MBB: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Browneagle64]

Finally, there's some basketball to watch at the Rock tonight. I haven't seen the Poets play since last year and am excited to see them get out played at Rush Gym ( ).  Here's to hoping that we have a thriller at the rock tonight.8)

FTP and Bob, will you two be attending the game tonight

[Sabretooth Tiger]

So . . . with the total points scored be over or under 128?

[Fear the Poet]

/quote]

planned on going, but Little league for my younger son beckons..hope to catch you at the rematch.

GO POETS!

[Gray Fox]

So . . . with the total points scored be over or under 128?

Oxy is ranked 13th in D-III in scoring defense (59.4 ppg) and Whittier is ranked 25th (61.9), so I'd take the under. FYI, the SCIAC has two teams in the Top 10 in scoring defense -- Cal Lutheran is ranked 5th (57.3) and Claremont is ranked 8th (58.1). FYFI, the national leader is Wm. Paterson (54.1).

OxyBob

Maybe it's bad offense rather than good defense.  Or,  maybe it's the style of play.

[Browneagle64]

It was great to see the men in orange and black come out with a big victory against a good and tough Poet B-ball team. As expected, i was glad that i had the opportunity to see both teams battling out and giving the large crowd in attendance a good game. However, in the end, the boys just outplayed and out muscled a smaller poet team.
Great game by the tigers and by finishing the game on a very strong note.
Oxy 79- Poets 60. (p.s. i am sure Bob will have a better summary and eye witness report.)

B.t.w, i'm not sure what was funnier to see at rush gym tonight: Coach Newhall at multiple times jumping up really high with excitement and yelling to McBride "great job son, keeping getting fouled", Coach Newhall yelling "X, X", or "Bob and the student section chanting for the Poets to make a lay-up".
I think i saw tooth in attendance, but, i may be wrong on this one.   

[scandihoovian]

I don't know how many of you followed the story of Kevin Love's return to Oregon last week, but it had a number of interesting developments related to fan behavior, something we've discussed at length on this board.

If you're interested I'd suggest you start with Diane Pucin's column from last Saturday.

Then read Kurt Streeter's column from this morning's paper.

It kills me that the Oregon official invoked the First Amendment as the primary reason school officials decided not to act as educators and deal with the students involved.

For my part I will never understand why many college students don't understand that witty and original will outclass derogatory and hateful every time.

[LogShow]

For my part I will never understand why many college students don't understand that witty and original will outclass derogatory and hateful every time.

The explaination IMO is that the students are 1) most likely drunk 2) not creative and lazy...it is much easier to just curse then to think a witty jab.  Usually by the time that witty thought enters the brain, the moment has passed

[DIIIghetto]

Lobby time.

Any reason why Oxy shouldn't be in the top 20?  Lots of teams with 3 and 4 losses in there.  Then you look at Plattsburg State's continued success - whom Oxy beat - and see that Wheaton is in there for their fine season (with a recent loss to a tough Ill Wesleyan, another team Oxy beat) and you start to wonder. 

Call me a conspiracy theorist but Oxy & Cal Lu's non-conference wins this year showed that the SCIAC isn't the basement.  We may not be the top floor like our west coast friends up from the NWC, but our kids are banging on that basement door and someone either opens it or we are going to bust it down. 

By the way, on the Duck comment, that student body certainly deserves criticism for going over the line, but I have to admit, when they killed Nate Robinson with the Gary Coleman chants, I was on the floor.  Unfortunately for them, Nate used it as extra motivation like Love and lead his team to a W.

[scandihoovian]

Ghetto-

I have been wondering the same thing...especially after getting a chance to see the Tigers play in person for the first time this year.  Their balanced scoring and solid team defense make them a tough team to beat.  Their play in the second half against CLU was some of the best D3 basketball I've seen in a while.  I think CLU has a fair chance to win the rematch, I just know they'll have to play a solid game without any lapses to do so.

The Tigers lone conference loss was at CMS on a Saturday night, which we all know is a tough setting for the visiting team to pull out a win.  It seems like in other parts of the country, where voters know more about those kinds of factors, it's easier for a top team to absorb a loss and stay in the Top 25.  I'd hate to think that CLU's aberration down at Whittier is seriously diluting the perceived strength of the conference, it seems like it may have that effect, at least with some voters.

