MBB: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Pat Coleman]

My apologies.. I always make the same mistake time and again.

And everyone always knows exactly what you mean when you say preseason, time and again. Mistakes are in the eye of the persnickety.

OxyBob

Spoken like a true student of the "say things time and again" school.

[Sabretooth Tiger]

I always make the same mistake time and again.

At least you're not redundant and repetitive.

[Sabretooth Tiger]

Caltech hoopster in the news!

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-crowe-20100823,0,7116836,full.column

[Gray Fox]

Caltech has posted their schedule.

[stag44]

Season starts in a little over 3 weeks now. Very excited to see how every team has reloaded for another fun year. Early front runners have to be CMS and OXY right?

Some questions to think about for this year:

Can CMS make it a 3-peat? This would be the first 3-peat in the SCIAC since PP went 4 in a row from 1997-2000 if i remember correctly. They'll have to do it even with the graduation of Faught, Bagby and Toney who accounted for over 80% of the minutes in the backcourt and a bulk of the ball handling and 3point shooting.

Can Blees make history as a 3-time POY? It's been a pleasure watching Chris mature over these 4 years from a talented freshman scorer to a veteran dominant leader. Each year he's improved a different facet of his game, and this year should be no different. Each game though, he should expect to see double and triple teams, and other gimmicks to keep him from touching the ball and away from his scoring areas.

Does Caltech finally get a SCIAC win? Their closest call was in 05-06 where they lead Whittier by 5 with under a minute to go, only to lose in OT. They seem to be getting more talent, but haven't been able to turn the corner. I'm not sure they do it this year.

Can the SCIAC get a NCAA win vs a Non-SCIAC team The last time this happened was Oxy's magical Elite 8 run. Last year, I believe it CMS hadn't lost their last to regular season SCIAC games to PP and CLU, they would have gotten a home bid vs Chapman. Granted going up to Spokane would have not boded well, but it would have been the first NCAA win at CMS since 1995. I'm hopefully optimistic that we can break the seal and win an NCAA game vs the NWC.

Who is the surprise team of the SCIAC Last year it was Redlands until they fizzled out the last 5 games of conference. In 2008-2009 it was Whittier with a surprise 10-4 run. It always seems like there is 1 team that rises to challence CMS PP OXY for at top 3 spot. My guess this year will be ULV. Reed seems to be getting the guys to play hard, and maybe things will finally click. They always seem to have talent, but can never really put all the pieces together for a sustained 14 game run.

Will it be another CMS-PP SCIAC Tournament Final? At the outset, it seemed like the 4-team tourney for the auto-bid would hurt CMS and PP the most. They were always the most consistent in the regular season, so it seemed the tournament would help a hot CLU or OXY team ride 2 wins to the tournament. But, its been a yearly 6th street battle with all 3 games being EXTREMELY competitive with electric atmosphere. 2007-08 provided one of the most heart-stopping finishes in the history of the rivalry as CMS battled from 13 down in the 2nd half capped off by a game-tying buzzer beater by Faught infront of the CMS student section that sent everyone into a frenzy. In the OT, PP regained is poise and pulle out a win between the 3 and 4 seeds of the tourney. They last 2 years the scene shifted to Ducey where CMS pulled out 2 hotly contested games. Its hard not to imagine another year where this happens. PP loses alot with Liss, Chaimowitz and Sexton graduated, but Kats always has a way.


Predictions:

SCIAC Regular Season: CMS
SCIAC Tourney: CMS
POY: Blees, CMS

[CMSfan]

Predictions:

SCIAC Regular Season: CMS
SCIAC Tourney: CMS
POY: Blees, CMS

I like, and concur with, these predictions.

[dahlby]

CMSfan/stagg44:

It would be interesting to see IF CMS wins SCIAC auto bid play Chapman (IF CU coasts thru their schedule again) in the first round of the playoffs at the home of the winner of the early season contest. That game last year at Chapman was one of the most exciting games I have ever watched.

I enjoyed speaking with members of the CMS basketball  squad (the chain gang at the CMS/Chapman football scrimmage) and they indicated that they were looking forward to the rematch.

