MBB: Northwest Conference

Keandre · January 12, 2012, 01:38:57 PM

PLU played the best game I have ever seen them play. Give them credit. They made big plays and UPS could not get it going. They won't be able to shoot like that at UPS. I am looking forward to seeing this weekends games unfold. Lunt will have his boys ready for sure.

(509)Rat · January 13, 2012, 10:35:11 AM

They shot worse from 3 than they have been all season. Did UPS press? That would explain a higher than normal FG%.

But PLU's shooting %'s have nothing to do with the fact that Gittens was 1-6 with 4 points and 3 boards. Or the fact that several UPS bench players hucked up more shots than a few of the starters that should be doing the "hucking"...

etule · January 13, 2012, 02:10:29 PM

PLU plays pretty good defense! UPS just could not find the right combination. UPS looked flat! That being said they have talent and will win a lot of games!
PLU has played well all year and they(UPS) caught them on a night that they were on! I agree with Keandre , give PLU credit they are pretty good!
They did press some not really a factor but it did make for some open shots!

Keandre · January 13, 2012, 02:29:15 PM

With being ranked in the nation, it comes with getting every teams best that night. They want to knock you off and show they belong. With that said, when you are ranked, you have to know that you are getting each teams best and there is a sense of urgency on the ranked teams part to execute and play at a high level. That night, UPS did not have that urgency and PLU did, especially coming off a weekend where they lost 2 at home. UPS is very good and talented, they wil win a lot of games but they cannot just show up and win, they have to play hard which is what got them to this point. There were games where Gittens didn't score much or didn't play much and UPS still won. They are deep and have the best bench in the league. Very excited to see this weekends games. Who has the predictions?

(509)Rat · January 14, 2012, 12:28:25 AM

Got busy tonight. Sorry to let you down Keandre, I'll have predictions for tomorrow nights games.

PLU is about to beat LC. I'm gonna dig my old post but I believe I said something about LC having to fight PLU for a playoff spot. Where are the Pio fans at?

(509)Rat · January 14, 2012, 01:14:03 AM

Whitworth wins 65-55

Impressed with Pacific. Very patient team. Had some nice half court sets, got some great looks. Just didn't have the horses to keep up with the Pirates.

Lassisi needs to settle down. Great player, but hasnt been very consistent lately. He makes some plays where you realize that nobody else belongs in the same gym as him from an athletic standpoint. Then he turns the ball over a few times and takes a few bad shots. If he can cut back on the mistakes and Whitworth gets healthy I like their chances to make a nice playoff run. The way they've played lately though makes me wonder if they can get past CMS??? Oh well, plenty of season left

(509)Rat · January 14, 2012, 01:46:15 PM

UPS v George Fox
Gittens has no excuse in this one. GF gets all of its production from it's guards, and I'd say that GF has an advantage there. But Shelton, Jobe, and Gittens should be too much for the GF frontcourt to contain. UPS wins.

Pacific v Whitman
Bad match-up for the Boxers on the second night of the dreaded Eastern Washington trip. Whitman dictates the pace, Pacific gets really uncomfortable, Whitman wins.

Linfield v Whitworth
Wouldn't be shocked if this is close for 30-35 minutes. Despite Linfield being 1-4 in conference play, they seem to be improving. They were in 2 games recently that I would have thought they had no business keeping close (LC and Whitman). All that said, Whitworth is still the most talented team in the conference and Logie has proven to be a capable coach (we'll see how his recruiting stacks up over the next couple of seasons). Whitworth cruises late.

Willamette v LC
Sorry Willamette, while I think LC is the biggest underachiever in the NWC, the Bearcats aren't going to pick up their first conference "W" tonight. LC in a route.

playball · January 14, 2012, 01:55:41 PM

I like your picks Rat. I'll jump on your pick bandwagon since they seem bulletproof.

My Cats ALMOST pulled it off last night! I figured that if they could pull this one off and then possibly sweep this next weekend that fourth spot just might be there. Real close, and putting it together. Lets hopefully see a second half surge after next weekend.

