MBB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[scaccommish]

Just one $10 fee to watch any game is my understanding....I think the key is to enter the same e-mail address as your sign-in, and that should allow you to enter from either computer. The link for the video is active at:

http://www.hendrix.edu/EventsNews/athletics.aspx?id=19996

SCAC1 is the men's tournament
SCAC2 is the women's tournament

You may want to click on the "contact Summit Ticket" just to verify that you can view either game from different computers for the one $10 fee.

[wiley123]

Not going to be able to make the trip to Conway unfortunately...but I'll be there in spirit. PBrooks....take care of em down there..I know you all will pull the boys through. I know everyone has been anxiously awaiting my crystal ball projections......Not so fast though..more to come later. I won't even address the opening round game as Centre shouldn't even have to get off the bus for this one. AC....thanks for making the trip...we wish you a safe return home....
A friend of mine sent me the link today...check it out.

http://www.kentucky.com/278/story/330336.html

Great article exemplifying the true college team and the way hoops was meant to be played.
My favorite quote of the article is of Mason saying."We're only looking 24 hours ahead," he said. "..just so happens its 24 hours to the next game against the trinity /depauw winner....even Coach Mason can't make himself get ready for the opener.
Good Luck Colonels...I'll be waiting in Salem.
More detailed predictions to come.

[frank_ezelle]

Today's South Regional Rankings (the columns don't match up right you I think you can figure it out):

South Region

Team        W-L    Reg. W-L OWP OOWP
1. Centre  23-1  18-1 .503 .498
2. Mary Hardin-Baylor  22-3  20-2 .494 .505
3. Guilford  21-4  20-4 .531 .527
4. Virginia Wesleyan  20-5  19-4 .520 .522
5. Millsaps  22-3  17-2 .476 .493
6. Maryville (Tenn.)  22-2  16-2 .451 .497
7. Randolph-Macon  20-5  15-5 .538 .527
8. Mississippi College  19-5  16-5 .507 .507

Millsaps moving up to 5th in the South is a more comfortable position.  I still think the win against Rhodes is required for a Pool C berth and I would be nervous about the Pool C chances if Millsaps lost in the semi-finals. 

Looking at this ranking, I would think that the SCAC would get 3 in if Trinity or DePauw won the tournament by beating Millsaps in the finals.

[pbrooks3]

The stars would need to be in a special alignment for the SCAC to get 2 Pool C bids; I don't see it happening. If DPU wins the tournament, one of us isn't going to be happy, Frank!

[frank_ezelle]

What I would like to see most at the SCAC Tournament is a Millsaps vs. Centre rematch in the finals.  It would mean that Millsaps is a lock for the NCAA Tournament and I think it would be a great game on a neutral court.  If Centre wins such a matchup then my hats off to them, but it would be a great second opportunity for Millsaps.

But in theory, with Millsaps being #5 in the South, it seems like a 2-1 record at the SCAC Tournament would keep them in the Pool C hunt.  Centre has a Pool C even if they lose to Austin, so I do think 3 in the tournament is a possibility.  I just don't want to test that theory because Millsaps would be the 3rd team under that scenario. 

I'm obviously pulling for Millsaps to win the Tournament and the AQ from the SCAC, but if they don't win then I have to become a Centre fan.  If Millsaps has to get in on a Pool C bid, then they definitely want Centre to get in on a Pool A bid instead of having Centre fall back into the Pool C category.

[OLD STUDENT/ATHLETE]

Frank-I think you're right. If DePauw or Trinity beats Millsaps in the finals, we get 3 teams in.

Getting back to conference additions, I think the idea of adding Centenary and deleting Colorado would be a great idea. When everyone in the league experiences the road trip to Austin and Colorado they will agree.
The problem now is that the Presidents of the member schools are more concerned with the academic reputation of the conference that the expense of travel, and mental and physical stress on the student/athletes.
Adding Centenary would help everyone's strength of schedule, because like Birmingham-Southern, who we all know will be the team to beat in the conference in a few years, as a former "big time" school, they have the facilities and reputation to attract players.

