Wisconsin D3 Basketball Challenge

[Greek Tragedy]

I saw two barnburners on Saturday.

I dragged the wife to Madison to see the Stevens Point Pointers take on the Edgewood Eagles. Point came out of the gates fast and were up 7-0 in a blink of an eye. Edgewood weathered the storm and actually took the lead a little over 5 minutes into the 1st half. The hosts were up as many as 7 in the 1st half, thanks to the unstoppable force named JAKE SCHROECKENTHALER. Point did cut it to 3 at the break.

The 2nd half was tight throughout with neither team gaining more than a 2-4 point lead. Point looked to have sealed it with two FTs with less than a minute to go to push the lead to 6. However, Point imploded with back to back turnovers resulting in a quick layup and a 3 to cut their lead to 1. Edgewood fouled and Point hit the 1st FT, but missed the 2nd. Luckily, the visitors got the rebound and iced the game with two more FTs to push the lead to the final margin, 75-71.

A win is a win and I'll take a Pointer win any day. I was shocked that Jake Schroeckenthaler only had 17 points (and 14 rebounds). I thought for sure he was in the mid-20s the way he dominated Point's inside guys. One of Point's starting forwards committed two fouls on the "Big Jake" in the opening 15 seconds or so.

After the nerve-wrecking game in the Capitol, we headed to Whitewater to see them host CCIW foe North Central (IL). Those Helwig boys are the real deal with Matt scoring a game high 28 and Ethan chipping in with 20 and 10. It was a back and forth game. NCC seemed to get a jump on Whitewater, only for the hosts to battle back. NCC had a 10-point lead less than 5 minutes in, but the Warhawks battled back and actually took a 4-point lead going into the interval.

More of the same in the 2nd as the visitors seemingly pulled away only for Whitewater to regain their footing and make it a game. Like the Point/Edgewood game, the visitors nearly self-destructed. NCC had an 8 point lead with a little over a minute to go in the game, but Whitewater wouldn't go away. Whitewater cut it to one with less than 10 seconds to go. A turnover by NCC gave Whitewater a chance to win it. A missed shot and scrum under the basket resulted and the whistle blew just before the buzzer went off to end the game. A ref meeting concluded in a traveling call on NCC, giving Whitewater one last hope for the miracle win with .4 seconds to go. A nice inbounds play setup a wide open look for Miles Barnstable, but he air-balled his 3 giving NCC the road victory.

Two really exciting games, but both crowds were disappointing. Point fans travel well, but they were non-existent throughout the game and only came to life in the waning seconds of the game...probably too nervous to cheer.  Edgewood's student section basically consisted of about 15 guys all wearing the same Edgewood wooly caps and cheering when there was a big play. Whitewater's Williams Center holds 2300, so even when there is a few hundred, it's hard to get into the game. Students must have had better things to do on a Saturday evening (5 pm game) and the ones there were on their phones most of the game. Yeah, there were spurts of excitement, but nothing like Ripon, Concordia or Marian.

Most games have been $5 for adult fans, some $7. I haven't kept track of student prices. Whitewater was $8 to get in for adults, not sure about the students. I wonder if charging students to get in results in a lack of a student section.

[Second Wind]

Greek, I've been enjoying your posts. Just curious, after seeing your comments about Marian's Sadoff Gymnasium, what did you think of Edgewood's Edgedome?

[Gregory Sager]

Whitewater's Williams Center holds 2300, so even when there is a few hundred, it's hard to get into the game. Students must have had better things to do on a Saturday evening (5 pm game) and the ones there were on their phones most of the game. Yeah, there were spurts of excitement, but nothing like Ripon, Concordia or Marian.

Most games have been $5 for adult fans, some $7. I haven't kept track of student prices. Whitewater was $8 to get in for adults, not sure about the students. I wonder if charging students to get in results in a lack of a student section.

Back in the day, UWW was notorious for being a "suitcase school" (i.e., everybody leaves campus and goes home on the weekends). Looks like that might still be the case.

