Looks like 2nd round is it again BruinFan. With only two from the NWC  (Whitworth not making the draw.)

I do have to say I like the odds GF or Puget Sound has to get to  the Elite 8 before they run into Calvin or DePauw in order to get to Grand Rapids

It is what it is. Let's play ball and support the last one standing after this weekend to represent. Wouldn't it be something if it were Chapman !

No Doubt, I'm sure GF is happy to be in, but not so to face the Whits yet again!

Congrats to all NWC teams! To bad only one has the opportunity to move on past the second round.

Having witnessed first hand all of the games between GF and the Whits this season, I would guess that Meek has seen enough of the scrappy, sharp shooting women from Eastern WA. and would no doubt prefer to see someone else if they get an invite. He would, in my opinion choose to be shipped out. Unfortunately,  I agree as previously noted that they will more than likely have to at least see one of them one more time if they want to get out of the first/second round.

I think a bigger issue Meek and his team needs to overcome is a lack of confidence, to perform in the last 10 minutes, in a close game and finish strong. As previous Bruins teams have.  All of GF's losses this year, ( Whits) they have been in it but have lost the discipline required to stay in the game. Whether it be poor decisions/defense sending GF players to the bench with foul trouble and the Whits to the line (not a good game plan against either of those teams) or not changing out some of his players that appear to me to have turnover issues when in the pressure cooker. He has the bench to do it.

If they are gifted with an invite. Regroup, Re-focus,  and go out and have some fun!

 

A quick point of view from what Pat mentioned. Whitworth is the team that has proved to be playing the best " right now". They have beaten three ranked teams for 4 wins this month. To play outside of a first round bracket of the other two NW teams is a great opportunity to get two NW teams to the sectionals. Not to take anything away from the other 3 teams in Whitworths bracket as they are very good but with the way Whitworth has been playing on the road, has a good a chance as any to get there.

I understand your position of hoping it would be closer for the parents but try to understand we are on an Island out here in the great NW when it comes to this Tournament. To have three teams in it from the NW does not come along that often. It's not surprising because both LC and Whitman are regionally ranked to get the positions they did. Whitman has got to be as stunned to be in the tournament on one side of the pendelum as much as they were to have thought to be eliminated by Whitworth on the other side of the swing a week ago. Congrats to Whitman, first time ever to be in the dance. It's been like 13 years since Whitworth has been in it. Enjoy the ride. You never know when you will experience it again.

The players themselves should be the ones who soak it all in the most, enjoy the experience, play as if it was their last game and have fun. Even though you may not make it to any of the first round or even sectional games, the deeper you make it, the more I would suggest you try to get there,  especially if one of our teams makes it to Holland. Our trip there last year was one of the most memorable experiences. All the games that were played to get there we could re-live through the players experience and the fun they had, it was awesome. Because of the hospitality and welcome mat that was delivered, to see Hope in it this year I'm pulling for them to go all the way on their side of the bracket!

Congrats to Coach Higgs and the Whitworth programs who have both Men and Women in the NWC Championship games. You would think getting out rebounded 50 to 31,  that the outcome would look a little different but the lady pirates had eight different players hit from long range and once again it pays off. Neither team had to worry about to much of any come backs as I don't think either led by more than 6 the entire game. Good defensive effort to hold Whitman well below their average. Good luck saturday.

Congrats to LC in putting aside any doubt in the ability to get past GF and put their streak of NWC championships to an end. The hot and cold season for Bruins continued. After racing out of the blocks to an 11-2 lead in the first five minutes of the game to only scoring 12 the remaining 15 minutes and allowing 35 in it. They did come out and play pretty consistent in the second half but to little to late. Congrats to Munger on an outstanding career and all the best moving forward. It is very difficult to recover from that kind of injury she suffered last year. Time for key players to get healthy. Also with good minutes for the freshman this year, they will be back and competitive next season for sure.

Anyone have any speculations on the games tonight? With LC having the season they have had and maintaining their rankings all year both top 10ish and regional, even if they get upset I think they may get an at large bid to the tournament. All others I think need to win out for the chance.

No big head to head games to determine Conference title this year.

LC travels to PLU, LC wins gets Title.
Whitman travels to Linfield & Willamette, Whitman wins both gets #2 seed
Whitworth travels to Linfield and Willamette, Whitworth wins both gets #3 seed
GF Travels PLU and UPS, win or lose gets #4 seed

First games of NWC Tournament next week:

Thursday 2/21:

#1 seed LC hosts #4 seed GF. I'm not quite ready to rule out an upset here. GF has the talent, they just have not been able to find 40 minutes of chemistry. No better time than this game. Munger needs a big game. The rest of team has stepped up when she has been out but seem to have retracted when she gets back in. It just can't be the Munger show, they just need to play and have some fun. LC has remained healthy but has shown some vulnerability. Their balance of guards is tough to navigate. This game will be won or lost in the paint.

