I must say that I have been slacking a bit in following along in the conferences due to work and personal reasons the past week that have made it difficult for me to really stay in tune with the DIII world and for this I apologize.
This is why I will spend the next 10 paragraphs or so catching myself up on the last week or so and giving you what I think about it.
1 Big Thing
Well here are just a few things that I seen. The injury bug has caught up with Stevens Point. Another key injury to Austin Ryf has him in a walking boot and Joe Ritchay left last night's game against Oshkosh. They have dropped two of their last three games and it's not looking real great for them coming down the stretch.
What was a promising season has kind of gone down the tubes and could mean an early exit in March.
The WIAC race has also tightened as it seems that UW-Whitewater has found their grove with a sound thumping of St. Norbert and Platteville the past two games, giving the Warhawks as slight chance to sneak in the backdoor and grab the conference title.
The race for home court is also in full tilt with Stout, Platteville and La Crosse all gunning for the two home spots in the first round of the tournament, with only a game in between each team in the standings.
Things are very nearly sealed up in the MWC. Norbert and Grinnell have locked up tournament bids and Carroll, despite a loss to the Green Knights on Wednesday, looks like it will seal up the third spot very soon.
St. Norbert still looks like the team to beat, bouncing back after a rough loss to Whitewater to thump Carroll at home.
Three teams are still vying for that ever important fourth playoff spot with Ripon holding it down with a one game lead over both Beloit and Lawrence.
The NAC has become ever tighter on both sides but in different ways. Lakeland holds a one game lead in the North over Concordia-Wisconsin and Marian with two games left to go.
MSOE is one game behind CUW and Marian for the second and third spots in conference and is looking to slide in if one of them falls.
In the south, three teams are vying for two spots. Wisconsin Lutheran and Rockford are both 6-8 with two games left while Benedictine (yes, surprising they still have a shot) is two games back with two to go and a game against Rockford which makes it all the more interesting.
The hot teams seem to be UW-Whitewater, UW-La Crosse, Ripon, Lawrence, Marian and Benedictine, while the teams that are cooling off seem to be UW-Stevens Point, Beloit and Wisconsin Lutheran. Momentum is key in these last few games and it could come down to who is hotter at that time to decide some seeding and places in conference tournaments.
Those are my small observations from my time away. These last two or three games are going to mean the world. So buckle up.
2 Small Things
-Can Whitewater catch Stevens Point for the WIAC title?
A quick look at the schedule says they can. Whitewater finishes up with three of the easier teams in the WIAC in Superior, River Falls and Oshkosh and they have found their groove the past two games which should mean that those three games are wins.
Meanwhile, Stevens Point has their bye coming up this weekend. Then their depleted roster takes on a tough Stout team before finishing up with Eau Claire, who if they are hot can beat anyone.
The problem with Point only having two games and Whitewater having three games left is their are fewer chances for Stevens Point to slip up. One win assures Point at least a share of the conference title and a guaranteed No. 1 seed in the conference tournament thanks to a season sweep of the Warhawks.
But stranger things have happened. A tie atop the standings looks like the best bet for the Warhawks but you just never know when it comes to basketball.
-Can Ripon hang on for the fourth and final spot in the MWC?
The Redhawks have the inside track and control their own destiny as they are up a game in the loss column on Beloit and Lawrence. Their final two games are against Illinois College and St. Norbert.
Beloit meanwhile has three games with Knox and Carroll at home before traveling to Cornell in the finale. They have been struggling lately, however, losing their last three games including a bad beat by Lawrence last night.
Lawrence will have games against Cornell, Lake Forest and Grinnell to to end the season, which gives each team at least one very tough game against the top 3 in the conference.
I think Ripon can get it done. Splitting their last two games forces Lawrence or Beloit to win out, which I don't think either of them can do.
But the last thing that Ripon wants is to tie Beloit, who owns the head-to-head tiebreaker. That would be devastating to tie with the Bucs after having such a great season and missing out.
3 Performances of the Week
Arik Smith, UW-River Falls (against UW-Superior)
Really could have gotten this for his other performance as well but Smith scored 25 points in the win over the Yellowjackets. He shot 4-of-5 from deep and added seven rebounds and five assists for the Falcons.
Conor Klusendorf, Lawrence (against Illinois College)
Klusendorf recorded a double-double scoring 26 points and grabbing 10 boards in the victory over the Blueboys. Six of his rebounds were offensive and he went 11-of-13 from the free throw line in the win.
Justin Ward, Lakeland (against Aurora)
There were plenty of deserving NAC candidates, but 22 rebounds is hard to ignore. Ward pulled down 22 rebounds to go with 20 points in the Muskies big time win over the Spartans. His rebounds included eight offensive and 14 defensive boards.
4 Power Teams in Two Words
WIAC
1. UW-Whitewater (18-4, 10-3 WIAC) Words: Hotter team
2. UW-Stevens Point (19-4, 12-2 WIAC) Words: Injury bug
3. UW-Stout (17-5, 9-4 WIAC) Words: Set back
4. UW-La Crosse (15-7, 8-5 WIAC) Words: Warming up
MWC
1. St. Norbert (16-4, 13-2 MWC) Words: Bounce back
2. Grinnell (15-4, 12-3 MWC) Words: System working
3. Carroll (14-6, 10-5 MWC) Words: Big loss
4. Ripon (12-9, 10-6 MWC) Words: Holding on
NAC
1. Aurora (17-6, 12-2 NAC) Words: Lakeland aberration
2. Lakeland (18-5, 11-3 NAC) Words: Clicking offense
3. Marian (15-8, 10-4 NAC) Words: Still streaking
4. Concordia-Wisconsin (15-8, 10-4 NAC) Words: Recent loss
5 Worth the Price of Admission
1. MWC, St. Norbert at Grinnell, 3 p.m. Price I would pay: $9. Pick to Click: Andrew Schwoerer, St. Norbert
Both teams have been chewing through their respective Midwest Conference schedules, which makes this game the one for the conference title.
