WBB: American Southwest Conference

[McM93]

True enough, buy isn't the ASC Tourney supposed to be (ideally, anyway) more of a neutral site event? Now, I know that home-court advantage is HPU's reward for winning hosting rights, but if you want to find out who's better, you let it be played as if at a neutral site as much as possible...at least to my way of thinking.

HPU earned the hosting rights.  If the conference wanted a neutral site they should find a place in the metro-plex to do the tournament.  Until then, you have to go to the top teams home.

[mcmfan]

Wasn't one of HPU's big point spreads against ETBU?

Yep, 76-39, but that was back in November.

[thundercat]

Just FYI on the seating at the Coliseum. HPU has hosted an NCAA tourney game and the bleachers were split up/open for that event.  It will be interesting to see what happens since HPU plays after a couple of games and those other teams fans are already there.  I sure it won't be an issue.

[CUAfan]

HPU earned the hosting rights.  If the conference wanted a neutral site they should find a place in the metro-plex to do the tournament.  Until then, you have to go to the top teams home.

Fair enough, but they only half earned them, really. Going in, it didn't matter how well any East team did since they'd have to travel anyway, since hosting rotates between divisions every year. HPU's hosting due both to an excellent season and having it be the West's turn. All I'm saying in this post is that to host you have to win your division and have it be your division's turn, so it's not all by merit.

[thundercat]

They would have won hosting rights even if it were conference wide.  Let's give credit where credit is due!

[CUAfan]

Really? I was under the impression that it rotated between the East/West division champs every year. If that impression is wrong, then I stand corrected.

None of this has been to belittle HPU's season. They had a great season and deserve to host the tourney, as well as at least a set of 1st-round NCAA games.

[thundercat]

It does alternate east/west depending on the year, I was just stating that even if it were open conference wide (whoever had the best record in the entire conference) as to who would host, HPU would still be hosting.

[fanstand]

I agree that HPU earned the right to host the conference. But it is or should be an honor to host the tourney and with that comes responsibilities. They should be gracious and be doing everything they can to take care of the visiting teams and their fans and making a lasting good impression for the town, the West side of the conference and for college DIII sports.  Now all that does not include what happens on the court during their games. But everything else should be handled with the best they have to offer. (Okay, even toilet paper!) I'll be there all day tomorrow, to check out the facilities, and watch all the games. Go LIB!!!!!!!!!!

[dballa]

If anybody needs some extra things to do try going to the Heartland Mall Friday and Saturday.  There is a neat little magic show and tiger exhibition inside the mall.  They have bengal tigers and white tigers of all sizes as well as ones you can pay to go in and pet.

Just an added little entertainment thing.

[mcmfan]

A preview of the tournament in today's Abilene Reporter-News:

http://www.reporter-news.com/abil/sp_basketball/article/0,1874,ABIL_7991_5372112,00.html

According to the writer, HPU seems to have morphed from Yellow Jackets into Lady Crusaders!  Is this an omen of a major upset in the works???

[McM93]

WOW!!!

[thundercat]

HPU SID 1, Abilene Reporter 0

Seriously, how do you screw that up and where is the person that checks for accuracy?

[mcmfan]

Hey, my world civ textbook has the fall of the Bastille happening on June 14, 1789 instead of July 14, 1789 -- they've got the wrong month on one of the biggest dates in European history! 

[inthepaint]

It must be tournament time!  For no reason whatsoever my heartrate started to rise as I looked over the brackets and times posted above! 

It ought to be a very good weekend!

[mcmfan]

Some more point spreads, for what they're worth, since ETBU and McM have now both played UMHB twice this season:

ETBU UMHB 63-49  +14
ETBU UMHB 61-51  +10  (ASC tournament)

Total                       +24

McM UMHB  66-62   +4
McM UMHB  68-60   +8

Total                       +12

Just according to the points, ETBU has the advantage.  McM needs to remember that these are the people that knocked HSU out of the tournament last year!