2015 NCAA Tournament

[Gregory Sager]

This marks four straight years that the CCIW has sent a representative to the Final Four. My initial scan of the Final Four records shows that this is only the second time that a league has had a Final Four rep for four straight seasons, with the CCIW doing it from 1978 thru 1981 as well.

What's really remarkable is that the league's been repped in Salem over the past three years now by three different schools: North Central two seasons ago, Illinois Wesleyan last season, and Augustana this season.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

This just goes to show you that it pays to trust your instincts.  At the beginning of the year, the two teams I thought has the best chance to put together a great year: Augustana and Virginia Wesleyan.  Maybe the regular season doesn't count for much?

[Greek Tragedy]

UWSP 45
East Texas Baptist 28

Point was up 23-8 at halftime. Wow.

[Greek Tragedy]

Unbelievable night for Augustana. There aren't many words needed to describe that effort on both ends of the floor tonight.  Just one of those special nights.  Congrats to the team on a great accomplishment of making the Final Four and good luck.  See you in Salem!!!

62% from the field, 72% from 3pt....?  Send the game film of this one to Babson and dare them to show up . . .

If they're smart, they won't even look at it.

Point, VWC and Babson should just save their money and give Augie the Championship now, right?

[magicman]

Unbelievable night for Augustana. There aren't many words needed to describe that effort on both ends of the floor tonight.  Just one of those special nights.  Congrats to the team on a great accomplishment of making the Final Four and good luck.  See you in Salem!!!

62% from the field, 72% from 3pt....?  Send the game film of this one to Babson and dare them to show up . . .

If they're smart, they won't even look at it.

Point, VWC and Babson should just save their money and give Augie the Championship now, right?

If I was the coach of any of those teams I'd call up North Park and ask to see the game film of the January 31st 76-69 loss that the Parkers put on Augie that night.

[Pat Coleman]

Unbelievable night for Augustana. There aren't many words needed to describe that effort on both ends of the floor tonight.  Just one of those special nights.  Congrats to the team on a great accomplishment of making the Final Four and good luck.  See you in Salem!!!

62% from the field, 72% from 3pt....?  Send the game film of this one to Babson and dare them to show up . . .

If they're smart, they won't even look at it.

Point, VWC and Babson should just save their money and give Augie the Championship now, right?

If I was the coach of any of those teams I'd call up North Park and ask to see the game film of the January 31st 76-69 loss that the Parkers put on Augie that night.

I don't know which game he watched, but last night in the postgame news conference Babson's Joey Flannery said he'd watched an Augustana game online. Knew Hunter Hill by name.

[Greek Tragedy]

This marks four straight years that the CCIW has sent a representative to the Final Four. My initial scan of the Final Four records shows that this is only the second time that a league has had a Final Four rep for four straight seasons, with the CCIW doing it from 1978 thru 1981 as well.

What's really remarkable is that the league's been repped in Salem over the past three years now by three different schools: North Central two seasons ago, Illinois Wesleyan last season, and Augustana this season.

Quite an amazing feat, definitely, especially with 3 different teams in 3 years.

Unfortunately, things having gone too well for the CCIW, going 0-3 the last 3 years in the semis (obviously, not counting this year).


2014 IWU lost to eventual champ Whitewater in semis
2013 NCC lost to eventual champ Amherst in semis
2012 IWU lost to eventual runner-up Cabrini in semis

I suppose if Augustana loses to Babson, they have 2 in 3 shot of winning it then! 

[Ralph Turner]

UWSP 45
East Texas Baptist 28

Point was up 23-8 at halftime. Wow.

The UWSP announcers thought that the "ETBU meltdown" (I believe that was their words in the 2nd half) when the score was 9-6 favor of UWSP  that lasted until the end of the half was the difference. ETBU re-grouped at halftime. The announcers said that the 2nd half ETBU effort over 40 minutes would have made a great game.

I guess we can sum up this game as a team that "knows" how to get there beating a team that is learning.

[Gregory Sager]

I guess we can sum up this game as a team that "knows" how to get there beating a team that is learning.

That's one way to sum it up. Another would be to say that the team that "knows" how to get there knows that offense wins games, but defense wins championships. What UWSP has done at the defensive end of the floor over the past two weeks has been nothing short of amazing.

In their WIAC tourney first-round game, which UWSP lost, the Pointers held a UW-Oshkosh team that otherwise averaged 63.5 ppg to 50 points. But the Pointers were just getting warmed up. Here's what they've done in the D3 tourney thus far:

opponent	ppg before UWSP game	vs. UWSP
Concordia (WI)	76.3	56
Illinois Wesleyan	78.4	53
Emory	80.7	53
East Texas Baptist	76.2	28

That's just insanely good team defense.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Almost had a game today that surpassed the 73 point scorcher of UWSP-ETBU last night... the Sun Belt championship game today was Georgia St 38 Georgia Southern 36 for a grand total of 74.

[frodotwo]

I guess we can sum up this game as a team that "knows" how to get there beating a team that is learning.

That's one way to sum it up. Another would be to say that the team that "knows" how to get there knows that offense wins games, but defense wins championships. What UWSP has done at the defensive end of the floor over the past two weeks has been nothing short of amazing.

In their WIAC tourney first-round game, which UWSP lost, the Pointers held a UW-Oshkosh team that otherwise averaged 63.5 ppg to 50 points. But the Pointers were just getting warmed up. Here's what they've done in the D3 tourney thus far:

opponent	ppg before UWSP game	vs. UWSP
Concordia (WI)	76.3	56
Illinois Wesleyan	78.4	53
Emory	80.7	53
East Texas Baptist	76.2	28

That's just insanely good team defense.

UWSP's effort against the Tigers tied a 31 year old record set originally by coach Dick Bennett's team led by Terry Porter when they surrendered only 28 points to UW Milwaukee.

[Mr. Ypsi]

So tomorrow night in the Elite Eight, we've got:

Trinity (CT) @ Babson
Virginia Wesleyan @ Randolph-Macon
Marietta @ Augustana
East Texas Baptist @ UW-Stevens Point

I'd say Babson & RMC are the most likely to lose.  How many times do you play and beat a team 4 times in 1 season??  When's the last time that happened??

I'm pretty sure that it happens more often than a scenario in which a team beats an opponent three times and then loses to that opponent in the fourth contest between them.

Randolph-Macon beat Virginia Wesleyan by eight @ VWC, by three @ RMC, and by seven @ the Salem Civic Center in the ODAC championship game. All three games were close, but, when you get the same outcome three times in three tries, it tells you something about the comparative abilities of the two teams. At this point, RMC has clearly demonstrated that it's a better team than VWC. If the Marlins win tonight, it will have to be seen as a significant upset -- especially since the game will be played at RMC's Crenshaw Gym.

It may be rare, but just last season Amherst beat Williams by double-digits three straight times, before Williams absolutely demolished them in Salem.

(Sorry to respond so belatedly - just arrived back in town and am catching up on the boards.)

[Greek Tragedy]

Almost had a game today that surpassed the 73 point scorcher of UWSP-ETBU last night... the Sun Belt championship game today was Georgia St 38 Georgia Southern 36 for a grand total of 74.

In 1999 the Wisconsin Badgers lost to SW Missouri St 43-32 for a total of 75.

[Greek Tragedy]

Massey has Augustana winning 63% - 37% (67-64 score) and Stevens Point winning 65% - 35% (63-59 score)

[Greek Tragedy]

Is it NCAA.com doing the semis and CBS Sports doing the Final? All-Star game?