St. Norbert has the one game lead on Grinnell. However, Grinnell has something that St. Norbert doesn't have: a win against St. Norbert, which means that this game very well could be the deciding factor in who is the No. 1 seed come the conference tournament.
St. Norbert hasn't lost a conference game since December and has only had once slip up since then in a loss to UW-Whitewater last weekend. But they bounced back pretty quick, downing Carroll on Wednesday.
Grinnell has just been riding along and has found their grove again in their lines after Jack Taylor went down. Numerous Pioneers have picked up the slack since his departure and they look to be good once again.
This game once again comes down to how well St. Norbert can break the press and get easy looks, which is why Andrew Schwoerer, a guy who can go inside and out, is very important in this game. It should be a fun matchup either way.
2. WIAC, UW-La Crosse at UW-Platteville, 3 p.m.. Price I would pay: $8. Pick to Click: Lucas Morrissey, UW-La Crosse
This one is so important for seeding and home-court advantage in the WIAC tournament that I can't express that enough to you.
La Crosse has a one game lead on Platteville for the fourth spot in conference and they are the hotter team coming in, with wins over Stevens Point and Stout in the past week.
Platteville has been up and down, but they do get the Eagles on their home court, which is always a tough place to play.
This game is going to come down to whose four and five players frustrate the other team's four and five players. Both sets of big men play completely differently than the other. La Crosse likes their four-out, one-in motion and Morrissey, their four plays predominantly on the outside and can splash the trey ball. Lucas Collom also isn't your normal big man either, preferring to drive or face up when in the post.
This is while Chas Cross and Jake Manning like to stay more on the inside of the paint and they should because they are bigger than most big guys.
I think La Crosse has the edge here, though, because guys like Morrissey and Collom can step away and bring Cross and Manning out of the paint, which gives the La Crosse guards more room to operate, which is the my key to the game.
3. NAC, Concordia-Wisconsin at Wisconsin Lutheran, 3:15 p.m.. Price I would pay: $4. Pick to Click: Malcolm Bowers, Concordia-Wisconsin
This game is important to seedings on both sides. Concordia-Wisconsin is looking to hold on to at least it's No. 2 spot in the North and possibly to slide in to the No. 1 spot should Lakeland falter.
Meanwhile, a win by the Warriors secures them a spot in the NAC tournament and keeps them around for at least the No. 3 spot in the South with the possibility to challenge Dominican for the two spot.
This game should be a win for the Falcons, though. They can dominate down low and their guards are slightly better than the Warriors guards, which gives the Falcons an advantage.
If Wisconsin Lutheran wants to win they will have to play extremely good on the defensive side and really take the tempo down and grind it out.
4. NAC, Marian at Benedictine, 4:15 p.m. Price I would pay: $4. Pick to Click: Brad Koth, Marian
Another game that is important to both teams. Marian is hanging around that No. 2 spot as well and with a game upcoming against Lakeland soon, they want this one to have a shot at getting a better seed, something they can't do if the lose.
Benedictine, on the other hand, is just barely breathing at this point, two games back of Wisconsin Lutheran and Rockford with two games left to go. But they can't get there with out winning this one.
I've gone back and forth on this game. My heart tells me the BenU is going to win just because they've won their past two games, they are at home against a team on a long road trip and one of their all-time greats is going to be in the building (Okay, maybe I'm not all-time great...or even great...is all-time good a thing?).
But my head is telling me that Marian matches up really well with Benedictine at all positions, especially off the bench, with guys like Jake Coenen, Brad Koth, Alex Gomez and Mike Keller doing damage once they come, something that I can't say for Benedictine's bench (take these as words of encouragement, Chocolate Face. Light it up and prove me wrong.)
It's going to be a close one and a fun one that I can't wait to take in on Saturday. Prove me wrong, BenU!
5. MWC, Lawrence at Cornell, 3 p.m. Price I would pay: $3. Pick to Click: Conor Klusendorf, Lawrence
This game is a must have for Lawrence if they want a shot at the No. 4 slot. They can't lose it because it will probably put them two games back and virtually out of the race.
The Vikings have been playing very solid lately and have been doing it with balanced scoring and better defense.
But this is a dangerous game against a solid Cornell team who could beat them if they aren't on their A-game. Their guards are very dangerous and can go off at any moment, especially Reggie Greenwood (I should know, he almost came back and beat us my senior year).
This is why post play is so important, which is why I picked Klusendorf as the Pick to Click. I feel that you have to beat Cornell down low and work inside and out, which is what Lawrence is going to do.
Thanks for tuning in and sorry for the delay in posts. I'm making it up by doing a Pool C check on our four regionally ranked teams coming out either tonight or Friday morning, so keep your eyes peeled for that one. As always you can follow me on Twitter at @turkdigg40.
No comments:
Post a Comment