MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[2RMCFans]

^Maybe the true argument PointSpecial is making is that R-MC fans are looking ahead to a final?

But we're really not.  We're just cheering our team and our conference mates on.  We're really loyal like that.

GO JACKETS!!!! GO QUAKERS!!!!

P.S.  we, personally, could use some help from Algernon in analyzing all the data PointSpecial brought... 

[hasanova]

^Maybe the true argument PointSpecial is making is that R-MC fans are looking ahead to a final?

But we're really not.  We're just cheering our team and our conference mates on.  We're really loyal like that.

GO JACKETS!!!! GO QUAKERS!!!!

P.S.  we, personally, could use some help from Algernon in analyzing all the data PointSpecial brought... 

Well said, but just to reiterate:  GO QUAKERS!!!!  GO JACKETS!!!!

Hope you don't mind that I reversed the order. 

[Brian Hamilton]

All of this talk reminds me of 1999 when Connecticut College was #1 and undefeated and scheduled to play HSC in the National Semifinal.  Lots of talk from CC and then HSC ended up beating them.  (They also should have lost the 3rd place game to William Patterson and Horace Jenkins, but that is another story.)  Now, I don't think that anyone is claiming they are going to win like some of those CC fans (and HSC fans) did, but it brings back some fond memories of fun trips to Salem.  Good luck to both the ODAC teams this weekend and safe travels to all 4 teams. 

I'm hoping for an All-ODAC final with GC coming out on top (wonder why)!  If it can't be GC though, then I hope it's Macon so the ODAC has the National Championship.

As far as SOS and all that, it is really hard to determine that in D3 without a lot of interregional games.  The fact that Macon finished 4th in the ODAC and beat Williams in a close game indicates to me that Williams would be competitive in the ODAC, but I still think they would likely have finished 3rd at best.  Guilford is just really good and I think that the same can be said about EMU with their athletic, up-tempo style that causes problems for teams.  If EMU had not had to play GC, they might be in Salem this weekend too!

[hasanova]

http://www.d3hoops.com/all-region/10/southmen.htm

Lots of ODAC representation here with GC, RMC, BC, VWC, EMU, LC.  Six of 15 players are ODAC, including POY, plus COY.  Congratulations to all!

[sludge]

Ya know, the whole argument of "Williams would have had more losses if they played in the ODAC" might be true... but it might not be true either.

Let's take a look at the final four teams in terms of S.O.S.

Team	SOS Rank	Win %	OWP	OOWP	SOS
UWSP:	11	.846	.588	.559	.578
Randy Mac:	20	.727	.578	.530	.562
Guilford:	127	.929	.522	.530	.525
Williams:	170	1.000	.508	.545	.520

PointSpecial provided some real eye-opening information there.  I thought Guilford's schedule was very tough this season, and PointSpecial has added some valuable perspective.
The SOS in the ODAC has been proven in the post-season also though.  4 teams with NCAA wins, three teams in the round of 8, two teams in the final four.  Yes, the conference was a tough schedule.

Meanwhile Williams, with a tough schedule and only one loss, is a serious hurdle.  They've got 5 guys who are hitting .500 or better from 3-pt range!  Don't they play defense in the NESCAC?  I'm afraid they do, so this is a problem.  They're also about +8 on rebounding margin.

How can the Williams juggernaut be beaten?  From the stats, the Randolph-Macon solution was this:
- limit Williams to poor 3-pt shooting
- protect the ball and force turnovers
- get almost even on rebounds.
I think Guilford will at least get that last one done.  And if we could play Williams with the kind of defense we applied to EMU's Todd Phillips (great D on that, guys), we might come out alright.

Anybody see anything else on that?

[donho]

 Well all region teams are posted. Congrats to Coach Davis from R-MC on COY. Since only one R-MC player received any notice in the ODAC post season , it is no surprise we got not a scratch in the region. Just remember this guys, all but Tyler(well deserved) are already home. You guys made  it to the final 4 (for now) as a team. Therefore, keep playing as a team, for the team,  and YOU ALL can capture the big prize!! LETS GO JACKETS!!!!!!!

[John Gleich]

I'm compiling some other spins on stats that I'll probably be able to post tonight... I'm not sure how illuminating they'll be in terms of one team's advantage over another, but it might at least spur some discussion!

[hasanova]

Just remember this guys, all but Tyler(well deserved) are already home.

... and Clay

[donho]

 Sorry Clay ! 

[donho]

 Would also imagine that it was a tight race for COY, between Coach Davis and Coach Palumbo. Congrats go out to Coach Davis for winning the award and also to Coach Palumbo for putting together back to back Final Four seasons.

[hasanova]

Sorry Clay ! 

He'll forgive you.  lol 

[hasanova]

Would also imagine that it was a tight race for COY, between Coach Davis and Coach Palumbo. Congrats go out to Coach Davis for winning the award and also to Coach Palumbo for putting together back to back Final Four seasons.

I would think EMU's Kirby Dean was in that mix, too.  Sometimes, with a coach in Palombo's position, there's such a strong assumption that this team will be successful again - in some ways it makes COY more difficult - and I understand that line of thought.

[2RMCFans]

Congrats to all the ODAC players who received regional honors and to Coach Davis... much deserved for him we think. 

Maybe R-MC players shared so much court time with one another that it's difficult to compile the individual stats of guys getting 30+ minutes in every game.  And, frankly, as things have turned out it's probably been better for us to get 4-5 guys into double figures under 20 every game, with 2 or 3 more getting close to 10 per game, and not being overly dependent on any 1, 2 or 3 of them. 

We prefer to see them as a balanced team of 8-10 could-be-superstars who have really played well in the postseason and have worked together as a team to achieve this success.  They're getting a whole lot of respect at home for the way they've shared the glory since the regular season ended.

GO JACKETS!!!!  GO QUAKERS!!!!! 

[2RMCFans]

[/quote]Well said, but just to reiterate:  GO QUAKERS!!!!  GO JACKETS!!!!

Hope you don't mind that I reversed the order. 
[/quote]

Not at all!  It's so great to see 50% of the Final 4 from the ODAC!

[toad22]

As a crazy Williams fan, I cannot be impartial (as it should be). However, I can be realistic about our chances. I attended the RMC-Williams game, so I am aware of how good the top teams in the ODAC are this year. I came away from that game appreciative of the caliber of talent on RMC --- they deserved to win that game. At the same time, every fan I talked to, and I am sure the Williams players themselves, immediately were hopeful for a rematch in Salem (if we both could get there). In order to allow that rematch to occur, Williams has to get through Guilford, a team which beat RMC twice? this season --- a tall order for my boys. The things that give me hope are these: our defense only started to gel in the last 5-6 weeks. Williams is now a far superior defensive team than the one that faced RMC. Second, Coach Maker's offense continues to improve. The offensive sets that Williams runs are pretty complex, and he has been installing them over the last 1 1/2 years since he came to Williams. It is a work in progress, but things are getting better, literally day by day. Lastly, Williams is flat out the best shooting D3 team I have ever seen. I haven't seen anywhere near every D3 team play in the last 15 years, but in my experience (4 final 4 appearances -- lots of tournement games as well), this team is the best. They occasionally have off days, but not often. This helps keep them in games when other things go wrong. My conclusion is that Williams should be able to play with Guilford, though I am aware of the challenges before us. If both teams play the way they are capable, I see a close contest with no obvious outcome. I wish all the teams good luck, and may the best team win!