MBB: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

[dc_has_been]

I'm just trying to figure where I want to see DC seeded going into the tournament?  Where ever they get placed, I want to see them get one more shot at Hanover!

[Jackets Backer]

Has Been, you're not the only one that hopes the Jackets get another shot at Hanover. I'm hoping for a 3 seed for the Jackets, although it got tougher with Transy's win over AU.

Looking more and more like the 4 for DC. With Transy beating Anderson, that's going to help them in a tiebreaker with DC since they beat Hanover once and DC lost twice. I think the Jackets would much rather be the 3 and host a very youthful Franklin team next Tuesday in the quarterfinals. Instead they'll get a very dangerous Manchester team that's played them tough twice until about 5 minutes were left in both games. Like Buzz said, a game against Manchester can't be counted as a gimme.

The path for a 3 would be home with Franklin, vs. Hanover or Anderson Friday and then the finals. You could also avoid playing on an opponents home floor if they lost in the semis.

Being a 4 would be home with Manchester, at Anderson or Hanover and then the finals. Winning the first two games in this scenario would be mighty tough just to get to the finals. The current seniors went to Franklin as freshmen and won as the four seed to get to the finals against Transy so it's not impossible.

A rematch with Hanover in the finals for all the marbles would be great. I just want to see DC get to the finals and the seniors rewarded for all their efforts with a trip to the Big Dance. 

Whoever gets hot on the 26th and 27th is going to come out on top. Anderson's been dominate but are obviously not unbeatable and with Bowman injured they've become even more beatable.

[dc_has_been]

I agree with you that it will probably be a 4 for DC in the tournament.  Unless Manchester can pull a W over Transy on the 20th, I don't see the three insight. 
I like the idea of the three b/c in my head I see DC beating Franklin then taking down Anderson, and finally getting there chance to take out Hanover in the finals for being swept during the regular season. This scenario would give DC an automatic bid to the big Tournament.   
If only thing could go the way I want them to!

[zander]

All I can say to the Defiance posters is be careful what you wish for.....it's not like Hanover "just got lucky" to beat Defiance twice--- They are on a seven game winning streak and are playing their best ball of the year.

[Buzz]

I think the best-case scenario for Defiance would be to get the No. 3 seed and to have Hanover get the No. 1 seed. That'd let DC host Franklin on Tuesday - a matchup that should really favor the Jackets. Then, DC would get Anderson on a neutral court and hope that Transylvania or Manchester takes out Hanover in the other Semifinal. None of those seem very likely though. I think Anderson, Hanover and Defiance all have a very good chance to get it done regardless of the location or seeding. Anderson has been the team to beat all year and would be very tough to upend on their court, Hanover is the hottest over the last several weeks and while DC has been pretty inconsistant, it has the weapons to take down any HCAC squad in any venue on the right night.

As far as DC fans wanting a crack at Hanover... I think that has more to do with the fact that DC's former coach is now at Hanover and less to do with anyone viewing the Panthers as a cupcake. In my opinion, HC is probably the worst matchup for Defiance and is the team to avoid but it would be very sweet for Jacket fans to score that win in the tourney.

[dc_has_been]

Zander, the reason I want DC to face Hanover again is for vengeance.  No one stated that Hanover "just got lucky" to beat Defiance twice.  Hanover beat DC fair and square because they had the better squad that day and I don't think anyone would argue with that. 
If someone beats me I want to get another shot at them.   I won't give up till I do beat them or I don't get anymore chances.  I can't say I have always been sucessful with that attitude, but I at least failed giving it my all!

[Jackets Backer]

No one said Hanover "just got lucky" against Defiance. Hanover has played DC tougher than any team in the league this season obviously. Buzz said it, DC wanting a crack at Hanover has more to do with the fact that DC's former mentor is now there. I can't fault Miller for leaving DC for his alma mater but as a competitor you always want to beat your former coach a little bit more than just some other opponent.

[zander]

Oh now I get it....I thought you were saying Hanover would be as easier route to the conference tourney championship than Anderson which I wasn't so sure of at this point in the season-

[Jackets Backer]

As a DC fan, Hanover scares the heck out of me just because Miller knows DC's players probably better than most of his own since he's coached at HC for less than two years. He coached DC's seniors for two years and recruited the sophomores and likely knows quite a bit about the freshman as well having been to a lot of their high school games when they were juniors in high school. If you look at it, he's actually coached and been around DC's seniors, the core of this year's team, for three years with recruiting for a year and then two years while they played for him.


