MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[bleedpurple]

It would be interesting to hear your theories on grammar sometime. 

So I misplaced an S. Forget about it.

For the record, the entire sentence was a train wreck and completely irrecoverable by the simple correct placement of an "S". However, my post was just a light-hearted jab designed to invoke laughter at your expense. Having set the record straight, now I can forget about it. 

[bbfan44]

Congrats to Tyler Peters.  As good as he is, I can't understand why his free throw shooting was so inconsistent.

The Final Four should be terrific.  Do any of you techy guys know if there is a way to watch it in HD on a big screen?

[Titan Q]

Here is a look at the rotations for the Final Four teams...

http://www.iwuhoops.com/SalemRotations.html

[Mr. Ypsi]

I asked this over in the baseball room, but it is getting very little traffic so far.  CCIW play is scheduled to begin the end of this month - anyone know which fields are likely to be playable and which are frozen tundra and/or mudholes?

Just about the only other poster already on the baseball thread is Big Poppa (a major Carthage fan, which is where IWU is scheduled to open conference play on the 29th and 30th), but he now coaches up in Pat Coleman country, so he probably wouldn't know.

[badgerwarhawk]

Carthage's, Augie Schmidt Field, is pretty new.  It has an artificial infield surface but the outfield is grass.  Right now we still have snow on the ground though it's melted quite a bit the past week and I suppose they could have cleared the snow from it some time ago.  A bigger problem is the frost which is very deep this year and once it starts to thaw is going to be a problem for a while.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Carthage's, Augie Schmidt Field, is pretty new.  It has an artificial infield surface but the outfield is grass.  Right now we still have snow on the ground though it's melted quite a bit the past week and I suppose they could have cleared the snow from it some time ago.  A bigger problem is the frost which is very deep this year and once it starts to thaw is going to be a problem for a while.

Thanks, BW.  Yeah, here in Ypsi, the freeze is deeper in the ground than ever I can recall (and I've been here more than four decades).  Probably won't go to the dog park again before May - from icy conditions to 'dog swamp' over the next few days!

[iwu70]

Thanks, Pat, for the correction on the Midwest Region Coach of the Year.  The Webster coach did a great job this year -- Agreed.  Congrats to him.  A good choice. 

Looking forward to this Final Four weekend.  Should be some great games.  I have IWU vs. Amherst for the Walnut and Bronze on Saturday.  Everyone knows where my loyalties are. 

IWU70

[iwu70]

Thanks, Q, for the full info on the Final Four teams' rotations.  A lot of talent there, for sure.  No fluke teams in this Final Four weekend.

Seems IWU's main issue will be containing, restricting KJ Evans.  (and taking care of the ball, shooting a good percentage, winning the TOs and RBing battles, as usual). 

IWU70

[kiko]

Every year I produce a Mascot Bracket, picking all the winners of the Big Dance based on which mascot would win in a fight.  It is one of my favorite posts of the year.  This year covers such interesting topics such as, "What's a Jasper?" and "How is Chaucer involved in all of this?"  This is also the first time I'm featuring an interactive Readers' Choice mascot bracket, so you can vote on each game.  Here's the link http://fatpastor.me/2014/03/16/2014-mascot-bracket/

And, bringing it back to DIII, folloing my rules, the Titans would be a tough out ever year.  Millikin and Wheaton would never get out of the first round.  Elmhurst and North Central would have to be really lucky to pull off a win, and if Augustana and North Park met, it would come down to the seed.  This Final Four would be all IWU.  The Lord Jeffs and Ephs are both named after some old guy that helped found the college.

Awright, so I had some dead time and an internet connection, so I took a shot at this for D3.  I tried to use your rules but there's a lot of big cats and a lot of Knight/Spartan/Titan-types.  So I chose to amend your rules ever so slightly:

1. I used your predator rule to parse out birds of prey from birdfeeder birds.  And I similarly parsed out carnivores from herbivores.  The order, roughly, is (1) carnivores, (2) birds of prey, (3) herbivores, and (4) birdfeeder birds.

2. With the Knights/Spartans/etc, one factor was the degree of protection offered by their mascot/logo's attire.  For instance, a Titan, which has his entire face exposed, is more vulnerable than a Crusader from Alvernia, which has complete face coverage.

3. We can't afford those fancy 'seed' things in D3, so if I ran into similar nicknames fighting it out, I used the relative menace factor of the logos as the deciding factor.

4.. I probably spent 1/10th the time you did in understanding origins and backstories.  But I did learn which region a lot of the East/Mid-Atlantic schools are in, so I got that going for me.

For those who didn't click over, here are the original rules:


1. When determining the winner, origins of the nickname are of primary importance (see Blue Devils and Jayhawks).  Current official logos are consulted to find out needed details, such as whether or not the mascot is armed; and for disambiguation, such as which type of Aggie?

