MBB: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[dahlby]

In SCIAC action Saturday night:

Chapman fought 88-83off a late 2nd place Pomona rally 55-49.
game story and recap at   www.chapmanathletics.com
Redlands rallied to beat CIT 76-70.
Oxy beat Whittier in 3 overtimes 88-83.
CMS downed ULV 73-61.

Looks like the final 2 playoff spots will be a battle between Chapman, CLU and ULV, with Oxy and Redlands
not totally eliminated yet. Will make for some interesting final week's games. It seems like on any given
night.......as the saying goes.

PS, enjoyed my Whittier-Chapman game last Saturday at Whittier with (509)Rat. Real nice guy!
PPS, plus K to hoops_lover for his 5 point call on the PP-CU game....CU won by 6....can't get much closer than that!

[OxyBob]

Eyewitness report from Eagle Rock:

Oxy 88 Whittier 83 -- 3 OT

Wacky and zany game went Oxy's way in 3 overtimes.

Close game throughout. Oxy's biggest lead was 5 and WC lead by 7 several times in the first half.

Oxy's Jay Miller hit a jumper with 2 seconds to go in regulation which tied it at 68.

In OT Kris Montoya's 3-pt play after Jacob Porter's foul gave Oxy a 75-72 lead with 2 minutes to go, but Chris Barnes-William matched Montoya with his own 3-pt play after Ty Cobb fouled him with 1:40 to go. Porter had a chance to give the Poets the lead, but he missed 2 FTs with 30 seconds left, and OT ended 75-all.

In the second OT, Oxy took a 4-point lead on FTs by Montoya and Juwan Rice with 4 minutes to go. Porter made a layup to cut Oxy's lead to 81-79 with under 3 minutes left. The teams traded misses until Miller fouled Barnes-William, who made 2 FTs with 10 seconds left, and the second OT ended 81-all.

In the third OT, Chad Tanioka's 3-ball gave Oxy the lead 86-83 with 2 minutes left. After that WC missed several 3-point tries, and Cobb ended the game with a couple of FTs for an 88-83 final.

Some outstanding game performances: For Oxy, Ty Cobb scored 26, and had 17 rebounds, 4 blocks and a steal. Juwan Rice scored 17, Jay Miller had 14, and Chad Tanioka scored 12 on 4 3-balls. For Whittier, Tyree Landrum scored 17, and had 20 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 steals, and an assist. Chris Barnes-William scored 25, Nick Demusis had 14, and Eric Jennings scored 11.

Oxy broke a 7-game losing streak to Whittier back to 2011. Whittier, which was 4-3 in the conference on Jan. 22, lost its sixth straight.

Oxy (11-12, 6-8 SCIAC) is at Pomona next Saturday. Whittier (10-12, 4-9) is at Cal Lutheran this Wednesday.

OxyBob

[Bigcat]

Huge win for Chapman over PP despite an abysmal night from Hamasaki going 1-10 from the floor. I wasn't at the game but did Michael Cohen not play? Didn't see his name in the box score. 

[Hoops_lover]

Thanks dahlby for the k.  How about my call on CMS winning by 12......spot on.  No k for Cal Tech game; missed that one BUT they were up much of the game and tied with 4 minutes to go and down a possession with 8 seconds left.  Also missed on Whittier, but it was a 3 OT game.  I also said benches would make the difference in the PP/Chapman game because Moss had to play more because Cohen was out injured and did a good job guarding Hamasaki, shadowing him on Chapman's offensive end.  stag44 nailed it when he said "huge contributions from Moss, Klewer and Farone-Collins.  He deserves a K for that. 
Bigcat, yes Hamasaki was abysmal because of the defensive effort by Moss/Mc Andrew and the team.  They were focused on him which allowed Zavrsnick and Nick Dragovich more open shots.  Dragovich's shots were falling this time.  Side note: Hamasaki was fouled a few times but did not get the calls.  On the flip side, Hamasaki guarded Mc Andrew most of the second half and he got only got six shots attempts (2-6) because of Hamasaki's defense, not allowing him to receive the pass.  Mc Andrew scored only 9 points for the game; he dropped 32 in the other game.  Both coaches had good game plans, but for Chapman, it was a solid defensive effort for the entire game.....1st time this season.  I'm done!

[(509)Rat]

+K to dahlby for lying to everyone and saying I was nice!

Chapman appears to have the easiest road to the playoffs amongst the 3 teams realistically fighting for the last 2 spots. I'd guess Cal Lu and La Verne both go 1-1 to end the season and Chapman finished 2-0 to jump up to 3rd in the standings. If they go 1-1 and tie Cal Lu, I would think Chapman would have the tie breaker? I guess if the conference runs its tie breakers like the NWC...head to head would be a wash, then you'd look at their record against the top of the conference and work down until there is a discrepency. Both 0-2 against CMS, both split with P-P, but Cal Lu was swept by La Verne and Chapman would be 1-1 and therefore get the 3rd seed. Of course, that's probably not how the SCIAC does it and I posted that for nothing.

