WAY TO GO COBBERS!  YOU WILL DO THE CONFERENCE PROUD, I KNOW IT!
I would once again like to add:  MEL FOR MVP!!!!!!
WW - Would it be a huge wedgie if the bennies don't get in?
Pairings are announce tomorrow, this should be fun!

M&G - I believe WW addressed the agitation with the Bennies fans, it was "undies in a bundle".
I always get agitated with that.
Lets hope Mel can have another quiet night/afternoon on Saturday, and the Cobbers can solve Carleton's match-up zone!!

Wow, I have been away for a long time!! Italy is crazy right now with the Olympics and all!!
Just off the plane and all I have to say is:
Congratulations to my Cobbers, GREAT WIN! 
gacbacker - I would venture to guess the old woman and her running mates missed a few calls the other way that could have proven critical for the Cobbs.  They ALWAYS do!!
Boy am I very sorry to see the Bennies lose.
Will be a great game in Moorhead on Saturday!

A cobber, a bennie and a gustie agreeing, dang straight you better get stocked up on the canned goods!!!    
she_scores, the WIAC is physical, no question, (and there are probably a few "elbow-throwers", I think every league has one or two,) but their physicality is consistent throughout.  I don't want to say the MIAC is softer, it just plays a different style, so when a "smashmouth" player exerts her elbows, it is easier to call her out. 
A sidebar that needs to be included here, as I don't want the HEARSAY police to come get me; I wasn't at either game being discussed, I am simply making these statements based on the comments by those in attendance, and my experience watching the women's game for the past 8 years.

Go to Vegas, and my Cobbers lose! Bummer.  No, gambling for me, just interviewing!!!  Had the Cobbs been on the board at Caesar's, maybe?!?!?!?!?
So the elbows, well, I once again, have to go with the gustie crew, their is legal contact, but it is limited.  You can put a forearm, hand or leg on a post player, who's back is to the basket; you can have a forearm on the ballhandler, periodically; you can "body-up" a player provided you don't interfere with his/her advancing the ball; you can catch and "chin" the ball; a ballhandler can have a forearm, but cannot push-off/extend the forearm to a straightarm. Is this a contact sport, yes, to a limit, but when your elbows interfere with a player who's establish himself/herself in their postition, you have committed a foul, and possibly an intentional one!!

2/8/2006 (Wednesday)
Gustavus @ St. Olaf - could be a game, depends on who show for the oles, jeckle or hyde.  Gusties eek it out by 5
Saint Mary's @ Hamline - see above regarding the pipers, they need this to get to the top 6, hamline by 7
Concordia @ Augsburg - tough road trip, ugly game, cobbers by 13
St. Thomas @ Bethel - which team is heading to the porcelein bowl quicker?  Bethel by 8.
Macalester @ Saint Benedict - bennies run it up, win by 20+
St. Catherine @ Carleton - as I said earlier, no one sweeps the knights, carleton by 12

2/4/2006 (Saturday)
Saint Mary's @ Gustavus - gusties impose their pressure D against a below-average team and win by 15
Carleton @ Concordia - carls are playing better and have had tougher competition this week to  prepare them for this big game.  The Vig-Hageman match-up will be interesting.  We'll need to get our perimeter game going in order to handle the zone.  Annie comes to life and the Cobbs win by 8.
Bethel @ St. Olaf - the Christians need a win.  After dropping a heart-breaker to the bennies, and then sleep walking through SMU, their attention is here and pull out the close one, by 5
Saint Benedict @ St. Thomas - the tommies stink with the latest injury, bennies by 18
Hamline @ Macalester - the pipers need a gimme, here you go, hamline by 20
Augsburg @ St. Catherine - auggies flying high after their big win, they susrprise the katies by 11

MEL FOR MVP
I know it was Mac, but she got it done in 21 minutes on 8-10 shooting, and in case you have forgotten, the Cobbers are on top of the league!!   

So gustie fans, how ugly was that game??  The tommies scored 9 in the first half??? YIKES!!  That had to be painful to watch!  51-32
The bennies just pulled out an equally defensive outing against the christians, 91-88.
2/1/2006 (Wednesday)
St. Thomas @ Augsburg - tommies have a tough one against the gusties, and possibly lost another key player, the auggies get them by 7.
Saint Mary's @ Bethel - hopefully the christians didn't use up all their offense vs. the bennies, they eek it out by 9.
Macalester @ Concordia - can mac save a little money and just phone this one in??  My cobbers will be well rested, and not a good thing for the scots.  Cobbs by 20.
Gustavus @ Carleton - The gusties were under-impressive offensively tonight, perhaps saving it up for the knights?  I think the knights are hard to sweep, and catch the gusties at home by 7.
Hamline @ St. Olaf - Oles are so unpredictable, and hamline, well, just the same.  These were two potential play-off teams that are fighting for some respect.  I'll take the home team by 2.
St. Catherine @ Saint Benedict - Bennies starting to feel it offensively, they beat up the katies by 19.

