Title Bound?

The Frostburg State men's basketball team is having a decent season. Although I understand how dull and over used that phrase may seem; it remains the cold truth. The Bobcats have not captivated the university community with an incredible Flint Tropic-esque title run (a la the movie "Semi Pro" starring Will Farrell), yet they are still in the thick of championship contention in the Capital Athletic Conference. Their 11-10 record shows mediocrity of the team's performance, but their conference record of 8-4 has them sitting in 4th place in the CAC.

However mediocre the Bobcats may seem this season, they have been able to pull off clutch wins versus their stoutest opponents. Their biggest to date being their 76-75 thriller against CAC front runner Mary Washington. The loss is the only blemish in conference play for the Mary Washington Eagles thus far this season. With this type of victory over a quality opponent, it is obvious Frostburg has the tools to be a very good basketball team. Why does their record merely indicate middle-of-the-pack status for the Bobcats? Simple: They play in a weak conference.

Not one team in the CAC is ranked nationally by d3hoops.com, although Salisbury has been as high as number 20 this season. Frostburg has a good conference record because they are a good team in a not-so-good conference. Frostburg has at least one victory over each of the four teams ahead of them in the CAC standings, so the Cats have the wherewithal to trounce anyone in the CAC. With that said, the Bobcats have plenty of opportunity to capture the 2011-2012 conference crown.

In order for Frostburg to take home a title, they must finish strong in the regular season. The remaining games are road tests at Wesley, and St. Mary's (MD), as well as remaining home games against Marymount and rival Salisbury. These teams have a combined record of 4-3 against the Bobcats.

The Bobcats have banked on a stable of star players to power them this season. Principally two seniors, guard Troy Dockett and forward Maurice Williams. Dockett is the conference's second leading scorer through the 2011-2012 campaign displaying 16.8 points per game. The two-time CAC player of the week is an assassin from behind the arch. He currently possesses a 51 percent 3 point percentage which is third in the entire nation in that category.

Williams is having himself a productive year enjoying 15.8 points per game, 52 percent field goal percentage, 80 percent free throw percentage, 6.3 rebounds per game, and 1.0 steals per game. The big guy is second in the CAC in offensive rebounds per game (2.8), and like Dockett earned a CAC Player of the Week honor during the campaign.

Lurking in the horizon of the men's basketball team is "welcoming" rival Salisbury to the ‘Burg. The Seagulls have had the Bobcats number this year with 72-61 and 70-66 victories over the Bobcats this season. Hopefully the Bobcats can turn the tables and get a crucial victory on Saturday, but they will need to slow down the leading scorers for the Seagulls, F Mike Maczko (13.5 PPG) and F Mike Atkins (11.6 PPG). The posts players will definitely have to be on their A-games. This especially includes Maurice Williams and Bradley Nunn.

Nunn has 9.8 points per game, 6.4 rebounds per game, and 1.2 blocks per game at this point in the season. But the numbers he is going to have to improve upon the most is his 6 points per game, and 2 rebounds per game in the two games versus the Seagulls. Maczko and Atkins will surely be "going hard in the paint," as Atkins scored a career high 27 points against Frostburg in their first matchup of the season and 13 points in the latter. Maczko had his best game against the Bobcats on Jan. 7when he put up a respectable 16 points on the Frostburg defense.

Head coach Webb Hatch has very clear objectives for his basketball team. "The goals of the Frostburg State basketball program are quite simple. First, we want to be the best team in the (Capital Athletic Conference). Second, we want to earn a bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. Third, we want to win a Division III National Championship."

Although realistically speaking, a national championship may be out of the grasp of this year's club, the men's basketball team has all the tools to earnestly contend for a conference championship this season. Fueled by Dockett's fatal 3-pointer, and solid post play from Williams and Nunn, the Bobcats have proven by now they can beat any team in the CAC.

Earning a title of this magnitude would allot the school their second tournament championship win ever, while thrusting them into the NCAA tournament, which only eight other Frostburg men's basketball teams have been able to do in the history of the program.