MBB: American Southwest Conference

[hoopstar]

The ASC Coaches voted in their annual coaches meeting in Dallas after last year to not count the  intradivisional games in the standings.  Unfortunately, the AD's didn't pass the proposed change. I'am sure several of the teams down in the standings wish the vote would have been different. In the Men's side I  count only 4 teams happy (McMurry, UTD, LeTourneau, & TTyler) &  probably 11 that had rather the games not counted. 

[Ralph Turner]

The ASC Coaches voted in their annual coaches meeting in Dallas after last year to not count the  intradivisional games in the standings.  Unfortunately, the AD's didn't pass the proposed change. I'am sure several of the teams down in the standings wish the vote would have been different. In the Men's side I  count only 4 teams happy (McMurry, UTD, LeTourneau, & TTyler) &  probably 11 that had rather the games not counted. 

Thanks for the comment. 

Actually Coach Ron Holmes has been an active proponent of not counting inter-divisional games in the divisional races.

His advice has not been heeded.  In fact, Coach Holmes was instrumental in inviting Pat Coleman to address the ASC men's and women's basketball coaches in about 2005 as to how to improve the conference's positions in the eyes of the selection committees.

Let's work on the AD's.  If we need to play the full 20/21 games to fill up the schedules, then so be it.

I, too, like playing about half of the season to get the teams ready for the "conference", or in our case, divisional play!  Were Coach Holmes' recommendation in place, we would be starting "divisional" play next week, with the exception of the few travel-partner games that have already occurred.  Every team would be no more than 1 game out of first place!

[#1ascfanman]

UTT over SRSU-Correct
UTD over SU-Correct
McM over ETBU-Correct
MC over UMHB-Correct
TLU over OU-Incorrect
LeT over HSU-Correct
LC over CTX-Incorrect

26-16 overall.  LC is probably out of this thing.  As is a few other schools.  It is sad when these teams in some sense have nothing to play for the rest of the season.

[Ralph Turner]

UTT over SRSU-Correct
UTD over SU-Correct
McM over ETBU-Correct
MC over UMHB-Correct
TLU over OU-Incorrect
LeT over HSU-Correct
LC over CTX-Incorrect

26-16 overall.  LC is probably out of this thing.  As is a few other schools.  It is sad when these teams in some sense have nothing to play for the rest of the season.

Another voice expressing the same sentiment!  With intra-divisional play beginning, you should just now be starting on the quest for a divisional crown and a bid to the tourney!

A win over Mississippi College next week to begin intra-divisional play, and your season would be starting off right!

[pistol pete 22]

3-3 last week brings me to 21-11

MC over CTX
UTT over HPU
LeT over McM.....X
UMHB over LC
OU over SU
ETBU over HSU
UTD over TLU

UTT over SRSU
UTD over SU
McM over ETBU
MC over UMHB
TLU over OU......X
LeT over HSU
CTX over LC

33-13 overall

I like having the West games count, a team can have a bad record against the opposite division and still win enough games to make the tournament. The only team with an advantage after cross divisional play is McM because the East clearly dominated but McM only lost one game. The only team with a disadvantage is LC because the West dominated them.
Schreiner only won one game against the East but they are only 1 game out of 4th place if you take away the two travel partner games that HPU and SRSU have already played. ETBU is only 2 games back of 4th place going into East play.
At the end of the year I dont think it will matter the teams at the top of the East will stay there. I dont see LC winning more than 4 or 5 games, which already isnt good enough.  On the West side i think the top 3 teams will remain there with the 4th spot up for grabs.

[Ralph Turner]

I just hate taking away a team's hope!

What is there to play for?  How do you get the student body involved in the program if there is no hope?

What if you had the misfortune of catching the opponent either with the hotshot ballplayer who flunks out or quits after the fall semester or with the new transfer who joins the team in the spring and after the fall semester?

We (McM) caught MissCollege in Abilene, after they had to play HSU.  UMHB had to catch Mississippi College in Clinton after the long road trip to Pineville and then another 180 mile drive to Clinton.  With the travel distances experienced on the peripheries of this conference, (travel distances not experienced by the "centrally- located" UTD), I don't think that it is equitable!  (By my inspection, I think that UTD has the shortest amount of mileage to travel in the current format of any ASC team.)

[Ralph Turner]

33-13 is good!  Congratulations! 

[pistol pete 22]

I just hate taking away a team's hope!

What is there to play for?  How do you get the student body involved in the program if there is no hope?

What if you had the misfortune of catching the opponent either with the hotshot ballplayer who flunks out or quits after the fall semester or with the new transfer who joins the team in the spring and after the fall semester?

