MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Gacman]

Congrats on a UST win. Earlier in the week I didn't want to state my opions too strongly in respect to a very good UPS team, but I saw this coming. I predicted a nine point win, but am not surprised at the final margin. When we played them in San Francisco, I left feeling that we could definitely beat them if we played them again. I didn't have that same confidence after playing UST the first time. UPS shot unreal against us and never felt that their defense was that good. We could get any shot we wanted at any time, we just turned the ball over too much. Since their pressure was not going to work on the Tommies, the outcome was inevitable to me. This next game is the national championship to me. A 1-2 match up in the elite 8, WOW!

Any info on Wash U?

[Drake Palmer]

any preferene for wheaton or wash u?  i'd lean wash u to take the crowd element out of the picture. but both will be tough

I'm happy with the outcome.  No home court advantage.  But after watching that game, I don't see UST losing to Wash U, kind of a sloppy game.

TFO- If you recall, that was the same thing a number of people were saying about the UST- UWSP 53-50 game last Saturday, remember? 

You've got to love the matchup with Wash U if you're a tommie fan.  Smaller, guard oriented teams have not had much success against UST's d. ...

Umm,     l realize the height may have appeared a bit deceiving on the webcast, but Wash U. is not a small club by any stretch of the imagination. Here is their starting lineup:

PG:  Sean Wallis 6-2
2G: Cam Smith 6-5
SF- Aaron Thompson 6-4
F:  Tyler Nading 6-7
F:Zach Kelly  6-7

However, Washington appears to be more of a perimeter oriented team which might help out the smaller UST team.  In the Wheaton -Washington game, Wheaton was not able to generate much with their big dominant-type post player.  Wheaton was exactly the type of team with strong post play & exceptional guard play which most of us felt would trouble the Tommies the most.

Having said this, Washington is still considerably larger than the UST, is the defending national champion,  & returned 2.5 (?) starters from last year's championship team.

Wallis is a stud PG, & Aaron Thompson is a light-out type of shooter, Nading is tough as well. . Another well coached, disciplined, athletic team on the wings, maybe not as athletic in the paint.

[TommieFan2012]

touche drake, but you always have to be the one to keep it up in the air until afterwards 

[Greek Tragedy]

Good luck to the Tommies vs. Washington U.  You beat my Stevens Point Pointers, and my name is Tom, so I may as well cheer for you guys! lol 

[sumander]

Get me a ticket for an Aer-o-plane!! 

Did book the ticket Drake? Sounds like for the second saturday in a row The Tomcats will be in an epic battle! Good luck to the T's. Carry the MIAC banner all the way to Salem.

Wonder how Mose is feeling this morning? Wonder if he got into any of those Goose Island products, like their Honker's Ale?

[miacsuperfan]

wow!   tomcats!!   just saw the score this morning.  rock on!  one more!  final four, here we go!         8)

[Drake Palmer]

Get me a ticket for an Aer-o-plane!! 

Did book the ticket Drake? Sounds like for the second saturday in a row The Tomcats will be in an epic battle! Good luck to the T's. Carry the MIAC banner all the way to Salem.

Wonder how Mose is feeling this morning? Wonder if he got into any of those Goose Island products, like their Honker's Ale?

The best made plans of mice & men... No.

When I checked with SW Air Thursday afternoon, three out of 4 flights were wide open & the reservation agent said I shouldn't have a problem getting a seat- although she did encourage me to go ahead & book it.  Being the "doubting Thomas" that I was,   I thought I'd hold off until after Friday's game.

Big mistake – both the res. agent & I forgot about Spring Break.  When I called back last night the agent said they got slammed all day on Friday with Spring Break sales.

Oh well, rinse out the lucky socks, repeat pattern from yesterday, & buy some of Mose's food that he swears by for big Tommie games.

Living in the D3 vacuum of the upper Midwest, I've guardedly got to believe that whoever wins tonight's game between #1 UST & #2 Wash U will be the heavy favorite going into the Final 4 next weekend.  Lets' see if any of the D3 heavyweights chime in on this.

[Drake Palmer]

Here's an interesting take from a CCIW poster who apparently watched both games down in Chicago last night:

First of all I want to concur that this was a terrific basketball game. It demonstrated all that is good about college basketball. Two well coached teams playing there hearts out for love of the game.

I too think the difference in the game was the play of Sean Wallis and the defense by Cam Smith on Raymond. To say a player that scored 22 oints had an off night sounds ludicrous, unless you realize that player is Kent Raymond. Smith denied Kent the opportunity to drain his usual number of 3s and forced hium to drive for 2 point shots. That probably was the difference maker. It's true that Wiele had a rough night, but this was a game decided by the guards. Wallis and Thompson were just a touch better than Raymond and Panner last night. The skinny Wallis does not look like a college b'baller, but he was superb last night

I also think the refs decided to let the two teams play. There was lots of contact, pushing. hooking and holding inside, all night, but for the most part the refs were consistent. The second foul call on Tyler Nading less than 2 minutes into the game was a bad call, and sending him to the  bench that early in the game more than offset any non calls on Raymond. It was certainly better than the first game where the officiating crew must have called 40 fouls leading to a dull slow paced second half.

