MBB: American Southwest Conference

[Ralph Turner]

McMurry plays George Fox and the winner of the Colorado College/LeTU game in Colorado Springs, ETBU and then UT-San Antonio over the Christmas break.  That is 3 in-region games and a D-1 game to pay for it.  Probably rates out as an A-/B+ using Pat's criteria.

[etbualum]

I think Wiley College and LSUS made the NAIA tourney last year.  So with the exhibition and non conference schedule we will play one of the toughest in the conference.  While our best returner is playing football I think we will be a lot better than last year even though we could pile up a few losses early.

[Ralph Turner]

I think Wiley College and LSUS made the NAIA tourney last year.  So with the exhibition and non conference schedule we will play one of the toughest in the conference.  ...

Unfortunately, ETBU will have no out-of-conference games in which it can boost its OWP and OOWP (Opponents' winning percentage and Opponents' opponents' winning percentage).  That really hurts the conference when it comes to post-season play.

If we ASC fans will look at the schedules of other conferences, there are plenty of in-region games that help to boost the OOWP's and OWP's within the conference, for your team and the teams in our conference.

ETBU can beat Wiley, LSUS and Belhaven, but in the eyes of the selection committee, the games are worthless.  Having as tourney in which some schools from the South Region or Administrative Region #4 (Missouri, Illinois Wisconsin westward) would really help all of us.

[Ralph Turner]

Pat Coleman came to the ASC in summer 2004 to visit with the Coaches and the SID's about issues that we face.

Under the proverbial and definitely unofficial topic of "we don't get no respect", he addressed the issue of scheduling to improve the impact of the conference.  It was the subject of one of his blogs in 2005.

ASC Basketball Scheduling

I will try to apply his recommendations to the schedules that we have available.  I encourage other fans to apply the criteria that are demonstrated in Pat's blog to this real problem that we face.  The ASC-West has four open-dates; the ASC-East has five.  An exhibition may also be scheduled.  I realize that travel is a problem for the ASC, but some creativity in necessary if we are going to raise the profile of the ASC.

The best schedules that I have found are:

Four-Five in-region games--

LeTU has five in-region games...LeTU will get 2 in-region games at the Colorado College tourney which has George Fox, Colorado College, LeTU and McMurry.  All four teams get 2 in-region games from this tourney!  LeTU also has a home-and-home with South Region (SCAC) opponent Austin College.  Their fifth date is UMHB.  (They also have with D-1 Lamar which presumably makes the Colorado College trip possible.)


Three in-region games

McMurry has three in-region games, George Fox and the other half of the Colorado College tourney in which LeTU is playing.  McMurry has a Christmas holiday date with UT-San Antonio.

UOzarks has Rust home and away and at Hendrix.  The Eagles play D-1 Northwestern LA and D2 Henderson St AR.

UT-Dallas plays Austin College home and away and gets an in-region game with Luther IA over Christmas.  The Comets also play a pair of non-in-region D-3's in Gwynedd Mercy and D-Youville NY. Maybe this is a chance for the ASC and the Comets to strut their stuff against out of region competition.


Two In-region games--

HSU has two in-region games, vs. Southwestern and at Trinity.  The games against D-1's Sam Houston help the program financially and the UT-Arlington game is scheduled over Christmas break.

LaCollege has Millsaps and Huntingdon at the Millsaps Tourney.  The Wildcats have D-1 Lamar, UL-Monroe and McNeese State.

Mississippi College has the prestigious Hampden-Sydney Tournament.  I know they have one South Region game, but I don't know if they get to play Hampden-Sydney.  This is the second good tournament that they have played in in two years.  The other opponents include Pensacola Christian (NCCAA) and Wesley.   (Louisiana College, Mississippi College and Ozarks are in administrative region #3 and so can get in-region games against teams in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.)  One date has gone unfilled.

UT-Tyler goes on the road to Emory where they pick up two in-region foes, Sewanee (SCAC) and Emory (UAA).  The UAA is considered one of the Elite basketball conferences by most observers.  A win over Emory is a good win, even tho' the Eagles are usually in the bottom half of that very tough conference.  The Patriots also catch LSU-Shreveport, McNeese and UL-Monroe.

UMHB has one definite date with LeTU and maybe a second with Hendrix if they meet in the same side of the tourney bracket.  The CRU Holiday Classic is not hosting the defending champion this year, but Penn State Behrend (Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference) and Worcester St (Mass State Collegiate Athletic Conference) get to play snowbird.


One In-region Game --

TLU plays at Trinity.

ETBU plays McMurry in a non-conference game.

