WBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[Jeremybozz]

Open question:

If an ODAC referee announces to a coach (with the entire bench hearing this) that he had just called what he knew was a completely bogus foul on a player because he "had to make up a missed foul on the other side of the floor in a previous play", what should the coach do?  When this call is disputed by the coach, the fastest technical in the history of this game is called on the coach.

4 free throw points are gained by the opposing team on the opportunity of these 2 'fouls'. This team wins... by 4 points.

Does anyone know if this type of reffing is 'normal' for the ODAC? In most American high school districts, that ref would be made to turn in his zebra shirt permanently. I realize that the women's game (with some notable exceptions) will usually be given the less talented refs.   

I can only hope that the refs for postseason are much more carefully selected.

Make up calls do happen. Admitting it to a coaching staff would be very rare and shocking I would think.
Was the W&L Coach/team a victim of this today?
  If the Generals(or a fan) have the audio on video tape of this conversation then I would certainly turn it into the ODAC office.

[emufan]

I would attribute some of EMU's second half slump to injuries.  They have battled all year, but I think for the most part they haven't been playing with their entire team for the majority of the second half of the season.

[Bammer]

Good effort by the Generals against BC but too many mistakes.  Hope that Burkhoder is OK.  Looking forward to seeing the first round match-up on Thursday.  How about Guilford against VWC?  Nice season for the Generals as I believe they exceeded everyone's expectations except their own.  Could magic happen in Salem next week?  Great game by Becca Bolton.  She will be such a force in the ODAC along with fellow freshman Meg Ingram.  I guess I will have to go back to bookie school since I predicted no worse than a 3-1 record for the General's last 4 games.  One last prediction, the Generals will make it to the ODAC    championship game this year.  I will make my call on that game after their opponent is determined,  Great season to be a General and an ODAC fan.  So many good performances by so many girls.

[eaglejacket1421]

Now that I have your blessing, dukeofargyle, I will continue to pick against the Generals when I see fit. I understand the intangibles, I also understand when a team is literally BETTER than another one - sometimes there are upsets (that's why we play the game) and this is the perfect case of a lesser talented team beating one that may have been a victim of 1-being distracted by all the Senior Day festivities and 2-having a case of the look aheads, with the looking ahead being to the ODAC tournament. Come on, if you're Roanoke and you're sitting atop the ODAC and look on your schedule at your remaining games, you can't tell me that you don't assume two victories with W&L and EMU slated? We all know what the saying is about assuming - and this is a prime example why teams never should assume anything.

Picking W&L in that game is equivalent to the person who picks all of the underdog seeds for the first two rounds of March Madness - when they lose you say "oh, well no one expected them to win anyway- nice effort, ect." and when they win the rub it in the face mode goes into full effect. I'm no accountant, and I'm no robot predictor, but everything pointed in the 'Nokes direction for that one: because they ALSO possess team chemistry and the intangibles PLUS all of the statistical favorites.

It has surely been entertaining to watch W&L climb the ODAC ladder and taking a W over the Top 3 seeds (who can be described as having a see-saw season at best) is excellent momentum going to Salem. Taking that W over Roanoke was quickly muted by the loss in Lexington to Bridgewater - who is the logical choice for sleeper team in the ODAC tourny. Coach Willi seems to be the ODAC coach who understands college basketball the best : The Post Season is the ONLY thing that really matters. Regular season just determines seeding. This is perhaps the best explanation in determining why her teams perform so well down the stretch. I think the Generals have just as good a shot at taking home the bid as any other team, the seeding will determine their logical chances. Only time will tell just how good this team is - the post season is the one people remember, after all.

[shsfan]

Quoating Dukeofargyle " Shs- I should have said 'seedings'. To clarify: with the top 2 teams now tied in their W-L records , many are now trying to figure out the tournament seedings. ...Just view the above posts."

Not really hard to "figure out". Please view my post above (2-19) referencing first round predictions, which are consistent with the current seedings. Others have posted acccurately regarding the tie breaker process. The seedings are now also available on the ODAC site.

[whitecaylxx]

I had no doubt that the Bridgewater Eagles would take the Generals, but I didn't want dukeofargyle on my case.   I hope duke wasn't implying that the refs cost W & L the game, though.  A coach should never do anything to imperil his or her team in the last minutes of a tight game.  I will say that Bridgewater has the most dangerous draw in the tournament.  It should be exciting in Salem!

[dukeofargyle]

Caylxx, nope! - not what I said, nor my intent. Goes only to point out the poorer quality of refs in the women's game in general. 

Thanks, Jeremy for your answer.

Now, on to another topic:

It's the end of conference play and almost time to say goodbye to the ODAC seniors. Congrats and thanks to all the seniors who have given their passion, hard work, time & talent to this great sport. Your contributions have made the past 4 years memorable.

Though many of the seniors had remarkable successes, there are a few of these seniors who - IMO, are deserving of special note.

My top 5:
1)   Amanda Hiltunan (RMC) – Selfless player, (#2 in assists in the conference), sharpshooter  (#7 in points; #4 from beyond the arc, and at #2, deadly from the charity stripe with 89% with a 50% shot accuracy rate that earned her a #4 in FG%). Impressive & tireless defender; (# 5 in minutes played and #4 in swipes).  Plays with intensity and never-say-die attitude; this is a player who does it all & stands out even in a class of some great players. IMHO, with this exceptional player also graduates much of the heart and soul of this talented team.
2)   Tracey Croner (GC) - #5 in points; #5 also from free throw line; #8 in offensive boards; #13 in defensive boards; #10 in FG%; #6 in minutes played. Her graduation will leave GC with some shoes that will be hard to fill.
3)   Lindsay Reisbeck (RMC) - #17 in points, & #8 in FG%, she has been a force inside for RM. She also tallied a #4 ranking in blocks, and is #9 in defensive boards, #18 in rebounding overall.