Looks like we'll know tonight though, with Cal Lu needing to win tonight against Whittier (since I'm assuming everyone is giving them a Loss to CMS on Saturday) and La Verne needing to knock off P-P just to stay alive in the playoff picture

Oh, and FWIW I thought Zavrsnick was the best player on Chapman's team. Very complete game. Offense, defense, inside game, outside shooting. Only one game so it doesn't mean anything but he was impressive.

[Hoops_lover]

+K for (509)Rat for which I agree is the correct tie breaker scenario.  On paper, Chapman has the easiest schedule, but I'm concerned about tonight's game.  Chapman should win by 15-18 points, but I'm not sure how the team will come out tonight.  The game is mental and knowing that you have La Verne Saturday, some on the team could look past CIT tonight and they better not.  Congratulations go out to Nick Dragovich and Brendon Rider on their senior night.  Also congrats to Taylor Hamasaki for setting the team record for most free throws made for the season.  Previous record was 114 in 29 games and Hamasaki has at least tonight and Saturday to add to his numbers.
Tonight's games:
Whittier @ CLU:
IMO game of the night!  Both teams are suffering through losing streaks....Whittier dropped their last four games.  CLU had a solid hold on 3rd and now they may not even get into the playoffs.  Must win for CLU with CMC on the horizon.  I'm going with Whittier by one in a very close game.  I've said that you learn to win by losing close ones and Whittier has had three close ones in a row.
Redlands @ CMC:
CMC will win this one by 9.
Pomona-Pitzer @ La Verne:
Is Cohen playing?  If not PP bench loses some punch.  Both teams need to win, LV more so.  I'm sure there will be some scoreboard watching via live stream.  I can't see LV beating PP, but this game will be close throughout.  I think McAndrew will have a monster game which means PP wins by 6.
 

[OxyBob]

Whittier dropped their last four games. 

Six straight losses, 2 in OT.

OxyBob

[olddog]

Oxy,

How do they determine where the league play off games will be played, men and women?

thanks

[stag44]

Down to the last 10 SCIAC regular season games!!

Here's where we stand right now:

Team	Record	Remaining Games
CMS	12-1	vs Redlands, @ CLU, @ WC
PP	11-3	@ ULV, vs Oxy
CLU	8-6	vs WC, vs CMS
Chapman	8-6	vs CIT, @ ULV
ULV	7-7	vs PP, vs Chapman
Oxy	6-8	@ PP, @ Redlands
Redlands	6-8	@ CMS, vs Oxy
WC	4-9	@ CLU, vs CIT, vs CMS
CIT	0-14	@ Chapman, @ WC

Playoff setup:

CMS and PP are locked in as the top 2 seeds, though who goes 1 and 2 still needs to be determined. CMS is in the driver seat needing only 1 win in their next 3 to seal the top seed and at least a share of the regular season title.

Chapman, CLU and ULV are in a battle for the last 2 spots while Oxy and Redlands would both need to win out and get help from CLU and ULV to squeeze in. I just started doing some of the scenarios and a good portion of this will be sorted out through the PP @ ULV and Chapman @ ULV. All 3 teams control their fate as if any of them win out they have a seat at the table. The 3 and 4 seeds should hopefully be more sorted out after the games tonight!

Here's my quick breakdown of the games tonight:

Redlands @ CMS
It should be a pretty fun / emotional environment at Ducey tonight. This will be the last regular season game played at the fabled gym which will be torn down after hosting the Stags and Athenas for 57 years (the only gym in the school's history). To make it even more special, Redlands Coach Ducey (son of Ted Ducey, who the gym is named after) will also coaching in the gym. There will be a short celebration / event prior to tip that I'm sure will be touching. It's sad to see it go down, but I think new gym in 2 years will be stunning and a huge lift for the program. The upside is that this will for sure not be the last game in Ducey. With a top 2 seed already locked, CMS will be hosting next Friday for sure, and has the opportunity to clinch a tie for the regular season title and the #1 seed with a win tonight. GREAT way to close down Ducey in the regular season. They are countered with Redlands who are playing for their season. They HAVE to win out and also get some help to sneak into the 4 seed. With that I'm sure Ducey is going to be bringing plenty in his bag of tricks to combat the Stags. In their earlier matchup, Redlands played the Stags tough, but a HUGE game and clutch 3 from Pinson along with the best game from Grodahl during conference helped them escape Currier with a win. Redlands was the first team to score easily against the Stags, putting up 76 points (season high given up for Stags) behind big shots from Peetz and double figure scorers. I expect this game to be uptempo and Redlands to pressure and force the Stags into quick shots. If this turns into a grinder, the Stags will overwhelm them. Grodahl should be turning the corner now and I think we will see him back in rhythm with a solid game tonight. All in all, I think the Stags send Ducey out on a positive note, winning a game that is closer than the final score shows.

Stags win 75-65

PP @ ULV
This is probably the game of the night. Both teams are coming off tough losses and need wins to achieve their respective goals: PP to win the regular season title, ULV to qualify for the playoff. I anticipate ULV to come out scorching hot try in their gym and playing with alot of emotion and energy. Pomona, after losing to Chapman, may have resigned themselves to the 2 seed and are now preparing for the playoffs which could make them come out flat. They also may try and get themselves healthy and rested over the next week so they are fresh for the Friday/Saturday tournament which usually is exhausting. I think they will find their groove though through the game and start hitting their shots. In the end, I think this is my upset special as Ron See, Kendall Marshall, and surprise Weston Newall are going to carry the Leopards above .500 and keep the heat on Chapman and CLU.

