MBB: St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[pantherpride06]

After the Greenville/Blackburn game, we ate our at Ryan's Pub by the railroad tracks.  That wasn't too bad.  Cheese Burger and Shoestring Fries... Not to bad.

News from Greenville:  Everyone is back on campus.  There was a rumor that we were going to lose a kid, but a wise person made him come back.  We also picked up a kid.  No info on him yet.  More as I learn about him.  Unlikely to see him until late January depending on how good he is.

[fcnews]

Just a quick observation: Fisk Univ. is 10th in Strength of Schedule. If this is the case, their two games against the SLIAC sure didn't hurt them to much.

[wilburt]

I did not know that about Fisk's schedule.   Is there a link to that anywhere?

[hopefan]

Come on FC, there's no way in the world scheduling a SLIAC school is going to help anyone's strength of schedule -  Fisk's strength of schedule is high because they've played 2 D1 schools as well as Otterbein, top 25 Christopher Newport twice, top 25 Mississippi college, and decent NAIA school Chricton twice.

[fcnews]

Hopefan - I wasn't saying it helped them. Just that it didn't hurt them, that much.

[hopefan]

If one digs into the Massey ratings, by calling up D3 and going to conferences, there is a rating of all D3 conferences, infiltrated by a number of miscellaneous totals and small non D3 misnomers  -  filter out the trash, and 41 D3 conferences are rated  -  sorry guys, the SLIAC is no 37 of 41, leading only the Lake Michigan, CUNY, Upper Midwest, and Northeastern AC.    

 Of further interest, the CCIW is No 1 (ie Augustana, Illinois Wesleyan), and the UAA is No 2 (ie Wash U, Chicago).   My old stomping grounds the MIAA in Michigan is all the way down at 28  (perenial powers Hope, Calvin, and Albion are offset by the weaker schools in the conf), and Y jack, the OAC is at No 9.

[hopefan]

Just a postin' fool today...

So, assuming I'm "allowed" to go to the next several rounds of SLIAC games, what games to see...

Well of course, start the week out tonite with Wash U @ Webster - see you there y jak -  would hope to see a close game here to indicate that Webster is now ready for league play, but Wash U has usually handled SLIAC teams pretty easily 

Saturday, I'll hit the road as none of the St Louis schools are at home - just too far to see Maryville @ Eureka and I just don't know if Maryville can come off the long break and hope to compete, so I'll go to Fontbonne @ Blackburn -  the loser of this is really in a bad way @ 0-3, so this is a critical game - and I like both teams with Fontbonne's youth brigade and Blackburn's returning all conf players from last year - it will be an opportunity to sit back and enjoy - hope school will be in and the Crazies present to create that great Blackburn atmosphere.   Beaver SID, how will I ID you?

the following Tuesday, I'll have to check out Panther's Greenville club when they come to Maryville -   looking forward to seeing you, pride

Then on my birthday weekend we get games on Friday and Saturday! - Friday will be a tough decision as to whether to see Blackburn at Maryville, or Eureka @ Webster  -  will have to see if any trends develop from the prior games
Then Saturday, it would seem that Blackburn @ Webster would be natural, BUT, it could be undefeated Eureka @ undefeated Westminster - might make for a good decision there too   

LOTS of FUN

[y_jack_lok]

hopefan, didnt you mean ODAC? That's the one Randolph-Macon plays in. Wouldn't the OAC be the Ohio (or Oklahoma, or Oregon) Athletic Conference, if there were such a thing?

[Mac Attack]

hopefan - I think the Westminster @ MacMurray game on January 6 will be one heck of a basketball game - between two teams with legitimate post season aspirations. If you're driving to Carlinville, you might consider coming on to Jacksonville. The Blue Jays will be favored, but the Highlanders will do their best to pull the upset.

[Titan Q]

   
 Of further interest, the CCIW is No 1 (ie Augustana, Illinois Wesleyan), and the UAA is No 2 (ie Wash U, Chicago).   My old stomping grounds the MIAA in Michigan is all the way down at 28  (perenial powers Hope, Calvin, and Albion are offset by the weaker schools in the conf), and Y jack, the OAC is at No 9.

This year, Hope, Calvin, and Albion aren't doing their usual part for the MIAA.  Albion is 2-8...Calvin 5-5...and Hope a nice 8-2, but 0-2 at the CCIW/MIAA Challenge (their two toughest games).

[hopefan]

TQ and y jak   both right   

Yjak ODAC, yes  - OAC is Ohio   -  my mistake   

TQ -  shows how removed I've become from my ties, and interest, in the MIAA  -  had not noticed that Albion was struggling that bad!!   Was aware, of course, of the dismal showing at Carthage.   Wouldn't it be interesting to see a fourth school actually challenge the Big 3 in the MIAA, just once......

[ballhog01]

Just an outsiders thought. Was able to listen to the second half of tampa v. Fontbonne. The radio broadcasters were very impressed with the fact that a smaller Fontbonne squad was able to score from most all positions. But, they went on about the fact that in the second half Fontbonne never quit and really did a great job on the boards.
I think that if this young team gets a win a BC they might reel of a long streak.
I noticed on the SLIAC website that they are saying 14-4 will probably win this conference and 11-7 will make post season tourney.
I've been pleasently suprised that Coach McKinney has been able to recruit the likes of Parker and Branch. Though he isn't quite putting the numbers up yet, but Trevor White is a good catch for the SLIAC.
Don't sleep on this young squad.

[hopefan]

that's what I've been preaching ballhog  -  Agree 100%  -  the talent is definitely there - just a question as to whether thay can get it together for conference   AND  can the bench do the job when necessary - it's getting pretty thin....

[Beaver_SID]

Hope,

Ill be sittin behind the scorers table, stuck behind the stat crew computer.

[Gregory Sager]

If one digs into the Massey ratings, by calling up D3 and going to conferences, there is a rating of all D3 conferences, infiltrated by a number of miscellaneous totals and small non D3 misnomers  -  filter out the trash, and 41 D3 conferences are rated  -  sorry guys, the SLIAC is no 37 of 41, leading only the Lake Michigan, CUNY, Upper Midwest, and Northeastern AC.

... and the worst part is, the Lake Michigan Conference doesn't even exist anymore.

hopefan, didnt you mean ODAC? That's the one Randolph-Macon plays in. Wouldn't the OAC be the Ohio (or Oklahoma, or Oregon) Athletic Conference, if there were such a thing?

Not only is there such a thing as the OAC, it's one of the top-notch conferences in all of D3. Perennial D3 football power Mount Union is in that league, as well as two schools that have won D3 basketball championships (Otterbein and current d3hoops.com poll #2 Ohio Northern).

TQ -  shows how removed I've become from my ties, and interest, in the MIAA  -  had not noticed that Albion was struggling that bad!!   Was aware, of course, of the dismal showing at Carthage.   Wouldn't it be interesting to see a fourth school actually challenge the Big 3 in the MIAA, just once......

Look at it this way, Hopefan: Throughout the eighties and nineties, there wasn't a Big Three in the MIAA ... there was a Big Two. Hope and Calvin won every title between the two of them for twenty years or so. So the addition of Albion to the list of perennial MIAA powerhouses was a 50% improvement.