MBB: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[WoostAr]

Have to disagree with Evolution.  True nobody wants to lose to Cal Tech, but as I witnessed last night and against Chapman, and Oxy, opponents play "not to lose" which causes them to play tight.  Yeah, Chapman won by 19, but the 1st half and beginning of the 2nd half, they played tight.  Very apparent last night vs. CLU and heard it was the same vs. Oxy.

This is not a case of Cal Lu, Oxy, or La Verne (or anyone else in the SCIAC...or Chapman) getting worse or playing scared/tight/whatever, it is a case of Caltech getting better.  If you think the opponent is nervous, you didn't watch Caltech down the stretch of the La Verne game...the burden of a large conference losing streak definitely got to them.  These are hard-fought games and you take credit away from Caltech by saying "other teams play not to lose"...Cal Lu played their game last night, Oxy played their game last game, and La Verne the game before that...Caltech can play defense, be physical and rebound now, 3 things they couldn't really do in recent history and that's the difference.

There have been several posters through the season pointing out that Caltech couldn't put together a 40 minute stretch of basketball.  For the first half of the season that was largely true.  Over the last three games they have managed to play solid full games...definite improvement, CMS is a large hurdle, can't wait to see how they handle it.

[Bigcat]

My predictions for All-SCIAC teams:
POY-Tyler Gaffney-CMS
Newcomer of the Year-Coltrane Powdrill

1st Team
Taylor Hamasaki-Chapman
Coltrane Powdrill-CLU
Kyle McAndrews-PP
Colin Zavrsnick-Chapman
Jake Klewer-PP
Nick Demusis-Whittier

2nd Team
Arik Smith-CLU
Kris Montoya-Oxy
Alex Rudd-Redlands
Remy Pinson-CMS
Ron See-La Verne
Chris Barnes-William-Whittier

[WoostAr]

My predictions for All-SCIAC teams:
POY-Tyler Gaffney-CMS
Newcomer of the Year-Coltrane Powdrill

1st Team
Taylor Hamasaki-Chapman


2nd Team
Arik Smith-CLU

Arik Smith is statistically a better player than Hamasaki and his team has a better record so I don't think Hamasaki will go first team with Arik Smith 2nd.

Hamasaki from the field in conference play: 47.5% from 2, 42.4% from 3, 2.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists

Smith from the field in conference play: 54.5% from 2, 44.5% from 3, 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists.

Hamasaki does score about 1 pt more per game, but he plays 4 minutes more a game so I think the scoring rate actually goes to Arik Smith as well.

Cal Lu also has a much better record than Chapman (granted season isn't over) which typically affects SCIAC coaches voting on this matter.

Gaffney will only be player of the year if CMS wins the tourney at the end of the year.

[westcoastwilliam]

My predictions for All-SCIAC teams:
POY-Tyler Gaffney-CMS
Newcomer of the Year-Coltrane Powdrill

1st Team
Taylor Hamasaki-Chapman
Coltrane Powdrill-CLU
Kyle McAndrews-PP
Colin Zavrsnick-Chapman
Jake Klewer-PP
Nick Demusis-Whittier

2nd Team
Arik Smith-CLU
Kris Montoya-Oxy
Alex Rudd-Redlands
Remy Pinson-CMS
Ron See-La Verne
Chris Barnes-William-Whittier

I think you have it just about right, except for the two PP players on first team. Pinson from CMS should be above Klewer IMO.

Gaffney will only be player of the year if CMS wins the tourney at the end of the year.

Gaffney wins it regardless IMO. 20/5/4 on 63/49/81 shooting splits. 1st in ppg, 3rd in fg% being 2nd in attempts, 5th in assists...the guy is on a completely different level than everyone else offensively. Coupled with the fact that CMS has a legitimate shot to go undefeated in the "regular" season, I just don't see any way he's not the POY (barring injury, of course).

[CMSfan]

What is there to discuss? The SCIAC AQ will be fed to Whitworth. Book your reservations now.

I'm guessing it'll be Whitman, but the point stands.

Pinson from CMS should be above Klewer IMO.

Pinson is definitely 1st team.

Gaffney wins it regardless IMO.

No doubt.