DC was fortunate to win the last two games last season against Hanover and we all know what happened this year. Hanover has really dictated the action the last four times they've played DC. Hanover just seems to be a step ahead of the Jackets and Miller is a huge reason why. I think the key for DC if they play Hanover again is to get a lead early and make Hanover play from behind. If memory serves me right without looking at the last four matchups, Hanover has really controlled the tenor in each one of those games and led the majority of the time. I feel like Hanover would have to really change its gameplan if DC could get up by 10-12 points and make the Panthers hurry up a bit more on offense.

DC first needs to worry about Bluffton tonight, Franklin Saturday, then Manchester or Franklin next Tuesday. There's a lot of ball to be played before a DC-Hanover rematch happens in the semis or finals.

[cave2bens]

Perfectly understandable misinterpretation, "Z", particularly when trying to decipher northwestern Ohio dialect.   

From a curmudgeon's point of view, I'd like to see a Hanover-DC match up for two reasons.  Miller has dominated the chess board in both previous games at the right time and hope to see Defiance reverse the trend (Experigentia docet?).  Second, there was a lot of blackbird woofing during the first half of the season, and a premature, southerly migration of Anderson's season would ease the digestion for the other participants. 

Love red letter warnings - the eloquent purveyor of sports news beat me to the punchline, again...    +k for timing and musical interpretation of "pitch versus speed."

[dc_has_been]

Come on cave2bens, you curmudgeon?!   I would go with one of the intelligentsia's point of view or high-brow's point of view would be more suited for you.  I've yet to see the stubborn side...yet !

Jackets Backer, well said in regards to DC vs. Hanover match up, but more importantly, DC has a few games to win first before we can get back to the topic of DC vs. Hanover.

By the way, what happend to DC_SID???

[Buzz]

More reason to hope Hanover loses at some point in the tourney...Anderson and Defiance have decent shots at gaining at-large bids to the NCAA Tourney if either misses out in the HCAC Tourney. If Hanover wins it though, Anderson would go ahead of Defiance and I can't see three HCAC squads making the cut...

Anyway, here are my picks for tonight...

Bluffton (2-22, 2-13) at Defiance (18-5, 9-5) - DC is better in almost every stat, DC is deeper, DC is bigger and DC should be pretty ticked after getting blown out at Founders. Plus, what are the odds that a team could go 3-22 with 2 of the 3 coming against the same team? Especially when that team has been flirting with a top-25 ranking most of the year? Jackets win tonight on Senior Night.

Hanover (13-9, 10-4) at Rose-Hulman (7-16, 3-11) - Jon Miller teams are typically very strong on the road, so its tough to imagine the Panthers slipping up here. A win clinches the No. 2 seed for Hanover.

Manchester (15-8, 9-5) at Anderson (20-3, 12-2) - Too bad AU doesn't do any sort of live stats or webcast, bc I'd love to follow this one closely.  I'm thinking AU better take care of business tonight to avoid from having to play for the HCAC Title on Saturday at Hanover.

MSJ (8-14, 3-11) at Franklin (8-15, 6-8) - This game has no impact on anything, but MSJ has lost 11 of 12 and so I'll take Franklin on its home court.

[dc_star]

Tonights picks :

DC over Bluffton
Hanover over Rose-Hulman
Anderson over Manchester
Franklin over Mt. St. Joseph

[zander]

my picks are the same as DC-star

[Jackets Backer]

Buzz, I see you're waiting for my picks so you can just cherry pick mine and not lose your whisker thin edge over me.

DC, have to think the Jackets should ... well, be as mad as a Yellow Jacket awaken from a long winter slumber tonight with their bitter rival in town. I

HC

AU, they better win this one because I don't think they'll want to enter a hornets nest on Saturday for the title. I still don't understand how Anderson doesn't have any live stats, the only team in the league mind you, and most of the time the radio broadcast is off the air. A lot more should be being done to promote a team that's been in the Top 25 most of the year.

Franklin