MBB: St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[hopefan]

That's a big blow to the Webster cause - Hrdlicka (aka Mr Perfect) is the heart and soul of that team - I'm not convinced that any of the 3 potential subs come close to lending the energy that Hrdlicka posesses....  Rather, Webster is going to have to get even more to make up the difference from Niebrugge, Whitcombe and Jones.  Don't forget Steigemeir either....  Webster's depth will help....   I REALLY hope Hrdlicka is able to be back for the tourney......

[fcnews]

No one saw the game that can comment on the type of injury? Shoulder again? General Body Part?

Is this CSI?

[hopefan]

First of all I apologize, I forgot my phone and I'll be going to MU from work - FC, Yjak, ECSID  sorry, I won't be texting result to you.....


Some critical repercussions from outcome of Webster at Maryville tonight: (assuming top 6 win over bottom 3 in remaining contests)

If Webster wins, they clinch a playoff spot

If Webster wins, they still could host the tourney

If Webster wins, Greenville is eliminated from the tourney

If Webster loses, they could still be elminated from the tourney

If Maryville wins, they make the tourney UNLESS Westmin beats Fontbonne, Westmin loses to Eureka, and Webster beats Greenville - in that case, there would be a four way tie for 2nd, and Maryville would be the one team out.

If Maryville loses, they can still make the tourney if EITHER Westmin beat Fontbonne and Eureka,  OR if Westmin beats Fontbonne, Westmin loses to Eureka, And Webster loses to Greenville, OR if Westmin loses to Font, beats Eureka, and Webster beats Greenville   based on my interpretation of the tiebreakers.

[fcnews]

So we didn't have a single poster at the BC v. WU dame? Amazing.....

[hopefan]

I was not there - but a little birdie told me that it was an 'upper body injury'

[furbug]

(assuming top 6 win over bottom 3 in remaining contests)

Not arguing with any of your possible outcomes, Hopefan, but I find myself increasingly uncomfortable with the above assumption, especially when we start talking about "clinching".

[fcnews]

I agree Furbug!!! FU is not looking past Mac tonite. Biggest game of the year. Then almost a week off to prepare for WC.

Hopefan tell your Birdie, Thanks. Sounds like shoulder, Agian. Coach Bunch mentioned at the JV game, that he had an ongoing problem. That's why he had missed the Spalding game.

I believe, that this type of injury would be a pain issue. By tournament time, I would think, it would be a player/trainer decision. A senior player. I'm expecting to see this one come tourney time. IMHO

Or, it could be a totally different Injury. 

[hopefan]

Aaaah  you guys are just suffering 'pre conference tourney stress system'  -  the psycholoical disorder that makes you think that if anything can go wrong to keep your favorite team out of the tourney, it will.

As I have no single favorite team, I am immune

previous matchups of games that will take place:

Font +27 over Mac
Greenville +17 over Blackburn
Maryville +12 over Mac
Westmin +11 over Prin
Maryville + 29 over BC
Eureka +12 over Mac
Webster +25 over Prin

I'm not too concerned that any of the bottom 3 have gotten better, and can concoct a game plan to overturn one of the top 6  -  UNLESS the one of the top six has been eliminated and really lays down  -  and I can't think of any of the top 6 that would do that......

[furbug]

Aaaah  you guys are just suffering 'pre conference tourney stress system'  -  the psycholoical disorder that makes you think that if anything can go wrong to keep your favorite team out of the tourney, it will.

Absolutely right on that one! You are talking about one of the corollaries to Murphy's Law. I believe in Murphy, who is ever-present. Murphy will be in every gymnasium in which games are played from here on, and he will be riding on every shot and every rebound. Watch for him. 

[pantherpride06]

As Greenville AD Doug Faulkner would say, "HOLY COW!"  Looking at the results from last Wednesday night does anyone want into the SLIAC tournament.  Fontbonne squeaks by Mac and Greenville nudges Blackburn... And Webster drops a key game to Maryville.

It's amazing!

[sully309]

Looks like we've found 2 teams in Blackburn and Mac that haven't packed it in yet. Nice effort, boys but we REALLY coulda used 5 more points tonight.

Furbug, Murphy has not shown up at any Eureka games lately, but he seems to be running the out-of-town scoreboard. The Red Devils have gotten NO help over the last 3 weeks and will need to win at Westminster and beat Mac (thus winning 11 out of 13 to end the SLIAC season) to get in the tournament unless the bottom 3 teams pull off an upset over someone else.

I have several rants I could go on right now, but I'll spare you all. Hopefan, get ready for Saturday. I hope you decide to go to Fulton because I have some choice words for you!

[furbug]

Looks like we've found 2 teams in Blackburn and Mac that haven't packed it in yet. Nice effort, boys but we REALLY coulda used 5 more points tonight.
Furbug, Murphy has not shown up at any Eureka games lately, but he seems to be running the out-of-town scoreboard.

BUT Murphy is still around, and the two close calls for contenders by non-contenders tonight prove the point that no one can assume anything and take anyone for granted. As Yogi Berra would say, "No team clinches until they clinch."