[golden_dome]

I have been watching the ASC for sometime after my time as a student at Louisiana College.  This is my first time on D3 hoops.  Just a little news that I have heard, MC may have had the best juco class they have had yet.  Very scary! They always have great transfers.  My ghost pic, Let U. 

Miss Coll always has great JUCO's, gets to host the first 2 rounds of the NCAA's and then loses in the Sweet 16 by double digits. 

Ralph,
   Come on now, somehow you make that sound like a bad thing. I think they are one of only three teams in the country to reach the Sweet 16 each of the last three years (Amherst, St. John Fisher). They also have the second best record in the country regardless of division the last two years at 56-5. Only DII Winona State is better.

The Hampden-Sydney tournament could very well end up including the best teams from the ASC, the USA South and the ODAC this year.

Hopefully this year they will get another chance in the tourney but it's hard getting into the thing, much less advancing.

I have been watching the ASC for sometime after my time as a student at Louisiana College.  This is my first time on D3 hoops.  Just a little news that I have heard, MC may have had the best juco class they have had yet.  Very scary! They always have great transfers.  My ghost pic, Let U. 

I will hopefully have time this week to put together a preseason piece for the team, but they did bring in a great class of players with 35 total new players including about 20 transfers.

[Ralph Turner]

Sorry Chris, just frustration of the match-ups...   

Miss College wins the East easily.  Miss College is rarely pushed.  Since the creation of the Divisions, ETBU won the East in 2003 and UT-D shared in 2004, otherwise its is all Miss College.

The West is a knock-down/drag-out which has seen 5 different teams win a portion of the West in the last 3 years.

Miss College gets to host the first two rounds of the NCAA, and then runs into a style of play that they have never solved.  The ASC gets branded as a mediocre conference, partially because of the sheer size of the conference with plenty of mediocre teams and a less than stellar post-season performance, in which we have never defeated a non-South Region opponent in post-season play.

I am ready for a break-out performance by someone this year.  I want Elite 8! This year!

[golden_dome]

Sorry Chris, just frustration of the match-ups...   

Miss College wins the East easily.  Miss College is rarely pushed.  Since the creation of the Divisions, ETBU won the East in 2003 and UT-D shared in 2004, otherwise its is all Miss College.

The West is a knock-down/drag-out which has seen 5 different teams win a portion of the West in the last 3 years.

Miss College gets to host the first two rounds of the NCAA, and then runs into a style of play that they have never solved.  The ASC gets branded as a mediocre conference, partially because of the sheer size of the conference with plenty of mediocre teams and a less than stellar post-season performance, in which we have never defeated a non-South Region opponent in post-season play.

I am ready for a break-out performance by someone this year.  I want Elite 8! This year!

I understand, I would also like to see an ASC team reach the Final Four, preferably MC, but I wouldn't say the league has been mediocre. In my opinion, the ASC has been the second best conference in the south region the last three years based on regional rankings and the NCAA tournament. Though MC has not reached the elite eight, they do have more tournament wins the last three years than all but a couple of teams.

Here are NCAA records the last three years for south region conferences. (I put these together quickly but I think they are right)
ODAC 12-4
ASC 5-4
SCAC 4-4
Great South 3-3
USA South 0-3

I really don't know what to expect from the ASC this year. All of the west teams lost important players and I noticed McMurry did not have Alvin Stevens on their roster. Concordia might be a trendy pick to win that side of the league.

In the East, LeTourneau returns a solid team. Everyone else lost a lot of players including MC. I think UT Tyler will be good very soon with their new head coach, Kenny Bizot. That will add another top flight team to the league.

MC returns just three solid players from last year who played significant minutes, Tyler Winford, Jonathan Collins and Prince Trotter. I am sure they will positioned lower than usual in the preseason based on the players they lost, but this new class of players the coaches brought in is as athletic as I have seen in my eight years at MC. I am sure we will find out how good of players they are, but they haven't accomplished anything yet and have some big shoes to fill.

I am putting together the basketball guide now and will try to release some of the new player information here when I get it. 

[Ralph Turner]

Chris, I look at the roster and go, "Who are those guys?"

Alvin Stevens finished his eligibility.  I just know that Coach Holmes is happy with his team.

I really think that the South is the ODAC and the pretenders.

Guilford, VWC and HSC are really a cut above the rest of the South.

It is not popular to mention this on some South Region boards, but Maryville runs into Miss College, and you have their number.

I just wish that the other UMHB team had shown up against Murvul last March.

Good luck in the HSC Tourney!

I think that McMurry can start out strong, especially if we can handle the height and outside shooting that George Fox brings to the Colorado College tourney.

[Ralph Turner]

Actually we are 5-5 plus a bye in the last three years.

