MBB: American Rivers Conference

[SpartyBlue]

Central 68 UD 58     Huge win for the Dutch, outstanding defensive effort holds UD to an abysmal 28% from the field.  The bigs really disrupted UD's offensive flow and frequently forced bad shot selection.  Central won the rebounding battle 48-33, limiting second chance points and outscored UD 38-18 in the paint.  At 2-0 Central puts themselves into legit contender status at the top of the ARC...one road loss doesn't doom UD, an interesting non-con game with Augustana looms Wednesday and then a huge game at home Saturday vs. NWU; a win that would be nice for either team going into a 3 week conference hiatus.

Loras 75 BV 67  Duhawks move to 3-0 in the ARC

Simpson 74 Coe 63  Storm show they're for real, hold court at home to move to 1-1.  Easton Darling with 26.

NWU 72 Luther 48

[Schipper Strong]

Hey SpartyBlue thanks for being a good sport. I was just ribbing you for a couple of your comments. No offense intended. The Dutch are off to a good start in the conference, but way too many games ahead of us. We are off to a much better start this year, just one win away from tying last year's total number of wins. We have to keep improving and I think Coach Steinkamp can do that. Just 2 games in we can't really be a legitimate contender. It sure feels good to get wins that have been losses too often.

[SpartyBlue]

Hey SpartyBlue thanks for being a good sport. I was just ribbing you for a couple of your comments. No offense intended. The Dutch are off to a good start in the conference, but way too many games ahead of us. We are off to a much better start this year, just one win away from tying last year's total number of wins. We have to keep improving and I think Coach Steinkamp can do that. Just 2 games in we can't really be a legitimate contender. It sure feels good to get wins that have been losses too often.

No worries, credit where its due.  Van Gorp changes the game for you.  He is a load to guard, needs to be doubled over on often opening up the perimeter for your improved guard play.  I think the coach also made a huge difference here.  The Dutch fought hard the whole way, whereas in the past they would fold after some pressure was applied, not a criticism but reflection of the persistent losing over time.  It will be interesting to see how your team progresses as the season continues. 

[Schipper Strong]

No worries, credit where its due.  Van Gorp changes the game for you.  He is a load to guard, needs to be doubled over on often opening up the perimeter for your improved guard play.  I think the coach also made a huge difference here.  The Dutch fought hard the whole way, whereas in the past they would fold after some pressure was applied, not a criticism but reflection of the persistent losing over time.  It will be interesting to see how your team progresses as the season continues.

Couldn't agree more. The Dutch of recent years just couldn't seem to hold a lead until the end of the game. Prior coaching would not call time outs when momentum shifted and would then be critical of the players after the game. This coach played for Central and was a defensive beast. Didn't make a name for himself scoring, but worked hard every minute he was in the game. He was also an assistant under Mike Boschee, when Central was successful. I am looking for good things from him.

[doolittledog]

Dubuque over Augustana 65-59

Dubuque with the comeback victory after having been down by double digits in the 2nd half. 

[SpartyBlue]

Dubuque over Augustana 65-59

Dubuque with the comeback victory after having been down by double digits in the 2nd half.

Great comeback by UD in the Rumble for Route 61, taking a CCIW scalp is always nice.  UD was able to get McCants in multiple one on one post up situations in the second half where he could use his athleticism to exploit the mismatch.  Hunter Snyder also had a huge game with 20 pts. and several defensive hustle plays.   Outstanding team defense has become somewhat of a calling card for this team, offense has yet to really roll for a 40 minutes, although BV game was close.

Big matchup tomorrow vs. NWU.  I think UD's defense will take the day here, not sure the Wolves can match up athletically, we shall see. 

Massey predictions for weekend games

UD (32) 74    NWU (93) 69
Wartburg (120) 81  Simpson (144) 74
BV (111) 72   Luther (286) 61
Coe (106)  72   Central (115) 66

[itsnotmeitsyou]

Don't foul the DuHawks and put them on the FT line this year!! Shooting .793 as a team thru 8 games (good for 7th nationally) and just dropped 30-35 vs UW-Stout.

- Their 176 made FT's are more than 32 of the top 35 FT percentage made teams in the country have ATTEMPTED!!!!
- They are 4th nationally in avg. FT attempts per game.
- They rank #1 nationally in avg. FT's made per game.
- Only St. Vincent has made more total FT's (190 vs 176).

- The ARC is well represented in FT's made per game:
1) Loras 22.0
7) NWU 17.8
11) Simpson 17.4
26) Buena Vista 16.1
29) Wartburg 15.8

(No wonder why ARC games take FOREVER to play!!)

