MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[piperinsider]

GAC- Bethany story
http://www.mankatofreepress.com/sports/local_story_324000754.html?keyword=topstory

Also, former Piper Jon DeRock scored 24 points in an upset win over DI North Dakota Tuesday night. Hamline plays UND them in the second-to-final game of the season.

[columbianmaffia]

silly UMAC

ITS HUMP DAY!!

i hear the turkeys coming...gobble gobble gobble

kentucky wildcats suck at basketball

[sumander]

Fool-Em story on the Cobber Victory and from the G.F. Herald on Southwest's win. DeRock was 7-9 from beyond the arc!

CMob, I agree with your take on Kentucky. That first half last night was putrid!

[Drake Palmer]

I'm not sure I'd put too much stock in comparing scores right now, especially with a Gustavus team searching for leaders and an identity. Bethany Lutheran knows who its studs are and had already played a game.

A few random thoughts from afar...
I figured scoring would be GAC's biggest problem this season given who graduated (Kane and Wittwer)...but giving up 45 points in a half is disgusting. Things got better after (some yelling at?) halftime, but there are clearly a lot of holes in the Gustie armor right now. I can only hope some answers present themselves or the game against Winona State may get wiped off my calendar...

I appreciate your candor Willy – but I still don't get it.  How do the Gusties lose to Bethany Lutheran?  The Gustie talent level alone should beat Bethany Lutheran.  And where was freshman Bobby Johnson – injured, or coaches decision – DNP?

Coach Hanson is quoted to say "Saffert was very good tonight," Golden Gusties' coach Mark Hanson said. "They play a style we don't see every day in practice. We're just not that kind of team. They didn't do anything to surprise us, but there's a difference between preparing for something and actually seeing it."

Prepared for what – pushing the ball on offense?   If Buena Vista's PG Andre Wagner is healthy by next Tuesday the Gusties could be in for a l-o-n-g night.  Wagner's a 190lb bowling ball on skates & he's got some biggs who can step outside to hit the trey or post up.

[Drake Palmer]

An Open Memo to Crown College Athletic Department.  

Hello Crown coaches, SID, & athletic directors,

No one likes to be on the short end of a beat down i.e. Augsburg 97 – Crown College 46, but hey, if North Dakota State can manhandle Mayville State last night and beat them to the tune of 128-64, it's all relative. 

We realize that for some mysterious, masochistic, scheduling fluke or quirk, the two schools felt compelled to play each other twice within a 4-day span, but you might as well get it over with. Since no detail (game story) seems to be coming out of St. Boni, the least you can do is sack up & post the box score.  This way we can spare you the embarrassment & read for ourselves what happened.

Thanks

[piperinsider]

An Open Memo to Crown College Athletic Department.  

Hello Crown coaches, SID, & athletic directors,

No one likes to be on the short end of a beat down i.e. Augsburg 97 – Crown College 46, but hey, if North Dakota State can manhandle Mayville State last night and beat them to the tune of 128-64, it's all relative. 

We realize that for some mysterious, masochistic, scheduling fluke or quirk, the two schools felt compelled to play each other twice within a 4-day span, but you might as well get it over with. Since no detail (game story) seems to be coming out of St. Boni, the least you can do is sack up & post the box score.  This way we can spare you the embarrassment & read for ourselves what happened.

Thanks

They don't call it Clown College for nothing.

[AO]

I'm not sure I'd put too much stock in comparing scores right now, especially with a Gustavus team searching for leaders and an identity. Bethany Lutheran knows who its studs are and had already played a game.

A few random thoughts from afar...
I figured scoring would be GAC's biggest problem this season given who graduated (Kane and Wittwer)...but giving up 45 points in a half is disgusting. Things got better after (some yelling at?) halftime, but there are clearly a lot of holes in the Gustie armor right now. I can only hope some answers present themselves or the game against Winona State may get wiped off my calendar...

I appreciate your candor Willy – but I still don't get it.  How do the Gusties lose to Bethany Lutheran?  The Gustie talent level alone should beat Bethany Lutheran.  And where was freshman Bobby Johnson – injured, or coaches decision – DNP?

Coach Hanson is quoted to say "Saffert was very good tonight," Golden Gusties' coach Mark Hanson said. "They play a style we don't see every day in practice. We're just not that kind of team. They didn't do anything to surprise us, but there's a difference between preparing for something and actually seeing it."

Prepared for what – pushing the ball on offense?   If Buena Vista's PG Andre Wagner is healthy by next Tuesday the Gusties could be in for a l-o-n-g night.  Wagner's a 190lb bowling ball on skates & he's got some biggs who can step outside to hit the trey or post up.

The Bethany Lutheran talent alone beat Gustavus last night.  They didn't out-hustle the gusties from what I can tell, they just have more talent and experience.  Get used to it, they're not a junior college anymore.

As for Crown, it looks like they have a new website (which might explain the delay), but I'm sure they will stick by their same routine of being far more likely to post a game story or box score if they win.  You can also bet that they will spin the Auggie game as being far closer than the score indicated. 

[Willy Wonka]

I'm not sure I'd put too much stock in comparing scores right now, especially with a Gustavus team searching for leaders and an identity. Bethany Lutheran knows who its studs are and had already played a game.

A few random thoughts from afar...
I figured scoring would be GAC's biggest problem this season given who graduated (Kane and Wittwer)...but giving up 45 points in a half is disgusting. Things got better after (some yelling at?) halftime, but there are clearly a lot of holes in the Gustie armor right now. I can only hope some answers present themselves or the game against Winona State may get wiped off my calendar...

