MBB: American Southwest Conference

[Ralph Turner]

I expected UTD to get more support in the new poll.  They still have less points in others receiving points than the 2 teams they beat (Guilford and UMHB).  Good thing about polls is you can debate them all day long lol

Welcome to the top 25.

The ASC has no significant history of consistent Top 25 performances among the men.  The women are different.

There are 39 AQ conferences in D-III.  It is hard to comprehend how big D-III is...three times larger than D-1 FBS football!  Every year, we have teams in D-III that win a first round playoff game and do not crack the Top 25!

UT-Dallas' last appearance in the Top 25 was after the win over UT-Arlington in Dec 2006.  An 11-0 Comets proceeded to lose their next 2 games during the Abilene Death March.

IMHO, each season, the ASC has one school that breaks into the Top 25 and about 5-7 schools that #30 -#100 nationwide.  We aren't a great conference like the UAA, the CCIW, the WIAC, etc.,  but we are a very good one.

[Ralph Turner]

Actually, I am glad to see that the Abilene Death March will be in force again this season for the men and the women.

"Welcome to Abilene and four hard games for your men's and your women's basketball teams."

[SabineBBall]

Didn't expect them to be top 25 but maybe ahead of the 2 teams they beat lol.  I do see your "Abilene Death March" on the schedule.  Will be a tough 2 games for men and women.  UTD isn't traveling with UTT this year so it makes it even harder.  I hope the women win on Thursday to setup the HPU game on Saturday.  I know every team is looking to stop the long winning streak of HPU women!! 

[kid nice]

Chris, how many of those 7 were Seniors, and it was their second year in the system?  I have no doubt they will be good and it sounds like they are very athletic.  I said i have faith coach Lofton will get them where they need to be, i simply made an observation.  I know that it is a different style of game, but i also know that they can of course adjust IF they buy in to it.

giving up 88 points and 15 3-pointers. Here's an idea:  PLAY SOME DEFENSE!

The only problem I see with getting all of the JUCO kids is they play a much different game in that league than the do in the ASC and D3.  It takes a while for them to adjust but in D3 with so little at large bids you don't really have that much time.  I know Coach Lofton will get them there but I thought we might be in trouble with only a 4 pt win over a winless Sewanee team.  Once again before I go, PLAY SOME DEFENSE!

Don't know if that has much to do with it. In 2006-07, we either led the nation in scoring defense or field goal percentage defense and four of the starters were JUCO, also 7 of the top 10 players. This team will be good  but there are going to be some growing pains with so many new kids.

[golden_dome]

Chris, how many of those 7 were Seniors, and it was their second year in the system?  I have no doubt they will be good and it sounds like they are very athletic.  I said i have faith coach Lofton will get them where they need to be, i simply made an observation.  I know that it is a different style of game, but i also know that they can of course adjust IF they buy in to it.

That is a very good point. All four JUCO starters were seniors and 6 of the 7 overall were seniors. That was the year Tim Broomfield and D. J. Jones were voted first and second for ASC East Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

This year's top ten players in the rotation have nine JUCO transfers and five of them are newcomers. This will end up a very good defensive team because the personnel is there but it's gonna take some time to get people in the right spots and have the right rotations. I'm sure the coaches are still learning what everyone is capable of, but this will be a tough team to beat in the ASC tournament, especially if we get to host.

Changing subjects, I didn't make the trip but I was told that McMurry has a very solid ballclub this year. David Nichols broadcasted the games for us this weekend, and he was impressed with Coach Holmes' team and mentioned he wouldn't be surprised to see them battle UMHB for the ASC West this year.

[Ralph Turner]

Thanks for the comments about this year's McM team.

Most insiders know how much Coach Holmes respects both Coach Lofton and Coach Jones.  It seems that those men just love playing against each other, because of how much the competition just makes each better.  Coach Holmes was quite pleased with the performances that his players gave.  He was also very pleased with the play of his point guard, Robert Moreno.

Moreno seems to be providing the leadership that one needs out of a senior and an high-profile position such as point guard.


## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN

05 Robert Moreno.......    g  0-0    0-0       4-4    1  2       3   2   4   12 6  0    3  36

This was against a very athletically talented Mississippi College.  The Choctaws will be a threat as they become familiar with Coach Lofton's system.  I really wonder if Moreno faces a more athletically talented defensive backcourt than Mississippi College. 

McMurry seems to be at least 10 players deep this season.

[mcmfan]

Robert looked great Monday night, but he was in nearly the whole game.  He will stay great if he can stay healthy, which has not always been the case in the past.

[ASCfan237]

Ozarks is off to a tough start but seems to be playing well.

Interesting observation from looking at the box scores (I was not at the games) but MC lost to a Hardin Simmons team that lost earlier in the year to some pretty bad teams. Maybe this will open up the East to where someone else can compete for the regular season title besides MC....UTD looking strong on the road in week 1.

