MBB: USA South Conference

[Dixie Fan]

http://www.usasouth.net/aotw/2015-16/2-1-16pow

How about Ferrum this week! Went 2-1 and have knocked off both LaGrange and Maryville at home this season. One of the rookies even got some love, see above link.  This league is full of parity. It is anyone's tournament win. 

[scottiedoug]

Hey Grubby:  What happened to Colt Nokes?  He did not play against either Methodist or Greensboro.  Fortunately, both Scales and Howard for Greensboro are seniors!

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

For the third consecutive year, Hoopsville will air for 12 hours as the regular season enters the final four weeks. Dave McHugh will chat with coaches, administrators, student-athletes, and others involved in Division III basketball from around the country. Other guests will include those who have Division III roots or appreciate the division and the game along with the student-athletes who play the sport.

Hoopsville will air from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (and maybe later) on Thursday, February 4 live from the WBCA/NABC Studio. You can see what guests are scheduled, get more information, and watch the show here: http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2015-16/feb4

You can also read the press release about the show: http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/hoopsville-marathon-2016

Here is the guest list as we speak. All times are Eastern and subject to change. Additional guests to be added if and when necessary:


   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Time	Guest	School
10:15am	Connie Tilley	St. Norbert (WBB) - WBCA Center Court
10:40am	Jamie Purdy	Peidmont (WBB)
11:00am	Keri Carollo	UW-Whitewater (WBB) - Nat'l Committee Chair
11:20am	Brent Pollari	Saint Mary's (Minn.) (WBB)
11:40am	Kent Madsen	No. 21 Wheaton (Ill.) (WBB)
12:00pm	Russell Loyd	Rose-Hulman (MBB)
12:20pm	Kevin Broderick	Nazareth (MBB)
12:40pm	Justin Scott	Arcadia (MBB)
1:00pm	Sam Hargraves	No. 12 Alma (MBB)
1:20pm	Lenny Reich	Mount Union (SID)
1:40pm	Maureen Webster	Clarkson (WBB)
2:00pm	Betsy Witman	York (Pa.) (WBB)
2:20pm	Sara Lee	Denison (WBB)
2:40pm	Klay Kneuppel	Wisconsin Lutheran (MBB)
3:00pm	Brian Van Haaften	Buena Vista (MBB) - Nat'l Committee Chair
3:30pm	Sydney Moss	No. 1 Thomas More (WBB)
3:45pm	Aaron Rousell	Bucknell (WBB) - former Chicago coach
4:00pm	Tim Shanahan	Staten Island (WBB)
4:20	Pat Cunningham	Trinity (Texas) (MBB) - NABC Coach's Corner
4:50pm	Bubba Smith	Sewanee (MBB)
5:15pm	Ben Strong	Former Guilford All-American
5:30pm	Kevin Connors	ESPN SportsCenter Anchor - Ithaca alumnus
6:00pm	Kristen Dowling	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (WBB)
6:20pm	Allison Coleman	Sage (WBB)
6:40pm	Landry Kosmalski	Swarthmore (MBB)
7:00pm	Dave Niland	No. 23 Penn State-Behrend (MBB)
7:20pm	Aaron Galletta	Lasell (MBB)
7:40pm	John Baron	Gwynedd-Mercy (MBB)
8:00pm
8:20pm
8:40pm	Melissa Hodgdon	Wheaton (Mass.) (WBB)
9:00pm	G.P. Gromacki	No. 2 Amherst (WBB)
9:20pm	James Wagner
9:40pm	HAPPY HOUR	Free-for-all of calls, tweets, and fun!

We hope to get at least the full show on a podcast, or several podcast, during the on Friday. You can find it here:
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087

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

And a reminder the Hoopsville Fundraising Project has begun yet again. Please consider helping us cover Division III basketball the way it deserves to be covered. If you can not donate, please don't worry about - we understand. At least share the campaign with anyone you think might be interested: http://igg.me/at/hoopsville-fundraiser/x/6029509

Also, if you know any advertisers interested in promoting their company or products on the show, send them our way: hoopsville@d3hoops.com

Thanks!

