MBB: Midwest Conference

[lu_nut]

If LU beats MSOE on saturday, they should make a huge jump in the rankings.  Pre-season rankings are very soft.  Lu beat the crap out of Gustavas last year and Gustavas lost their best player...yet they were ranked and LU was not.  Same with Platville.  Lu beat them both at home and brought 2 of their 3 best players (Braier and McGillis) back.  They have had two good straight recruiting years.  I am not surprised they beat Oshkosh for the third straight year.

If they are not in the teens,  I will be surprised. 

While the MWC has been pretty solid at the top, the early results this year are not that encouraging....bad loss by Ripon and Beloit.    I do think Becker was special and will be missed....going to make Ripon easier to defense.  I don't think you can argue with the top of the MWC the last two years..LU beat Oshkosh, Carthage, Platville, BV and Gustavas.  Ripon beat Augie.

Time will tell.

[Greek Tragedy]

If MSOE was ranked, I'd agree that LU would make a huge jump in the rankings.  But you also have to realize, if "your" prediction of LU making it into the teens, they also have to jump 20 other teams to do so. 

Beating Oshkosh was a heck of a feat and I don't take anything away from LU for doing so.  MSOE is in a horrible conference.  The sounds of it, they might actually be pretty decent this year though.  But, all because Larry U beats the #2 team in the nation, doesn't mean they'll jump 20+ spots.  I know a lot of other top-25 teams have dropped games already, so I think LU will be ranked come the next poll. 

[John Gleich]

Let's take a look here for a second at where Lawrence is on most voters ballots...  They recieved 24 points in the last top 25 so, with 25 voters, they averaged recieving votes just outside of #25.  Now, a win against the #2 team in the country could cause them to jump up to... oh, I dunno, let's say 17 on the top 25 ballots.  So, instead of getting one point per voter at #25, they would get 8 pts per ballot for #17.  That would give them 136 points, which would put them at 22nd in the LAST poll.  Now, the question is, how much will they move up on the voters' ballots?  They couldn't possibly be on everyone's ballot (they would have had to have gotten 25 points for that to be possible), but they WERE on some people's ballots...  So some of the voters thought highly of them, and a win like last night's will only improve their standing with those voters who already had them in the top 25.  Now, there are OTHER voters... a win like last night's win could (probably should?  I dunno, that's to be discussed) propel Lawrence into the top 25.  I guess the only question is where...

So, barring a loss before the next top 25 (and depending what happens across the country) Lawrence COULD jump into the top 25. 

[Pat Coleman]

Great win for Lawrence.

Perhaps this can be an early barometer as to what the "Coleman Mafia" thinks about LU (and the MWC). 

Seeing as this conference has actually beaten Top 25 teams and won NCAA playoff games in recent years, it's hardly the same as the MWC's football situation.

Interesting that you choose to complain about this after the results of the MWC's playoff foray validated the poll.

[Pat Coleman]

Wow, a lot of discussion of the poll, and not a lot of remembering that Lawrence was as high as No. 4 last year and spent much of the second semester in the Top 15.

If that isn't respect, I don't know what is. Yes, I'm sure voters were turned off by the loss of three starters but I would be surprised if they forget that last year they thought Lawrence was pretty darn good.

Big-time inferiority complex from the Monmouth faithful. Basketball and football are different sports and the view of the MWC is different between the two. Sheesh.

[showtimeSmyHero]

Will MSOE be ranked or get votes if they beat LU and stay undefeated?  MSOE's gaurds are tuff -- and probably better players and athletes than LU's.  I guess Oshkosh was susposed to have better athletes/players... and we saw what happened there.  Anyway---- i think MSOE's gym is going to be packed for the game.... get there early.

[Greek Tragedy]

Will MSOE be ranked or get votes if they beat LU and stay undefeated?  MSOE's gaurds are tuff -- and probably better players and athletes than LU's.  I guess Oshkosh was susposed to have better athletes/players... and we saw what happened there.  Anyway---- i think MSOE's gym is going to be packed for the game.... get there early.

No offense, but you need to get out and see some games outside of the powerful LMC before you make comments like that.  Braier is a stud and MacGillis is also a great player.  There is a difference between athlete and player.  Larry U has both.  They play great defense, so watch out.  Everyone seems to be burying Oshkosh already.  it's one game.  They'll be there at the end.  And, like I said, in the LMC page, there is no way Marian is going to be ranked even if they beat Lawrence...maybe some votes, if that.

