MBB: Northwest Conference

[NWC bball fan]

If Chase Curtis would have won player of the year, it would have been as bad as when Matt Glynn won it over Brian Depew!  Glynn was a decent player on a good system, but that is it!  Depew was a much better player! 

Fortunately for the rest of the league, UPS's system is not as strong or intimidating this year.  Don't be so sure that those senior will be hoping for a Pool C bid!  Just remember that the games are won and lost on the court and not in your head Blawkawk.

[nwhoops1903]

i thought this would be close but this is tooo close...< 1 min left

and its a 4 pt game!!  peche hits both ff...thats poty clutch.

go Pirates

[pineconefan]

Willamette deserves a lot a credit tonight.  Olinger came to play and had a great game.  Those last two threes were clutch.  Stuvland was still MIA offensively, but was solid on defense.  The Willamette big guys played much better than they did in the first visit to Spokane and almost were the difference.  But it was still too much Pecht and Tucker for the Pirates.  Willamette had to guard one of them with either Miller or Olinger and that's just too tough of a match up.  I think both Pecht and Tucker got 75-80% of their points posting up. 

Hoping for a great game on Saturday.  Bob C. wasn't there tonight (Chuck Debruen - blast from the past), so I don't know if he'll be calling the game Saturday.  I hope so.

[bearcatsfan3]

Tough, tough way to end the year for Willamette....really was surprised by BWilliams missing the FT with 3.9 left, giving WU one last chance at the tie...only to see them turn the ball over...

In the end, Whitworth was simply a better basketball team...WU could not find consistent ways to exploit their 3 smalls vs. 3 bigs, and Whitworth did...expect a big battle Saturday for the AQ bid to the NCAA's...think Whitworth is now a strong POOL C candidate, but they probably should be thinking win the AQ and don't worry about a committee deciding your fate...

As for my Bearcats, a solid performance this season.  13-3 in the NWC is very admirable.  Johnny O, Luchterhand, Garrelts, Miller, and JBaran all will be missed next season, but expect the backcourt of Erickson (who looked very good tonight against Williams) Stuvland, and Fife to help WU be back in the thick of things next season...

I see a 100-98, or 102-97 game tonight, and I'm going with the Loggers, simply because they are at home...Whitworth will not go quietly, very good basketball team.

[nwhoops1903]

Solid game..solid win for WW.  I do think the better team won and I am glad to see WU show up with a strong effort.  I thought it would be higher scoring but both teams played strong defense all 40 minutes, and that rarely happens.  I think CJ helped make my case about first team though....1-9 from 3 pt...he was the only WU not on his top game.  JO was incredible and goes out with head high...class act.

Good job to Coach Hayford and his staff for having WW ready and to beat a good team 3 times in one season...and 6 times in a row.  WU got 8 more shots but WW had only 9 TO's.  Bucs played good D and protected the basketball, a true recipe for success.

Tucker just owned WU this year and Peche delivered, Young made big shots, BWilliams played well 7-1 ratio(but that miss at 3.7 was unclutch), Hasenfus can't foul out Sat.  WW bench will need to do better if they are to beat UPS, fortunately Jones plays best in an uptempo game.

See ya there Sat

[blackhawks4]

Much congratulations and respect for willamette this year.  Nobody expected them to go this far...they really overachieved and exceeded expectations.

As for WW, no chance in Tacoma.  And based on UPS's past 2 performances, I see them sailing to an AQ bid (--I like that)...I say Loggers by 17.  97-80...WW will run with 'em too.   UPS is fresh and at home and playing their best ball of the season.  Whitworth has a long trip to make and a war to fight on someone else's turf on beat up legs.  Bring on Pecht!!!!  In the biggest games the biggest players step up, and I wanna see who leads their team to victory. 

[pineconefan]

BH - I am not sure that Whitworth's legs will be all that affected.  The fact that our teams normally play two nights in a row means that Whitworth has an extra day to rest.  In the IIAC BV played a tough home game against Luther, then went to #1 Wartburg and beat them after Wartburg had the first round off.  Sometimes getting that game in first helps you.

Adam Morrison sighting at the Fieldhouse last night.  It was funny watching the kids surround him after the game for autographs.  He's actually been out to a couple games a year each of the last three seasons to support B. Williams, but this is the first year he is THE Adam Morrison.

[bbaddict]

Actually I agree with pineconefan -- Whitworth's legs shouldn't be affected since the game against WU wasn't that fast paced.  Also, it's not a huge road trip, since Hayford flies his team -- what is that, an hour flight?

Not sure what happened to CJ last night, but that was not representative of his play.  Give it up already -- the coaches vote on those players for All Conference and really -- they don't get money or medals for it -- just bragging rights.  There are a lot of really good players in this conference that didn't even get Honorable Mention.  That happens every year and they all get over it.

