MBB: American Southwest Conference

[Ralph Turner]

The last time I checked luck counts.  The way I look at it HSU was "LUCKY" to be within 3 pts.  Either way it goes MC still comes away with the win.

Balls, that last "lucky" comment was a "off-base".   

Here is the HSU SID report about the game.

http://hsuathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/120206aaa.html

The HSU SID is a very meticulous individual in the conduct of his office.  Sure, he is a big HSU fan, but he also works very hard to get things right.

My assessment is that MissColl has weaknesses that will be drastically exposed if and when MissColl "goes deep".  IMHO, "going deep" in basketball at this stage in the history of the conference in D3 is winning a Sweet 16 game.  I think that MissColl has trouble with "true" big men.  I encourage all ASC fans to listen very carefully to the Tour de Tejas podcast by Pat Coleman with MC Coach Mike Jones.  You can find it on the front page by scrolling down, or in the "Features" section November 30th to Dec 4th.

If I am Transylvania or John Carroll looking for a game film to appear "across the transom" in preparation for a Sweet 16 game, I want it to be HSU or Wesley (Mississippi).

I hope to get a better impression of HSU when I hope to see them on Monday night.  I think that the key to HSU's success Saturday afternoon to nearly defeating Miss Coll was the "big men".

IMHO, "Current" standard for going deep in football is the Stagg Bowl (UMHB 2004).  In baseball, it's the D3 World Series (Concordia-Austin 2002).

[mcm_indians]

I probably should not have said lucky in reference to Miss Coll.  They are a very good team and I just hated the way that game ended.  And the three pointer would have made a difference because if they would have called it a three then the game would have been tied with about four seconds left.  Instead HSU had to foul and put Miss on the line. Thus resulting in a three point game after Miss made the two free throws with two seconds left.  And yes I have went to school at both HSU and McMurry so I am a little biased. I would have liked to have seen an overtime after the way HSU battled back in that second half.

[hoopstar]

Ralph, yes M. Jean did hurt MC some, but what made the score become so close was the 3's HSU hit within a minute. On one account right after Pickleman made his three MC threw the ball in and it hit one of MC players and then it hit the ref so even though MC could have gotten it the ref got in the way and then gave the ball to HSU . Right after that is when HSU hit the shot that was thought of to be a 2 by the refs. One thing is there would have not of been an overtime. Right when HSU made it MC threw it in and Jon Collins got fouled before they stopped the game to make the call. So if they would have changed it to a 3, MC would have still gotten two free throws.  But how can you say a true big man will beat MC, Wesley's biggest player is 6'4 and like I said earlier the 3''s HSU hit kept them in the game. I say MC will get beat when they play like they did the first 10 minutes verse McMURRY.  After being down 16-6 MC took a timeout and I have no clue what Coach Jones said but they then went on a 28-8 run to end the half.  So if MC just starts playing good again they might run the table

[Ralph Turner]

Hoopstar, thanks for the report.

I know that McMurry is not as strong in the post as they have been in recent years.

M Jean can dominate at the post, relative to this conference.  I need to see HPU, UMHB and SRSU to see what they have at the post.  MC handled UMHB, and the Chocs has to return to west Texas for HPU and SRSU.

I don't doubt that MC is likely to be the best in the East, again this year.  However, I don't think that Coach Jones has this team as far as I might have thought by the first weekend in Dec.

I am glad to see MissColl going against Johns Hopkins in late Dec.  McM was on the other side of the bracket at the Johns Hopkins tourney last month.  Without McMurry starting point guard Robert Moreno (broken bone in the ankle), they barely lost to Rowan which Hopkins edged in the finale.  A dominant MissColl should probably handle Johns Hopkins at the Westmont Tourney, a very well respected event in Santa Barbara CA.

[mcm_indians]

hoopstar, I do believe that there would have been an overtime.  M. Jean was the only player on the floor that saw the ref call it a two pointer.  The scoreboard even put three points on the board.  Jean would have definetely not fouled if the ref would have called it a three.  Therefore Miss would have had to make a spectacular shot if they were to win it in regulation.

[John_Wesley]

The last time I checked luck counts.  The way I look at it HSU was "LUCKY" to be within 3 pts.  Either way it goes MC still comes away with the win.

Balls, that last "lucky" comment was a "off-base".   

