MBB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[miacwatchmen]

Well....... a team that some predict not even to make the playoffs beat a team from the WIAC last night so....... maybe the MIAC doesnt suck.   The WIAC is stacked because wisconsin has no D-2 so all the guys who would stay instate and play D-2 go play D-3 at Steven's Point its kind of nice that you guys have that option. Oh yeah and the whole redshirt thing thats nice too.

[megalomaniac]

Titan
The MIAC doesnt suck, its just incredibly top heavy. There isnt the parity like the WIAC has. The teams at the bottom of the conference arent going to continually give the top teams a run for their money, as is the case in the WIAC (Superior, La Crosse the last couple years). The physical nature of the two conferences is quite different too, as the MIAC is more of a finesse league. That tends to show when the conferences match up, with WIAC teams physically beating on MIAC ones (e.g. UST at the UWRF tourney the last two years). MIAC teams arent accustomed to that kind of play, and lose even when they have a decided talent advantage. I dont believe that can simply be written off to "redshirting" like miacwatchmen said, its just a philosophical difference in coaching styles. The WIAC has always been a tough, hard nosed conference with big, physical teams-the MIAC builds itself from the perimeter in. Case in point, Stout outrebounding a UST team whose front line came in at 6'6 220, 6'6 225, and 6'8 210 on Friday night in Wooster.
I would say the WIAC is the best D3 conference in the country, so to use it as the benchmark for how good another conference is seems rather naive. The MIAC is a good conference, but its obviously not the WIAC.

[titan2000]

Sorry, "sucked" might be strong.

I came up to see the MWC champ Lawrence play the Gusties last March.  Nice facility, good victory.  Then we got whipped by Point.   Also went to Clear Lake the year before to see LU play Buena Vista.  We won in a madhouse up there and then the police busted us for walking back to our hotel from the bars--that's right, walking under the influence.  Must have been a slow night or the cops own the taxi company.

BTW, Parkside is D-2 and 4 D-1 programs so plenty of pressure to recruit.

[Mr. Downtown]

Its so weird to have all of the WIAC teams play 2 games already, and Oshkosh has yet to play. Of course, it is hunting season...so no surprise there. But to open up with Lawerence on Tuesday is not the best of situations for the Titans. I think we will have a better idea of what we should expect.

[Brian Carroll]

    Depth and swarming defense were the keys to LC's win over Coe Saturday night. For the second straight game, the pressure caused an opponent to wilt in the 2nd half. A decent crowd and good atmosphere both nights mean that enjoyable ball is back in Mitchell Hall.

[titan2000]

Downtown:

This hunting thing is actually true?  If it is, that is really hard to believe.   

[Mr. Downtown]

When I talked to him, he did say if they played when everyone else did he wouldnt be there...

so most likely he is joking, and would love to not have a game during hunting season (he does have a camoflauge phone) . Its probably a joke, especially with some people who know him very well.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to (pun intended) with a match up of Braier (2nd team AA) and Capelle(3rd team AA). Anyone want to take a stab on who has the advantage in that one?

[Greek Tragedy]

MIACers,

#44 from River Falls is Ryan Sylstra.  He's a sophomore now.  He only played in 14 games last year, starting 4.  Averaged less than 10 minutes a game and averaged 3 points  a game.  You'd have to wait and see and hope for a River Falls poster to give you more insight on the guy.  He's 6'10, 250...and to add salt to your wounds, he's from Annadale, Minnesota.   

To also let you know, they got rid of non-medical redshirting last year.  So, the best we have to offer are those damn redshirting sophomores! 

[Greek Tragedy]

It's a little late, but I was in Point all weekend and was unable to post.

http://www.uwsp.edu/athletics/mbb/05-06/Cardinalstritch.htm

Point beats Cardinal Stritch 69-54 in a hard fought game.  Stritch is favored to win their NAIA conference, the Chicagoland, and had already played four games.  They received votes in the preseason top 25 as well.

There were spurts where Point looked real good, but then there were times when their inexperience really showed.  For the time being, Point will need at least two of Brian Bauer, Steve Hicklin and Jon Krull on the floor to survive.  I told my friend that those guys will probably have to play 35 minutes a game and looking at the box score for the first time, all three played 36.

To no one's surprise, Jon Krull led the way with 19.  Freshman Pete Rortvedt looked real good.  Too early to call him the next Nick Bennett, but the guy has a shot.  Moves around the picks real well, finds the open shot and looked real comfortable and wasn't afraid to shoot.  A solid player.

