MBB: Midwest Conference

[System Error]

Due to the top teams from 08-09 season losing so much, it is extremely difficult to determine what this years standings will be.

Lawrence loses: Kroeger, Kadison, Page, and Apelgren. Three of which were all conference performers. I don't know if Dekker can pick up the slack where this great class left off.

Carroll loses: Ladwig, Zimmerman and Gould. It shouldn't be overlooked that they have a new coach and their is only so much John Hoch can do to help this team.

St. Norbert loses: Fleischmann, Katzfey, and Dowden.

Grinnell loses: Little Arseneault, Grotberg and Long. On the Grinnell website, it states Big A has brought in his best class ever that should replace the scoring we have seen for the past four years.

With so much change I see:
LU
STN
CU
RC
GC
LFC
BC
MC
KC
IC

[PC]

I agree with Error on this year... lots of new faces make it hard to call.

I think that Lawrence and Carroll both have the possibility of playing above the rest, but it will require a few people to step up.  Carroll gets the "new coach lift" which is usually good for a few games as the competition for playing time is a level playing field (no biases left over from previous years) and a new system fills some gaps not seen by privious staffs.  LU is solid despite losses.  This being said either one of these teams may not step up and still be in a battle among others for playoff spots.

I see the battle for the 2 remaining spots as a dog fight among the remaining teams with 6 teams fighting for the final 2 slots in the conference tourney.

In any case after saying that their are too many questions to make rational picks, I will turn to my irrational side and go like this (top to bottom):

Lawrence
Carroll
Ripon
Grinnell
Beloit
St Norbert
Lake Forest
Monmouth
Knox
Illinois College

I certainly plan to have egg on my face when Tanney returns to the hardwood to lead the Scots to the tourney and when Ripon finishes in 7th place.....

[The Roop]

I noticed that 3 have disappeared from Beloits roster in recent days; so they're back down to 10 again.

[jlauby19]

LFC has posted their 09-10 roster.

[bballer1280]

Grinnell College now has their 2009-2010 roster posted online.  That link is as follows:

http://www.grinnell.edu/athletics/mbasketball/roster/

[pgkevin]

LFC has posted their 09-10 roster.

http://www.lakeforest.edu/foresters/mball/roster.html

[Huge LUser]

I have heard from my sources that LU was picked by the coaches to finish 5th in the preseason poll which will be released sometime next week. This is just a rumor I heard, but the top 4 are expected to be as follows:
1. St Norbert
2. Carroll
3. Ripon
4. Lake Forest
5. Lawrence

I only know the top 5. If this is true, I will be surprised, disappointed and pleased all at the same time.

While Lawrence lost a lot on paper, as I look around the league, I wouldn't want to be a fan of any other team heading into the 2009-2010 season.

[pgkevin]

I have heard from my sources that LU was picked by the coaches to finish 5th in the preseason poll which will be released sometime next week. This is just a rumor I heard, but the top 4 are expected to be as follows:
1. St Norbert
2. Carroll
3. Ripon
4. Lake Forest
5. Lawrence
I only know the top 5. If this is true, I will be surprised, disappointed and pleased all at the same time.

While Lawrence lost a lot on paper, as I look around the league, I wouldn't want to be a fan of any other team heading into the 2009-2010 season.

Thats quite a crowded top 4

[pgkevin]

Should be a interesting year in the MWC.  Some obeservations...

Will Ripon ever get back their swagger and push to the top of the conference?

Not unless they finally get some help for the Coach's son.  Anyone notice the similarity in makeup of the two teams prominently featuring coaches son's in this region...both rely very heavily on aforementioned player with not a lot of help inside.

Can an Illinois team step up this year?  Lake Forest?  Monmouth... if they ever stop playing that other sport.

Coaches seem to think that Lake Forest will fill that role, if LUser's source is correct.  This rooms general consensus seems to be 6/7 for them, while the coaches have them in the tournament at the 4 spot.

And I've always wondered how Tanney has dealt with the switch from football to basketball, from being an out of this world D3 QB to a good D3 basketball player, likewise going from playing on a historical good football team to an average basketball team.  That has to be a letdown right?

Has the new facility at IC started to pay off on the recruiting side?

IC in my opinion always has been able to bring in pretty good talent, the issue has been getting them to play together.  Some of those guys recently have been very individually talented.

Will SNC finally push back into the top 4?

St. Norberts went 12-4 and finished in the top 4 last year, not much of a dry spell for them.

Where will Grinnell's scoring come from?

Now that, is a good question...

Is Lawrence really over the post Tharp hang-over?

Few seasons of sobriety but it seems like this season has the possibility for some drinking (and thus the continuation of the hangover metaphor) for players and fans of the program alike

Will the Rooper Hoopers reign supreme?

Not if their roster keeps shrinking into oblivion

Questions to be answered in the coming months...

I couldn't wait for the coming months so I gave it a go, maybe it'll get some discussion going.  And even if they don't prove to be prophetic can I at least get some participation points?

[Titan Q]

Illinois College beat Division I SIU-Edwardsville last night...

http://www.siuecougars.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/110709aaa.html

[The Roop]

Strange that we learn about that here instead of the front page.

[pgkevin]

I have heard from my sources that LU was picked by the coaches to finish 5th in the preseason poll which will be released sometime next week. This is just a rumor I heard, but the top 4 are expected to be as follows:
1. St Norbert
2. Carroll
3. Ripon
4. Lake Forest
5. Lawrence

I only know the top 5. If this is true, I will be surprised, disappointed and pleased all at the same time.

While Lawrence lost a lot on paper, as I look around the league, I wouldn't want to be a fan of any other team heading into the 2009-2010 season.

Here is the released version...
http://www.midwestconference.org/mbasketball/2009-10/MBB_PP_09.pdf

[The Roop]

That's an awfully big move for a Ripon team that went 1-7 vs. the top 4 last year. I don't see it happening.

[Pat Coleman]

Strange that we learn about that here instead of the front page.

There wasn't an IC release to draw from.

[Put up a #]

OK - Here's my guess on final conference standings

1. Carroll
2. St. Norbert
3. Ripon
3. Grinnell
3. Lake Forest
6. Lawrence
7. Illinois College
8. Monmouth
9. Beloit
10. Knox

I went through the schedule and looked at each game and tried to determine who would win that game, at that location, at that point in the season. And i came up with.............

That's right, a 3 way tie for Third, with teams listed in order of tie breaker. Lake Forest misses the playoffs on the strength of tie breakers. I think teams 3 through 6 could finish in any order. Carroll and Ripon are more susceptible to a free fall due to one bad injury at the wrong time.

It's interesting to think about, but I am ready to WATCH some basketball.