MBB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Greek Tragedy]

Wow. Point getting smoked 96-82.

[tomt4525]

Pathetic showing defensively today for the Pointers today in Texas.  They were beat up and down the court by a speedy and athletic Concordia team.  Score was 96-82.  Point didn't help themselves with 17 turnovers with only 7 assists.  For comparison, Concordia 8 turnovers with 17 assists.  After Gio's night from 3 land 2 days ago, the Pointers were freezing cold from 3 going 3-13.  Concordia couldn't miss from 3 in the first half and only shot a couple in the second half, finishing 9-13 from 3 in the game.

Pointers shoot 55 percent from the field in the game and have 6 Pointers in double figures...if I see that box score and nothing else, I think Point wins 99 percent of the time.  Like I said, PATHETIC defensive effort.  In double figures were Ritchay with 20, Ryf with 14, Giordana with 13, Hass with 12 and Heuer with 10 and 8 boards.

What I don't get is that you have Tillema play at St Thomas when you needed him....and he suits up down in Texas this week, you need him again today and doesn't play a second.  I understand you want him healthy for conference play when it matters a little more, but then why have him play at St Thomas??  I was at St Thomas watching and Tillema played great while noticeably limping all over the court.

[tomt4525]

Wow. Point getting smoked 96-82.

Yeah, they didn't show up to play today.  Concordia plays an up and down type of style and averages 95 a game, so I knew it would be a higher scoring game today.  With that said though, Point was out hustled every second of the game.  Concordia got every loose ball and beat Point numerous times up the court for transition points or good looks.  I'll give Point the benefit of the doubt today and say the travel caught up to them.

[ExBBaller40]

What I don't get is that you have Tillema play at St Thomas when you needed him....and he suits up down in Texas this week, you need him again today and doesn't play a second.  I understand you want him healthy for conference play when it matters a little more, but then why have him play at St Thomas??  I was at St Thomas watching and Tillema played great while noticeably limping all over the court.

I also thought that was weird. If he was able to play at St. Thomas, he should have been able to play in Texas eight days later, which should be plenty of time to get healthier before their first game...Even if it was limited minutes, like 15 or so, just something to provide a spark here or there when needed. He clearly proved he could do that against the Tommies with an injury.

[02 Warhawk]

I'm guessing the coaching staff may have regretted playing Tillema against UST. Maybe he had a small setback, so the coaching staff didn't want to take any chances down in Texas.

[frodotwo]

What I don't get is that you have Tillema play at St Thomas when you needed him....and he suits up down in Texas this week, you need him again today and doesn't play a second.  I understand you want him healthy for conference play when it matters a little more, but then why have him play at St Thomas??  I was at St Thomas watching and Tillema played great while noticeably limping all over the court.

I also thought that was weird. If he was able to play at St. Thomas, he should have been able to play in Texas eight days later, which should be plenty of time to get healthier before their first game...Even if it was limited minutes, like 15 or so, just something to provide a spark here or there when needed. He clearly proved he could do that against the Tommies with an injury.

While getting an In-region win would have been a slight boost, they don't get into the dance without a dance card, and that is earned in the conference and the conference tourney. I would rather have a conference/tourney title. SOS will be a deciding factor in the invite and even this loss  will net them some points there. High rankings in the D3 poll nets nothing but bragging rights. Having a healthier Tillema helps them get to their goal of winning conference.

[Greek Tragedy]

I'm guessing the coaching staff may have regretted playing Tillema against UST. Maybe he had a small setback, so the coaching staff didn't want to take any chances down in Texas.

This was my thinking.  Maybe the played him too early and he reaggravated something.  Losses in-region always hurt, but as Frodo said, you want him for the conference run-in. 

[Greek Tragedy]

UPDATED...

SATURDAY'S RESULTS

The WIAC went 6-3 today

As mentioned above, Stout stumbled to Loras 74-67.  Alex Oman lead all scorers with 22, while Ragland had 18 and Hortman had 10 and 7 boards.  Stout drops to 9-2 and likely out of the Top 25, while Loras improves to 5-5.  Loras has losses to Ill. Wes., Augustana and Wheaton, also including a loss to Eau Claire.  Interesting. 

Stevens Point eased past Texas-Dallas 72-55 in Texas.  Giordana went off for 29, including 9-12 from 3.  Ritchay added 13 pts., 6 reb., and 8 assists.  As a team, Point had 21 assists on 28 made field goals. 

