Point Special, I have enjoyed this talk and your post are insightful.  When Stout was trying to build towards a future we played a couple D2 schools (concordia st paul, Upper Iowa)  The concordia game I will always remember as the game that we started to believe we could win at a high level when we lost a close one at the end. 

On the other side we played some roll over teams and I felt it was not pushing us to be a better team.  Personally I enjoyed playing up or playing other great programs (wooster, st. thomas... those were fun games) and wish that we could schedual more of those kind of games. 

We both love the conference and want to see it achieve a high level, I wish I had the time to do some research of my own but I appreciate you doing yours.  Now I ma all pumped up for the season and it seems so far aways still.

Phew... long post.  PS, maybe I am focusing on the recent record and not the last ten + years.  We wil  have to see how Point does with a tough non-conference D3 schedual, which I like.  Maybe making it all about D2 schools is missing the point of playing a tougher non-conference schedual.  I know the WIAC is tough, the year we made it in we lost 2 conference games on last second shots at home (Lax and StP) and the ball does need to bounce your way.

Since the tourney expanded it has opened the door for more WIAC teams that do deserve to get in, no doubt.  It has also made for some tough rounds early on but we cannot change how the set it up.  But if you include 98 and 99 through 05 (point championship #2), before the touney expanded in 06, the WIAC had 4 National Championships and only 1 year where we did not have a sweet 16 team at least in the 8 year span.  Was D3 weaker then? 

Any one of the teams last year could have made a run, true. But if the WIAC has three of our best teams in the tourney I expect more then second round comparing it too that 8 year span before the expansion.

I have the utmost respect for you and any player that can acheive a high level.

Point Special- you make some great points and I was upset with the pairings in the tourney as well.  I know that the WIAC had to play one the road and having seniors that have played together for years helps a lot.  There is very good D3 basketball in the midwest and I understand why the brackets  are set up the way they are in D3. 

With that said I still feel that the non-conference schedual can make team stronger and better, plus, getting 1 or 2 WIAC team getting in the tourney but going further is better than 3 making it 1 or 2 rounds.  Not that 3 don't deserve to get in (and get a better raod).  I would like to see a WIAC school (hopefully Stout) make it to the elite 8 most years, is that too much to ask?

Remember way back when, we had talked about the WIAC/CCIW meeting early in the year at a nuetral site.  The argument against was that they could not afford a D3 loss, even a good one.  There are a lot of other good D3 teams (we went and played Wooster one year).  Yes Point winning back-to-back was great for the league but does the WIAC have a team who can trully make a run.  I thought Platt could last year but all WIAC teams hit a huge road block in the second round.  Can we have a final four team every year? Is having 3 teams in the tourney every year only to lose in the second round good enough? Making it out of the central bracket is tough as it is.

I love the WIAC and owe the league more than I can repay, I wonder of the WIAC is at the level it used to be?  Now that it is down among average D3 leagues but could it be better.

For schools to play weaker D3 teams so that they can get a better shot at the posts season is selling themselves short.  I get it, but I would go a different direction.  Personaly the way Fresno State football plays anyone, anytime and anywhere works for me.

In the end ask this question; can the WIAC do better?  I believe we could.  If the WIAC has the talent to play D2 schools and compete then they should do so.  Forget the postseason, all they are going to do is put top 10 WIAC teams against top 10 teams on the road in the second round. 

I just don't think that if the WIAC is so strong that we should compare ourselves with other D3 conferences, we need to set the bar higher for ourselves.

Quote from: 13wapiti on September 30, 2009, 09:13:23 AM
Yeah-UWEC plays Finlandia twice again this year as does UW-Osh, UW Superior gets 'em once.

Did you guys not get the memo?  Finlandia is  the tenth WIAC team, I thought that was common knowledge.  At least they are up for playing a WIAC whenever (and riding the bus on that wonderful drive down).  I would like to see WIAC schools play more D2 schools, I know I would have loved an all D2 non-conference schedual.  If the WIAC wants to get back to the top then they need to play tougher teams more consistantly.  Granted the WIAC is still very good but I feel that it could be even better.

Watching the ESPY's tonight and watching Coach Meyer makes me remember what is great in this game.  My brother and myself had the honor to go to his college post camp after our sophmore year and be taught be him.  Congrats to him and may we all have half the strength he does.

Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on July 08, 2009, 07:20:28 PM
On a different note, I'd be willing to bet that those co-ed bus rides have produced a number of romances (perhaps even future recruits! ).

wow, someone had to go there.  I would'nt go that route but I did just marry a volleyball girl from stout, thats close enough but now we argue over if our kids are playing volleyball or basketball.

Having been on many of these trips with mens and womens teams it is tight in there but in the end it comes down to cost, it works.  As long as Stout mens team does not have to ride with the EC mens team to aways games it should be ok.  While I hung out with EC players some nights in EC, there was no love lost on the court and if we were in the same bus, well the cops may be called   As we said many times in college, "it's D3, get used to it" to explain situations.  In the end it is about the game of basketball and that is worth an umcomfortable bus ride everytime.

EC
Lax
Point
UWW

For fun  I did the standings this year-overall, offense and defense then averaged them.

Standings              Offense              Defense      Average rank
1-Point                       2                         2                  1.667          
2-Platt                        3                         1                   2
3-UWW                      1                         3                  2.333                   
4-EC                           4                         9                  5.667
5-Oshgosh                 7                         8                  6.667    
6-River                       8                         5                  6.333                  
7-Suptown                 6                         7                  6.667   
8-Lax                         5                         6                  6.333
9-Stout                      9                         4                  7.333

There is a bigger gap from 3rd to 4th then I thought

Well maybe the question is leadership on the team.  UWP, Point and UWW are very good teams who get good players and get them to buy in to what they are doing.  I remember playing LAX with Werner, Ask and Ferenbach (sp) where a very good "big 3" and were very unselfish with one another and their support players.  When they needed a bucket one of those three (probally Joe) got it.  All three seemed to buy in. 

It takes a team and not just three guys but if you have # guys you can go to to get a bucket they sould be better.  Maybe it is too much "me" and not enough "we".

It is hard to be so far away from the WIAC and try to keep up with the teams but the coversation about Oshgosh has been interesting.  Oshgosh had "the big three" and that alone should make them a top team in the WIAC, to this point it has not.  There are many reasons for this only one of which is the coach.  While I have a lot of respect for TVD and his program, I wonder why they are not competing and drawing more fans.  When I played I would have loved to played in a sold out game there but the best was half full.  I know that it is a big place but there is a population base that would fill it.  If the WIAC had an opening in marketing to get the fans out I would want to fill it. 

As for Stout, they have been playing harder and competing stronger then they have all year in the past 2 weeks.  Taking platt to the wire, Oshy to double OT and giving point, what sounds like, their best effort.  It is easy, and would not be the first time, that a team in last packed it is in the last month and got rolled over.  They have not.  Now I am a Stout homer (from a thousand miles away) I have always thought that it is one thing to lose and another to get a beat down without effort. 

I still would like to see a team win the league with a 12-4 record and not 15-1 or 16-0.  My question to you, who can make the games and have seen many of the teams, is there that big of difference in talent or coaching between the top and the bottom?  And how can schools change it?  I know the level of funding  is different between schools but that can't be the only reason.

EC
Platt
RF
Point

It has been nice to see Stout compete in the last two games.  Once at home and one on the road.  I like to see WIAC teams have to earn their wins and I am still a little worried that the top 3 teams will be the only ones to decide who wins it this year without any upsets.  Personally I like the years like when Piont won it after losing twice to Suptown.