MBB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[havej]

Enjoyed all comments on the all conference team but in my opinion, the coaches will vote for the most impactful players on the teams who finished with the best records.  To that end, Point will have someone besides Haas.  From my perspective, Young is definitely deserving.  How do you think 2nd place WW would function without him running the show?  He may be the guy the Warhawks could least afford to lose.  Also if Stout finishes 3rd at the end of the year and Hortman continues his strong play, he's also deserving.

And at the 1/2 way point Cross would have to be POY.  I strongly feel that this award should come from the team that finishes first or second, but with the balance on the top two squads, tough to pick "the guy".

[Greek Tragedy]

Can't really argue with stoutfan1's picks...

All Conference

Cross-PL
Heiden-LC
Hass-SP
Z. Peterson-RF
Knoble-WW
Oman-ST
Young -WW
Ritchay-SP
Morrissey-LC
Peterson-SUP

Honorable Mention

Tweed-LC
Ryf-SP
Petersen-EC
Bryson-WW
Byrne-SUP
Smith-RF
Royston-OSH
Heuer-SP
Hortman-ST
Nickel-OSH

Cross-PL Player of the Year
Semling-SP Coach of the Year

Breakout Player-Z. Peterson-RF

Predicted Finish

Stevens Point
Whitewater
Stout
La Crosse
Platteville
Superior
Eau Claire
Oshkosh
River Falls

[bulk19]

Here's a fascinating 10-minute trip down memory lane for this UWEC Blugold - an interview with Top Cat, Tony Carr (1978-82), EC's all-time leading scorer, and 5th all-time in the WIAC... He's involved in a charity fundraising effort to raise money for a kidney transplant for a big Blugold booster...

Not sure if this link will work/open,

fb.me/BpQh2mWo

but the terrific interview, conducted by the Voice of the Blugolds, Mike Sullivan, can be found on left side of the front page of the UWEC athletics website...
Give it a listen! 

Here's the link to the UWEC sports page:
http://www.uwecblugolds.com/

[Greek Tragedy]

Point smokes River Falls

Platteville gets by Superior

Eau Claire shocks La Crosse

Stout leading Whitewater

[fredfalcon]

SP 80, RF 44. Half time score:  30-17.

Get this:  RF shot 40 % vs. Point's 33%, and Point was only 2/12 on 3's, both stats from the first half, yet Point led 30-17.

However, River Falls  had 9 turnovers to Point's 2 (not official stats). It was a game of haves vs. not haves. DeVon Jackson, 19 pts., second string for Point, today would have been the outstanding player for RF had he been playing for the Falcons.

DeVon, please transfer! You could be the star on a losing team! You wanna be a big frog in a small pond?

To open the second half, RF turned the ball over on their first 2 possessions while SP hit two threes plus a two to go on a 8-0 run and essentially put the game out of reach. 

The game was well refereed, despite chipiness from Point fans. Pat Bauschildt, the most definite ref in the conference, because of his accurate calls and clear signals, plus loud announcements about the infractions,so that EVERYONE, including me with bad hearing, knows what the whistle means, was very good, as was his crew.

Bob P., where were you? You could have experienced a rare moment: I bought a round of drinks!

But the Falcons will come back and win another game or two before it's over. They played one of their poorest games today, after one of their best vs. Superior. Consistency is not their hallmark.

However, Point, with only one senior starter, looks tougher next year than this year.

[badgerwarhawk]

WARHAWKS: 58
Stout: 55

As has been the case in several of the recent games Luke Knoble opened the scoring for the WARHAWKS with the first basket however that is the only lead the WARHAWKS would have in the first half as Stout ran off the next ten points.  Stout's lead grew to eleven 15-4 half way through the first half.  The WARHAWKS cut the deficit to five points, 17-12, five minutes later but Stout made another run, this one 8-2, to push their lead back to eleven points, 25-14.  The Blue Devil's lead stood at nine points, 26-17, when the half ended.  As the score would suggest neither team shot well in the half (WW: 26%, S: 33%).  Stout's advantage on the boards (22-14), particularly on the offensive end with 10 rebounds (9-2 second chance points), and 4-0 advantage in three-point baskets were the main reasons for the Blue Devils lead.   Stout maintained a lead which ranged from six to ten points for the first five minutes of the second half.  A three-pointer from Darnell Harris cut the deficit to three points, 32-29, six minutes into the half and after a Blue Devil score Eric Bryson hit a three-pointer to bring the WARHAWKS within a pair.  Harris hit another three-pointer on the next possession to give the WARHAWKS their first lead, 35-34, since the opening basket with eleven minutes remaining.  The Blue Devils tied the game with a free throw however Knoble's basket regained the lead for the WARHAWKS and they held it for the next three minutes until a Blue Devil three-pointer tied the game 41-41 and a pair of Blue Devil free throws put them back in front.  A pair of free throws by Alex Merg tied the game again and a three-pointer from Harris gave the WARHAWKS a lead that, despite shaky free throw shooting, they would hold until the final buzzer. 

