By Mark Simon
D3hoops.com
The common lament among Division III basketball programs is that there are too many quality teams and not enough spots for everyone to make the NCAA Tournament. The restructuring of the tournament a couple of years ago spreads the bids across the country and the large number of upsets in conference tournaments make it difficult for everyone to find a spot.
Those in one of the more recent additions to the NCAA, the America Southwest Conference, understand their plight, but hope that the selection committee will make a choice beneficial to their conference.
Kim Maina goes up for two against Mississippi College in last year's NCAA Tournament second round game. |
McMurry, the conference's West Division champion for the fourth consecutive season hopes that the NCAA will look at the ASC's track record in the NCAA the past couple of years. The Indians have made it to the Elite 8 and the Sweet 16 the past two seasons, losing to eventual champ Calvin and runner-up William Paterson. This year's version has succeeded on good old fashioned spit and polish, going 19-5 despite losing three forwards, ranging from 6-6 to 6-10, to season-ending ACL injuries and another to a torn hamstring.
"Knock on wood, no one's twisted an ankle or broken a finger this season,'' said Indians coach Ron Holmes. "We've just gone big-time in the injury department. How have we won? With a lot of heart and desire. It's been one heck of a year."
The Indians will host the ASC Tournament this Friday and Saturday, having just had their 22-game homecourt win streak snapped by Mary Hardin-Baylor. Senior forward Thomas Drakeford anchors the offense, averaging 21.3 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game. Six-foot-nine senior forward Kim Maina, a native of Kenya, chips in 13.3 points per game on 62% shooting.
Their counterparts in the East Division, the Mississippi College Choctaws have spread the scoring out a little bit during Mike Jones' final season as head coach. Jones, who will remain full-time athletic director at the college, has 395 career collegiate wins and will need an NCAA appearance to have a chance to retire with 400 or more triumphs.
"At this point, we're playing really well,'' said Jones, whose 20-2 squad's top scorers are Karlos Fairley, Stacy Keyes and Justin Henley combine for nearly half of the Choctaws' 75 points per game. "I think we're very deserving (of an NCAA bid). But we understand the way it works and that's the way it should be. I think our league is stronger than people could ever know. There are a lot of good basketball teams in our league. I think you'll see ASC teams do very well in the tournament and it won't be the same team from year to year.''
Last year McMurry won at Mississippi College in the ASC title game 76-71, then beat the Choctaws at home in an NCAA second-round game 86-82. This year's regular season rematch was snowed out.
JINX, WHO US? If what's claimed on Posting Up is true -- that being selected as the feature subject in "Around the Nation" ensures a team of faltering, then good fortune could be in store for Mary Hardin-Baylor, which faces Mississippi College in the opening round of the ASC Tournament. Both Holmes and Jones said that UMHB cannot be taken lightly. "They're the hottest team in the league,'' Jones said of the 15-10 Crusaders, who are paced by All-America candidate Robert Moore (22.0 points, 10.2 rebounds per game).
MAKING THEIR 'CASE': They have led what were both the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the nation at halftime before faltering, and have shown that was no fluke by setting a team record for wins. So the Case Western women, with an 18-5 mark good for second place in the University Athletic Association could certainly make a good argument for a Pool C bid.
"We could have 20 wins after Saturday and still be sitting around Sunday nervously awaiting our fate," said head coach Kristin Hughes. "The UAA is a tough bunch to be a part of, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Our girls will have nothing to be ashamed of no matter what the outcome is."
The Spartans have the opportunity to reach 20 wins with two games remaining in their regular season schedule. CWRU will travel to Westminster (Pa.) on Wednesday and finish their season at home Saturday against Emory.
OUR WEEKLY QUESTION: The Whitman men scored 32 unanswered points during a nine-minute span early in the first half of last Saturday's game with Linfield, turning a 6-4 deficit into a 36-6 lead. Guards Ben Fuller and Scott Erickson combined for 26 points during the spurt, which saw Whitman hit 12 of 16 shots from the floor (including two 3-pointers) and make six of six free throw attempts. Linfield missed 15 consecutive field goal attempts during its dry spell. Whitman led 51-31 at halftime and finished with a 91-77 victory.
The question from Whitman's sports information office: Has anyone kept track of longest scoring spurts?
COMEBACK OF THE WEEK: Simpson defeated Dubuque 94-82 in Iowa Conference women's action Friday night in Dubuque. The Storm shot a school-record 95.5% from the free throw line (21-for-22) to give Storm coach Brian Niemuth his 250th career victory at Simpson. Niemuth is 250-129 ( a .659 winning percentage) in 15 years at Simpson. The win was particularly nice for Niemuth, who suffered a heart attack last September, but went through a carefully structured rehab program in order to return to the bench.
MILESTONES: Three seniors on the women's team at St. Lawrence have reached magic numbers this season. Meredith Eisenhut, who reached the milestone near the end of her junior year, became the program's all-time leading scorer earlier this season, surpassing Kristen Ladouceur's record set in 1996. Nicole Leary and Cara Barbierri joined Eisenhut in the 1,000 point club last weekend, with Leary netting her 1,000th on Friday night against Union and Barbierri reaching the mark a day later against Skidmore. Eisenhut also has set a career record with 421 steals and needs just six assists to break Jocelyn Furnia's record of 391, while Leary already has the career record for blocked shots with 200 ... Augustana sophomore Drew Carstens has ranked in the top 25 in the NCAA Division III scoring race all season long and one of the reasons is his ability to get to the free throw line. He has made 184 of 222 free throws for a percentage of .829, breaking Steve Snow's team record of 148 free throws made, which was setin 1968-69. He can break the CCIW record, which is 126 held by Jim Peters of Elmhurst from the 1969-70 season. Carstens has 111 free throws in CCIW games and he has two more conference games to nail the 16 free throws that would make him the new record holder ... Manhattanville men's coach Brian Curtin picked up his 100th career win last Sunday.