2. Inanimate objects, e.g. colors and plants, always lose to animate objects.

3. Predators beat non-predators and unarmed humans.

4. Humans beat non-predators.

5. Humans with weapons beat predators. There can be exceptions if the weapon is non-gunpowder, and the animal is particularly big and/or fierce.

6. Humans with weapons beat humans without weapons.

7. Humans with superior technology/weapons/training win.

8. Supernatural beings and killer weather systems defeat human warriors.

9. Many animals, especially birds and fish, can survive devastating storms.

10. If the schools have the same mascot, then the higher seed wins.

11. Prepositions lose to everything. (See explanation of What's a Hoya)
.
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17. Don't turn your back on bears.

-----

You may disagree massively with my choices, or consider it blasphemous that I borrowed this construct and shamelessly recast it for D3, or may consider it blasphemous that I am wasting board space on something that doesn't hail the Illinois Wesleyan music school.  The down arrow is in the lower right-hand corner of your screen.

[kiko]

Upper Left Bracket

Round 1

LaGrange Panthers over Centre Colonels
Clear Rule 3 here.  Colonel Sanders is not armed here.

Marian Sabres over Stevens Point Pointers
A large cat with oversized teeth versus a domesticated pooch.  Between the Pointers, the BluGolds, and the Pioneers, I'm fairly sure the WIAC will take a hit in its overall conference ranking in this forum.

St. Olaf Oles over Central Dutch
The Ole logo is wielding an axe, and the Dutch appear to have simply borrowed the Cincinnati Reds' caps for their logo.

Chapman Panthers over Texas-Dallas Comets
Interesting matchup.  The Panther is tough, but can't exactly kill the comet.  But the Comet probably comes around only every so often, so they may lose this via forfeit.

Trinity Tigers over Whitworth Pirates
The Pirate is armed, but without gunpowder.  Can a mere sword overcome a Tiger?  I'm voting no.

UW Whitewater Warhawks over Northwestern Eagles
Two birds of prey.  Both equally menacing.  The Warhawk wins because it has a cooler and more original name.

Augustana Vikings over St. Thomas Tommies
The Vikings burned and pillaged their way across the seas -- Unlike in the Trinity/Whitworth undercard, I'm pretty sure they can take down an ineffectual, overly-friendly member of the cat family.

Round 2

LaGrange Panthers over Emory Eagles
The Eagle won't go down easily, but big cat > bird of prey.

Marian Sabres over St. Olaf Oles
The Sabre is extinct.  The Ole looks fairly mystical.  Again, the fang carries the day.

Trinity Tigers over Chapman Panthers
The google tells me that Tigers are bigger than Panthers.

Augustana Vikings over UW-Whitewater Warhawks
The Warhawks can buzz the Vikings and cause mayhem for a bit, but Augie has a sword, and it only takes one precise swing to end this one.


Round of 16

Marian Sabres over LaGrange Panthers
There sure are a lot of cats in this bracket.  I wish the committee would pay to fly some of them into other brackets so the cats and Knights and birdfeeder birds are more equitably distributed.  Sabres win this because Wikipedia tells me that their prey included elephants and rhinos.  I can't see a Panther eating a Rhino.

Trinity Tigers over Augustana Vikings
It comes down to whether the Viking can land the first fatal blow before getting mauled.  My guess is no.  And the lack of full-coverage on the headgear will be the Vikings' undoing.


Elite Eight

Marian Sabres over Trinity Tigers
Three straight Cat victories for Marian.  Strange that their easiest battle was against the WIAC's finest.

[kiko]

Bottom Left Bracket

Round 1

Wooster Fighting Scots over St. Vincent Bearcats
A surprise pick, but the Scots have a sword, and the Bearcat is actually relatively diminutive in size.

Dickinson Red Devils over Geneseo State Blue Knights
Tough draw for the Blue Knights, but even their sword, shield, and full-coverage armor is not enough to best the supernatural powers of the Red Devil.

Penn State-Behrend Lions over Hope Flying Dutchmen
The Dutchmen would be wise to remain airborne, but alas, they eventually touchdown and are eaten by a pride of Lions.

Rose-Hulman Engineers over Wheaton Thunder
The Thunder can intimidate and scare you, but the Engineers will build a shelter to withstand the storm until it passes.

Washington University Bears over Wilmington Quakers
Um, the final score in this one is whatever Mark Edwards wants it to be.

Calvin Knights over Wittenberg Tigers
The full-coverage facial armor is decisive as Calvin is soon swinging the Tiger by its tail.

Illinois Wesleyan Titans over Webster Gorloks
The Gorloks appear to be three different stuffed animals sewed together.  The Titans use their strength to rip apart the stitching.

