MBB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[badgerwarhawk]

Myles McKay is this week's WIAC Player of the Week.  Tiffany Morton was named the women's POW.  A WARHAWK sweep. 

[Pioneer Hoops Fan]

If WW, PL & SP all end up 12-2 with PL beating SP on Sat., WW would be the number 3 seed based on two road losses while PL and SP would flip a coin to see who the top seed is...that or dunkel ratings come into play! lol

Not to get ahead of ourselves...but when and where might that commissioner coin flip take place? It's not clearly defined...

I can just see our student section showing up at the flip and chanting 'Tails never fails!' 

And if it didn't go our way..."FUNDAMENTALS!!! FUNDAMENTALS!!!"

[Just Bill]

Funny stuff!

They usually try to get a representative from both schools at the same place at the same time.  Somtimes if there is a convenient Athletic Director's meeting scheduled they'll a do a whole series of every possible coin flip, just in case (ala Major League Baseball).

If not it's logistically possible, it's often done on a teleconference between the WIAC office and the schools involved. With technology as it is, you'd think they could do it on webcam so everyone could see.  I know I'd tune in to that.

After writing the previous sentence, I realize I may need to re-evaluate my social life.

[John Gleich]

I posted this on the pick em page due to the fact that most people are picking 4 road teams tonight... but I decided to bring it over here to get more discussion...



I do not even have close to the stats (or the time to find them...) but I wonder how often all of the road teams have won on a particular night.  The prevailing picks are all roadies...

The reason why I ask this is that the CCIW recently had just the 3rd time in its history where all 4 road teams won on a particular night.  For a league that has been around for 62 years, that is pretty mind blowing.

The WIAC has been around (in some form) for 95 years.  One would think that it would happen more than 3 times.

Just takin a quick look at this years results, Saturday and last Wed, 3/4 road teams won.  Last Sat 2/4, the Wed before, 3/4 Roadies, Sat the 31st 2/4, the wed before 3/4 roadies...

Wow, that is shocking in and of itself... 16 out of 20 road teams have won the last 5 games...

Sat 1/21 was 2/2... and we have to go all the way back to 1/21 to get 3/4 home teams winning.

We have to go to 12/10 to get all 4 home teams winning and it has an astrix because one game didn't occur on the 10th...  WW beat Oshkosh the next Wed due to finals.

The interesting thing is that away teams are 25-39 this year.  Clearly, the first half of the year went to the home teams while the second half at least appears to go to the roadies.

[Pioneer Hoops Fan]

I posted this on the pick em page due to the fact that most people are picking 4 road teams tonight... but I decided to bring it over here to get more discussion...



I do not even have close to the stats (or the time to find them...) but I wonder how often all of the road teams have won on a particular night.  The prevailing picks are all roadies...

The reason why I ask this is that the CCIW recently had just the 3rd time in its history where all 4 road teams won on a particular night.  For a league that has been around for 62 years, that is pretty mind blowing.

The WIAC has been around (in some form) for 95 years.  One would think that it would happen more than 3 times.

Just takin a quick look at this years results, Saturday and last Wed, 3/4 road teams won.  Last Sat 2/4, the Wed before, 3/4 Roadies, Sat the 31st 2/4, the wed before 3/4 roadies...

Wow, that is shocking in and of itself... 16 out of 20 road teams have won the last 5 games...

Sat 1/21 was 2/2... and we have to go all the way back to 1/21 to get 3/4 home teams winning.

We have to go to 12/10 to get all 4 home teams winning and it has an astrix because one game didn't occur on the 10th...  WW beat Oshkosh the next Wed due to finals.

The interesting thing is that away teams are 25-39 this year.  Clearly, the first half of the year went to the home teams while the second half at least appears to go to the roadies.

Will be interesting to see how this plays out.  I'm not going to go back and look at everyone's schedule, as we have fans from each team here so hopefully they can chime in, but I know UWP played 5 conference home games the first half, and will play 5 on the road ending with two road games at UWEC and UWSP.  The unbalanced schedule such as this could definitely sway the results considering how balanced the top and middle of the conference is within their own groups.

