MBB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[d3allstar]

if anyone see's live stats or video for the games would you please post a link?? thanks in advance.

[pbrooks3]

Good that Millsaps is getting to host.  Haven't checked with the Maryville posters of late, but they were dying to come to Danville for the D3 tournament 2 weeks ago and show the Colonels a thing or two about how to play basketball.  Centre normally plays them annually, and this year the game was canceled due to a tragic death of a staff member in the Maryville athletic department family.  Maryville supporters posting regularly insinuated that only their athletic department made an effort to reschedule this game; don't know whether this was true or not.  Regardless, there's a rivalry between Centre and Maryville.  Over the past 7 years, Maryville has won 4 of 6 contests between the 2 schools.  Frank, you're right this should be a competitive opening round game in Jackson between Millsaps and Maryville.  The Majors will need to be on their A-game against the Scots; they are a very good basketball team.

[pbrooks3]

Franklin Grizzlies (Centre's opponent) is 18-9 and is Heartland's AQ.  Anyone seen them play this year?

Don't know much about them except they play in the same conference with Transy, a common opponent that Centre defeated earlier this season.  When I had last looked at the conference, it had looked like Defiance was the team to beat in the Heartland, and then Franklin came on like gangbusters to finish the season and win the tournament.

I was intrigued that the D3 tournament committee kept the same four conferences bundled this year in the 1st/2nd round at Centre that was assembled last season at Wooster.  Last season it was Wooster of the NCAC hosting Transy from the Heartland, and Capital of the OAC playing Centre in the opening games.  Now we have the Heartland represented by Franklin against Centre, and Ohio Wesleyan of the NCAC playing Heidelberg of the OAC.  Seems like a pretty balanced grouping that should produce some good games Friday and Saturday night in Danville.

[frank_ezelle]

I saw Maryville play Trinity a couple of years ago and Maryville was very good that night.  From the stats it looks like Maryville plays a lot of folks with only 3 players averaging 20 minutes a game.  At this point of the season, I suspect that every team better bring their "A" game every night if they want to live to play another day.

With the 8:00 tipoff, it looks like I'll be able to make the game.  The company I work for is shutting down at 1 on Friday and moving to a new location.  I'll be helping with getting the internet, networking and phones back up and going at the new location.  A 6:00 tipoff would be difficult or impossible, but I think I can slip away in time for the Millsaps game.

[Major_Fan]

FYI,
Millsaps will have ESPN Radio 1240 AM broadcasting their game(s), as DP will step away from regularly scheduled baseball to do Majors basketball for the weekend.  Mary Hardin-Baylor will also have radio.  All links will be posted in the next few days on the Millsaps website, as a Tournament Page will be posted.  No live stats for any game in Jackson as the wireless signal won't pick up inside the Hangar Dome.  Thanks.

[lammersk]

When is the Saturday game?

[pbrooks3]

When is the Saturday game?

Centre's website says 7 pm; Ohio Wesleyan's says 7:30 pm.  Go figure!

[Major_Fan]

All Friday games are at 6 and 8 p.m. local time.  The Saturday game is at 7 p.m.

[Ralph Turner]

All Friday games are at 6 and 8 p.m. local time.  The Saturday game is at 7 p.m.

All men's times are prescribed by the Handbook.

[Major_Fan]

True.  And the handbook for the Tournament says 6 and 8 p.m. local time on Friday and 7 p.m. on Saturday.  Thanks.

[pbrooks3]

Millsaps moves up to #14 in the Top 25; Centre is #4. This is pretty good stuff for the SCAC. Now let's have a great weekend where the SCAC plays well in the 1st and 2nd rounds.  Go Colonels and Majors!

[hendrixfan]

A big "thank you" also needs to go out to the members of the Hendrix booster club board, many of whom volunteered throughout the week in various capacities.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I am a member of said board. And in that capacity, I'd like to invite anyone who reads this board and attended the tournament - fans, players, coaches, parents - to let me know what areas could have been improved upon. This was a maiden voyage for all involved, and I'm sure this won't be the first time the "WAC" plays host to an event be it the SCAC or some high school deal. So, any thoughts or suggestions, shoot me a PM or let me know here on the board. How can we make your experience at Hendrix better?

Gus, I thought you guys did a great job hosting the tourney. 