I think Whitworth will beat UPS.   Neither team last night played as well as I've seen them play this year.  It's amazing to me that Whitworth only won by 3 for as poorly as Willamette was shooting, it should have been a much bigger score difference.  But, then again, Willamette plays good defense -- seems to me that UPS's strength is offense, though, so it will be close, but Hayford's bunch will prevail.  They're ready and they play the same kind of rough, traveling ball that UPS does, so they'll fit right in.

Nice touch by Whitworth to reserve seats for Willamette fans.  Bad form by some of the Whitworth parents to ignore it.  True that they weren't needed, but they were seated way before that was apparent.

And what's with the fact that Gordie got more cheers, than Jim in his own house when they introduced the coaches.  Your fans should be ashamed.  Look what he's done with that program.

So, it's a less than a perfect year with Willamette out, but it could be better if Whitworth wins the AQ & UPS has the championship.    Go Bucs!

P.S.  Kind of like those NFL shirts that say "Anybody but Dallas!"

[David Collinge]

UPS 49
Whitworth 29
18:00 2nd

[David Collinge]

Whitworth is back in it.

UPS 73
Whitworth 66
5:17 2nd

[David Collinge]

UPS has survived the comeback attempt.

UPS 94
Whitworth 86
Final

[Loggerville]

congrats to a great group of sr. who go out with a home win and a third consecutive NWC crown; you have done yourself and your school proud!  bring on the NCAA's....

[nwhoops1903]

My congrats to UPS for knocking down their 3's...15-30 and 11 more free throws.  Whitworth tried to climb that mountain but it was just to high.  Not complaining just saying UPS played the game they had to play to win and they did.  Curtis and his big emotion were huge.  I think He showed he was the best player on the court AT UPS.

Home advantage was huge and WW knew it going in and fought back to get it to 4.  I really thought if they had pulled even...the crowd might have been too stunned to bring em back...needless to say UPS guards didn't need a crowd and pushed the lead back over 10 with clutch makes from deep.

Both coaches used all they had and all their timeouts with 3 min to go and after that the frenzy that is UPS was the difference.  Congrats to UPS and EB..hats off to Curtis. 

WW should be proud of the way they played.  I am proud of the effort and although not their best, it was what happens against UPS.  Who really sets an offense against them in Tacoma anyway? 

WW will not get a pool C most likely and that is a shame, not just for their players and coaches or fans, but for the NWC family.  I wish a miracle is announced because WW did show themselves to be a team with skill and heart.

Good Luck UPS and God Bless the pool C.

[blackhawks4]

NWChoops 1903:

"Mark my words.....Whitworth will not lose to UPS if they get the chance to play them, regardless of the court"

OK...Im markin it...

And ups punked you'all so much i thought ashton kutcher was gonna pop up on the court....

CHASE CURTISS goes for 28-14 and 9  in the biggest game of the year...28-14-and 9

28_14 and 9

28-14 and 9

28-14 and 9

28 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists

Pecht...take your POTY and sit at home next week while chase and ups play  for another ncaa title....

its a sham... we all  know it is....

curtiss got 5 first place nwc votes....how does he finish 2nd for poty?

that means somebody...aka skip, harshman, hayford. doty screwed him....

28-14 and 9 in the biggest game of the year...

28-14 and 9 in the biggest game of the year...

I know its only one game....The Biggest game ofg the year....


Where was Pecht...the POTY?? 14 and 7?  Comeon?

28-14 and 9 in the biggest game of the year??

Chase gets screwed for POTY... again...but it dont matter...hes playin next weekend...

HES A WINNER....WISH FOR ONCE THE COACHES WOULD VOTE FOR A WINNER FOR POTY instead of holding grudges...

[blackhawks4]

its a shame and an embarrassement to the nwc that pecht won nwc poty....

ill repeat...

its a shame and an embarrassement to the nwc that pecht won nwc poty....

the best player on the team is brian williams...and against ups... he is a turnover machine...both games

john young is terrified of pressure...and we saw that all 6 game hes played against ups..cant catch the ball and scared when he does...

james jones looked like kobe again tonight...is that only against ups?

antoine williams came up big...only a frosh...have fun the next 3 years nwc....

tucker looked good...

thanx for signin up to post ww bandwagon...see you next year...

bball addcit..you still ridin shotgun???

nwc...i got your baby seat in the back....my child locks are still on though

gotta go recycle my baby powder bottle 'cause we just spanked ww's @$$ again...

28...14...and 9...when's the last time we've seen that???

28...14...and 9...when's the last time we've seen that???

Rule #76...No excuses..play like a champion...

The biggest and best players show up when everything is on the line...Curtiss was there...Where was Pecht?

28-14 and 9...

P.S...Was Depew the only player in the "04 class to play pro?  Didn't think so...Just askin...

44 and 4 in 3 years....