We (McM) caught MissCollege in Abilene, after they had to play HSU.  UMHB had to catch Mississippi College in Clinton after the long road trip to Pineville and then another 180 mile drive to Clinton.  With the travel distances experienced on the peripheries of this conference, (travel distances not experienced by the "centrally- located" UTD), I don't think that it is equitable!  (By my inspection, I think that UTD has the shortest amount of mileage to travel in the current format of any ASC team.)

Having a player fail or a new transfer comin in to play 2nd semester is just a part of being division III. And as for the student body, if your team is 1-7 in conference or 1-10 overall, i dont think the student body involvement would be any different if you are 0-0 in conference.
And one year the schedule might go your way and the the next year you might have to face all of the better teams on the road. Its the best way to do it because its not possible to play all teams home and away.
At the end of the day, the good teams are gonna win on the road.  McM won at LeT, UTD destroyed UMHB at UMHB, as did UTT. LeT had a fairly easy road schedule, but that means it was tought last year and next year.

An I would say LeT, ETBU and even UTT are more centrally located. They are all close to each other and they are closer to MC and LC. And we have the disadvantage this year of having Ozarks as our traveling partner. Most teams, besides SRSU and HPU can go to their travel partner games the day of and come back that night. UTD has a 5 hour trip to wonderful Clarksville, AR.

If we could add a team to the East that was closer to Arkansas, I think it would be a near perfect set-up for the ASC.

[golden_dome]

Just a couple comments about the MC-UMHB game yesterday. Started a little late after about a 15 minute ceremony to dedicate the court as Mike Jones Court. Great game that obviously could have gone either way. UMHB was up eight with about four minutes left. MC came back to tie the score and had the ball at half court with 6 seconds left in regulation. Wagner stole the inbounds for UMHB and had a one on one to win, but the ball hung around the rim and wouldn't go down. MC played well down the stretch and in overtime.

Hard to believe UMHB has lost six games, they are talented again. Lot of the same guys from last year and a couple new kids who can play. Easy to see how they beat Whitewater, and by tournament time they should be one of the favorites.

Huge win for MC. Bryan Johnson had a big game scoring 25 points. He's a 6'7" forward who actually wasn't available in two of our three losses. He doesn't qualify for conference statistical leaders because he's missed five games, but he would be the ASC's leading scorer at 18.3 points per game. Him back in the lineup is huge. Andre Coleman is also back after sitting out first semester. He's a 6'3" guard who was a starter much of last year, but only had one more semester of eligibility remaining this year.

Hopefully we're back on track and will keep getting better.

[Ralph Turner]

...
An I would say LeT, ETBU and even UTT are more centrally located. They are all close to each other and they are closer to MC and LC. And we have the disadvantage this year of having Ozarks as our traveling partner. Most teams, besides SRSU and HPU can go to their travel partner games the day of and come back that night. UTD has a 5 hour trip to wonderful Clarksville, AR.

If we could add a team to the East that was closer to Arkansas, I think it would be a near perfect set-up for the ASC.

The small liberal arts colleges in Arkansas who might be candidates would be Lyon College a small Presbyterian school in Batesville, and the larger Ouachita Baptist in D2.  Getting Ouachita Baptist to move to D3 might take some arm-twisting by fellow Baptist institutions such as Mississippi College, Louisiana College, ETBU, HSU, HPU and UMHB.

John Brown in Siloam Springs is comfortable in the Sooner AC.

If we could get a suitable 8th for the east, and have a few schools add a few programs, then we could split into 2 conferences!

[pistol pete 22]

Are we a larger conference? How many teams are in most other D III conferences?

[Ralph Turner]

Are we a larger conference? How many teams are in most other D III conferences?

We are the largest conference in D-III.

A conference can get an Automatic Qualifier (Pool A bid) if it has 7 schools competing in a sport.

We don't have enough schools sponsoring the same sports to split into 2 conferences!  The mathematical mean in conference membership is a little over 9 members.

[pistol pete 22]

Thats very interesting. I did not know that. What are the chances of the conference splitting? I can't see that happening anytime soon. I think atleast 3 more schools would be needed.

[kid nice]

Chris, what number is Coleman?  Johnson is very good and i can definately see where missing him makes a difference in those games.  Also, UMHB had a open 16 footer to win it after the player missed the one on one contested shot.

[Ralph Turner]

Thats very interesting. I did not know that. What are the chances of the conference splitting? I can't see that happening anytime soon. I think atleast 3 more schools would be needed.

I can't either, and I cannot find three schools in this part of the country who would "match".