I hate to break it to the Tiger men's basketball team (as if they weren't already aware), but the pressure is now on. A heartbreaking, double overtime loss to its biggest rival left DWU on the bubble of GPAC teams hoping to make a trip to the NAIA National Tournament in Branson, Mo. A win wouldn't have secured a trip, necessarily, but it sure wouldn't have hurt. And it would have taken a lot of pressure off for DWU's last home game of the season against Northwestern. Now, talk around the athletics office is that DWU has to win out it's last three regular-season games, and winning the conference tournament wouldn't hurt, either.
Let's back up a minute. To that double overtime thriller. What. A. Game. I thought my heart was going to stop on no less than four separate occasions. Once when Larry Swann's soft little layup (a shot that had gone in earlier in the game) hung on the rim and then slowly, so slowly, fell out as the buzzer sounded in regulation. Once when Chase Walder went up for his 3-point shot late in the first overtime. Once when Jordan Long slammed home that amazing dunk and missed the free throw to tie the game. Once when Brady Wiebe was called for a travel (really?). And once when Wiebe was called for his fifth foul (again, really? A touch foul? In a game like that?). Such a good game. It could easily have gone the other way, but USF is the real deal. I almost feel like they played better without Malloy and Tisby because different people are playing different roles; roles they're not comfortable with, which makes them work harder. It'll be tough down the stretch for them, but I don't expect them to go out quietly.
The Tigers won't go out quietly either, however. Wiebe and Walder haven't missed a trip to Branson in the first three years of their Tiger careers, so I don't know why their senior seasons would be any different. The Tigers host Mount Marty and Northwestern and go to Hastings to end the regular season. As of today, DWU is in fifth behind Northwestern, USF, Briar Cliff and Concordia. With their schedules combined with the Tigers winning out, DWU could put itself in good position. Then, anything can happen in the conference tournament.
Basically, what it all boils down to -- DWU needs to play every night like it did in the second half of the Briar Cliff game. That was the best the Tigers have played all year, and if they play like that they'll beat anyone. National tournament opponents included... but now I'm getting ahead of myself. First thing's first... Mount Marty Wednesday. 8 p.m. Corn Palace.
Who ya rootin' for?
Showing posts with label Tigers basketball sports "Dakota Wesleyan". Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tigers basketball sports "Dakota Wesleyan". Show all posts
Monday, February 7, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
And now the winter season's almost over
One would think that, as a person who loves to write, I would be much more diligent about this blog. I'm ashamed to say I haven't even logged in since the end of November. I've thought about it, but just never got around to it. I'll try to make up for that now.
How about the DWU men's basketball team?! What a game on Wednesday against No. 8 Briar Cliff University. My only question: Where in the WORLD has that defense been all season? If we played defense like that every game, we would be undefeated, hands down. The Chargers couldn't get anything going, no matter what they tried. Three-pointer? Nope, we've got people there. Layup? We're already there in your face. Jumper? Probably not a good idea.
Briar Cliff scored just 14 points (14!) in the second half and shot something like 23.8 percent from the field. Which is good, considering they were basically putting on a 3-point shooting clinic in the first half. I won't lie -- I got real nervous when they hit four threes in the first four minutes of the game. If that was a sign of things to come, it didn't look good. Lucky for us, Brady Wiebe looked good (which should surprise no one), and Larry Swann emerged as a scorer and Chase Walder was able to hit some big threes (which is no surprise, but was a nice addition to everyone else's contributions).
That win was a huge win, and should hopefully give DWU the spark it needs heading into its final five games of the regular season. The Tigers are now fourth in the GPAC with an 8-5 mark, and still have two of the league's top three teams on its schedule. DWU is at the University of Sioux Falls on Feb. 2 and hosts Northwestern Feb. 16. Both teams beat the Tigers earlier this season, so there's quite a bit on the line here. Pride, revenge, not to mention seeding for the GPAC playoffs and in the NAIA.
The USF game got a whole lot more interesting today when word got out that Matt Malloy and Eric Tisby -- the Coo's top scorers and only two players on the team averaging double digits in scoring -- were arrested early this morning and are suspended 'indefinitely.' I'm curious to see how the team responds without them.
As for the Northwestern game, let's hope it plays out like the Briar Cliff game did. Home court advantage should be absolutely huge, and the Tigers have a lot to play for still. If they win out, and we get a little help from around the conference, winning the GPAC is not out of the question. That just goes to show how crazy the GPAC is, considering not too long ago we were in the middle and edging close to the bottom half of the conference. Anything can happen; you can't fall asleep against anyone, no matter what their record.
So these next few weeks will be key for the Tigers. Even if they don't win the league, a top-four finish is also very realistic and would give DWU a first-round bye in the playoffs and then home-court advantage for at least a game. And, as we all know, the Corn Palace can be a tricky place to play if you don't wear blue and white.
Who ya rootin' for?
How about the DWU men's basketball team?! What a game on Wednesday against No. 8 Briar Cliff University. My only question: Where in the WORLD has that defense been all season? If we played defense like that every game, we would be undefeated, hands down. The Chargers couldn't get anything going, no matter what they tried. Three-pointer? Nope, we've got people there. Layup? We're already there in your face. Jumper? Probably not a good idea.
Briar Cliff scored just 14 points (14!) in the second half and shot something like 23.8 percent from the field. Which is good, considering they were basically putting on a 3-point shooting clinic in the first half. I won't lie -- I got real nervous when they hit four threes in the first four minutes of the game. If that was a sign of things to come, it didn't look good. Lucky for us, Brady Wiebe looked good (which should surprise no one), and Larry Swann emerged as a scorer and Chase Walder was able to hit some big threes (which is no surprise, but was a nice addition to everyone else's contributions).
That win was a huge win, and should hopefully give DWU the spark it needs heading into its final five games of the regular season. The Tigers are now fourth in the GPAC with an 8-5 mark, and still have two of the league's top three teams on its schedule. DWU is at the University of Sioux Falls on Feb. 2 and hosts Northwestern Feb. 16. Both teams beat the Tigers earlier this season, so there's quite a bit on the line here. Pride, revenge, not to mention seeding for the GPAC playoffs and in the NAIA.
The USF game got a whole lot more interesting today when word got out that Matt Malloy and Eric Tisby -- the Coo's top scorers and only two players on the team averaging double digits in scoring -- were arrested early this morning and are suspended 'indefinitely.' I'm curious to see how the team responds without them.
As for the Northwestern game, let's hope it plays out like the Briar Cliff game did. Home court advantage should be absolutely huge, and the Tigers have a lot to play for still. If they win out, and we get a little help from around the conference, winning the GPAC is not out of the question. That just goes to show how crazy the GPAC is, considering not too long ago we were in the middle and edging close to the bottom half of the conference. Anything can happen; you can't fall asleep against anyone, no matter what their record.
So these next few weeks will be key for the Tigers. Even if they don't win the league, a top-four finish is also very realistic and would give DWU a first-round bye in the playoffs and then home-court advantage for at least a game. And, as we all know, the Corn Palace can be a tricky place to play if you don't wear blue and white.
Who ya rootin' for?
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