The WARHAWKS shot 63% in the second half to finish at 45% for the game.  Harris finished with game highs of 16 points and 2 blocks as well as a team high 9 rebounds.  KJ Evans and Bryson were the only other WARHAWKS to score in double figures finishing the game with 12 and 10 points respectively.  Merg's 6 assists were a team high. 

The Blue Devils finished the game shooting 34% and out rebounded the WARHAWKS 37-21.  Seventeen of the Blue Devils rebounds were offensive.  Chris Hortman and Alex Oman each had 13 points to pace the Blue Devils.  Travis Ragland pulled down 9 boards and Erik Olson had a game high 7 assists.
     

[ExBBaller40]

Here is my blog looking at Stout-Whitewater and Platteville-Superior as well as games from the MWC and NAC http://diiihoopsblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/weekend-analysis-7-creating-separation.html

[stoutguy]

SP 80, RF 44. Half time score:  30-17.

Get this:  RF shot 40 % vs. Point's 33%, and Point was only 2/12 on 3's, both stats from the first half, yet Point led 30-17.

However, River Falls  had 9 turnovers to Point's 2 (not official stats). It was a game of haves vs. not haves. DeVon Jackson, 19 pts., second string for Point, today would have been the outstanding player for RF had he been playing for the Falcons.

DeVon, please transfer! You could be the star on a losing team! You wanna be a big frog in a small pond?

To open the second half, RF turned the ball over on their first 2 possessions while SP hit two threes plus a two to go on a 8-0 run and essentially put the game out of reach. 

The game was well refereed, despite chipiness from Point fans. Pat Bauschildt, the most definite ref in the conference, because of his accurate calls and clear signals, plus loud announcements about the infractions,so that EVERYONE, including me with bad hearing, knows what the whistle means, was very good, as was his crew.

Bob P., where were you? You could have experienced a rare moment: I bought a round of drinks!

But the Falcons will come back and win another game or two before it's over. They played one of their poorest games today, after one of their best vs. Superior. Consistency is not their hallmark.

However, Point, with only one senior starter, looks tougher next year than this year.

How about that round of drinks Wed.  I am doing the men's game at RF. 

[fredfalcon]

Good! We can connect--unless, like multiple other times, you are going back immediately on the bus!

[Greek Tragedy]

Greek's Random In-Season Power Rankings

1. Stevens Point (16-2, 9-0):  Point ended their homestand by holding off Platteville and then headed to River Falls.  They were not very nice guests as they routed the Falcons.  Point gets some more home cooking as they host the Warhawks and Yellowjackets this week. 

vs. Whitewater
vs. Superior

2. Whitewater (1403, 7-2): Whitewater took advantage of staying at home as they took apart Oshkosh and then slipped by Stout on Saturday.  Up next is a barnburner at Quandt and then a trip to Zorn.

at Stevens Point
at Eau Claire

3. Stout (13-4, 6-3): Stout finished their tough two-week stretch by surprising La Crosse before nearly stealing one in Whitewater.  The Blue Devils take a short trip to River Falls on Wednesday before hosting Ashford (IA) in a nonconference game this weekend.

at River Falls
vs. Ashford (IA)

4. La Crosse (12-6, 5-4): The Eagles dropped both games last week.  First, they lost a tough one in Menomonie and then were shocked by the Blugolds at home this past weekend.  La Crosse has the week to think about it before heading to Kolf in Oshkosh this weekend.

bye
at Oshkosh

5. Platteville (12-6, 5-4):  Platteville put a big scare into Stevens Point before eventually falling to the Pointers at Quandt.  They rebounded in Canada with a nice win at Superior.  The Pioneers head to Oshkosh before hosting River Falls on the weekend.

at Oshkosh
vs. River Falls

6. Eau Claire (9-9, 3-6):  Eau Claire won their 3rd game in a row by shocking the Eagles on their home court after having a bye during the week.  They try to keep the streak going as they head to Superior and then host Whitewater

at Superior
vs. Whitewater

7. Superior (7-11, 3-6):  Well, their upset win over Whitewater is a distant memory as they were surprisingly routed by River Falls on the road before dropping another at home to Platteville.  The Yellowjackets try to right the ship with a home game against Eau Claire before heading to Stevens Point.

vs. Eau Claire
at Stevens Point

8. River Falls (6-12, 1-8):  River Falls celebrated their first conference win over Superior on Wednesday by getting hammered...by Stevens Point on Saturday.  The Falcons host Stout before heading south to Platteville on Saturday.

vs. Stout
at Platteville

9. Oshkosh (6-11, 1-7):  The Titans lost their only game of the week in Whitewater.  Oshkosh gets some homecooking with matchups against the Pioneers and Eagles.

vs. Platteville
vs. La Crosse

[stoutguy]

Good! We can connect--unless, like multiple other times, you are going back immediately on the bus!

