MBB: University Athletic Association

[martin]

Sunday Jan 27

Emory 89, Carnegie Mellon 85
Chicago 61, NYU 44
Rochester 85, Case 74
Washington 71, Brandeis 69

Wash and Chicago both go 2-0 on the road - pretty remarkable.  I thought Wash could do it.  Chicago really showed something this weekend.  Who is the Athlete of the Week?  Matt Corning had 27 against Brandeis and 15 against NYU.  Troy Ruths had 17 against NYU and 25 against Brandeis.  I think that adds up to 42 for both.

Corning is listed as a guard but he plays "Tasmanian Devil". He got his 27 against Brandeis in just 20 minutes.  He had 4 fouls.  He scored nine points in 12 minutes in the first half - which leaves 8 minutes and 18 points in the second half.  Chicago basically plays with one guard - Jake Pancratz.  Quite a change from last year.

[Jacketfan2011]

So Emory be CMU?  And CMU was ranked in the Top 25 last week?  Emory may be better than some would like to believe.  At least at home.

[Jacketfan2011]

Opps.  Fast fingers are a curse.... sometimes,

Be=  beat.

[Pat Coleman]

So Emory be CMU?  And CMU was ranked in the Top 25 last week?  Emory may be better than some would like to believe.  At least at home.

Right, at least at home for sure.

Guilford is the only team Emory has lost to at home.

[nobody]

I am pretty surprised that Chicago won 2 this weekend, but they just found a way to get it done.

[Rhodes Scholar]

Chicago looked very good today against NYU. The Maroons dominated from the start and while the Violets did make a run in the second half to cut the lead to eight, Chicago quickly took complete control again. Matt Corning had an outstanding game, scoring from all over the court. Chicago had excellent ball movement and executed on offense, and also played good defense with very few lapses.

NYU was competitive on Friday night against Washington University, but looked horrible today. They were simply outclassed. The only Violet who played well was John Mish. He is the only NYU player who can play with his back to the basket.

[Hugenerd]

So Emory be CMU?  And CMU was ranked in the Top 25 last week?  Emory may be better than some would like to believe.  At least at home.

Right, at least at home for sure.

Guilford is the only team Emory has lost to at home.

Emory has a huge home court advantage.  The gym they play in is really "unique", for lack of a better word.  You really need to play on the floor a lot to get a feel for it.  This is mainly for two reasons, the gym is in a structure the size of an airplane hangar with no curtains hung up during games (which can give you a weird perspective on shots), and their floor is (or was 3 years ago when I last played on it) filled with dead spots and can really throw off your play if you arent used to it.  Anyway, I guess whatever works.  Two solid wins for EU this weekend.

[Pat Coleman]

New No. 1 team named.

[martin]

New No. 1 team named.

I think there is a high probability that Pat will post this message again next week. 

[Pat Coleman]

Perhaps. But I might use a different font.

[Greek Tragedy]

UAA faithful...

Not meaning to start anything, but this was posted in the MWC page.  Just curious if you could give us some insight.

So I went to yesterday's Brandeis - Wash U game, and wasn't at all impressed with either team. Both teams looked very sloppy on offense, and Brandeis' defense was downright atrocious. Brandeis had some good shooters, and Wash U's big man was pretty impressive, but nothing beyond what I've seen in the Alex in past years from good Carroll and Ripon teams, and I think Braier's final team could have handled both teams with relative ease. Although I don't know about both teams at the same time...

[martin]

UAA faithful...

Not meaning to start anything, but this was posted in the MWC page.  Just curious if you could give us some insight.

So I went to yesterday's Brandeis - Wash U game, and wasn't at all impressed with either team. Both teams looked very sloppy on offense, and Brandeis' defense was downright atrocious. Brandeis had some good shooters, and Wash U's big man was pretty impressive, but nothing beyond what I've seen in the Alex in past years from good Carroll and Ripon teams, and I think Braier's final team could have handled both teams with relative ease. Although I don't know about both teams at the same time...

Chicago and Wash were instrumental in starting the UAA.  Wash did not want to associate with the SLIAC rabble.  Chicago wanted to get away from the MWC rabble.  Why should we dirty ourselves now? 

[Mr. Ypsi]

And (fess up, Martin) Chicago was afraid they couldn't compete in the CCIW!

[martin]

And (fess up, Martin) Chicago was afraid they couldn't compete in the CCIW!

I got the impression that the CCIW had an even higher rabble content than the MWC. 

UofC may have been afraid of the bad influence of regular interaction with the evil doers who wear the colors of the Wheaton Sonic Disturbance (nee Crusaders).  I have to admit that I would never gained admission to Wheaton.  I would have a hard time coming up with a pastor's letter.  Do you think they would take an autographed copy of "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins instead?     

Seriously, the concept of "peer institutions" is big with the UAA schools - and Chicago and Wash are the hardest core on this subject.  I believe the other schools, which may have not been fully sold on the concept before, are embracing it more and more.  They think it reflects well on the school and helps in general recruting - not just for athletics.  Any of the schools can say we are just like these other seven schools.

I think the only other D3 schools which fit profile of a UAA school are MIT, Johns Hopkins, CalTech and maybe Tufts.  All, except Tufts, are members of the Association of American Univerisities (AAU).  CalTech is too far away - and too uncompetitive.  Only 615 men and 249 women.  Too small a pool of nerds. 

Tufts is more like a UAA school than the liberal arts colleges that make up the NESCAC.  Tufts has massive graduate programs in biology and medicine - but weak in other areas.  I think that is what keeps it out of the AAU. 

I would like to see MIT and Hopkins join the UAA.  I think Hopkins would have to change its outlook and commit to the UAA fully - which I doubt will happen.

BTW, the only athletic conferences with all its member also members of the AAU are the UAA and Big Te1n.  Dartmouth keeps the Ivy League from making that claim.  Only 62 schools in the AAU - so the UAA and Big Te1n make up almost a third of the members.  Chicago is still a member of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation along with the Big Te1n schools. I think the CIC needs Chicago and its resources more than Chicago needs the CIC.  The CIC was a big reason why Penn State joined the Big Te1n - which gave a new spelling for 11.  Everyone at Notre Dame, except the football program, wanted to join the Big Te1n - and become a member of the CIC.  Touchdown Jesus won that debate.

Does anyone know if the UAA has looked into forming an academic adjunct like the CIC?

[Jacketfan2011]

Wasn't Hopkins a member of the UAA until fairly recently?  I seem to remember a UR tour leader saying the UAA was called the "Nerdy Nine", but that changed to the "Egghead Eight" when Hopkins left.