MBB: Midwest Conference

[larry_u]

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! 

No worries...just give your input and we will call it even...

[The Roop]

If I heard correctly Beloit could be in for 23 inches of snow in the next two days. ADs should continue to watch the weather for this weekends games.

[PC]

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.

I thought Carroll was a jock school... their facility is really that bad?

[The Roop]

They use it for indoor track too and you end up sitting so far away from the court that the end zone is the best place to sit. The ceiling isn't high enough to put bigger bleachers in and if you move them closer to the court you take away the track.

[John Gleich]

A different solution to that COULD be movable bleachers... at UWSP, there are bleachers that are rolled to the baselines, with normal bleachers on the sidelines.  Sounds like CC may already have the movable bleachers for the end lines... might be worth it to have other ones for the sidelines too.  And I agree, those sideline bleachers are SO far away!

[wc2viking]

Lawrence drops to #23 in the latest top 25 poll.  Seems like a fair result.

[Greek Tragedy]

Carroll and Whitewater play each other every year.  I think they lower the ceilings and dim the lights at both gyms so there isn't any home court advantage and then don't bother raising the ceilings and brightening the lights the rest of the year.  I think Whitewater's gym is also low and dark...though they don't have a track around it.

[jeffdc]

Best of luck to GC in its game tomorrow with CC. On the road and against a tough Carroll team. Then SNC and LFC. No rest for the Pioneers.

Good luck guys!

[Greek Tragedy]

If I show up, Grinnell has to promise to score more than 55 pts.

[systemfan86]

Quick good luck to a trio of GC players. All three could reach the career 1000 pt mark over the weekend.

Mike Schmidt needs 7
Davey A needs 30
Bobby Long needs 50

Given the way they've been playing lately, Mike and Bobby have the best chance to reach the milestone this weekend.

If the chips fall right, they could all reach it in the same game. Hey Pat, has anything like that ever happened that you can recall?

Oh, and set your DVRs to pick up the ESPN piece on Grinnell on Gameday tomorrow. 

 

[larry_u]

Great another ESPN puff piece on the circus..... 

Think anyone at the World Wide leader will mention the questionable circumstances around Davey A's assist record when they gush over it tomorrow...

[wc2viking]

Honest question for the Grinnell faithful out there:

Would you rather have success or Grinnell's unique identity?  To put it differently, would you rather be Carroll (plays "normal" basketball, NCAA wins, but has years where they don't make any noise) or Grinnell (system ball, no NCAA wins, always in the news somehow)?

Honestly, I could see either answer.  Grinnell's system gets media coverage nationally way more often than probably any D3 national champion.  That exposure is important for a national liberal arts school.  Grinnell doesn't really need to worry about enrollment, but, like most colleges, is striving for geographic and ethnic diversity.  Given the demographics of the midwest, getting more applications from around the country helps the cause of diversity.

On the other hand, winning is winning.  Going to a game is just plain more enjoyable when your team wins, whether the score is 55-54 or 140-139.  It's fun to have your school make a run to the NCAA tournament and maybe even have a shot at the Final 4.

Of couse, the easy argument is, "We can have both!"  However, Grinnell's adherence to the system seems to preclude making adjustments based on personnel.  When I watched GC play this year, I saw a guy in Grotberg who could drive to the hoop and create his own shot.  Instead, he's launching 23-footers with a hand in his face.  It looked like maybe Grinnell could play decent conventional defense, but the system forces them to scramble around giving up layups. 

Despite all the press, Grinnell hasn't really had much success, but maybe that's ok.  Success in D3 athletics doesn't really provide the college with anything that it doesn't have already.

Thoughts?

[jeffdc]

Honest question for the Grinnell faithful out there:

Would you rather have success or Grinnell's unique identity?  To put it differently, would you rather be Carroll (plays "normal" basketball, NCAA wins, but has years where they don't make any noise) or Grinnell (system ball, no NCAA wins, always in the news somehow)?  ...Thoughts?

Definitely GC's unique identity. If there was ever a sports mentality that meshed well with a college's 'culture', it would be system ball. A bunch of really smart, moderately talented guys get to play in a way that puts them at or near the top of the league, year in and year out. Plus everyone plays, the fans see some fantastic ball, and (usually) everyone has fun.

What's not to like?

GC will never be an 'athletic' school. It's a top 10 liberal arts school. That's its claim to fame. Others in the conf are more athletically focused. That's fine. Others have different academic strengths. That's fine too. I think there's a great mix in the conf, and since the system came along, GC wins more than it loses and everyone gets to play. Contrast that to a couple of decades ago when I was there and GC was in a 26 yr losing slump. Win and play. Not a bad combo.

For the record, I love watching CC and LU play as well. Very different teams and great to watch when they play GC.  Also, wc2viking, GC *does* play traditional defense occasionally, to the opposing team's great dismay. Really throws them off.

bottom line, GC has always been an different kind of school. System play is different, too. Good match.

[gcfan33]

Despite all the press, Grinnell hasn't really had much success, but maybe that's ok.  Success in D3 athletics doesn't really provide the college with anything that it doesn't have already.

Thoughts?

Grinnell has won conference championships according to the MWC website in 96, 2001, 2003, 2007.

Also winning 4 championships since 1990 are Ripon and Lawrence. 

No team has seen more success than any of these 3 teams. 

wc2viking, you use Carroll as an example of a team with success, but they haven't won a single conference championship in that span.  In fact, Carroll (although they are winning right now at halftime of their game with Grinnell) has NEVER won a MWC championship!

I will take Grinnell's fun and gun Championships over anything these other teams do.

[Scots4]

I will take Carroll and Lawrence's recent success over what GC has done anyday.