No bus.  Drinks all around!

[Greek Tragedy]

Predictions:

Platteville at Oshkosh

In an effort to boost attendence at Kolf, UW-Oshkosh falsely advertises Oshkosh North vs Oshkosh West to assure they fill the gym. To all the high school students' surprise, its not their teams. However, to take advantage of not doing homework or having to spend quality time with the family, the 5,000 students stay. Like their collegiate brothren, the high school students are too busy texting and playing Angry Birds to actually WATCH the game. The scam backfires and Oshkosh loses 79-62...or do they? Do they actually lose if no one there witnesses it?

Eau Claire at Superior

Hoping to pull out a win, Superior makes no effort to plow or ice any streets in hopes that Eau Claire is forced to forfeit. The Blugold bus makes it halfway before getting stuck in a snow bank. Thankfully, a nearby snowmobile dealer rents out their supply but there are onpy enough to get half the team there. Word spreads that the Eau Claire team is on the way so, resenting the joke that Superior is in Canada, the team changes all the street signs to French Canadian to assure the Eau Claire team gets lost. Shockingly, the waterboy took two years of high school French. Half the team makes the game on time and falls behind quickly. After shoveling out the bus, the other half of the Eau Claire team arrives right at halftime, thanks to switching the gps to French. The Blugolds fight back from a large halftime deficit but fall just short to the Yellow Jackets, 78-71.


Stout at River Falls

Realizing the only way to possibly beat Stout, the Rivwr Falls staff floods the court with water and turns it into an ice rink. Forced to play hockey, Stout takes time to adjust. Hortman immediately starts ripping shots from the blue line mistakingly believing goals from there arw worth more. Being a superior post player, Alex Oman just goes and stands in front of the River Falls goalie, played by Arik Smith. After an early deficit, Stout takes control and pulls out a 88-67 win. In the process, Erik Olson breaks the WIAC assist record using hockey-assist rules.  You know if Olson passes to Oman and he passes to Hortman, who scores, Olson still gets an assist. Olson finishes with 37 assists and Hortman makes no 3-pointers...weird.

Whitewater at Stevens Point

With time winding down in a 1-pt game, Whitewater misses the front end of a 1 and 1. At the timeout to freeze Knoble at the line, Semling sneaks in Brian Beamish. Point gets the rebound and driving to the other end, Beamish gets the pass and launches an off-balance 3-pter at the buzzer to win it by 2, just like in 2006! But all is not as it seems. Whitewater has their own deja vu. In last year's championship run, Point swept the Warhawks, winning by 11 on the road ans by 2 at home. Whitewater also lost at Superior last year. This year? Point topped Whitewater on the road, 72-61 and the Yellow Jackets beat the Warhawks at home. Looks like the joke is on Semling and Miller adds another National Championship
.

[palum]

Predictions:

Platteville at Oshkosh

In an effort to boost attendence at Kolf, UW-Oshkosh falsely advertises Oshkosh North vs Oshkosh West to assure they fill the gym. To all the high school students' surprise, its not their teams. However, to take advantage of not doing homework or having to spend quality time with the family, the 5,000 students stay. Like their collegiate brothren, the high school students are too busy texting and playing Angry Birds to actually WATCH the game. The scam backfires and Oshkosh loses 79-62...or do they? Do they actually lose if no one there witnesses it?

Eau Claire at Superior

Hoping to pull out a win, Superior makes no effort to plow or ice any streets in hopes that Eau Claire is forced to forfeit. The Blugold bus makes it halfway before getting stuck in a snow bank. Thankfully, a nearby snowmobile dealer rents out their supply but there are onpy enough to get half the team there. Word spreads that the Eau Claire team is on the way so, resenting the joke that Superior is in Canada, the team changes all the street signs to French Canadian to assure the Eau Claire team gets lost. Shockingly, the waterboy took two years of high school French. Half the team makes the game on time and falls behind quickly. After shoveling out the bus, the other half of the Eau Claire team arrives right at halftime, thanks to switching the gps to French. The Blugolds fight back from a large halftime deficit but fall just short to the Yellow Jackets, 78-71.