[mcalumnifan]

I will tell you a little bit about Maryville, as I graduated from Maryville in the mid 80's.  We use to be in the ODAC and we made several LONG bus rides to Millisaps while I played football and baseball at Maryville.   I am very good friends with coach Lambert of Maryville and your comparisons about the two teams are correct on the teams.  I will say this, Maryville should be hosting a game at 24-2, but they are not.  Maryville has two full squads of equally talented 5 man teams.  You can flip a coin at which team is better within Maryvilles squad.  I have seen Maryville play this year many times.  They have many weapons.  Bowers one of their seniors played in a Division One summer basketball league (with Tennessee players) and he definitely could play in a higher division.  Maryville is very deep on the bench.  Their 12th player (Holiday is a senior) He started basically his first 3 years at Maryville and now he is not in the first two squad rotation.  He could start (no question) for most D3 schools.  Coach Lambert is one of the best coaches in the nation.  Two year's ago he was one of the final three coaches to be considered and interviewed as Bruce Pearl's assistant coach for the Number One ranked Tennessee Volunteers.  Maryville did try several times to reschedule with Centre after the tragic death of one of their football coaches.  But honestly who would take a chance of losing a game to a very good team in Maryville and hurting Centre's record?  No one.  As you can see from Maryville's game this season and common teams Milsaps, Centre and Maryville have played; Maryville will beat teams badly by 50 points like the Rust score at Rust in MISSISSIPPI or win or loss by just a few points.  I believe (being partial) Maryville will win the first round game  (like they have over a majority of the past 10 years) and this year I believe they will win the second round.  Last year they did beat Mary Hardin in the first round (In Mississippi).  I believe they will get to the sweet sixteen.  Milsaps will definitely have the home court advantage, because not many Maryville supporters will drive 500 miles to see the game. 

Good Luck

[frank_ezelle]

Thanks for that extensive look at the Maryville team.  Millsaps obviously has a very good team as well at 25-3 with one of those losses being against a D1 team.  It sounds like Maryville tries to overwhelm teams with both talent and numbers, not much different from the Mississippi College style of play. 

While Millsaps does many things well, their key to the season has been taking care of the ball and sharing the ball.  The two point guards on the team rank 1 and 2 in the SCAC in assist to turnover ratio.  I'm sure that Maryville will come with a lot of pressure to create turnovers and it seems like the biggest factor might be how Millsaps handles that pressure.  It won't hurt if Millsaps has one of those 50% or higher games from long range, something they have done on occasion during the season. 

While there is added excitement/pressure for every team as they start NCAA Tournament play, I think Maryville has the advantage of NCAA play being the norm for the team.  Hopefully, the fact that Millsaps played 3 must win games last weekend will help them get acclimated to the added pressure of this weekend.  In a way, there's less pressure playing in the NCAA Tournament than the pressure Millsaps face in getting to the tournament.

[golden_dome]

Frank,  Congratulations on a great season for the Majors, should be a great atmosphere for you guys this weekend. I'm not sure who I would pick to win that regional, but I've had an opportunity to see UMHB, Maryville and Millsaps the last two years.  I can't really tell you much about Maryville this year because they overhauled their roster, but I've watched them four times in the last six years including the last two in Clinton. They will be extremely well-coached and will not turn the ball over. I remember Bowers from last year but he did not have a good regional. He played a different role on that team though and wasn't the first option.

The teams they've had the last two years were more like Trinity this year than MS College. They easily beat UMHB last year and Trinity the year before in the "Golden Dome" in first round games, but lost to the Choctaws by 20 each year in the second round. I thought MS College's athleticism gave them problems in each game. Millsaps has a similiar athleticism but you guys shoot a lot more 3's than we did. I would be tempted to pick the Majors, especially if you shoot the 3 well, but Maryville's string of first round wins is impressive and they will probably not allow a lot of open looks. Should be a great game.

UMHB is a good blend of athleticism and size, probably more balanced than Millsaps or Maryville. They have a very tough team this year, certainly better than the team Maryville beat last year. They added a 6'6"-6'7" wing player in Tillman Gaddy who was "Newcomer of the Year" in the ASC and is a matchup problem. They also added guard Jason Wagner who was a first team All-ASC selection in the West Division. I think they win easily in the first round and will have an edge in the second because I expect Millsaps-Maryville to be a great game.

It's hard to pick a winner in that regional though, three teams who've all enjoyed great seasons with different styles of play. I don't know much about Fontbonne, but the Maryville (MO) team that the Choctaws played two years ago from the same conference was not great, we beat them 88-58. It would be hard to pick against the home team though, it's a huge advantage in the tournament.