MBB: USA South Conference

narch · January 10, 2013, 02:08:58 PM

Quote from: JRitt on January 08, 2013, 09:30:55 AMI have seen every team play except Lagrange now in the conference. ...This is going to be an interesting last 6 weeks of conference play. The USA Conference is stronger this year and by no means is anyone 2-7 safe!! CNU is the best team in the conference.

i haven't seen nearly as many usasac games as you have this year, but based on ooc results, i can't agree with the statement that the usasac is stronger this year...in fact, what i've heard from folks that i know and trust is that this might be one of the worst years for the conference as a whole - there are 4 teams with winning ooc records (cnu, lagrange, gc and ncwc), but for the most part, gc and ncwc didn't play anyone that mattered in their non-conference schedule...wins over barber scotia, montreat, and a bunch of bible schools don't tell us much about the strength of the conference - add to that the fact that one of our teams was 0-7 (and might have been oh-for-the-season) and had to cancel the season...that doesn't equate to any semblance of strength, in my mind - that being said, i agree with your statement that it will be interesting - the simple fact that the monarchs, who are not very good AND who lost their leading scorer at the break, have gone 4-2 over their last six games is somewhat surprising to me...ncwc beating cnu last night? i wouldn't have called that one after the bishops started conference play 0-3...this clearly seems like it is shaping up to be a competitive season, even if the overall quality of play is disputable

hasanova · January 10, 2013, 02:45:10 PM

Unlike Grinnell's Taylor, all of NCWC's Givens' 50 points were needed to best CNU in 2OTs. I can get excited about a great scoring game such as this one by the Bishops and Captains. Nice job!

scottiedoug · January 10, 2013, 11:16:08 PM

Givens is for real and he can get/keep the Bishops in any game they'll be playing. Maybe none of these teams is good enough to dominate inside the conference or beat the good ODAC teams, but it does seem competitive within the USASouth, at least in the top half.

HEELMAN31 · January 11, 2013, 02:54:11 PM

I'm wondering when MU will finally shut down the "good ole boy" network and hire a real men's basketball coach that doesn't play favorites and really wants to win basketball games.

Pat Coleman · January 11, 2013, 03:01:42 PM

Quote from: HEELMAN31 on January 11, 2013, 02:54:11 PM
I'm wondering when MU will finally shut down the "good ole boy" network and hire a real men's basketball coach that doesn't play favorites and really wants to win basketball games.

Coming out of the gate with guns blazing might not be the best way to have a serious conversation, but welcome to the board anyway.

narch · January 11, 2013, 10:46:57 PM

Quote from: HEELMAN31 on January 11, 2013, 02:54:11 PM
I'm wondering when MU will finally shut down the "good ole boy" network and hire a real men's basketball coach that doesn't play favorites and really wants to win basketball games.

heelman - while i understand the frustration of the last few years, it's important to keep perspective

that same "good ole boy" network brought a lot of success for the monarchs early on in coach smith's career - coach smith is in his 14th season at mu - during his first 7 years, the monarchs went 104-83 (.556) overall and 61-28 (.678) in conference - they had 5 winning seasons overall and 6 winning seasons in conference - throw in a couple of ncaa tournament appearances and 6 first team all-conference players, and the first seven years of his career were very solid

the last 6.5 years haven't been as good, though - 64-107 overall (.376) and 33-43 (.434) in conference - 1 winning season overall and in conference and only 1 first team all conference player

rather than call for someone's job - he does need to put food on the table - i hope that coach smith can find that magic that he had in the first 7 years and turn things around...he's a mu graduate and he has had a lot of success

but i'm with you...something needs to happen - the last 5 years have not been what mu basketball should be

HEELMAN31 · January 12, 2013, 10:59:53 AM

I agree, in those early years, any coach could have just rolled the ball out on the court and won with the kind of talent that was on those teams. In recent years, the talent level has gone down obviously and the discipline is not there. There has to be a reason why those talented players aren't coming to MU anymore and i'm sorry it starts at the top. Any player wants to play for someone with enthusiasm and desire, i just don't see it, guns blazing or not, the truth will set you free.

narch · January 13, 2013, 09:04:02 PM

Quote from: HEELMAN31 on January 12, 2013, 10:59:53 AM
I agree, in those early years, any coach could have just rolled the ball out on the court and won with the kind of talent that was on those teams. In recent years, the talent level has gone down obviously and the discipline is not there. There has to be a reason why those talented players aren't coming to MU anymore and i'm sorry it starts at the top. Any player wants to play for someone with enthusiasm and desire, i just don't see it, guns blazing or not, the truth will set you free.

fair enough...there is no doubt there was a lot of talent early on - i don't share calling for someone to be let go, but i think we share the opinion that the results we're seeing isn't what mu is capable of

narch · January 16, 2013, 10:03:13 PM

the monarchs get a nice win vs. ncwc tonight, 85-82 - three frosh (keemon ingram, johnel jones and brandon monk) stepped up for the green & gold, scoring a combined 57 points on 20-30 shooting - givens had 20 points, but took 23 shots to get them...

mu "improves" to 6-8, 3-2

narch · January 17, 2013, 12:23:16 PM

video of the buzzer-beating, game winning 3 from monk last night...pretty nice crowd - big shot for the frosh...

http://youtu.be/as4y5n2DXS0

mattgrubb · January 17, 2013, 12:27:33 PM

Heelman31 and narch
so you all are wanting Montrell McNair back on the roster?

Good win for the scots last night against the scots. Murvul played well but I think it was an obvious exhibition of Murvul's superior talent over Covenant. The other great lesson was that Covenant has Senior s that know how to take care of business and that is why their record is better than Murvul's. You can't teach experience and Murvul basically had none last night, but they got a nice victory and had fun doing it.

batteredbard · January 17, 2013, 06:05:40 PM

Daily Times story on MC win over Covenant
http://www.thedailytimes.com/Sports_News/story/Maryville-comes-out-on-top-in-battle-of-Scots-id-032034

Bad news out of the game was that Wes Lambert appears to be out for a few games and Craig Raye out indefinitely with an eye injury. So the lone senior and the junior with the most court time are on bench. That makes this young Maryville team, even younger and more unpredictable.

I could easily see them winning one of the two road games this weekend by 20 and dropping the other by 30 and couldn't tell you if its Wesleyan or CNU that's the more likely loss, just that up in the air and volatile. When they click, they are as good as anyone and when they don't the wheels can can come off pretty fast. Which makes each game a fun adventure for the guy writing about it but my sympathies to the coaching staff. If Raul had any hair left, I believe he'd have pulled it all out.

ALSO
I think the Piedmont thing has killed any discussion on the conference strength or weakness this season. Pat may have better grasp on this than I do, but the format for USAC play this season with 9 teams was everyone plays everyone twice. Piedmont didn't play a single conference game. The league slate is now 14 games and while some folks have found a makeup opponent or two, most haven't. The majority of league teams will end up with 23 game schedules which will hurt win totals, stats etc as the NCAA doesn't recognize a forfeit.
I don't see anyway that this isn't a tourney-winner-is-it season for the dance.

Which is just the opposite of the women's side where I see three viable tourney teams — Maryville, CNU, Ferrum — and don't think they can get more than two bids.

Pat Coleman · January 17, 2013, 09:01:29 PM

It's a good thing Piedmont didn't play anyone in the conference. Saves the USAC from having to invalidate those wins for conference standings, or balance them out for teams that didn't get to play them. And nobody in the league has to take that strength of schedule hit from playing them.

narch · January 17, 2013, 10:34:41 PM

Quote from: mattgrubb on January 17, 2013, 12:27:33 PM
Heelman31 and narch
so you all are wanting Montrell McNair back on the roster?

montrell could ball out...there isn't a team in the country that wouldn't want him (in his prime, of course) on it's roster...best pure scorer that i've ever seen in the green & gold

scottiedoug · January 19, 2013, 06:04:22 PM

Just watched on the web CNU beat Maryville 79-71. Scots are getting better and CNU coach said on postgame that he's not looking forward to having to play MC later in the year. Some of us Scotsfans have been hoping the year would see improvement as the young'uns get more experience and time being coached well, and I think we were right. CNU is tough, though. Should be fun at the tournament if Murvul keeps getting better.