MBB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[buf]

UWEC barely beats Finlandia 70-64.  Finlandia actually led by 5 at the half and by 1 with 10min to go.  With 3min left they had a couple opportunities to cut in to EC's 4 point lead.

Zac Ryan received the MVP of the tournament.

[predictionking]

Wisconsin Stevens-Point falls to MidAmerica Nazarene 77-64 in the semi-final of the Clarke Tournament.

It's not a bad loss. MidAmerica is a NAIA D-II power. Their starting backcourt includes the 2003 KC Metro Player of the Year and 2002 Mr Kansas Basketball. They have some amazing facilities, great tradition, and some of the best financial support in the NAIA..

They have four starters averaging double figures and their fifth starter is 6'8 Akuien Wour, a Sudanese immigrant from Des Moines. Wour was first team All-State Iowa and he has a 41 inch vertical jump.

He leads NAIA D-II in blocked shots. He averages 9 and 6 for MNU with about 3-5 blocks per game.

MidAmerica is far more athletic than your average WIAC team. However tomorrow they might get slaughtered by Robert Morris.

RMC offers 3.5 more scholarships than MNU; 11 to 7.5.

Both teams like to force the tempo. It will be interesting, but RMC is a great basketball team. They might be the NAIA's best team.

There is some legit talent at the NAIA D-I level. A lot of those schools are loaded with D-I transfers and flunkies.

NAIA D-II schools are a lot like D-III schools with scholies. The talent level is very similar, especially at the top.

[stoutguy]

So having said that Point got beat by an NBA type team, I will ask the question: Did Point "tank" one so they didn't have to play RMC and also so they could play a West region team that will count in this crazy playoff scheme?  Now before you all blow my karma out of the water, I really don't believe they did and besides, it was Old School who gave me the idea.

[titan2000]

I'll go easy on your karma. 

You know I love those Point guys and would never say anything to offend them--that's my 2006 resolution.

[stoutguy]

There, I did it.  I am trying to help out the "karma King".  Notice you are heading in the right direction now at -116?  By the way, what's with Matt Miller?  I thought, after watching him play against Menomonie's Cole Kraft last year, that Matt was going to be an everyday point player on an already great team.  Surprized at how he has struggled so far.  By the way, screw the new year's resolution.  What fun would this board be if everyone started taking themselves seriously?

[badgerwarhawk]

WARHAWKS[/color] back in action with an afternoon game against Wisconsin Lutheran today.  I hope we're unbeated today.

[titan2000]

There, I did it.  I am trying to help out the "karma King".  Notice you are heading in the right direction now at -116?  By the way, what's with Matt Miller?  I thought, after watching him play against Menomonie's Cole Kraft last year, that Matt was going to be an everyday point player on an already great team.  Surprized at how he has struggled so far.  By the way, screw the new year's resolution.  What fun would this board be if everyone started taking themselves seriously?

My personal opinion is that TVD hates playing freshman and he thinks that Doedens at point guard is a better solution--I think the limited minutes for Miller is in error and I would be playing him a lot in the new year. 

He is really a sparkplug if he gets an open 3 and he is clearly the man of the future.  The Titans have nothing to play for so why not play him now? 

I would consider some major changes in the start of '06 including rapid substitution sets (no, not like Grinnell) that would allow the shooters (Capelle, Jahnke, Miller) to rotate in and out with Gibson, Warning, Wesener clogging up the middle on D and playing most of the time.   

For the Titans to lose as much as they already have is truly unexplainable.  What a waste of talent. 

Stoutguy, as for being loose and fancy free on this board, I am too grumpy about the Titans to joke around.  If they go on a winning streak and start playing to their potential, I'll consider getting jovial again.   

[stoutguy]

t-2000,
I still say, if I could pick one team not to play in the playoff week (regardless of what happens during regular season), it would be this Oshkosh team.  I predict right now that they will play in the tournament championship game.

[titan2000]

Stout Guy:

I hope we're playing Stout in that game, maybe then I'd be happy again. 

[John Gleich]

Point drops their second game in a row, 73-67 to Clarke College.

Point started the year off really really well, and now they stand at 7-4, after playing 3 lackluster games in Iowa.

Brian Bauer did not play today (Planter Facia), and according to the radio guys, the Pointers looked tired.  I know that Point did not shoot well today, and they sure didn't shoot well last night, either.  Youth may be catching up to them.

They don't get much of a break 'cause they play Viterbo on Monday, before going to Superior on Wed and coming home on Saturday against Stout.

[Greek Tragedy]

So having said that Point got beat by an NBA type team, I will ask the question: Did Point "tank" one so they didn't have to play RMC and also so they could play a West region team that will count in this crazy playoff scheme?  Now before you all blow my karma out of the water, I really don't believe they did and besides, it was Old School who gave me the idea.

Well, it didn'twork as they lost to Clarke today! Oh well.  On to Viterbo on Monday, another meaningless NAIA game and then back to the conference grind.   

[badgerwarhawk]

WHITEWATER[/color] gets their sixth straight 84-71 over Wisconsin Lutheran.  The WARHAWKS[/color] got off to a hot start shooting 67% in the first half and building 10 point leads on two occassions.  But Lutheran kept closing the gap with 7-15 from the three point line and the lead at half was only seven, 45-38.  However the WARHAWKS[/color] turned the perimeter defensive pressure up a notch and Lutheran cooled off from the floor as the lead grew to 23 points, 70-47,  midway through the second half before WHITEWATER[/color] began substituting liberally and WL closed the gap to the final margin.

Three WARHAWKS scored in double figures, Melvin Williams, 15 points, Mike Toellner 14 points and Craig Anderson, 13 points, as sixteen players saw floor time.  The defense came up with 17 steals topped by Gio Riley's seven.

[Ralph Turner]

Concordia-Austin 88, UW-Platteville 85

http://athletics.concordia.edu/menbasketball/cua-8.htm

[Greek Tragedy]

DON'T FORGET TO GET YOUR WIAC PICKS IN BY WEDNESDAY!!!
Tough losses by Point this weekend.  I was hoping to pull out a victory vs. Clarke College on Saturday to get that all important in-region win.  Guess that didn't happen.

Not to get into specifics, but Point is really slumping in many categories such as finishing near the basket, ball-movement, and defense, especially when it comes to stopping dribblers from penetrating the lane.  Point got killed when that happened vs. Mid-America Nazarene.  They had a lightning quick guard and their only play was "14" (the number on his jersey).  He'd penetrate and somehow the ball would end up in the basket. 

I'm surprised Coach Semling didn't try a zone defense to slow down the faster, smaller guards.  Oh well.  Maybe he doesn't like the zone.  Point's been always been a hard nosed man-to-man defense, but even Bennett used the zone.  We'll see if Point can bounce back tonight vs. Viterbo in the friendly confines of Quandt.  The game basically doesn't count (NAIA team), but it's as important as a game can be this season because they really need a confidence-builder.  I really hope so with conference games vs. Superior and Stout looming.

[titan2000]

Old School:

Will Semling need to right the ship immediately--or is there a Ted Thompson at UW-Stevens Point looking to chop heads? 

I haven't paid much attention to UWSP administration since Lee Dreyfus.