I should go to CMS v PP but dahlby is going to host my SCIAC basketball experience so I'm sticking with the Chapman game.

Questionable decision.

[WoostAr]

Gaffney wins it regardless IMO.

No doubt.

Based on Gaffney's stats, I would agree.  The problem is that a player from the team that wins the conference tourney always wins player of the year.  He is probably guaranteed a spot on the all region squad but not guaranteed SCIAC POY. 

What is there to discuss? The SCIAC AQ will be fed to Whitworth. Book your reservations now.

I'm guessing it'll be Whitman, but the point stands.

I agree it's probably Whitman over Whitworth this year...Whitman went to OT with Redlands and Caltech held tight until the end...both teams in basement of SCIAC...history is on NWC's side, but I think you're being too pessimistic.

[westcoastwilliam]

Your Saturday slate of games for the SCIAC:
(all games at 5:00 PM)

CMS (10-0) @ Pomona-Pitzer (10-2)
Hands-down the game of the night, as CMS makes the trip down 6th Street to face the Sagehens. These teams last met before the winter break, with CMS prevailing 65-59 behind 19 from Gaffaney. I am sure stag44 will have much more to say about the specifics in this one, so I will keep my thoughts short: CMS wins 58-47 with their typical deliberate offense and quality team defense.

Cal Lutheran (8-4) @ La Verne (5-6)
Cal Lu has virtually locked up their spot in the conference tournament, and will look to maintain their third spot in the standings. La Verne managed to pull the upset the first time these two met, and I expect the same result here: La Verne by 3, with +250 odds the Kingsmen are unable to find the court within the circus tent.

Redlands (4-7) @ Occidental (4-7)
Two incredibly inconsistent teams looking to make a push for that 4th and final spot in the tournament. Redlands has endured a bit of a rebuilding year after their title in '13, but has played both CMS and PP well recently, losing to each by 6. Oxy has struggled mightily in 2014, with their only two conference wins this (calendar) year coming in close victories over Cal Tech and Chapman. I see Redlands winning 76-68, with 34 sarcastic comments to the refs from OxyBob.

Chapman (5-6) @ Whittier (4-6)
Absolutely critical game for Whittier, as they try to keep pace with the top of the conference. Truth be told, I have no seen much of either team this year (not much as in 2 games total), so I will leave all analysis to the experts, a term which I loosely apply to the fine folks on this board . If past experience and general program history are any indicator of a result in this one, I expect Chapman to prevail with a smart and controlled gameplan, taking advantage of Whittier's characteristic mishaps on the defensive end.

Cal Tech (0-12) is idle.

I will be in the house to take in the CMS-PP game and to provide an "eyewitness report," but mostly to dream of simpler times when the biggest concern of the night was which type of 40oz to buy.

Gaffney wins it regardless IMO.

No doubt.

Based on Gaffney's stats, I would agree.  The problem is that a player from the team that wins the conference tourney always wins player of the year.  He is probably guaranteed a spot on the all region squad but not guaranteed SCIAC POY. 

Not technically true. Conner Whitman won POY honors in '08, the first year the SCIAC instituted the current tournament format, despite PP winning the conference tournament. Every year since then, the regular season champion has also won the conference tournament, so it becomes somewhat of a moot point. I would be shocked if the SCIAC places two on the all region team; usually just the POY.

[(509)Rat]

What is there to discuss? The SCIAC AQ will be fed to Whitworth. Book your reservations now.

I'm guessing it'll be Whitman, but the point stands.

Whitman will have to knock off Whitworth in Spokane in the conference tourney to make the NCAA field. Last year was the first year Whitman even made the conference tourney championship game. Whitworth holds a 9-3 advantage over the last 12 meetings. Whitworth beat Whitman in Walla Walla this year already. History would say you're wrong. My guess is that most looked at the Stevens-Point game and assumed Whitman was better purely based on a single common opponent. That would be like seeing what Willamette did to HSU in football and then assuming they could keep up with Linfield. Much like football the NWC runs through one school and until somebody actually knocks them off, you'd be foolish to bet against them.

Then again, maybe you are looking at NWC results and realizing that none of us have any clue what's going to happen most nights...if that's the case you're probably right 

[West Coast Bias]

Are they running some kind of special on rose color glasses in the Cal Tech Bookstore?