Here is the HSU SID report about the game.

http://hsuathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/120206aaa.html

The HSU SID is a very meticulous individual in the conduct of his office.  Sure, he is a big HSU fan, but he also works very hard to get things right.

My assessment is that MissColl has weaknesses that will be drastically exposed if and when MissColl "goes deep".  IMHO, "going deep" in basketball at this stage in the history of the conference in D3 is winning a Sweet 16 game.  I think that MissColl has trouble with "true" big men.  I encourage all ASC fans to listen very carefully to the Tour de Tejas podcast by Pat Coleman with MC Coach Mike Jones.  You can find it on the front page by scrolling down, or in the "Features" section November 30th to Dec 4th.

If I am Transylvania or John Carroll looking for a game film to appear "across the transom" in preparation for a Sweet 16 game, I want it to be HSU or Wesley (Mississippi).

I hope to get a better impression of HSU when I hope to see them on Monday night.  I think that the key to HSU's success Saturday afternoon to nearly defeating Miss Coll was the "big men".

IMHO, "Current" standard for going deep in football is the Stagg Bowl (UMHB 2004).  In baseball, it's the D3 World Series (Concordia-Austin 2002).

Just an observation from one game, but I think teams that are athletic and run give them more problems.  My beloved Wesley does not have any big men...other than one 6'9 monster who is ineligible until next season.  Brandon Washington is listed as 6'5 but that is very generous.  MC had us whipped in terms of size.  We won that game because of MC having a bad night at the line and because we were more athletic.  Our ability to run was why we were able to come back from the 13 point deficit in the second half.

We have a lot of trouble with teams that slow the game down.  For whatever reason when we are playing a slower game we cannot hit a bucket to save our lives.  Millsaps and Rhodes both slowed the game down and it killed us.  We were up 22 over Springhill and we tried to slow the game down to burn the clock...and they came back on us.  Our coaches decided after that game that we will not do that again.  U of Mobile was our 4th game in 5 days and they play a pressure defense...those two things do not go together well.  I think we would beat them on a regular night but we were worn out.

Millsaps plays AT Wesley on Valentines day...I am anxious for that game and Huntington College 3 days later.  We will be on 3 days rest for both of those.

Louisiana Monroe on December 19th should be interesting.  They should kill us but it will give us a real barometer of how good we really are.  We do play Bethel and Lambuth on the 15th and 16th...both are NAIA D1.  Hopefully 3 days will be enough rest before playing an NCAA D1 school.  La Monroe is not great but they played within 14 of Alabama.   If we come out hot against them and they are flat, it could get interesting.  They have 2 guys who are 6'7 and 2 who are 6'8 so size is no contest...but big does not mean fast.

Good luck to the Choctaws.  I love seeing you guys win.  Our win may have been a little bit of a fluke, but if MC ran out the rest of the season without a loss it would make us feel good about ourselves

Take care and God Bless!

[Ralph Turner]

Great post, JW!

Thanks for the additional analysis.

[hoopshops]

GOOD LUCK TONIGHT COWBOYS!!!!  Show why HSU was picked to win the west!

[McM Blue Devil]

No matter what happens tonight, there is a lot of basketball to be played.

[hoopstar]

hoopstar, I do believe that there would have been an overtime.  M. Jean was the only player on the floor that saw the ref call it a two pointer.  The scoreboard even put three points on the board.  Jean would have definetely not fouled if the ref would have called it a three.  Therefore Miss would have had to make a spectacular shot if they were to win it in regulation.
[/quote/]

That may be true but from what I saw he was trying to stop the fast break and he went for a steal because it wasnt a hard foul(it didnt look intentional at all). But good luck to both teams tonight. I think it will be determined on the shutdown of Pickleman and the Jeans, also MCM athleticism should hurt HSU. Ive heard that MCM point guard who has like a broken foot or something is one of the best they have ever had.

[dsc]

OMG...according to Gametracker HSU won 64-63!

33 fouls in the second half alone...and McM led 10 to 15 points most of the game!

Unbelieveable!  Somebody confirm please!!!

[HSUats]

Two Very Excellent Games Tonight Played Both The Men's And Women's Basketball Teams From HSU & McM. Both Games Were Very Exciting To Watch.

