MBB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Pioneer Hoops Fan]

With those teams, it really didn't matter who you guarded, someone was going to getcha.  Shorter benches or not, one thing that Oshkosh has always done well is shoot free throws.  Cody is right, we're always trying to catch them out of position and get to the line.  That '03 team, as well as this team shoot the ball pretty well from anywhere, but if you could get to the line...then maybe you're making other players play, giving yourself the advantage.

Didn't happen.  The '03 Titans.  453/572 from the line, good for just over 79%.  Their opponents, 333/472 good for roughly 71%.  They almost made more FT's than their opponents attempted.  That is a Bo Ryan-ism there.  His goal for his team is to make more than their opponets shoot.

'08 Titans you ask?  216/262...that's a staggering 82.4%.  Their opponents are 127/187 for 68%.  That's a huge disparity.  They've made more than their opponents shot. 

If UWP can keep them off the line, or at least get to the line at least 5-10 times more than UWO tomorrow, I'd say it give the Pioneers a legit shot at a road win.  True for everyone right?

Did TVD change his offense this year to accomodate his team now that Kerry is gone?

I always like playing at Kolf.  Good shooters gym, arena, coliseum...whatever floats your boat.

[Mr. Downtown]

TVD does prefer to play about 8 guys a game. That way, his best players (which would generally be the starters) play more minutes.

My thinking is that if a team has to play 10 guys a game, that means the team has to use a couple of players to fill in the void.

Unless your Grinnell, and that's just a coaching philosophy.
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DSA vs Skemp is the main attraction for tomorrow night's game, but I think Hanson vs Marsh/Miller will be the key match up. I know the spotlight is on Marsh, but Miller has been on fire, hitting 10 3's leading to this week's WIAC Player of the Week.

If Platteville wants to win, they are going to have to score in bunches, or pray that Oshkosh goes cold. I don't think defensive play is not going to win this game.

[cubs]

Did TVD change his offense this year to accomodate his team now that Kerry is gone?

Yes he has..... gone is the pass it around the perimeter while their 5-man looks to post and re-post and re-post and re-post and re-post.........  This team is definitely more fun to watch if you are a "true" basketball fan.

[John Gleich]

I'm thinking that even more of a make or break for Platteville, this may be a make or break for Point.  If Point starts off 1-3, it's a LONG road back to the top.  The way Oshkosh is playing right now, they're going to be tough to beat, but since they HAVE been successful with a short bench, then that may continue...  It's just a matter of getting deeper into the bench, I think.  Oshkosh's next three guys off the bench aren't really scoring threats, so if you can get into the bench, then it could certainly hurt Oshkosh.

[chmarx]

Of course, most teams don't want to have to rely on their bench too much.

[Greek Tragedy]

Of course, most teams don't want to have to rely on their bench too much.

Point doesn't have that problem since they like their bench...or maybe that is their problem.

For example, if Beamish, Hicklin, Pete Rortvedt, El-Amin and Wotachek are thier starters, Semling has no problem throwing in ROSS Rortvedt, Matt Moses, Drew Jackson and Louis Hurd.  Point has had seven different leading scorers this year.  That means anyone can score, on most ocassions.  There really isn't a dropoff in production when Ross Rortvedt, Moses or Hurd are in there, and probably an increase in defense when they are (and Drew too). 

Although that's all well and good, maybe throwing out too many combinations on the floor is hurting Point's flow.  Not sure. 

Sure, Point didn't have real deep benches on their championship runs, but they had veteran leadership.  I want to say they had four junior starters/four senior starters those two years, with Krull and Hicklin getting a lot of minutes. 

Oshkosh has a little of that too, with Miller and DSA juniors, JJ and reserve Ryan Johnsen seniors and only the Marshmallow a sophomore.

It's a big week for the WIAC.  Can Oshkosh extend their lead?  Can Point rebound?  Will Whitewater and Platteville keep pace?  Can Stout win a conference game and gain some confidence...

Congrats to "Little Guy" Matty Miller for Conference Player of the Week!

[OshDude]

Just to follow up on OshDude's comments.......