#2 Whitman host #3 Whitworth. Both teams have won on their home court this season. If Missionaries can hold the Pirates to under 8 3's I'm going with Whitman. If Whitworth can run the floor and wear Whitman down to where they see some open shots, Whitworth has the edge. It's going be a close game. One thing I've noticed with either of these teams is they have the ability to come back. Neither team should get to comfortable with a lead. Gaps are quickly closed.

Congrats to both Whits this weekend. Both put the hurt on GF. Whitman with their defense holding GF to its lowest point total all year and Whitworth lit them up with 3's.

It was good to see Munger get back off the bench with some minutes however GF just played poorly in the areas where you need the stats, 45% FT combined both nights, of the 81 rebounds only 17 were offensive. 4 of 34 from beyond the arc. Then to let Whitworth who is known for launching long range get a dozen to fall is just poor defense. They will have to get back on the hustle wagon and want it if they are going to get back into it.

UPS nearly pulled off an upset of their own with LC but it was LC who prevailed by 2. LC is poised to win the NWC Conference, two more wins and it's theirs.

Not sure how the tie breaker would work if all the top 4 won out with GF and Whitworth. We shall see.

Indeed, Whitworth pulled the upset of the week over LC and forced yet another log jam at the top of the NWC. The four participants of the NWC tournament are becoming obvious  but how they finish and who they play are still up for grabs. Whits will have another chance to shake up the standings this week as they play each other tomorrow night and host GF over the weekend.

LC came back and beat Whitman on Saturday to stay atop the standings and plays the bottom have of the NWC over the next couple weeks and I suspect will win out. UPS played them tough last time they played and LC barely got away with a win. UPS at home, yes. Upset? We shall see.

GF has their hands full this weekend traveling to eastern washington as LC did last weekend. I am going to assume they will continue to play without Munger. Hayes and Wolfe are playing pretty well while she is out. Their Freshman also continue to step up.

Whitman and Whitworth laceup tomorrow night at Whitman. We'll see if the Missionaries can even the season series at home as Whitworth took the early season game at home.Then both take turns hosting GF this weekend.


Regular season is shaping up to have a competivie and entertaining finish.

Hello All,
       
Picking up on BruinFan's assessment of tonights game with LC and GF, big test for GF. Hannah will not play. Good chance to see how they do against LC without her. I don't think Christina Williams has ever played a game against GF without her in it! I think they will play a bit faster tempo, hopefully Roos is on her outside game and they don't foul as much as last contest. LC scored 35+ points from the stripe when they met last. Should be a good game.

Let's also point out that both LC and GF take their show on the road in the second half of the season with the upper challengers. I'm sure the Whit's, Pacific and UPS will have something else to say about the conversation.

Thanks for Chiming in, I was getting tired of talking to myself.

I think your assessment is pretty accurate. At the half way point some observations stand out.  I agree LC is in a position to break the GF run of conference champions because of their balance of experienced players if they can be consistent. The big win against GF then to come back the same week and get beat the way they did against Whitman shows they aren't quite there yet. LC does not have a deep bench but if they don't have to go there they should win out.

Whits on a good night can challenge anyone but your right, good nights are too inconsistent. 

GF is a team in transition. They have had a slew of injuries. Hannah is not at full strength but the play of Hayes and Wolfe is encouraging. Arnoldy seems to be healthy now but had some injuries over the past month. Heckendorf and Parker are out, freshman class is getting the opportunity to see good minutes and have played well enough to win. Big game with LC at GF on Friday. My opinion is they should rest Hannah and get her as healthy as possible for the post season, see how they can play against a quality team without her so they can find some chemistry without her just in case.

Whitman leaps past GF in the polls to 19th with their big win against LC Friday. GF drops to 25. LC drops to 10th.

3 teams in the top 25 from the NWC! Anyone know when the last time that happened? Whitman battles the other Whit tonight then visits GF on Saturday.

Now that conference play is underway and we have had a chance to see some of the teams this year anyone have any observations?

            Good to see we have a couple teams representing in the top 25 again. It also appears we have a competitive road ahead. Congrats to LC on a solid start, a #5 ranking in the latest polls and a clear position to be the team to beat this year. Consistency goes a long way and they seem to be the most consistent heading out of the gate. Going 36 for 43 at the charity stripe Monday againt GF tells me they are focused. On the other hand GF, #24,  has the ability to be very good but lacks the consistency it needs to repeat. Not to say they don't find it and show it but so far they are a team that is growing and finding themselves right now. Allowing a team to go to the stripe 40+ times along with a couple techinicals, tells me they are a little frustrated finding their game right now. Not to say they don't find because if/when they do they can be very good. Which has got to have the rest of the NWC licking their chops for the opportunity to get a win against the team that has dominated the last 4-5 years.
           Whit's are off to a good start. The next couple weeks should prove to be intersting as they travel West to face LC, GF and Pacific who is also off to a good start. PSU got back into the win column last night against PLU after two tough losses at the Whit's in December.