MBB: Midwest Conference

[wc2viking]

The MWC tourney is shaping up.  Lawrence and Carroll have already clinched spots.  It's a 3 team race between St. Norbert, Grinnell, and Lake Forest to fill the final two slots.  Of course, it could come down to some sort of complex 3-team tiebreaker, but it looks like each team controls its own destiny.  GC visits LFC in a huge game on Saturday.  If LFC wins, they will have won both games against GC and will hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.  SNC is currently in 3rd place, but still has to play Carroll (at SNC) and Lawrence (at LU) which will obviously be tough games.

My prediction?
LFC wins out (GC, MC at home, at KC)
GC loses to LFC but then wins their remaining games (MC, KC at home; at IC)
SNC loses to both CC and LU

Final standings:
1. LU 15-1
2. CC 12-4
3. LFC 10-6
4. GC 10-6
5. SNC 9-7

You heard it here first....

[larry_u]

LU_Nut, good catch on the Augie loss.  I'm not familiar enough with how these regional ranking work to tell.  Does Lawrence have a good chance to leapfrog them or does LU's weaker schedule still prevent that?

I think if LU wins out, including a big win At Carroll they will jump into the top two.  Augie does have a tough schedule, but they have some bad losses including to a .500 North Park and Carthage team and a below .500 UW-La Crosse team.  At least LU's two losses have been to quality opponents in Point and Carroll.


Early...I'll keep taking the Karma from our pseudo wager as long as you want to bring it...its been a while since I was in positive numbers....

[Greek Tragedy]

St. Norbert 73, at Beloit 62
Monmouth 58, at Knox 52
#22 Lawrence 87, at Ripon 83
Lake Forest 80, at Illinois College 73

[The Roop]

LU_Nut, good catch on the Augie loss.  I'm not familiar enough with how these regional ranking work to tell.  Does Lawrence have a good chance to leapfrog them or does LU's weaker schedule still prevent that?

I would argue that they are in the top 2 already. Because if I had to bet I would put my money on Wash U. getting bracketed in the South and possibly West depending on who makes the NCAA field.

[Early]

Early...I'll keep taking the Karma from our pseudo wager as long as you want to bring it...its been a while since I was in positive numbers....

Yeah I will owe you.  I gotcha today, and will keep it coming. 

Tough year for the hawks.  9-12 overall and 4-10 in conference.  With only two games left on the season, they can only get to 11-12 at best overall.   The second losing season in 4 years? (last in 04-05? complete guess)  And I think it's also only the second in 15 years or so. (again no research, just educated guesses)

[LU_nut]

W2CViking

I have been following MWC and LU very closely for 6 years and have yet to figure out the first thing about what the NCAA does.   I find the end of year process very frustrating.   They seem to use the "academic" side of the D3 equation to do a lot of irrational stuff that in actuality seems to me to be rooted sometimes in who has the most pull.   I think they forget the obligation they have to the kids who are athletes first when it comes to the game itself.     Put another way, it would not surprise me if LU gets a few home games and it would not surprise me if they send them to the ends of the US for a Thursday game and to another end for a Saturday game.  They have done both.

I will never understand why LU went to to play a very mediocre Gustavas from a very mediocre conference on a Thursday night and then travel hundreds of miles to Point for a late Saturday afternoon game(who had a bye).    Those were basically the same two teams that played the all time classic OT game the year before on a neutral court.  Point was better, but the arrangement made it all meaningless.

So to answer your question....I have no idea.  I would assume that if LU keeps winning and the two teams ahead of them lose, they move up, but who knows and who knows if it makes a difference in the post season arrangement........

On a related note, what Carroll did last year in going to Augie and then to St. Thomas to win both those games was unbelievable.   In many ways, it was every bit as impressive as the runs LU has made.

[LU_nut]

Roop

Of course, they just as likely will send us out west to play at a WIAC or MIAC school.   The NCAA seems to like to do that to us unless we happen to go undefeated and they have no real choice.

[larry_u]

Wow...I didn't realize Ripon was so desperate for Students that they would give away things...

http://www.twincities.com/national/ci_8259646

[The Roop]

As long as LU keeps winning the NCAA won't have any choice this year. They won't put LU and Augie in the same regional and Wash U. will likely host their own. For example:

Wash U. vs. De Pauw
Webster vs. Loras

For now just hope that the NathCon gets a Pool B this year and LU is all but guaranteed of hosting something. The NCAA may use the bye thing again and have LU host 1 game then go to Augustana in the 2nd round. Not bad. The last time LU was in a bye regional they went to the Elite 8.

[The Roop]

Wow...I didn't realize Ripon was so desperate for Students that they would give away things...

http://www.twincities.com/national/ci_8259646

Larry,

That's just a cover story. What Ripon actually intends to do is build a new salt water swimming pool where the current parking lot exists. That way they can field an indoor shark fishing team as a club sport so they can get around Title IX rules.

[Put up a #]

Come on Roop, be serious. Everyone knows that the NCAA is years away from sanctioning shark fishing as a varsity, or even club sport. Bass fishing on the other hand is alive and well. Ripon could get a jump on the entire upper midwest with a new bass fishing pond.

[The Roop]

I'm just going on information I was told............ Indoor shark fishing. Hey. Great. I love the idea. It is an under appreciated sport. Title IX or otherwise.

[Greek Tragedy]

Come on Roop, be serious. Everyone knows that the NCAA is years away from sanctioning shark fishing as a varsity, or even club sport. Bass fishing on the other hand is alive and well. Ripon could get a jump on the entire upper midwest with a new bass fishing pond.

Does the NCAA have to sanction it if it's only a club sport though? 

[Greek Tragedy]

I will never understand why LU went to to play a very mediocre Gustavas from a very mediocre conference on a Thursday night and then travel hundreds of miles to Point for a late Saturday afternoon game(who had a bye).

Let it go, dude. 

You could've been Edgewood...travel to Storm Lake, IA and then fly out to Puget Sound (had they beaten Buena Vista)    And it's 70 miles to Point from Appleton (though I understand you probably mean traveling back from St. Peter, MN.) and it was a 7 pm game. 

[LU_nut]

No Old School, I don't think I will let it go.  Your example of another wrong does not make the NCAA's approach right.  They do not do that crap to D1 schools, why do it to D3?  I love D3 ball and think the post season should not be second class.  Giving Edgewood the same treatment doesn't make my point any weaker.....quite the opposite.
 
Nut(dude)