St. Norbert Green Knights over Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops
Being an angry clergyman only gets you so far when the other guy's got a sword.


Round 2

Dickinson Red Devils over Wooster Fighting Scots
Perhaps Dickinson's win over Wooster was not an upset after all!  The Scots are helpless against the supernatural powers and steely trident of the Red Devils.

Penn State-Behrend Lions over Rose-Hulman Engineers
If the Engineers had more time, perhaps they could construct a solution to defeat the Lions.  Unfortunately, the pride lurked in the tall grass and then overpowered the Engineers before they knew anyone was there.

Washington University Bears over Calvin Knights
It comes down to whether a lot of armor and a sword is enough to stop a bear from mauling you.  Check the length of the claws in the logo -- Wash U advances.

St. Norbert Green Knights over Illinois Wesleyan Titans
Superior headgear pushes the Knights into the sweet sixteen.


Sweet Sixteen

Dickinson Red Devils over Penn State-Behrend Lions
This could be close depending upon how many lions there are.  However, if we allow for multiple lions, we have to allow for multiple devils.  Dickinson advances.

Washington University Bears over St. Norbert Green Knights
Fresh off of devouring Calvin -- perhaps quite literally -- the Bears say 'you look really familiar'.  It would likely take a shooting mascot, of which there are none in this year's D3 field, to take down the Bears, except...


Elite Eight

Dickinson Red Devils over Washington University Bears

... Dickinson's powers are too much for the Bears to overcome.

[kiko]

Upper Right Bracket

I think I figured out how the committee filled out the brackets this year.  Northeastern teams in the upper right; Western teams along the left side -- they just imagined a big map of the U.S. and filled things in from there.


Round 1

Rhode Island College Anchormen over York Spartans
A surprise win by the Anchormen, who you may notice are weilding an anchor like a weapon.  That's the difference-maker, especially with York's face exposed and no visible weapon in sight.  It's more of a bar fight than a proper battlefield engagement, but the Anchormen advance.

MIT Engineers over Plattsburgh State Cardinals
Cardinals are ineffectual, and the Engineer logo includes a demonic-looking beaver.  MIT out-industriouses their overmatched foe.

Eastern Connecticut Warriors over Husson Eagles
ECU's mascot appears to be a member of the cat family.  That's enough to topple the Eagles.

Bridgewater State Bears over Cabrini Cavaliers
The Cavalier has a sword and a smile on his face.  The Bear has sharp teeth.  This one ends quickly.

Bowdoin Polar Bears over Richard Stockton Ospreys
Rather than combining forces and searching for fish together, Bowdoin proves they *do* belong in the tournament by easily digesting the Ospreys.

Brockport State Golden Eagles over Morrisville State Mustangs
This is where a bird of prey overcomes a herbivore.  There aren't many land-based mascots that the Golden Eagle would handle easily, but this is one of them.

Scranton Royals over Hobart Statesmen
I wasn't sure what to do with this one, until I looked for alternate logos for both teams.  Hobart's is still an eighteenth-century legislator.  Scranton's is a wolf.  Scranton advances.


Round 2

Rhode Island College Anchormen over Amherst Lord Jeffs
With all due respect to Lord Jeff's pestilence-spreading ways, this is an aristocrat versus a guy who just beat a Spartan in a bar fight.  Anchors aweigh; RIC moves on.

Eastern Connecticut Warriors over MIT Engineers
The demonic beaver is pretty fierce, but he's still a beaver.  ECU marches to the sweet sixteen.

Bridgewater State Bears over Bowdoin Polar Bears
Tough call here.  Since Bridgewater State is not a specific type of bear, it could be larger or smaller.  Giving Bowdoin credit for their specific type of bearness but ignoring this metric for Bridgewater State is like giving one school credit for all of the RROs they played via their conference games, while penalizing a school who happens to be a good team in a weaker conference.  So this came down the the mascots: which is fiercer?  Bowdoin's Polar Bear is somewhat reserved and distant.  Bridgewater State's Bear is snarling in your face.  Bridgewater wins in overtime.

Scranton Royals over Brockport State Golden Eagles
Remember, Scranton is a wolf.  Brockport will give them a good game, but I like a wolf's chances against a bird.


Sweet Sixteen

Rhode Island College Anchormen over Eastern Connecticut Warriors
ECU got here by beating a bird and a beaver.  They're a cat, but not a particularly big or intimidating one.  (In fact, they're a lighter shade of blue.)  So: a smurfy cat with claws, or a brawling sailor with a large metal weapon.  The Anchormen continue their Cinderella run with another victory.

Bridgewater State Bears over Scranton Royals
Scranton howls as they are bested by a larger and more formidable predator.


