PG: Kyle Skinner, 6'4 Sr., Odessa, 21.4 p, 5.1 a, 1.6 s, 39.4 GFLY

SG: Dwayne Morgan, 6'6 Sr., Anchorage, 26.4 p, 3.3 r, 0.8 s, 31.3 GFLY

SF: Darrion Mertz, 6'7 Sr., Bakersfield, 21.8 p, 5.9 r, 1.1 s, 33.9 GFLY

PF: Keith Patrick, 6'9 Jr., Macon, 24.1 p, 7.3 r, 1.8 s, 40.3 GFLY

C: Glendon Ireland, 6'10 Sr., Cleveland, 32 p, 9.9 r, 30 b, 50.6 GFLY

March 6: Gadfly's All-Conference 23 Projections

PG: Rod Squires, 6'8 Sr., Wichita, 7.3 a, 3.5 r, 1.2 s, 29.3 GFLY

SG: KC Motley, 6'0 Sr., Houston, 24.5 p, 4.1 r, 1.1 a, 28.2 GFLY

SF: Kerry Ashby, 6'10 Sr., Wichita, 20.1 p, 5.1 r, 19 b, 28.0 GFLY

PF: Galen Manuel, 6'6 Sr., C. Station, 18.9 p, 5.6 r, 1.3 s, 29.6 GFLY

C: Ken Strange, 6'11 Fr., C. Station, 15.7 p, 7.3 r, 20 b, 28.3 GFLY

6th: Gerald Dorsey, 6'11 Jr., Oklahoma, 11.5 p, 7.7 r, 29 b, 26.5 GFLY

March 6: Gadfly's Conference MVP Projections

Follow the above link for a projection of who will end up each conferences MVP.

February 28, 2004: Mid-Season Gadfly All-Conference Team

CLICK HERE

February 22, 2004: Power Rankings

(by OCTD)

As we hit the half-way point in conference action, the conference picture has begun to sharpen, but it is far from clear. Every team has now suffered at least one loss, causing a log-jam at the top between College Station, Oklahoma and Wichita. From here on out it might not even be the head to head matchups that decide this race (although Oklahoma still has a cross divisional game against Wichita left), but how teams do against the rest of the field – a cast of schools that have just now become settled with their players and have already begun to make themselves a factor in the conference, as this last week’s action illustrated.

The conference power rankings are much easier to put together now that most teams have played each other. College Station and Oklahoma are tied at the top of the poll, as neither team has lost to an opponent outside of the top three and their contest was so close. Wichita would have been included here and perhaps at the very top if only they hadn’t lost to Houston, a misstep they can certainly make up for this upcoming week. Following Wichita is a fast-rising Laredo team which seems to have found its groove and should have won all its games this past week. They are playing very well right now and I’ll hold my breath Monday night. Houston drops one spot due to Laredo’s play, Kansas City and Beaumont switch spots due to the results of their h-t-h game and Garland continues to bring up the rear as they still search for their first conference win.

Oklahoma and Wichita on Wednesday night should be the game of the week, provided both teams hold serve on Monday. An Oklahoma win here could set up a decisive game against College Station the following week to decide the conference winner while a Wichita win would leave them in the driver’s seat (of the non PR based tie break) for the conference title. Come game 12, Laredo, Beaumont, Garland, and Kansas City all should have top 75 OOC opponents – a win is needed by any of these teams if they hope to make up ground in their Power Ratings.

1a.

College Station: (8-1; 4-1; #14) (Slow/Man)

W 3-6 Montgomery 85-82

L 5-4 Wichita 71-81

W 3-6 Laredo 81-79

Comments: Could it be opponents have figured this team out? Probably not but they’re getting there. Aaron has to be a little disappointed in how his team played this week considering the records of his opponents, but at the same time he should be thankful they only lost once. In all three games, College Station trailed with 5 minutes to go, but opportune defensive stands allowed them to pull out all but one. Manuel did not have the impact this week that he did last week, but enough was done by others, foremost Ken Strange, to keep the team on the winning track. However, it is becoming more evident that the Injunction are still looking for either Linker, Salmon or Meyer’s to stake a claim for the final starting spot. The number of games before the postseason is steadily decreasing and College Station can’t afford to continue to experiment. Looking ahead, the schedule might just be what the doctor ordered. Three sub .500 teams come to play and College Station needs to take this opportunity to reestablish themselves as king of the hill. A loss will not be acceptable.

