BB: SCAC: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[frank_ezelle]

Josh--I'm glad you said the thread was interesting because I feared that I was being long-winded and repetitive.  I can do that at times.  Counting all D3 games instead of just in-region would open up the Texas area and Northern teams that travel for Millsaps.  That would have been 3-0 this year.

Doc--I'm also glad that I haven't bored you and you are 100% right about the academics (and the financial) coming first.  I'm glad that the schools find the budget to let the teams play and travel as much as they do.  In the case of Millsaps, there are individuals who help supplement that budget and I bet that is true at many schools.

Ralph--Good point about the in-region record prior to the NCAA Tournament.  For the record, Millsaps was a Pool C last year.  Trinity and Millsaps were facing a late Sunday game in terrible weather to decided the AQ and they decided to call it a tie for the championship with Trinity getting the automatic bid.  Millsaps was ranked #1 in the South on QOWI at the time so it was basically a certainty that they would get a bid.

The difference on the in-region records vs. overall record between 2006 and 2007 is that the 2006 team did poorly out of region but that didn't hurt their QOWI and the 2007 team did well against out of region teams but that didn't help them.  I guess we will just have to wait and see where the line is drawn and how the remaining handful of games play out.

[Ralph Turner]

Thanks for the info on the "co-championship".

What might really help the ASC and SCAC would be for Millsaps to be moved to the West Evaluation Region so all of those games versus ETBU, LeTU and other ASC teams would be in-region, but your teams in Adminstrative Region #3, MI, IN, OH, WV, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, AR, TN and KY would be in-region as well.

Of course, then you are trading the Capital AC, the USAC and Emory for the NWC, the ASC, and Chapman.   

[frank_ezelle]

Just like John Madden, the Millsaps baseball team doesn't fly (unless the NCAA wants to foot the bill to send them to a regional).  The bus ride between Millsaps and Chapman is 1,830 miles--do you think the teams could just agree to meet midways and play in Van Horn, TX?

[Josh Bowerman]

I've been to Van Horn.  You really don't want to do that.   

[Ralph Turner]

I've been to Van Horn.  You really don't want to do that.   

Coach Holmes grew up in Van Horn! 
You better watch it!

[Josh Bowerman]

He left, didn't he?   

[Ralph Turner]

He left, didn't he?   

[Gray Fox]

Just like John Madden, the Millsaps baseball team doesn't fly (unless the NCAA wants to foot the bill to send them to a regional).  The bus ride between Millsaps and Chapman is 1,830 miles--do you think the teams could just agree to meet midways and play in Van Horn, TX?

The famous John Madden Haul of Fame is located in downtown Van Horn.  I am a "regular".   It sounds like the perfect place to meet.

http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/content/metro/stories/archive/curiosities/kelso_madden.html

[frank_ezelle]

What are the odds that I would reference John Madden and Van Horn, TX in a post and there would actually be a connection between the two?  I'm taking this longshot coincidence as a positive omen that Millsaps will beat the odds (created by the QOWI) and will get an at-large bid.

I look forward to the NCAA rankings that come out this afternoon.  I have been contending for a week that Millsaps should be ahead of Rhodes by the slightest of margins and hopefully some of the other South Region teams will have dropped due to their losses since the last rankings were posted.

[frank_ezelle]

Here's a story about a couple of Millsaps players getting recognized by ESPN for their combination of academic and athletic achievements.  Congratulations to John Pacillo and Hunter Abrams.

"Millsaps senior outfielder John Pacillo and junior infielder Hunter Abrams have been named to the 2006-07 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI First Team as voted upon by more than 1,800 members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)......" 

Read more of the story at:  http://www.millsaps.edu/athletic/baseball/051007story.shtml

[Pat Coleman]

Recognized by CoSIDA. ESPN just sponsors it.

[Gray Fox]

What are the odds that I would reference John Madden and Van Horn, TX in a post and there would actually be a connection between the two?  I'm taking this longshot coincidence as a positive omen that Millsaps will beat the odds (created by the QOWI) and will get an at-large bid.

I look forward to the NCAA rankings that come out this afternoon.  I have been contending for a week that Millsaps should be ahead of Rhodes by the slightest of margins and hopefully some of the other South Region teams will have dropped due to their losses since the last rankings were posted.

I think the real long shot is that Ralph didn't post this.  He knows everything about west Texas.

[Pat Coleman]

Regional rankings are out:
http://www.d3sports.com/dailydose/2007/05/10/ncaa-regional-rankings-third-release/

[Doc Nelson]

I'm don't pretend to know how to translate these new rankings into Pool C selections, but surely it's significant that Rhodes is 5-2 against teams that routank it (1-1 against Emory and Millsaps, 1-0 against Wash U, Illinois Wesleyan, and Methodist).  On the face of it, isn't there a good case to be made for both Rhodes and Millsaps?

[Spence]

The only thing I'd take from it is it seems very likely that Methodist would be selected for Pool C ahead of Millsaps or Rhodes. Washington may go in as a Pool B and not even be in competition with Rhodes for a bid.

Check out the Pool C thread on the national topics board for my breakdown on the new region rankings.