MBB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[pbrooks3]

Haven't analyzed things much, but here's my take on the remainder of the weekend.

Today (Saturday)

Trinity wins at Sewanee by 7;
Oglethrope prevails by 9 at home against Southwestern

Tomorrow (Sunday)

Rhodes gets a win by 5 over Colorado College;
Birmingham Southern wins by 12 over Austin;
Millsaps in a 1-pt lean at DePauw
Centre wins at home over Hendrix by 9

[DPULefty22]

Should be a dandy in Greencastle tomorrow as Millsaps comes in to play the Tigers, who played about as well as they have all season in Friday night's win.

We'll learn a lot about Millsaps' character in this one, I figure. Will they enter the Neal Fieldhouse licking their wounds and looking to take out their frustrations from the Centre game on the Tigers, or will they be reeling from the devastating nature of that loss and come out flat? As talented as these Majors are, I'd expect the former, but I've seen the latter happen to good teams before, too.

Obviously the key matchup will be in the post. Looks like something lit a fire under Montgomery on Friday night. I've believed since last year that when properly motivated, he's the most unstoppable player in the conference. DPU's bigs had a tall task on Friday night but were able to contain Andrew King. Montgomery's a different animal, but if the Tigers get the same defensive effort from Steve Schott and Brian Oilar that they got on Friday night, I think they can frustrate Edrick a little bit.

Both of these teams have good athletes across the board. They want to run, they want to penetrate, and they want to shoot the three. These are the two best three point shooting teams in the conference. I'd say this game's got a chance to be awfully high-scoring.

My pick? It's so hard to win on the road on Sunday in the SCAC, particularly when you've been busing the trip like Millsaps (presumably) did this week. I think DPU can pull the mild upset considering how well Mike Moore has been playing of late. He followed up a career high 32 on Sunday with 28 more against Austin on 10-of-12 shooting. I honestly believe there's nobody in the conference who can stay with him one-on-one. Unless Songy, Odum, or Bailey is up to the task, I expect Mike to have another big game.

I think the most telling number will be in the three-point category, and I'll predict that whichever team makes the most will walk out of the Neal Fieldhouse with a huge SCAC win.

Of course I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you folks that WGRE in Greencastle will carry this game over the internet at WGRE.org. It's a 3 PM EST tip.

[pbrooks3]

DPULefty22, hope to tune in.  I agree this should be a good one. I might change my mind on this one over the next 12 hours; who knows!!

[frank_ezelle]

DPULefty22, that's a pretty good preview of the Millsaps-DePauw game.  I agree that Edrick Montgomery, when he is on, is the most unstoppable player in the SCAC.  After taking photos of him for the last 3 seasons, I'm still amazed at how often he is shooting and his defender is still on the ground.  It's the quickness of getting his shot off that makes him so hard to guard--unfortunately, his shot has been off for most of the year, the exact opposite of what was on display last night.  I like Edrick and I hope for his sake and for the sake of the team, that last night marked the end of his slump.

I would say that DePauw is the favorite in tomorrow's game.  Millsaps is coming off an emotional loss, they are on a long bus trip, they will be playing in a gym they only see once a year, and even with it being a Sunday game, there should be a decent crowd of fans on hand to cheer for DePauw.  I think Millsaps is capable of pulling off the upset of winning an SCAC road game against a top notch team, and I agree with you that it probably comes down to the 3-point shooting.  I don't know if Millsaps was getting open looks last night on their 3's, but they didn't hit a very high percentage and that allowed Centre to stay close enough for the big shot at the end of regulation.

I look forward to the broadcast tomorrow of both games.  The DePauw broadcast teams always do a good job.

[pbrooks3]

I would say that DePauw is the favorite in tomorrow's game.  Millsaps is coming off an emotional loss, they are on a long bus trip, they will be playing in a gym they only see once a year, and even with it being a Sunday game, there should be a decent crowd of fans on hand to cheer for DePauw.  I think Millsaps is capable of pulling off the upset of winning an SCAC road game against a top notch team, and I agree with you that it probably comes down to the 3-point shooting.  I don't know if Millsaps was getting open looks last night on their 3's, but they didn't hit a very high percentage and that allowed Centre to stay close enough for the big shot at the end of regulation.

I don't disagree with either of you on the assessment of this game.  Frank, I know that loss Friday night had to be hard on the team, let alone the Millsaps faithful.  Last night, Millsaps should have won the game based on the first 39 1/2 minutes.  I remarked to my wife at the 30 second mark that Millsaps was going to win the game.  Coach Mason pronounced your squad as one great basketball team.     

When Centre came to Jackson last year, they were pretty confident they could beat the Majors.  We all remember the outcome of that game; it wasn't a happy result for the Colonels.  Centre did manage to build off that loss and make a pretty tremendous run through the tournament and the 2nd round of D3, losing to a final four team (Wooster) on their home court.

I realize you know this team well from the contents of your blogs.  However, don't sell your team short.  Remember, two of the past three Sunday afternoons, DPU has come out on the short end of things.  This has occurred following a pretty strong effort on the previous Friday.  DPULefty22 reports on the prowess of Mike Moore the past 2 games.  I'll bet you that the Majors slow down Moore tomorrow.  3-point shots may reign supreme Sunday; I don't know.  I think it'll be interesting to see how things flow down in the paint between Edrick and the Schott/Oilar combo.

On three-point shooting, the Majors didn't have to fire up 3's against Centre (until the OT) because the middle was obviously open. 

I think the character of the Millsaps squad will resonate tomorrow through a solid performance, win or lose.  21 year old kids are pretty resilient when compared to a 50-something like me.  Still think Coach Wise has a special team.

