MBB: Midwest Conference

[The Roop]

C'mon Roop, are you trying to jinx us?  I think it's still mathematically possible for Beloit to host.  Well, maybe not but I'm no mathematician, but there's a lot of games left before the tourney.

I'm not trying to jinx anybody. It just so happens that I live closer to LU than any other school in the conference and I want to see the tournament.

[LU_nut]

Come on Old School.....that comment is meant as a compliment.  Teams that have good guard play and play good defense tend to make good teams play ugly.  I think LU's better teams have had the same effect in the past.   

Sorry you could not do the audio last night.   While I have watched a number of games via the internet, it drives me crazy not to know the score.

Nut

[augiefan]

Congrats to Lawrence on another big nonconference win. The MWC has really improved in recent years with competitive games against highly regarded WIAC and CCIW opponents, many resulting in MWC wins. It's a far cry from my days at Beloit, when the CCIW champ routinely eliminated the MWC champ in the DIII NCAA tourney.

[LU_nut]

Thanks Augiefan.   I think most even-minded MWC fans would readily admit that both the WIAC and CCIW have clearly been stronger conferences over the years.  Both conferences still tend to attract a bigger/stronger athlete on average than the MWC.  They also tend to be bigger schools with better facilities.    I think those facts make the recent success all the more rewarding when it happens.   I know LU was a whipping boy for the WIAC teams for many years.  Beating Oshkosh and Plattville the last view years have been big thrills for the long time fans..................now if we could just get over the Stevens Point hurdle once........though the final 8 OT game three years ago has to go done was one of the great games played at any level of b-ball.

Nut

[Gregory Sager]

Carroll has shown a knack the last few years of making teams look ugly.

Or maybe THEY are just a good team.

Tom, I think that that's exactly what LU_nut said. If you are capable of making opponents look ugly, then you are a good team. Good teams don't necessarily impose their will upon the other team at the offensive end of the court. Some good teams do it at the defensive end instead. Your own league's UW-Platteville teams under Bo Ryan were the quintessential example of that.

[PC]

Roop,

I was assuming that Lawrence would host, but in the tourney there is always the possibility that a team gets hot and beats the host school.  It has happened more times on the women's side than the men's, but what if Grinnell slips to 4th and Lawrence has to play them and then a somewhat tired team goes into the championship against Carroll.

[The Roop]

PC,

I think in that scenario LU has more depth than Carroll, plus they'd be at home so I still wouldn't worry about it. At worst LU would be 21-4 (19-4 in region) and that should be good enough. The Dominican and Concordia wins probably won't help as much as they would have last year but the new Pool C criteria should get everybody in that belongs.

[Greek Tragedy]

Come on Old School.....that comment is meant as a compliment.  Teams that have good guard play and play good defense tend to make good teams play ugly.  I think LU's better teams have had the same effect in the past.   

Sorry you could not do the audio last night.   While I have watched a number of games via the internet, it drives me crazy not to know the score.

Nut

Tom, I think that that's exactly what LU_nut said. If you are capable of making opponents look ugly, then you are a good team. Good teams don't necessarily impose their will upon the other team at the offensive end of the court. Some good teams do it at the defensive end instead. Your own league's UW-Platteville teams under Bo Ryan were the quintessential example of that.

My initial thought was that it was kind of a back-handed compliment, sorry.  Maybe you were saying that in the sense that sometimes bad teams make other teams play down to their competition, thus, making them look ugly.  That's all.  I guess my initial thought of a back-handed compliment would've had a leg to stand on if the LU poster was "complimenting" Ripon! lol.  Sorry for the quick judgement. 

[The Roop]

And here I thought Nut was making a comment about Carrolls Cosmetology Program.

[Early]

Ladies and gentelmen....The NRO!


The Roop 2008!

[The Roop]

Thank you, thank you.............. On behalf of the management, and I'd like to be half of the management.

[Early]

larry-u, where are u?
(as sung to the scooby do theme song)

It's tough to dish out the karma to repay the wager when I have to search for your name.

I know we have the pick'em board, but what are some verbal predictions for the weekend?
Ripon again is in need of conference victories.  @ Grinnell will be tough, and then @ LF when last weekend they lost at home to the Forresters.

By the way, Pat I like the new look of D3hoops.  With the additional colors.

[jeffdc]

Good luck to GC tonight when it brings its game to Ripon AT HOME.  Let's see if the system is back!

[schwanman]

Early -- seems to me that THE big game tonight pits St. Norbert and Monmouth. I haven't been to the Pick 'Em board all year, but I checked in today and saw that posters are giving a 7-4 edge to St. Norbert. That seems fair ... but it is a winnable game for Monmouth and would figure to propel the Scots to a 2-0 weekend if they can get the W tonight.

It's also the only time that Monmouth plays St. Norbert, so the winner is guaranteed to have the head-to-head tiebreaker, if necessary.

I don't know enough about St. Norbert to make an intelligent Xs and Os pick, but I'm assuming a close game and certainly not a high-scoring affair ... call it Monmouth 66, St. Norbert 62 in a minor upset.

Of the five host schools this weekend, I think Monmouth has the best chance of holding serve both nights. If the Scots can do that, I like their playoff chances.

[Greek Tragedy]

Jan. 25 
St. Norbert at Monmouth   
Ripon at Grinnell   
Beloit at Knox   
Lawrence at Illinois College   
Carroll at Lake Forest   

Jan. 26 
St. Norbert at Illinois College   
Carroll at Knox   
Beloit at Monmouth   
Lawrence at Grinnell   
Ripon at Lake Forest