If you want an example of Oshkosh being successful in the past with a "short" bench, look no further than the 2003 season. 

And it goes without saying that the '03 Oshkosh team was building to that season. That was UWO's "it" year before it even began. Pretty sure UWO was the preseason No. 2 team in the nation, according to some magazine.

The '08 Titans are a surprise because '07 seemed like another "it" year and '08 was seen as a transitional year by many, myself included.

Of course, most teams don't want to have to rely on their bench too much.

Sure, Point didn't have real deep benches on their championship runs, but they had veteran leadership.  I want to say they had four junior starters/four senior starters those two years, with Krull and Hicklin getting a lot of minutes. 

Oshkosh has a little of that too, with Miller and DSA juniors, JJ and reserve Ryan Johnsen seniors and only the Marshmallow a sophomore.

I think what UWO lacks in terms of Point's '03 veteran leadership, it makes up with its chemistry and acceptance of roles. If the game was played with two basketballs last year and the couple of prior years, Oshkosh would have been a national championship contender.

The '08 Titans seem to have assumed and accepted roles. In that way, Jordan Johnson and DSA are the most important players this year. They both do whatever is needed. Some nights that means taking the scoring spotlight. When that's not needed, they fill the hustle stats. Wesener and Doedens were the "glue" guys before, but JJ and DSA have taken it up a notch since assuming bigger roles.

It's so much easier to like and buy into this year's UWO team. TVD has always had talent. For whatever reason, this year's team is actually a TEAM. Not many egos with this bunch. At least none that I have seen. It's pretty well documented that that hasn't always been the case at UWO. Winning might have something to do with it, but I think the '08 version is what TVD has always wanted of the Capelle, Jahnke and Gibson years, when there weren't enough shots to go around.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that Matty has taken his game from gunner to floor general and DJ is free to be the man without another teammate needing his 12 to 15 shots lest he mope around for 32 minutes (like Jahnke often did, IMO).

[cubs]

Congrats to "Little Guy" Matty Miller for Conference Player of the Week!

Interestingly, he is the third different player to earn "Player of the Week" honors for the Titans this season, joining Marsh and Seckar-Anderson.  Wasn't it just last year that UWSP had four differnet players win the same award?

[UWRF]

Will i be able to get the point radio feed for tonights game on the internet?

[Greek Tragedy]

You should.

http://athletics.uwsp.edu/Sports/gen/2007/liveaudiostats.asp

Last Year Players of the Week

SP-Krull, P. Rortvedt (3), Beamish, Hicklin,

LX-Werner (3),

OSH-Capelle, Gibson

WW-Price (2)

This Year Players of the Week

OSH-Miller, DSA, Marshmallow (lol)

WW-Perry

SP-P. Rortvedt,

ST-Webb

PL-Skemp

[John Gleich]

Will i be able to get the point radio feed for tonights game on the internet?

Here's the link to B1049, the station that does feeds for Point's game:

http://www.b1049.com/

OS's link was to the live stats.

[Pioneer Hoops Fan]

Platteville gets a big win.  Live stats dont do justice.  Would like to hear some info from someone that was there.  My wife said UWP made final 11 shots and last 8 FT's.  Platteville didn't go very deep in their bench, now that I made mention of it earlier this week, but Nick Allen and Mike Shaw and Jeff Skemp seem to be what carried them late.

[Pioneer Hoops Fan]

Also wondering what happened in LaCrosse as Whitewater steals a win 65-62.  How did this one finish exactly?  Looked like the Eagles were up big at one time.

[cubs]

Platteville wins 72-53.....  It was a six point Platteville lead (59-53) with 3:44 remaining and then the wheels fell off for Oshkosh, with Platteville scoring the last 13 points for the final margin.

Things that jump out:
-Oshkosh goes 3-6 from the FT line.  This from a team that averages nearly 22 free throw attempts per game.
-Only 12 combined turnovers between the two teams.  Appears that it was a pretty well played game.
-Mike Shaw scores 13 of his 16 points in the final 6:00 of the game.

[cubs]

Stevens Point knocks off River Falls 87-44....

Superior knocks off Eau Claire 68-59....