MBB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[pbrooks3]

Centre College senior basketball players Thomas Britt and Matt Nestheide have been selected by the College of Sports Information Directors (CoSIDA) to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Basketball Team for their efforts both on the court and in the classroom.


here's the link on the centre website:

http://www.centre.edu/web/athletics/basketball_m/news/0708/mbb_CoSIDA_0708.htm

[DPU3619]

If the standing in the East after next weekend are Centre, DePauw, Oglethorpe, and Rhodes, and in the west, Millsaps, Trinity, Hendrix, and SW, and I correct that Centre would play SW, and Oglethorpe would play Trinity in one bracket, and in the other bracket it would be Millsaps v. Rhodes and DePauw v. Hendrix.

Was having a chat with a few folks earlier this evening, and they proposed a thought to me, which I thought I'd submit to everyone.  DePauw's currently slated for Hendrix in the first round.  If you're DePauw, do you want Trinity on a neutral floor or Hendrix at home? I'm not too sure which one I want, honestly.  DePauw has had their struggles in Conway in the past couple of years.

As a side note, I don't think the draw matters that much.  Gotta play either Centre or Millsaps in the second round.  I don't want to play either one.  Darned if you and darned if you don't.  Not sure that's a giant factor in where you want to be seeded.

[pbrooks3]

Wes, are we sure Hendrix will be the #3?

[DPU3619]

No, we're not.  Was just speaking in a hypothetical.  

There's only a half game seperating them from Southwestern.  Hendrix has just the Majors left on Saturday, while Southwestern has what you would imagine are two winnable games at home against Colorado and Austin.  But, an interesting thought none the less. 

The point is that it always seems like it's such a tough draw for the team who draws the home team in the first round.  8th seeded Rhodes beat 1st seeded Trinity two years ago in the first round behind a big, big crowd at Mallory-Hyde.

It is different now than it was then.  Now, I think I'd almost rather face the 2 on the neutral court than have to play the 3 in their building.

[frank_ezelle]

Wes, we were thinking along the same lines except I was thinking that I'm glad the tournament isn't in Memphis this year.  As Rhodes has proven in the past, it's better to get them on a neutral court than to play them in Memphis.  I'm in your camp in thinking that drawing Hendrix isn't such a bargain.  It will be Hendrix playing Centre in the first round if Millsaps wins next weekend and Southwestern gets a sweep.  I would expect Centre to win but Centre only beat Hendrix by 10 at Centre so who knows.

[OLD STUDENT/ATHLETE]

Hendrix is a very good team, and gave Centre all it could handle at Danville. I look for Millsaps to come out of their bracket with DePauw, as I think they may travel better when they're up for a game. De Pauw lost at Centre by 14 I believe, and the game was not that close. We all no how close the Millsaps game at Danville was. Hendrix in the first round at Conway scares me to death; I would much rather see Centre play SW. Is there a statement somewhere outlining what the parameters are for POTY,
and is that vote at the tournament or before.

[hendrixfan]

One interesting side note on whether Hendrix gets in as the #3 or #4 is the time of the games.

If the Warriors get the #3, they play at 8 PM.  If they get the #4, the schedule shows them playing at 1 PM.  It would seem the home court advantage would be much greater at an 8 PM Friday night start than it would an afternoon game.

Either way, let's not forget that last year was the first time in a long time the Warriors had even made the tourney, and this team is just a few years removed from being really bad.

[pbrooks3]

Frank, how do you think I feel if Hendrix is #4?  I'm pitting one child (my daughter graduated from Centre) against my son (a current Hendrix student). 
Seriously it would be a tough draw for Centre. The thing about a 1 pm game to keep in mind is this is. Hendrix's first crack at hosting so they'll try hard to fill the gym for those early games, too. Agreed an 8 pm game will draw more, but perhaps not as many more as we might speculate.

[frank_ezelle]

pbrooks3, for you it is on a more personal scale, but it is similar to what Mississippians faced when Green Bay and the NY Giants were playing for a berth in the Super Bowl.  I really wanted Farve to get to the Super Bowl again and I wanted Eli to silence his critics by getting the Giants to a Super Bowl.  It's a no lose situation or a no win situation depending on how you want to look at it.