[John Gleich]

I posted this on the pick em page due to the fact that most people are picking 4 road teams tonight... but I decided to bring it over here to get more discussion...



I do not even have close to the stats (or the time to find them...) but I wonder how often all of the road teams have won on a particular night.  The prevailing picks are all roadies...

The reason why I ask this is that the CCIW recently had just the 3rd time in its history where all 4 road teams won on a particular night.  For a league that has been around for 62 years, that is pretty mind blowing.

The WIAC has been around (in some form) for 95 years.  One would think that it would happen more than 3 times.

Just takin a quick look at this years results, Saturday and last Wed, 3/4 road teams won.  Last Sat 2/4, the Wed before, 3/4 Roadies, Sat the 31st 2/4, the wed before 3/4 roadies...

Wow, that is shocking in and of itself... 16 out of 20 road teams have won the last 5 games...

Sat 1/21 was 2/2... and we have to go all the way back to 1/21 to get 3/4 home teams winning.

We have to go to 12/10 to get all 4 home teams winning and it has an astrix because one game didn't occur on the 10th...  WW beat Oshkosh the next Wed due to finals.

The interesting thing is that away teams are 25-39 this year.  Clearly, the first half of the year went to the home teams while the second half at least appears to go to the roadies.

Will be interesting to see how this plays out.  I'm not going to go back and look at everyone's schedule, as we have fans from each team here so hopefully they can chime in, but I know UWP played 5 conference home games the first half, and will play 5 on the road ending with two road games at UWEC and UWSP.  The unbalanced schedule such as this could definitely sway the results considering how balanced the top and middle of the conference is within their own groups.

This question of imbalance is a tough one because of the problem of travel and doubleheaders.  Because of the new (comparatively vs. 95 years of league history) policy of doubleheaders, and the policy (which I believe is rather new) about which games can be on Wed vs. which can be on Sat, the imbalance issue is a tough one.  Actually, there are probably some math majors or engineers that could figure it out with relative ease, based on the parameters set that would allow for a certain number of positive factors set forth and intended (such as no 3 home games in a row or no 3 away games... or which ever undesirable schedule situation exists).  It is just an operations research project.

Here are the bylaws about scheduling in the WIAC basketball handbook.   

C. Scheduling [See also WIAC Article 17]
The conference basketball schedule shall consist of a double round-robin format with teams alternating
the home and away site. Doubleheaders (men and women) will be played on Saturdays with single
games on Wednesdays (men and women). Institutions are permitted to change dates of conference
games by mutual consent and with the prior approval of the conference office. Postponed games are to
be played as soon as is feasible, and shall be played (if possible) during the same term or half of the
schedule and order in which they were originally scheduled. The schedule will attempt to incorporate (in
priority order) the following parameters:
1. Travel distance (longest trips on Saturdays or on Wednesdays of winter break):
Superior/Whitewater – 362 miles Platteville/River Falls – 247 miles
Superior/Platteville – 357 miles Stout/Whitewater – 238 miles
Oshkosh/Superior – 327 miles La Crosse/Superior – 234 miles
River Falls/Whitewater - 281 miles Stout/Oshkosh – 225 miles
Stevens Point/Superior – 254 miles Platteville/Stout – 215 miles
Oshkosh/River Falls – 248 miles Eau Claire/Whitewater – 214 miles
- 2 -
2. No more than four (4) consecutive Home/Away dates
3. Play no more than three (3) teams coming off a 'Bye'
4. Balance of Saturday Home/Away dates
5. Non-mirrored schedule

Based on these standards, the schedules are balanced.  But I think that the schedule could be even MORE balanced with certain other stipulations.  But the schedule is never going to be completely balanced.  Kind of as you said, depending how each team is doing in a particular year very well may determine how tough a schedule is.  UWW had Point and WW back to back this year at home.  The last two games are at Oshkosh and RF.  Certain years, those two away games might be simply harder games. 

