MBB: Midwest Conference

[systemfan86]

INCOMING!!!!!!!!!

[Maverick]

Monmouth nation (as I know it) can just not believe that LFC will probably make the tournament. We all felt they were the worst team we had played all season.

COY- Conger

That's quite a turnaround...   

I've been waiting to see this posted scottie.

[Scots4]

I do not believe that is contradictory at all. Statistics dont lie and Conger did the best coaching job statistically in the conference. We lost to Knox and IC both this year but we are more embarrased with the game we concluded our season on. In my opinion Lake Forest was not an overwhelmingly talented team by any means and the fact that they are in the playoffs is why I think he deserves the award. Yeha Coach Arseneault led the Pioneers to the regular season conference championship but I think we can all agree that Grinnell has superior talent.

[jeffdc]

Scots4,  prior to the last few weeks, I'm not sure that GC was commonly accepted as having 'superior talent', at least outside of me, Jeffp, and systemfan 86 !

[lake forest]

scots4
you have no reason to be embarrassed by your last game.  you got beat by a better TEAM.  They outworked you and out rebounded you in the zone you were playing.  ask any of the coaches in the league and they will say how hard LF plays.  teams that play hard will have success in this league.  you don't need to go any farther than LF of last year to see that you can't rely on talent alone.  LF lost games this year when they got lax in their effort.  the talent level never changed.  if it makes you feel any better LF is probably embarrassed that they lost to you this year as well...

I wouldn't say that grinnell has superior talent either.  they too play hard and when they are rolling like they have been the latter portion of this year they are tough to beat. 

[The Roop]

I am The Roop and I'm a Rocky-holic. I don't own any of the Rocky movies on DVD, only VHS, so I thought I was safe from relapse. Then on 12/27/06 I did indeed sneak into a matinee of Rocky Balboa so nobody would see me; and actually enjoyed it.........................

[Mr. Ypsi]

I do not believe that is contradictory at all. Statistics dont lie and Conger did the best coaching job statistically in the conference. We lost to Knox and IC both this year but we are more embarrased with the game we concluded our season on. In my opinion Lake Forest was not an overwhelmingly talented team by any means and the fact that they are in the playoffs is why I think he deserves the award. Yeha Coach Arseneault led the Pioneers to the regular season conference championship but I think we can all agree that Grinnell has superior talent.

Two points:

As jeffdc noted, few thought they had 'superior talent' going in - maybe the coach helped develop that talent?

Even if they did have 'superior talent', who recruited it?  Seems to me any coaches two most important jobs are summarized in points one and two!

[Greek Tragedy]

In the mean time please remember that I was only giving T2K some weaponry to go slay a few dragons on the WIAC board. LOL.

Fire in the hole! lol :-)

Here's some fuel for you. Remind them all that they wouldn't be #1 if not for the Colorado snow storm. Now before everybody says "Hey The Roop, what the heck are you talking about" take a look at their schedule. That storm cancelled a game at D2 Regis; a probable loss. With 2 losses on their schedule, D2 losses or not, I don't think Point would be #1 at the moment.

Personally, I could care less if Point was #1 or #21 or whatever. 

Something that many people wouldn't know...the Regis game was actually scheduled after Winona State opted not to play Stevens Point...you know, Winona State, the defending d2 champions and current undefeated #1 team in their division...go figure. 

That might have been a loss! lol

[titan2000]

Well, seeing as a loss to a D-2 team wouldn't knock Point out of contention for anything of true merit...


This Point team isn't the same Point team from '03-'04 and '04-'05.  In many respects they're simply different... in some respects they're better, in others they're worse.  Both are very fundamentally sound, but this Point team lacks size inside (part of the reason why Point lost to Oshkosh at home and struggled against Stout).

...Anyway... now back to your regularly scheduled MWC programming.

One thought...  there's an outside chance that both Redlands and Grinnell could both make the NCAA's...  Could we possibly get the "System" matchup that System fans have wanted to see for years?

The Roop, next time, throw the grenade from inside their site, not ours. Please? 

I have to say I'm not sure how I'd feel about a GC-Redlands game, PS. I'm sure it would be a hoot, but it runs the risk of being one of those games that can't possibly hold up to the hype.

Everyone would foul out in the first half and the game would end in a double forfeit.

[Gregory Sager]

Why was the Regis game a probable loss? 

1. You have to respect the fact that they are D2
2. They were the home team

1. There's quite a bit of overlap in talent level between D2 and D3, Roop, especially when you're talking about the bottom of the former and the top of the latter.

The Massey ratings are not the be-all and end-all of statistical analysis, but it's a pretty reliable matrix for establishing a broad, computerized pecking order within college basketball. Massey's more-accurate MOV ratings have UWSP, which is ranked first out of 403 D3 teams, as the 324th-best team in the nation. There's a lot of D1 teams (admittedly, the dregs of that division) that are listed below the Pointers, much less D2 teams. Regis, by contrast, is ranked 781st in the nation, and stands a lowly 225th out of 280 D2 teams.

To give you a taste of just how lightly Regis is regarded in the estimation of Massey, here's how the top MWC teams rank:

Grinnell	561
Carroll	601
Ripon	718
Lawrence	726
Lake Forest	746

If you took the power ratings of UWSP and Regis, and awarded Regis the standard home-court-advantage buffer, the Pointers would be ten-point favorites over the Rangers according to Massey.

In short, I think that if the game had been played UWSP would've Ripa Regis to shreds.

(Thank you, I'm here all week. Try the veal ... it's delicious!)

2. Regis had an average attendance of 192 this season. I doubt that the Rangers had much of a home-court advantage against anybody; in a game played two days before Christmas against a D3 team from three states away, I'd be surprised if anyone would've been at that theoretical UWSP @ Regis game who didn't have to be there.

[The Roop]

In short, I think that if the game had been played UWSP would've Ripa Regis to shreds.

In Consuelos-ion, that's terrible Mr. Sager.

[systemfan86]

I know that COY and POY are normally named around the tournament, but I can't remember if it's right before or right after. Anyone?

Also, let's tip our collective hats to the outgoing seniors. Drury, Schmitting, and Maclin have all had great careers and will be missed. Bo Johnson had a bit of an off year, but he was spectacular at times. Hendry from BC was solid. Any others that people want to note?

Actually, it's a pretty young conference this year. GC loses a couple of solid contributors (Ticus and Langenhan), but they return 5 of their top 6 scorers. Any early thoughts on who will be tough next season?

[schwanman]

The coaches will vote on the teams this Sunday at their annual meeting in Beloit, and the teams will be announced by the MWC mid-week.

[scottie]

As long as we're tipping our caps, I hope you'll allow me to congratulate Ashley Yeast from MC who led the DIII nation in rebounding (13.7) this year.  No doubt, she'll land on the 47 member All-MWC team from the women's ledger.   

[Early]

David McMullen.....tip the cap.