Secret to Season’s Success: 63 steals forced, only 66 turnovers committed

Next Week: Beaumont (2-7); Garland (2-7); Out of Conference Flint (4-5)

1b.

Oklahoma: (8-1; 4-1; #26) (Slow/Normal)

W 2-7 Tempe 79-62

W 2-7 Garland 83-71

W 2-7 Beaumont 62-51

Comments: Oklahoma won all three games and consequently saw their power ranking drop to 26. Following a week where seemingly every possession was key and two games went to overtime, Oklahoma was able to enjoy a relatively simpler week, with all their opponents fading in the final ten minutes. Johnnie Gore continued his bombardment and is beginning to establish himself as the premier scorer in the conference, although Richie Gallahue and Ken Ashby might think otherwise. His defense continues to be a concern but as long as he outscores his opponent and OK wins, all is right in the City Slicker world. The opening game win against Arlington is looking better and better and so far the fact that they’ve yet to lose a game they should have won puts them above Wichita. This upcoming set of games is pivotal. Oklahoma gets a peaking Laredo on Monday followed by conference co-leader Wichita on Wednesday, in what should be the Game of the Week. A near top 100 team, Cedar Rapids, finishes what should be a truly testing week.

Secret to Season’s Success: +9 rebounding edge, average only 8 turnovers per game

Next Week: Laredo (3-6); Wichita (5-4); Out of Conference Cedar Rapids (5-4)

3.

Wichita: (5-4; 4-1) (Slow/Man)

L 8-1 Arlington 69-71

W 8-1 College Station 81-71

L 4-5 Houston 75-79

Comments: Wichita has to be disappointed in how the week turned out. It started with a two point loss to a beatable top ten team, followed by a huge conference win against former undefeated and top ten College Station, only to be brought right back down by an upset loss to Houston. Despite that, Wichita is still in great position to claim the first conference title. Kansas City and Oklahoma are the only non sub .500 opponents remaining on their schedule and those two wins this upcoming week will probably establish them as the team to beat. Also, many including myself questioned drafting Dietrich above Strange but in their first head to head contest Dietrich was clearly the superior performer so for the now the questions have been silenced.

Secret to Season’s Success: Senior duo of Kerry Ashby, 21.7 p, 4.3 r, 56.9% FG and Rod Squires, 6.9 a, 4.0 r, 1.1 stl

Next Week: Kansas City (5-4); Oklahoma (8-1); Out of Conference Vicksburg (3-6)

4.

Laredo: (3-6; 3-2) (Fast/Norm)

L 4-2 Wichita 75-92

W 2-4 Garland 77-65

W 2-4 Beaumont 60-52

Comments: I may be going out on a limb by placing Laredo, a team with more losses than two lower ranked teams, this high but I think the ranking is deserved, at least for now. To date they’ve faced the a grueling set of games, and it doesn’t get any easier with #26 Oklahoma and #38 Ft Myers on next week’s schedule. Fortunately Laredo has started to raise their game to their opponent’s level and lost two games this week by a total of three points – they came within a basket of giving College Station their second loss (they blew a 7 point lead with 5 minutes to go). These two losses sandwiched a convincing win over Houston on Wednesday night that prompted me to move them ahead of the Houdinis. Although Laredo could easily finish this next week with three additional losses, they could also be a huge spoiler to teams that are beginning to position themselves for at large bids. I expect them to beat either Oklahoma or Ft Myers this week, hopefully Ft Myers.

Secret to Season’s Success: Tropicana has always loved to give his teams the go-ahead to lob threes in bunches. This season: 79/203, good for 39%, the equivalent of shooting 59% from within the arc.

Next Week: Oklahoma (8-1); Kansas City (5-4); Out of Conference Ft Myers (7-2)

5.

Houston: (4-5; 2-3) (Slow/Norm)

L 6-3 Owensboro 78-83 (OT)

L 3-6 Laredo 71-82

W 5-4 Wichita 79-75

Comments: Houston suffers their second 1 win week in a row, but that one win against Wichita may prove crucial in the race for the conference crown. Moving Carl Runner into the starting lineup has begun to pay dividends, as he’s averaged 12 points over the last week, including 18 in the overtime loss to Owensboro. Defensively, he held Wichita’s Kerry Ashby to 50% shooting, no small feat considering he went into the game shooting 58%. Still, the loss against Laredo has to sting a little, as it prompted their drop in the rankings, but the win against Wichita almost makes up for it. They’ve got Garland and Beaumont on tap for this week and together with their weak OOC opponent, Charleston, Houston should be able to extend their win streak to four – momentum they’ll need going into the final week in their division.

