Wisconsin D3 Basketball Challenge

[Greek Tragedy]

Gym #22 is in La Crosse to see the Eagles hosts the Stevens Point Pointers. They weren't very nice as they hammered the visitors 81-58. 10 minutes in and Point was already down double digits. It was a 27-point lead for La Crosse at the break. It was between 20 and 30 points the rest of the way, so hardly anything to feel good about after driving 3 1/2 hours.

The gym itself is pretty standard. It's about the same size as WLC, but it's better lit. They have the old bleacher in there, but they are the hard plastic ones. $7 for old people, $5 for the kid. $2 for overcooked popcorn. $2.50 for drinks. Parking is a premium down there, no idea where everyone parks for football games.

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

@greektragedy08

[Greek Tragedy]

Wisconsin Destinations:
Lakeland - 11/8/22, 12/1/22
Ripon - 11/11/22
MSOE - 11/12/22, 12/14/22
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
Carthage 12/17/22
St. Norbert 12/29/22 (neutral court game)
Oshkosh (Oshkosh Arena) 12/29/22
River Falls 12/30/22 (2 games)
Oshkosh (Kolf) 1/18/23
Stout 1/21/23
Eau Claire 1/21/23
Maranatha Baptist 1/24/23
Lawrence 1/31/23
La Crosse 2/4/23

Superior
Northland

[Greek Tragedy]

Game 1 -Tuesday 11/8
Lakeland 98, Lake Forest 72
Game 2 - Friday 11/11
Ripon 68, SNC 55 - Best Crowd
Game 3 - Saturday 11/12
MSOE 85, Martin Luther 45
Game 4 - Saturday 11/12
Bethany Lutheran 95, at WLC 78
Game 5 - Saturday 11/12
Dubuque 68, at Carroll 53
Game 6 - Tuesday 11/15
Concordia-Chicago 87, at Concordia (WI) 85
Game 7 - Wednesday 11/16
Elmhurst 86, at Marian 68
Game 8 - Saturday 11/19
Stevens Point 75, at Edgewood 71
Game 9 - Saturday 11/19
North Central 87, at Whitewater 86
Game 10 - Tuesday 11/22
Stevens Point 60, WLC 59
Game 11 - Thursday 12/1 (2nd game at Lakeland)
Lakeland 155, Greenville 127
Game 12 - Saturday 12/3
Monmouth 77, @ Beloit 65
Game 13 - Saturday 12/3
Stevens Point 78, @ Platteville 74 OT Best Game
Game 14 - Wednesday 12/14 (2nd game at MSOE)
MSOE 73, Stevens Point 64
Game 15 - Saturday 12/17
Carthage 85, Augustana 78
Game 16 - Thursday 12/29
St. Olaf 78, Stout 45 (at St. Norbert)
Game 17 -Thursday 12/29
Oshkosh 64, Ohio Wesleyan 52 (at Oshkosh Arena)
Game 18 - Friday 12/30
Whitewater 89, Northland 46 (at River Falls)
Game 19 - Friday 12/30 (2nd game at River Falls)
River Falls 73, St. Scholastica 55
Game 20 - Wednesday 1/18
Oshkosh 81, Stevens Point 45 (at Kolf, Oshkosh)
Game 21 - Saturday 1/21
Oshkosh 83, at Stout 72
Game 22 - Saturday 1/21
La Crosse 68, at Eau Claire 66
Game 23 - 1/24
Martin Luther 76, at Maranatha Baptist 58
Game 24 - 1/31
Knox 89, at Lawrence 65 - Best Gym
Game 25 - 2/4
La Crosse 81, Stevens Point 58

[Greek Tragedy]

Teams I've seen in person
Augustana (CCIW) 12/17/22
Beloit (MWC) 12/3/22
Bethany Lutheran (UMAC) 11/12/22
Carthage (CCIW) 12/17/22
Carroll (CCIW) 11/12/22
Concordia - Chicago (NACC) 11/15/22
Concordia (WI) (NACC) 11/15/22
Dubuque (ARC) 11/12/22
Eau Claire (WIAC) 1/21/23
Edgewood (NACC) 11/19/22
Elmhurst (CCIW) 11/16/22
Greenville (SLIAC) 12/1/22
Knox (MWC) 1/31/23
La Crosse (WIAC) 1/21/23, 2/4/23
Lake Forest (MWC) 11/8/22
Lakeland (NACC) 11/8/22, 12/1/22
Lawrence (MWC) 1/31/23
Maranatha Baptist 1/24/23
Marian (NACC) 11/16/22
Martin Luther (UMAC) 11/12/22, 1/24/23
MSOE (NACC) 11/12/22, 12/14/22
Monmouth (MWC) 12/3/22
North Central (IL) (CCIW) 11/19/22
Northland (UMAC) 12/30/22
Ohio Wesleyan (NCAC) 12/29/22
Oshkosh (WIAC) 12/29/22, 1/18/23, 1/21/23
Platteville (WIAC) 12/3/22
Ripon (MWC) 11/11/22
River Falls (WIAC) 12/30/22
Stevens Point (WIAC) 11/19/22, 11/22/22, 12/3/22, 12/14/22, 1/18/23, 2/4/23
St. Norbert (NACC) 11/11/22
St. Olaf (MIAC) 12/29/22
St. Scholastica (MIAC) 12/30/22
Stout (WIAC) 12/29/22, 1/21/23
WLC (NACC) 11/12/22, 11/22/22
Whitewater (WIAC) 11/19/22, 12/30/22

[bulk19]

Good stuff, Greek Tragedy...