[Schipper Strong]

Another conference road win for Central Saturday at Coe. Coe did a great job of guarding Van Gorp like a second skin front and back at the same time. Johnson Ickes up some of the slack with a career high scoring game at 17. Several players made some nice 3s. Keep it going Dutch, you can only improve over last year having already reached last year's total wins. Nice to see central sitting at the top of the conference again. Keep working hard to improve and keeping your focus one game at a time. Shake 'em up Dutch!

[SpartyBlue]

UD 80 NW MN 65  Nice home win for the Spartans heading into Las Vegas vs. Franklin and Marshall/Ramapo.  At 9-2, 3-1 UD is well-positioned to make a run at another conference title although big tests @ Loras and @ Simpson await in early January.  Good to see UD back on track with 3 nice wins in a row after the Central loss.  Now ranked #26 Massey and creeping back into the national picture in my opinion. 

[Schipper Strong]

Wasn't sure what to expect from the Dutch after a disappointing showing at Wartburg. Central takes the majority of Christmas break with no games and seem to come out stumbling after break even in good seasons. I hope Central starts scheduling more Christmas break games in the future. After the Wartburg game I felt it was gut check time for the Dutch. Would that loss lead to a downward trend reminiscent of recent years or would they learn from it, make corrections and bounce back? The Loras game reassured me they could and did bounce back. Nice finish to the game. Was not impressed with Loras sportsmanship throughout the game. They seemed awfully feisty and not in a good way. One flagrant foul and one technical went a long way towards helping Central win the game. Fantastic night for Central bigs. Van Gorp continues his climb in shooting percentage stats and Johnson really moves the ball around very well. He is also a better outside shooter than he thinks he is. He shys away from wide open 3 pt shots, but is so good at finding the open man he doesn't take most of those shots. Keep it going Dutch!

[Schipper Strong]

Central battles it out with BV tonight and comes away with the win. I thought it would be easier, but we got the job done. They did a good job of shutting out Van Gorp, fortunately the rest of the team stepped up. Another outstanding game by Grant Johnson. BV made a really nice run with a hot streak behind the arc. It really shifted the momentum. Increased defense and the hit streak went cold allowing Central to regain momentum and finish strong.

[D3hoopsinsider]

It has been quite a roller coaster in the ARC lately. Central and Loras leading the way with a number of teams right behind them. I think it is going to be a really exciting finish to the conference season.

I am surprised no one in this thread has mentioned the play of the Kohawks. They have won 3 straight over UD, BV and Wartburg with all 3 being double digit victories. Cael Schmitt has been elite, he very well may he the best player in the conference along with Van Gorp and Sabet. Couple that with hyper athletic forward TJ Schnurr and some other nice pieces, it will be interesting to see if Coe can continue making a run next week.

I hate the term "must win" but UD and Wartburg need a win today if they are going to keep themselves in the mix at the top of the league. An exciting slate of games coming up today!

[Greek Tragedy]

Curious to know what's up with Dubuque. They basically ran away with the league last year and returned nearly everyone this season. They've lost 3 League games all by double digits.

[D3hoopsinsider]

It sure didn't help losing 2x ARC MVP!! Peter Ragen was a great player but maybe an even better leader for the Spartans during their run.

Like I told SpartyBlue earlier this season, 3pt shooting is their biggest weakness. They are currently 8 of 9 in 3fg% at 30%. That isn't going to cut it. We will see if they can get back to form today against Simpson on the road.

[D3hoopsinsider]

Quick recap of yesterday's ARC games:

Central @ Luther: Close contest all the way thru, Luther tied it on a jumper late but Drew Edwards sprung free for a layup in the last few seconds to win it for the Dutch. Central leads the ARC at 6-1 while Luther falls to 0-7 (tough year again for the Norse).

NWU vs Loras: NWU with more late game heroics, this time out of Carter Glenn who put the PWolves up with an and one with under 10sec to go leading to the NWU win.

UD @ Simpson: Story of the game was Rashad McCants, who had 35 and 10 in the win for the Spartans. I believe he had at least 21 in the first half and looked unstoppable. Big win for Sparty who wold have dropped to a tie for 6th with a loss.

Wartburg @ BV: Wartburg with a big road win here. Drew Olson is back and has played well the last two games. Watch out for a Knight run in the second half of league play with a full strength lineup. Not sure what is up with the Beavers, who fall to 1-7 in league play. From what I have gathered talking to those around the league, they are not 100% healthy right now. They are still extremely well coached and I wouldn't be shocked if they beat anyone down the stretch.

My game of the week is Coe @ NWU on Wednesday. NWU has won 3 games in a row and are playing really good basketball but the Kohawks have won 6 of their last 7 and are white hot. Something will have to give. I think the Kohawks will prevail behind the play of Cael Schmitt and the fact that they have the size/athleticism to matchup with Peter Lash.

Loras @ Wartburg is another big one Wednesday night, I'm taking the Knights as they always play well against the Duhawks.