The women's basketball team begins conference play tonight at Gentile Arena against Drake at 7:00 p.m.

After the non-conference season, only three MVC teams have a winning record: Indiana State (10-1), Wichita State (9-3), and Southern Illinois (7-4). Tonight's opponent, Drake, is in the "Best of the Rest" category, with a 5-6 record against arguably the second or third best non-conference schedule in the league.

The Ramblers seem like their tough non-conference schedule took a lot out of them not just physically, but mentally. By the last game of the grueling slate, they managed just 28 points against a middling team on the road. In retrospect, there probably should have been at least one "gimme" game at home in their schedule just to make sure they could play with confidence and in rhythm.

Nevertheless, the real portion of the season begins tonight with conference play against the highest scoring and least defensive team in the league.

The least defensive team in the league forced 17 first half turnovers and currently leads our Ramblers by 26.

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MBB Scholarship Chart

I think it is safe to say Swoopes is in over her head. I was a fan of the hire initially but the program has regressed big time. The season before she was hired, the team was one game away from a tournament berth. Now the ladies are sitting at 2-11 with no signs of improvement.

I was told by a reliable source that the reason Eric Simpson got canned was because he didn't get along with Jason Calhoun.

I swear Grace ran the athletic department like some private fiefdom, plundering its resources, dispensing favors to cronies, and punishing subjects on the whim of the court jester.

Wouldn't surprise me. Have you been over to the UPenn message board lately? Any idea what Grace is up to over there?

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MBB Scholarship Chart

I visit the board occasionally, but not recently. The board isn't very active, and consists mainly of boring old rich guys.

Not much discussion of Grace since they first dissected her hire. I think she's taking it slower there, than she did at Loyola.

I think Eric was maybe a little bit like McNulty from The Wire. Good at what he did, but didn't endear himself to those around and above him...