1/30/2006 (Monday)
Gustavus @ St. Thomas - gusties pay back a very average gotch-less tommie team - they win by 16.
Augsburg @ Carleton - carls over auggies by 11
St. Olaf @ Macalester - who cares
Saint Benedict @ Bethel - bennies by 15
Hamline @ St. Catherine - upset special - katies by 9


So happy to see I have a new fan!

Quote from: James T. Kirk on January 25, 2006, 11:47:54 PM
Peach, Jimmy the Greek your not.  Your prediction of Augsburg over Bethel had to be made just to piss off East Coast.  This should be an interesting game though and if Bethel wins big it could be a sign that they are starting to "Get It".

Well, I may have been off in my pick of the Auggies over the Christians, (70-74), but Capt Kirk, would you say maybe the Royals aren't "getting it" yet.  The reason I picked the Auggies is that I feel teams have a tendancy of looking past them, and that can prove costly, like it almost did tonight!
Congrats to my Cobbers!  Good luck tomorrow!!

Willy,
I was only able to catch a small portion of the game via the net, as I am still in SO DAK, pursuing my profession - tong-term substitute teaching 
From all accounts gacbacker's account of the officiating is right on, they were clueless!
Looks like the next game I'll be taking in, in person, will be playoffs, HOPEFULLY.
Capt Kirk, if Bethel loses, then what, can I be Jimmy the Greek?  Oh please let me be Jimmy!

Looks like a great 2nd half for my Cobbers - 63% fg shooting! Mel 17, Bri 11, Mel for MVP!!!!
Hopefully no hiccups from here on out, especially this weekend!!
1/28/2006
Hamline @ St. Thomas - Tommies get revenge and win by 11
Concordia @ St. Olaf - hopefully no let-downs after a very emotional game, Cobbers by 5
Bethel @ Augsburg - the Christians slip up and lose to the rugged Auggies by 7.
Carleton @ Saint Benedict - Bennies get 'em back at home, win by 9
Saint Mary's @ Macalester - Mac scores 35, Mary's 42
Gustavus @ St. Catherine - Gusties struggle to pull out an ugly 12 point win.

Congrats to Mel, (and Bri,) MIAC players of the week.

Capt. Kirk - I think your perspective on the league is pretty (that's pretty, not petty,) good. Overall, the league is very average, where 5 or 6 years ago the top teams were competing at the National level, that's just not going to happen right now. 
The reason why some teams are having success that others, who are equally talented aren't, I believe, is coaching and heart.  Ewert should be the player of the year, based on talent alone, physically, that girl is a specimen, but there's something missing!  Anna's a very good player, but she doesn't have the supporting cast the bennies have had in the past.  Bri is good, Mel is good, but better, is the situation each of their coaches continue to put them in.
Don't get me wrong, I love the competitiveness of this league, I just long for the days when we were sending potential NCAA Champions into the post-season, it just made everyone else so much better.  For now, I get fired up for the conference, and it's tourney, and for whomever represents it in the post-season!

WW - MYK started her career at Concordia, that's why I wasn't sure who you were talking about when you said "your girl looked good on the bench today."
That's all.
I too would like to be a "Petty" fan, and start "running down a dream!"  Go Cobbers!

WW,
Let me jump on this one before a bennie-fan calls you something worse than you called yourself, Petty, oh how petty! Whether intentional or not, GREAT double-meaning!
???When you say "my girl" are you refering to MYK???
Thanks for the stats note. Now, another question, along with MIAC stats, is the player's head-to-head statistics considered when voting.  What I mean, is their performance head-to-head vs. other potential MVP candidates/top teams in the league? Mel vs Anna, Erica, Bri, Bri vs Anna, Erica, Mel... Those are interesting stats to pull!!

1/25/2006
Saint Benedict @ St. Olaf - Bennies are struggling, but not that much.  Oles can't figure out the Auggies, so they WON"T figure out CSB, the gals from St. Joe's by 13.
Carleton @ Hamline - this one's tough.  Hamline's talented, but has a fair amount of internal strife.  Carleton gets along off the court, and is starting to figure out on-court "togetherness", they pull it "together" in a tight one by 6.
Gustavus @ Concordia - another great battle, that I predict we see one more time in the MIAC championship.  The Cobbers who, "aren't that scary" are young, and at home.  They hand the gusties and WW's dad a "L" by 7.
Macalester @ St. Thomas - UST needs a win, and Mac comes around at the right time.  The best thing to look for in this one is will the Mac coach speak to the girls who requested her not to be their next coach at UST??
Augsburg @ Saint Mary's - Auggies, back on a roll and win one in a row, have to go to SMU, a tough road-trip, but I'm picking the doggies by 3.
St. Catherine @ Bethel - Bethel's roller coaster continues, Ahlberg wakes up for this one, and is too much for the katies. Bethel by 11.