It is rather fitting that UWP/UWSP is in the last game of the year again, after SP had to travel to Pville last year and lost a piece of the conference championship at the hand of the Pios.

[UWP SID]

That was a great question about four road teams getting wins on the same day/night. After a quick glance through Matt Stanek's fine web pages, this is the last instance I found:
2/10/04 UW-La Crosse 67, UW-Stout 60  Menomonie
2/10/04 UW-Oshkosh 57, UW-Eau Claire 47 Eau Claire
2/10/04 UW-River Falls 79, UW-Superior 76 (Overtime)  Superior
2/10/04 UW-Stevens Point 79, UW-Whitewater 59  Whitewater

[buf]

This week's region rankings

West Region
1. St. Thomas 22-0 22-0
2. Puget Sound 21-2 18-0
3. UW-Whitewater 20-3 19-3
4. UW-Stevens Point 20-3 19-3
5. UW-Platteville 20-3 15-3
6. Buena Vista 22-2 19-2
7. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 16-6 14-4
8. Whitworth 18-5 16-5

[John Gleich]

That was a great question about four road teams getting wins on the same day/night. After a quick glance through Matt Stanek's fine web pages, this is the last instance I found:
2/10/04 UW-La Crosse 67, UW-Stout 60  Menomonie
2/10/04 UW-Oshkosh 57, UW-Eau Claire 47 Eau Claire
2/10/04 UW-River Falls 79, UW-Superior 76 (Overtime)  Superior
2/10/04 UW-Stevens Point 79, UW-Whitewater 59  Whitewater

Great work!

[John Gleich]

Stevens Point beats La Crosse tonight 78-62 and claims its 25th conference title, and 7th in the last 10 years!

[John Gleich]

EC knocks off Plt 65-60, Osh knocks off WW 65-64... Points conference title is now outright!!

[Mr. Ypsi]

EC knocks off WW 65-60, Osh knocks off WW 65-64... Points conference title is now outright!!

Horrible night for WW if they lost to both EC AND Osh!

[John Gleich]

EC knocks off WW 65-60, Osh knocks off WW 65-64... Points conference title is now outright!!

Horrible night for WW if they lost to both EC AND O sh!

Whoops...!  has been corrected!

Saturdays game now becomes a game of seeding as Plt holds their seed in their own hands... if Plt wins or WW loses on Saturday, Plt becomes the second seed and gets the first round bye next week

[John Gleich]

I wonder how often all of the road teams have won on a particular night...

Looks like I may have jinxed it...

[BoBo]

As I mentioned on the update board, WW lost due to a very bad first 10 minutes.  They found themselves down by 10 midway, I believe 16-6 and although they did take the lead at the half by 1, and at one point lead by as many as 3 in the second half with 6:15 on the clock, never really got things in sync. They had nice balanced scoring with 5 in double figures, but only shot 44% for the game.  Rebounds were once again heavily in WW's favor 37-22 (18-7 offensive), but when the shots aren't falling, that kind of wipes out the advantage. The Titans shoot 53% from beyond the arc, making 8 to only 3 made for WW, shooting at a 21% clip...
...oh, and maybe the biggest play of the game may have been the controversy with the clock with 7.5 seconds remain, just after Marsh scored to put the Titans in the lead.  The warhawks took the ball downcourt immediately after the shot and were beyond mid-court according the the radio broadcast, with the ball in McKay's hands, with WW with the superior numbers in the frontcourt and the Oshkosh defense not set, when the official stopped the action.  After a short delay, it was determined the game clock operator failed to start the clock.  WW was forced to inbound the ball in the backcourt sideout, with 6.5 seconds or so put on the clock.  After a timeout, WW was able to get the ball to Chris Vines under the basket, but his shot, like so many on this night, wouldn't fall and the Titans prevailed.  The question to be asked following this one is why the clock operator didn't start the clock after the Marsh made basket with 7.5 remaining? Was there a malfunction? At this time, it's a mystery, but I suppose we'll find out soon enough.  Congrats to the Titans for the win.