2024-2025 NW Men’s and Women’s Basketball.

[southside]

I’m by no means NW fan but… beating #1 is a nice W. The opportunity to get that rarely comes along. NW womens bball has been trending the right way for a few years but has had no national success recently. It sounds like they didn’t only beat them but dismantled them. Nice W no matter how you slices it IMO.

[NWFanatic]

This may be the 2nd NW women’s win over a #1 team. In ‘84 they beat CMSU in Maryville and CMSU went on to win it all. I was thinking they were #1 at the time but could be wrong

[Alfred33]

This may be the 2nd NW women’s win over a #1 team. In ‘84 they beat CMSU in Maryville and CMSU went on to win it all. I was thinking they were #1 at the time but could be wrong

According to the article on the website, this was the first.

https://bearcatsports.com/news/2024/...ate-85-67.aspx

[Alfred33]

This may be the 2nd NW women’s win over a #1 team. In ‘84 they beat CMSU in Maryville and CMSU went on to win it all. I was thinking they were #1 at the time but could be wrong

I can remember going to my first NW games probably around that time. Vic Coleman was playing for the men’s team.

Unless I’m completely misremembering, I feel like both NW’s and CMSU’s women’s teams went over 100 points. It may have been OT, but I thought that was pretty cool. I would’ve been 10 or 11 and this was 40 years ago, so it’s possible I’m completely making that up. Lol But if I’m not, is this the game you speak of?

[NWFanatic]

NW men and women both beat Central at home in ‘84 and both Central teams won the national titles at the same location that year. NW was the only D2 team to beat the Central men that year(their other 2 losses were to Oklahoma and Oklahoma St. Vic was playing that year. Central beat NW in the Regional final on a shot at the buzzer and went on to win the title(sound familiar ☹️)

[Stanger86]

Minnesota State was clearly overrated. The main player they lost was their do-all point guard. She was the whole engine that made the team go. Texas Women and Grand Valley are clearly the best teams in D2 women. And I am not even sure how well Texas Women can compete with Grand Valley.

Cautionary tale:
That MSU point guard missed the first five games of 2023-24, and the Mavs went 2-3 as a result. They also lost her first game back in the lineup before going 30-1 the rest of the way. She was a major part of their success.

[Alfred33]

Cautionary tale:
That MSU point guard missed the first five games of 2023-24, and the Mavs went 2-3 as a result. They also lost her first game back in the lineup before going 30-1 the rest of the way. She was a major part of their success.

I think we know preseason rankings mean very little. Look at the NW men. The polls are very much reliant on what have you done lately and not necessarily on who you are. That said, it’s still a big deal for a program that has long been an afterthought.

[Alfred33]

I am a bit concerned about the men after this weekend. MoWest handled Augustana… MoWest also lost a game by 40 this year, so I don’t know who they are. Emporia played Wayne State better than we did too. There might be some humbling this year from the rest of the MIAA after running it for the last decade.

I looks like Knox is going to be a nice one year piece at PG. We’re going to have to fix the turnovers, as well as shoot better to out offense people, because we’re not very good defensively. We definitely have work to do.

[Bballfan]

Cautionary tale:
That MSU point guard missed the first five games of 2023-24, and the Mavs went 2-3 as a result. They also lost her first game back in the lineup before going 30-1 the rest of the way. She was a major part of their success.

Correct. That is why they won't enjoy the same level of success as last year. Point guards are extremely important to teams. You take an All-American point guard off any team at any level and going to have a big impact.

[Purple Mav Man]

Minnesota State was clearly overrated. The main player they lost was their do-all point guard. She was the whole engine that made the team go. Texas Women and Grand Valley are clearly the best teams in D2 women. And I am not even sure how well Texas Women can compete with Grand Valley.

Minnesota State was ranked due to last year’s results in the preseason poll. Always a meaningless poll when no games have been played. Yes, they were overrated.

However, you handing out a trophy before the middle of November based on 2-4 games is absolutely ridiculous.

