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**Inkblot** · 11-07-2022, 01:42 AM

You can also find schedules at https://inkblotsports.com/d2stats/2223/mbb/gnac.html, though it's a bit unsightly at this awkward point where a few teams have begun playing but most teams have the same .000 numbers.

**tsull** · 11-07-2022, 09:39 AM

Thanks for the info, yes, important games already in the season. Hope WOU isn't as sloppy as they were in their exhibition game at Corban. That was discouraging. The team has talent, but basketball is beyond that. It's an odd team, they were pretty impressed with themselves in pre-game warmup dunks and once the ball tipped off they looked shocked Corban came out and put the pressure on. I really hope this casual take to the game was a one-off and that they come focused this week.

**Anchorage** · 11-15-2022, 03:53 PM

After last night I have it -

GNAC 10-9

Pac West 12-7

CCAA 8-14

CCAA with a rough start. GNAC hanging in at just over .500. Pac showing to be the power conference till this point.

**Inkblot** · 11-15-2022, 05:01 PM

Originally posted by Anchorage View Post

After last night I have it -

GNAC 10-9

Pac West 12-7

CCAA 8-14

CCAA with a rough start. GNAC hanging in at just over .500. Pac showing to be the power conference till this point.

I have the CCAA at 9-15.

**Anchorage** · 11-21-2022, 04:59 PM

Check me if I’m wrong, as I kept getting pulled in other directions while compiling this but I have…

Against the West

GNAC 17-14
PW 19-14
CCAA 16-24

Against all D2’s

GNAC 19-14
PW 20-16
CCAA 17-28

**tsull** · 11-21-2022, 08:53 PM

I'm very pleased with WOU's quick regular season start. They looked shakey in their exhibition vs. an NAIA team, but coach Pifer seems to have put the pieces back together. Their front court is the best I've ever seen at the school with Cranston, Benzel, and Morrill-Keeler. Cranston had 20 vs. Arizona this year; and last week both Benzel and Morrill-Keeler had 100% shooting games, the latter also going 100% from the line the same game he was 100% from the field. It's early but they seemed to have picked it up, 3-1 vs. CCAA the last two weeks.

**Anchorage** · 11-22-2022, 11:50 AM

Originally posted by tsull View Post

I'm very pleased with WOU's quick regular season start. They looked shakey in their exhibition vs. an NAIA team, but coach Pifer seems to have put the pieces back together. Their front court is the best I've ever seen at the school with Cranston, Benzel, and Morrill-Keeler. Cranston had 20 vs. Arizona this year; and last week both Benzel and Morrill-Keeler had 100% shooting games, the latter also going 100% from the line the same game he was 100% from the field. It's early but they seemed to have picked it up, 3-1 vs. CCAA the last two weeks.

WOU is looking really good, and the conference as a whole is holding up pretty well save for UAA’s disastrous Hawaii trip. This could be a deciding factor in the conference getting 3 teams into the West regional instead of 2 or even 1. As far as UAA goes, I don’t think their season is decided obviously but this team has got to get a lot tougher on the boards and have more composure down the stretch in games. Can’t continue to just give games away with terrible decisions in crunch time or playing so small they can’t grab a rebound. Losing the offensive rebound battles by 27 in 3 games that were all decided by 5 points or fewer? Inexcusable.

**tsull** · 11-22-2022, 05:04 PM

Just after I pumped them up, WOU goes and loses to Western New Mexico.

Get this: The attendance was listed as 20 (!!!) people in New Mexico. Holy cow, really, 20?!!!

That's just awful. D2 and small colleges have an attendance problem. WNMU couldn't find more than 20 people to attend their games? Wait a sec, let me guess: The school does zero marketing and outreach in their local community, like almost all western D2 teams.

**Anchorage** · 11-27-2022, 02:41 AM

We are basically at the end of the non-conference portion of the season. GNAC games start Thursday.

VS the West Teams only

GNAC 18-17
PW 26-19
CCAA 20-28

**Anchorage** · 11-27-2022, 02:49 AM

UAA finished up strong, struggling but pulling off a Win against winless Westminster 81-77. Then dismantling a previously unbeaten Tex AM-International squad, that had beaten #15 Colorado Mesa by double digits just last weekend, 65-48. UAA came out of nowhere to play one of the best defensive games I had seen them play in 10 years, frustrating the Dirtdevils with every possession with their trapping and scrambling defense. I don’t know if this was just a one off performance or if this team found something long term, but it was an impressive performance nonetheless. Senior guard DaZhon Wyche with 20 pts and a near triple double took home MVP of the Fairbanks tournament. UAF lost to Texas International on Friday before bouncing back on Saturday to keep Westminster winless.