I appreciate your candor Willy – but I still don't get it.  How do the Gusties lose to Bethany Lutheran?  The Gustie talent level alone should beat Bethany Lutheran.  And where was freshman Bobby Johnson – injured, or coaches decision – DNP?

Coach Hanson is quoted to say "Saffert was very good tonight," Golden Gusties' coach Mark Hanson said. "They play a style we don't see every day in practice. We're just not that kind of team. They didn't do anything to surprise us, but there's a difference between preparing for something and actually seeing it."

Prepared for what – pushing the ball on offense?   If Buena Vista's PG Andre Wagner is healthy by next Tuesday the Gusties could be in for a l-o-n-g night.  Wagner's a 190lb bowling ball on skates & he's got some biggs who can step outside to hit the trey or post up.

The Bethany Lutheran talent alone beat Gustavus last night.  They didn't out-hustle the gusties from what I can tell, they just have more talent and experience.  Get used to it, they're not a junior college anymore.

Get used to it? If the least physically gifted/talented Gustie team in a decade or two loses to, arguably, the best team in Bethany Lutheran history by 10 on the road...I think it's safe to say "get used to it" is your biggest stretch in awhile. And that's saying something.

DP - Sadly, I know as much (or as little, as the case may be) about the current GAC situation as you. The fact that I didn't even notice Bobby J's absence at first glance should have been your first indication of that. I haven't the slightest idea what's going on there.

I fully expect the Gusties will be solid within a few weeks, but the start could get worse before it gets better with a highly-regarded Beaver squad on deck. If they sneak into the playoffs, I'm not sure I'd want to face a Hanson-led squad...but they will be sneaking in.

[AO]

How is the worst gac team in 2 decades going to sneak into the playoffs?  Gustavus has been good, but that is saying a lot.  The point I was making is that Bethany is no longer the little junior college down the road that you beat up in scrimmages.  There's no reason to believe that they won't continue to recruit guys like saffert or wills in the future.  They might be the best Bethany team in 10 years, but with only 5 of those years coming as a 4-year college, they could be better every year for the next ten.  Bethany doesn't need a perfect storm to beat Gustavus. 

[miacsuperfan]

random shots:

john derock is already southwest's best player, and they are not a bad outfit.   no surprise from here.  makes you realize how well a number of other miac athletes would do if they defected to div 2, as there are a number of players equal to or better than derock still in this league.   8)

gac will beat bethany in two weeks, or any time thereafter.  gac is in it's neophyte stage for the year---they will come on soon.   

crown college's web page is pretty feeble.   

hamline's win over sto did NOT surprise me.  look for hamline to get off early again this year, much like last.   will they have staying power this year?   stay tuned.   

trip to concordia could be a tough test this year, as usual.  the rich glas factor could make them tougher than they have been, in spite of some of the razzing he has gotten on this board.   

[Willy Wonka]

The Perfect Storm

• BL had already played a game to work out the kinks (check)
• GAC playing its first game as it searches for an identity and rotation (check)
• GAC replacing three of top four scorers (check)
• GAC relying on numerous unproven returners and freshmen (check)
• BL playing at home (check)
• GAC's best freshman doesn't suit up (check)
• GAC might be picked to finish outside of the MIAC playoff race by the coaches for the first time since (check)
• BL picked to win the mighty, mighty, mighty UMAC (check)
• BL returns two of the best players in the conference, who lit up a better GAC team last season (check)

Wonka's report (checkmate)

I'm not saying it won't happen again in the future — it will, assuming neither teams pulls an MSU and refuses to play — but I have a hard time believing this particular duel was the upset the Free Press called it.

And I guaranSheed that Hanson would *love* a rematch in a few weeks. Even without all the tools, he'll make the Gusties competitive.

[AO]

maybe they'll both sneak in the playoffs and Hanson will get his rematch this season rather than next.  If Bethany can get hot early in non-conference season, their schedule is probably worthy of a playoff spot in pool C, as I don't believe the UMAC gets an automatic bid for another couple years.  But in reality, they're the same Bethany team that lost to my guys 4 times last year.

[BBRyan]

I agree with WW. Besides a small handful of players, I don't think many of GAC's players have collegiate experience. That means that the first game you play significant minutes in can be rough. They might not be the same fairly dominate team we are used to but they will get better throughout the season and should end up in the playoffs.

[TommieHoops4Life]

WW,

Should I get a raft to add to help fill the boat load of excuses you just conjured up for your beloved Gusties losing? Some of them are fairly legitimate, but GAC shouldn't lose to Bethany Lutheran, it just shouldn't happen. It's early yet, and they're  a respected program. Let's give it a few games before we mail in the season.

I know that's not what you meant by it, but you sound like me after the Vikings lost at Tampa with AP on the sidelines on the final drive. For the love of god, what more do we need to get rid of this MORON for a head coach???

[Drake Palmer]

Ut oh, possible roster changes at Augsburg.  Zach Krumwiede did not play in the game against Crown last night, but his name still appears on the Augsburg roster.  Brady Soule did not play, nor is his name listed on the roster, and perhaps the biggest shocker, no Carlius Hodges in the game summary or on the roster.  These players along with Bobby Harris combined with the balance of the Augsburg squad could have been one of the elite teams in the MIAC this season.  By the end of his FY year, Hodges was beginning to blossom into one of the top perimeter defenders in the league.

In spite of what some people say about Augsburg, I'll always hold them in high regard.  They have frequently given students, and student athletes, one, two & 3+ chances to earn a quality education. Hopefully, these young men will take advantage of their opportunities to earn a solid education and continue to play a game they love.

Ok, no more preaching.