WBB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[DPULefty22]

DPUlefty22...  find it interesting how you keep referring to depauw's wins as "impressive statements" etc. they are the reigning national champs, why is it so impressive and such a statement for them to handle decent teams? it may be unimpressive for them to lose, and a statment for another team to beat them, but as natl champs they are expected to have a significant winning margin.  whoop-de-doo

May I remind you of something that you yourself wrote around the start of this season? And I'm not meaning to pick on you because you were agreeing with another OU supporter, but this seemed to be the widely held opinion amongst the folks down Atlanta way in November...

Im gonna have to go with flightof thepetrel on this one and not because only did depauw lose Bondi, they lost doughty who in my opinion was the ringleader that made the team go...yes they return some good players but as close as the games were between the two teams last year, they are likely not going to be enough with OU returning everyone...in addition to a deep and impressive freshman class

So yes, I think it's fair to call DPU's wins 'statement' wins... with the statement being "Forget who we lost from last year's team. This conference belongs to US, and will until somebody knocks us off the throne."

I mean, teams just don't go to San Antonio and beat Trinity by 17 on a regular basis. If I were calling a 17-point win at Hendrix or at Centre a 'statement' win, then your comments might be closer to valid... but Trinity's really good, really tough to beat and home, and DPU hammered them in the second half.

[OUfan22]

yes there was allegations of home cooking at the depauw game...that was because the refs at the depauw game were much worse, whereas at the CC game, it wasn't as extreme....its not unusual to complain about a 33 ft attempt differential...yes 19 is pretty bad (and it wasnt because OU wasnt getting fouled "on the shot") but the home team is expected to have the advantage when it comes to the reffing at any school...  but just becuase bad reffing was commented on one game doesn't mean OU is gonna blame every loss on the refs..

[DPULefty22]

And if that's the case, then great. All I'm doing is pointing out that there's been recent precedent.

[DPU3619]

yes there was allegations of home cooking at the depauw game...that was because the refs at the depauw game were much worse, whereas at the CC game, it wasn't as extreme....its not unusual to complain about a 33 ft attempt differential...yes 19 is pretty bad (and it wasnt because OU wasnt getting fouled "on the shot") but the home team is expected to have the advantage when it comes to the reffing at any school...  but just becuase bad reffing was commented on one game doesn't mean OU is gonna blame every loss on the refs..

Well I suppose I'll have to take your word for it, then.  You had a lot better seat for the Colorado game than I did.  Heck, you had a lot better look at the officiating in Greencastle than I did.  And I was there.

[Pat Coleman]

Just out of curiosity, when will the first regional rankings come out?

Next Wednesday, February 6th.

Feb. 13, actually.

[vozdelospetrels]

Maybe I can put some stuff about referees in perspective. I am one of the biggest referee critics you will ever see, but something I've always noticed is that referees tend to call a lot of fouls against the more aggressive team, if there is one, at the start of a game. As the games progresses refs loosen or tighten the game depending on the atmosphere and attitude of the game and the individual players. For OU they are usually the aggressor, that's just their style. Now I did not see the OU vs DePauw or OU vs. CC games this season, but with the way OU plays, I know that they often struggle when games are closely called by the refs. What typically happens for OU is they see a lot of fouls early on in games when they are the clear aggressors, if the other team steps up and matches OU's aggressiveness then the fouls start getting called against both teams as the refs tighten up the calling to maintain control and OU will end the game with a lot of fouls called against them. If the other team doesn't increase their level of intensity then OU usually roles to an easy victory or the referees assume the other team just isn't aggrressive and they tend be more loose with the whistle when this happens. Additionally, The OU fans are used to looser called games, especially when at home we have have the same ref 5 to 6 times a year. Refs get used to the styles of the teams they ref most often. They are not robots and individual discretion is used in their calling of the games. Hopefully this makes sense to someone other than me, but it's something I've noticed to a certain degree and by no means am I saying that this is an absolute; only a trend I've seen.

