MBB: Midwest Conference

[skywaker9]

Even at that I think LU would have to lose in the final.  I don't even think that would be enough.  They're not ranked and I think they probably need the auto bid to get in...

[skywaker9]

This is for Roop:

http://maps.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTExNmIycG51BF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEc2VjA2ZwLWJ1dHRvbgRzbGsDbGluaw--#mvt=m&lat=42.974535&lon=-90.57153&zoom=8&q1=Appleton%20WI%20&q2=Taco%20Johns%20Grinnell%20IA

Taco John's is right on the main street as you come into Grinnell over I-80, right near Subway and McNally's (a great place for cheap booze btw)....

[Greek Tragedy]

Lawrence is regionally ranked and is sure to move up a spot next Wednesday when the last public NCAA Regional Rankings list comes out.  The following list after that is not made public and that's what the NCAA uses.  The d3hoops.com rankings have nothing to do with the selection process of the NCAA.  I think if they lose in the MWC final, they have a good shot.

[The Roop]

Skywalker9 is either new or a dumbass. I'm thinking dumbass. The Roop has already been to Grinnell more than once, hence the Roopacinno as my icon pic.

[gcfan33]

I was a first year at GC in 2001 and that team was totally different.  This team is senior-dominated while that team had a few good seniors (Skarning in particular) but was really paced by a strong freshman class (Wood, Malinowski and Nordy).  I still think the reason we didn't win in 2003 was that Malinowski got knocked out for the rest of the year in our game at Drake....

I don't disagree that the two teams' makeups are very different, but what I did see was a similar situation where Grinnell had a favorable schedule down the stretch and all the teams above them had to play each other several times.

[skywaker9]

Skywalker9 is either new or a dumbass. I'm thinking dumbass. The Roop has already been to Grinnell more than once, hence the Roopacinno as my icon pic.

Really, that is unnecessary.  I have been on this board for years, since I was a student (check my reg.) and I didn't know if you had been there since someone posted a map.  I'm from Portland, land of coffee, so it didn't register that was one of Jeff's awesome drinks....

[The Roop]

My apologies Skywalker9, that was unnecessary. The NASCAR crowd invaded my neighborhood hang out last night and because I could care less about the sport it was somehow my fault that there was a rain delay. It would suffice to say that I came home in a less than obsequious mood. My bad.

Now, before another argument arises. I never said there is anything wrong with liking NASCAR. I just don't happen to care for it.

On to the MWC Pool C chances...................... Unlikely to get one as SNC needed to beat Carroll and they didn't. LU will climb in the regional rankings but they will get knocked down a notch or two once the Pool A's are determined as there are always upsets in conference tournaments.

My hope is that the NCAA sends two of the top 4 out of region in order to balance the bracket somewhat. Otherwise the Midwest/West Sectional becomes the national championship for all practical purposes. Flights are common for the 2nd weekend but it wouldn't cost that much to send a couple UWs (for example) to the east coast for the 1st weekend.

[larry_u]

Congratulations to Scottie and Hickory Cornhusker, the co-champions of the MWC Pickem with identical 62-17 records.  PC came in third just one game behind at 61-18. 

[Gregory Sager]

Even at that I think LU would have to lose in the final.  I don't even think that would be enough.  They're not ranked and I think they probably need the auto bid to get in...

Not true. Lawrence is ranked. The Larries are currently ranked #6 in the Midwest Region, which is the only ranking that matters as far as the tournament is concerned.

Lawrence is regionally ranked and is sure to move up a spot next Wednesday when the last public NCAA Regional Rankings list comes out.  The following list after that is not made public and that's what the NCAA uses.  The d3hoops.com rankings have nothing to do with the selection process of the NCAA.  I think if they lose in the MWC final, they have a good shot.

Well said, Tom.

[systemfan86]

Even at that I think LU would have to lose in the final.  I don't even think that would be enough.  They're not ranked and I think they probably need the auto bid to get in...

