Bumblin' B's

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

lyndon state will also bein the NAC.. rumor has is that UMPI (presque isle) will be applying to the NAC. 

Better up the budget for gas; that or by some hybrid buses.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Hoops Fan - basketball is usually played in the winter... so the snowmobiles should work out!

[Ralph Turner]

lyndon state will also bein the NAC.. rumor has is that UMPI (presque isle) will be applying to the NAC. 

Better up the budget for gas; that or by some hybrid buses.

The travel costs to UMPI are the value of an AQ to the NAC!

[Gregory Sager]

lyndon state will also bein the NAC.. rumor has is that UMPI (presque isle) will be applying to the NAC. 

Better up the budget for gas; that or by some hybrid buses.

Or sled dogs.

[newenglandball]

i agree the only way the NAC might be able to keep their AQ is to take UMPI.  They are futher along in the provisional status then Lyndon State so it makes more sense.  the last thing the NAC needs is if Lyndon state has to repeat a year then the NAC would lose their AQ.  Unless the NAC is going to try to steal another Maine school or VT school and court them to the NAC.  (UNE, NEC, Norwich would all fit nice geographically in this league..... this is just me rambling i have no way of knowing at all how the NAC is going to get enough schools to have an AQ. just some thoughts to get some discussions)

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Six months ago I would have said the NAC could have a good chance at UNE, but they've improved immensely this year and seem to be holding their own in the CCC.


There still may be some poaching to be done, but we should have pity on UMPI.  It's not their fault a bunch of Canadians decided to settle a town in Maine so far north.

[smedindy]

Well, if they do take UMPI they need to be sure that UMPI can still schedule Unity and Maine - Machias.

[John Gleich]

lyndon state will also bein the NAC.. rumor has is that UMPI (presque isle) will be applying to the NAC. 

Better up the budget for gas; that or by some hybrid buses.

Or sled dogs.

Gives new meaning to "warming up" for a game...!

[LogShow]

yeah like defrosting

[elfinley]

What is everyones opinion on the independents in the west region?

They play their post season tournament this weekend. Nebraska seems to be the front runner, but record wise and with their OWP and OOWP, Chapman appears to be the best team out of the group and maybe one of the best indy's around.

CU beat Dallas and has handled Santa Cruz twice this year.

So what do you think? Chapman? Nebraska? or is Dallas in the running? The slugs are clearly out of it.

[pabegg]

If Chapman or Nebraska Wesleyan wins the tournament, they clinch a Pool B bid.

Depending on what happens in the Landmark, they could both make it as long as the only loss is to the other one.

[pabegg]

It's show time for Pool B.

Maryville (16-2) and Aurora (19-5) have clinched Pool B spots.

Nebraska Wesleyan can clinch a bid by sweeping the Independents Tournament Friday and Saturday (they start with UCSC, 1-14 in region). If they lose to Chapman on Saturday, Chapman will probably be ranked ahead of them.

Scranton (15-8) and Moravian (17-7) are the top 2 contenders from the Landmark. Scranton is ahead due to a much stronger strength of schedule. They meet in the Landmark SF Wednesday, so the loser is probably done. Juniata (15-8) is behind them (strength of schedule in between Scranton and Moravian) and plays non-contender Susquehanna in the other SF. The Landmark champion, assuming it's not Susquehanna, will be in contention.

Milwaukee Engineering (17-9) and Marian (15-8 but much weaker strength of schedule) are the other contenders from the Northern, after Aurora. Milwaukee Engineering faces Aurora in the SF on Thursday and Marian faces non-contender Lakeland. If Milwaukee Engineering wins the tournament, they're in contention, while I'm not sure that even going 2-0 is enough to lift Marian into contention.

So the Pool B selection group will probably be (after Maryville and Aurora):

Nebraska Wesleyan
Chapman
Landmark champion
Milwaukee Engineering
Landmark runner-up, possibly

Two of these will make it.

[buck1053]

It's show time for Pool B.

Maryville (16-2) and Aurora (19-5) have clinched Pool B spots.

Nebraska Wesleyan can clinch a bid by sweeping the Independents Tournament Friday and Saturday (they start with UCSC, 1-14 in region). If they lose to Chapman on Saturday, Chapman will probably be ranked ahead of them.

Scranton (15-8) and Moravian (17-7) are the top 2 contenders from the Landmark. Scranton is ahead due to a much stronger strength of schedule. They meet in the Landmark SF Wednesday, so the loser is probably done. Juniata (15-8) is behind them (strength of schedule in between Scranton and Moravian) and plays non-contender Susquehanna in the other SF. The Landmark champion, assuming it's not Susquehanna, will be in contention.

Milwaukee Engineering (17-9) and Marian (15-8 but much weaker strength of schedule) are the other contenders from the Northern, after Aurora. Milwaukee Engineering faces Aurora in the SF on Thursday and Marian faces non-contender Lakeland. If Milwaukee Engineering wins the tournament, they're in contention, while I'm not sure that even going 2-0 is enough to lift Marian into contention.

So the Pool B selection group will probably be (after Maryville and Aurora):

Nebraska Wesleyan
Chapman
Landmark champion
Milwaukee Engineering
Landmark runner-up, possibly

Two of these will make it.

The thing that sucks about Neb Wesleyan is the fact they're regional record is only 6-1. How many games do they play against NCAA Div. III teams? Just curious, because it seems like just about every other school plays at least 15 in-region games. I don't know much about the western independents, so please enlighten me.

[pabegg]

The thing that sucks about Neb Wesleyan is the fact they're regional record is only 6-1. How many games do they play against NCAA Div. III teams? Just curious, because it seems like just about every other school plays at least 15 in-region games. I don't know much about the western independents, so please enlighten me.

7 games against D3, as they are all regional. They've played some bad teams from good conferences (horrible OWP, good OOWP). (Austin, Concordia-Moorhead, La Verne, Redlands, Simpson, St. Mary's (Minn.), University of Dallas)

Nebraska Wesleyan plays in a conference where all of the other schools are NAIA, because they aren't any other D3 schools in their part of the country. So the vast majority of their schedule doesn't count for tournament selection purposes.

By comparison, Scranton is 5-2 out of conference, Moravian is 8-2, Juniata is 6-3, Milwaukee Engineering is 5-2, Aurora is 2-3, and Chapman is 10-5 (all regional games). So NWU's non-conference record certainly doesn't look bad by comparison.

[Ralph Turner]

pabegg, in the last football season, (2007), the Northwest Conference champion, Whitworth, went 8-2 overall, 6-0 in conference and 8-1 in-region.  However, they did not have the "numbers" to get a Pool C bid, when they did not get a Pool B bid.

Roughly speaking, please look at your numbers to see where the "5th" Pool B bid falls when the dust settles and all bids have been awarded.

(I personally thought that Whitworth should have earned a Pool C bid as a "Pool B", using the "less-mathematical" criteria and "committee" judgments for my arguments.  Let's see what type of case the 5th Pool B bid can make.)