Superior topped a decent St. Olaf team 74-65.  The Yellowjackets had all 5 starters in double-digits, topped out with Peterson's 17 pts. and 7 boards.  They were down 2 at the break.  This is the same Ole's team that lost to Stevens Point 82-81.

Whitewater came from behind at the break to top a stubborn Northwestern (MN) team, 71-61 at the St. Norbert tournament.  Luke Knoble lead four players in double-figures with 14 as both Hearn and Evans came off the bench to chip in 13 and 11 each.  No sign of Odegaard in the boxscore. 

River Falls got a nice win at home over St. John's 79-73.  Zach Peterson again was all-world with 17 pts and 11 boards to lead the Falcons.  Arik Smith had 15 and UT Udo chipped in with 10. 

Eau Claire dropped one at home, as Gustavus Adolphus took two in Eau Claire with an easy 61-47 win against the hosts. The Blugolds were down 15 at the break.  Mau had 17 and Craggs added 14 and 12 rebounds as the only players in double-figures for Eau Claire. 

Oshkosh got a nice feather in the cap with a come-from-behind 70-62 win over Concordia (WI), one of the better NathCon teams. Royston lead the Titans with 15, while Wurtz and Wallace each added 10.  Wallace also lead the team with 8 boards. 

Platteville nearly blew an 11-point halftime lead to get by Colorado College 61-59.  Rob Stallion was the only Pioneer in double-figures with 11.  Stocki and Gerber each had 9, while 3 others chipped in with eight points each. 

La Crosse dropped a tough one to 3rd ranked North Central (IL) 80-72.  Morrissey and Tice both shot well, scoring 20 and 17 each to be the only Eagles in double-figures.  La Crosse lead 32-26 at the break.  I didn't go through the play-by-play, but the boxscore had Trent Schmidt committing 5 fouls in just 8 minutes.  La Crosse had 28 fouls to North Central's 16. 

SUNDAY'S RESULTS

The WIAC went 3-1 for the day.

As Badgerwarhawk mentioned, Whitewater took one on the chin today, losing to host St. Norbert, 66-55.  Not much else to say since Badger covered it.  Alex Merg has started the last two games with Odegaard out. 

Oshkosh pulled out an overtime win over Loras in Wisconsin Dells, 73-72.  Jade Royston had a solid all-around game, going for team-highs of 22 pts, 8 rebs., 6 assists and 3 steals.  Nickel chipped in with 18 and Wurtz added 11 pts. and 7 boards.

La Crosse rebounded from the loss to #3 North Central with an easy win over Hardin-Simmons, 68-55.  The Eagles built a 39-20 halftime lead and they basically cruised from there.  Jeff Heiden lead four Eagles in double-figures with 17.  Collom had 9 boards and Morrissey lead the team with 5 assists. 

Stout bounced back from a disappointing loss to Loras by destroying Concordia (WI)  62-42. Jenny and Ragland each had 11 pts., while Oman and Kosloske had 10 a piece.  I mentioned earlier that Stevens Point had 21 assists on 28 made field goals. In contrast, Stout had just four assists on their 21 made field goals. 

MONDAY'S RESULTS

WIAC went 1-1

Concordia (TX) gave Stevens Point a New Year's eve surprise by topping the Pointers, 96-82.  A tough loss for the Dawgs as defense forgot to show up.  SIX Pointers scored double digits, lead by Ritchay's 20.  Heuer lead the team in rebounds with 8.  Tyler Tillema missed his 2nd straight game, but hopefully he'll be back on Thursday.

Superior got a 2nd win in 3 days with a come-from-behind 64-59 win. Down 11 at the break, the Yellowjackets stormed back to get the win.  Peterson again lead the team in scoring with 19.  Bauer had 10 points and 10 rebounds to help out. 

[Greek Tragedy]

UPDATED RESULTS

Stevens Point (9-0, 3-0)
12/21 at St. Thomas...LOST 68-63
12/29 at Texas-Dallas...WON 72-55
12/31 at Concordia (TX)...LOST 96-82


Whitewater (7-1, 3-1)
12/22 at Edgewood...WON 75-48
12/29 vs Northwestern (MN) at St. Norbert...WON 71-61
12/30 vs St. Norbert...LOST 66-55

Stout (9-1, 3-1)
12/29 vs Loras (IA) in Wisconsin Dells...LOST 74-67
12/30 vs Concordia (WI) in Wisconsin Dells...WON 62-42

