MBB: St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Mac Attack]

Massey Ratings (thru 2/18/07)

Webster (168)
MacMurray (201)
Fontbonne (220)
Westminster (231)
Eureka (254)
Greenville (312)
Blackburn (322)
Maryville (347)
LCC (382)
Principia (391)

Others

Chicago (7) - lost to Wash U by 11
Wash U (10) - beat WU by 16, beat FU by 15, beat MU by 34
Grinnell (11) - beat MacMurray 136-116
Augustana (14) - beat Wash U by 2
Hope (15) - hopefan!!!
Illinois College (241) - needs to join the SLIAC asap

[hopefan]

Mac, did you see the Mac Grinnell game   -   what was it like?  If not, did you talk to any of the players about it?   Grinnell may win their league...can the system actually be competitive against the kind of teams they'd play in the tourney such as Wash U, Auggie?   How good are the players - could they start for top level D3, would they fit into the best SLIAC teams, or is their success a product of the system  - I've never seen them.....

[fcnews]

It's Sunny in Clayton, MO. today!!!!!!! Folks I've said it before and I'll say it again, this has been the most exciting season in the SLIAC bar none. I did wake today feeling bad for GC and WC. Both teams played their butts off.

Does anyone know the seating capacity at Webster? There were 645 in attendence at last nights FU @ MU and it looked like that would more than fill Webster. Friday night tickets will be at a premiun, with the WU v. FU at 8:00pm.

MU played a very scrappy game last night. That shouldn't suprise anyone. FU came out tight and relied on Trevor White (how is hr not first team?) to keep the game close. FU jumped on MU quick in the second and held on. MU just has a hard time shooting the ball (3-16 3's). Fogerty had another great game 23 pts and 13 rebounds.

Folks this is going to be a fun weekend !!!!!

Pat how do I remove the poll?

[Mac Attack]

hopefan - I did see the MacMurray-Grinnell game. Never seen anything like it and don't want to ever see it again. Grinnell substituted five new players every 45 seconds for the entire game. They had one kid who was about 6'7" who didn't shoot, but was a very good player. Everyone else looked between 6'0" and 6'3". As fast as they came in and went out, you couldn't really tell them apart. To give a idea of what it was like, Grinnell took 106 shots, of which 63 of them were 3 pt attempts (they hit 23). MacMurray chose not to get in a 3 pt shooting contest with them and went 0-2 from behind the arch. Score was 70-67 at the half, to give an idea of the kind of shots MacMurray was getting. Grinnell really didn't care to play much defense, but they pressed full court and trapped every where. If Mac got a lay up, they didn't care. They have one player - Arseneaut - who was the best shooter I've ever seen at any level. He was 15-34 from the field, 9-24 from 3 pt, and 5-7 FT (49 pts) - and only played about a third of the game. I think if they're hitting, Grinnell could beat just about any D3 team in the country. But they've had some nights this season (not many) when they were cold, and that's lethal for them. They have a nice team and every player understands exactly what their role and job is. I understand their coach believes they should not go for more than 10 seconds without taking a shot, preferably a 3-pt shot. Couple interesting stats from that game - MacMurray had 58 rebounds, shot 63.9% from the field, shot 41 free thorws (missed 17), had 33 assists, had 29 turnovers, scored 116 points - and lost by 20. My head still hurts. We're a MUCH better team now than we were then, but I hope MacMurray never plays them again. Surely our AD and Coach Hettinga will schedule an opponent who is closer (Illinois College, another WIAC team, Knox, etc.) and plays a more "traditional" game. Our players compared it to a track meet with a basketball. Very difficult to prepare for a team like that, and I would assume whoever Grinnell plays in the post season has to be more than a little concerned.

[hopefan]

it has always sounded so unique  - I really hope I can see it some time along the line.  As someone close to Mac, what would Mac do different this time if they were meeting next week?

[BunchTime]

FC...I believe the capacity is approximately 1,000.  However, if need be, I would bet they could jam 1,200 people in there if it were necessary!

[FU_Pride]

The Griffins finally win at Maryville! It was a close game and I was very impressed at how hard Maryville played. In my opinion, FU has the most lethal combo in the conference in White and Fogerty.  Fogerty can work off of the mismatches inside and white is able to hit the jumpshot outside.  White also has that turn around jump shot from about 10 feet that is almost unstoppable. 

Looking forward to Friday's game against Webster.  I won't be there because I have to work.  FCNews I am going to need you to keep me tuned in somehow!!!  We need another shortage of Hoggat and we need McCoy and Branch to shoot well.  STOP SPINNER.  I do have an interesting gameplan that I feel would allow the Griffins a chance to win.  Should be a great game!

[hopefan]

FUpride - bad time to have to work  - feel free to email me a cell phone and I or FC will update you....

