MBB: St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[hopefan]

MacMurray, and Blackburn, have done a terrible job with stats for over ten years, in spite of numerous pleas from the past two commissioners. Neither school has seemed put much of a priority on that operation since Bob Gay stepped down at Mac and Joe Rasmsey, a terrific coach/administrator, was fired at Blackburn.

The SLIAC schools can't compete on the court/field very often with the CCIWs and UAAs of this world because of a lack of resources, but they sure as heck should be able to get scores in on time and have a stat crew that does the job right.

Training is a part of the problem but the bigger problem is that neither school cares.

Amusing that Formercommish mentions blackburn as the other culprit.. I had noticed, but did not mention, that the Women's boxscore from the OT Greenville at Blackburn game is all fouled up... somehow minutes played are blown up in this case.. various players credited with minutes played as high as 67 minutes (the equivalent of a 6 overtime game)...if other facets of the boxscore are correct (which I have a hard time trusting), it must have been a heck of a wild (and ugly) game..with Greenville showing 30 turnovers, Blackburn showing 29, teams combining for over 80 missed shots, greenville pulling down an astounding 58 rebounds, 24 on the offensive end..

[ecreddevils]

Predictions for weekday games:

Prin at Blackburn:  Picking Prin twice in a week...PC 70 BC 69 OT

GC at EC:  Home court advantage and Kindred back in the fold:  New EC win streak starts...EC 84 GC 76

Mac at FU:  Fontbonne playing well, Mac on slide, but that changes here...Mac 78  FU 73

WC at WU:  Battle of win streaks...close game @ WC, close again...Jays 69  Gorlocks 66

[hopefan]

Mark Lessen makes D3Hoops team of the week.. see the writeup on the front page....

[hopefan]

I'm enjoying ECred's predictions... though he didn't do too well last Saturday (2 out of 5) 

The weekday games are tough this week, but I think I might go opposite a couple of Red's picks

Gotta imagine Blackburn picks it up enough to keep Prin winless

Yes GC won't win at EC

I don't have the nerve to pick WC at WU...  who I think will win, and who I want to see win are two different teams..

Watch for the monster upset at Fontbonne... but I don't think it will happen...

[ecreddevils]

I'm enjoying ECred's predictions... though he didn't do too well last Saturday (2 out of 5) 

That won't stop me!

[hopefan]

Absolute must win for Mac tonight at Fontbonne...  With 4 losses already, and still a trip to Spalding to take, a loss tonight would prophesize at least 6 losses, and I'm not too sure that will be good enough to make the tourney....  on the other hand if Mac can go into the final regular season game vs Eureka with just 5 losses, that game could very well decide a conference tourney spot......

[ecreddevils]

Mark Lessen makes D3Hoops team of the week.. see the writeup on the front page....

and third consecutive SLIAC player of the week.  Just go ahead and name the award after him already.

[hopefan]

It's that time of the year to start thinking about all conference teams...  and all I can say is that this year, what a crapshoot...  now don't get mad, not insinuating the player are crap, but more that after the first 2 and maybe a 3rd player, there is a large number of candidates that have had some very good games, and some very bad ones..

Obvious number one and two selections in no particular order are Eureka's Mark Lessen and Spalding's DeWhon McAfee...  who of these two will get MVP... tough call.. McAffe has been spectacular in some games, and in parts of some games, but I tend to go with Lessen's consistancy.
My thought is Clayton Whitlock will grab a spot... while my thought on him is he is capable of more, he has still produced at an all conference level...
The other two spots, to my way of thinking, offer no clear-cut selection... I'll leave it up to the experts  (the coaches)..  I would think possibilities are Lee and Prophet Westmin, Robinson and Smith Webster, Slagle Mac, Mumphard Greenville, Fritsch Eureka, Greenlee Font...  and as wildcard, 3rd and 4th leading scores in conference, Wilgus and Sydness from winless Prin...  the funny thing is, there is no one in that group who has played consistently well enough to have met my preseason expectations.....

