MBB: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[dj_hyphen]

yeah, i don't see how Oxy isn't the frontrunner

@ Turner quitting before he faced PP...that woulda been fun to see

[WestCoastWhiner]

The transfer quit?  Someone has to give the skinny on that.  2nd player to pull something like that at CMS this year.  Yet they pulled together once through the adversity...

Oxy gets the national rank it deserves for its non-conference play.  But we are in the SCIAC here, land of Kats.  As a historian, I can't put Oxy on a pedestal until they prove something.  It's kind of like picking Tennessee to win the SEC.  Yeah they can play and yes they are well coached but in a conference with Florida and even a down Kentucky team, you would be foolish to say that Tennessee is the front-runner.  Better analogy is Maryland and Gary Williams.  It took him going all the way before folks in the ACC started looking at that program as more than a mid-tier ACC team.   

Now that is the last time anyone will hear me ever talk about the SCIAC in the same sentence as the ACC.  We are more like the Soutland Conference considering our bagels in the Tourney. 

Until Oxy proves something, I stick with the Big 3. 

[pomonaalum]

Should be ain interesting game in the band-box, junior high gym that is Ducey.  Though watching from the upstairs "balcony" was always fun.  Looks like Lloyd didn't play in the last game against CalTech - is he still hurt?

[samiam]

No. 19 Occidental 63, Whittier 43
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 56, Pomona-Pitzer 42

[OxyFan21]

Now, as a Maryland native...

I do have to point out that since Gary Williams got to College Park in 1989, the Terps have made the tournament 11 of the last 12 seasons and he is  2nd on the all-time wins list behind Lefty at Maryland.

I believe they have 7 or 8 Sweet 16 appearances and 2 Final Fours, along with the championship in 2002...

He has done a marvelous job of turning the program around after Bob Wade and Len Bias left the program (tragically) in shambles.  He is the 5th all-time winningest coach in the ACC.

Granted, you have the traditional powers of Duke and UNC in the ACC, but I don't know if anyone would consider the Terps a mid-level ACC team...

Granted, I am biased, but I am biased towards my Oxy Tigers too.  I don't think you can argue against our ranking, regardless of how we have done in the past.  Didn't we just beat LV and CLU and Whitworth and Amherst?  We'll see when we go up against PP, but I don't think anyone can stop Betty down low.

Just like in football, give us some love.  In that way, we are similar to the Terps.

(The Oxy-Whittier game should be about ending right now, scores?) 

[OxyFan21]

Add Whittier to the list.

[WestCoastWhiner]

20 point win at Whittier is a nice statement for Oxy.  Team looks like it is improving.  3 games in, I'm not prepared to jump on the bandwagon.  I need to see if they can overcome a tough Redlands crowd and most importantly, bring it against the SCIAC Duke & UNC next week.  I agree with you OF21 that when Betty shows up, he should get All-American votes.  The kid is special.  I'll look to see if he can continue to silence the doubters who don't think he will show up every night, like the great ones do. 

Someone give a report out of CMS.  Haven't seen a blowout by any SCIAC team over the Hens in a long, long time, let alone the Stags.  Especially in light of the Turner turmoil and the Hens bringing back not just everyone but 3 1st teamers.  I still think Kats is too great and their talent is too good not to turn it around.  But dang, that one hurts.

Off topic but OF21, on your GW point, I agree he is a great, great coach.  That is undisputable.  As an ACC fan, its obvious that the Terps are always a notch below UNC & Duke.  They certainly can beat them on any given night, especially at home, but like Oxy, they haven't found the way to win those 2 key road games that mean everything.  In the ACC GW has 1 ACC title in 17 years & I think only 1 ACC Tournament title in that same period).  Not exactly the stuff of a conference power.  Check Duke & UNC in that same period.  Fortunately for Terp fans, 3rd or 4th place in the ACC gets you in the Tourney, where Gary's great coaching finds Ws - well, it never hurts to have 3 or 4 future NBAers as well. 

[dj_hyphen]

just cause i'm bored:

PP = Duke
CMS = UNC
Oxy = Maryland
CLU = Wake Forest
Whitter = NC State
La Verne = Georgia Tech
Redlands = Florida State
Cal Tech = Virginia



anyway, bad loss for PP tonight...this team is struggling mightily offensively...they're going to have to step that up and rely on great defense (a Coach Kat staple) if they want to win league.

[scandihoovian]

Nice win for CLU last night over LaVerne  - although neither team shot the lights out...  It's great to see the Kingsmen continue to play hard and smart even with all the preseason health problems (especially losing Minney for the season).  I guess I expected a lot more out of LaVerne this year.  They were coming on strong at the end of last season and it didn't seem like they were going to lose that many key players to graduation.

I'm getting a kick out of the whole SCIAC-ACC comparison - especially hyphen's full conference breakdown (apparently Cal Tech needs to find their Ralph Sampson).  Having said that, I've got to think that this year the Tigers are the conference front runner.  I know that in the past they've had trouble winning down the 210 but I get the sense that this year may be different.  PP is struggling now (I'm not ruling out a turn around) and CMS seems strong but not dominant.  CLU has the aforementioned experience problems, and although you never know what might happen when the Tigers make their last trip to Boston Garden West my sense is that we'll all be pulling for the Tigers to represent the SCIAC well in March.

[dj_hyphen]

i take it back...Cal Tech isn't even Virginia...i'm downgrading them to Clemson

[WestCoastWhiner]

DJ, as usual, your knowledge is evident.  The only thing I would add is that Clemson is fighting out of the cellar and has things on the upswing.  Cal tech doesn't even belong in the SCIAC. 

Look, I respect the effort by those kids but someone has to explain to me why their participation in the conference isn't a reflection of the institutional opposition to athletics at Oxy, CMS, PP, Whittier & Redlands.  Great pub for them in SI but all the same, let them be an independent.  I understand they need to be in the league to keep their NCAA status but what is the value add for everyone else in the conference?  Why wouldn't serious consideration be given to replacing them with Chapman?  What do we lose by that move?  From my perspective we gain a school that isn't that far off from some of the existing SCIAC schools in terms of academia, costs, size, mission.  And we lose a school that has negative emphasis on sports and has no desire to field competitive teams.   Then again, maybe that is true for all of the SCIAC schools.

[samiam]

I understand they need to be in the league to keep their NCAA status but what is the value add for everyone else in the conference?

The main reason: they'll all graduate and become our bosses. Thus, let's end this discussion now or else they'll give us poor marks in our yearly reviews.

[scandihoovian]

The football board pretty much ran the whole course of this discussion, starting on about page 87.  I think this link might work:

http://www.d3sports.com/post/index.php?topic=3702.1290

[Sabretooth Tiger]

Oxy at Redlands tonight . . . keep the streak!

Eat'em up Tigers

[OXY Oswald]

Looking forward to see a good game tonight!  Redlands is always entertaining to watch, even when they're having a down year.

Go Tigers!