[Mac Attack]

If I were preparing for Grinnell again, here's what I would do. On offense, milk the clock. Run off 25 seconds or more on every possession, even if you had a wide open lay-up. Do not shoot any three-point shot shots. If you get an offensive rebound, reset the offense and start over. Hit your free throws. Try to keep it a ten point game or less until about five minutes left in the game, and then get after it and hope for the best. On defense, I'd get all over their guards. Body up, get physical, hold, grab, push, and shove. Take advantage of loose ball whistles, free throws, dead ball whistles, etc. to get players in on defense who get on their guards like a cheap suit. Spend 20 fouls if you have to, but don't let them get in any kind of a groove. When Arseneaut's in the game, I'd play a triangle-and-two and get right in his jockstrap. They have other players who can score - but no one can shoot like he can. I'd use timeouts to slow the game down, as many substitutions as possible, and make sure I had a couple of different press-breakers that worked. Ina perfect world, that might get it done.

[sully309]

I have seen Grinnell play twice in recent years as I grew up near Monmouth, which is in the conference with Grinnell. I am by no means a champion for "The System," so please don't get me wrong. But, I think the system can work at the D3 level, especially against teams not used to playing against it.  There are some good things about it too, like it lets more guys get playing time and it increases attendance when Grinnell plays on the road (the only time I even went to Monmouth to watch a game is when they were playing Grinnell).

I do get upset when people say that Grinnell does not play defense. Many people say it and I admit in past years (particularly last year) it doesn't appear they play any. This may not make sesne to anyone else besides me, but in my opinion, Grinnell plays defense...they just don't guard. That is to say, they get in your face and try to pressure you into committing turnovers. They don't stick with it for 30 seconds trying to force you into a bad shot, which is what I call guarding. But make no mistake, a team could not win a Midwest Conf. title like Grinnell has done this year by not playing defense. Take, for example, Grinnell's recent game against Carroll, the 2nd place team in the MWC.  Grinnell forced 32 turnovers and won the game 113-104. Now, Grinnell will be playing some teams for the 3rd time this weekend, so maybe they will get upset. But, I would not be surprised to see them do some damage in the NCAA tourney should they get there.

Grinnell's web site shows way different stats than the ones Mac is reporting. I'm sure Mac's are accurate as he has proven to be on target all season. I point this out because I bet for postseason awards, Grinnell would be interested to know that Arseneault scored 49 points in the game since they show him with only 13 points vs. Mac 

[fcnews]

SLIAC "February Frenzy" pre game party will be at McClain's Irish Pub on Big Bend.

SLIAC Tourney Specials -
$1.75 Half pound Hamburger, $1.75 Dozen Wings
$2.00 Longnecks and $5.00 pitchers

Pre game starts at 3:30 and runs till 6 pm.


McClain's is a rustic pub w/ lot's of TV's and KENO (just for Hopefan). Do not use work excuses. Take off Friday and enjoy a great weekend of BBall.

Pre game is for all D3hoopsters and parents and fans.
Hope I'll introduce you to your three favorite FU fans. They are pretty good people.

More to follow:

[y_jack_lok]

I'll chime in a bit on "the system" since I saw Emory & Henry play it against my alma mater, Randolph-Macon, this past January and January 2006. In the case of Emory & Henry their defense was very suspect in 2006. As MacAttack says, it is definitely not a defense oriented style of play. Randolph-Macon won both meetings against E&H in 2006. However this January E&H played some real defense. Granted, it was played at the same frenetic pace as the offense, but it was very disruptive and never allowed R-MC to get into a set offense -- which is a good stratgegy (i.e. running your set offense for as long as possible) put forth by MacAttack. R-MC lost the first game against E&H at R-MC, but won the re-match at E&H. I think what must have changed was E&H's shooting percentage. Part of "the system" seems to be based on a willingness to trade 3 point baskets for 2 pointers. In the game I saw this year E&H was on fire the first half, hitting an incredible percentage of its 3s. R-MC was never able to recover from a huge halftime deficit. So if the team playing "the system" is hitting its shots the opponent is in for a rough game. As for whether it could win a national championship -- probably not. But a team that plays it well could make it some distance into the tourney.

[BunchTime]

Mac....I agree with mouch of what you say in order to beat "the system."  I think the single most important 2 things that you mentioned is 1) not shooting any 3 pointers; and 2) slow the game down to an snail-like pace using at least 25 seconds of the clock even if they concede the lay-up.  Oh yeah, and once a shot goes up, you must have at least 2 guys sprinting back because that is how they will beat you!  I agree with your game plan!  About 2 years ago, after recieving quite a bit of attention at the national level, ESPN televised there game and they disappointed many of us, including myself, after "only" scoring something like 85-95 points.  Perhaps, it was stage fright from being on national TV.  

FC....quit tempting me to board an afternoon flight out of here!  I wish I could be there!  It will be a fun weekend of basketball! Good luck to all and especially the Gorloks!

[hopefan]

FC   I was pumped, but that last statement makes me a tad uncomfortable.....

[Mac Attack]

I had the wrong guy - it's Grotberg. My mistake. HE'S the best shooter I've ever seen, at any level. Here's the link from the MacMurray website for the Mac-Grinnell game:

http://www.gomachighlanders.com/mbkbstats/06-07/11-25%20Men%20vs%20Grinnell.htm