MBB: Northwest Conference

[bbaddict]

Of course the stats bear out your story -- but I was there!!  The stats don't show traveling calls or lack thereof.  Your Antwan rolls around the floor with the ball & they get to call a timeout or he passes it -- no travel?  And WU's guys would head to the basket with 2 or 3 players all over them -- no foul, but at the other end, we'd get what you so kindly refer to as a ticky tacky foul.  The other stat that never shows up is when the color blind refs gives possession to the team who knocked it out. 

OK, OK -- I'll take some cheese with my whine!!  WU had an "off" night & the Loggers played well.  But, it still isn't over, so don't start cheering about the Conference Championship.  Regular season just gets you there -- you still have to win it.

[SpooH SreggoL]

BHawks: 

Are you really going to let this guy ride shotgun?  Might be a long ride to Wisconsin with him in your ear.


bbaddict: 

Another loss might not affect the standings, but I think you're walking into a trap game tonight.  Fox has been playing better recently and something tells me Schmick is going out in a blaze of glory with three fingers held high. 

[blackhawks4]

The game was officiated fine. Regardless, in a 25 point blowout the officials don't have much to do with it.  And it seemed every bit of that 25. 

Bottom line:

Willamette shoots 42% and turns the ball over 25 times.

McVey 30 and 15 on the biggest night of the season.  Curtiss 21 and 8 assists?! 6 boards.  What about Jason Foster...16 off the bench, hittin the floor hard and boardin.

Hope loggers put it away early tonight.

Whitworth:  Continue to flop on McVey next week.  It's your only chance of stopping him (you saw what happened when willamette tried to stop him)-- if he stays out of foul trouble.

Bearcatsfan...hell of a job by James this year, but I just don't see how you guys can win @ ww...talentwise it just seems to me that you're overmatched.  Do you agree?   

[bbaddict]

Bhawks:  Of course it was fine in your neutral position of what was.   Wouldn't expect that you would have noticed any problems with the stripes.  Did they really shoot 42%?  That's amazing with all the bodies hanging on them and smacking at them.  Better than I thought.  It'd be really fun if Linfield was the spoiler tonight, but it's probably not going to happen.   Yeah --- the 25 turnovers are a reflection of the traveling calls, and blind ref moments that I was talking about.  It's OK -- that one's on the books.  It's just not over yet.

Spooh:  WU knows that Fox is a tough place to play, but Schmick isn't as great as he imagines himself.  That #24 (Satern) is the one to worry about & Szalay on the boards.  Pretty sure the Bearcats will win it tonight.   GFU will definitely put up a fight.

Could be interesting night for Whitworth though -- playing Pacific in their dark gym.  Pacific beat Whitman last night & Whitworth hasn't played since Tuesday.

[blackhawks4]

You're ridiculous.  It was a 25 point blowout!  Why are you wasting space complaining about the refs?  It was 30 with a minute to go and our go-to-guys out.   

Bball Addict:  It is over.  WW or WU will not beat UPS in Tacoma.  It's over.

[NWC bball fan]

Look at the stats for the Whitworth/UPS game at Spokane!!! McVey had one foul!!  So where was all this flopping taking place??  Tell me please!!  That is such a stupid comment.  Get over it!!  McVey did have his first two shots shoved back in his face.  Is that your definition of a flop? 

[blackhawks4]

is it really 46-15?  loggers have put it together...see you saturday whitworth

[bearcatsfan3]

#1: I knew it was a mistake to wait until work today to post again...I leave, come back, and a) "It's all over" and b) I don't know how to use quotation marks (my fault nwhoops, I was implying that you're ridiculous post about UPS/WU loser fearing whitworth was [insert synonym for stupid] and [insert synonym for outrageous], and by using the made up quotation, was summarizing your claim with an equally poor phrase...

#2: As for the game, I watched in horror from the upper level of Memorial Fieldhouse as WU turned in a pitiful performance...and UPS played emotionally and physically inspired. The Bearcats were undone by McVey and Curtiss' energy level, and their own lack of toughness with the ball (contrary to fellow fan bbadict's claim, WU was simply too soft with the ball, and failed to be tough around the rim)...were there some questionable calls? Absolutely, but there always are, and this game was not decided by officiating...

#3: BHawks, you've got reason to feel confident, but I'm sure you're not suggesting that one below average performance defines a player's season...if so, then we'd better drop Curtiss from the POY and 1st team race, because Chase tanked at Whitworth and at Willamette during the season (7-29 with 7 turnovers in the two games)...Olinger was 5-8 friday, but had 5 turnovers...a poor game for him, but do you really want to just throw the "torch" around? "I don't even want to hear it."

#4: Willamette rebounded nicely with a tough win at a GFox team that was playing on senior night, with a group of seniors who had never beaten Willamette in their career...a 79-76 victory.

#5: WU at Whitworth...not ideal travel for Willamette this week, facing a Spokane/Tacoma doubleheader...apparently they should just save themselves the trouble, and let Whitworth/UPS meet in Tacoma...what a joke...check your history nwhoops...2002, WU defeats Whitworth twice in the regular season, only to have Pirates dance on their face in Salem in conference tourney...It is tough to beat someone 3 times in a season...

[bearcatsfan3]

BHawks, you can calm down a bit

EB gets Coach of the Year (deserving)

But, Pecht gets POY...not a bad choice, but I'm not sure a team that wins its 3rd Conference title in a row doesn't deserve to have the POY, especially when it has two worthy candidates...

OXY loses the SCIAC to CMS, does that mean the NWC champ will host an early round game?

Congrats to Olinger and Stuvland on their 1st team honors as well...

