MBB: Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference

[The Way]

The Way I See It

Roleplaya, my 'gay' way of your no post game has not been diminished one bit. WLC hasn't proved anything yet. Show me in the games and maybe then i will retract my comments. But until then, keep wishing.

Gregory,
I too had a chance to see Edgewood last year and have been familiar with the LMC for the last 5 or 6 years and have played against Edgewood. That team last year was not even close to teams they have had there in the past 5 years. There was no guard play whatsoever there last year. If you throw in a Luke Sadowski or Randy Kolinske from past years, then you have got yourself a team that is a notch better than the normal front runner. The LMC was down last year and Edgewood benefited from that. It has worked in the past years where the LMC regular season champ has not gotten into the NCAA Tournament:
2001 - Marian (4th seed) Edgewood was the 1 and had a good team.
2002 - Edgewood (3rd seed)
2003 - MSOE (6th seed) Lakeland was the 1 and had probably one of the better teams in the LMC since WLC in the late 90's.
2004 - Lakeland (3rd seed)Concordia was the 1 and had fairly good and well-balanced team.

Enough with that analogy now though because i do have to agree with you on the whole north/south division. These leagues need to do something to spice things up because the WIAC league snatches up any player in Wisconsin that has talent. There are some exceptions where a player slips through the cracks and lands in this league. But overall (not sure how it is in the NIIC) the LMC gets the leftovers from the WIAC. New teams and new rivalries can only increase the appeal of these leagues.

[Gregory Sager]

I only see LMC teams once a year, at most. That one Edgewood game I saw provided the basis for my evaluation; if you see them more often than do I, you're in a better position to judge them relative to previous seasons.

Your point about the LMC tourney rehashes a complaint that has been raised in this room more than once -- which is that, for a weak conference such as the LMC that has no hope whatsoever of garnering a Pool C bid due to perennially poor non-conference performance across the board, there is absolutely nothing to gain and everything to lose by holding a conference tournament. All it does is heighten the risk of the best team in the conference (presumably, the team that proved itself over the regular season, i.e., the regular-season champion) having an off-night, getting knocked off, and missing out on the NCAAs while an inferior team that had one or two hot nights late in February gets the conference's lone bid and gets treated like snack food by a top team from a tougher conference.

Conference tournaments are all the rage, but apart from giving everyone a chance to play an extra game or two I don't see how it serves the best interests of a league like the LMC. It's more than likely not a moneymaker (as are D1 mid-major-conference tourneys), and it often prevents the league from putting its best team into the NCAAs. And when you're one of D3's lesser conferences, you need to put your best foot forward in March by putting your best team in the big dance.

I dunno, though -- maybe most LMC people like having a conference tournament. But it definitely hurts them in the national scheme of things.

[bizrizzo]

gregory:

as a former fan in the LMC, i loved the conf. tourney.  It made the regular season champ prove their title, and gave everyone else, the baptists included, .  the marian upseta chance to go dancing a few years back was one for the ages, and that is what makes college sports so great.  if a reg. season champ can't pull it off in the tourney, (i dont buy the "off night" excuse), then should they be reppin' the LMC?

and true, the tourney is not a huge money maker, but the kids obviously do it for the love of playing.  so let them, and us fans, enjoy one last hooray of the bball season.

biz-natch

p.s. everyone else sucks, 'specially the edgewood bird flu.  wlc takes the title with the largest 6th man backing ever, minus yours truly.

[bigregg]

Aurora 79  Augie 72   in scrimage played at Augie tonight.  Spartans played a quick game and beat an improved Augie team.  Good start for Aurora even if it's preseason.

[True Basketball Fan]

Good start for Aurora, beating the preseason #2 team in the CCIW.  Nothing against Aurora, they are a very good team and should have another great year.....However, maybe Augie isn't as good as people (coaches in the CCIW) think they are.

[Greek Tragedy]

gregory:

as a former fan in the LMC, i loved the conf. tourney. 

You're no longer a fan?  That's a tragic loss to both the LMC and this board!  :-)

[Warrior_Fish]

LMC Media Day, hosted by Lakeland College this year, is comming up on Thursday, November 10.  The preseason picks will all be announced then.

Anyone here have their pics?

1-8 and then preseason POY?

1.  Edgewood
2.  MSOE
3.  CUW
4.  Lakeland
5.  Marian
6.  WLC
7.  Dominican
8.  Maranatha

POY 
The ageless wonder who has been in school longer than I have...and Im a 6th year super duper senior!!!

Seth Cooper

[True Basketball Fan]

Good picks.  However, you are way off in one area.  Dominican will finish below Maranatha, they are both dreadful, but Dominican is worse.

[bizrizzo]

old school,

i was a former fan in the lmc, not a former fan of the lmc.  since i am no longer a student, i thought i had made it clear that despite my graduation, i am still a fan of the lmc. hope that clears it up.

and since i'm here, i'll throw down my pre-season picks.

1. green whites
2. mequonians
3. bird flu
4. engineers
5. crapies
6. nurses
7. friars
8. baptists

poy--u guessed it, bj miller time

[Big_Uns]

Well, if you flip the M and moved it in front of the L you'd be right about your affiliation. 

[Warrior_Fish]

2005-06 Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll

#1 Edgewood College
#2 Concordia University
#3 Milwaukee School of Engineering
#4 Lakeland College
#5 Marian College
     Wisconsin Lutheran College
#7 Dominican University
#8 Maranatha Baptist Bible College

WOW, I  guess I was right on the nose, almost. 

2005-06 Men's Basketball Preseason All-LMC Team

Charlie Averkamp        Sophomore      Edgewood
Seth Cooper                 Senior              Edgewood
Brian Hagel                  Junior               Wisconsin Lutheran
Germayne James          Senior              Lakeland College
Jeff Mikos                    Senior              MSOE
Scott Murphy               Sophomore      MSOE
Matt Peets                    Senior              Concordia
Titus Redmond             Junior               Marian
Kris Saiberlich              Sophomore      Lakeland College
Jordan Van Ess            Sophomore      Marian

[Ralph Turner]

Aurora should be the favorite in the Lee Pfund Tourney this weekend.

2005 ASC-West Tri-champ McMurry (TX) lost seniors Michael Qualls (#2 guard, usually off the bench for his 3pt shot),  Matt Autry (a defensive #3), 4 yr letterman Kelon Lewis (a #4).

As an optimistic McMurry fan, I would like to say that Aurora is catching them at a good time, but McMurry is not taking Aurora lightly.  I can imagine that Aurora will be as tough or tougher than anyone we play, even playing at Mississippi College in December.

[Titan Q]

The Pfund sounds like a tournament full of teams with question marks.  Aurora returns sophomore phenom Larry Welton (20.1 ppg, 7.6 rpb), but they did lose their 2nd and 3rd leading scorers (and most of their perimeter threat), Adam McCoy (16.0 ppg) and Drew Gronau (12.1 ppg).  These two combined to shoot 390 3's last year...64% of the Aurora's total 3's on the year.

Aurora has a great post player in 6-6 Welton, a nice complimentary forward in 6-5, athletic Jeremy Cartright, and a really steady point-guard in Courtney Carson.  I agree the Spartans are the favorite in the Lee Pfund , but they do have a couple big holes to fill.

[Greek Tragedy]

Be sure to head over to the Multi-Regional Topics Board and select your team for the new Survivor Pool! 

You might actually win something! 
Deadline is Friday before the first game's tipoff

[Greek Tragedy]

Be sure to head over to the Multi-Regional Topics Board and select your team for the new Survivor Pool! 

You might actually win something! 
Deadline is Friday before the first game's tipoff