a max capacity crowd at the DeCarlo Center.

With plenty at stake, the showdown promises to be an exciting one for fans. If you can't make it, follow along here:

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