[DPU3619]

Additionally, The OU fans are used to looser called games, especially when at home we have have the same ref 5 to 6 times a year. Refs get used to the styles of the teams they ref most often. They are not robots and individual discretion is used in their calling of the games. Hopefully this makes sense to someone other than me, but it's something I've noticed to a certain degree and by no means am I saying that this is an absolute; only a trend I've seen.

That has always been my thinking.  I've been to Dorough on 3 occassions, and I've seen highway robbery committed under the basket just about everytime down the floor.  Nothing wrong with that.  That's fine by me.  If they call it the same on both ends, it dosen't bother me all that much.  Adjust.  But, I'm not the coach, either.  I always felt if they're going to call it physical, then that's the way you've got it to play it.  Part of being the road team, isn't it?  When I was younger and angrier, I left that place saying it was the worst officiated game I'd ever seen.  But, it really wasn't.  It was just different.

Now, when a team who is used to that style of play goes on the road to some places, they aren't going to get away with that stuff.  They're going to get whistled and they're going to get in foul trouble. 

Every team in this conference, for the most part, knows what kind of game they're going to get from the officials at home.   Seems like a basic enough statement, right?  Coaches and players start getting a feel for the ways the game flows at their home gym.  My personal opinion is that they call it pretty tight at DePauw most nights.  Not much funny stuff allowed.  It's always been that way.  And DePauw's going to play it like that.  If a team shows up at the Raymond "Gaumey" Neal Fieldhouse throwing elbows and pushing and shoving, they're going to get fouls called on them and the home team is going to shoot a big ol' pile of free throws.

I've had this theory about this very issue for quite a few years now.  I'll submit for group discussion time.  Perhaps this is an issue for our conference more than any other due to the many different regions the SCAC contains.  I've always thought you get different kinds of officiating in different parts of the country.  Seemed to be the conclusion I reached after my travels.  For instance, Oglethorpe's not the only one that calls it loosey goosey.  It's like that in a lot of the schools in the southeast.  When you make the Texas trip, you get something different.  I would assume when you make the Colorado trip, you would again, get something different.  This stuff doesn't happen to Hope and Calvin in the MIAA.  They're right down the road.  Doesn't happen to all the Wisconsin schools.  Doesn't really happen to anybody other than UAA, I suppose.  Maybe the ASC to some extent.  Thoughts?  Anybody?

[spfan22]

i would just like to say that i agree with both of the previous posts.. refs in different regions ref a different style of  game.. its up to the players and coaches to make adjustments to this within the first 5 or 6 minutes.. 

[Ralph Turner]

Wes, it even varies across the ASC.  Since each team seems to be from a separate "officiating hub", Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Dallas, East Texas, Central Texas, San Antonio, "Big Country" (Abilene/Brownwood) and trans-Pecos, there is a huge difference.

[pbrooks3]

Any word on the games in progress tonight?

[Ron Boerger]

Southwestern led a good deal of the way but Trinity came up with a late second-half surge and shot enough intentional FTs at the end to win 67-60.

[pbrooks3]

Centre couldn't pull out a win Friday night against Birmingham Southern so Sunday's visit from Rhodes represents an excellent opportunity for them to get a win. Keys to victory against Rhodes - (1) force the opponent to be perimeter oriented (2) shut down Ashley Farrell drives and dishes (3) offensively shoot the rock at 40% + and (4) Chelsea Goodman is able to loosen up the inside for shots and open 3's.

[pbrooks3]

Love to know the outcome of the Rhodes-Centre game if anyone has it.  Thanks.

[pbrooks3]

Centre got a big win over Rhodes this afternoon, winning 67-64 in two overtimes.  Chelsea Goodman had a double-double - 30 points, 11 rebounds.  She stepped it up bigtime.  This gets them closer to a shot at the tournament.

[pbrooks3]

Any thoughts from the fan bases of SCAC teams on the games this weekend?