[Pat Coleman]

Lobby time.

Any reason why Oxy shouldn't be in the top 20?  Lots of teams with 3 and 4 losses in there.  Then you look at Plattsburg State's continued success - whom Oxy beat - and see that Wheaton is in there for their fine season (with a recent loss to a tough Ill Wesleyan, another team Oxy beat) and you start to wonder. 

Call me a conspiracy theorist but Oxy & Cal Lu's non-conference wins this year showed that the SCIAC isn't the basement.  We may not be the top floor like our west coast friends up from the NWC, but our kids are banging on that basement door and someone either opens it or we are going to bust it down. 

I think the voters take into account the incredible, incredible homecoast advantage you have over teams coming from 2,000 to 3,000 miles away. Plattsburgh State, shoot, I'm not sure they're so darn great. Oxy gained votes this week, but not enough.

[cawcdad]

Greg Walker, a spokesman for the Oregon athletic department, acknowledged that some of the chants and signs were in poor taste. "But the other side of this is a free speech issue," Walker said. "We don't have the authority to take away signs. We don't agree with all the things that were said or that they were in the best of taste. We're aware of everything that was said and we're not always proud. But there is a right to free speech."

Some members of the Pit Crew held up signs with Kevin Love's cellphone number, and Love said he had more than 400 messages on the phone.

I think the authorities most certainly do have the authority to take away signs and to take action to behavior at their facility. There are limits to free speech. The minute it violates ones other rights, giving out cell phone number violated the right to privacy in my mind, swift action should be take. With rights come responsibility. U of O is not teaching the latter.

[DIIIghetto]

Pat, as one more knowledgeable about these snowbird games than most, I sensed a healthy dose of sarcasm when you referenced the considerable homecourt advantage in these games.   With no more than 50 people in the crowd for nearly all of those December games, it may be a stretch to call them 'neutral' games but by and large the west coast December game venues are far from intimidating.   I think the only thing intimidating is knowing how successful Oxy has been in the past 5 years and now Cal Lu at getting Ws against teams that the rest of the country would assume should get wins against a bottom-tier conference like the SCIAC.   

[Pat Coleman]

Nope, no sarcasm at all. I don't care how many people are in the stands -- traveling that far to play a game is a big deal.

Your teams don't make those kind of trips very often to really know.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Pat, as one more knowledgeable about these snowbird games than most, I sensed a healthy dose of sarcasm when you referenced the considerable homecourt advantage in these games.   With no more than 50 people in the crowd for nearly all of those December games, it may be a stretch to call them 'neutral' games but by and large the west coast December game venues are far from intimidating.   I think the only thing intimidating is knowing how successful Oxy has been in the past 5 years and now Cal Lu at getting Ws against teams that the rest of the country would assume should get wins against a bottom-tier conference like the SCIAC.   

By mentioning the 2-3,000 miles, I think Pat was referring to the travel itself (not to mention the distractions to college students suddenly out of the cold weather!), rather than the home crowds.  But let's examine those d3 non-con wins more closely:

For Cal Lu I'm assuming you're referring to North Central and Stevens Point (both at home, both in OT).  UWSP is impressive, though not as impressive as if it were on the road; NCC is from an impressive conference (CCIW), but is currently 8-10 overall, 2-5 in the conference.

For Oxy, Plattsburgh has an impressive record, but IMO is somewhat overrated (top 25, sure, but maybe not top 20); Oxy won by 5 in home area, though not at home.  And while I'm a die-hard Titan rooter, don't put too much stock in Oxy's 21-point home win vs. IWU edging Wheaton (in Bloomington); as a largely freshman team, the Titans in December were definitely not the Titans of late January.

That said, Oxy IS on my Posters' Poll ballot, and Cal Lu WAS (and is definitely on my watch list).

[Sabretooth Tiger]

I think i saw tooth in attendance, but, i may be wrong on this one.   

You may have seen me if you had pizza with magic mushrooms for dinner or are suffering a major psychotic break.

io triumphe baby!