Posters' Poll

[John Gleich]

Oshkosh may have the advantage.  They're leading the conference right now, and they have the other conference leader, Point, at their place tomorrow.  Also, their last 3 games are at home, which should be to their advantage.

Depending what happens in Oshkosh tomorrow, Point may be looking good, or may not.  If the Pointers win, then they get a "day off" from the conference, and they can rest by going to Edgewood for their last non-con.  Then they go to EC, and after that, focus on La Crosse and Whitewater.  Point really has a pretty tough schedule, with four tough games in a row (home vs. La X, and WW, away at Stout and Platte).  Because they are a relatively young team, we will really see the job Semling has done and see if they can keep it together for the entire season.  (I'm hoping so!)  If Point loses to Oshkosh tomorrow, then I think their season has the potential to unwind, especially during that string of 4 tough games.

Whitewater is on a 2 game slide right now, but they've got 4 more home games in a row (one non-con).  If they can take care of those, they'll be in a pretty good spot, but 4 of their last 5 are on the road, and it's tough to travel in Wisconsin in February.  They also have an additional game to play because of their bye, and with the non-con game, they've got 3 games in 4 days at the end of Feb.  They're all at home, but the conference games are against LaX and Stout.

Stout has 3 straight home games in Feb, two against contenders, but they end their reg season at La Crosse.  This game has the potential to have HUGE ramifications for who wins the conference.

La Crosse has struggled a bit at home and done better on the road, and they'll be tested with the next two games on the road.  They probably have the most "even" schedule of the contenders because they play hom/away/home/away etc towards the end of the year.

All told, I think Oshkosh or Stout end up with the conference title.  All of the other teams have tougher paths to the conference title.

In all likelyhood, I'm very wrong.  The WIAC has a way of bucking trends and defying conventions.  The "bottom 3" will likely win some games and throw a wrench in the mess.  I still think that Platteville is almost a contender... if they get hot, and can win the rest of their games, then they've got a shot, but if they lose another, they're pretty much done.  They still can play spoiler, I think, and a loss to Platteville may mean the doom of any of the top 5.

[Ralph Turner]

WIAC fans, Point mentioned Platteville.

The inter-region games are always interesting.  As I look at the area around Chicago and Wisconsin, I see multiple conferences and plenty of opportunites to boost your own record on the backs of weaker programs,

Was the Platteville 85-88 loss to Concordia-Austin (3-12 overall) on December 31st a fluke?  Did they have a let down after the win over UMHB?  Just trying to find out how good Platteville is...

http://www.d3hoops.com/releases.php?release=43470

Do Wisconsin schools not handle uptempo well?

Thanks.

[John Gleich]

Platteville's tough to figure out.  I mean, they ...  hanged?  hung?    ...  I think they hung with Robert Morris (Chicago), beat MH-B, beat UWSP (ending a 29 game home winning streak), they beat Elmhurst, they hung with Stout (twice, second time was in OT) Whitewater and Oshkosh.  Now, all three of the conference losses to those teams WERE at home (well, the first one was at Stout)... but Platteville has been right in those games.

I think they've played one of the tougher schedules in the conference.  RM-Chi, Elmhurst, and MH-B are three of the better opponents schedules for teams in the WIAC.

I think (clearly, you're replying to my post!) that Platteville will have some say in who comes out of the WIAC.  I haven't seen them play (I missed this second to last game when Point lost to Platte at home), so someone else may be a better judge, but I think they have the potential to pinch some teams that might look past them.

[David Collinge]

[...]I think they have the potential to pinch some teams that might look past them.

My, how cheeky!  I expect they'd get slapped if they tried it, though.  Fresh! 

[Mr. Ypsi]

[...]I think they have the potential to pinch some teams that might look past them.

My, how cheeky!  I expect they'd get slapped if they tried it, though.  Fresh! 

Nice riposte, David (still avoiding studying for the Bar, I see!).

I was just about to copy PS, then edit down to the same phrase, so I'll copy your copy instead!

PS, isn't that true of ANY WIAC team (except probably Superior, and perhaps RF this year)?!  It's true of at least 7 of the 8 CCIW teams - overlook them and die!  I would think that for AT LEAST 7 of the 9 WIAC teams it is the case that if you take them for granted, you're gonna regret it!

[Ralph Turner]

Platteville's tough to figure out.  I mean, they ...  hanged?  hung?    ...  I think they hung with Robert Morris (Chicago), beat MH-B, beat UWSP (ending a 29 game home winning streak), they beat Elmhurst, they hung with Stout (twice, second time was in OT) Whitewater and Oshkosh.  Now, all three of the conference losses to those teams WERE at home (well, the first one was at Stout)... but Platteville has been right in those games.

I think they've played one of the tougher schedules in the conference.  RM-Chi, Elmhurst, and MH-B are three of the better opponents schedules for teams in the WIAC.