Not true. Lawrence is ranked. The Larries are currently ranked #6 in the Midwest Region, which is the only ranking that matters as far as the tournament is concerned.

Lawrence is regionally ranked and is sure to move up a spot next Wednesday when the last public NCAA Regional Rankings list comes out.  The following list after that is not made public and that's what the NCAA uses.  The d3hoops.com rankings have nothing to do with the selection process of the NCAA.  I think if they lose in the MWC final, they have a good shot.

Well said, Tom.

Still, a great deal of the Pool C has to do with whether the 4 or 5 teams above them get their auto bids. If memory serves, the selection process for Pool C involves putting the top available team from each region up for consideration against the other teams. When a selection is made, a team from the region selected is promoted and the process repeats. The longer it takes to get to the table, the harder it is to get a Pool C, presumably. And if the teams ahead of you in your region have to be considered first, all the more difficult to get selected.

We go through this discussion every year. Until we get a team with 1 or 2 regular season losses that fails to win the MWC tournament, we're not likely to see 2 MWC teams. Just the way the system (not THE System) works.     

[Gregory Sager]

Even at that I think LU would have to lose in the final.  I don't even think that would be enough.  They're not ranked and I think they probably need the auto bid to get in...

Not true. Lawrence is ranked. The Larries are currently ranked #6 in the Midwest Region, which is the only ranking that matters as far as the tournament is concerned.

Lawrence is regionally ranked and is sure to move up a spot next Wednesday when the last public NCAA Regional Rankings list comes out.  The following list after that is not made public and that's what the NCAA uses.  The d3hoops.com rankings have nothing to do with the selection process of the NCAA.  I think if they lose in the MWC final, they have a good shot.

Well said, Tom.

Still, a great deal of the Pool C has to do with whether the 4 or 5 teams above them get their auto bids. If memory serves, the selection process for Pool C involves putting the top available team from each region up for consideration against the other teams. When a selection is made, a team from the region selected is promoted and the process repeats. The longer it takes to get to the table, the harder it is to get a Pool C, presumably. And if the teams ahead of you in your region have to be considered first, all the more difficult to get selected.

Yup, that's it in a nutshell.

We go through this discussion every year. Until we get a team with 1 or 2 regular season losses that fails to win the MWC tournament, we're not likely to see 2 MWC teams. Just the way the system (not THE System) works.

The alternative is for the depth of the league to improve so that everyone from top to bottom does well in non-conference games and the overall regional records of the league's members thereby improve across the board.

[systemfan86]

The alternative is for the depth of the league to improve so that everyone from top to bottom does well in non-conference games and the overall regional records of the league's members thereby improve across the board.

Excellent point. But the smaller number of games provides a smaller margin of error for bad losses. To your point, if the losses are to better overall teams, that would help.

[WARNING!!!! GRINNELL NUMBERS COMMENT TO FOLLOW:]
Speaking of smaller number of games...Unless GC wins the tournament on goes on to play 1 or 2 games in the NCAAs, Mr Grotberg will likely finish as the No 3 all time D3 scorer. The two players he trails played 109 and 110 games in their careers. Grotberg will play a minimum of 96. Given his scoring average, had he played the same number of games as the top 2, he might have broken the old record by 200 points.

Of course, you can't extroplate, but it's been fun to watch.

[systemfan86]

(one final post)
Have to say I'm surprised at the poll results so far. All but two votes have Grinnell and Larry, and the early voters favor Grinnell. Is that GC fans voting or do people think the home court is important? Or is it something else?

While I would prefer to pick with my heart and take Grinnell, I took Larry over Grinnell. The Vikings have played really well down the stretch against a tougher schedule than Grinnell.

Here's hoping I'm right on the teams in the Championship game and wrong on the outcome.

BTW, I was shocked when I saw that Norbs was 2-4 down the stretch. What happened?!

