WBB: American Southwest Conference

[CUAfan]

Trust me each team will be out there giving their utmost 150% effort.   

This kind of statement annoys me. It is not possible to give 150% effort, because if you could, that level would then represent your full effort. I'm sure all the players will be giving their full, 100% effort to win it all, but to say that they will somehow play over full effort makes no sense.

That said, one almost has to pick HPU to win the tourney, but as fanstand has pointed out, they play the games for a reason.

[WLCALUM83]

Question for the ETBU posters out there:

Given the coaching change and roster turnover--any of you want to express your feelings on ETBU's performance?

[JACKET84]

I would like to hear some input too.  I remember watching them in the tournament in Brownwood last year.  They had a bunch of good young players and a really good coach.  I just knew they would contend for the title this year.  I knew they lost the coach, but I didn't know what the situation was with the players.

[Ralph Turner]

Congratulations to Tarra Richardson, Josten's Finalist!

[golfniz1]

cufan have you ever heard the term figure of speech?

[dballa]

New South Region rankings. 

South Region
1.    Howard Payne    23-0    25-0
2.    Oglethorpe    19-4    21-4
3.    McMurry    22-2    22-3
4.    Trinity (Tex.)    18-4    19-5
5.    Piedmont    18-3    22-3
6.    Hardin-Simmons    20-5    20-5

[JACKET84]

I'm not sure how Oglethorpe ranks higher than McMurry in the region, but McMurry out ranks Oglethorpe in the national rankings.  Same issue with Hope women (#1 in the nation) ranked #3 in their region.   

[Ralph Turner]

I'm not sure how Oglethorpe ranks higher than McMurry in the region, but McMurry outranks Oglethorpe in the national rankings.  Same issue with Hope women (#1 in the nation) ranked #3 in their region.   

National top 25 rankings have no bearings on the Regional Rankings.

Among the Criteria for McMurry...

In-Region W-L  22-2
OWP/OOWP     .5254 / .5120
In-Region H-H -- none
In-Region Common Opponents -- (None. B-SC is first-year provisional)
In-Region Reg. Ranked -- 3-2 (St Thomas 1-0, HPU 0-2, HSU 2-0)

Oglethorpe

In-Region W-L 19-4
OWP/OOWP  -- .5700/.5414
In-Region H-H -- none
In-Region Reg. Ranked -- 2-3 (Piedmont 1-0, Wilmington 0-1, DPU 0-2, Trinity 1-0)

For McMurry, it has to be the OWP/OOWP that puts them behind Oglethorpe. (Games versus Birmingham-Southern, a first-year provisional team, are not counted in primary criteria.)

[dballa]

Playing against teams like LeTourneau, Ozarks and Texas Lutheran really bring down the OWP in this conference.  If McMurry didn't have those games on their schedule, especially the two against TLU then they would most likely be in that 2nd spot.  But that's what we're dealt with right now and you just hope things pan out in the end if you don't get the AQ.

[jmnaseum]

Everyone else in the conference has to play the below mentionded teams.  Like you said, it is "our" conference and "we" have to deal with it.  Can't pick and choose the conference   The ASC has done well in the past

[Ralph Turner]

Playing against teams like LeTourneau, Ozarks and Texas Lutheran really bring down the OWP in this conference.  If McMurry didn't have those games on their schedule, especially the two against TLU then they would most likely be in that 2nd spot.  But that's what we're dealt with right now and you just hope things pan out in the end if you don't get the AQ.

TLU is part of the West.  I am glad to play the West. 

The discussion is whether both teams benefited from the McMurry or HPU or HSU defeat of UOzarks or LeTourneau as the 20th and 21st ASC game.

Would that game be more advantageously used as another in-region game to boost the conference's OWP and OOWP?

I ask this question sincerely, trying to strengthen the conference.

Let's focus on Ozarks Men's soccer.  Did Ozarks really help their at-large bid chances by the OWP and OOWP that resulted from playing McMurry, Schreiner and Concordia-TX last fall?  2007 Men's soccer standings.  Could Ozarks have found a better Central Region opponent than those three to boost the OWP?

If this question is decided by the conference, then good!  We have focused on what we need to do as a conference.

[golden_dome]

I'm not sure how Oglethorpe ranks higher than McMurry in the region, but McMurry outranks Oglethorpe in the national rankings.  Same issue with Hope women (#1 in the nation) ranked #3 in their region.   

National top 25 rankings have no bearings on the Regional Rankings.

Among the Criteria for McMurry...

In-Region W-L  22-2
OWP/OOWP     .5254 / .5120
In-Region H-H -- none
In-Region Common Opponents -- (None. B-SC is first-year provisional)
In-Region Reg. Ranked -- 3-2 (St Thomas 1-0, HPU 0-2, HSU 2-0)

Oglethorpe

In-Region W-L 19-4
OWP/OOWP  -- .5700/.5414
In-Region H-H -- none
In-Region Reg. Ranked -- 2-3 (Piedmont 1-0, Wilmington 0-1, DPU 0-2, Trinity 1-0)

For McMurry, it has to be the OWP/OOWP that puts them behind Oglethorpe. (Games versus Birmingham-Southern, a first-year provisional team, are not counted in primary criteria.)

Ralph,
    I had posted earlier in the week that I didn't think the OWP/OOWP was a big deal right now for the ASC but obviously I was wrong. I was looking over this year's regional rankings compared to last year and the new RPI is having a big impact, this is just one example.

Last year, in most cases teams were ranked according to regional winning percentage with just a few exceptions. This year there are several cases like this in which teams with two more losses, and sometimes even three more regional losses, are being ranked ahead of teams with better records. It has to be the OWP/OOWP numbers which will improve very little in this part of the country regardless of how we schedule.

[Ralph Turner]

If the committee looked at Secondary Criteria, we see the games with Birmingham-Southern.

McMurry lost 57-63 on a neutral floor.

Oglethorpe beat BSC at home 75-72 and beat them on the road 80-72 after BSC lost their star Reba Ross in the first minute of the Austin College game (game 18).

[mcmfan]

Sounds like all this is setting us up for a repeat of the post-season two years ago: whichever team wins the tournament this weekend gets to host a sectional playing the other two leading ASC teams all over again plus either Trinity or Oglethorpe!   

[golfniz1]

How in the world did HPU loose 1 first place vote?  Makes a person wonder what some of the voters are thinking about.   I am  beginning to believe that its a Texas thing. The so called basketball states think we do not belong, but sorry to tell you folks there is some pretty darn good players in the Lone Star State.  Hopefully everything pans out and HPU gets the opportunity  to play Hope or #3 so Texas will finally get the respect that it deserves.