[Greek Tragedy]

No. They just drink on campus now. Especially Saturday after the football team lost at home.

[Greek Tragedy]

Home teams started off 3-0 with me in attendance. They are now on a streak of 6 losses in a row. They'll need to break out of that tomorrow as I'm heading to Point for their game against WLC.

[bulk19]

It's been fun tagging along vicariously with Greek Tragedy as he takes all across the Badger State and recaps his trips...

If there ever is a Hall of Fame for D3 fans who post here, GT - who also conducts the annual fantasy drafts/competition on this website - gets my vote!

And I will make a book plug here, for a title I've been trying to track down for a long time: A Championship is a Journey: College Basketball's best kept secret, WIAC. Its "the storied history of basketball's most powerful NCAA Division III" and was published in 2003, recapping the 2001-02 season, when UWO, UWW and UWSP tied at the top of the conference standings. UWO - a Tim Dworak team - then beat UWW by one in the championship game and then won its first two games in the NCAA tournament before bowing out in the third round.  Rich Melzer, UWRF, was also but a "diaper dandy" on the scene, a sophomore!

Author is John Johnson... Anyone here read it?

[restling]

I saw two barnburners on Saturday.

I dragged the wife to Madison to see the Stevens Point Pointers take on the Edgewood Eagles. Point came out of the gates fast and were up 7-0 in a blink of an eye. Edgewood weathered the storm and actually took the lead a little over 5 minutes into the 1st half. The hosts were up as many as 7 in the 1st half, thanks to the unstoppable force named JAKE SCHROECKENTHALER. Point did cut it to 3 at the break.

The 2nd half was tight throughout with neither team gaining more than a 2-4 point lead. Point looked to have sealed it with two FTs with less than a minute to go to push the lead to 6. However, Point imploded with back to back turnovers resulting in a quick layup and a 3 to cut their lead to 1. Edgewood fouled and Point hit the 1st FT, but missed the 2nd. Luckily, the visitors got the rebound and iced the game with two more FTs to push the lead to the final margin, 75-71.

A win is a win and I'll take a Pointer win any day. I was shocked that Jake Schroeckenthaler only had 17 points (and 14 rebounds). I thought for sure he was in the mid-20s the way he dominated Point's inside guys. One of Point's starting forwards committed two fouls on the "Big Jake" in the opening 15 seconds or so.

After the nerve-wrecking game in the Capitol, we headed to Whitewater to see them host CCIW foe North Central (IL). Those Helwig boys are the real deal with Matt scoring a game high 28 and Ethan chipping in with 20 and 10. It was a back and forth game. NCC seemed to get a jump on Whitewater, only for the hosts to battle back. NCC had a 10-point lead less than 5 minutes in, but the Warhawks battled back and actually took a 4-point lead going into the interval.

More of the same in the 2nd as the visitors seemingly pulled away only for Whitewater to regain their footing and make it a game. Like the Point/Edgewood game, the visitors nearly self-destructed. NCC had an 8 point lead with a little over a minute to go in the game, but Whitewater wouldn't go away. Whitewater cut it to one with less than 10 seconds to go. A turnover by NCC gave Whitewater a chance to win it. A missed shot and scrum under the basket resulted and the whistle blew just before the buzzer went off to end the game. A ref meeting concluded in a traveling call on NCC, giving Whitewater one last hope for the miracle win with .4 seconds to go. A nice inbounds play setup a wide open look for Miles Barnstable, but he air-balled his 3 giving NCC the road victory.

Two really exciting games, but both crowds were disappointing. Point fans travel well, but they were non-existent throughout the game and only came to life in the waning seconds of the game...probably too nervous to cheer.  Edgewood's student section basically consisted of about 15 guys all wearing the same Edgewood wooly caps and cheering when there was a big play. Whitewater's Williams Center holds 2300, so even when there is a few hundred, it's hard to get into the game. Students must have had better things to do on a Saturday evening (5 pm game) and the ones there were on their phones most of the game. Yeah, there were spurts of excitement, but nothing like Ripon, Concordia or Marian.

