MBB: Midwest Conference

[Maverick]

A couple pages back, Maverick and I were asked about the situation concerning Blaise Rogers leaving the Monmouth team. I don't have all the specifics, and I'm sure there are two sides to the story.

The St. Norbert/Beloit weekend was the issue. I don't know if that's because it represented the "final straw" or if the events of that weekend only were the reason.

After the Friday night loss to St. Norbert, Rogers did not play in the first half vs. Beloit. Clearly, he's one of the top players, so to not play for 20 minutes meant something was up. In the second half, I commented twice to my son that Rogers just didn't seem into it -- not sprinting back in transition, for example.

Then, a few days later, we heard he quit. Again, I don't know all the specifics, but I believe it was his decision entirely.

I'm a firm believer that Coach Vershaw will get things going back in the right direction. It's clear, though, that the program is in a transition stage. When he has a recruiting class or two of his own on board, I think the Scots will be in good shape.

schwanman - Your perspective is the only one that will be given here, as I had not heard anything about Rogers leaving the team until reading it just now.  The only thing I can guess is maybe he was having a tough time adjusting from what he was able to do last year to whatever his role is with this year's team, especially coming off the bench rather than starting in the 8 games he had played since returning from the injury.  Regardless, it's a tough blow to this year's team, but could give some underclassmen an opportunity to get some more game experience.  And it puts the leadership roles squarely on the shoulders of Terwelp and Scholten with so many other young players getting minutes this year.  Hopefully they can continue to play well and lead the players through the "transition stage" with Coach Vershaw.  Another player I've wondered about is Andy Moore--is he still with the team but injured and not dressing because of it or do you know his status for sure?  I haven't seen his name in any of the box scores recently and don't remember seeing him sitting with the team at the Knox game several weeks ago (that being the last game I was at).

[larry_u]

It sounds like it was a classic that would rival the LU/Point game at Puget Sound several years ago.   

No game will ever top that game in my opnion.  Then again as one of the 200 people who were in the buidling and saw it in person I may be a bit biased....

[schwanman]

Maverick -- Andy Moore, I believe, had a problem with his heart ... literally, not figuratively.

On paper, this looked like a great year for a coaching change. Three senior starters would be back, giving the team talent and on-court leadership. Unfortunately, one of the seniors only played eight games and another, Moore, played 74 minutes. Throw in the brutal schedule, and 4-12 is what you get to this point.

Although our coach might say differently, I believe he bears almost zero responsibility for the woes this year. Not his schedule, not his recruits, very few good breaks. Nor would I blame his predecessor, Coach Glasgow ... things just haven't worked out this year as well as they might have.

And really, it's a very fine line. Somehow finding a way to beat St. Norbert in regulation MIGHT have led to a victory they next day vs. Beloit. If that had been the case, Monmouth would be tied with Lake Forest for fourth.

[larry_u]

Lawrence 9-1
Grinnell 7-3
Carroll 7-3
Lake Forest  6-4
St. Norbert  6-4
Knox 4-6
Monmouth 4-6
Ripon 3-7
Illinois College  3-7
Beloit 1-9

Those are the standings as of today.  With 6 games to play in the regular season, how do you see the top 4 finishing.  Here's my picks, feel free to discuss.

1. Lawrence 14-2 (Wins MC, LFC, @RC, BC, SNC- Loss @ CC)
2. Carroll 12-4 (Wins BC, GC, MC, @ RC, LU- loss @ SNC)
3. Grinnell 12-4 (Wins MC, @SNC, @LFC, KC, @ IC- Loss @ CC)
4. St. Norbert 10-6 (Wins RC, KC, @BC, CC- Loss GC, @ LU)
5. Lake Forest 10-6 (Wins @BC, @IC, @KC, MC- Loss @LU, GC)

St. Norbert wins tie-breaker on basis on thier 60-45 win over Lake Forest.
Carroll gets second place via tie-breaker with Grinnell.  Both teams would go 1-1 head to head, so starting at the top of the conference against common opponents, Carroll would be 2-0 against LU, Grinell would be 0-2, thus Carroll gets 2nd, and Grinnell 3rd.

Assuming no major upsets, Lawrence should host the tournament at Alex.  The only plausable way I see Carroll hosting is if Lawrence loses a tough rivalry game @ Ripon and Carroll runs the table to tie at 13-3, and by Carroll's wins would mean they would host.

Either was it looks like it will come down to the final weeek of the regular season to see who will fill the slots.