[Greek Tragedy]

Even at that I think LU would have to lose in the final.  I don't even think that would be enough.  They're not ranked and I think they probably need the auto bid to get in...

Not true. Lawrence is ranked. The Larries are currently ranked #6 in the Midwest Region, which is the only ranking that matters as far as the tournament is concerned.

I actually thought he meant ranked in the D3Hoops.com poll...that's why I specified the NCAA and their rankings. 

[Greek Tragedy]

Still, a great deal of the Pool C has to do with whether the 4 or 5 teams above them get their auto bids. If memory serves, the selection process for Pool C involves putting the top available team from each region up for consideration against the other teams. When a selection is made, a team from the region selected is promoted and the process repeats. The longer it takes to get to the table, the harder it is to get a Pool C, presumably.    

Presumably is a good word! lol...That's usually the case, but as discussed in the Pool C board, the Atlantic Region totally missed out on any Pool C bid while the Northeast Region got SIX! 

Pool C in Blue
Pool A (AQ) in Red

Atlantic Region
1. Richard Stockton  18-6  18-5 .511 .521 (NJAC):  Def. Ramapo 60-59 in NJAC semis; def. William Paterson 67-66 in NJAC final.
2. William Paterson  18-6  18-6 .526 .516 (NJAC):  Def. Monclair State 71-61 in NJAC semis; LOST to Richard Stockton 67-66 in NJAC final
3. Farmingdale State  20-5  19-4 .466 .477 (SKY):  Def. SUNY-Maritime 84-69 in Skyline semis; def. St. Joseph's (L.I.) 91-71 in Skyline final
4. York (N.Y.)  20-8  18-7 .539 .502 (CUNYAC):  LOST to John Jay in CUNYAC final 68-54.
5. St. Joseph's (L.I.)  20-5  19-5 .433 .477 (SKY):  Def. Yeshiva 73-52 in Skyline semis; LOST to Farmingdale State 91-71 in Skyline final


Northeast Region
POOL C 1. Amherst  23-2  23-1 .601 .553 (NESCAC):  LOST to Bowdoin 65-64 in NESCAC semis
POOL C 2. Mass-Dartmouth  23-2  23-2 .530 .529 (Little East):  Def. Mass-Boston 131-63 in LE quarters; def. Southern Maine 75-69 in LE semis; LOST to Rhode Island College 55-52 in Little East final
POOL C 3. Brandeis  19-5  18-5 .610 .580 (UAA): def. NYU 58-44
POOL C 4. Worcester Tech  20-5  19-4 .535 .495 (NEWMAC):  def. Babson 60-59 in NEWMAC semis; LOST to Coast Guard 82-66 in NEWMAC final
POOL C 5. Bowdoin  20-5  20-5 .571 .533 (NESCAC):  Won at Amherst 65-64 in NESCAC semis; LOST to Trinity (Conn) 74-55 in NESCAC final
6. Rhode Island College  19-6  19-6 .545 .529 (LEC):  Def. Plymouth State 77-58 in LEC quarters; def. Keene State 68-63 at UMass-Dartmouth in LEC semis; def. Mass-Dartmouth 55-52 in Little East final
7. Trinity (Conn.)  19-6  17-5 .615 .549 (NESCAC):  def. Middlebury 72-63 at Amherst in NESCAC semis; def. Bowdoin 74-55 in NESCAC final
POOL C 8. Middlebury  19-6  18-5 .596 .528 (NESCAC):  LOST to Trinity 72-63(Conn.) at Amherst in NESCAC semis
9. Emerson  22-3  21-3 .442 .499 (GNAC):  Def. Daniel Webster 93-70 in GNAC quarters; def. St. Joseph's (Maine) 79-75 in GNAC semis; LOST to Lasell 86-72 in GNAC final
10. Elms  19-6  17-5 .512 .483 (NAC):  Def. Maine-Farmington 79-65 in NAC quarters; def. Becker 78-53 in NAC semis; def Lesley 72-65 in NAC final