MBB: St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[GU1999]

Straight Chalk today:

Lyon +12
Gu +7
Spalding +21
Webster +6
MUW +11

[y_jack_lok]

Straight Chalk today:

Lyon +12
Gu +7
Spalding +21
Webster +6
MUW +11

4-1. Eureka messed up an otherwise fine set of predictions.

[GU1999]

Big shoutout to Coach Lance Thornhill and Fontbonne for saving GUs senior day.   After a week where injury and illness left the griffins in really bad shape, they cobbled together 7 dressed players to play at Greenville.  With so many people traveling for senior day, it was great to actually have a game.  Unfortunately, the lady's game could not be saved.

GU scored 87 in the first half and played half court defense in the second.  GU haven't played a half without pressing in almost a decade. 

[y_jack_lok]

Big shoutout to Coach Lance Thornhill and Fontbonne for saving GUs senior day.   After a week where injury and illness left the griffins in really bad shape, they cobbled together 7 dressed players to play at Greenville.  With so many people traveling for senior day, it was great to actually have a game.  Unfortunately, the lady's game could not be saved.

GU scored 87 in the first half and played half court defense in the second.  GU haven't played a half without pressing in almost a decade.

Thornhill owed Barber nothing after the timeout Barber called a few years ago so his guys could have a shot at scoring 200 points, which they did. Thornhill is a stand up guy.

[GU1999]

SLIAC players in d3 top 20 statistically:

Vincent Rodriguez(Greenville):
Steals - #1 (100)
S/G - #1 (4.35)

Kiarie Patrick (Greenville):
Fg% - #4 (64.88%)

Emaryon Byrd(Eureka):
Double Doubles #T-15 (12)

Anthony Dillard (Spalding)
FTA - #9 (175)
FTM - #T14 (126)

Charles Nelson (Fontbonne)
PPG - #6 (23.7)

Grimmit Glenn (Greenville)
3s attempted- #13 (192)

Nolan Smith (Principia)
Triple Doubles - #T3 (1)


Special Mention:
Malik Madison's 83 blocks would be #3 if Lyon counted for national stats

[hopefan]

Do Lyon and MUW play in the conference tourney?

[GU1999]

MUW, yes.  Lyon, No.

[hopefan]

A shame Lyon not eligible for conference tourney... takes some of the glow off this weeks games where they host Spalding and Greenville.

Still Greenville could tie or overtake Spalding depending on the week's results.  MUW has played well at home, could spring an upset...

Either team deserving of home court in Conf Tourney...

[GU1999]

Having lived though this exact scenario, as a player in 95/6, I know how hard it was to win a conference outright and not get a chance at the NCAAs. This despite our team never begin a scholarship granting institution as part of NAIA d2.  Fortunately, at that time there was a post season which we were still eligible for through the NCCAA.

I have no doubt Lyon will give it their all this week.  They still have a chance to force a tie at the top if Spalding were to stumble twice and they were to win out.  And regular season Conference Champs is certainly worth playing for.

Unrelated to the Lyon story, I am hopeful that we get not just one, but TWO more Webster v. Fontbonne games.  One on each court.

[hopefan]

Uuhhhh.. Gu1999.. In 95-96, GU failed to win the conference tourney, therefore did not get to the NCAAs... this year, Lyon doesn't get the opportunity to play in the conference tourney.  I have mixed feelings about that.. they played a full conference schedule, they deserve to play in the conf tourney.  Unfortunately if they were to win the tourney, a non winner would have to represent the SLIAC IN THE NCAAs.

[GU1999]

GU, while being in the SLIAC (and provisionally in the d3) starting in the 1995/6 season, was not allowed to play in the SLIAC tournament until 1997/8.   

In the 1995/6 season, we did finish first in the league with a 13-3 record, but 12-4 MacMurray (who won a tie breaker with Fontbonne) was the #1 seed and Fontbonne the #2.  The below tournament history is copy and pasted from the SLIAC record book which is a nice resource the league puts out.  https://sliac.org/documents/2024/10/24/MBasketball24.pdf


1995/6 Tournament

First Round:
#1 MacMurray def. #8 Principia 56-52
#5 Blackburn def. #4 Maryville 78-69
#2 Fontbonne def. #7 Parks 107-91
#3 Westminster def. #6 Webster 78-71

Semifinals:
MacMurray def. Blackburn 72-68
Fontbonne def. Westminster 84-76

Championship
Fontbonne def. MacMurray 72-67


1996/7 Tournament

First Round:
#1 Blackburn Bye
#4 Westminster def. #5 MacMurray 76-68
#2 Maryville def. #7 Webster 80-60
#3 Fontbonne def. #6 Principia 94-67

Semifinals
Blackburn def. Westminster 83-69
Maryville def. Fontbonne 91-73

Championship
Maryville def. Blackburn 79-75 (OT)

In 1997/8, we did win the tournament in wild fashion, as the 5 seed, but did not get to play in the NCAAs.  I am not sure if that is because we were still on provisional status, or because no one from our league was good enough to make it as an at-large or if the league was being punished.  The reason for my speculation is that no SLIAC team played in the 1998 or 1999 NCAA tournament. I do know that that was the year that the field went from 64 to 48 teams.

I am sure some of the old heads on here will know why the SLIAC did not have a representative for those two years. 

[Pat Coleman]

The 1998 and 1999 fields did not have automatic bids for all.

[GU1999]

thanks Pat.  certainly makes sense why the SLIAC did not have a rep.  The far and away best team that year was Maryville, but given that lowly GU bounced them in round one of a conf tournament, and had 8 losses in total, would have damaged their chances for an at large.

[GU1999]

Three games tonight.  Two with significant tournament implications.

GU at MUW.
GU shot terribly in their first matchup and won by 6.  Gu shot 37/22/62  I think that they shoot better tonight and take care of business. Give my GU by 10.

Spalding at Lyon
Lyon will have a big size advantage, but Spalding defends so well.  Hmmmm.....  Will, I think this one comes down to a few points either way, but I think that Spalding will win.  If Lyon does win it will be because they are able to get second chance points and their big guys, West and Madison, will need to have huge games.   

[GU1999]

Spalding falls to Lyon 66-60. 
Huge games by West and Madison got it done. 

Greenville handles its business in Mississippi.  127-102. 

GU and Spalding are both 15-2 with one to play.

 If both teams win on Saturday, GU would win the tie break and host the tournament because they split with Spalding would have swept 3rd place Lyon while Spalding split with them .

If both lose, I am not exactly sure what would happen because it would look like a  3-way tie with three 3-loss teams, but with Lyon not being tournament eligible, I think that scenario ends with just another two way tie scenario and Spalding getting the top seed because Spalding and GU split with each other and Lyon, but Spalding swept 4th place Webster and GU did not.