Stout at River Falls

Realizing the only way to possibly beat Stout, the Rivwr Falls staff floods the court with water and turns it into an ice rink. Forced to play hockey, Stout takes time to adjust. Hortman immediately starts ripping shots from the blue line mistakingly believing goals from there arw worth more. Being a superior post player, Alex Oman just goes and stands in front of the River Falls goalie, played by Arik Smith. After an early deficit, Stout takes control and pulls out a 88-67 win. In the process, Erik Olson breaks the WIAC assist record using hockey-assist rules.  You know if Olson passes to Oman and he passes to Hortman, who scores, Olson still gets an assist. Olson finishes with 37 assists and Hortman makes no 3-pointers...weird.

Whitewater at Stevens Point

With time winding down in a 1-pt game, Whitewater misses the front end of a 1 and 1. At the timeout to freeze Knoble at the line, Semling sneaks in Brian Beamish. Point gets the rebound and driving to the other end, Beamish gets the pass and launches an off-balance 3-pter at the buzzer to win it by 2, just like in 2006! But all is not as it seems. Whitewater has their own deja vu. In last year's championship run, Point swept the Warhawks, winning by 11 on the road ans by 2 at home. Whitewater also lost at Superior last year. This year? Point topped Whitewater on the road, 72-61 and the Yellow Jackets beat the Warhawks at home. Looks like the joke is on Semling and Miller adds another National Championship
.

If the bus didn't make it what about their uniforms.  I remember a UW non conference game where the opposing team arrived at the Kohl Center but their luggage got lost.  They played in Wisconsin practice jerseys with numbers made out of athletic tape.  Welcome to big time college hoops.

[John Gleich]

Predictions:

Platteville at Oshkosh

In an effort to boost attendence at Kolf, UW-Oshkosh falsely advertises Oshkosh North vs Oshkosh West to assure they fill the gym. To all the high school students' surprise, its not their teams. However, to take advantage of not doing homework or having to spend quality time with the family, the 5,000 students stay. Like their collegiate brothren, the high school students are too busy texting and playing Angry Birds to actually WATCH the game. The scam backfires and Oshkosh loses 79-62...or do they? Do they actually lose if no one there witnesses it?

Eau Claire at Superior

Hoping to pull out a win, Superior makes no effort to plow or ice any streets in hopes that Eau Claire is forced to forfeit. The Blugold bus makes it halfway before getting stuck in a snow bank. Thankfully, a nearby snowmobile dealer rents out their supply but there are onpy enough to get half the team there. Word spreads that the Eau Claire team is on the way so, resenting the joke that Superior is in Canada, the team changes all the street signs to French Canadian to assure the Eau Claire team gets lost. Shockingly, the waterboy took two years of high school French. Half the team makes the game on time and falls behind quickly. After shoveling out the bus, the other half of the Eau Claire team arrives right at halftime, thanks to switching the gps to French. The Blugolds fight back from a large halftime deficit but fall just short to the Yellow Jackets, 78-71.


Stout at River Falls

Realizing the only way to possibly beat Stout, the Rivwr Falls staff floods the court with water and turns it into an ice rink. Forced to play hockey, Stout takes time to adjust. Hortman immediately starts ripping shots from the blue line mistakingly believing goals from there arw worth more. Being a superior post player, Alex Oman just goes and stands in front of the River Falls goalie, played by Arik Smith. After an early deficit, Stout takes control and pulls out a 88-67 win. In the process, Erik Olson breaks the WIAC assist record using hockey-assist rules.  You know if Olson passes to Oman and he passes to Hortman, who scores, Olson still gets an assist. Olson finishes with 37 assists and Hortman makes no 3-pointers...weird.

Whitewater at Stevens Point

With time winding down in a 1-pt game, Whitewater misses the front end of a 1 and 1. At the timeout to freeze Knoble at the line, Semling sneaks in Brian Beamish. Point gets the rebound and driving to the other end, Beamish gets the pass and launches an off-balance 3-pter at the buzzer to win it by 2, just like in 2006! But all is not as it seems. Whitewater has their own deja vu. In last year's championship run, Point swept the Warhawks, winning by 11 on the road ans by 2 at home. Whitewater also lost at Superior last year. This year? Point topped Whitewater on the road, 72-61 and the Yellow Jackets beat the Warhawks at home. Looks like the joke is on Semling and Miller adds another National Championship
.

If the bus didn't make it what about their uniforms.  I remember a UW non conference game where the opposing team arrived at the Kohl Center but their luggage got lost.  They played in Wisconsin practice jerseys with numbers made out of athletic tape.  Welcome to big time college hoops.

Illinois Wesleyan forgot their uniforms for their game in Chicago at North Park last week! Some parents had to bring them up later... the game was delayed about 80 minutes, so I heard.

[tomt4525]

Nothing about Tillema during pregame...probably a sign that he is still out....Lutz is out and could possibly be out the rest of the season, they don't know the extent of his ankle yet....Studer has a bad back and couldn't practice, he is also out.....wow, extremely short handed....getting a 3 game lead in conference would be huge but it's gonna be difficult.