Cal Tech is definitely better. They can definitely compete in the SCIAC with every team. This has been the case however for a few years now. Ever since Roy Dow and the monster front court of Haussler, Hires, and Jordan Carlson has Cal Tech been good enough to beat people.

HOWEVER, they most definitely DO NOT get everyone's "best game". I wouldn't go so far to say that teams not to lose. But I would say that a win against Cal Tech is a relief. Win, and you did what you were supposed to do, beat the worst team in the conference that has won 1 conference game in 25 years. And if you don't win...

If you are Cal Lu, who do you think you would be more fired up to play... Pomona-Pitzer, the team directly ahead of you in the standings, who already beat you this season, and one of the best teams in the league...Or Cal Tech, a team you already beat this season by 24 and has won 1 SCIAC game in 25  years?

I hope they pull one off this year. I can't wait until they win a few league games in a season. It would be great for SCIAC basketball. And we wouldn't have to listen to the constant chorus of "Cal Tech might win one this year!" and "Look at  how much better they are!", and they can be just another bad D3 basketball team (which is what they are).

My man Big Cat coming in HOT with ALL SCIAC perdictions with as many as 6 games to play! Who cares about the last 6 games anyway....all that really matters is how you did in January...

The POY will always go to player nominated by the coach on the team that won the regular season title (e.g. 2011 Andrew Mills).

It will be interesting to see how the 5pm start time affects the crowd for the CMS-PP matchup. They have always been plenty rowdy by the 7:30 tip....

[CMSfan]

What is there to discuss? The SCIAC AQ will be fed to Whitworth. Book your reservations now.

I'm guessing it'll be Whitman, but the point stands.

Whitman will have to knock off Whitworth in Spokane in the conference tourney to make the NCAA field. Last year was the first year Whitman even made the conference tourney championship game. Whitworth holds a 9-3 advantage over the last 12 meetings. Whitworth beat Whitman in Walla Walla this year already. History would say you're wrong. My guess is that most looked at the Stevens-Point game and assumed Whitman was better purely based on a single common opponent. That would be like seeing what Willamette did to HSU in football and then assuming they could keep up with Linfield. Much like football the NWC runs through one school and until somebody actually knocks them off, you'd be foolish to bet against them.

Then again, maybe you are looking at NWC results and realizing that none of us have any clue what's going to happen most nights...if that's the case you're probably right 

Ben Eisenhart's return kind of changes the equation, no? Whitman will need to beat Whitworth in Spokane -- a tall task to be sure -- but that's what I see happening.

And, for the record, I'd take CMS against the NWC champ this year, even on the road. This is the SCIAC board, after all! (That's a bet I've lost before, though.)

[Gray Fox]

I see Redlands winning 76-68, with 34 sarcastic comments to the refs from OxyBob.

OxyBob hones his sarcastic comments by practicing on SCIAC posters and punsters.

[Hoops_lover]

Reply to WoostAr:
I stated in a post a few pages ago that I will follow CIT because they have some good freshmen and sophomores.  Perhaps I should have stated it better.  "Thoughts influence actions and actions influence thoughts" meaning that players might look at CIT past history and figure "easy win".  Any coach worth his salt will not have have his team look past their opponent but players might.  I didn't see the La Verne game but did see the Chapman, CLU games and it appeared that SOME of the players might not have taken CIT too seriously.  I saw this last year when I watched Fla Gulf Coast beat Georgetown and when Harvard beat New Mexico in the NCAA tournament.  The Georgetown and New Mexico players were making bad plays because they were losing to a team that they thought they shouldn't be losing to.  If you recall the Gonzaga/UCLA game in 2006, Gonzaga was up by 17, then fell apart. 
West Coast Bias is dead on with his comments.  The CIT players were "nervous" not because of the past history of CIT basketball, but more likely because they're freshmen and sophomores and they lack experience in playing close games.  You learn how to win close games by playing in them.  Can't learn a darn thing by getting pounded all the time.  CIT is going to be dangerous these last five games.
Also want to comment on Smith/Hamasaki for 1st team All-SCIAC.  Stats don't tell the whole story, the other part is who you game plan for.  I learned his from a well renowned coach several years ago.  We were talking about All-Conference selections and I brought up a name who was having a really good season.  He told me that YES he was having a good season because we game plan for his teammate, who was not doing as well statistically, but is a BIG impact for his team and for that player in particular.  It'll be interesting who is chosen.  I think Pinson should be 1st team.
Today's games:
CMC @ PP:
For home court advantage and possibly SCIAC POY.  I think it's CMC by 4.
Redlands @ Oxy:
For playoff survival.  I'm not sure if Oxy can compete with Redlands size.  If Montoya and Cobb have huge games, Oxy wins in OT.  If not Redlands gets them by 10.
CLU @ La Verne:
La Verne wins by 3.  They compete and La Verne still has a shot for 3rd.  I think teams may have figured out Powdrill.
Chapman @ Whittier:
Both fighting for playoff survival.  Chapman and Whittier, like La Verne, have a shot for 3rd IF CLU loses to LV.  Landrum did not play against Chapman in the first game.  The question for this game is which Whittier and Chapman teams show up today?  I'm going with Chapman by 7.
Good luck to all.

