WBB: Northwest Conference

[bbaddict]

Good job Loggers!  Your turn to win that one! 

[Ralph Turner]

GFU--Harter intercepts the in-bounds.

Congratulations UPS.  I am glad that you get to catch HPU.  Good luck.

UPS 51- GFU 48.


Scouting report--HPU

I thought that McMurry had 2 stellar players, 2 excellent players and 4 more players that would start on most D3 teams.  I think that HPU has 2 stellar players, 3 very excellent players and 4 more players that would start on most teams.  I think that HPU is even deeper than McMurry.

G-- Meia Daniels--very talented player.   Can drive to the basket and punish post players.  A real slasher.

P--Stacey Blalock--a bigger post than Tarra Richardson, but not quite as fast, and will challenge your post players.

HPU can push the pace as fast as McMurry and are even more physical.

UPS-HPU should be a great matchup.

Travel safely.

[LoggerBall]

Well look as though the Loggers DID have enough left to pull it out. Sorry SWISS and Ralph, it was too sweet... the best part was cutting down YOUR net on YOUR court. God victory has never been sweeter. GFU may lead the series this year, but the Loggers win when it matters. Our posts held Campbell to 8 and Marek-Farris to 5 on Saturday. I don't know about you, but I think that a 5'8" post, a 6'1" post and a 6'3" post holding two of the better players in the conference to a combined 13 points is not too shabby.

In regards to Robin, she led your team. That girl is honestly legit. As for Jaime, another wonderful night for her shooting. Tiffany... well let's just leave it at that.

Sweet 16.... Howard Payne/Iowa here we come!!

[LoggerBall]

I will say though, this matchup with HPU will be tough.  While UPS does have the deepest bench in the NWC and maybe even the deepest in the West, HP is the #2 team in the nation. You don't get that way without having some good players.

A few things:

1) We are ALL relieved that we are not going to Texas. 4,000 Texans is a hard crowd to beat, GFU has been the hardest group all season and 1200 is nothing compared to 4,000+.

2) Almost 64% shooting for the game, stats like that are hard to beat.

3) UPS needs to have another one of its games, not unlike Saturday, where things go its way. If you want to argue logistics about referees, try to remember way back when at the NWC Conference Game when UPS didn't go to the line in the first half, then we can talk. HP needs to be shut down early and UPS needs to come out strong, with a halftime lead of 5+, I really believe that UPS can hold on and upset the #2 team in the nation.

GO LOGS!

[hoopnut]

I believe the HPU/UPS game will be a very close one. Neither team has played each other, and the only common opponent was McMurry, which UPS only got to play once. Looking at the statistics and the physical size of the teams, it should be a close game. If anything, I'd think the Loggers actually have an advantage based on team depth, and they are playing inspired defense right now. If UPS can control the paint for the whole game, like they did with GFU Saturday, HPU is going to be in for a long game.

One always has to worry about the officials. The Loggers had the advantage a great officiating crew on Friday and Saturday. I would hope this would continue through out the NCAA tournament. It is also nice to be in a neutral site. 4000 screaming Texans could be a little distracting.

It is going to be a pain getting to Luther, but at least we have somewhjere to go!

GO LOGGERS! 

[swiss]

Nice job gloating Hoopnut and Loggerball!  Gee, and I was going to say something nice about your team.  Maybe I will anyway but:  First, you both are an embarrassment.  Lay off our players unless you have something worthwhile or meaningful to say.  You don't play and I doubt that you could anyway. 

Second, the Bruins were picked to finish fourth in the conference and somehow found a way to beat the Loggers three times, tie for the conference championship, win the conference tourney and dominate their first round game in the national tourney.  A three point win in game four hardly gives you bragging rights. 

Third, you both are seeming a little defensive about the refereeing.  With good reason.  I can imagine you thought it was a "great crew" Hoopnut.  Maybe in the next game we could get an ex Bruin player to head the officiating crew and see how the results turn out.  9 fouls to 1 in the second half.  Really?  What was it, 8 to 10 traveling calls when we haven't had more than 1 or 2 at the most in a game in the last three years.  Especially relevant to call our PG for traveling with 1:30 to go in the game when she is starting her dribble 30 feet from the basket.  That crew should be embarrased for even calling themselves referees, much less professionals.  The fact that they were led by a former UPS player is a travesty beyond words.

Fourth, if by "holding" Katy and Mel below their scoring averages you mean "HOLDING" them, I suppose I would agree.  It was a battle under the boards and could have been a good one if judged with equinimity.  But that really wasn't the case, was it?  Might have something to do with the change in your team's fortune this time.