La Crosse (8-1, 2-1)
12/21 at North Park (IL)...LOST 84-82
12/29 vs North Central (IL) in Las Vegas...LOST 80-72
12/30 vs Hardin-Simmons (TX) in Las Vegas...WON 68-55

Platteville (8-3, 3-1)
12/28 at La Verne...WON 70-61
12/29 vs Colorado College at La Verne...WON 61-59

Superior (3-7, 1-3)
12/28 vs Gustavus Adolphus...LOST 71-60
12/29 vs St. Olaf (MN)...WON 74-65
12/31 at St. Scholastica (MN)...WON 64-59

Oshkosh (3-5, 1-2)
12/20 vs Washington & Jefferson in Las Vegas...WON 65-53
12/21 vs Aurora (IL) in Las Vegas...LOST 74-70
12/29 vs Concordia (WI) in Wisconsin Dells...WON 70-62
12/30 vs Loras (IA) in Wisconsin Dells...WON 73-72 OT

Eau Claire (5-6, 0-4)
12/28 vs St. Olaf (MN)...WON 69-62
12/29 vs Gustavus Adolphus (MN)...LOST 61-47

River Falls (3-7, 0-3)
12/22 vs Pacific Lutheran (WA)...WON 57-54
12/29 vs St. Johns (MN)...WON 79-73

[ExBBaller40]

My look at the WIAC race and the races in the MWC and NathCon in my midweek blog http://diiihoopsblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/midweek-blog-6-conference-call.html

[Greek Tragedy]

In case you missed it, whitewater beat the number 1 ranked NAIA Division 2 team, Cardinal Stritch, 91-81.

[02 Warhawk]

In case you missed it, whitewater beat the number 1 ranked NAIA Division 2 team, Cardinal Stritch, 91-81.

That's because NAIA is a joke

[badgerwarhawk]

WARHAWKS: 91
Cardinal Stritch: 81

The WARHAWKS opened the scoring with the first two baskets but Cardinal Stritch responded and the two teams went back and forth with five ties and four lead changes in the first thirteen minutes.  With the WARHAWKS trailing 23-22 Alex Merg hit a three-pointer to take the lead.  CS tied the game on the next possession but another three-pointer, this one from Quardell Young, gave the WARHAWKS a lead they would eventually build to a high of nine points before a last second CS basket made the score 42-37 at the half.  The WARHAWKS shot 67% from the field including 7 of 11 from beyond the arc.  Merg led all scorers with 11 points and hit on 3 of 3 three-pointers.  The WARHAWKS opened the second half with a 15-4 run for a 57-41 lead.  CS cut it to seven points but another WARHAWKS spurt pushed it to sixteen, 74-58, with eight minutes.  After that CS got to within nine but no closer.  The WARHAWKS shot 79% (14-19) in the second half.

The WARHAWKS finished the game shooting 71% from the floor including a season high 11 (of 17) three-pointers.  All five WARHAWKS starters scored in double figures.  Merg had a game high and a career best 22 points going 6-7 from the floor connecting on all four three-pointers.  Eric Bryson followed with 17 points. Darnell Harris Young and Luke Knoble scored 16, 12 and 11 points respectively.  Merg and Young each tied the team high with 4 assists and Merg added a pair of steals.

This was a solid win for the WARHAWKS, 02.  Cardinal Stritch was a decent team and IMO could play very competitively in our league.  Ranked #1 in the NAIA they came into the night with a 15-1 record.  Their starting big was very athletic and long.  They had two good shooting guards and their guard play overall wasn't bad.  The back up point was as quick a player as any I've seen.  However the bench was not deep.  They also finished with five players in double figures scoring.

[02 Warhawk]

This was a solid win for the WARHAWKS, 02.  Cardinal Stritch was a decent team and IMO could play very competitively in our league.  Ranked #1 in the NAIA they came into the night with a 15-1 record.  Their starting big was very athletic and long.  They had two good shooting guards and their guard play overall wasn't bad.  The back up point was as quick a player as any I've seen.  However the bench was not deep.  They also finished with five players in double figures scoring.

Sounds good. I'll take it!!

Sounds like NAIA basketball is a little more respectable than their football programs. I don't really take their football teams seriously...Hence my comment above.

It's good to see that Harris found his shooting touch again. Which is something he's lacked since the IWU game.

[Greek Tragedy]

From what Ive read in the past, check the multi-regions thread specific to this, the top  25 NAIA teams are very comparable to the top 25 D3 schools.