[pbrooks3]

Frank and OS/A, I beg to differ with you guys on the SCAC getting 3 teams in the D3 tourney.  I believe Centre is in pretty much a lock based on their resume to date.  Millsaps gets in I think as long as DePauw doesn't win the SCAC tournament.  Where I think a problem occurs is if DPU wins, then Centre goes and Millsaps stays home.  I am not confident that a 3rd SCAC squad will get in unless all other conference tournaments play out in a perfect configuration to make this happen.  I hope both Centre and Millsaps take care of business in Conway & can match up in Sunday's final so we don't have to contemplate the thought of what happens on Selection Monday.

   

[DPU3619]

Getting back to conference additions, I think the idea of adding Centenary and deleting Colorado would be a great idea. When everyone in the league experiences the road trip to Austin and Colorado they will agree.
The problem now is that the Presidents of the member schools are more concerned with the academic reputation of the conference that the expense of travel, and mental and physical stress on the student/athletes.
Adding Centenary would help everyone's strength of schedule, because like Birmingham-Southern, who we all know will be the team to beat in the conference in a few years, as a former "big time" school, they have the facilities and reputation to attract players.

A fine point, but it's not the least bit feasible.  There's no way the conference would ever "delete" a school they added just last year.  And one more thing...

The problem now is that the Presidents of the member schools are more concerned with the academic reputation of the conference that the expense of travel, and mental and physical stress on the student/athletes.

It's not just about the quality of teams in your conference athletically speaking.  If that was the case, half the teams in this conference wouldn't be here in the first place.  What does Centernary do for the conference in other ways?  Apparently, those aren't important to you.

To me, your "problem" is a wonderful one.  That's the greatest "problem" that could happen in an athletic conference.  The academic standard of this conference is one of it's greatest qualities.  I know for a fact it's something this conference takes great pride in.  I've spoken with former Commissioner Argo and current Commissioner Hanberry on this issue many times.  And if a fan of this conference or one of it's teams is saying that's a PROBLEM, there's an issue here.  Somebody's got their playlist of goals on "shuffle mode".

I firmly believe that if a Division III fan has a problem with academics being the #1 priority, they're in the wrong place.  There's already a division where athletics is priority numero uno.  If that's what people are after, then they should probably take up the hobby of being a fan of a D1 school.

[OLD STUDENT/ATHLETE]

Wes-In Division III where there are not supposed to be any athletic scholarships, there should be a balance between academics, athletics, and the other benefits of higher education. My main criticism of having the SCAC spread out across the country is the stress on the players. I realize that the SCAC is not going to throw Colorado out; they (the Presidents) should have considered the stress and time management concerns of the players before they added Colorado. We all know there is a broad spectrum of academic standards in Division III, even in the SCAC, and a school such as Centenary would probably compare academically with schools already in the SCAC. I don't have a problem with academics being the number #1 priority in Division III, but are they? Two of my children graduated from Washington & Lee (Division III), and the 3rd child graduated from the Naval Academy (Division I). Granted, I sent them to those schools for academic reasons, but there are plenty of DI schools that have superior academics to Division III Schools. I'm getting off on a tangent now, but the main problem I have is a 19 year student/athlete getting up at 4am to take a bus 3 hours to an airport to catch a plane on Day 1; playing a game on the evening of Day 2; taking another bus ride on Day 3 to catch another plane; playing another game on Day 4; taking another bus to an airport to catch a plane to another airport to catch another plane to an airport where they get on another bus for another 3 hour bus ride, getting home in the am on Day 5 and go to class.

[Pat Coleman]

Which is a scenario which happens once a year for four schools and once every two years for six schools ...

[vozdelospetrels]

I'm getting off on a tangent now, but the main problem I have is a 19 year student/athlete getting up at 4am to take a bus 3 hours to an airport to catch a plane on Day 1; playing a game on the evening of Day 2; taking another bus ride on Day 3 to catch another plane; playing another game on Day 4; taking another bus to an airport to catch a plane to another airport to catch another plane to an airport where they get on another bus for another 3 hour bus ride, getting home in the am on Day 5 and go to class.