Pinecone, where are you? I'd much rather listen to you explain to me how Whitworth's gameplan or execution will beat WU again, than read through nwhoops' "helpless" and "pathetic" rants (I wonder if those quotes work)...

[bbaddict]

OK - OK, WU had a pathetic game at UPS last Friday, but it's not going to happen again.  They've beat Linfield & GFU on their senior nights, but it wasn't happening with UPS, which by the way, wasn't Senior Night -- it was Player night!  Who has those?

Don't think it matters how the team finishes for the POY or for All Conference teams -- I think they just go on stats.  Pecht deserves it -- probably a couple of others do too, it was probably close.  What I don't understand is how McVey beat Szalay in the Post position.  That position should be about blocks & rebounding, not scoring.  And Szalay can't be beat in those areas.  He got ripped off.

I'm pretty sure that Whitworth is more worried about WU than UPS.  Beating a team 3 times in a season will be tough.  And it definitely isn't over!  Thanks bearcats for backing me up on that!  Let's not forget that both WU & Whitworth have beaten UPS this season -- not like previous years when they seemed unstoppable. 

So -- is there snow in Spokane?  Go Bearcats!

[blackhawks4]

No...definitely not, one game doesn't define a season.  But on the other hand, this was a highly anticipated one-on-one matchup, in the biggest game of the year for the conference championship.  And on Friday night, Cutriss lit Olinger up.

At least thankful bearcats is back for some intelligent viewpoints on friday night's game.

I got whitworth too thursday night.  I realize it would be 3 times in a season, but it is in spokane, against a more talented team, that is very hot.

Watch out for UPS though.  Did they finally put it together witha blowout win a against wu and then destroying linfield.  UPS hasn't done that all year!

Pecht was deserving, but I don't think more so than curtiss.  I agree with bearcats when he says, "I'm not sure a team that wins its 3rd Conference title in a row doesn't deserve to have the POY, especially when it has two worthy candidates..."

"What I don't understand is how McVey beat Szalay in the Post position.  That position should be about blocks & rebounding, not scoring.  And Szalay can't be beat in those areas.  He got ripped off."

???Bearcats is this worth responding to???  Fine, addict you take dikembe, ill take shaq.  Right, dikembe boards and blocks shots? 

Surprises..George Tucker-top guy 2nd team, nobody even mentioned him...
Wells...2nd team, well deserving
Stuvland-first team...with teams success he deserved it

[bearcatsfan3]

While I'm not going to throw my guy bbaddict completely under the bus (can't do that to a loyal Bearcat fan), I will guess that the Szalay thing must of been put out there just to get BHawks to put his head thru a wall...McVey vs. Szalay (from the three games I've seen, two vs. UPS and one vs. GFox) is NOT CLOSE...Szalay is a fine player who does the board work, but McVey is in another class athletically, and offensively...

It might be more along the lines of Shaq vs. Rik Smits...

Found it interesting that WU only got 2 players on the list, while Fox and Whitman (who WU swept, and finished way above in the standings) got three a piece...now, I'm not saying guys like Ricker and HWeller weren't deserving of a HM, but Luchterhand had a nice year for WU as well...but, these things are often a matter of who even gets nominated, which coach gets along with another, who wants to help their own guys by voting for other guys, etc...

The real prize is decided Thursday and Saturday...

[formercat]

ouch UPS gets slapped in the face losing the POY award after winning the conference title again. McVey is better the Szalay, scott is tough and a hard worker, but not better than McVey. and will people stop reffering to how so and so beat Linfield, thats not saying much, we are no better than a JV team this year.     
UPS have any immediate impact recruits coming in next year? they may have a tougher time defending the championship next year. they have two players who will/could be good, williams & pickney, but other than that they have a lot of role players better suited to come off the bench. the talent of each UPS team has decreased since the first season they won the conference title, can bridgeland restock?

[pineconefan]

Formercat, I really don't think the POY was a slap at UPS.  I think what Bearcats said is true - UPS has two worthy candidate for POY and it could very well be that they split votes, which allowed Pecht to get into the top spot.  Which is not to say that Pecht is not deserving, because when you look at NWC-only stats especially, which I think the coaches do, he really stands out.

Overall I think the coaches did a pretty good job of selecting the team.  I was happy to see Tucker get in there where he did. He is one who does the hustle plays that don't often get into the box score.

It should be interesting on Thursday.  Yes it is difficult to beat a good team three times in one year.  And yes, I also remember 2002 when WU beat Whitworth twice in the regular season before the Pirates won handily in Salem in the playoffs.  One difference I would point out, however, is Whitworth's two losses that season were by three points and the Pirates had a shot to tie at the buzzer each time.  Willamette's two losses this season were by double figures each time. 

Bearcats, any idea what kind of support will be making the long trip to Spokane on Thursday?  Tougher to do during the week, but I read that they are letting students from both teams in free this year.

[bearcatsfan3]

Doubtful there will be many Bearcats in the stands on Thursday...maybe even low on the parent side of things, as midweek long trips tend to suck vacation time from the vault....I know most of us will have to rely on old Mike Allegre (sp?) and his WU broadcasts from Spokane...he does a great job promoting WU athletics (as well as some Valley League sports), so we won't be too far out of tune with what goes down Thursday night...

Good point about the point differential Pinecone...although, looking at the stats, that 02 Bearcats squad was not capable of shooting the ball at the clip this one is...granted, Whitworth has harassed Olinger, Stuvland, and company into some horrific performances this year, but any team that shoots the ball from 3 as well as Willamette does has a punchers chance at any time...

Pinecone, is this the best Whitworth team of the Hayford era? OR would you take the team that won the NWC title in 03?