Elite Eight

Bridgewater State Bears over Rhode Island College Anchormen

The Bears' size and strength overpower RIC, who made it this far with a makeshift weapon and no body armor.  They're like the last holdout hockey player who refused to wear a helmet.

[kiko]

Lower Right Bracket

Round 1

Purchase State Panthers over Hartwick Hawks
I had to click on four regions before I found where Hartwick was.  So if nothing else, I now know where Hartwick is.  Unfortunately, so do the Panthers, who enjoy a tasty meal of lightly-seasoned wings.

Albertus Magnus Falcons over WPI Engineers
WPI's mascot appears to be a goat.  I like a Falcon's chances against a goat.

Mitchell Mariners over Williams Ephs
The Mariner mascot appears to be a blue devil-like creature, but as is often the case when two-dimensional mascots are turned into three-dimensional costumes, not one you should take seriously.  However, they can probably handle a purple cow.

Gordon Fighting Scots over Babson Beavers
I think the same designer sold the logos to St. Olaf and Gordon, and just stuck a sword in the Oles' version.  Nevertheless, a Lion able to travel on two legs is advanced enough to overcome a Beaver.

Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets over DeSales Bulldogs
DeSales never has a chance as the Yellow Jackets float like a butterfly and swarm their way to victory.

Springfield Pride over Mary Washington Eagles
The deciding factor in this one is that Springfield's logo includes a lion.  It's that kind of pride.  Although if you google "Springfield Pride logo" in search of an alternate mascot/logo, you will find many rainbow-hued logos toward the top of the list as well.

Virginia Wesleyan Marlins over Johns Hopkins Bluejays
Fortunate draw for VWU.  A bird of prey could potentially devour a relatively small ocean-dwelling fish.  But a Bluejay ain't a bird of prey.  VWU advances.

Wesley Wolverines over Alvernia Crusaders
This could go either way, especially with Alvernia's stylish full-coverage armor.  But Wolverines are ill-tempered and fierce, and Alvernia, while well-protected, does not appear to be armed.  Wesley will find a weak link and advance.


Round 2

Purchase State Panthers over Albertus Magnus Falcons
Big Cat > Big Bird

Gordon Fighting Scots over Mitchell Mariners
Gordon's medieval-era lion is powerful enough to topple Mitchell's blue-devil-masquerading-as-a-mariner.

Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets over Springfield Pride
Tough to see how the Pride wins this one -- they'll get stung over and over while futily attempting to land a blow, before eventually succumbing to the Yellow Jackets' onslaught.

Wesley Wolverines over Virginia Wesleyan Marlins
The Marlin is easy prey for a hungry Wolverine.


Sweet Sixteen

Purchase State Panthers over Gordon Fighting Scots
How to choose between these two big cats?  Gordon's doesn't look very mobile as it maneuvers on its hind legs, while Purchase State's Panther is sleek and able to leap through the small chasm between the "P" and the "C" of their logo.  Nimbleness pays off, and Purchase State moves on.

Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets over Wesley Wolverines
Wesley faces the same problem Mary Washington did in the previous round: how do you defeat an opponent when you can't really land a blow on them -- and when they can harass you from all directions.  Wolverines are bad dudes, but Yellow Jackets are badder.


Elite Eight

Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets over Purchase State Panthers
The Panther has no more answers to the Yellow Jackets' attack than did the Pride or the Wolverine.  Not to mention the Bulldog.

[kiko]

Final Four

So we are down to four: the upstart Marian Sabres, the Dickinson Red Devils, the Bridgewater State Bears, and the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets.

Marian proved to be the only cat, of the many in the field, that was able to navigate their way to the final four.  And Bridgewater State stands tall despite several other Bears falling by the wayside in the tough road to Salem.

Semifinal Round

Dickinson Red Devils over Marian Sabres
This could be an instant classic, as the Sabre is not an easy out.  But they have no real way to take the initiative against the Red Devils, who continue to dance their way through the tournament field and land in the final game.

Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets over Bridgewater State Bears
The Bears quickly learn what the Panthers, Wolverines, and Pride discovered -- short of a cold snap, there's little that can stop a swarm of Yellow Jackets.


Championship Game

Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets over Dickinson Red Devils
The Walnut and Bronze returns to the ODAC as Randolph-Macon proves to have the antidote to Dickinson's powers.  Dickinson can make it hot as Hades, but the Yellow Jackets thrive in the warmth, and the Devils' trident proves to be useless against a small, nimble opponent.  Based on the size of their attackers, the Yellow Jackets clearly employed the much-discussed, rarely-used five guard offense against the taller Red Devil opponents.  The Yellow Jackets' blows land more frequently as the contest wears on, and eventually the Red Devils surrender to the overwhelming attack.

Congratulations to the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets -- the toughest mascot in this year's D3 field!

[The Roop]

You may want to see your physician and have your dosage adjusted.