NOTE TO OB: I am not tossing you a softball to enter into a strength of schedule
debate.

[justatigerpa]

stagg44, don't know how right you are about a 3-peat for cms...but, you're dead on about oxy, with hanley and mccoy returning and a good mix of returners and newbies -- they'll be in the mix at the end...

[DIIIghetto]

Here is to hoping someone emerges from the SCIAC this year who is capable of more than our usual 1st round whipping at the hands of some team that inevitably gets drubbed by someone else.  Scali has not figured out a way to translate his SCIAC success anywhere outside of the IE.  I admire him for stepping up and heading to St. Louis but am fearful that he will pick up a couple of losses, come back and get find a way to squeeze out another bid, and then get stomped yet again in the NW.  Maybe CMS should be scheduling non-conference trips to the NW so it can start to figure some things out for future February road trips. 

[OxyBob]

Oxy has posted its schedule:

http://www.oxyathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2010-11/schedule

On the nonconference schedule, three D-I opponents (San Diego, Cal State Fullerton, and San Diego St.) and two quality D-III opponents (UPS and Wisconsin-Whitewater), but six games against the likes of West Coast Baptist, American Sports University, and Pacifica College (coached by Bruce Victor, former assistant at CMS and son of the legendary Caltech coach Gene Victor).

I'm disappointed.

OxyBob

[dahlby]

Regarding Oxy schedule:

Azusa Pacific's schedule indicates that they will be playing at the Oxy/Chapman tourney on 11/26 and 11/27.

Oxy schedule indicates no scheduled game on 11/27. Pudget Sound on 11/26.

Chapman schedule indicates Pudget Sound on 11/27.  TBA on 11/27.

It does appear that Oxy will play Azusa on 11/27 while Chapman will take on Azusa on 11/26.

Although the AP schedule could be in error, it is usually a four team tourney with
each team playing twice. If this is the case, then one can add another strong opponent to Oxy's schedule, although it is not a D3 contest.

Oxy's strength of schedule? I don't know, except it is extreme in both directions.

Good luck to the Tigers.

[DIIIghetto]

Bob, Oxy has 3 DI opponents, Azusa, Puget Sound & Wisconsin-Whitewater, pretty good for a SCIAC team.  The UPS and WW games are undoubtedly the most important to the DIII nation, but on the west coast with limited budgets, we have to take what crumbs we get. 

[OxyBob]

Bob, Oxy has 3 DI opponents, Azusa, Puget Sound & Wisconsin-Whitewater, pretty good for a SCIAC team.  The UPS and WW games are undoubtedly the most important to the DIII nation, but on the west coast with limited budgets, we have to take what crumbs we get. 

There are a lot of D-III teams coming to play in SoCal: Hobart, Gettysburg, Illinois Wesleyan, Concordia (WI), UC Santa Cruz, Marietta, Whitman, Oglethorpe, George Fox, Trinity (TX), Whitworth, Eastern Connecticut, Wisconsin Lutheran, Eastern Nazarene, and Pacific Lutheran. Not to mention Chapman, which Oxy isn't playing for the second straight year. It'd be nice to see some of the D-III teams play Oxy in Rush Gym instead of West Coast Baptist, Pacifica College and American Sports University. I also enjoy watching Oxy take on a D-I opponent. But three? Hope those are good paydays. Plus, forgive me, but I don't see Azusa Pacific on Oxy's schedule.

OxyBob

[Gregory Sager]

It'd be nice to see some of the D-III teams play Oxy in Rush Gym instead of West Coast Baptist, Pacifica College and American Sports University. I also enjoy watching Oxy take on a D-I opponent. But three?

Why not? It's more money for the program, it'll sharpen the skills of both the team and the individual players, it's a perq for the current players, the losses are meaningless as far as the postseason selection and seeding process is concerned, and it's a great recruitment tool. Heck, schedule as many games against D1 teams as you can.

Besides, one of the three games doesn't count; the contest against San Diego is an exhibition. Therefore, it doesn't reduce Oxy's opportunities to play D3 teams.

[dahlby]

OxyBob,
Regarding not seeing AP on Oxy's schedule. Please see my post of this AM.
Thanks!