OS/A,

I understand your concern, but I think the SCAC is doing a pretty good job helping teams out with travel schedules. In recent years we have started playing Friday - Saturday games on some confernece weekends in order to get students back to their Universities before Monday classes, however, students make the decision to play collegiate sports and take upon themselves the added responsibilites and pressures that are all a part of attending class, playing basketball, and having a life. Personally, I wanted more life during my college days and so athletics dropped from my priorities and I quit playing basketball and other sports. The beauty of Division III athletics is that when a student athlete decides that they can no longer handle or don't want to deal with the pressures that are associated with being a student athlete they can become just a regular student and retain any scholarships that they had already been awarded. Additionally, in the SCAC they get to graduate form a great school if they so choose. Some of the road trips in the conference take a toll on the athletes, but that's the student's decision and it makes the phrase "any given day" even more relevant in SCAC conference play. Yeah it often sucks, but that's the way it is in the SCAC currently. Now my true complaint about the SCAC is that there are too many schools in small towns and some of the road trips just aren't too exciting  

[DPU3619]

I'm getting off on a tangent now, but the main problem I have is a 19 year student/athlete getting up at 4am to take a bus 3 hours to an airport to catch a plane on Day 1; playing a game on the evening of Day 2; taking another bus ride on Day 3 to catch another plane; playing another game on Day 4; taking another bus to an airport to catch a plane to another airport to catch another plane to an airport where they get on another bus for another 3 hour bus ride, getting home in the am on Day 5 and go to class.

Well, then let me ask you an honest, serious question with no ill will intended. 

If it's such a big problem for you, and/or for your son, why did your son go to a school in this conference in the first place?  Why didn't your son go to a school without such burdens as an athlete? 

This isn't new.  That one roadtrip to Colorado Springs certainly isn't the proverbial straw on the camel's back.  You and your family must have had some idea that this was coming when he chose his school.  The travel's been this way for over a decade.  And it would still be this way if they dumped Colorado and picked up Centenary.  Still gotta go to Texas.  Still gotta go to Conway.  Still gotta go to Jackson.  Those aren't short trips from Danville.  The hypothetical trip you mention reminds me of the Oglethorpe/Millsaps trips in the old alignment.  DePauw flew that trip to both schools. 

If that is such a burden for a student athlete at one of our schools, then why even commit to such a school in the first place?  It's certainly not for everyone.  We can all agree on that.  Even if you make a mistake and didn't see what you were getting yourself into, then why not transfer?  I personally know many a DePauw athlete in several different sports that didn't like missing that much class.  So what did they do?  They transferred to an HCAC school.  Or to a CCIW or MIAA school.  Or quit the team, but that's not particularly relevant.  There are plenty of options other than just stating that this conference is going in the wrong direction because of one geographic outlier. 

[frank_ezelle]

This seems like a discussion where everyone has throughly given their opinion.  It would be nice if the SCAC was made up of like schools that were closer together geographically, but they are not.  It is what it is and the schools do the best they can to deal with the pros and cons of the situation.

[Ralph Turner]

Not only is the SCAC "do-able", in the last 3 years, three schools out of four have found it preferable!

Look at the "hoops" thru which they have jumped!

Austin College looks at what happens to their travel budget over an above a travel-heavy conference and allocates the dollars for travel and improvements to the Baseball field, among other sports.

University of Dallas would love to join the SCAC.

I can still see two 8-team divisions... in the next decade.

[OLD STUDENT/ATHLETE]

Wes- You misunderstood me. My kids went to W & L and Annapolis; I was referring to a "19 year old" in general, referring to what the Centre kids  went through. I know De Pauw went through the same thing, but perhaps had better connections and travel arrangements to Colorado, being just outside of Indianapolis. Danville is not close to anywhere, but has enjoyed going to Texas over the years, and has found decent travel arrangements. Its the trip to Texas, and then Colorado, and then back to Texas, and then home, that the players and coaches were really upset with. At least it will happen only once every other year. Colorado is a great school academically, but there are other good schools that are good academically and a lot closer when it comes to travel arrangements for Centre.