MBB: St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

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There will definitely be some upset coaches when the All-Conference teams come out. I like Steven Soukup for Player of the Year. 26 ppg at nearly 62% shooting is just unreal. I'm also a big fan of Greenville's "system" (call me crazy but I love the high-tempo games). I've always appreciated Mac's Brent Long and how he goes about the game. It's too bad that Mac had such a down year, he is one of my favorite players in the conference.

I'm too lazy to try to figure out all the tie breakers for that 4th place spot for the conference tourney. If it's Webster, are they a sleeper pick to win the tourney?

[Gregory Sager]

Looking for a score of another NCAA/USCAA team, I happened on to the USCAA site... the USCAA is a group of colleges that play lower level hoops, with their Division 1 containing schools that will at times include D3 schools, and their Division 2 made up of mostly regional campus type schools of a state system, (ie numerous Pennsylvania schools)... anyway, the SLIAC's Iowa Wesleyan continues to be a USCAA member until they gain full NCAA eligibility... and the USCAA site shows Iowa Wesleyan to be ranked number 10 in their D1 power ratings... the USCAA National Tourney invites 8 schools.. makes the final two games of the season critical for Iowa Wesleyan, hosting Fontbonne and going to Eureka... good luck to IWU in their quest for that bid...

It would be awesome if both IWU and IIT made the USCAA tournament. That would really make a nice statement about the Central Region of D3.

[hopefan]

There will definitely be some upset coaches when the All-Conference teams come out. I like Steven Soukup for Player of the Year. 26 ppg at nearly 62% shooting is just unreal. I'm also a big fan of Greenville's "system" (call me crazy but I love the high-tempo games). I've always appreciated Mac's Brent Long and how he goes about the game. It's too bad that Mac had such a down year, he is one of my favorite players in the conference.

I'm too lazy to try to figure out all the tie breakers for that 4th place spot for the conference tourney. If it's Webster, are they a sleeper pick to win the tourney?

I'll be shocked if Webster finishes anywhere but 3rd seed in tourney, And BC 4th

[y_jack_lok]

^^^ Do you stand by that statement after tonight's Prin victory over Greenville? From the box score it looks like GC couldn't hit those 3s -- 10 of 54, but did okay on the 2s -- 29 of 60. Also, Prin outscores GC by 18 from the ft line.

[hopefan]

^^^ Do you stand by that statement after tonight's Prin victory over Greenville? From the box score it looks like GC couldn't hit those 3s -- 10 of 54, but did okay on the 2s -- 29 of 60. Also, Prin outscores GC by 18 from the ft line.

Live by the 3 pointer, die by the 3 pointer.   I'm in shock. And thrilled as I've quietly cheered for Prin all year. Puts the pressure on BC and WU. And Trey Goodman. Wow

[Greek Tragedy]

I would personally like to see Greenville in the NCAAs just to see a system team in the tourney. Rhodes is leading the SAA, so maybe there can be 2 system teams in.

My fantasy side would like to see Eureka and Shea Feehan in it or Iowa Wesleyan and Steven Soukup, but they aren't eligible for the conference tournament, I believe. But they can make some noise in the USCAA tourney.

[y_jack_lok]

With Iowa Wesleyan not eligible for the confernce tournament Webster, Principia and Blackburn are in the mix for the 3 and 4 seeds after GC and WC.  Seems like a Webster win over Fontbonne on Saturday assures them of a spot. But a loss plus a Prin win over Westminster would give Prin the 3 seed and then a win by Blackburn over Greenville would mean a tie breaker between Webster and BC for the 4 seed. Webster and BC split, each winning on the other's home court. What's the next tie breaker? Results vs the #1 seed? Or do I have the scenario wrong to begin with?

[y_jack_lok]

^^^ So this updated article on last night's game with MacMurray says Webster wins the tie breaker with Blackburn, should that scenario come to be: http://www.websterathletics.com/news/2017/2/14/mens-basketball_Mac2.aspx. Thus Webster is in the tournament no matter what happens Saturday. The only question is will it be as the #3 or #4 seed.

[hopefan]

Saturday's games are big.  Still would think Webster would prefer to play Greenville. Heard on the highway- Blackburn was ROBBED down at Spalding by horrible call at the buzzer. Foul call on a half court heave on defender who was clearly falling away

[hopefan]

A prior commitment is going to keep me away from attending games tomorrow... good luck to everyone... Anxious for a trip to Fulton or GC for the conference tourney... and best wishes to Iowa Wesleyan for a USCAA bid....