ULV wins 67-62

WC @ CLU
CLU needs this win to make their finale against CMS not as pressure-packed. Whittier is playing spoiler in this game as they are eliminated from any contention. I think that this will be a free-flowing up-and-down game. With this style of game and lack of pressure on Whittier i think they are going to play really well or just not care and mail it in. CLU should be very focused and had a week to prepare/rest for this Whittier attack. They are also playing at home which is a 60+ mile trek and who knows how long in LA traffic. I think that Whittier lays an egg, CLU rides Smith and Quintana to a victory. If Powdrill can start figuring out that teams are not fouling him and his method of bowling into the key and trying to muscle points is starting to grow ineffective, he is skilled enough to cause problems for PP and CMS in the tournament.

CLU wins 81-68

CIT @ Chapman
Semi-trap game for Chapman. They are coming off a huge, emotional win over P-P and in control of their fate for the tournament but I think that they will be too focused to let Caltech create any drama in this game. They'll be focused and execute, winning game with 1 big run in each half. Zaversnick has really emerged this season as a top-flight player for the Panthers along with Hamasaki. He's leading the SCIAC in conference scoring and putting up scoring splits extremely similar to Gaffaney. His performance should garner him 1st team accolades, probably along with Hamasaki.

Chapman wins 72-51

[stag44]

How do they determine where the league play off games will be played, men and women?

On Friday the 28th, the top 2 seeds will host the games. If the top teams are from the same school, I'm not sure how the timing will work, especially given the new Saturday set-up for Men at 5, Women 730.

The highest remaining seed will host the games on Saturday

[WoostAr]

regional rankings second weekend out now.  http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-men/d3

Interesting that CMS with a win fell out and PP with a loss held their spot.  Someone mentioned that wins against other ranked teams became part of the equation this week...could be the reason?

Caltech blew a tough one against Redlands at home this past weekend, would be huge for this team to get a conference win headed into next year...would love to see Caltech utilize their size in the post more...they have talent in the post, but can't get the ball inside...we will see how they do on the road tonight.

[stag44]

And with tonight's results, we have our SCIAC playoff teams set:

CMS, PP, CLU and Chapman are in - now it's just a matter of seeding.

CMS beat Redlands 74-63 behind 21 from Gaffaney and 6 others with 7 to 9 points. Great team effort. With that the Stags clinch at least a share of the conference title and according to my math the #1 seed for the conference tourney!! NICE JOB STAGS!!

PP ended La Verne's playoff hopes with a 65-59 win @ the SuperTent with McAndrews leading the way with 32 points. No Cohen again, I'm guessing it is his ankle that's been an issue since he started at PP. Kats has really narrowed his rotation with only 8 guys seeing minutes. Good effort and season from ULV and some things to build on for next year.

CLU jumped on Whittier early and coasted to a 68-56 win having 5 players reach double figures. CLU now plays CMS for a shot at the 3 seed. If they win, they get the 3 seed, if not they are the 4 seed (regardless of Chapman losing to ULV).

Chapman turned it on in the 2nd half to pull away from CIT with an 89-69 win shooting 41 free throws and getting 20+ from Zaversnick and Hamasaki. This was a one point game at half that Chapman put away after the break. They are in an interesting situation as they do not control their fate at all to be the 3 or 4 seed. In either tie situation (win or lose) they will be seeded based on the CMS @ CLU game.

[(509)Rat]

Go stags

right dahlby?

[dahlby]

Yup!

[Hoops_lover]

We know the final four for next week's SCIAC Tournament, but the seeds have yet to be determined.  Chapman has no say whether they finish 3rd or 4th.  Tonight's games:
Cal Tech @ Whittier:
Whittier should win handily, but wait, I don't think so.  This team is so up and down, they're hard to predict.  If Cal Tech is going to win a game, it's this one...depending on how the officials call the game.  Logically, Whittier wins by 20-25 points, but I'm going with Cal Tech by three.
Chapman @ La Verne:
Senior (and alumni) night for La Verne.  Because La Verne plays with a lot of emotion, tonight, they'll give Chapman problems.  I don't think the seniors want to go out on a losing note.  Therefore, it's how Chapman comes out and plays.  They need to win and a CLU loss puts them in 3rd vs. PP.  How Chapman comes out mentally will decide this game.  They have a few players who allow calls, physicality and frustration get to them.  Because they're on a good roll, I'm picking Chapman by four, the game being a battle especially in the second half.
Oxy @ Pomona-Pitzer:
Pomona-Pitzer wins by 14.
CMC @ CLU:
CLU wins and their in 3rd, however, CMC needs the win to clinch the regular season title.  I think that this will be an double overtime game with CMC edging CLU by five.  CLU has a good live stream which I'll be following tonight.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL SENIORS.