Most games have been $5 for adult fans, some $7. I haven't kept track of student prices. Whitewater was $8 to get in for adults, not sure about the students. I wonder if charging students to get in results in a lack of a student section.

We were at Edgewood last Wednesday.  It's a very loud gym. I think they found a level past 10 on the speaker system.  Had to shout to talk to someone next to you during pregame.

[Greek Tragedy]

It is a loud gym. But pretty quiet if the crowd is quiet. Yes, they must have borrowed the speaker system from my dad back in the late 80s. It's loud, but the PA announcer must be Charlie Brown's teacher because you can't understand anything.

Nothing fancy about the gym. It looks like an old high school gym. There's only one side of bleachers with the player benches up against a wall. I do like the balcony feature where there's a few tables to stand at to watch the game above the benches and the concession stand is on that side was well. Nothing really stands out with the gym, so opinion-wise, I guess I really don't have one of substance.

As I said, the crowd was overall disappointing. I was expecting much more from the Point crowd that travels well.

[Greek Tragedy]

I headed to the old stomping grounds of Stevens Point for Gym #10 to see the Pointers host Wisconsin Lutheran College.

Needless to say, I'm still shocked that the hosts were able to pull out the victory. A more detailed post is on the WIAC board.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF27dJ5ktQ4


https://athletics.uwsp.edu/boxscore.aspx?path=mbball&id=11055

This may be the only game I get to this week with the holiday. I'm not sure if I'll make one this weekend.

WLC is the first team I've seen twice this year. They took a loss at home to Bethany Lutheran (admittedly, only saw half the game), but thoroughly outplayed Point for 37 minutes last night. EDIT: I've also seen Stevens Point twice at the same time. Duh.

Point's win broke a streak of 6 consecutive losses by the home team, following a 3-0 start by the hosts.

I'm sure it sounds like I'm a homer, but Point's Quandt Gym is the best gym so far. I like the layout. One side has bleachers all the way up, while the other side, there is a two tiered bleacher system. There are also bleachers behind each basket. There's room to walk between the player benches and bleachers. Quandt is big, but doesn't seem overly huge like Oshkosh's Kolf or even WLC's Rex. It is also well-lit. You've read my complaints about WLC when the game starts.

I have been to a lot of the nearby gyms on this side of the state. Obviously, I still have St. Norbert College in DePere, Oshkosh and Lawrence in Appleton. Carthage is a bit further south, but it's going to get difficult when I have all the western WIAC schools to go to like Eau Claire, Stout in Menomonie, River Falls, La Crosse and Platteville, not to mention Beloit and Maranatha Baptist in Watertown. Oh yeah, Superior and Northland in Ashland near Canada.


https://www.facebook.com/groups/650269139884255

@greektragedy08 (Twitter)

[Greek Tragedy]

I'm still alive. I'm planning on two tomorrow.

I did go back out to Lakeland U. for the Muskies' game vs Greenville. It ended up 155-127. Actually, I was a little disappointed as some of the time, Greenville played a full court press, but didn't trap. It was more like man-to-man full court pressure. Lakeland did actually shoot a lot of 3s, something that usually doesn't happen vs System teams.

https://d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2022-23/boxscores/20221201_snwg.xml?view=boxscore

After Stout's Brody Fox went for 70, Lakeland's Caleb Fuller, averaging about 8 points a game, scored a career high 38, in 23 minutes.

Still an entertaining game.

[Greek Tragedy]

It's been awhile.

I last attended a #wisconsind3basketballchallenge game on Tuesday before Thanksgiving in Stevens Point.

I did go back out to Lakeland on Thursday, Dec. 1 for the Muskies' game vs Greenville. 155-127 to the hosts.