[hopefan]

Checking the USCAA page, there is a bid show video at 3:00 Central on Monday, Feb 20... Iowa Wesleyan will learn if they made the post season then.

The SLIAC tourney is set at Conference champion Greenville
Friday 2/24  6:00  Webster vs Westminster
                   8:00  Principia vs Greenville

What Prin has done to make the tourney is just.... ok, INCREDIBLE.
After losing to Webster by 2 on Jan. 24 they were 4-6 in conference, losers of 5 of their 7 prior conference games, for all intents and purposes down and out.  I wrote going in to the Webster game, "Prin's last chance tonight at Webster. With a loss they are out. Very disappointing performance for that talent or maybe I've simply way over rated them.".. and they lost, for the 2nd time, to Webster..

From that point out, they went 7-1, losing only to Greenville, but then coming back several days later to beat them.  In that stretch, they beat each of the other contenders except for Webster, who they had already played twice. And it wasn't easy, winning all but one of those 7 games by single digit margins.. but they didn't give any of those games away. 

Sincere congrats to rookie coach Todd Zimmerman, whom I had pretty much blamed for the poor start to the season, and for what I considered the misuse of PG Micah Paulson.  Clearly if Coach Zimmerman takes my abuse for Prin's early short comings, he deserves my praise for this fantastic turn around leading to a tourney spot.  The atmosphere at Greenville may be the best ever witnessed at a SLIAC conference tourney  (well, at least it may rival the excitement of a couple of the Webster-Fontbonne matchups of the past)... Greenville has been coming pretty close to a full house in their last couple of home games, and Prin had more and more fans in the last couple of weeks.. I think some of those fans will be thrilled to make the short trip over to Greenville on Friday night.

[hopefan]

hopefan's All Conference Team... I know it won't match up with the coaches, but this is what I saw

Steven Soukup   Iowa Wesleyan    ALSO MOP

Michael Soukup   Iowa Wesleyan       edges out Maestranzi, Paulson as my PG

Shea Feehan   Eureka    Nothing stopped him except sore knee

Elmo Smith   Greenville   Quietly did it all

Sean O'Brien    Westminster   At his best in big games


2nd team
Jake Maesranzi  Blackburn
Micah Paulson  Principia
Evan Milligan  Webster
Romo Tabb  Westminster
Kenny Greene Greenville

Honorable Mention
Adaku Anumu Princpia
Parker Davidson Principia
Nick Trisko Spalding
Michael Hohm Greenville
Kendall Davis  Eureka
Brent Long  MacMurray
Brock Butler  Iowa Wesleyan
Shane Smith  Greenville
Hunter Ward  Webster   (injury)


Newcomer of the year  ?   This should go to a Freshman... and I thought it was obvious... Trevaughn Goodman, Principia...
              He is listed as a Frosh on Prin's roster, but I am a little confused... Google articles show he graduated high school in 2014... Did he go to school in those two missing years, or just sit out figuring out his future?  I see he was excellent student.  Incidently, if Trevaughn is a true frosh and stays at Prin for 3 more years, he could be one of the best SLIAC players in history.  No one in this conference goes to the basket like this kid.

[hopefan]

BIG NEWS    at least as far as I am concerned... Iowa Wesleyan gets the bid to the USCAA Tourney!!!! 
They squeeze in, getting a 7 seed in the 8 team tourney....

Two other provisional D3 teams make the 8 team tourney... Illinois Tech (whom I discovered and gave a good writeup to after seeing them play at Fontbonne in December) and Berea (Kentucky), who defeated Spalding earlier in the year.

Would love to see Iowa Wesleyan have some success... I've really enjoyed watching them this year... their close loss at Greenville was one of the best SLIAC games that I saw this year...

[Gregory Sager]

That's great news. Three more chances for D3 teams to get in some postseason play, and three chances for D3 to take home some USCAA hardware.

Since there are consolation games, it means that IWU, IIT, and Berea will each get a minimum of two extra games this season.

[hopefan]

All Conference picks, Conference Tourney, Iowa Wez making the USCAA Tourney, HOF'r Greg Sager paying a visit....

and still, any other discussion = 0


I give up