2005 MC 1-1, UT-D 0-1
2006 MC 2-1 plus a bye
2007 MC 2-1, UMHB 0-1

[Pat Coleman]

Sorry Chris, just frustration of the match-ups...   

Miss College wins the East easily.  Miss College is rarely pushed.  Since the creation of the Divisions, ETBU won the East in 2003 and UT-D shared in 2004, otherwise its is all Miss College.

The West is a knock-down/drag-out which has seen 5 different teams win a portion of the West in the last 3 years.

Miss College gets to host the first two rounds of the NCAA, and then runs into a style of play that they have never solved.  The ASC gets branded as a mediocre conference, partially because of the sheer size of the conference with plenty of mediocre teams and a less than stellar post-season performance, in which we have never defeated a non-South Region opponent in post-season play.

I am ready for a break-out performance by someone this year.  I want Elite 8! This year!

I understand, I would also like to see an ASC team reach the Final Four, preferably MC, but I wouldn't say the league has been mediocre. In my opinion, the ASC has been the second best conference in the south region the last three years based on regional rankings and the NCAA tournament.

This is easily true. However, it doesn't mean a whole lot, being second-best in the South.

[golden_dome]

This is easily true. However, it doesn't mean a whole lot, being second-best in the South.

Well Pat, we've only had a south region team in the national championship game the last two years and one national championship. The south has had three Final Four teams in the last five years.

By my count, there have been five sectionals hosted in the south since 1999 with ten teams outside of the south competing. The sectionals were hosted by Virginia Wesleyan (2006-07), Randolph-Macon (2003), Christopher Newport (2001) and Hampden-Sydney (1999). South region teams advanced to the Final Four in four of those five sectionals. Among the ten out of region teams not to advance: Illinois Wesleyan, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Wooster and John Carroll. The only team to advance was William Patterson in the Christopher Newport 2001 sectional beating CNU in overtime.

I think the last few years has earned the south just a little respect.

[Ralph Turner]

This is easily true. However, it doesn't mean a whole lot, being second-best in the South.

Well Pat, we've only had a south region team in the national championship game the last two years and one national championship. The south has had three Final Four teams in the last five years.

By my count, there have been five sectionals hosted in the south since 1999 with ten teams outside of the south competing. The sectionals were hosted by ODAC member Virginia Wesleyan (2006-07), ODAC member Randolph-Macon (2003), Christopher Newport (2001) and ODAC member Hampden-Sydney (1999). South region teams advanced to the Final Four in four of those five sectionals. Among the ten out of region teams not to advance: Illinois Wesleyan, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Wooster and John Carroll. The only team to advance was William Patterson in the Christopher Newport 2001 sectional beating CNU in overtime.

I think the last few years the south has earned just a little respect.

I really think that the South is the ODAC and the pretenders.

Guilford, VWC and HSC are really a cut above the rest of the South.

Only the ODAC has a favorable record outside South Region opponents.

[golden_dome]

This is easily true. However, it doesn't mean a whole lot, being second-best in the South.

Well Pat, we've only had a south region team in the national championship game the last two years and one national championship. The south has had three Final Four teams in the last five years.

By my count, there have been five sectionals hosted in the south since 1999 with ten teams outside of the south competing. The sectionals were hosted by ODAC member Virginia Wesleyan (2006-07), ODAC member Randolph-Macon (2003), Christopher Newport (2001) and ODAC member Hampden-Sydney (1999). South region teams advanced to the Final Four in four of those five sectionals. Among the ten out of region teams not to advance: Illinois Wesleyan, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Wooster and John Carroll. The only team to advance was William Patterson in the Christopher Newport 2001 sectional beating CNU in overtime.

I think the last few years the south has earned just a little respect.

I really think that the South is the ODAC and the pretenders.

Guilford, VWC and HSC are really a cut above the rest of the South.

Only the ODAC has a favorable record outside South Region opponents.

Ralph,
   They are also the only conference to host sectionals in the last ten years beside CNU's sectional in 2001.

[Pat Coleman]

Only the ODAC has earned respect, I think, not the South as a whole.

Remember that the ODAC had a team in the F4 before the time frame you cite, and that didn't do anything for the South as a whole.

[golden_dome]

Only the ODAC has earned respect, I think, not the South as a whole.

Remember that the ODAC had a team in the F4 before the time frame you cite, and that didn't do anything for the South as a whole.

I know what you meant, just giving you a hard time. But if you take the top conference out of each region, I think all of them would take a pretty big hit in regards to respect.

We should have another talented team on the court this year and hopefully we can get another shot at the tournament. The HSC tourney should be good preparation.