MBB: Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference

[Just Bill]

CUW not listed in latest regional ranking?

Tuesday game against Edgewood was not included in that ranking. Only games through Sunday. Hanover got a boost in both SOS and Record vs Ranked opponents, that pushed them up.

I expect EC to fall out next week. CUW might get back in as long as they don't lose on Saturday.

[hickory_cornhusker]

I have a question on how seeding is done for the conference tourney. I understand that division champs get #1 and #2, second place gets #3 and #4, etc. But how is it determined who gets which. I thought the Challenge Game decides it but EC-CUC and LC-RC games don't matter but the CUW-BU and MU-AU games do. It can't be better record afterwards because CUW is 14-2 and BU is 10-6 in conference play.

[BadgerFan42]

CUW vs BU game matters because BU beat CUW earlier in the year.  Therefore, if BU wins again on Saturday, they hold the tie-breaker over CUW and would get the #1 seed.  I'm not sure about the AU vs. MU game, but I'm assuming that it's something along those lines.

[Just Bill]

It goes like this....

After the Challenge game, you compare the TWO head-to-head meetings between the two schools. If one team swept the other, then obviously, they get the higher seed. If they split, you go to a tiebreaker. The tiebreaker is each team's cumulative record against the top teams in the conference, working from the top of the standings to the bottom, if necessary.

So for CUW and BU it looks like this...

BU won the first meeting, so if BU wins on Saturday, they are the #1 overall seed. If not, we go to tiebreaker...
- Compare vs #2's (Edgewood & Concordia Chi.) - CUW went 2-1, BU went 1-2.
Therefore, CUW would win the tiebreaker and get the #1 overall seed, should they win on Saturday.

For EC and CUC it looks like this...

EC won the first meeting, so if EC wins on Saturday, they are the #3 overall seed. The tiebreaker looks like this...
- Compare vs. #1's (Concordia Wis. & Benedictine) - EC went 2-1, CUC went 1-2.
Therefore EC would win the tiebreaker. Since EC won the first meeting and holds the tiebreaker advantage, we know that they will be the overall #3 seed regardless of Saturday's outcome. CUC will be #4.

Silly and unnecessarily complicated? Oh yes. The good news is the Challenge game has been scrapped for the future, so this is the last season.

[RFMichigan]

Thanks for the clarification. I was wondering that myself.

[BadgerFan42]

"Silly and unnecessarily complicated? Oh yes. The good news is the Challenge game has been scrapped for the future, so this is the last season."


-Couldn't agree more, thank god that it's gone after this year.  Following this season, I assume it will just come down to overall records to determine the seeds?  Like a normal conference.

[Just Bill]

"Silly and unnecessarily complicated? Oh yes. The good news is the Challenge game has been scrapped for the future, so this is the last season."


-Couldn't agree more, thank god that it's gone after this year.  Following this season, I assume it will just come down to overall records to determine the seeds?  Like a normal conference.

Yet to be determined. I imagine it will either be conference record first through eighth like you said, or they will just seed each division 1-4, and then play 1N vs. 4S, 2N vs. 3S, 3N vs. 2S and 4N vs. 1S.

[Just Bill]

Now I want someone, ANYONE, who saw the end of the Benedictine - Aurora game in person PLEASE describe what happened in the last 8 seconds. All I could see from the (bouncing/wiggling/semi-scratchy) video was that it seemed as though Green from BU (down by one at the time) drove to the basket and missed a little runner in the lane. Then a Benedictine player somehow corralled the ball and tried to go back up towards the hoop, but the ball seemed to slip out of his hand and go flying crazily up into the air. At that moment, the video froze! About two seconds later, the video went live again with a rather close-up, fuzzy picture of the ball dropping through the basket as the Aurora players were signaling "no good" while the Benedictine players were charging the court!!  What happened? (At first Livestats showed 0:00 on the clock with Aurora up by one, but then it showed Benedictine with a one point "Final" victory.) 

Here's the video...

http://northernac.org/sports/mbkb/2011-12/videos/20120216-putm02m3

[RFMichigan]

Thanks. That video was much clearer than the live video and from a much wider angle. That was really an amazing shot. It seems as though the guy who sort of threw the ball towards the rim knew he didn't have much time to shoot until the final horn sounded, so he just got rid of it as quickly as he could - like a hot potato. The ball bounced around on the rim so many times that it musty have gone in a full second after the horn sounded.

[Greek Tragedy]

CUW not listed in latest regional ranking?

I think another reason Edgewood was ranked ahead of Concordia (WI) is because they've played more games against regionally ranked opponents, which is a factor the first time this season.  Though they've lost, they have "results". 

[Just Bill]

CUW not listed in latest regional ranking?

I think another reason Edgewood was ranked ahead of Concordia (WI) is because they've played more games against regionally ranked opponents, which is a factor the first time this season.  Though they've lost, they have "results".

Until this week, Edgewood was also 1-0 head-to-head, which was probably the biggest factor of all. I expect to change a lot next week.

[Just Bill]

2012 Northern Athletics Conference Tournament
http://www.northernac.org/sports/mbkb/2011-12/tournament

Quarterfinals - Tuesday, Feb. 21, 7 p.m.
#8 Marian (10-15, 7-9) at #1 Concordia Wisconsin (20-5, 14-2)
#5 Lakeland (19-6, 12-4) at #4 Concordia Chicago (10-15, 10-6)
#7 Aurora (13-12, 8-8) at #2 Benedictine (12-13, 10-6)
#6 Rockford (12-13, 9-7) at #3 Edgewood (19-6, 12-4)

Semifinals - Thursday, Feb. 23, 7 p.m.
#1/8 vs. #4/5
#2/7 vs. #3/6

Final - Saturday, Feb. 25, 2 p.m.

Edgewood benefits from the NAC's goofy seeding process, ending up on the opposite side of the bracket from Lakeland and CUW. Lakeland likely will have to win three road games in the same week to make the NCAA Tournament. CUW gets to stay at home, but can't be thrilled looking at a Marian team who played them within a Doedens prayer and Lakeland possibly waiting in the semifinals.

[Just Bill]

In the history of the NathCon Tournament, the top seed has only won it once, and that was the first year, 2007, when it was a 6-team tournament. In fact the #1 seed is just a modest 6-4 all-time.

Winning from the bottom half of the seeds isn't unheard of. Two of the five champions won three road games to win it.

Aurora has three titles, once as #1, once as a #2 and once as a #5
Benedictine has one title as a #2
Lakeland has one title as a #6

[WLCALUM83]

2/21/12 guesses:

CUW over Marian
Lakeland over CUC
Benedictine over Aurora
Edgewood over Rockford

[BadgerFan42]

CUW cruises to a victory over Marian, the Falcons came out flat last time these two teams met, they come out firing tonight
The Muskies have too much firepower for CUC, but the Cougars keep it within striking distance due to strong performances by Avery and Gordon
Edgewood and Rockford battle in a close one til the end, but the Eagles finish strong down the stretch

My upset of the night:

Aurora tops BU in a payback game