MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[79jaybird]

I was ( and still am)  in favor of an 8 team tournament when I first heard the CCIW was going to a tournament format.  I think all 8 schools should get 1 final "chance"  and why not?  That's what a tournament is.  You have to be tournament tough to make it to the big dance.
too hot, too cold, this one's just right  in terms of visiting arenas.  C'mon we're not Little Miss Tuffet.  Be a man and just play the game or be a fan and enjoy the game.  Every arena has some pluses and minuses.  I can sit and watch a CCIW game ( and enjoy myself) at any CCIW arena.

[CardinalAlum]

I was ( and still am)  in favor of an 8 team tournament when I first heard the CCIW was going to a tournament format.  I think all 8 schools should get 1 final "chance"  and why not?  That's what a tournament is.  You have to be tournament tough to make it to the big dance.
too hot, too cold, this one's just right  in terms of visiting arenas.  C'mon we're not Little Miss Tuffet.  Be a man and just play the game or be a fan and enjoy the game.  Every arena has some pluses and minuses.  I can sit and watch a CCIW game ( and enjoy myself) at any CCIW arena.

Jaybird,

I respectfully disagree.  Why are you going to reward a team for playing well for 3 games in a row, if they have finished in the bottom half of the conference.  All that does is keep a borderline team with a good record out of the tournament to make room for an automatic qualifier that didn't do much during the regular season.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I forget who it is, but someone on the boards has a negative karma in the three digits.

[Mugsy]

I forget who it is, but someone on the boards has a negative karma in the three digits.

We did have a poster over on the CCIW football board who had over 2x the negative karma to actual posts (something like -35 karma with only 15 posts).  It wasn't so much based on what he posted, but his moniker - "Hugh Jass".  Most thought he was using a childish, somewhat offensive play on words as his user name.  We later discovered (if his claim is true) that it is in fact his name.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I wish there was a way to search for posters by karma level, but it doesn't appear to be a reality.

[Johnny Augie]

We did have a poster over on the CCIW football board who had over 2x the negative karma to actual posts (something like -35 karma with only 15 posts).  It wasn't so much based on what he posted, but his moniker - "Hugh Jass".  Most thought he was using a childish, somewhat offensive play on words as his user name.  We later discovered (if his claim is true) that it is in fact his name.

I hope everybody went back and fixed his Karma after you found out his name to be true.  He deserves positive three digit Karma just for having that as his name.

[Johnny Augie]

As I understand it, the selection committee evaluates the candidates for what they do in their division...they do not necessarily adjust for the different caliber of play. 

I would like to have my pickup game stats from last night compared to Iverson.  I think I took about 25 shots and only hit four or five.  It's got to be somewhat close. 

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

If Hugh Jass is your only source to his actual name; I'm not sure how convinced I'd be.

[Gregory Sager]

I forget who it is, but someone on the boards has a negative karma in the three digits.

That would be Posting Up's favorite Dale Carnegie graduate, Titan2000. He periodically whines about his astronomical negative karma count, and begs people to rectify the situation for him. Whenever he does that, the opposite occurs and his negative karma count starts spinning like the tally on a pinball machine. It never ceases to make me laugh.

I am applying to the conference office for a new record.

I saw three conference games, involving six conference teams in five days, and on this chat session I offended fans from four schools (Elmhurst, Augustana, North Central & Illinois Wesleyan).

And I didn't even mention North Park or Millikin.

It's a gift, Dennis. And we should all count ourselves lucky that you've chosen to share that gift with the world.

Actually, I do have to give you credit; not every Posting Up regular would've endured a long string of comments about his butt with such equanimity. And you didn't even rise to the bait when Joe Hakes said that you have B.O. What's up with that? That should've been worth a retort of about three chin jokes from you, minimum.

I don't know why, but you make me a little nervous when you're being mellow like this. Maybe it's because you threw me off-balance when you made fun of someone else's spelling yesterday morning.  

We did have a poster over on the CCIW football board who had over 2x the negative karma to actual posts (something like -35 karma with only 15 posts).  It wasn't so much based on what he posted, but his moniker - "Hugh Jass".  Most thought he was using a childish, somewhat offensive play on words as his user name.  We later discovered (if his claim is true) that it is in fact his name.

If I didn't know better, Mugsy, I'd swear that your real name was Moe Syzlak.  

[rknuppel]

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow nights matchup between Elmhurst and IWU.  It's not every day the Jay's get back to Central Illinois where I can travel under an hour to watch them play.

It's such an important game too in my opinion for Pool C consideration, as was the North Central/IWU game.  It would be hard to justify taking IWU over Elmhurst as a pool C bid if Elmhurst had a 2-0 sweep on them in the regular season.  Not saying it wouldn't happen.  But a win at the Shirk could go a long way in helping their chances as a Pool C team.  Hopefully they can just win the tourney and get in via Pool A and not worry about it.

Is there a JV game tomorrow night titan fans?

[devildog29]

Even though the conference tourney may actually work to IWU's advantage this year, I still believe, as do a majority of folks here I think, that the automatic bid should go to the regular season champ.  I know the tourney adds for more excitement down the stretch as several teams will be fighting for that 4th tourney spot instead of just a couple teams fighting to win the conference at the end, but to go through the season and grind out the season championship in one of the top 2 or 3 conferences in the country and not earn the auto. qualifier just doesn't sit right with me.  I think most everyone agrees that Augie is a lock for a pool C at this point even if they don't win the tourney, but hypothetically, if someone were to win the conference at say 11-3 but lose the first game of the tourney and have to auto. bid go to the 4th place team with a 8-6 record or something, it's just not right.  If the 11-3 team had a few other in-region losses because they played a tough non-conf. schedule, they could pausibly get shut out of the tourney.  Perhaps I'm preaching to the choir here, but I just think we're rewarding timing instead of consistency.

[True Basketball Fan]

Having conference tourneys is what makes basketball such a special sport.  Name a more exciting time of the year than tournament time (conference and national).  Can't, because there isn't one.  

It's absurd and ridiculous that is has taken the CCIW ages to adopt a tourney.  Comparatively speaking, it's the equivalent of accepting computers as a vital component of society or finding out that smoking cigarettes causes health problems.  Welcome to the present.......finally!

[devildog29]

TBF, from a fan perspective, I agree with you.  But from a player's perspective, I would hate to lose out on a tourney bid because I had 1 bad game at the wrong time of the year.  Without a doubt the tourney's are the most exciting part of the year.  No matter which approach is taken, somebody isn't going to be happy, I know.  I would just rather reward consistency throughout the season instead of rewarding a hot streak at the end of the season.

[True Basketball Fan]

Devil Pup,

Isn't timing what the NCAA national tournament is all about?  Why should the conference tourney be any different?

If a team is playing well enough to win the conference tourney at the end of the year, even if it is a lower seed, they deserve to go to the tourney.  Especially, since a lower seed probably had to overcome some intimidating odds at the time.  Again, that's what makes NCAA college basketball special and better than the rest.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I know the CCIW purists still have the notion that a conference tournament hinders the teams that worked hard for a good conference record.  The bottom line is, this is the best way to decide which team is playing best at the time.  If someone works up a great record and then falls apart the last few games and goes out early in the conference tourney, really isn't the team you want representing your conference.

The best chance your conference has of doing well is for the hottest team at tournament time representing you.  Obviously there will be upsets that don't reflect that, which is why there are at-large bids.

It is exciting, but it's also the best way for us to see the best teams at that moment playing each other.