MBB: American Rivers Conference

[doolittledog]

Double OT loss for Dubuque at home against BV.  Next up is Simpson on the road.

I am thinking Wartburg feels pretty good about things at the moment.  With their win over Loras I believe that would give them the tie breaker over Dubuque if those two schools end with 5-11 conference records. 

On another note, I understand a conference tourney if you dont play a balanced schedule.  Like in the Big 12 or Big 10 you don't play everyone else home and away.  A conference tourney makes sense in that case.  But in the IIAC where everyone plays each other home and away, to me you should crown the team that did the best over those 16 games.  If a team goes 15-1 during the season and then loses to a team that went 10-6 and the team that goes 10-6 gets the NCAA invite at the expense of the team that went 15-1 just doesnt seem right.  But then again I am an old grumpy fart. 

[Walston Hoover]

On another note, I understand a conference tourney if you dont play a balanced schedule.  Like in the Big 12 or Big 10 you don't play everyone else home and away.  A conference tourney makes sense in that case.  But in the IIAC where everyone plays each other home and away, to me you should crown the team that did the best over those 16 games.  If a team goes 15-1 during the season and then loses to a team that went 10-6 and the team that goes 10-6 gets the NCAA invite at the expense of the team that went 15-1 just doesnt seem right.  But then again I am an old grumpy fart. 

Wartburg would have taken that situation the past few years, but BV is always a great tourney team. IMO it rewards teams that get hot at the end of the year. For instance, say the champ loses 3 of its last 4 or something and then gets knocked out in first round. The 10-6 team ended the season winning 5 in a row and then 3 in the tourney. Who would you rather have representing the IIAC in the NCAA tourney?
A team like Simpson right now if they win the tourney no doubt deserves the bid, same as BV.

[doolittledog]

Yeah, I see your point.  There was a year I was at UD where they started the year I believe 4-9 overall then won their last 13 to finish 17-9.  Their average margin of victory over that span was 20 points.  They ended up 1 game behind Wartburg for the conference title and Wartburg got the NCAA bid and Dubuque stayed home.  I'm thinking you would have found quite a few UD fans that year that would have loved to see a post season tourney.

It would be nice if the regular season champ plus the tourney champ would always get in but that just doesn't always happen. 

I think I'm coming around to your "team currently playing the best" theory

[sportsknight]

Great article in today's Dubuque Telegraph Herald about the closing of the Loras Fieldhouse.

You could really have a good argument over whether the Fieldhouse or Wartburg's Knights Gym were the best home-court advantage during their day.  Both venues have (I supposed I should use the word "had")their own charms.  Fans right on the court in both places, antiquated architecture, etc.  Loras' house was older, but Wartburg's saw more success.

For me, I have some pretty great memories of both.  I have many more from Knights Gym, obviously, but the Fieldhouse was the first place I ever called play-by-play for a basketball game and is, to date, the only venue I've ever been kicked out of.  Unless you count Joe's KnightHawk.

Anyway, here's the link:  http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=148126

[Walston Hoover]

Wartburg's season in the balance tonight.

[doolittledog]

And Wartburg gets that 6th seed.  I saw this coming.  I think Dubuque will be looking back at their 4 point loss at Luther, their 2ot loss at home to BV, and giving up a 10 point halftime lead at Loras as big games.  Find a way to win just one of those three and they make the tourney. 

[sportsknight]

As much as I like seeing Wartburg get in, I think Dubuque could make a case for being more deserving of being in the tournament.  Wartburg has been an up and mostly down team this year, and Dubuque caught a rough point in the schedule at the wrong time.  Did they have their chances to make it happen?  Definitely.  But the schedule didn't do them any favors.

I kinda feel for Coach McDermott, Thomas, and Daugherty.  The coaching staff at UD has done everything in their power to get a decent supporting cast these past few years, but nothing has ever panned out.  You put a tandem like Thomas and Daugherty on any other team in the league and that team is easily in the conference tourney.

I also think this is a good time to debate whether the change to a 6-team tournament was really the best decision.  If you really want to give everyone a chance at the AQ (and if that wasn't the goal of the tournament, then why wouldn't they go off of reg. season record), they leaving more teams out of the tournament isn't the best way to get that goal accomplished.  I always liked the 8-team format, even if it did leave just one team out.  Do we really need to be incredibly sympathetic to that last place team?  I most situations, the coach of that team would probably argue that his team didn't deserve to be in the tourney.

I'd be in favor of exploring the possibility of including all 9 teams in the league tournament.  You could make it work out, schedule-wise.  Have the final regular season games done by the Friday before the tournament.  Have the two bottom teams in the league play on Monday night.  Quarterfinals on Wednesday (1 seed vs. 8/9 winner, 4 vs 5, 3 vs. 6, and 2 vs. 7).  Semifinals on Friday, and Championship game either Saturday night of Sunday afternoon.

[doolittledog]

I think there are good arguments for and against 9,8, or 6 teams for the conference tourney. 

9 teams make it because you want everyone to have a chance at the AQ.  The down side is that is a lot of games in a short period of time.  But then again I think the players would like all the games they can get, especially the seniors.

8 teams make it and everyone gets in but the last place team.  That gives you a fight to avoid last place.  8 teams makes it a bit easier to schedule than 9.  Plus it keeps the teams at the bottom of the table interested as the season goes on because you don't want to finish in last place.  Something that wouldn't happen if all 9 make it in. 

6 teams make it in and it's still 2 of 3 make it.  You reward the top 2 teams for their good season by giving them a first round bye.  By leaving 3 teams out you really get a dog fight going for those final couple spots.  There were 5 teams fighting it out for seeds 5 and 6 up till the final week.  The whole argument about rewarding a team currently playing the best getting their chance at the automatic qualifier probaly applies to teams in the top 3 or 4, not a team finishing the year in the bottom half of the league. 

I would have loved to to have seen 8 make it the last couple of years because then Dubuque could have made it in.  If a 7 or 8 seed makes it in and then can maybe win a game or two the coaches can use that in recruiting.  "Hey, we finished down in the standings, but we came on late and beat some of the top teams in the conference, come to our school and you can help us climb up the standings."  That doesn't happen if a recruit sees you haven't made the tourney in a number of years.  Including 8 or all 9 make fair to all teams.  But I do think having the top 6 makes it a bit more exciting overall.  You have that fight at the top of the league for the first round bye, and you have the fight at the bottom of the league to make it into the tourney...excitement from top to bottom...and that is probably what the league is after. 

[Walston Hoover]

I don't know, after starting the conf 0-7 then going 5-4 over their last 9, I think Wartburg is pretty deserving, especially considering one of those wins was against Loras and also only lost to them by 1 earlier in the season.
After beating Wartburg at home, UD went on to lose 6 of 8.

[UWPSUPERFAN77]

Congratulation to Loras for their great season in closing out the old barn. I went to two or 3 games there. Although it was dumpy, in some ways it still had charm. It was packed earlier this week with 1150. They must have had fun and hung by the rafters. Does anyone see any other team getting into the Tournament if Loras  win s the conference tournament? Thank You and God Bless!

[The Show]

More than likely the winner of the conference tourny will be the lone representative for the IIAC.

[UWPSUPERFAN77]

Thank you and God Bless!

[Walston Hoover]

Did you know......
The only team to beat Wartburg in the conf tourney is BV.

[doolittledog]

I did not know that!!!

How many years has the conference had the tourney???

[Walston Hoover]

I think 8 or 9.