MBB: Midwest Conference

[systemfan86]

Roop.

Good catch on the minutes of Grinnell's Big 3. It appears some of their young guys, especially Chalupa & Skelly, can really shoot it and they will be a much better team getting those guys shots instead of trying to depend on the Big 3 to produce running on fumes.

Skelly and Chalupa had nice numbers in the IC game; Chalupa was 6 of 7 from 3; Skelly was 5 of 9; both of them took only 3's. Grinnell's 3pt shooting has been great the last two games; they've made 50% of their shots from behind the line.

[PC]

Is their basketball life in Illinois outside of the CCIW?

Two words, one ampersand: Chicago & Aurora.

Two blanks, one ampersand:  _______ & ________...

Aurora's record over the past six seasons prior to this one: 129-40 (.763), four conference titles, four D3 tourney appearances.

Chicago's record over the past nine seasons prior to this one: 142-80 (.640), four conference titles, four D3 tourney appearances.

But Greg if you refer back to my original post, it was about questions for this year not the past six or nine years.  If I allow people to dig up the past I might have Scottie claiming that Monmouth is proof that there is b-ball outside the CCIW.  And please note my libreal use of smileys when i called you out on this.

[Gregory Sager]

Is their basketball life in Illinois outside of the CCIW?

Two words, one ampersand: Chicago & Aurora.

Two blanks, one ampersand:  _______ & ________...

Aurora's record over the past six seasons prior to this one: 129-40 (.763), four conference titles, four D3 tourney appearances.

Chicago's record over the past nine seasons prior to this one: 142-80 (.640), four conference titles, four D3 tourney appearances.

But Greg if you refer back to my original post, it was about questions for this year not the past six or nine years.

Riiiiight ... as if you knew that Chicago (which was picked second in this year's UAA preseason poll and #22 in the d3hoops.com preseason poll) was going to start the season 0-12. Now tell me again about that bridge in Brooklyn that you'd like to sell to me.

I find it highly suspicious that you waited two months before bringing the subject back up again. It's pretty obvious that if Chicago and Aurora hadn't started slowly, you would've let the whole matter be forgotten.

(Incidentally, for as poor a start as Aurora had, the Spartans are still in first place in the NAthCon South. They're a game ahead of 9-3 Milwaukee Engineering, whom the Spartans have already beaten. I suspect that when the regular season ends the Spartans will be 15-10 or thereabouts, with a solid chance of winning the league's Pool A berth in the conference tourney.)

If I allow people to dig up the past I might have Scottie claiming that Monmouth is proof that there is b-ball outside the CCIW.  And please note my libreal use of smileys when i called you out on this.

Nice bit of hyperbole there, considering that Chicago's and Aurora's successes range throughout this decade, right up through last season, while Monmouth hasn't won a MWC title or been to the D3 tourney in almost two full decades. Please note the use of this smiley in response to your hyperbole: 

[Scots4]

Monmouth will continue that trend until something changes. The people at Monmouth (players, students, faculty, athletic staff) do not take basketball as serious as they do most of their other sports. Most everyone around the Monmouth program has been content with an average team.

[PC]

< --- has been spanked my the master

[scottie]

But Greg if you refer back to my original post, it was about questions for this year not the past six or nine years.  If I allow people to dig up the past I might have Scottie claiming that Monmouth is proof that there is b-ball outside the CCIW.  And please note my libreal use of smileys when i called you out on this.

What is THAT supposed to mean?  Are you suggesting that I'm old, or simply that my knowledge of Monmouth basketball is encyclopedic?   

[Gregory Sager]

New poll is out, and St. Norbert has moved up from 23rd to 17th.

[systemfan86]

If we examine the standings before tonight's games, the conference has four teams with winning records and six with losing records (overall). Is the conference tournament set already?! STN, CU, GC, and LU sure look like they are the four teams. Does anyone see one of the other six making a run at the four?

If not, is the only interesting part of the rest of the conference season the race to see where the games are played?! This weekend will give us part of the answer with Grinnell hosting CC and STN. That's a tough task for Grinnell, but at least they get to play them at home. If they (GC) sweep, they are in the driver's seat (temporarily). If either visiting team can pull out a win, they likely stay undefeated in the league. Off the top of my head, it would seem that Norb's is the choice to do that. They are playing great and get to play Grinnell on Saturday not Friday.

I guess we can also keep ourselves amused by pondering the question which will happen first, every team has a league win (Monmouth and Knox still working on their first) or every team has a league loss (GC, CC, and STN unbeaten, although at least one will have a loss by the end of the weekend). Ah, looked at the schedule again and Knox and Monmouth play tonight. I suppose if Knox can pull out the win tonight, then I think we get everyone with a league win first; Monmouth's best chance for a win this week is tonight.   

[The Roop]

I thought that we might have 5, possibly 6 contenders this season but it's pretty obvious that there are only 4.

RoopVegas is leaning towards everybody having a league loss first. I can't see anyone running the table and on the opposite end of the spectrum Knox has no height to speak and will have match up problems all year.

[titan2000]

I am saying my prayers that we don't have to go to Grinnell next month for the MWC tourney.  The Grinnell Taco Johns and I have not settled our differences but the distance has eased my pain. 

[Fort Knox]

Knox has no height to speak and will have match up problems all year.

Can't argue with the Roop there. Knox is 0-10, but I remain overwhelmingly optimistic for some reason

The Prairie Fire nearly knocked off Lake Forest Saturday (54-51) with their top two scorers sitting out with injuries (freshman Wetherbee & sophomore Goedeke). Another freshman Kozak stepped up and scored 18. As long as neither of them are out for a long time, Knox will get a few MWC wins this season. They have been in a lot of two-point games with three of four minutes left, only to lose by double-digits.

They need to learn to win and hopefully can start with a lesson against the lowly Scots tonight 

BTW, does anyone know why the Massey Ratings are updated this year? I would guess Knox has one of the nation's tougher schedules.

[gcfan33]

I can truly say this: the world is full of idiots: the number increasing the farther away you get from the Grinnell Taco John's.

Secondly, I find it interesting that Grinnell -- whose entire game plan revolves around the other team shooting all layups -- plays a Lake Forest team tonight who is shooting under 28% from the three point line.  The System can always be the great equalizer and Lake Forest has played tough in the past.

If GC can come up with 3 in a row this week, you can book your seat at Taco John's early at www.upsetstomach.com.

[jeffdc]

has anyone following GC noticed how much the announcers (and fans) love to say 'Chalupa'? Go ahead, try it - you'll like it!

[titan2000]

You may not know the Taco Johns story but it really isn't that interesting anymore.  Let's just say its hard to feed a family of 6 with 3 soft tacos and a box full of cinnamon chips that you paid $26.50 for and a general manager who wouldn't even try to resolve the issue after the fact.

Saints Rest next time.  

[titan2000]

Chalupa and Taco Johns have no affiliation. Yet.