WBB: American Southwest Conference

Ralph Turner · February 23, 2009, 12:50:10 AM

Quote from: The Jinx on February 23, 2009, 12:48:31 AM
Where can I get a visual on the bracket?

http://www.ascsports.org/Pdfs/wbball/2009/2/21/ASC_WBB_09CHAMPIONSHIP_BRACKET.pdf

The Jinx · February 23, 2009, 01:22:43 AM

Thanks, RT, easy enough.

what are your thought on how this tournament will playout?

Ralph Turner · February 23, 2009, 02:11:54 AM

Quote from: The Jinx on February 23, 2009, 01:22:43 AM
Thanks, RT, easy enough. what are your thought on how this tournament will playout?

Toughest tournament ever.

The West used to romp thru the East.

Since the start of divisional play, the East has never won the Conference.

This year is different. I think that the East is stronger top to bottom than the West. I think MissCollege has gotten stronger, but I also think that HPU has gotten stronger. I am counting on HPU to take out MissCollege.

Is there a home court advantage?

I think that McMurry, HSU and HPU can call this a "home court".

There has been a lot of good basketball played in that "Texas Triangle" in this decade.

In 2000, McMurry beat a #10 Simpson 62-47 and then Hendrix 70-59 only to lose to HSU who had demolished Roanoke 101-76. HSU 62, McM 60 IMHO, HSU left it all on the court, because they lost to St Thomas the next night. HSU had played McMurry four times that year and won three.

The next four years, HSU dominated the conference. They lost to Champion Trinity in Abilene in 2003 in the Sweet 16, 67-61.

By 2004 HSU lost at UW-SP to UWSP in the Elite 8, 72-67.

In 2005 McMurry beat HSU in the tourney semis only to lose to HPU and Coach K in the finals. HPU lost to Trinity in the first round.

In 2006, McMurry won the ASC tourney and hosted the Texas Sub-bracket. McM was seeded against HSU, maybe the last at-large (Pool C) team selected, and HSU knocked us off. HPU had beaten Trinity in the first game, then HSU proceeded to go to the Final Four by beating host Pacific Lutheran in OT, 76-72, and then dominating a Megan Silva-led Randolph Macon team, 72-56.

In 2007, HPU won and McMurry got a Pool C bid. We were seeded separately from HPU and lost to Puget Sound (UPS) in the Northwest. UPS beat George Fox and then beat HPU who had destroyed Chapman 76-37 after getting a bye. HPU was flown to Decorah Iowa for the Sweet 16 because the Brownwood facilities were not up to Sweet 16 status. That is the situation where Brownwood sprung for new lights, new scoreboard and a new floor in the Coliseum. They completely took away the ambiance that had made the Brownwood Mausoleum what it was.

(The previous floor was an old ABA St Louis Spirits floor that they used when I was in College.)

The upgrades to the Mausoleum made it possible for HPU to host a Sweet 16 in 2008. McMurry lost four times to HPU, including a second round game after McMurry had beaten Trinity in the first round. The Elite 8 win over Hope was spectacular!

In this decade, I count McMurry's record to be 3-1 in the NCAA's, outside the conference in three appearances. I would like to go back.

In the past there may have been only 4-5 contenders.

This year we had 9 solid teams!

Yeah McMurry and UTD and HPU and HSU and aw shucks everyone has a target on their backs!

I still don't know how good the ASC really is.

We have matched very poorly with the Northwest Conference schools, beaten the SCIAC schools, split with the SCAC schools, and otherwise fared nicely versus South Region.

(Only HSU has had luck versus the NWC schools.)

mcmfan · February 23, 2009, 11:46:52 AM

Quote from: Ralph Turner on February 23, 2009, 02:11:54 AM
They completely took away the ambiance that had made the Brownwood Mausoleum what it was.

It's not quite as dark, and the floor isn't quite as rickety, and maybe the restrooms now actually have enough toilet paper to please Fanstand, but for anybody except people from Howard Payne, it will always be the Mausoleum until they tear it down and build a whole new building!

BBenthusiast · February 23, 2009, 12:39:38 PM

You are right mcmfan. Proud of our facilities, we are! Proud of the tradition that has been established in that building. Especially proud that it is the home of the reigning 2008 Women's Division III National Champions! Tear it down? NEVER! It will still be standing when the demolition crew arrives at your outdated high school gym to make way for new facilities.

Ralph Turner · February 23, 2009, 12:45:29 PM

Quote from: BBenthusiast on February 23, 2009, 12:39:38 PM
You are right mcmfan. Proud of our facilities, we are! Proud of the tradition that has been established in that building. Especially proud that it is the home of the reigning 2008 Women's Division III National Champions! Tear it down? NEVER! It will still be standing when the demolition crew arrives at your outdated high school gym to make way for new facilities.

dballa · February 23, 2009, 01:58:13 PM

Have they fixed the bleachers yet at "Krumble" Arena?

I don't plan on sitting much during the tournament but when I do I would love to sit on a flat board rather than one that's tilted up with splinters and screws coming out.

This weekend should be a lot of fun. I don't think any of these teams will do any damage this year in the national tournament but the conference tournament will be very exciting.

