The Monmouth College men’s basketball team, currently undefeated at 11-0 in Midwest Conference play, faces a major conference test tonight as the Scots hit the road to take on second-place Grinnell.
Monmouth enters the match up with a one-game lead over the Pioneers, who sit at 10-1 in league play.
Tonight’s match up does not clinch anything, as the Scots have already secured a spot in the Midwest Conference Tournament, but a win would give Monmouth a significant advantage in the conference title race with only four games remaining in the regular season, according to Monmouth College Sports Information Director Nathan Baliva.
“Big game against Grinnell. We beat Grinnell by 12 here a couple of weeks ago. They play that system where you have got to be ready to go the entire game. They are going to press. They are going to shoot threes, maybe not as much as they used to, but they are still going to press you the whole time. They are going to sub in and out, so you have to be ready for that. A win can’t clinch anything officially, but a win will put us at 12-0 and them at 10-2. Plus, we would then also have the tiebreaker by beating them twice. It would really put us in the driver’s seat.”
The Scots won the Midwest Conference regular-season title last year, but Grinnell captured the conference tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, adding even more weight to tonight’s match up.
Tip off is scheduled for 5:30 tonight in Grinnell. The Monmouth women will also take on the Pioneers following the men’s game at approximately 7:30. Fans can watch both games at monmouthscots.com.
For the full interview with Sports Information Director Nathan Baliva, check under sports podcasts.