[wc2viking]

OK, my thoughts on the Carroll-LU game from Saturday.  LU seemed to come out in the first half a little flat and CC took advantage to build up a 7-point lead midway through the first half.  LU's second unit couldn't seem to get their usual energy going.  After LU's starters came back in, they were able to take control and turn it around to lead by 4 at the half.  Although the lead wasn't large, I was fairly confident that Lawrence's depth was going to pay off.  They were already doing a good job defensively against Ladwig and he looked tired to me after playing the entire first half.

LU seemed to be on the verge of taking control of the game early in the second half as they controlled the paint and the boards to get out to a 9 point lead in the half.   After that, the game seemed to go into a lull where LU kept the lead, but could never put Carroll away.  Ladwig started to drive to the hoop instead of settling for the outside shot and kept CC in the game.  I though the game was in the bag when Kroeger hit 2 clutch free throws to put LU up 83-80.  After the made free throw, CC didn't seem to be organized but, after fumbling around,  they managed to get the ball to Ladwig about 12 feet behind the 3-point line.  With a hand in his face, he seemed to throw up a prayer to the rafters.  The horn sounded.....and it seemed like 5 seconds later the ball ripped through the net.  (After checking the stats, Ladwig was 1-6  for 3-pointers...what a time to make one.)

The first overtime was a back and forth affair, but LU seemed to have it locked up when they were up by 2 and inbounding the ball.  After a timeout, they ran a nifty play to get the ball to Kroeger (who was an amazing 16-16 from the line.)  Right as he caught the ball, in one of the all-time unlucky breaks I've seen, he slipped on the floor and the refs (correctly) called him for traveling.  Of course, CC inevitably made the jumper to tie the game.  Incredibly, a last-second half court shot by Dekker bounced off the backboard and barely missed going in.

With LU's big men, Page and Hurley, fouled out of the game, Ladwig took over in the second half.  Quite simply, he drove to the hoop at will and made every midrange jumper.  LU still fought back.  With 11 seconds left and down by 4, Kroeger hit a 3-pointer and was fouled in the act.  I actually felt sorry for the kid that fouled him - he had just come into the game and all 3 Carroll coaches were screaming, "NO FOULS!!!" at the top of their lungs for the entire Lawrence possession.  However, even after Kroeger tied the game it was Ladwig's day as he pulled up from a drive and made a double-clutch jumper from the foul line to win the game for Carroll.  Sometimes you just have to tip your hat......

[wc2viking]

Combing the box score for guys that deserve some recognition:

**Ladwig for CC obviously - he was flexible enough to begin driving to the hoop after his outside game wasn't working.  (Well, except for one time. )  40 points on 16-26 shooting.

**Eric Thompson for CC - Apparently, he was only 3-6 on 3-pointers but it felt like a lot more than that.  Smooth, high-arching outside shot.

**Kroeger for LU - 33 points on 3-5 beyond the arc and 16-16 free throws, many of them in the last minutes of the second half and first overtime.

**Hurley - 22 points and 18 boards.  That's getting the job done inside.

How the hell did Carroll lose to Knox?  With all due respect, Knox looked completely overmatched against LU.  I know teams can have good and bad days, but Carroll losing to Knox just boggles the mind.

What a huge shot that was for Carroll.  If they lose to LU, they're 6-4 and in a dogfight just to get in the conference tourney.  Now, they have a chance to play for the conference championship and the right to host the tourney if LU loses and then faces CC on their home court.  Luckily, LU has 4 out of the last 6 games at home, but the road game is at Ripon who will obviously be fired up to play spoiler to the Vikes.

[PC]

Larry U - you really think that LU isn't going to be out for blood and able to pull off a win in Waukesha? 

I also think that in your senario it might be easier for St Norbert to beat Grinnell at home than Carroll.

I look at the Grinnell vs Lake Forest Match-up as one that will be key.  This one has seemed to be a factor in the past as well.

Another question for me (as you stated) is Ripon.  Will they be able to pull off an upset down the stretch?  I wouldn't want to have them remaining on my schedule...

[schwanman]

First, I'm jealous of those who got to see Lawrence-Carroll. What an amazing game! In a season spent following the Bulls and the Illini, I've been aching for some memorable basketball. Maybe it will be provided by Duke-UNC on Wednesday.

Well, it's February, so how about some all-conference discussion. Not just because they starred in their head-to-head matchup, but I think you have to start with Ladwig and Kroeger.

After that, a 10-man squad might include Grinnell's Grotberg and Long, the Andy H.'s (Hurley and Horton), Carroll's Hoch, Ripon's Gillespie, Lake Forest's Rees and Monmouth's Terwelp.