[batteredbard]

I think parity is the word for the men's side of USA South this year.
Most conference brackets have one team with a six or eight seed that no one wants to play, I don't think there's going to be a better seeded team in the USAC comfortable with their pairing when this is said and done.

To weigh in on the ongoing ... discussion ... on the poll voting:
As someone who had a vote for a couple of seasons while covering the South Region, Dave is dead on. There is a ton of information to sort through even with the capsule summaries of who won against who in the last week. If anything I think I tended to lean away from the South if I was in doubt if a team was a 17 or a 20, and many times found the voters from other regions had thought better of the South team than I had when the poll came out and that team was a 15 or 16 that week.

I think most conscientious poll voters realize they may have a regional bias and if anything overcompensate for it by being harder on teams they know well than they are on the ones they only know from streaming or stat sheets in the dark old days of the green screens and VAX.

As I haven't posted these up this season, here are a couple links. be judicious, it's five free stories in a 30-day time period.

Averett 78, MC 75   http://www.thedailytimes.com/sports/scots-comeback-bid-falls-short-against-averett/article_498f9e23-ca46-57d9-9956-332cbfcdb7ab.html

Methodist 91, MC 76   http://www.thedailytimes.com/sports/methodist-storms-back-to-down-mc-men/article_cf1b20c5-22e6-5d72-8b2b-11a4386df01a.html

Greensboro 91, MC 76  http://www.thedailytimes.com/sports/scots-slide-continues-with-home-loss-to-greensboro/article_a4ca749a-96c2-573b-836a-05b5993edfe2.html

Covenenat 91, MC 87: http://www.thedailytimes.com/sports/covenant-knocks-off-maryville-men/article_db07bdea-105e-5808-852f-b919e0a616ee.html

[scottiedoug]

Thanks, BB.  How come you are so scarce in the Daily Times these days?  I miss your work.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Regional Rankings: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2016/02/10/first-2016-regional-rankings-released-today/

[scottiedoug]

Hey Grubby One:

Do you still look forward to the tournament?  Seems like anyone can beat anyone, mostly.

[bballlover]

Proud of my Lions. Two big road wins.

[scottiedoug]

Wednesday should be interesting!

[bballlover]

I agree. Both teams seem to have righted the ship this past weekend. A win will make a difference in post season seeding. Assuming both teams are in.

[scottiedoug]

How many teams get in the men's tournament? Maryville may have played themselves out....

[bballlover]

I'm thinking eight. If so, the way I see it Maryville must beat Covenant and William Peace must lose. Unless there is a three way tie and then I have no idea.

[Ben Stein Fan]

Sorry, gentlemen that I have been away for a while.  I have moved and have been traveling for work which always makes for little time to post.  Luckily, I will have some downtown this week to hopefully enjoy some USA South Basketball.  I am intrigued by these first round match-ups. While I am always interested in watching LaGrange College play, I am looking forward to the Averett/NC Wesleyan game.  This game exemplifies how even all eight teams are heading into the tournament.  If I had said at the beginning of conference play that Averett would have a losing conference record and be the 8th seed, we would have all been shocked.  To me, it won't be an upset if Averett wins this game but will be, based on the seeding.

Coach Wallace will have these guys ready for tournament time.  I think the rotation is set, and Mark Wagner and Justyn Olsen seemed primed to defend the USA South Conference Tournament Championship belt.  These guys will not go down without a fight, and I expect Ferrum to give them all they can handle.

I am shocked, yes shocked, that Maryville did not make the conference tournament.  Again, that shows how tough this conference is and how little respect it gets by the MSM (D3 Hoops.com).  Maryville is a very good team that had a pretty good pre-conference record against some quality foes.   Will the Maryville fans pull for LaGrange College or does it hurt too much to know that the apprentice has now become the Master?

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Final public regional rankings are out: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2016/02/24/third-ncaa-regional-ranking/

[scottiedoug]

I can speak only for myself but I am absolutely pulling for LaGrange, which as you know lost twice to the Master. If Logan Brewer had not been out the last two games with a broken wrist, the Scots might have made the field.

If Maryville can keep this bunch of young'uns together next year (and find some big people), the worm may turn.