Well, opinions can change over the remainder of the season...   

[hopefan]

So, what has to happen to get someone else finishing in first, so SLIAC fans don't have to plan a weekend in Louisville..........

Spalding has one loss, everyone else has 3... Spalding has Mac and Westmin at  home, and is at Webster...   Webster needs to beat them in Gorlock land, and either Mac (the firey Creal whips the highlanders to a frenzy) or Westmin (the Jays will shoot 70% from 3's) need to win down in Louisville..
Now if that happens (let's say Westmin and Webster beat them), one or the other has to go unbeaten the rest of the way... Webster would also have to beat Westmin tonight and win the remainder of their games against 'non-contenders'...  It is feasible... and shows that the game vs Westmin is critical for the Gorlocks to stay in the race for first.
Westmin would have to beat Webster at Webster tonight, as well as beating Eureka at home...
again feasible, again showing that tonites game is critical for Westmin's shot at first.
Eureka has finished with Spalding, and can finish with 3 losses by winning out, including wins at Westminster and at Mac....

So ultimately, if we assume (hope) that Spalding finishes with 3 losses, they could finish tied with any one of Webster, Westmin, or Eureka, or in a 3 way tie with Webster and Eureka. 

Way too many combinations to figure out what happens if Spalding were to get to 4 losses (Very doubtful).... but it would bring Mac back into the mix too.....

Also, I have not reviewed tie breakers to see if the ties mentioned above would generate a tourney someplace other than at Spalding.

[y_jack_lok]

It's that time of the year to start thinking about all conference teams...  and all I can say is that this year, what a crapshoot...  now don't get mad, not insinuating the player are crap, but more that after the first 2 and maybe a 3rd player, there is a large number of candidates that have had some very good games, and some very bad ones..

Obvious number one and two selections in no particular order are Eureka's Mark Lessen and Spalding's DeWhon McAfee...  who of these two will get MVP... tough call.. McAffe has been spectacular in some games, and in parts of some games, but I tend to go with Lessen's consistancy.
My thought is Clayton Whitlock will grab a spot... while my thought on him is he is capable of more, he has still produced at an all conference level...
The other two spots, to my way of thinking, offer no clear-cut selection... I'll leave it up to the experts  (the coaches)..  I would think possibilities are Lee and Prophet Westmin, Robinson and Smith Webster, Slagle Mac, Mumphard Greenville, Fritsch Eureka, Greenlee Font...  and as wildcard, 3rd and 4th leading scores in conference, Wilgus and Sydness from winless Prin...  the funny thing is, there is no one in that group who has played consistently well enough to have met my preseason expectations.....

Well, opinions can change over the remainder of the season...   

If you look at stats only, I think they give a fairly obvious edge for PoY to Lessen over McAfee. As for other first team all conference candidates, lots of good names up there, but I have a personal bias towards Ahmad Smith of Webster. I actually think he's been pretty consistent even though you say none of the names you mention has. And I suspect he might not have been on your pre-season radar. If not, then he would have to qualify as exceeding your pre-season expectations.

[ecreddevils]

EC over GC 75-60.  Thoughts:  this particular GC lineup has very little fire power and again had no answer inside.  Only EC's sloppiness in finishing at the rim and some really poor defensive breakdowns in the second half kept this from being a blowout.  This latter point is a bit of a concern. In order to win this thing, every possession matters, slow rotations and lapses in defensive intensity let GC hang around and get some easy buckets.  Shouldn't happen.  That said, a win is a win.

[hopefan]

Lots to write about after last night's activity... Westminster's win over Webster rules out the possibility of a 3 way tie for first should Spalding fall to 3 losses... instead, Spalding can be tied with only Westmin OR Eureka, as one of those two will move to 4 losses when they play on Saturday.... then it's root for a spalding loss at Webster, and a loss at home to Westmin or Mac... if that were to happen, the Westmin/Eureka winner would finish tied with Spalding at 3 losses.... I'm not worrying about potential tiebreakers until we get close to that possibility..