[NWFanatic]

I’m on the Drake fan website(Drake nation.com). Its been fun to watch some of their fans go from ‘woe is me we have a D2 coach and he brought 4 D2 players’ to ‘this
guy can coach and those guys are very good’

We’ve known for years Mac could coach at the D1 level and that he has players that are D1 caliber when he’s done with them(if not sooner). Saturday 4 former Bearcats, a Drake holdover and a transfer beat a team with 7 returners by 15. The same team beat DU last year by around 25 pts. They were taller, rougher and more physical than Drake but couldn’t beat them on the scoreboard

[ZubCat81]

I’m on the Drake fan website(Drake nation.com). Its been fun to watch some of their fans go from ‘woe is me we have a D2 coach and he brought 4 D2 players’ to ‘this guy can coach and those guys are very good’

We’ve known for years Mac could coach at the D1 level and that he has players that are D1 caliber when he’s done with them(if not sooner). Saturday 4 former Bearcats, a Drake holdover and a transfer beat a team with 7 returners by 15. The same team beat DU last year by around 25 pts. They were taller, rougher and more physical than Drake but couldn’t beat them on the scoreboard

Also, note that ALL four former Bearcats ... Mitch Mascari, Isaiah Jackson, Daniel Abreu and Bennett Stirz have started those first two games for Drake ... both games won by Drake. Mitch knocked down 30 points in the first game vs York. These guys are going to be a riot watching all year long. Again, HUGE Drake fan since 1968. Iowa Hawkeyes my first love since 1965, tho. (ha) Not this year. Gotta say, these Drake Bulldogs easily win me over for the #1 spot this season. Hoping to move back to Des Moines very soon. Can't wait. Does Bearcat GREEN clash with Drake BLUE sitting in the stands? Don't want to confuse Drake fans.

Another thing. Big game for this Drake Bulldog team on December 17 ... a Tuesday. Kansas State and Drake face off in Kansas City at the T-Mobile Arena. Would LOVE to see that arena filled with Bearcat GREEN and Drake BLUE that night to support former HC Ben McCollum and three former NW assistant coaches ... and then, of course, FOUR former NW Bearcat players, Mascari, Jackson, Abreu and Stirz. Game should be on one of the ESPN stations. That would create quite a stir for those TV cameras and sports announcers to make sense of the GREEN and BLUE attire being worn by a throng of Drake fans they are seeing in the stands. Would love to know someone down there in Maryville and the NW campus could stir things up to motivate a strong showing that night at T-Mobile Arena. Would be a great plug for Northwest. Would also be a fun side story for the Drake Bulldog basketball program. Need to block off a huge section of seats for Bearcat fans. No less than a couple thousand ... maybe more.

Big fan of that Drake Bulldog Men's Basketball message board, NWFanatic. Fun read. Follow Drake Men's Basketball on Facebook, as well. Of course, www.godrakebulldogs.com is their athletic website similar to our www.bearcatsports.com.

[NWFanatic]

Zub-I’m BlueJay1969 on drake nation.com
I spotted 8-10 fans in green. talked to some of them. Talked to several Drake fans who noticed my green NW shirt and gray Drake BB hat. I met the head of the Drake booster club and the guy who runs drakenation. Fun trip to Knapp. We hope to go back and also plan to go to Drake/KSU game

[Alfred33]

Northwest women jump to #8 nationally in and #1 regionally in the latest polls after playing well against some good teams over the 1st couple weekends of the season. I don’t know if we’re #8 good, but Austin has without a doubt, breathed life into the program and gotten it headed in the right direction.

I did see where Coach Meyer said they do expect to get Aaliyah Riley back at some point this year, so that’s good news for the exciting freshman.

This year, will people start showing up early to watch the girls and leave for the men’s games? Of course I’m kidding, but that would probably be fair turnabout.

[Alfred33]

Also, note that ALL four former Bearcats ... Mitch Mascari, Isaiah Jackson, Daniel Abreu and Bennett Stirz have started those first two games for Drake ... both games won by Drake. Mitch knocked down 30 points in the first game vs York. These guys are going to be a riot watching all year long. Again, HUGE Drake fan since 1968. Iowa Hawkeyes my first love since 1965, tho. (ha) Not this year. Gotta say, these Drake Bulldogs easily win me over for the #1 spot this season. Hoping to move back to Des Moines very soon. Can't wait. Does Bearcat GREEN clash with Drake BLUE sitting in the stands? Don't want to confuse Drake fans.

As much as I’d like to see them still wearing Bearcat green, it is fun seeing our guys doing well so far at that level. It speaks to level of recruiting and then the development of players Mac and his staff were able to do here.

It was Abreau who had the 30 piece against York… Mitch dropped 26 the second. Bennett is just as calm and steadily productive as ever. The first big test will be a couple of weeks from tomorrow when they play Miami. Jim Larrañaga is a good coach and always has a good team. Seeing our guys against ACC athletes in a non exhibition atmosphere will be interesting.