Secret to Season’s Success: 67 total turnovers this season (7.4 per game) second lowest in conference behind College Station (66)

Next Week: Garland (2-7); Beaumont (2-7); Out of Conference Charleston (3-6)

6.

Kansas City: (5-4; 2-3) (Slow/Normal)

W 3-6 Eugene 82-61

W 2-7 Beaumont 77-61

W 2-7 Garland 79-68

Comments: This is the only team that starts three seniors so it should really be performing better than it has to this point. Kansas City decided to slow the pace of the game down this week and it turned out to be a wise decision. Snapping a four game losing streak on Monday, they are now on a three game winning streak. True their wins came against teams with 7 wins combined, but the best way to get a team out of a funk is to get them winning again, no matter the competition and Kansas City did just that. They came into the week shooting just 42% from the field but were able to shoot 50.3% over the course of the week. They need to continue shooting the ball well, especially their backcourt of Medford and Ogle who are still well below 50%, if they hope to have any chance against the leaders. Monday night against Wichita will be their first test.

Secret to Season’s Success: Balanced scoring, all five starters average in double figures with four averaging between 10 and 12 points.

Next Week: Wichita (5-4); Laredo (3-6); Out of Conference Jefferson City (7-2)

7.

Beaumont: (2-7; 1-4) (Slow/Norm,Zone,Norm)

L 2-7 Joplin 66-78

L 5-4 Kansas City 61-77

L 8-1 Oklahoma 51-62

Comments: Early in the season, Aaron asked whether coach noun had ever finished last in any season. The answer then was no and it may very well still be no by the end of the season but the pressure has to begin building at some point. Beaumont suffered their first three loss week of the season but although they lost all three games, they weren’t really blown out in any, even keeping up with Oklahoma until the final ten minutes. Von Pachetti has stepped up as a legitimate scoring threat; he scored over 20 twice this past week, making five times total this season (gotta love simstats). However, without a second option, Beaumont has found itself floundering on the offensive end. Gregor Whelan was to have filled the role but injury and disappointing play have moved him to the bench although I don’t expect him to remain there long. Looking ahead, Beaumont is hoping they’re near the end of their five game losing streak, but it doesn’t look good with two 1-loss teams on the schedule. College Station especially on Monday begs to differ although Beaumont matches up to College Station better than they would most other teams. I feel sorry for the fans in the stands who will watch them grind to a final score that will probably just top 100 points combined.

Secret to Season’s Success: Von Pachetti, 20.2 p, 6.6 r, 1.1 a, 9 b, 51.7% FG (on a team shooting 48% collectively)

Next Week: College Station (8-1); Houston (4-5); Out of Conference Denver (8-1)

8.

Garland: (2-7; 0-5) (Slow/Man, Zone, Zone)

L 3-6 Huntington 75-76

L 8-1 Oklahoma 71-83

L 5-4 Kansas City 68-79

Comments: It’s a shame Garland can’t get its act together, we could use chambers enthusiasm on the boards. They currently have the longest losing streak in the conference at six and may very well extend it until they meet with Beaumont in game 13 (who perhaps might be looking to end their own slide). The good news is they have a young, prolific backcourt that is now the highest scoring in the conference, combining for 40.3 points on 53.6% shooting. The bad news is the turnovers as they’ve combined for 52 of the team’s 103 this season, led by Robards staggering 4.4 per game. With that said, the right combination of a ball handler and big man could instantly vault Garland to the top of the conference within two years. For now though they’ll be the stop gap between noun and his first last place finish.

Secret to Season’s Success: Great scoring backcourt, combined 40.3 points on 53.6% shooting (both Sophomores)

Next Week: Houston (4-5); College Station (8-1); Out of Conference Cooperstown (7-2)

Dant Decks Robards!

February 14, 2004: Power Rankings

The conference race has began with the major players looking to be College Station, Wichita, and Oklahoma. It is still too early to tell who might be in the running at the end of the season, but so far the action has been intense with a lot of games going down to the wire.

The biggest winner in this week’s ranking is Wichita who jumped from seventh to third while Laredo jumped from eighth to fifth. The biggest loser was Kansas City, who dropped from Fourth to Seventh. Mark down Wednesday night’s game between College Station (3-0) and Wichita (3-0), as only one team will have a perfect conference record on Thursday.

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Monday Picks:

Wednesday Picks:

Friday Picks: