MBB: USA South Conference

[scottiedoug]

This conversation is more fun than co  mmenting on how relatively non-competitive the USASouth is!   We shall see!

[Ben Stein Fan]

I made my first road trip to Covenant yesterday to see Lagrange take on the other Scots.  LaGrange was lucky that their game was scheduled over the winter break.  The gym was about 40% full with hardly any students and it was LOUD at times.  Had the gym been packed with students we might have had a different outcome. 

LC dominated the first half and took the gas off the pedal and Covenant made a furious run in the 2nd half.  Not to look past Milsaps, but I am looking forward to LC's game against Maryville next Saturday. 

[Ben Stein Fan]

Ferrum downs Maryville to hand the Scots their first USAC loss of the year.  I streamed the game and it looks like Ferrum is another legit USAC team.  The conference is very good and I am looking forward to the first regional rankings to see if our perception of the conference matches those of NCAA and D3Hoops.

[Ben Stein Fan]

Maryville leads LC 33-32 at the half.  Honestly with the foul differential in Maryville's favor this game shouldn't be this close.  Luckily, LaGrange has found a way to keep it close.  Hopefully, LaGrange can have a big second half and get a much-needed road conference victory.

[scottiedoug]

Second half Maryville pretty much closed the door on LaGrange and got themselves untracked on offense. Spencer Shoffner was a everywhere and Logan Brewer was great...seniors leading like they are supposed to. I am sure the return game will be interesting! 

[mattgrubb]

It was a lot of fun tonight. Like a night in Paris under the Eiffel Tower   Always great to see Wallace and Greal. Some of the key things Murvul did tonight were shoot the lights out and make sure Wagner had a hurt wrist. Coach Wallace needs to go Bob Huggins and wear the pullover while coaching. So many benefits such as moisture management and more pliable so his lungs can fill more and he can yell louder.  Mike white didn't disappoint. He threw MC guys to the floor with both hands at least twice then looked at the refs with a shocked look. Very veteran. JO was lack luster and no one else really stood out for LC. They fought hard in the first half but MC just wouldn't miss in the 2nd half. Can't really coach around a team that doesn't miss.  Wagner was the reliable senior who is fun to watch b/c his fundamentals are that of an excellent D3 basketball player.

MC guys were tough. Rebounded really well. #11 Eddie Murphy had back to back threes against a zone LC tried to play. Shoffner tried to show he could play with the big boys as some MC legends were in attendance including Kelvin Richardson, Bill Padgett, and Chris Housewright. Shoffner shot the ball well and put in a Jason Poag type performance. Coach Placeres did an all around great job. Apparently he lit a fire under Brewer who travelled on his 3rd and only REAL dunk of the night.  Logan needs to bring this intensity every night as he alone is the difference in this team being a good USASC team and a good south region team. The duo of Shoffner and Brewer is good enough to lead this team the NCAA tourney if they want it. J-Bo Garcia was steady and flashy as always.  Spicer seemed to be in a little bit of a funk tonight but he has a lot of pressure and stress on him as he is everyone's Daddy.  Everyone needs to rewatch the web cast and listen for the soon to be famous chubby kid chuckle from MC commentator Kris Sigmund.  Did I mention anything bout Coach Lambert?  Was he there?  Did he actually beat Wallace?  Yes he was there and showed his protégé that the veteran still has some tricks up his sleeve.

It was a great night to be at Boydson Baird and it will be a very very intense night in Feb in Lagrange when they meet again. LC will give their signature intense man to man pressure and give up on the zone stuff. Tonight was a matchup of 2 good D3 teams that need to be watched by the regional committee. Not saying either team is at the peak yet but there was some good basketball in Boydson Baird as if it was the turn of the millennium.

And if anyone hasn't figured it out, HasselShoff is POY in this conference. That guy makes it rain and has great hair. Wagner is an all conference player.  Again great hair and rock solid fundamentals. Brewer might be all conference. Hoppa will be a 2 time all conference performer and so will Nokes. The future is super bright for this crew.  My COY award is still undecided as I think the award needs to be opened up to assistants as Greal and Placeres are icons and a good part of the reason the place was packed.  Well 40% of the people there were there to see them.