With Webster's loss at home to Westmin, hopefan standings are :

Spalding +2  (won at Westminster) (won at Mac)  contenders left : vs Mac, at Webster, vs Westmin

Webster 0   (lost at home vs Mac) (won at Westminster) (won at Mac) (lost at home to Westmin)   contenders left : vs Spalding

Westmin  0  (lost at home vs Spalding)  (lost at home vs Webster) (won at Mac) (won at Webster)  contenders left : vs Eureka, at Spalding


Mac -1  (won at Eureka) (won at Webster) (lost at home to Spalding) (lost at home to Webster) (lost at home to Westmin)  contenders left :  at Spalding, vs Eureka

Eureka  -1  (lost at home vs Mac)   contenders left :  at Westmin, at Mac

Looking at a most logical 4th vs 5th, if we guess everyone loses to Spalding, and Eureka loses at Westmin and at Mac, Spalding would finish 1st, westmin would finish with 4 losses, and Eureka, Mac and Webster would finish tied for 3-5....  it's a sane scenario

[y_jack_lok]

Lots to write about after last night's activity... Westminster's win over Webster rules out the possibility of a 3 way tie for first should Spalding fall to 3 losses... instead, Spalding can be tied with only Westmin OR Eureka, as one of those two will move to 4 losses when they play on Saturday.... then it's root for a spalding loss at Webster, and a loss at home to Westmin or Mac... if that were to happen, the Westmin/Eureka winner would finish tied with Spalding at 3 losses.... I'm not worrying about potential tiebreakers until we get close to that possibility..

With Webster's loss at home to Westmin, hopefan standings are :

Spalding +2  (won at Westminster) (won at Mac)  contenders left : vs Mac, at Webster, vs Westmin

Webster 0   (lost at home vs Mac) (won at Westminster) (won at Mac) (lost at home to Westmin)   contenders left : vs Spalding

Westmin  0  (lost at home vs Spalding)  (lost at home vs Webster) (won at Mac) (won at Webster)  contenders left : vs Eureka, at Spalding


Mac -1  (won at Eureka) (won at Webster) (lost at home to Spalding) (lost at home to Webster) (lost at home to Westmin)  contenders left :  at Spalding, vs Eureka

Eureka  -1  (lost at home vs Mac)   contenders left :  at Westmin, at Mac

Looking at a most logical 4th vs 5th, if we guess everyone loses to Spalding, and Eureka loses at Westmin and at Mac, Spalding would finish 1st, westmin would finish with 4 losses, and Eureka, Mac and Webster would finish tied for 3-5....  it's a sane scenario

^^^ Too bad the conference tournament isn't 6 teams. Hopefully it will be next year with Iowa Wesleyan in the conference. Even though they won't be eligible, games against them will count for teams that are eligible.

[Dutch32]

Too bad the conference tournament isn't 6 teams.

The fact that an 11-5 team may not qualify for the league tournament this year may be also be a reason for at least opening a discussion for a bigger tournament.

An idea for eight teams: do the same thing you're doing now (final four teams at one location over 1-2 days), with the Tuesday before being the quarterfinal round at the site of the higher seed?

[ecreddevils]

Too bad the conference tournament isn't 6 teams.

The fact that an 11-5 team may not qualify for the league tournament this year may be also be a reason for at least opening a discussion for a bigger tournament.

An idea for eight teams: do the same thing you're doing now (final four teams at one location over 1-2 days), with the Tuesday before being the quarterfinal round at the site of the higher seed?

I disagree--I think you're devaluing the regular conference season too dramatically under that scenario--you're looking at 6-10/5-11 teams getting in.  Also, you'd be adding a potentially very long travel day on that Tuesday, with a very strong likelihood that the 6,7,8 seeds would fall, especially if the league stays top heavy like it has been for years. I think the top four format is a good one.