Really, there are a lot of solid players out there. Cases can be made for Arseneault, IC's Brad Johnson, another Lake Forest player, St. Norbert's best player (whoever that is) and Carroll's Mueller.

At this point, is anyone a definite "first five" besides Kroeger and Ladwig? Grotberg?

[larry_u]

Larry U - you really think that LU isn't going to be out for blood and able to pull off a win in Waukesha? 

I also think that in your senario it might be easier for St Norbert to beat Grinnell at home than Carroll.

I look at the Grinnell vs Lake Forest Match-up as one that will be key.  This one has seemed to be a factor in the past as well.

Another question for me (as you stated) is Ripon.  Will they be able to pull off an upset down the stretch?  I wouldn't want to have them remaining on my schedule...

I'd love to think that they would be out for blood against Carroll, but that building they have down there is just a hard place to play.  The lighting absolutely sucks, the dimest gym I've ever seen in my life, and even when LU is very good they always have hard fougt games down there- see 2 years ago when Bradley made the miracle layup as the buzzer sounded to keep the perfect season alive.

That being said, I can see a LU victory.  I just see Lawrence dropping one more during the rest of the regular season and I really didn't want to give Ripon the credit for doing it, so I looked for the next most logical game. 

You are right about the lake Forest-Grinnell game being a big one.  Lake Forest could easily squeak into that 4 spot if St. Norbert doesn't pull off the big home win over Grinnell or Carroll, so those will be big games too.  Any way you look at it, it should be quite interesting the next 3 weeks.

[MWCSID2005]

Tonight's (February 5) Midwest Conference men's and women's basketball doubleheader featuring Monmouth College at Grinnell College has been postponed due to the severe weather expected to hit the region.

The games have been rescheduled for Monday, February 18. The women's game will tipoff at 5 p.m., followed by the men at 7 p.m.

[jeffdc]

Tonight's (February 5) Midwest Conference men's and women's basketball doubleheader featuring Monmouth College at Grinnell College has been postponed due to the severe weather expected to hit the region.

The games have been rescheduled for Monday, February 18. The women's game will tipoff at 5 p.m., followed by the men at 7 p.m.

And that severe weather is indeed hitting right now. Close to white out conditions. Good call by the ADs or Conf or whomever.

And yes, the LFC/GC rematch will be a bear....

[Maverick]

Maverick -- Andy Moore, I believe, had a problem with his heart ... literally, not figuratively.

On paper, this looked like a great year for a coaching change. Three senior starters would be back, giving the team talent and on-court leadership. Unfortunately, one of the seniors only played eight games and another, Moore, played 74 minutes. Throw in the brutal schedule, and 4-12 is what you get to this point.

Although our coach might say differently, I believe he bears almost zero responsibility for the woes this year. Not his schedule, not his recruits, very few good breaks. Nor would I blame his predecessor, Coach Glasgow ... things just haven't worked out this year as well as they might have.

And really, it's a very fine line. Somehow finding a way to beat St. Norbert in regulation MIGHT have led to a victory they next day vs. Beloit. If that had been the case, Monmouth would be tied with Lake Forest for fourth.

schwanman - Thanks for the info on Moore.  That's too bad for him that he couldn't continue playing because of a heart problem.  I remember seeing him dunk a few times in games, or even just in warm-ups, and that kid could jump.  And your analysis of this year's team is right on with a new coach, players missing due to various reasons, rough schedule, and other tough breaks.

[Greek Tragedy]

It sounds like it was a classic that would rival the LU/Point game at Puget Sound several years ago.   

No game will ever top that game in my opnion.  Then again as one of the 200 people who were in the buidling and saw it in person I may be a bit biased....

larry_u...I have newfound respect for you! lol.  That's pretty sweet that you made it out there. 

[Greek Tragedy]

Sorry about the poll...I missed larry_u's post about everyone's thoughts on the tourney.  I was just skimming and was planning on changing the poll this week anyway.  So, didn't mean to step on your toes, larry_u! 

[Greek Tragedy]

Beloit hanging tough...down 56-24.

Ripon is beating 36-29, HT.

EDIT:

Beloit loses 95-65.

SNC had a two point lead and the ball less than a minute to go, missed shot, offensive rebound, time out.  Then they turn the ball over and Gillespie hits a jumper to tie it and FORCE OT. 62-62.

EDIT 2:

SNC up 4 with 6 seconds to go and they go and foul Gillespie...SNC up 2 now....RC fouls with 4 seconds to go and SNC misses front end...RC rebounds and Gillespie misses a jumper at the buzzer...

SNC 77, RC 75 OT...SNC trying to lose the game but pulls out the win.