Frosh Khalifa El-Amin is a quicksilver REAL small point guard.  5'8, 135 lbs, I think!  Looked comfortable bringing the ball up and a lot of times he was at the point with Hicklin moving to shooting guard, also not afraid to shoot. 

Though listed as a guard in the boxscore, frosh Brian Beamish is listed at a 6'6" foward in the books.  Did well, showed potential.  Handled the ball well.  Frosh Jerome Wotachek was ok.  Definitely not looking to be a scorer.  Big guy inside at 6'8" 237.  He'll really need to polish his game and become a factor because he's the biggest we got! 

I'd like to see sophomore Gbenga Awe get some more minutes.  Though not a scorer, he adds some life to the lineup and 20 seconds after he came into the game, he was hosting his own block party!  He's a nice defensive spark off the bench.

Looking foward to taking on Ripon and Lakeland next weekend.

[titan2000]

Downtown:

I don't think they'll put Braier on Capelle, I'm betting its McGillis or one of their other gnat-like guards.    They will try to frustrate the Titans with their defense and look to keep the score down.  Briaer will be rebounding and scoring off the boards as much as on set plays.

I don't know how they stop Gibson other than to get him in foul trouble by driving at him with abandon; who knows if that works.  The biggest LU guy is maybe 6'7"

I'd suggest the Titans are due.  More talent and if they maintain their composure, should be able to dust the Vikings.  I felt the same way the past 2 years, however, and Tharp and his gang outcoached and outhustled Oshkosh.

If Van Dellen loses this game, he will likely go jump off his tree stand, especially with the hype the countdown box on their website for the past 3 weeks has caused.  I know it's given the LU guys some motivation.  Would they have had this on the website if their first game was against Viterbo?  They doubt it.

What a way to start the season.   

[cubs]

If Van Dellen loses this game, he will likely go jump off his tree stand, especially with the hype the countdown box on their website for the past 3 weeks has caused.  I know it's given the LU guys some motivation.  Would they have had this on the website if their first game was against Viterbo?  They doubt it.

They've had that "countdown box" on there for probably the past three or four seasons.  They also put it on there for the football and baseball seasons, so I really don't think it has anything to do with Lawrence.

[cubs]

   The WIAC is stacked because wisconsin has no D-2 so all the guys who would stay instate and play D-2 go play D-3 at Steven's Point its kind of nice that you guys have that option.

Ummm last time I checked the 2005 WIAC POY (Jason Kalsow) wasn't from Wisconsin, so he didn't stay "in-state." 

[Greek Tragedy]

   The WIAC is stacked because wisconsin has no D-2 so all the guys who would stay instate and play D-2 go play D-3 at Steven's Point its kind of nice that you guys have that option.

2004 D3 Player of the Year and 2003 (co) and 2004 WIAC Player of the Year Rich Melzer was from...Minnesota. Weird.

[Greek Tragedy]

Downtown:

If Van Dellen loses this game, he will likely go jump off his tree stand, especially with the hype the countdown box on their website for the past 3 weeks has caused.  I know it's given the LU guys some motivation.  Would they have had this on the website if their first game was against Viterbo?  They doubt it.

What a way to start the season.   

In big letters on top, it does say COUNTDOWN TO THE 2005-2006 SEASON OPENER.  So, yeah, if it was Viterbo, they'd have it there too.  And I don't think the Lawrence players care or go over to the Oshkosh site.

[Gregory Sager]

The WIAC is stacked because wisconsin has no D-2 so all the guys who would stay instate and play D-2 go play D-3 at Steven's Point its kind of nice that you guys have that option. Oh yeah and the whole redshirt thing thats nice too.

As several posters have already pointed out, miacwatchmen, the last two WIAC POYs have been out-of-staters. Plus, you're wrong about Wisconsin being a D2-free state; UW-Parkside is not only D2, they play in the best D2 league in the country.

The states of Wisconsin and Minnesota have reciprocity agreements regarding their state schools (if you're a resident of one of them you can pay tuition at in-state rates to attend a state school across the border), which means that Minnesota's D2 schools can recruit Wisconsin and promise cheesehead prospects that they'll pay state-resident tuition rates if they cross the Mississippi/St. Croix rivers to go to school (that's if they don't actually offer the prospect an athletic scholarship). That also means that, if you're looking to point fingers for the drain of Minnesota talent into the WIAC a la Melzer, you should be pointing one at your own state legislature in St. Paul.

Finally, last year the NCAA abolished redshirting in D3 except for medical purposes.