Gym #11 took me to Beloit for the MWC game vs Monmouth this past Saturday. A good sized crowd and the home students were really into it. Even when Beloit was down double digits, they made their voices heard. In the end, Monmouth was able to hold off Beloit for the road conference victory. It was a double-digit win, but it didn't feel that comfortable. It was a victory for me  because it was free to get in and there were dollar sodas and popcorn! Best prices so far (there was dollar popcorn at other gyms as well).

After the game, we drove another near-2 hours west to Platteville, as the Pioneers hosted the Pointers in a WIAC clash for gym #12. No luck on the cheap date this time as it was 10 clams for general admission adults and $2 and $2.50 for water and soda. The stands were a little too dark for my liking and we took the last row like usual, for the back support up against the wall.

This game had 2 different halves. The 1st half seemed wide open with lots of easy baskets. Point jumped out early, only for the hosts to bounce back. The visitors took a 5-point lead into the half as Point shot over 70%, while the Pioneers were around 55%. I think it was 48-43. The 2nd half was a grinder. Tough to get points. As usual, Point came out cold in the 2nd half and Platteville took full advantage to grab a 10-point lead. Instead of packing it in, Point stormed back late and took a 3-point lead. Platteville nailed a game tying 3 with about 20 seconds to go. Point had the last shot, but missed a deep 3 at the buzzer. Free basketball for everyone! It was a defensive clinic in the extra 5 minutes as only 4 free throws made the difference for Point's upset road victory.

Even if I wasn't a Point fan, this was probably the best game I've been to. Back and forth, OT grinder. The fans didn't match the game. The reserve section on the opposite side was non-existent. A few dedicated Pointer fans that made the trip made some noise including yours truly and the wife in tow. Not to pat myself on the back, but I believe some of the Platteville fans on our side of the stands started getting noisy because we were. It was a long trip home, but a happy one.

#wisconsind3basketballchallenge
#whyd3
#d3hoops

D3hoops.com

@d3hoops

@greektragedy08

[bulk19]

Thanks for the update, Greek... Looking forward to the rest of your reports...
And I hate to do it, but I am going to knock you off the Lucky 777s karma. Ha.
+1

[Greek Tragedy]

Thanks.

Go to:

https://facebook.com/groups/650269139884255/

to see pictures of all the gyms.

[Greek Tragedy]

Wisconsin Destinations:
Lakeland - 11/8/22, 12/1/22
Ripon - 11/11/22
MSOE - 11/12/22
WLC - 11/12/22
Carroll - 11/12/22
Concordia (WI) - 11/15/22
Marian - 11/16/22
Edgewood - 11/19/22
Whitewater - 11/19/22
Stevens Point 11/22/22
Beloit 12/3/22
Platteville 12/3/22

HALF WAY THERE!

Superior
Northland
Eau Claire
Stout
River Falls
La Crosse
Oshkosh
Carthage
Lawrence
St. Norbert
Maranatha Baptist

[Greek Tragedy]

Teams I've seen in person
Lakeland (NACC) 11/8/22, 12/1/22
Lake Forest (MWC) 11/8/22
Ripon (MWC) 11/11/22
SNC (NACC) 11/11/22
MSOE (NACC) 11/12/22
Bethany Lutheran (UMAC) 11/12/22
WLC (NACC) 11/12/22, 11/22/22
Martin Luther (UMAC) 11/12/22
Carroll (CCIW) 11/12/22
Dubuque (ARC) 11/12/22
Concordia - Chicago (NACC) 11/15/22
Concordia (WI) (NACC) 11/15/22
Marian (NACC) 11/16/22
Elmhurst (CCIW) 11/16/22
Edgewood (NACC) 11/19/22
Stevens Point (WIAC) 11/19/22, 11/22/22, 12/3/22
Whitewater (WIAC) 11/19/22
North Central (IL) (CCIW) 11/19/22
Greenville (SLIAC) 12/1/22
Beloit (MWC) 12/3/22
Monmouth (MWC) 12/3/22
Platteville (WIAC) 12/3/22