[Ralph Turner]

Time to post what is becoming an annual rant...

The ASC basketball coaches need to vote to count only the intra-divisional games towards the divisional standings.  I believe that teams need time to work out their chemistry issues and get their roles down.

Twelve or fourteen divisional games is enough to seed the brackets for the ASC tourney.  IMHO, Catching SRSU and HPU at home versus going on that road trip cannot be adjudicated in a single round-robin.  The "Abilene Death March", playing at HSU and McMurry is a tough road trip.  Yeah, road trips in the ASC are notorious, but not all road trips are equal, especially if it is a single round robin format!

At the next level, yes, the inter-divisional games have an impact as "in-region" competition when it comes to Pool C and to bracket seeding and regional rankings for the NCAA.  Let's look at it as an "ACC-Big Ten Challenge Series" between East and West.  If a tournament quality team has gotten its act together early, then it will be rewarded.  However, a team should not look up on Jan 8th, before the spring semester begins, and be 4 games out of first place!

Let's change that next May 2009 at the "2009-10" coaches meeting.

[#1ascfanman]

I second that motion, my wildcats are already 0-2 in conference and in a hole, though it is nice to see MC there!  If the divisions each played twice it would be a different matter, but it really is not fair to have to travel t Abilene and lose both and not get a shot at them at home that same year, the same the next year for them.

[pistol pete 22]

Thats a horrible arguement. I like the way it is. There arent enough games to play everyone twice. You just gotta be able to win some games on the road.  If LC was 2-0 im sure you wouldnt be saying that. My Comets are 2-0 though so i cant complain!

[Bearkat00]

I am split on this topic - while it's enjoyable to watch each team in our conferenec every other year, I wish basketball was permitted more out-of-conference games, similiar to baseball and softball.  Both those sports play a limited cross-over rivals (baseball playing 2 teams from the other side and softball playing 4 teams from the other side).  While that has it's advantages and disadvantages, this allows these teams to have the opportunity to play out-of-conference D3 schools.  I feel that most of our basketball teams playing one d1 or d2 school, a couple of NAIA schools, and then all of a sudden we are in the thick of conference.  I'd like to see us play more D3 schools (I realize that this lies on the coaches shoulders when scheduling, but with the limited number of games permitted out of conference, I believe their hands are tied). It be fun to see how LETU or ETBU match up with Trinity or Southwestern.  Maybe do an ASC-SCAC tournament at the beginning of the season.  I know that creates some traveling issues, but just a thought. 

[pistol pete 22]

I dont know if ascfanman plans on doing predicitions again this year but I'm gonna try it.........

12/4
UO over HPU
UTT over HSU
LC over SU
UTD over SRSU

12/6
MC over SU
UMHB over ETBU
SRSU over UO
UTD over HPU
McM over UTT
LeT over CUA
LC over TLU

12/8
LeT over UMHB
CUA over ETBU
MC over TLU

[Ralph Turner]

Thats a horrible arguement. I like the way it is. There arent enough games to play everyone twice. You just gotta be able to win some games on the road.  If LC was 2-0 im sure you wouldnt be saying that. My Comets are 2-0 though so i cant complain!

I posted that this year because we are playing better, and therefore it doesn't help us.

I contend that a single round-robin in this conference is not equitable for determining the divisional champ.  This year, it looks like that avoiding the Abilene road may be the key in the final ASC-East standings.

My preference is to split the conference in half, East and West.  Once split, then sign a contract between the conferences that assures sufficient games to fill the schedules for 10 years.  I know that the function of the 20/21-game conference basketball schedule is to provide games now.  (Trust me, the numbers show that it hurts us when trying to get seeding in the NCAA's.)

I want to split the conference so we can get more Pool A bids.  Imagine this.  If the ASC-East had 7 members in Volleyball and M/W Tennis and became its own league, after two years as a provisional conference, the ASC-East would get its own Pool A bids in M/W Soccer, M/W Hoops, M/W Tennis, Baseball, Softball and Volleyball.

FACT:  No ASC-East women's basketball team has played an NCAA playoff game since the Pool system was begun in 1999!  If the ASC-East were its own conference, then the winner would have had a Pool A bid.

[pedh34]

I will make some picks also...

12/4
HSU over UTT  I know UTT is pumped for this home game. I think they will be in for a shock...
LC over SU
UTD over SRSU
UO over HPU

12/6
MC over SU
UMHB over ETBU
UO over SRSU
UTD over HPU
MCM over UTT
LETU over CUA
LC over TLU

12/8
LeT over UMHB
CUA over ETBU
MC over TLU

Key notes for the week: UTT will go 0-2 at home, UTD will remain unbeaten, MC after starting 0-2 in conference will go 2-0 this week.