WBB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Just Bill]

WIAC Women's Basketball Preview and Preseason Poll

http://www.uwsa.edu/wiac/wbasket/0607prev.html

[Just Bill]

D-III UW-Stevens Point leads Wisconsin at halftime 34-32.  Point led by as much as 13 in the first half.

Live Scoring: http://www.uwbadgers.com/live/wbb/quick.htm

Video Stream: http://www.uwbadgers.com/

[Just Bill]

Badgers pull away in second half for a 77-58 win.  UWSP represented the league well.  Haley Houghton led Point with 21 points.

[crazy4hoops]

wow...i guess my pick wasn't too off tonight....Point gave the fans hope but the Badgers eventually showed why they are a D1 team.....my guess is if Lechault wouldn't have picked up two quick ones in teh second it might have been a closer second half....oh well...WIAC was represented well tonight!

props to Coach Egner and her staff....the Pointers were prepared and ready to go right from the start there is a lot of season to go.....can't wait to see what happens!

[titan2000]

Anybody home

[buf]

Yea

[EagleAlum]

I'll try to stay away from making conference selections (don't want to throw in any bias). I did want to make a few "observations" on the SID's poll and other's predictions.

- River Falls, both in the SID's, and with the people, is way underrated. They only lost one player, Biteler, who was an important piece, but according to the website, Chantelle Melgaard is back after taking off last season. She averaged 8.6 as a junior two years ago and is a tough guard. Traci Reimann might be the most underrated player in the league, averaging a double-double last year. She got injured down the stretch and missed a couple huge games late that may have cost them a home game in the first round. They have great size besides with Lindman and Preiner and Cordes on the perimeter can also shoot it.

They can stretch the defense cause they shoot so many threes but their best player is a really good post who can score all day 1-on-1. Against Stout and Duoss she had 27 one night and 13 and 13 the next.

Plus they play a 2-3 zone which no one else really plays. They make you do something different to prepare for them. Plus for some reason their gym is tough to play in;6-2 in the league at home last year.

- La Crosse being pick fourth in the SID poll is puzzling. Return all five starters; lose no one (who wasn't injured) from a team that finished ahead of Eau Claire. Correct me if I'm wrong but Becker and Van Drasek are gone right? None of the kids they added are as good now, as the two they lost. I understand they were young last year; so was La Crosse and half the rest of the league. Don't get me wrong I think Eau Claire is very good; I would probably have them 3rd behind Stout and LX, but how they leapfrog La Crosse is weird. And, yeah, I know predictions don't matter, it's still makes me think peoplebelieve last year was a fluke with the Eagles.

La Crosse does get back Lindsay Wahl, a 6'1 post who averaged 6 and 5 as a freshman. She missed all of last year along with Koss.  La Crosse has lost one key bench player in the preseason to knee injury. Snakebitten with knee injuries a little bit.

- Which brings me to Stout. They are definitely the odds on favorites. I don't think they'll run the table, but I do think there are only about 3 or 4 teams that can beat them. But one thing that goes overlooked and is a huge part of their success. They don't lose games to injury, ever. Last year they played 30 games; 9 of their players played in 30; Duoss 29 with one wedding, and Amanda Geissler had 28. Two years ago they played 31 games it looks like Oelkers missed five, that's it, and I think Boese had an injury as a freshman that had her sit out, whether she would have been a factor, not sure. Either way, Amazing. So it looks like they've had about 7 games missed for their key players.

Eau Claire lost Burns and Muggenborg; Point had Schultz, Neuenfeldt and Kranz miss a game or two (including the day Stout crushed them); Oshkosh had O'Keefe sick for a couple and Eggers played a few minutes somewhere and had to leave sick (although they were relatively healthy); La Crosse lost Koss, Wahl, and then Stachula for the playoffs; River Falls lost Reimann and Melgaard; Whitewater lost Baker.

Point is, Stout has done a great job staying healthy. Wish I knew the secret. A lot has to do with how many kids they play and how their best players aren't playing 35-40 minutes. Maybe that's enough to convince other teams to trust some of their depth to stay healthy. Not taking away anything from Stout's talent, but we saw last year at Point what happens when one of the horses is out.
That's already too much, I'll shut up. But yeah titan, we're here

[Just Bill]

Since you mentioned Stachula, I see her name isn't on this year's roster.  Any idea why?

[EagleAlum]

Since you mentioned Stachula, I see her name isn't on this year's roster.  Any idea why?

Torn knee in preseason

[Illinihoops4]

Anyone know who UW-O scrimmaged? Did anyone see one of their scrimmages? I know they have a thin roster this season, but I'm just curious to know if anyone has actually seen them yet this season.......

[EagleAlum]

They are gonna struggle. No I haven't seen them but if there's anyone on the predicitions who is too high, it's Oshkosh. Knapp is a nice player and Tyriver was a great role player who, I have no doubt, will elevate her game; she has to. But the rest of the roster is inexperienced and their freshman group is okay but may not have an impact kid that can come in and score 8 or so a game. In the WIAC two good players is not enough, especially when the other 7, sans Superior, all probably have more talent. They are going to have to coach them up; big time.

[Illinihoops4]

Thanks EagleAlum. I was looking up their JUCO transfer LaBonte and it's very obvious (to most) that the JUCO ranks are quite different from the WIAC. I thought maybe she'd pick up some of the scoring load, but she's definitely going to have to adjust to the physicality and athleticism in this league. Strange to hear UW-O associated with the word "struggle."

[Bballer]

Hey, i hear that Brooke H. from UWEC is not playing anymore, i dont really no the reason but i heard it was legitimate.

[buf]

Hey, i hear that Brooke H. from UWEC is not playing anymore, i dont really no the reason but i heard it was legitimate.

If in fact she did quit, it may have something to do with a medical condition.  Last year she sat out a few games with a medical condition that made her feel tired, according to the local newspaper.  If she is gone, thats one less 3-point shooter for EC.  She was one of the better 3-point shooters last year.  EC is really desperate for good perimeter shoooting.

[bulk19]

Brooke Hakanson played in the Blugolds' intrasquad game on Nov. 1, and is on the roster...

If indeed it is true she won't be back, it would be a very recent development...We will find out this weekend...