[stag44]

Quick Preview

CMS - Pomona

It's the game that I love, that is so fun to play in, watch and be a part of. The recent past has had some incredible games, individual performances and hectic finishes. I think tonight it comes down to some really interesting matchups

Gaffaney vs McAndrews: The top players from the top teams get to match up. They are also arguably to the top two players in the entire conference. Both can take over games offensively with their skill, shotmaking ability and overall ability to overwhelm their defenders. Gaffaney put together a complete game vs Oxy with 23/8/8 - numbers that were last seen by Blees in a CMS jersey. He's been lethally efficient within the motion and really plays within himself and the Stags offense. McAndrews has been struggling lately, but has had great performances in the rivalry game and seems to love playing in big games and being in big moments. He's due for a big game and this will be a perfect stage for it. I think the key will be who is able to establish their teammates early in this game. Both teams are going to be shading towards these guys so making sure they set up teammates for good shots is going to be key and then down the stretch the game will come back into their hands. I see both players playing GREAT tonight, but Gaff is a year older, year stronger and a year hungrier to take down the Sagehens again.

EDGE: CMS

Pinson vs Nordale: Senior vs Frosh. 10th game in the rivalry vs 2nd game. I think this will be a great matchup and will be interesting to see how Nordale plays at home in his gym. Pinson has been on fire of late, but within the flow of the motion. He's playing free and with the swag that he has had since coming from New York as a freshman. I think he understand his team and the flow of this game better than anyone else on the court and will keep his guys calm when things get frentic as they usually do. Nordale plays calm and always seems to be moving under control. I haven't gotten a good read on him, but if he can keep his nerves in front of a packed house he should be able to give them some solid minutes and his length could cause some issues for Pinson and the Stags. I take a senior leader all day in this situation though.

EDGE: CMS

Grodahl vs Cohen: I'm assuming Cohen is healthy again and was dealing with his recurring ankle injury on Wednesday vs Whittier and he'll be ready for this game. He's a big time player and had a huge game last Saturday @ Redlands. The lefty will pull from anywhere and if he hits one you can almost guarantee that he's coming back to shoot another one the next time he gets any space. Grodahl is the same way but has been really up and down this year. The good part though is that even with a shot that has left him from time to time, he continues to be very active on the boards and in the paint getting his hands on alot of balls. I doubt Kats will let him sniff an open shot after what happened last year at Ducey, but if he does leave him open, look out. I have a sneaky feeling Grodahl is going to have another game to remember as he loves playing on the road in hostile environments. He's been used to it since his time at Jesuit in Oregon where they were always the hunted. This is a real wild card matchup, but I'm going with my gut here and some of my homer-ness.

EDGE: CMS

Hall vs Klewer
Frosh vs Senior. Newbie vs All SCIAC. Klewer is the best rebounder and potentially athlete in the SCIAC. Hall is still new to the entire SCIAC and just starting his 4th game for the Stags. Klewer will have another double double and dominated the defensive boards. If Hall can play him and keep him off the oboards and not let him get free for some bunnies then he will have done his job. Kats might try and exploit the Stags at the 4 where they are a little thin but it goes against their offense and strengths. I take experience again here.

