MBB: American Rivers Conference

[SpartyBlue]

New question.  How does a 9 team tournament work compared to the 6 team tourney?

9 vs. 8 play in, winner plays 1. 

8/9 vs. 1
7 vs. 2
6 vs. 3
5 vs. 4

[doolittledog]

New question.  How does a 9 team tournament work compared to the 6 team tourney?

9 vs. 8 play in, winner plays 1. 

8/9 vs. 1
7 vs. 2
6 vs. 3
5 vs. 4

Thanks

[SpartyBlue]

2/17  UD 104 Central 82 Another huge offensive night for the Spartans.  63% from three is the difference.  UD goes to 9-0 and again shows they deserve that national ranking. 

Unfortunately, it looks like the ARC is in a deep freeze.  UD/BV and Wartburg/Loras postponed tonight, althought Loras and NWU who haven't played in forever are both slated for tonight.  Hopefully everyone can get healthy in the next week or 10 days and have a semi-normal conference tournament to cap this crazy "season."

[SpartyBlue]

I can report...nothing. None of those schedule games happened. NWU/Luther and Wartburg/Cental now on the schedule for Saturday, but not betting your house that they happen.

Retro report:  From Sunday Coe 112 Finlandia 62 Finlandia swoops out of their great northern lair (they're in quarantine even in non-pandemic years) for their annual Washington Generals tour of the upper midwest.  See:  Iowa Wesleyan 94 Finlandia 65, Martin Luther 91 Finlandia 83, Lakeland 101 Finlandia 66
The Lions are riding a cool 52 game losing streak if you're keeping track at home.

[Gregory Sager]

I'm dying to know why Finlandia doesn't schedule Maranatha Baptist. Which one is ducking the other?

[SpartyBlue]

I'm dying to know why Finlandia doesn't schedule Maranatha Baptist. Which one is ducking the other?

Throw Caltech into the mix.

[doolittledog]

Please let us complete the season.  I want to see a regular season/tournament double by the Spartans!

[Gregory Sager]

I'm dying to know why Finlandia doesn't schedule Maranatha Baptist. Which one is ducking the other?

Throw Caltech into the mix.

No. Caltech is half a continent away, and Finlandia is a school that most certainly does not have the athletics budget to fly to SoCal in order to play one opponent. Besides, Caltech isn't even playing basketball this season. Caltech is therefore irrelevant to the matter of curing what ails Finlandia basketball.

Meanwhile, Finlandia and Maranatha Baptist are a 5 1/2 hour busride apart, which by Finlandia standards is a hop, skip, and a jump. Six of the eight four-year schools that the Lions were originally supposed to play this season are further away than Watertown, WI, where Maranatha Baptist is located.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I'm dying to know why Finlandia doesn't schedule Maranatha Baptist. Which one is ducking the other?

Throw Caltech into the mix.

No. Caltech is half a continent away, and Finlandia is a school that most certainly does not have the athletics budget to fly to SoCal in order to play one opponent. Besides, Caltech isn't even playing basketball this season. Caltech is therefore irrelevant to the matter of curing what ails Finlandia basketball.

Meanwhile, Finlandia and Maranatha Baptist are a 5 1/2 hour busride apart, which by Finlandia standards is a hop, skip, and a jump. Six of the eight four-year schools that the Lions were originally supposed to play this season are further away than Watertown, WI, where Maranatha Baptist is located.

Besides which, Caltech has lately been threatening to become downright respectable in basketball!  Not good, mind you, but respectable.  For 2018-2020, they went 21-29.  And even in their losses, they no longer lose by Finlandia-type margins.  So, yeah - even if they could afford to go to SoCal, scheduling Caltech might not be the way to go!

[SpartyBlue]

Ok, the version of Caltech who lost 200+ straight.

There was a pop-up game in the ARC last night:  Loras 84 Wartburg 80  This one was close to the end. Neither team shot it well, and frankly I'm surprised Loras wasn't able to pull away on their home court. Wartburg got 56 points off the bench to nearly pull the upset.

UD appears to be on pause, nothing slated for this weekend.  Fingers crossed that the league can get and stay healthy enough to close out the season and have a tournament. 

[Gregory Sager]

There was a pop-up game in the ARC last night:

I love this expression: "pop-up game." It's the perfect term to describe a last-minute scheduling addition put together in this very strange and abbreviated season. Wish I'd thought of it!

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Ok, the version of Caltech who lost 200+ straight.

There was a pop-up game in the ARC last night:  Loras 84 Wartburg 80  This one was close to the end. Neither team shot it well, and frankly I'm surprised Loras wasn't able to pull away on their home court. Wartburg got 56 points off the bench to nearly pull the upset.

UD appears to be on pause, nothing slated for this weekend.  Fingers crossed that the league can get and stay healthy enough to close out the season and have a tournament.

Is it a "pop up" game if it was just rescheduled from the night before?

[SpartyBlue]

UD ranked 8th in the current D3 top 15.  Deserving ranking, yet Spartans are currently on pause until Saturday vs. Luther.  Hopefully the short practice week won't affect too much and may allow some guys to get healthy.  @ BV and @ NWU will be two huge tests next week. 

NWU 75 Crown 54    Easy non-con stay  busy win for the Wolves.

Wartburg 69 Luther 47  Norse fall to 0-5

Coe 85 Loras 81  Game of the night.  Nothing is ever easy on the road but thought Loras was clearly the better team going into this one.  Close game all the way, Loras led 81-80 with :20 left, Coe defended the possession well and McGowan missed contested corner three as shot clock expired.   Schmidt got into a one-on-one situation in transition and hit a mid range jumper with :10 left that would be the winner. 

[SpartyBlue]

Upcoming ARC game predictions:

Wed, 2/24

Luther @ Coe -17  Kohawks sink the Norse

Loras   @ Concordia Chicago +9  Cougar sightings in the prairie state are exceedingly rare events.  CU winning this would be a cougar sighting. 

Thurs, 2/25

BV @ NWU -4 NWU's first home game of the year.  Huge game, could go down to the wire, home court advantage will win out.  Fun one to watch here.   

Sat, 2/27

Luther @ UD  -21 Spartans sink the norse

NWU @ Wartburg  +3  Wartburg is 3-6 but had shown better than their record in close losses to BV, Coe, and Loras.  I feel like they'll put it all together on Senior Day and win a close one. 

Loras  @ Simpson +2  Duhawks should cruise here.  Simpson is really a one-man show with Honz, and that isn't enough to take this one.

[SpartyBlue]

Luther 86  Coe 78 

Flippant predictions rarely go unpunished.  The Norse conquer the Kohawks in a stunner on the road.  Jadyn Torres had a nice game for Luther with 22 pts. 9-10 FT.  Free throws were the statistical difference, Luther 17-20, Coe 7-7.  Coe certainly looked like the better team with the eye test, but that's why they...you know the rest...Luther's 56 bench points were huge, Blumberg and Westhusing combined for 30. 

This result adds a bit of intrigue to the Luther/UD matchup on Saturday, Luther will be riding the momentum of this win vs. UD just coming off pause trying to shake rust with a short practice week and several players injured/out.