[pbrooks3]

Pretty good game going on at Monteagle Mt tonight (30-27 at the half with Trinity on top).  Stats are available at:

http://www.sewanee.edu/athletics/xlive.htm

[pbrooks3]

TU wins on the mountain 70-62

Charles Houston get 16 plus 13 boards for TU
Ben Pursell has 16 pts for UOS

[frank_ezelle]

Trinity beat Sewanee 70-62.  I feel fairly certain that Pursell is still ailing judging by the numbers and what I saw last week.  Sewanee sure has a tough time with injuried players with that seeming to be a real problem for them over the last few years.

[Pat Coleman]

Just FYI -- Centre's coach will be a guest on Hoopsville tomorrow night.
http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/

[pbrooks3]

Frank, I like the kid from Sewanee, Ben Pursell, too.  I saw him one time in high school in Nashville and he was fine player then.  If he does get healthy, Sewanee may pull an upset or two before the tournament.  Centre hasn't had a great history in the UOS gym, and they've not made the journey to the mountain yet this season. 

[pbrooks3]

HendrixFan, what do you see in the game tomorrow at Centre?

[FlightofthePetrel]

SPFAN... you and I know eachother and to be honest with you I think this years OU team would definately be beaten by the Trinity team of 03-04.  This does not take away from what this team is doing though.  To think that this team would be 11-6  (6-2) after losing 6 seniors would be unthinkable, but they are there.  I believe that the SCAC has gone down a level since those years.  Todd Ward, who transfered here just this past semester, is a special player.  Being just a freshman do I think he's better than Russ Churchwell?

I would quick to judge that he COULD be as good as Russ.  I will also be quick to point out that I was only here for Russ's second senior year (his last year) and know that you might have a little bit more of a grasp of the situation considering you played with Russ for a few years and might have seen him play beforehand.  Russ, like many of the SCAC elite, could have easily played D2 or D1 but chose his former school for the education and the ability to participate in athletics (Russ is currently in Med School).  I know that Todd was recruited by Rochester (most recent D3 poll #1) but chose a school in CT. which in turn didn't work out and led to his transfer to OU (his g/f is on the womens team). 

Ward is incredibly athletic and gifted but hasn't played ball in the past 2 years and it has obviously taken a while for him to get his legs back but he has definitely been a pleasure to watch in the meantime.  From what I can see from his first few games leads me to say it's like comparing apples to oranges.  Both players have a specific style in which they like to play.  While I  will agree they are also fairly similiar in many ways it's hard to compare how they stack up against eachother this soon in their careers.  Ward seems to be a do it all kind of guy who can score, rebound, steal, assist and block his way into the score book.  While his stats, so far, might not stack up exactly like Russ at the beginning of his carrer I do believe he could be an ipmact player like Russ.  After reasearching the stastics that Churchwell put up early in his career it is easy to see that he was a dominant player on the scoring and rebounding end, a player that teams had to plan for.   Russ averaged just about 18 and 8 for his career... do I think that Ward is going to put up those numbers?  NO, but he could if he was forced to be the main option on the team.  This team is much more balanced than teams past due to the fact that there is no GO TO scorer.

I would not take offense to people comparing Ward to Churchwell b/c I don't think they are doing so saying he's a better player than Russ... but just the best thing that has come along SINCE Russ... it's like all the Michael Jordaon/ Kobe Bryant/ Lebron James comparissons.  Each of these players is special in their own way- you can't compare them!

Congrats to OU on the sweep of the big Texas School's!  You've already beaten 4 teams that you were predicted to finish behind this year!  Keep up the good work!!!

[hendrixfan]

HendrixFan, what do you see in the game tomorrow at Centre?

Unfortunately, we won't see or hear anything in the game since Centre doesn't do live stats!   

Seriously, the Warriors seem to be struggling a little right now.  A good first half in DePauw was followed by a pretty bad second 20 minutes. 
After the disheartening loss last Sunday against OU, where the Warriors led by 6 with a minute to go, this trip to IN & KY was really bad timing.
I see Centre winning the game comfortably, and maybe Hendrix will come back home and get back on track w/ BS, Rhodes, AC, & Colorado at home the next two weekends.

[frank_ezelle]

Am I wrong or is Churchwell getting more press on the D3 message board than any of the current players in the league?

I'll weigh in on the Ward-Churchwell debate in a more general way since I've only seen Ward one time and I only saw Churchwell a few times.  I suspect that if a group of people watched the two warming up, most would pick Ward as the better player.  If a group of people watch the two play a game, you might get just the opposite viewpoint.  I remember Churchwell as being a very effecient player, one who really did nothing to "WOW" people, just a guy who was going to go out each night and have a good chance of being the leading scorer and rebounder on the court.

When it comes to sports, potential seems to get more buzz than performance.  Hence, the NBA drolls over high school kids who are dominating 16-18 year olds instead of college seniors who are solid players and solid citizens.  As an athlete, Ward seems to be impressive.  He had 6 pts, 5 rbs, and 4 turnovers in 22 minutes against Millsaps--not impressive, but that was just one game.  He has had far better games before and since and I'm not surprised that he is now in the starting lineup.  I won't be surprised if he becomes a very good SCAC player, but I think Churchwell still leads him by over 1,700 points and around 800 rebounds.  It might be good if we wait until Ward hits the halfway mark on Churchwell's stats before people start crowning him the new best player in OU history.

[DPULefty22]

Funny that Todd Ward comes up in discussion because I remember thinking he was the best player on the floor for OU when they came up to Greencastle and topped DPU in the first weekend of this month. Hard to believe he's a better player than Churchwell (never saw him play but the numbers speak for themselves), but a better athlete? I'd buy that.