EDGE: Pomona

Lund/Lane/Harris vs FaroneCollin/Weiss - This is the ultimate toss up and what I think the game comes down to. If Lund and Lane are able to keep the same roll going and FaroneCollins /Weiss provide their usual combined double double this game could be really fun. Weiss is the veteran here, but the story is FC. He's been playing at an extremely high level recently and giving them high energy and productivity off the bench. Lund has been doing the same with his uncanny touch and finishing around the rim. If Lane can spring free, and play more free/ think less, that will be a huge hurdle for him. No question both sets of bigs are highly variable and in these game they can be the most juiced which can make them foul prone.

EDGE: Toss Up

Earley/Lynds vs Brandon/Moss/Eyen
The bench always seems to come up huge in this game. From David Brown to Grodahl, to Eyen in the last game we get to see some unsung hero play. Moss is on this list but as a 6th year senior he's seasoned and will play starter minutes. I think Lynds is key. If he can spot Pinson 8-12 minutes in this game with solid - mistake-free ball the Stags will be set at the 1. Earley is huge too - he ends up playing serious minutes and is effective with the motion. He keeps things going and will be key against Pomona as they sag. The bench usually plays better at home

EDGE: PP

This game is so close and is often decided by one or two plays. I think the winner will be the team that has the fewest turnovers and wins the battle of the boards. I like CMS in both those categories. Look for Gaff and Pinson to lead the charge with good efforts from Grodahl, Lund and Earley to seal the win. Pomon wont go down easy though. This will be a game of runs and with McAndrews, Moss, and Cohen Pomona can score with anyone. Let's see how the stags handle the sagging man, the 2-2-1 soft zone into a 2-3 and the plethora of ball screens for the Sagehen guards. Pomona will have to handle the Stags motion, its physical man defense.

CMS wins 71-64

[OxyBob]

Saturday night SCIAC scores:

Oxy 69, Redlands 66: UR led by 15 at halftime, but Oxy rallied and won it. OC: Johnson 18 and 10 rebs, Montoya 16, Miller 10. UR: Bjekovic 21 and 13 rebs, Peetz 12, Rudd 11.

Pomona 64, Claremont 57: CMS takes first conference loss. 2003 Oxy team members pop champagne. PP: McAndrews 18, Weiss 14, Cohen 11, FaroneCollins 10. CMS: Pinson 28, Gaffaney 14.

La Verne 80, Cal Lutheran 76 OT: Ronn See tied it with 2 FTs in regulation, and scored 5 straight in OT to lead Leopards to victory. ULV: Harrison 19, Newell 16, See 14 and 11 rebs, Roberts 12. CLU: Smith 20, Powdrill 16, Sulker-Hall 13.

Nonconference:

Chapman 78, Whittier 74 OT: WC came back from 17-point halftime deficit, but Chapman won it in OT. CU: Hamasaki 21, Zavrsnick 20, Joyce 17, Dragovich 11. WC: Demusis 24, Landrum 19 and 14 rebs.

OxyBob

[Bigcat]

Hugh game this Wednesday at Oxy as Chapman comes to town. This is a must win for Oxy, as it would give them the tie breaker over Chapman for the season, which could be what it comes down to. Chapman's remaining schedule after Wednesday is much easier than Oxy's. Here are the remaining schedules for the teams fighting for the last spot:

Chapman:
@Oxy
PP
Cal Tech
@La Verne

Oxy:
Chapman
Whittier
@Redlands
@PP

ULV:
@Whittier
@CMS
PP
Chapman

Whittier:
ULV
@Oxy
@Cal Lu
Cal Tech
CMS

Redlands:
Cal Lu
@Cal Tech
@CMS
Oxy

Chapman already has the tie break over Whittier, and currently has it over La Verne. ULV could still beat Chapman at home, but they have an absolutely brutal schedule down the stretch, having to go to CMS and Whittier before coming home to PP and Chapman. Ultimately, I think the winner of the Chapman-Oxy game on Wednesday will be the one who ends up getting in. Redlands is going to need to basically win out to get in. Whittier is still alive, but they likely are going to need  some help down the stretch because they were swept by Chapman.