I think (clearly, you're replying to my post!) that Platteville will have some say in who comes out of the WIAC.  I haven't seen them play (I missed this second to last game when Point lost to Platte at home), so someone else may be a better judge, but I think they have the potential to pinch some teams that might look past them.

Point, thanks.  UMHB, the pre-season pick to win the ASC-West, failed to get any votes in the D3Hoops.com Pre-season Poll.  UMHB lost at D1 McNeese State 63-68 on opening night and then at UOzarks the next week.  They have not received a Top 25 vote all year.

Thank you for the props to the ASC and UMHB.  The ASC has 9 wins, 11 losses and 5 byes (one Elite 8 and 4 Sweet 16's) in the NCAA playoffs since 1998.  The South Region is a rather average region, maybe 4th or 5th strongest, ahead of the NE, the East, the Mid-Atlantic and maybe tied with the NJAC, er, Atlantic Reigon.

The WIAC and the ASC have had a good relationship in football, and with the migration of Austin College to the SCAC, the ASC football teams will need non-conference games.  I would hope to see a similar relationship in basketball.

[John Gleich]

[...]I think they have the potential to pinch some teams that might look past them.

My, how cheeky!  I expect they'd get slapped if they tried it, though.  Fresh! 

Pinch, slap, catch with their pants down... it's all the same 

And Ypsi, yes, of course you need to watch out for ALL the WIAC teams.  I mean, I expect that BOTH River Falls and Eau Claire will factor in, in some way or another (and it isn't necessarily by BEATING a team... they may tire a team out by taking them to OT, which leads to a loss... the rigors of the WIAC, rearing its ugly head?).  My point about Platteville is that they have the potential of knocking off one, two, three, four, heck, even all FIVE of the contenders, if they get hot.  I'm not going to go so far as to predict that, but they're well coached, and I think they've shown that they have the potential (a dangerous work, but I use it nonetheless) to do well.

I saw some of the Sul Ross St./Lawrence game two years ago out in Tacoma for their Sweet 16 game OT game.  Sul Ross looked pretty darn good (I mean geez, they had something like a 16 point lead in the second half and were taken to OT and beaten).  I would have seen more but I accidentally put my fist through a locker room window trying to close it before the game (long story, I was ok... but try explaining to Coach Bennett why you've gotta get the trainer BEFORE warm-ups even start...!)

[Greek Tragedy]

PS, isn't that true of ANY WIAC team (except probably Superior, and perhaps RF this year)?! 

I thought the same thing until River Falls went into Stout and beat them.

If anything, it might be EC and Superior...but going to Superior is never a fun trip! 

[BVHawk]

The WIAC always beats up on each other.  Kind of like the Big Ten of D1...

[Knightstalker]

I really wanted to give an NJAC team a vote for number 25 this week but they are doing the same thing the WIAC is doing, beating each other up.  I figured that Ramapo, NJCU or WPU would start to pull away last week but it did not happen.  Right now the NJAC has two 7-3 teams (WPU and NJCU) Three 6-4 teams (RCNJ, RSC and RU-Newark) Three 5-5 teams (MSU, KEAN and TCNJ, one 3-7 team (Rowan) and 0-10 Rutgers Camden bringing up the rear. 

I think NJCU, WPU and Ramapo are NJAC tournament locks.  Nine of the ten teams are still in the running for the six spots in the NJAC tournament.  Typical season in NJ.

[Gregory Sager]

Sorry I couldn't contribute to this week's poll, Chuck, but my computer time has been extremely limited this week. I should be back to submit a ballot next week.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Sorry I couldn't contribute to this week's poll, Chuck, but my computer time has been extremely limited this week. I should be back to submit a ballot next week.

Simply out of curiosity, how would that 3-way tie at tenth have been broken if we had had that one more ballot?!  Would any of them have beaten Wartburg for 9th?  And would NCC have been higher than 13th?

[Greek Tragedy]

Augustana #1?

Maybe. 

They just beat Ill. Wes at the Shirk (sp?).  They have ONE loss and that was AT Stout (a ranked opponent) and have gone undefeated in the "nearly impossible to go undefeated" conference, the CCIW, which has had four teams ranked.  Wow. 

[smedindy]

Hey, the CCIW season isn't over yet! Because you said that, Augie will probably lose three of their next five.

Hard to knock my teams out from ahead of them if they keep winning, though.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

The CCIW schedule is only about half over, so its tough to give them too much credit (or much more than they are already getting).  Augie was #3 in my poll this past week.  I voted Lawrence #1; I think they've earned it so far.  I'll get to see them on Saturday, so we'll see what a face-to-face does for me.  And as much as I feel Witt is overrated, I have no evidence to back that up of yet, so they will probably remain #2 as long as they win.