A Couple Of Interesting Things To Watch In The Mens Game Was The Play Of 2 Players Who Had Transfered From Opposing Schools And The Officiating.

I Found It Interesting To Watch Dan Jean, Now At HSU, And Chris Gammage, Now At McM. The Stats Were Pretty Similar DJ Had 9 Min 1Pnt 4Rbnds And 3 Fouls. CG Had 6Mins 1Pnt 5Rbnds And 3 Fouls(According To The HSU Final Stats). Pretty Much The Same Results On Both Sides 

And Now For What I Thought Was The WORST Part Of The Game, The Officiating. This Was Probably The Most Pathetic Display I've EVER Seen By An Officiating Crew. First Half They Called Nothing, And It Looked Like A Mugging Was Being Taken On Both Sides Of The Ball. And Then In The 2nd They Decided To Call Everything. In About The First 10 Min Of The 2nd There Were Already A Total Of 20 Fouls. Any One Else That Was There Agree?

Overall An Exciting Cross Town Rivalry And I Look Forward To The Next Meeting. Oh And The Soundbyte From The Front Page Is Awesome.

Maybe We Can D3hoops Out For The Next Meeting Too!

[Ralph Turner]

Just got back home after the drive from Abilene.

Thanks to Pat Coleman for the Tour de Tejas.

As for the officiating, I thought that they let them play in the first half and then, voila, it is a different game.

Congratulations to Zack Pickelman...3 straight 3FGs!

I have one other thought about the HSU-MissColl game.  I haven't seen UMHB or HPU yet, but Mardochee Jean for HSU is a very respectable post player.

Consider this...

Miss College is on Game #2 of the very hard Abilene road trip.  Yes, they beat McMurry, but there is considerable emotional preparation for a McM-MC match.

Mardochee Jean is a very good (maybe All-ASC West) post.  He forces MissColl to honor his play inside and thus he opens things up for HSU's outside game.  M Jean had 1-3 FGs, 10-14 FTs, 3 off and 6 def rebs.  Was that enough to influence the Miss Coll game plan?

Let's see the HPU-Miss Coll game in Borwnwood next month, when the Chocs play against last year's all-ASC-West post, Sean Wheeler.

[bcal]

McMurry's loss to HSU at their place could be a defining moment in growth of this team.  Such a loss in the last seconds is tough to manage in the best of circumstances.  IMHO, this my have been McM's best effort as a team so far.  In some of McMurry's prior game, inconsistent may have been the main constant.  I think the McMurry men will come back stronger after this test of their character as a team. 

Some prior postings have discussed the "big" men in ASC-West.  It is rare that I have seen a big man, over 6'8" playing with authority.  Generally speaking, at that size they may have other options.  The better 4s and 5s are usually 6'4" to 6'7" men with some quickness.  They have played with their backs to the basketball, on the block,  and find it difficult to make the adjustment to facing the basket.  M Jean with HSU is a good example of a man with size and skills.  Most of us don't have a post with that combination. 

McMurry is an example of a team that does not have a "big" man as such and will go with the aforementioned size "big" men.  Coach Holmes makes fine use of the talents of people with heart and desire.  This years McMurry team is "jelling."  They are new to the conference, to each other, and the coaching staff.  The games, so far, are a series of learning situations to all concerned. 

[Ralph Turner]

bcal and HSUats, those games were really fun!  The gratifying thing for us ASC fans to learn is how highly the McM-HSU basketball rivalry is perceived.

From today's Daily Dose...

Although the status of Hope/Calvin as the No. 1 rivalry in Division III cannot be questioned, McMurry/Hardin-Simmons is one of several in contention for the No. 2 slot. Amherst/Williams and Wooster/Wittenberg are on that list as well, as would be Bates/Bowdoin on the women's side, and my fried brain is probably missing others. (And for those of you who would push for their own rivalry as being No. 1, let's see you put 11,000 fans in the seats first. That's the bar to reach right now.)

I really wonder if the citizens of Abilene really understand the quality of the basketball that is being played in the ASC.  We Texans understand 5A and 2A and Six-man football and how all of the variables have been equalized so that the only thing that remains is the human characteristics of courage, tenacity and determination.  We saw that last night, and it was wonderful to behold.

Now all we (McM) need to do is to sweep the games in January, and the games in the ASC tourney and hopefully the game(s) in the NCAA playoffs...