**tsull** · 11-29-2022, 05:54 PM

Above correction: The WOU-WNMU game was played in front of 20 people in Phoenix, Arizona. Why they are playing in Phoenix I have no idea. Why they have to fly to Phoenix to play a team from New Mexico in front of 20 people might be the new definition of insanity. In football we have to fly to Texas just to play in a league. D2 is nuts and very anti-fan. I truly don't get the division.

**Pounder** · 11-29-2022, 07:02 PM

Originally posted by tsull View Post

Above correction: The WOU-WNMU game was played in front of 20 people in Phoenix, Arizona. Why they are playing in Phoenix I have no idea. Why they have to fly to Phoenix to play a team from New Mexico in front of 20 people might be the new definition of insanity. In football we have to fly to Texas just to play in a league. D2 is nuts and very anti-fan. I truly don't get the division.

Got my curiosity. In terms of this game, I see the following factors in play:

- School was out at WNMU all week. So maybe 20 fans in Silver City instead?
- WNMU has three players from the Phoenix area. Recruiting, baby
- Cheaper for WOU to fly to Phoenix than to fly to either Albuquerque or El Paso and then take a bit of a bus ride.
- A private facility that specializes in youth tournaments and is potentially cheaper to rent.

So I can kind of see where this came from. Maybe. I’m guessing.

As for the division, I do remember when Portland State was in it and there were always discussions about limiting scholarships because schools hanging on in the division wanted to reduce costs while living the dream of giving out scholarships, and, for instance, the Dakota schools always threatening to bolt because of those scholarship limitation threats. I’m surprised there’s 300 schools in this division, frankly, because it seems to me you have schools who would rather be close to home and not give athletic scholarships, then there’s the glory hunters and the big schools at the top level. In the USA, it’s always seemed like “go big or go home” was kind of the choice, no? Before D-2 and even 1-AA were conceived, it was just the university division and the college division. I’m not sure this part of the rock truly believes in a middle ground. Shrug.

**tsull** · 11-29-2022, 07:41 PM

Originally posted by Pounder View Post

Got my curiosity. In terms of this game, I see the following factors in play:

- School was out at WNMU all week. So maybe 20 fans in Silver City instead?
- WNMU has three players from the Phoenix area. Recruiting, baby
- Cheaper for WOU to fly to Phoenix than to fly to either Albuquerque or El Paso and then take a bit of a bus ride.
- A private facility that specializes in youth tournaments and is potentially cheaper to rent.

So I can kind of see where this came from. Maybe. I’m guessing.

As for the division, I do remember when Portland State was in it and there were always discussions about limiting scholarships because schools hanging on in the division wanted to reduce costs while living the dream of giving out scholarships, and, for instance, the Dakota schools always threatening to bolt because of those scholarship limitation threats. I’m surprised there’s 300 schools in this division, frankly, because it seems to me you have schools who would rather be close to home and not give athletic scholarships, then there’s the glory hunters and the big schools at the top level. In the USA, it’s always seemed like “go big or go home” was kind of the choice, no? Before D-2 and even 1-AA were conceived, it was just the university division and the college division. I’m not sure this part of the rock truly believes in a middle ground. Shrug.

OK, the average fan thinks this kind of scheduling is nuts. Just schedule D2 Academy of Art in San Francisco, maybe play Hayward or whatever they're called now and get two games. D2 is so crazy. In football, CWU lost to Montana a few years ago in football on a last-second field goal in front of 25,000 people. Montana went on to either win FCS that year or finish runner up or the semi-finals. They were given no credit in the computer system. And now flying to Phoenix to play a D2 game? It's just insane for the average fan. It's best to not think like an administrator. A good friend of mine, who was a fine baseball player at Western Oregon, couldn't believe they were in a Texas league for football.

I'll support the school no matter what division they're in, but the hoops they have to jump through just to stay in a division that no one knows about is nuts. When I was in college I saw WOU football games in Salem, McMinnville, Klamath Falls, and Forest Grove in addition to Monmouth. In hoops I saw numerous road games. Now I can barely see the team play. Yeah, D2 is freaking great.

It's insane the money they're pouring into D2 to play in front of 20 fans to meet some metric. But of course I'll be told by some administrator that the I'm wrong, a fan is wrong. WOU barely has fans, don't push them away.

**Inkblot** · 11-30-2022, 04:38 PM

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