He wonders: "Parking is a premium down there (at UWL), no idea where everyone parks for football games."

I live less than a half mile from the stadium; they surround our neighborhood, especially during the state track meet...

[PauldingLightUP]

Wisconsin Destinations:
Lakeland - 11/8/22, 12/1/22
Ripon - 11/11/22
MSOE - 11/12/22, 12/14/22
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
Carthage 12/17/22
St. Norbert 12/29/22 (neutral court game)
Oshkosh (Oshkosh Arena) 12/29/22
River Falls 12/30/22 (2 games)
Oshkosh (Kolf) 1/18/23
Stout 1/21/23
Eau Claire 1/21/23
Maranatha Baptist 1/24/23
Lawrence 1/31/23
La Crosse 2/4/23

Superior
Northland

Going to attempt the Superior/Northland Friday/Saturday double next weekend?

[Greek Tragedy]

That was my plan, but apparently my wife thought it was more important to have eye surgery on Friday. Who needs to see anyway? LOL So, I had to reschedule for the last weekend of the season, Feb. 17th and 18th.

It's disappointing because the last weekend I was going to go to the Maranatha v Finlandia game so I could wear my FU Lions hat. I did get to wear my FU Lions hat to the Packer game when they played the Detroit Lions, but it didn't help as the Packers lost anyway.

[Greek Tragedy]

Good stuff, Greek Tragedy...

He wonders: "Parking is a premium down there (at UWL), no idea where everyone parks for football games."

I live less than a half mile from the stadium; they surround our neighborhood, especially during the state track meet...

The neighborhood looked surrounded already...for 400 people at a basketball game.

[Greek Tragedy]

If you had to guess, Greek, how many Division III basketball games have you attended over the course of your life?

I would say less than 300. I can't really count any of the games I "attended" when I was a kid sneaking in with my dad, who was the pep band director (as well as a professor at the university) because I didn't really watch the games and Point wasn't a D3 school at the time. In my younger days, I was a Pointer hockey fan, attending every Final Four they were in during the late 80s and early 90s. After college, I got back into basketball because when returning home, that's where my dad was on the weekends. I would say I probably averaged between 10-15 games a year for about 10 years and then only 5 games a year for another 20 years.

[Greek Tragedy]

I finally finished off my last two gyms in the #wisconsind3basketballchallenge, on the last weekend of the regular season, nonetheless. Gym #23 took me all the way up to Superior in the Northwest corner of the state, and man, it was a drive. Not much up there to say the least. It took a lot of motivation to make the trip. I suppose part of the motivation of getting up there was because I've never been there even after all the years Superior was in the WIAC, for a hockey game or basketball game.
Superior's gym is pretty standard. Good lighting. The facility has 3 courts and during games, the main bleachers fill one court and portable bleachers are on the other court. The portable bleachers are so small, it makes me wonder why they even have them. Not a lot of room for seating, but I digress. $7 for old people, $5 for brats, standard procedures for WIAC schools, even though UW-Superior plays in the UMAC. Huge gallon Ziplock bags for popcorn for $3 and standard cost for drinks.
The game was entertaining for the most part. Superior always held Minnesota-Morris at arms' length. A decent crowd and both sets of fans seemed interested, for the most part.
The game ended a little after 7 and the Superior hockey team was playing Northland in the WIAC quarterfinals nearby, but I couldn't convince the wife or kid to go see playoff hockey. A friend suggested I find a new family.
We stayed overnight in Superior and headed to Ashland across Hwy 2 on Saturday for the Northland game vs...guess who, Minnesota-Morris.  Travel partners with Crown. We had a nice meal at the Chequamegon Family Restuarant because everyone knows that the Chequamegon Bay runs into Lake Superior, right?!
Northland College is the complete opposite of UW Superior. Small, private college vs the big public university. The gym itself is really small, holding about 1,000 fans not unlike Marian, Maranatha Baptist and the like. Over the course of this journey, I've come to appreciate the smaller gyms.
The game was one of the more exciting games of the season with the small Northland crowd really into it on Senior Night. The even smaller traveling supporters were vocal as well. The game was tight early on, but the hosts built it up to 13 with less than 5 minutes to go in the half. Minn-Morris slowly chipped away and it was just a one-point game at the break. I don't think it was more than a 3-pooint game the whole second half until the very end. A real fun game to watch in a nice small gym made for a great experience. $5 for old people, free for kids. Dollar soda, water and popcorn helps the experience as well.

Check out Facebook for some gym pictures!

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

@greektragedy08

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Congrats!

[monsoon]

Thanks for doing this and for bringing us along on the journey! The pix on FB have been great.

[Greek Tragedy]

Thanks. It was a fun and unique experience. I really should've taken more pictures though. Maybe when I retire and move to Florida, I'll do all the D3 schools down there!

[monsoon]

Thanks. It was a fun and unique experience. I really should've taken more pictures though. Maybe when I retire and move to Florida, I'll do all the D3 schools down there!

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Thanks. It was a fun and unique experience. I really should've taken more pictures though. Maybe when I retire and move to Florida, I'll do all the D3 schools down there!

Done.