The last 2 are given props & recognition mainly for their defensive abilities; as has been stated here before; I feel that this is the unsung hero category in this game:

4)   Rebecca Henderson (BC) - #1 in blocks, this is a center who is formidable guarding the basket. She is also #5 in defensive rebounds and #7 in overall rebounds. Of special note is her #29 ranking in minutes played at 26 per game - which is real impressive for a post player.
5)   Kara Nadeau (WLU) – tough, tenacious defender, one of the best senior defenders in conference at #11 in steals (with 2 per game); #13 in offensive rebounding and #16 on overall rebounds; & #15 in minutes played. Often assigned defense on the opposing team's best player. Came off season ending injury in her second year & fought back to start last year.  Despite the ballyhoo over the underclassmen this year, teammate Ridenhour (#23 in points; #13 in steals; #9 in mins played) and Nadeau's steady & calm leadership are in great part responsible for the upswing in success of this W&L squad this year.

Anyone else want to post on their favorite/most noteworthy seniors?

[generalee]

Kara Nadeau is one of the unsung heros.  I feel she got a little shafted last year, but is doing great for the Generals this year.  Does anyone know what happened to Bridgewater's key player Burkholder?

[Bammer]

How can one be so sure about a BC win over W&L?  Their wins were by 1 (last second put back) and a 4 point win which was close at the end.  I'm sure that Coach Willi is a fine coach, but is this BC really a better pick in the ODAC tourney than W&L?  I guess that the answers will be told on the court this week.  My pick for the final is RMC-W&L.

[whitecaylxx]

If the Eagles Burkholder is not good to go,  the Generals should cruise past Bridgewater.

[whitecaylxx]

emufan - I feel for your Royals.  They did start off great - lots of teamwork - not even missing a beat without Riley.  I'm sorry for your illnesses and injuries.  It's disappointing when you know it was right there!

[eaglejacket1421]

"I'm sure that Coach Willi is a fine coach, but is this BC really a better pick in the ODAC tourney than W&L? "

Heeeeeck yes, for lots of reasons. First of all, Jean Willi is what I would call a post season coach. She understands that you can stink up the court all regular season long, but as long as you make it to the ODAC tournament, anything is fair game. Coaches that regularly see post season success understand the way it works, and she most definitely does. Secondly, her post season record the past few years has been phenomenal. Why pick against a team that has shown they can be the Cinderella Story time after time? Something clearly clicks in the post season for the Eagles, so picking them over a team that hasn't proven itself in the post season is just common sense.

I'm not saying that it's in the ODAC's best interest for a team like W&L or BC to represent the ODAC in the NCAA tournament and lose in the first round - BUT if I had to pick a sleeper team to put my money on, it would be Bridgewater. Jean Willi just knows what she's doing in tournament play. Yes, Timberlake has graduated. Yes, she was the player that hit the game/tournament winner last season against VWC. Yes, Burkholder may be hurting (if she doesn't play, W&L can have my vote). Yes, W&L has a ton of young talent with a pretty decent coach themselves. But overall, go with the team that has the coach who's been there, the coach that's KNOWN for upsetting in tournament play and the team that constantly gets looked over during the regular season every single year. That equation just adds up. (Anybody remember their Sweet 16 run in the Katy Herr era? ... No one, no one, NO ONE saw that one coming... Impressive...)

Now that I've said it, I realize that W&L players, coaches, and fans could be reading and using it as fuel to add to the fire- and so be it. I'll happily accept Thank You cards if/when W&L defeats BC in the ODAC tourny, haha.

[Jeremybozz]

 ODAC tournament pairings and seedings with dates and times.
http://odac.bridgewater.edu/02.21.09_bball_tourneypairings.htm

[dukeofargyle]

"Coach Willi seems to be the ODAC coach who understands college basketball the best: The Post Season is the ONLY thing that really matters. Regular season just determines seeding. This is perhaps the best explanation in determining why her teams perform so well down the stretch."

Soooo, it all comes clear! Coach Willi is a post-season mastermind- she sneakily lost 7 strategic games so as to draw the highly desirable 4th seed in the ODAC tournament!

Cunningly, she hid this maneuver by chipping away at a 14 point deficit on her home court against W&L in midseason and then winning by 1 point on a last second desperation putback!  The Next Part of her Artful Plan had to be to add a subsequent win by 4 points in the last game of the season against W&L, which now gives BC a huge advantage by allowing the Eagles to proudly wear the highly coveted White 'Home' Jerseys in the quarterfinal game - a tactical coup of monumental proportions...

Clever Coach Willi!

[eaglejacket1421]

Very witty Mr. Argyle. I somehow believe that you are wise enough to realize that the meaning of those words were nowhere near what was just depicted. I will spell it out, just in case there is confusion. Coach Willi does not let regular season woes bring her down in the post season. Who wouldn't want to sit atop the seeding at the end of the season? Sweeping a regular season title along side an ODAC tourny one would be the ideal situation. If you had to pick just one to have, what would it be?... Pretty easy question...

Her goal is not to perform poorly during the regular season and spectacularly WOW her critics in the post season. That isn't any coaches goal. She just somehow finds a way to motivate her girls down the stretch, when it matters most - the post season. She understands that the regular season determines seeding - and however her team chooses to perform is the hand she is dealt and she somehow knows all the magic tricks to make sure her Eagles end up with the top card when it's all said and done. Should I send you the game tape from last year's tournament?