mfalc04

I was not able to find anything about this addition to the rule on the TSSAA web site. When/how was this info announced?

The Memphis game times were moved to 4pm. Christian Brothers vs McCallie Briarcrest vs Brentwood Academy So there should be great crowds and you can still get home in time to see the big game.

wow. can you provide any details about the game?

I know that they split in the regular season. Who won the the West Region Finals on Saturday night?

Has MBA announced who will be their new defensive coordinator? Is there a likely promotion from within?

Great hire for FRA. Pack is a very good coach and the guy has a lot of personality. He reminds of a Bruce Pearl type who can really sell the program. This is a huge loss for Ensworth--they lose a defensive coord. and a girls basketball HC (a very good one).

Sounds like things are getting messy in the West with the seeding controversy. The five teams in the Middle region to qualify are Ryan, Ensworth, Baylor, BA, and McCallie. The semi-finals will be McCallie vs Baylor and BA vs Ryan. I can't believe that McCallie managed to beat Ensworth--big upset. The Baylor-McCallie game will be very emotional and huge rivalry game. Same goes for the BA-Ryan game--they were 1-1 against eachother this season with Ryan winning on a buzzer beater the 2nd time they played. Should be very exciting.

This is going to be a very exciting region tournament. The top five teams are all capable of making a run. Ryan and Ensworth have been very tough and the most consistent throughout the season. BA absolutely whacked MBA by 20+ on the road on Friday night. That is a dangerous #4 seed.

The Div II Middle Region tournament is going to be very exciting. Not much seperates the first five teams: Ryan, Ensworth, MBA, Baylor, BA...any one of them could win it. Ryan has been very strong with its only loss to MBA. Ensworth is obviously very good. MBA has had a strong finish to the season. BA is on a terrible losing streak but has been very competitive and can beat anyone. Baylor could be a sleeper.

BA vs Ensworth rematch tomorrow night. This time it's at Ensworth. It's going to be a great crowd. Who's going to win the 2nd time around?

I never used the word "dominated." BA was in "control" the entire game. Despite the fact that Ensworth never got closer than 5-6 points it was still a very competitive game. And you are mistaken in saying that Ensworth was up most of the 1st quarter. If you look at the box score the first quarter finished at 23-14 BA. That was the most lobsided quarter of the game. I would expect the next game at Ensworth to be another very competitive game.

BA beat Ensworth by 10+. They were in control the entire game. Ensworth never got within 6pts. BA played really well. It was a great atmosphere.

This is going to be a must see game. Not sure what to predict other then a very close hard fought game. Even without T. Jefferson Ensworth is off to a great start. It's going to be a great atmosphere. The battle for the top Div. II team in middle TN is between these two teams.

This tournament opens up today and features the following teams: Brentwood Academy, Livingston Academy, Haywood Co., Independance, Riverdale, Sycamore, Union City, and Mt. Juliet. Who do you think will win it? I predict BA and Union City in the finals this year. They are on opposite ends of the bracket. Some great potential match-ups include BA vs Haywood Co. in the 2nd round. Sycamore and Riverdale in the 1st round should be a good game. Features the following stud players: Chase Dunn (LA), Ricky Taylor (Haywood), Jacob Stallings (BA), MJ Brown (UC), Micheal Young (Riverdale). Some good talent.

I know that Brentwood Academy and Lipscomb will be in it again. Not sure who else. Last year it was a great tournament. It featured: BA, Lipscomb, Union City, Ensworth, Pioneer Christian, Haywood County, White House, etc. The tournament is schedule for Dec. 20-22 this year.

It was the worst officiated game I've ever seen. Both teams were certainly effected by it. It made it almost impossible for BA to do anything in the 1st half--every possession started at 1st and 15 or 20. All that to say that MBA was CLEARLY the better team. They absolutely dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides. They were tougher, more physical, etc. I give them a lot of credit. I did not think anyone could push BA around like that. While the outcome was close (12-0) MBA never lost control of the game.

Can anyone who saw the game share some comments. This is a big win for Ensworth and shows that they will be a force even without Jefferson. Centennial's Drew Kelly had 37 points, but it still wasn't enough.

BA's defense gave up 13 points against MBA--and that was with MBA consistantly getting very good field position. BA's defense will have another good outing. Jordan will be the difference maker. Every time he touches the ball he's a real threat to break one. BA's passing game has progressed throughout the season and is good enough to burn you if you focus too much on the run. They have a very balanced offense that will put up more points the second time around. The gentleman who said that Tate's perfromance is about equal to Jordan's (statistically) therefore it shouldn't make much of a difference is way off. The difference btw Jordan & Tate running for 90 yards and a TD is that Jordan commands an extra man in the box, more attention, etc...all of which inevitably open up the passing game. Not to mention you simply can't compare Tate & Jordan. BA's offense has been much more effective going back to a lot of I-formation and not so much spread. The development of their offense along with CJ's presence make for a very different team this time around.

I also think this will be a close game and hard fought battle, but my gut says BA will pull it out. Last time it was a 13-7 game and BA was missing the best player in the state--and it's not like the guy is an o-lineman or plays some other position with minimal impact--Chris Jordan will get the ball 20+ times. Should be an awesome game!

Who is the team to beat in Div. II this year? I think the early season favorites for the entire state are Briarcrest and St. George, both out of Memphis. St. George has seniors that have committed to Duke & Missouri. Briarcrest has one of the top juniors in the country (Leslie McDonald). Who is the favorite Div. II school in middle TN? You have to think it's going to come down to Brentwood Academy and Ensworth again. BA graduated 4 starters, two of which are playing at Lipscomb Univ. now, but they bring back some good talent and will still have a big front court. Ensworth brings back everyone from last year, BUT their best player (T. Jefferson) will miss the entire season. That is a huge blow.

BA completely dominated this game. Congrat's to BA for advancing to the state finals. It will be a dog fight against MBA next weekend. Ensworth had a great season for their first varsity schedule. They deserve a lot of credit for overachieving this year.

No disrespect to Ensworth b/c they have done a fantastic job this year, but they have no chance against BA. It will NOT be a close game. They will be dominated physically up front.

BA will win this game. Ryan is a tough team, but clearly not on the same level as MBA & BA. Chris Jordan should be back after having rested the last 3 weeks (MBA, BGA, BYE). He should be good to go the rest of the way. It's going to come down to MBA vs BA in the state finals. Not to say this won't be a hard fought game. I'm sure Ryan will be very motived after getting shut down my MBA.

You're right, BGA is a solid team this year, but they have no chance of beating BA. The paper said that CJ will miss the BGA game as well. I think that's a good idea for BA. Rest the big man for the home stretch. BA wins by 21+.

Well said by some of the other BA guys. I also bitterly hate losing to MBA but they were the better team tonight. BA's offense was pretty bad. They had too many penalties & mistakes, the passing game was terrible, the blocking was not very good. The defense played well, certainly well enough to win. MBA had great field position the whole night and still managed only 13 points (one TD). When BA fell into a 10-0 hole I knew it would be a real dogfight to get back in the game. MBA is limited offensively, but they have a very good power run game. Their defense is also strong. It was an ideal game for MBA. They got out to an early lead and then just protected that lead by eating up the clock with their running game and playing solid defense. Chris Jordan did not play a single snap. No excuses, of course. I think these two teams will meet again the state finals as long as they are on opposite sides of the bracket. Tonight I give MBA all the credit, they deserved to win.