[thevicar]

First off, if there's anything that Tharp knows how to do, it's Prepare his boys for EVERY game. If LU were to go and lose to MSOE (knock on wood) the reasons may be many, but unpreparedness won't be one. Tharp will have his team ready to go. Two years ago, when LU beat Oshkosh and played MSOE next we took em by fortyish. If MSOE wins, it'll be because they outplayed us.
Secondly, I think we're all really paying a little too much attention to the rankings, especially this early in the season. It may be a matyter of respect, but what it's gonna be more than that is a matter of perfectly understandable ignorance. At the DIII level, only Grinnell will ever get on ESPN, so voters (whoever they are) aren't gonna know much about a small Liberal Arts school in Northern WIsconsin. I forgive them if LU goes undefeated and isn't ranked for a few more games. And the real issue here, I think, is that we on the board can argue as much as we want about rankings and national respect, but Tharp and his players care even less than I do.  Sure, it'd be nice to brag to some of our friends that LU is ranked in the top 25, but the inevitable answer to such a boast from most basketball fans in the country will be "well yeah, in the DIII top 25..."
I suppose the moral of the story is that I would love to see more posts from MSOE and LU fans talking about the GAME than MWC posters complaining (even rightly so) about lack of national respect due to rankings. Wins and losses, baby. That's really all it comes down to. Wins and Losses.

Signed
Thevicar

LU '06 or maybe '07
1-0 each game night is all it takes.

[larry_u]

Congrats on the Vikes on a huge win over Oshkosh.  It sucks not being around the team anymore, and being stuck back at home in the twin cities.  Hopeflly will be able to come up for the big LU win over Ripon in January, and yes for all those Ripon posters a week or so ago, these LU posters are wusses, actually giving RC credit!

Just kidding Redhawk backers, you guys will have a good team this year, and I expect another good tussle in Alex on Jan 7th.

I assume the Vikes will be ranked, I mean with their past history, I agree with people that they were lower ranked this year because of the loss of Holly, and Falls and Evans, they were this team for 4 years..but never underestimate Chris Braier and Kyle MacGillis.  Those two guys are scary good.  And with the freshman stepping up like they have and Rosenblatt stepping in well for Danny....these guys could go a long way...

[titan2000]

Larry U:

Why do you have to be in the Twin Cities?

Maybe you should move to the real Twin Cities of Neenah/Menasha?

What kind of work do you do?

[Greek Tragedy]

Congrats on the Vikes on a huge win over Oshkosh.  It sucks not being around the team anymore, and being stuck back at home in the twin cities. 

You can go to those MIAC games.  Some of them are actually pretty good, from what I hear.  Expand your D3 basketball horizens.

[hjmphelp]

Grinnell has an exhibition game with South Australia tonight (Friday). This could be an interesting match between a very tall, young, inexperienced Aussie team and a GC team that has found its early legs. The two teams had Thanksgiving dinner together yesterday. We'll see who eats turkey tonight!

[titan2000]

Read these comments from the Appleton Post Crescent following the LU victory over Oshkosh.  I bet this really pisses off the LU guys.  Suprised TVD would say this but maybe he was too angry to think on his feet.  Wow.

"For Oshkosh, it was a painful lesson that life in college basketball's penthouse is strictly rental property.

"Our guys really haven't adjusted to a team that's going to be chased," said Titans coach Ted Van Dellen. "That's a different attitude. Like I said, this is their Super Bowl right here. You get all those accolades at the beginning of the year and you've got to learn to handle it and we just didn't.


"No loss is a good loss but I'll tell you what, I think this was an eye opener for these fellas. They get all that crap early on and you think you're a little bit better than what you are and all of a sudden ..."

Comments must have been taken out of context.   

[Dolph Stanley]

""That's a different attitude. Like I said, this is their Super Bowl right here."

I guess that makes Lawrence 3-0 in Super Bowl's over the past three seasons right coach?  Perhaps you should actually win something first, then begin making comments like this.

[Greek Tragedy]

Point tops Ripon tonight by 10, 99-89.  Point had control for all of the first half, going up by 21 at the break, 46-25.  Point had no problem with Ripon throughout the first half of the 2nd half, but the wheels fell off when Hicklin and Krull sat for nearly 7 minutes due to foul trouble.  Ripon started nailing threes and forcing turnovers.  They actually cut it to 9 a couple of times.  But, Krull and Hicklin came back in and restored some order.  As usual, Krull led the way with 26.  Hicklin with 22 and Bauer with 13. 

McMullin caused troubles with his quickness and had 27 and Bo Johnson shot for 28.  Two very good players that I remember from last year.  Surprised Schmitting didn't do more damage inside.

Slopping game at times as both teams were in the double bonus with 7 minutes to go in the game. 

Ripon gets La Crosse tomorrow night.