Bearcat Press · January 14, 2012, 02:38:37 PM

Heartbreaking loss for Willamette last night. Malley was using quickness to get to the rim at will, and Dart was punishing Fox down low with his size. But Taylor's baseline jumber with time running out was so bad that it went all the way over the rim to a Fox player on the other side who put it in for the tie. Then with a chance to hold for the last shot in overtime, Trevor Bos gets called for an over-and-back. Ugly stuff.

(509)Rat · January 14, 2012, 05:54:30 PM

Quote from: playball on January 14, 2012, 01:55:41 PM
I like your picks Rat. I'll jump on your pick bandwagon since they seem bulletproof.

My Cats ALMOST pulled it off last night! I figured that if they could pull this one off and then possibly sweep this next weekend that fourth spot just might be there. Real close, and putting it together. Lets hopefully see a second half surge after next weekend.

Pretty easy slate of games to pick but anything could happen. I would have laughed at anyone who said PLU would take Whit into OT...

playball · January 14, 2012, 08:13:24 PM

No David Micheals in the Whitman Linfield boxscore...Hurt?

(509)Rat · January 15, 2012, 01:06:46 AM

Whitworth escapes 65-61. Batiuk is the best freshman in the conference. He's a tough matchup since he shoots so well from outside, but Whitworth's perimeter D needs to improve across the entire lineup (maybe with the exception of Lassisi). Opponents are hitting 43% of their shots from behind the arc, and tonight was no different. Tough weekend for the Wildcats, but if they can continue to play as well as they have lately then they'll finish a game or 2 away from making the playoffs. That is pretty remarkable considering the hole they've dug themselves. All that being said, I don't think the Wildcats will play consistently enough to do so. I think there will be a bad loss or two against teams they should beat (GF, Pacific, Will).

Whitman handled Pacific 81-66

George Fox beat UPS 86-80. Didn't see this coming, but I gotta say I feel a slight tingling in my loins. Can't wait to hear what excuse Keandre tries to use this week. My money is on "team-wide flu". Playball, what's your guess?

LC beats Willamette 87-74

BruinFan · January 15, 2012, 11:39:50 AM

I have to admit I follow the NWC very casually on the men's side and had no idea that UPS was ranked in the top 25. Now that they are 3-3 in conference I'm wondering from the regulars on this board if the voters have got it wrong. I suspect they will drop out of the poll on Monday, but I think they should have never broke into the rankings in the first place.

I think their 10-0 start had a lot to do with breaking into the rankings, so I looked up the current overall records of the 8 teams they played to go 10-0 (playing Portland Bible and Evergreen State twice each). I could not find a record for New Hope Christian out of Eugene, OR, so the combined record of the other 7 teams is currently 31-74. U-W River Falls (12-4) and Pacific (8-7) are the only teams currently over .500 from that opening 10 game schedule.

Do they have players out with injuries right now? I don't know why the Loggers were ranked other than a deceiving 10-0 record from a soft schedule.

It looks like another exciting year in the Northwest Conference where you have to play well every game or the underdog is going to beat you.

(509)Rat · January 15, 2012, 12:14:38 PM

When you combine a good program with a name that the d3.com games recognize and a soft schedule like you alluded to, you get a top 25 ranking. With the success of UPS, LC, and Whitworth over the last 7-8 years I think the NWC is regarded as one of the better conferences in the country. That helped UPS too.

As far as I know UPS isn't dealing with any major injuries. Pacific was dealt a big blow at the beginning of the season and Whitworth has 2 starters and a key bench guy (all forwards) currently out. Aside from that I haven't heard of any other big losses in the conference.

You watch the GF v UPS game last night? Looked like Gittens got his but UPS couldn't stop Taylor, Sanchez, Grant, etc. Of course box scores never tell the whole story. George Fox also led basically the entire game (as much as 21) so it doesn't seem like it was a "fluke".

BruinFan · January 15, 2012, 12:37:27 PM

Quote from: (509)Rat on January 15, 2012, 12:14:38 PM

You watch the GF v UPS game last night? Looked like Gittens got his but UPS couldn't stop Taylor, Sanchez, Grant, etc. Of course box scores never tell the whole story. George Fox also led basically the entire game (as much as 21) so it doesn't seem like it was a "fluke".

Thanks for the response. I did not see enough of the game to provide any insights to how it played out. George Fox did maintain a healthly lead throughout the game, but struggled to close it out as UPS made a late run.