WBB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[badgerwarhawk]

I'm not sure if there are any problems at UWO.  However, it looks like Sharpee is in the coach's dog house, having not started the past few games.  She is clearly one of their better players.

Maybe she's trying to get some production or a boost from someone off the bench?  You don't necessarily always start your best five.   Despite not having started the last three games Sharpee has averaged 23 minutes of floor time.   Of course with the Titan's depleted bench the top seven are all seeing major minutes and Sharpee is averaging roughly 28 minutes on the season.

Sharpee is a good player but I wonder if she's hit the "freshman wall."  It's a much longer and more physical season than they are accustomed to and it isn't unusal so see them tail off some at the end of it.   

[UWPSUPERFAN77]

TO Badger warhawk, Buf, and other UWW and UWEC fans: Do the Warhawks and Bluegolds have to win the tournament to get into the Big Dance? Both are good teams playing well. Interested in your opinions. Good luck to your teams,although I hope for a big upset by my Pioneers tonight at UWW! God Bless!

[badgerwarhawk]

Without winning the conference tourney EC would have 9 losses and WW would have 7. 

Of course it's tough to be certain because you don't know how many of the regular season champions will win their conference's tournament and the accompaning automatic bid.  The more that don't the tougher it gets for teams with that many losses to qualify.  But unless something weird were to happen I'd say EC is out for certain and WW is hanging by their teeth with odds against them.

[buf]

The only way EC gets in is if they win the tournament.

WW has an outside chance.  Their regional record is 17-5, which is the only record that matters to the national tourney commitee.  As Badgerwarhawk said, WW(and WIAC fans) has to hope that the top regional record team in each conference wins its conference tournament.  The more upsets that occur in these tounaments lessens WW's chances.

WW's QOWI is pretty good, which should help them.  As of one week ago, they had the 22nd best rating.  I'm guessing that Pat will have this weeks updated ratings posted either tonight or tomorrow.  Those can be found on the Multiregional board under the "Pool C" topic.

That WW-EC match up on Saturday was huge.  WW will play a team tonight that they should clearly beat, while EC has a much tougher game vs Lax.  In my opinion, there is a big gap in between the #6 and #7 seeds.  Not only does WW get the easier team, but they will be able to host a second round game provided that they do win tonight.

[buf]

Here is a quote from Pat Coleman on the MIAC page.  The same can be applied to WW.

"You guys want to root for the favorites in a handful of leagues: NESCAC (Bowdoin), Messiah (MAC Commonwealth), SUNYAC (Cortland State), Fitchburg State (MASCAC), Scranton (MAC Freedom) at the top of the list. These are all likely to be one-team leagues unless the leader gets upset. The leaders would all be Pool C locks."

[buf]

Forgot about Stout.  I think they are in even if they lose.  Their regional record is 19-4 and they have the 4th best QOWI.

Pat,

Does Stout have 3 or 4 regional losses?  On the central region page they have 4, but on your QOWI from last Monday they had only 3.  I guess the only game in doubt is the Finlandia game.

[Just Bill]

Live Stats and Listen links:  http://www.uwsa.edu/wiac/wbasket/radiobroadcasts.html

RF at SP:  http://www.uwsp.edu/athletics/wbb/live/XLIVE.HTM

OSH at ST:  http://www.uwstout.edu/athletics/wbb/live/xlive.htm

LC at EC:  http://www.uwec.edu/athletics/live/bb/xlive.htm  (LC sticking it to them 23-14 at the moment)

[kluch]

Mad props to the stout live video, I don't get to see the score but the quality is impecable!

[Just Bill]

Mad props to the stout live video, I don't get to see the score but the quality is impecable!

Pull up the live stats in another window and you're all set!

[Just Bill]

Halftime scores:

Point's Live Stats are frozen, but halftime score is Point 35, River Falls 33.  (SP's Lechault becomes WIAC
s all-time leader in blocked shots with 322 and counting.)

La Crosse 38, Eau Claire 37. (LC shooting 67%!)

Whitewater 42, Platteville 30.

I can't imagine Oshkosh can maintain it but they lead Stout 32-29.

[Just Bill]

SP's Neuenfeldt hits 3 three's in first 6 minutes of second half, but RF's Reimann keeps the Falcons close with 4 buckets in the same time frame.  Point leads 47-44 with 14:10 to play.  The Pointers are beating the RF zone by shooting 57% from the three-point line, but Point has no answer for Reimann who already has 19.

[Just Bill]

RF leads Point by 6 with 1:06 to play.  Point finally stopped Reimann at the expense of everyone else.  Falcons have 5 players in double figures.

Key stat:  Point just 7-16 from the free throw line.

[Just Bill]

QUARETRFINALS:

River Falls 76, Stevens Point 69.

Eau Claire 67, La Crosse 62.

Lisa Grantman hits a 3 with :04 left as Platteville caps a 16-point comeback to beat Whitewater 75-74.

Stout 71, Oshkosh 54.

[buf]

So much for my "big gap between #6 and #7 seeds theory" as UWP gets an impressive win over WW.  However, looking at WW's schedule, I see that UWP almost won at WW a few weeks ago.  Must be a bad matchup for WW.  I guess EC will get their 2nd round home game after all.

The EC-UWL game was a great game.  Close all the way, except for the a bit at the start.  UWL came out firing.  Their shots were not only going in, but they were going right through the middle of the hoop.  To say the least they were HOT.  They had some open looks, but some were pretty well defended.  Anyway, I think UWL led by 11 or so.  I would guess they shot 90% through the first 13min or so.  Basically the only thing keeping EC in the game was creating UWL turnovers.  Witt did an excellent job making steals and turning them into uncontested layups.  Finally towards the end of the half, UWL started to cool off a bit and EC made a big run to breifly take the lead and ended up going into the half trailing only by 1.  UWL still shot 67% on FGs in the half.

After the half, EC went on a 7-0 run and looked like they might end up pulling away.  UWL battled back and took the lead soon after.   Back and forth the game went until the 5min mark or so when EC got a 4pt cushion.  EC ended up holding off the Eagles down the stretch mostly in part to good solid defense (UWL shot only 10-32 in 2nd half).  Good 2nd half by Heidi A.  She made some good drives and finished well around the basket.  Hakanson also with a solid game.  I think she had a double-double.  My game ball goes to Witt.  She kept EC in the game in first 10min or so with those steals and buckets.  I believe she tallied 7 steals for the game.  She also caused some other turnovers with her quickness and pressure.

And of course the best part of the night, EC gets another home game on Wednesday.

UWL got a good game from Waldvogel.  She played the point position way better than Wagner.  Searing had a good rebounding game to finish her career.  I think I heard that she had 16rebs.

Tough loss for WW.  Down the stretch in the regular season they positioned themselves pretty well for a pool C bid.  In my opinion, they are done for the year.  But who knows!

[Pat Coleman]

Forgot about Stout.  I think they are in even if they lose.  Their regional record is 19-4 and they have the 4th best QOWI.

Pat,

Does Stout have 3 or 4 regional losses?  On the central region page they have 4, but on your QOWI from last Monday they had only 3.  I guess the only game in doubt is the Finlandia game.

I didn't think the WIAC was among the top half-dozen slam-dunk one-team leagues entering the day. Obviously after tonight things look different.

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