I am curious as to what other MIAC fans on the board think is the appropriate time to clear the end of the bench during a blow out. I took in the Carleton/STO game Saturday and was a bit surprised that Kolland waited until there was 1 minute left in the game to clear his bench. STO was down 20+ at the half and Carleton was up 30+ throughout the second half, so the game was NEVER in doubt. I also found it strange that STO cleared its bench well before Carleton when they were on the short end of the rout. Since most MIAC games are typically pretty competitive and coaches typically play 7-10 players leaving several guys with no time, my feeling is a coach should use a 30 point lead to give the end of his bench a meaningful 3-5 minutes of action as a reward for their practice time participation. I thought Carleton waiting until 1 minute was a bit bush league and unsportsmanlike, but I have heard this is this coach's pattern in the past. Am I being to harsh on Kolland, or do others agree with me? Just curious.

The STU/Stout match up should be a good one. I saw Stout play last year and there is no question in my mind that they would have won the MIAC. I believe STU is clearly the team to beat in the MIAC this year. If they play Stout tough, it is another sign thay are the frontrunner in the conference. Keep in mind that 4th in the WIAC could still be a top 20 national team, so a good performance against Stout would bode well for a possible future national ranking for STU.

Freshman Nate Assel is currently starting at PG in scrimmages while Lars Johnson sits out a couple of weeks with mono, but look for Lars to start at PG during the MIAC season, with Assel backing up the PG and 2 guard position.

Thanks for the feedback and the link CC. It was nice to see the faverable comments made concerning the quality of this MIAC board by Mr. Sager in response to Coleman's D3 poll comments.

Wow. Just noticed the national D3 pre-season coaches poll and see Gusties ranked in Top 20 receiving 160+ votes versus 1 vote for the Tommies. I know Gustavus has a national reputation based on recent performance, but this  pre-season poll voting differential is rediculous.

I would also like to come to Hoff's defense. He has always been a gritty competitor and a winner. In high school, Hoff did a great job of getting the ball to all the egos at Hopkins and was money from  the 3 point line in critical situations. At Gustavus, it is apparent Hanson never has warmed up to him. I understand last year he was told never to shoot the ball, which I found a bit strange given his history of being a selective clutch shooter. If it is true that he is not on the Gustie roster, that is good news for the rest of the league.

I am pleased to hear from sju4life that SJU has improved their talent level this year. They are obviously one of the big unknowns going into the season. From what I have heard, they are positioned to make a significant improvement in the standings versus last year, although 4 losses would be a HUGE jump.  Although I am not ready to accept they have the depth of talent of STU, SJU is certainly capable of beating anyone on a given night. As a fan, my only hope is that with the improved talent that SJU abandons the slow down game that was painful to watch last year.

LC, I'll take a stab at responding to you concerning STU's strength. They can put 5 legitimate scoring threats on the floor at one time. All five of their starters are legitimate potential all conference candidates. No other MIAC team has anywhere near that kind of talent. While most other MIAC teams are relying on some first year players to contribute, the best freshmen will be lucky to make the roster or get a few minutes this year at STU. Although 1 loss may a bit optimistic, if I was their coach I would be disappointed in more than 2 losses with the talent and experience on that squad. If they share the ball and play defense, they will be very difficult to beat.

No question that Carleton has 3 solid players returning. The loss of Beste and Baquaro, however,  represents a lot of missing offensive firepower. Can Carleton put enough offensive weapons on the court to keep teams from focusing on Forkrud and Drake? I believe this will be the key to there success. Health will also be a big factor for Carleton given their lack of upperclassmen depth. Although there are questions, if things fall into place, they can compete with anyone except St. Thomas. The league is so balanced that picking spots 2-8 in the league this year is a crap shoot.

LC, I keep hearing about Hamline bringing in a lot of recruits, but unless I am mistaken, they are all perimeter players.  Did they bring in an impact front court player that I am unaware of? They did not match up well in the front court with top teams last year and will need to address that to move up the ladder significantly. Perhaps they can challenge for a playoff spot, but I think top 4 is probably a reach.l

I'll pretty much go along with local coach on his POY list, although I would insert TeBrake for Keating in the top 5.
Because of UST's depth, I don't see anyone getting the numbers to warrent POY consideration, except for Ike and his ability to dominate the glass and block shots.

Eckhoff is clearly the POY favorite in my view, as he is the leading returning statistical scoring leader and already has experience being the "go to" player on his team.

Conboy and Forkrud should be solid and their numbers and POY stock should climb significantly as they move from second to primary scoring options on their teams this year. The success their teams are able to achieve will likely impact their POY potential.

Ike is the leading returning rebounder and defensive presence in the league playing on the most talented team, so you cannot discount his chances.

TeBrake will the leader on the Gusties, and since they always seem to finish at or near the top of the MIAC, he will be in the running for POY. Leaders of top level teams always have an advantage in award consideration over less successful teams.