MBB: Northwest Conference

[Keandre]

(509)RAT

So if PLU wins a half and UPS wins a half, does that count as a game between them? I sure hope so because I feel they both can get a half in.

[(509)Rat]

I'm sure the league can make some sort of participation award for the Tacoma schools. Maybe give each of them an honorary win at the end of the season that they can share if they can take a half from Whitworth.

[A Buc Forever]

Playball and Keandre:

Letting your emotions for other teams and allegiance to your teams is not the best way to make picks!  Makes upsets more fun, but makes Buc look smarter than he is. LOL

Dont worry Playball and Keanre, I vote my emotions also.  I'm just lucky to be a Pirate fan. When it comes to NWC basketball you're happy 90% of the time if you root for the good guys from Spokane. You gotta admit, the Pirates are such all around good guys you just can't help loving them even if they aren't your team.

Weird night.  WW did not handle UPS like I thought they should have.  That said, they played good fundamental defense and won the game when they couldn't hit the broadside of a barn.

LC lucked one out and Pacific got a little luck too.  Bridgeland must be stroking out right now.

[playball]

Playball and Keandre:

Letting your emotions for other teams and allegiance to your teams is not the best way to make picks!  Makes upsets more fun, but makes Buc look smarter than he is. LOL

TMT, I have to find a way to get some good mojo in Tacoma!!!!! Whether that makes Buc look smarter, I am willing to do it.
[/quote]

Well, you must have a very good system on how to predict games, because the conference this year is very unpredictable!  I'm shocked that Whitman lost last night. 

Keandre, I like your thinking about PLU and UPS adding up their scores in order to be competitive.  Maybe if they will add up wins...    

[(509)Rat]

2 OT games, PLU wins, UPS hangs with Whitworth for 39 minutes...I need to stop picking games. They make me look and feel dumber and dumber every week.

Fox is all of a sudden on the edge of the playoff picture. Tied with Whitman for 4th. But, if it's any consolation to the Bruins, they aren't the only ones who have to make the Eastern Washington trip. LC and Pac will join them. Willamette really needed that win last night against the Boxers. With as inconsistent as they've played this year, they're too far out of it at this point to sneak into the playoffs.

[(509)Rat]

Whitworth escapes Tacoma with 2 wins. Beat PLU tonight 71-68 (if I remember correctly). It was the second night in a row where Whitworth couldn't stop an opposing player from getting points in bunches. Schilling had 25. I didn't feel like Whitworth played a great game, but have no way of knowing how they stacked up in the box score since PLU doesn't know what live stats or a box score is. They also don't have a write-up on their site yet. Guess I'm getting spoiled by the Pirates SID...at least the rest of the conference caught up with live video awhile back so I can still watch road games...

[A Buc Forever]

Even when PLU and UPS are not playoff teams, coming out of Tacoma with two wins is always a challenge.  They weren't dominant wins, but the league record is still unblemished.

Two teams ahead of Whitworth in the national rankings lost.  Whitworth could go up to #2.

[(509)Rat]

Rochester will be 1 as long as they win tonight. UST should only drop to #2 with Midd losing. Whitworth will most likely only move up to #3.

It will be interesting to see what the d3hoops gang does with Midd, Williams, and Amherst. Amherst is a top the conference but they and Williams have 2 losses. Amherst won head to head though. Midd only has 1 loss, but has played a terrible schedule and lost to Williams this weekend. I'd put them behind WPI and then rank them Amherst, Williams, Midd. And I'd probably put them all behind UWSP. NCC is going to fall quite a few spots and I'd expect IWU to jump up 6-7 spots from #16. NCC SHOULD drop below IWU now that they have the same number of losses and a head to head loss to the Titans. But you typically don't see changes that large in top 25 polls...so who knows.

I'd probably jump an undefeated WPI over Whitworth too, if they make it through their conference unscathed. But that's a long ways down the road.

[Keandre]

PLU beat Whitman and Puget Sound won the first half against Whitworth, that is all that was good that happened in Tacoma. Puget Sound has a few young kids and new players that are getting some valuable lessons in the NWC, they still have a chance to spoil some teams playoff hopes by going 6-0 their last 6 games! They wil lbeat PLU and Wil this week, and go 4-0 against LC, Pacific, Linfield and Fox at home. They will finish on a strong note! Who agrees with me lol?

[TryMeTeam]

Playball:
Been waiting for the accolades from you raining down on Hollins and LC, especially after what they did to your Wildcats!  You have to give Hollins credit (even if you don't want to) for their turnaround, especially with no bigs.  Starting 0-2 and 1-3 and now winning 6 in a row to be all alone in 2nd place, well, what do you have to say about that?   Must be painful!


I keep thinking someone is going to get Worth, but they just keep on rolling.  I thought PacU might be ready for a run, then they lose to Fox at home.  But Fox is pretty good this year, surprisingly.  Willamette is hanging in there, but I don't see them making the top 4.

So, it looks like LC, Whtmn, GF and PacU fighting for the last 3 spots in the tourny.  Nice to see the OR teams up in the standings and thinking playoffs this year!   

[playball]

Also, forgot to give credit where credit is due.  Great game by Hollins last week.  Scored 36 and it looked efficient on the box score.

And you mean by LC beating a Batuik-less Linfield and Hollins going for 7 and 5 on 2-8 shooting?  I am surprised about this little run LC has put together, but the Linfield game is not one that exemplifies a teams dominance or upswing at this point.  Batuik is as everyone knows the main cog in that offense even without him shooting.  LC was o-k at best, and Linfield was just plain bad.

Hollins overall has shot 40.5% fg and 28.1% from the 3 point line.   

LC is playing some good basketball but will go 0-2 this weekend on the eastern swing which will put them at 7-5.  There is a lot of parity in the league this year and its still up in the air who makes playoffs.  If/when LC does that, then I will give them the credit the earned.  I still hold on to that those #'s need to go up for Hollins to be considered very good.

[TryMeTeam]

I was gone all weekend and didn't realize that Batuik was out.  Is he hurt?  How long will he be out?  That is just not good news for a team already struggling.  I wanted to get it in before they head NE because I agree with you.  They might go 1-1, but more realistically 0-2.

Just messing with you!  I know you give credit when and where you see it.  My point is that they started playing better about the time he came back.   

[playball]

Ive heard it is just a nagging injury and hopefully will be a short absence.

[A Buc Forever]

Rat is correct.  WW #3.

[A Buc Forever]

Guilty pleasure of the week besides the malted toffee coffee ice cream--UPS, Linfield, PLU all together in the cellar.