Even so... I do want to congratulate your players.  They played with a lot of heart in a tough environment and came out on top.  Unlike you two bozos, they or your coach didn't seem to gloat.   Instead, they acted with class.  (Your "class" is only half full and it's the last half.)  Perhaps they knew they had some good fortune come their way.  This game had lots of drama, lots of emotion and was everything NWC basketball is meant to be... well, almost. 

For the sake of your players I hope they take it to HP with the same energy and heart, and make the NWC proud.  As for the Bruins... it was a great ride!  Thanks for the memories.  On to next year.

[hoopnut]

Swiss,

Sounds like a considerable case of sour grapes on your part to me. I'm sure you thought the officiating was "just fine" when the foul count was lopsided in the other direction a week ago.

Having said that, I think we can agree that both teams played well and are a credit to the conference. I'm sure there will be great competition in the conference again next year.

[Pat Coleman]

You don't play and I doubt that you could anyway. 

This kind of things really bugs me. Are only former players allowed to have an opinion? Could get awful quiet around here.

[Pump Fake]

Having commented on the free-throw count last weekend and being quickly put in my place that it had nothing to do with the outcome of the game and that UPS didn't attack and GF in fact didn't foul, I find it ironic that anyone from GF would be talking about the foul count now.

PLU was picked to finish first and finished sixth, pre-season polls tend to not be the most accurate predictor of a game, just as stats aren't always a good predictor of game outcomes. The NWC is a tough conference, there are never any gimme games.

Now that that is over, good luck to UPS in the next round.

Hopefully the NWC will continue making a statement to keep getting 2 teams into the dance, and perhaps even start sending us to different sites so that we can prove how far our conference can go, as obviously both GF and UPS are both great teams that can do some damage around the country, and both teams are also very deserving of playing in the Sweet Sixteen.

Again, good luck to UPS in Iowa and congrats to GF on a great season. 

[swiss]

You don't play and I doubt that you could anyway. 

This kind of things really bugs me. Are only former players allowed to have an opinion? Could get awful quiet around here.

The issue is one of offering credible or constructive comments.  If I took unprovoked or sarcastic pot shots at you as an editor you'd have every reason to question the basis of my opinion.  I know enough about athletes to know that generally it is not ex players who take those kind of cheap shots at other players.  Most athletes are well aware of how difficult and how much sacrifice it takes to excel at a sport to disrespect another's efforts.  Boo all you want at the games, I doubt that they will hear or care.  But when someone makes a needlessly sarcastic or destructive claim in print he (or she) is open to a counter "opinion," right?  I made mine.

[hoopnut]

Swiss,

Wrong.
I re-read my post that seamed to get you going, and I can't find anything in it that was not factual or was an degradation of any GFU player. So, where is this attack of which you so strongly protest? I get the impression that you feel everyone is entitled to YOUR opinion. Sorry, but I just can't quite buy into that.

I suggest you give it a rest until next year.

Again, great job for both the UPS and GFU teams for an outstanding season. Let's hope the NWC goes deep into the tournament.

[sethhpu]

What kind of defense does Puget Sound run?

[hoopnut]

They vary between man-to-man and zone, sometimes pressing full court. Just a little bit of everything.

[Ralph Turner]

Well look as though the Loggers DID have enough left to pull it out. Sorry SWISS and Ralph, it was too sweet...

Sweet 16.... Howard Payne/Iowa here we come!!

I spoke with our (McM's) color man about UPS and he was very complimentary of the UPS coach and team about how she used the media timeout and effective substitution to keep her team fresh.

As for crowds, HPU played before these crowds this year (see link below).  The students returned from break by Jan 20th.  The games at UMHB, HSU and McM were very good away crowds.  I think that HPU can handle the neutral crowd at Iowa and I am thinking (55-45 chance) that WashU may beat Luther.

HPU is 4-6 inches taller than McMurry and HPU's Meia Daniels may be the best women's player in the country.  Stacey Blalock is bigger than Tarra Richardson, and Molly Buker and Heather Hohertz are aggressive defenders.

The benefit to UPS is that the McMurry tape that you got was the 49-40 HPU win over McMurry in the Conference finals.

HPU Stats

It looks like we play before some bigger crowds in the ASC.

UPS Stats.

[Ralph Turner]

HPU is a solid nine players deep, too.  I think that they are about 2-3 players deeper than McMurry, too.  (Comparable quality to comparable quality.)