After tonight's loss to Maryville  , I decided to book myself into the Holiday Inn Express in Fulton. As I said before, I like the breakfast there. I can always cancel the reservation depending upon how things go.  8)

[fcnews]

Well Fontbonne found a new way to win for them. Down 16 in the 2nd half. Down 13 @ 11:00. FU just claws it's way back in. Win on a pair of Justin Storandt free throws. One and One. Both nothing but the bottom of the net. Only two points of the night. FU could not get the ball to go in that round thing bolted to that piece of glass. Missed about 10 point blank in the first half. They just would not drop.

Mac is the best 4-10 team at home as you will find. I said my regards to Mr. Coleman. Very nice young man. Fifth year senior. Stuck it out till the end. First Team All Conference in my book. Told him I was glad it was the last time we have to face him. Very good player. Sichting had a very good game tonite and Miller is a heck of an athlete. Mac just needs to find some pieces.

HOPEFAN - Prior to the game, as he was entering the gym, one of the Fontbonne fathers told me to get on here and say he apologizes for going to far on Saturday. He's a frequent reader.

Several suprises when looking at the WU v. MU boxscores. The boxscore shows Turk did not start for the first time all year. 

Like I tried to say earlier, Griffins control their own outcome.

[Darryl Nester]

With 8 games left, here's how my program sees the seeds for all possible scenarios:

Team	#1	#2	#3	#4	Tournament?
Westminster (Mo.)	50.00%	33.20%	14.84%	1.95%	Yes
Fontbonne	50.00%	32.81%	14.06%	3.12%	Yes
Eureka	--	20.31%	12.50%	18.75%	51.56%
Webster	--	12.50%	18.75%	17.97%	49.22%
Maryville (Mo.)	--	1.17%	32.03%	31.64%	64.84%
Greenville	--	--	7.81%	26.56%	34.38%

Based on last night's close calls in two top-6 vs. bottom-3 games, I'll forego posting the results if we assume the top sweeps the bottom.

The Westmin/Fontbonne game next Tuesday will determine the #1 seed.  What is most remarkable to me is that either one of those two teams could still end as low as #4.

[hopefan]

ok - so much to discuss - how am I to get any work done?

Maryville Webster  -  may have been the best crowd I've seen at a Maryville game - very good Maryville turnout as it was a senior celebration, and that was added to by the Webster turnout...  the boys at the end of the court kept things lively - I love the new angle of pounding on the draping mats as a "DEFENSE" cheer - the SLIAC needs that kind of spirit badly - and I detected no abuse towards the opposition that was out of hand - way to go Maryville students.

The game unfortunately did not exactly live up to the hype of a critical game- both teams seemed to be playing ntight and 'not to lose' rather than attacking - it was nowhere near as entertaining as the Greenville Fontbonne game of last Saturday.  The flu that hit Fontbonne several weeks ago may have worked its way down to Webster - Turk had it, didn't start, and simply couldn't muster the energy to dominate in stretches like he usuuallly does - Niebrugge looked gassed a couple times too, and I noticed ortwerth played very little, not sure if he was down or it was a coaches decision.
Both teams shot poorly - why Matt Rogers keeps the light green for his shooters when they're shooting poorly and they have guys who can dominate inside is beyond me - if they had lost last night the blame was squarely on the coach's shoulders, because Simmons Dulle and Koopman were to the hole with great success, yet there is Winters shooting a dozen threes and usually missing, many before the offense even started- Nick Jones had a solid game and for several stretches seemed to be single handedly keeping Webster in the game....
The two teams were within a basket of each other the whole first half and much of the second -  twice Maryville broke out to slight leads, 6 point at 15 minutes and 5 points at 8:45, only to have Webster come right back and tie. In the 3 minute area, Maryville was nursing a one point lead when Eric Grunewald hit a big 3, then scored again off a Nick Jones miss at 3:19 to put MU up 63-57.  Turk game back with a three at two minutes to make it 63-60, and Webster stole the ball at mid court and Meeh got fouled going to the basket at 1:54....  bad though as he missed both free throws- then a couple plays made things very interesting - Maryville got in trouble with the shot clock and Webster swatted the ball down court - it's Websters ball  no matter what, but Turk tries to pick the loose ball up and his momentum carries him out of bounds...  Maryville gets the ball back !!!  They again run the clock, but Tyler Saxton misses a 3 - This time a horrible call by the official changes things as MU's Jordan Williman runs down the long rebound, appears to get clipped by a Webster player diving for the ball, but travelling is called!!  Now Webster has the ball at 0:40 down 3. Whitcomb is fouled at :20, but it's not one and one yet. Webster looks for a 3, and doesn't find a shot so calls another time out at :09.  This time Niebrugge goes right to the basket and misses a short shot, rebounds and calls another time out at :03.3.  From underneath, needing a 3 to tie, Webster uses Turk as a decoy and springs Tyler Tieman open on the wing - he gets a legit attempt, but off the rim at the buzzer.
The difference makers... Simmons dominates the middle, Dulle adds size, Koopman to the basket;;; Turk plays his heart out but clearly was lacking with the bug. Oh forgot to mention Hrdlicka was on the bench in street clothes, and I heard will likely not be able to suit up vs Greenville.