I sure hope the USASOUTH/Nick Mitchell Tourney is in Murvul so we can make that place rock and get real real weird. GO Scots!!!

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Believe it or not, but we are pretty much halfway through the 2015-16 season and there are plenty of teams still surprising and records being rewritten.

Tonight on Hoopsville we chat with the fourth person to reach the 900 wins in men's college basketball, a woman who keeps herself very busy even when she isn't coaching, and several other teams who are surprising everyone by leading their conference races.

Hoopsville hits the air at 7:00 PM ET and you can watch it here: www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2015-16/jan10

Guests include ( in order):
- Glenn Robinson, #17 F&M men's coach - won career game 900 Saturday
- Pat Manning, #18 Williams women's coach - WBCA Center Court segment
- Amanda Crockett, North Park women's coach
- Mac Brown, New Jersey City men's coach
- Kendal Wallace, LaGrange men's coach

You can tune into the podcast after the show airs here::
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087

And don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com
Twitter: @d3hoopsville or #Hoopsville
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville
Email: hoopsville@d3hoops.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/d3hoopsville

[scottiedoug]

Mr.   Grubby's description of Saturday seems pretty accurate.  He left out how much fun it was for a stranger to show up in the women's game wearing a Scot uniform and throwing down 29 points as the women dispatched LaGrange and set the tone for the day.

[Ben Stein Fan]

It was like LaGrange decided not to play that game.  It was a truly sad day to be a Panther fan.  Luckily, we will get a rematch in LaGrange. 

Mike White needs to learn not to complain so much.  He needs to funnel that emotion on the court and not direct towards the officials. 

[scottiedoug]

Mike White is a senior.  Grubby thinks he has been playing for the Panthers for a decade.  I bet he has learned what he is going to learn about these matters.

Rematch should be fun.  Lots will have happened by then that will set the stage but the rivalry will be there no matter what the standings are by then.

It is good that this is becoming a conference.

[mattgrubb]

Not a single vote for a USASC team in the new top 25 poll and the biggest reason is the averett loss to Va Wesleyan or the Murvul loss to BSC or the LC loss to Lynchburg.

Dang.  And only one ODAC team ranked Roanoke. It's tough being in the south region this year.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

It is really tough to nail it down to 25 teams. I have been doing this a long time and I feel every week like I am searching for teams to replace teams I thought were the right ones... or worse, replacing the ones I thought were good who clearly didn't add up after a few weeks.

[Ben Stein Fan]

Not a single vote for a USASC team in the new top 25 poll and the biggest reason is the averett loss to Va Wesleyan or the Murvul loss to BSC or the LC loss to Lynchburg.

Dang.  And only one ODAC team ranked Roanoke. It's tough being in the south region this year.

Most teams have one bad loss, and the USA South is 10th in non-conference games out of 44 conferences.  That isn't enough for a ranking.  The problem is the South has very few votes and no one from the East or Midwest is going to vote for Southern teams that they don't play or have never seen play.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Not a single vote for a USASC team in the new top 25 poll and the biggest reason is the averett loss to Va Wesleyan or the Murvul loss to BSC or the LC loss to Lynchburg.

Dang.  And only one ODAC team ranked Roanoke. It's tough being in the south region this year.

Most teams have one bad loss, and the USA South is 10th in non-conference games out of 44 conferences.  That isn't enough for a ranking.  The problem is the South has very few votes and no one from the East or Midwest is going to vote for Southern teams that they don't play or have never seen play.

Well... that's not exactly how the poll actually bears out. There are 24 voters representing each of the eight regions - three voters a region - and Pat Coleman makes up the 25th. I have found that MANY voters take on a very national approach and do their best to actually watch games around the country to better understand teams. I know of Midwest and East voters who will absolutely vote for Southern teams maybe more than they will vote for their own, believe it or not.

[scottiedoug]

Come on, Dave!  How can we feel persecuted if you introduce actual information into our conversations?