JACKET84 · February 23, 2009, 03:09:20 PM

dballa,
I went to "Hank Kimbel" arena when HPU played earlier this season. Yes they have new bleachers. Somebody didn't measure very well though. Look at the scorer's table and how it's positioned. It actually extends onto the court, leaving very little of the "out of bounds" border usable. Our SID has to set up in the bleachers, because they only have the one table. Hey, at least we don't have to take sand paper with us to get a nice smooth seat.

jmnaseum · February 23, 2009, 04:00:44 PM

Talking about ETBU and Sul Ross, if i am not mistaken Sul Ross was the only team in the conference (East or West) not to win a single road game this season!

Too bad the tournament is not in ALpine !!!!

Ralph Turner · February 23, 2009, 06:29:29 PM

Quote from: dballa on February 23, 2009, 01:58:13 PM
Have they fixed the bleachers yet at "Krumble" Arena?
...

mcmfan · February 24, 2009, 10:25:35 AM

Quote from: dballa on February 23, 2009, 01:58:13 PM
Have they fixed the bleachers yet at "Krumble" Arena?

We have all new bleachers as of the start of this academic year. However, I'm sure we could figure out some sort of special arrangement to make sure that your section had the old wood planks with loose nails!

mcmfan · February 25, 2009, 09:48:50 AM

Actually, Jacket84, you've got a good point. the new McM bleachers are nice, and the section behind the McM bench even has little fold-up backrests (people sitting in other areas don't get them). But because they reach further forward than the old ones, the old walking space between the players' chairs and the bleachers is gone. Once a game starts, you can't just slip out behind the players to get a drink; you're basically trapped until someone calls a timeout.

Ralph Turner · February 25, 2009, 10:35:22 AM

Great article about Grove City College which is has a roster of 7 players.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09053/950854-450.stm

Yes, Thomas More and W&J are blowing them out, but you have to admire the courage.

JACKET84 · February 25, 2009, 03:21:04 PM

Quote from: mcmfan on February 25, 2009, 09:48:50 AM
Actually, Jacket84, you've got a good point. the new McM bleachers are nice, and the section behind the McM bench even has little fold-up backrests (people sitting in other areas don't get them). But because they reach further forward than the old ones, the old walking space between the players' chairs and the bleachers is gone. Once a game starts, you can't just slip out behind the players to get a drink; you're basically trapped until someone calls a timeout.

Actually I wait until the most critical part of the game, then I start walking in front of the MCM bench. I walk really slow with a cane. I'll stop and ask each coach and player if they would like some popcorn. You know, they're not very appreciative.

Ralph Turner · February 25, 2009, 09:26:24 PM

The regional rankings are out for the last public time.

We will probably have two very good teams that might qualify for bids, and we might have a division that is shut out of bids for the playoffs, just barely.

We have CTX announcing adding track and field and ETBU adding tennis (both mens' and women's I assume).

Let's look at an option to increase the number of AQ's that we get.

To be a conference to earn the AQ, you must have seven full members (or at least 4 core members and three affiliates.)

The ASC-West could split off the ASC (go into Pool B for two years) and then 2 years later have these AQ sports.

VB
Football (accepting ETBU, LaColl and MissColl as affiliates)
M/W Soccer
M/W Basketball
M/W Tennis
Baseball
Softball
M/W Golf (accepting the ASC-East teams in both sports as affiliates; currently LeTU, MC, UTD and UTT for the men; LeTU UTT and UTD for the women.)

The ASC-West would have the required four schools to sponsor a conference championship in M/W T&F (CTX, HSU, McM, SRSU and TLU-women). UT-Tyler and MissColl could affiliate for both genders.

The ASC-West also has 4 schools sponsoring Men's XC (CTX, McM, SRSU and Schreiner) and 5 in women's Cross Country (CTX, HSU, McM, Schreiner and SRSU). The West schools could affiliate for a combined championship with the East if they wished under an affiliation agreement.

Where does that leave the ASC-East. I understand that a conference needs to sponsor five men's and five women's sports.

The East has the full 7 schools to earn the AQ for these sports.

M/W Soccer
M/W Basketball
M/W Tennis (now that ETBU has added both M/W tennis)
Baseball
Softball.

The ASC-East has these core members in Cross Country to sponsor the sports.

MXC -- (5) ETBU, MissColl , UOz, UTD, UTT
WXC -- (6) ETBU, LaColl, MissColl, UOz, UTD, UTT.

The West schools could affiliate with the East "conference" for the championship.

What is left that we haven't covered? LaColl and UOz need to add volleyball for the ASC-East to have the AQ.

The result--

We gain AQ bids in Volleyball, M/W Soccer, M/W Basketball, M/W Tennis, Softball and Baseball!

You win the East. Your first playoff game may be the West, but it is in the NCAA's and not the ASC tourney finals.

That is 9 more bids to the NCAA's after the two provisional years needed by the new conference. Long-term crossover contracts between the two conferences could be signed to assure games. Our complaints about weak schools on the schedules would be mitigated by the fact that we had doubled our bids in this part of the country.

The weakness in this strategy is this.

Texas Wesleyan spent an exploratory year moving up from D-II about 2001. TWU moved right on thru to the NAIA and Red River AC.

UDallas, a charter member left the ASC in 2001.

Another Charter member, Austin College left us in 2006.

Those schools are "east".

This strategy has been on the books for nearly a decade. It has suffered three setbacks. It makes sense. Nevertheless, a team leaving the conference and dropping below the threshold of 7 teams and this strategy backfires.