By the way, I hesitate to tell you this because of the old saying that power corrupts, but I believe you do have the power to give and take karma.  I think that ability comes when you hit the 200 post mark and you should see a link for "applause" and "smite" on each post.  That's for +1 or -1 karma.

[jekelish]

There's only a half game seperating them from Southwestern.  Hendrix has just the Majors left on Saturday, while Southwestern has what you would imagine are two winnable games at home against Colorado and Austin.  But, an interesting thought none the less. 

just a small correction...Southwestern is on the road for these two games, not at home.

[pbrooks3]

There's only a half game seperating them from Southwestern.  Hendrix has just the Majors left on Saturday, while Southwestern has what you would imagine are two winnable games at home against Colorado and Austin.  But, an interesting thought none the less. 

just a small correction...Southwestern is on the road for these two games, not at home.

Thanks, Jekelish.  I too, thought these were road games for Trinity and Southwestern.

[DPU3619]

Sorry for the mistake, folks.  My apologies.

New SOS #'s for this week:
TEAM                  REGION RECORD                  SOS RANK            OWP              OOWP       
Centre                     20-1                            194               .500             .499
Millsaps                   16-2                             267               .476             .496
DePauw                   14-4                            193               .500             .493


I think Millsaps is more in than they were last week, and obviously, DePauw is less in.  DPU's SOS goes up, which is the good news.  That fourth region loss sure hurts, though.  I believe DePauw is still in as of today, but they'd be one of the last teams to get a Pool C.  Need wins this weekend.  Badly.

[frank_ezelle]

Wes, keeping in mind that any SCAC team hoping for an at-large bid will have one more loss on their record from the SCAC Tournament.  With that in mind, you might as well mentally add a loss to Centre, DePauw and Millsaps right now. 

Centre looks like a certainty, even if they just split this weekend.  Millsaps really needs to win against Hendrix to leave then at a maximum of 3 losses at the end of the SCAC Tournament, and I think you are right that DePauw has to win both this weekend to stay in the hunt. 

I heard today that Millsaps has put in a bid to host a regional and one possibility that isn't too unreasonable is a 4M regional--Millsaps, Maryville, Mississippi College and Mary Hardin Baylor.  It's obviously too early to start drawing up regional brackets, but that would be an interesting 4 team draw.

[DPU3619]

Wes, keeping in mind that any SCAC team hoping for an at-large bid will have one more loss on their record from the SCAC Tournament.  With that in mind, you might as well mentally add a loss to Centre, DePauw and Millsaps right now. 

That is true, Frank. 

But, I do think that if DePauw wins this weekend and can get to Sunday in the tourney (have to beat Millsaps), then they have a very good chance.  That would get them to 19-5 in the region.  I think that would be good enough.  Probably out if they lose this weekend, though.  Would be in a must win situation in the tourney then.

[Ralph Turner]

Wes, keeping in mind that any SCAC team hoping for an at-large bid will have one more loss on their record from the SCAC Tournament.  With that in mind, you might as well mentally add a loss to Centre, DePauw and Millsaps right now. 

Centre looks like a certainty, even if they just split this weekend.  Millsaps really needs to win against Hendrix to leave then at a maximum of 3 losses at the end of the SCAC Tournament, and I think you are right that DePauw has to win both this weekend to stay in the hunt. 

I heard today that Millsaps has put in a bid to host a regional and one possibility that isn't too unreasonable is a 4M regional--Millsaps, Maryville, Mississippi College and Mary Hardin Baylor.  It's obviously too early to start drawing up regional brackets, but that would be an interesting 4 team draw.

Frank, you are counting on Mississippi College beating UMHB in Belton for the Pool A bid.  Mississippi College won't get a Pool C bid.

Maryville MO (SLIAC) was bussed to Clinton MS two years ago.  You might run your calculation on Webster (SLIAC Pool A bid) coming to Jackson.