St. Thomas looked very good, but Puget Sound was so over matched it was hard to get a read on whether they are better than Wheaton and/or Wash U. We'll know after tonight. Wash U. has had close calls in all 3 games so far, so it should be a nail bitter. Clearly, wash U. had to put out a much greater effort to win, and also playing the later game is not to their benefit. Fatigue could be a factor as the Tommies had pretty much a cake walk after the 1st half.

I spoke with several eyewitness accounts this AM & they said while they wouldn't describe it as a "cakewalk," after the 10 minute mark in the 2nd half, UST got into the bonus & had the double digit lead, the outcome looked far more promising than last week's game against UWSP.

Sum – I think tonight is going to be another one of those nights that will require an extra swipe of deodorant. 

Upper Mississippi versus Lower Mississippi Showdown, or:

The battle of the Saints: Saint Paul vs. Saint Louis

[LogShow]

Good Luck to UST against Wash U...it should be a great battle. 

[papahoops]

Things really falling into place for the Tommies. From what I have read about the teams, the Washington match-up favors UST relative to Wheaton. I also like the fact they will playing on a neutral court versus an "away" game had Wheaton won.

It has become clear that UST's depth and versatility is as impressive on the national stage as it was in MIAC play. They can have 2-3 players have so/so games and others just come in and do the job. They also continue to rebound unbelievably well for a team their size. No question Wash U is their strongest hurdle remaining. If they get by Wash U, I won't bet the house, but a potentail undefeated season would be looking very realistic.

[Drake Palmer]

Here comes a trippple... 

For those of you who follow D3 hoops more than just in the MIAC or would like to, the CCIW board is required reading.  They have a number of posters whose opinions & posts I believe are pretty solid- the Sensei, Greg Sager being one of them.  Here's one of my other favorite "D3 heavyweights" - "TitanQ" - Bob Quillman.  TitanQ was doing the color commentary with Pat Coleman on the UST-UPS & Wheaton -Washington games last night.

I'm guessing tickets for tonight's game will not be difficult to come by. A shame if there is not a good turnout, as this may be the true DIII championship game tonight.

I think tonight's winner will clearly be the favorite in Salem, but in a one game situation, anything can happen. I don't think anyone had Catholic as the favorite in Salem in 2001, or Virginia Wesleyan in 2006, for example.

Tonight will start a lot of talk about how either Wash U or St. Thomas is a huge favorite in Salem, and I'll just remind everyone that the other 3 teams there next weekend will be very good teams, capable of beating anybody.  It can't be disputed that the Midwest/West bracket was ridiculously stacked, and that the team that survives it will have had the toughest road to Salem, but that doesn't mean St. Thomas or Wash U will roll.

[Drake Palmer]

#2...

As much as I enjoy reading the CCIW board, they're not without their village idiots...

 

A great game last night, but it was tough to walk out of that gym knowing that this Thunder team wont take the floor again. But if Wheaton had to lose, Wash U is certainly a worthy opponent to fall to. The Bears played with poise, experience, and most of all class. Wash U has a great team and I would be shocked if they lost the rest of the way--even tonight. There just are not many teams that play D like that.

I think the tone of the game was really set when McCrary missed the 2 FT's after the intentional foul call on his break away.  Wash U controlled the tempo by giving up an intentional foul instead of a free layup, and it worked.  Wheaton misses a momentum change, and Wash U realizes it is the more composed, experienced team on the floor.  The PG was very cool headed, and did well to pop the lead back to 6 or 7 whenever Wheaton would whittle it away.  I also applaud Wash U for their class. 

I look forward to seeing them knock off St. Thomas, who in my one viewing of them (last night), seem to be pretty cocky and enjoying the ride on the undefeated train a little too much.

WTF?? I've seen over a 9-10 UST games this year & I've not seen anything that closely resembles hubris or arrogance.  Fritz would blow a gasket - i.e. Teddy Archer & the flops from last year.  So are they supposed to act like little choirboys??

I should add, there is a certain element among the UST parent & alumni section that can be shall we say - fairly rabid.  Coach Fritz can't do anything about them.   

Based on the karma rating, & low post count,  I'm guessing this is a sanctimonious "little holier than thou" pi** ant from the league winner.  Funny how certain types of schools seem to breed these type of posters.   

[Drake Palmer]

And Tinkers to Evers to Chance... (Sensei)

Or in the words of beloved former Gopher great, & occasional game announcer Trent Tucker: "here is the latest dissertation from the master hisself"... 

The site crashed last night and I thus lost the long post I was writing about last night's game. I'm sure that you're all crushed.

Anyway, Bob, USee, and augiefan touched on most of the points I wanted to make. I'll just add a few more:

* It was a very exciting game, but I wouldn't characterize it as a well-played one. Wheaton's subpar performance has been well-documented here, but Wash U has certainly played better games as well. For as phenomenal and Stocktonesque a game as Sean Wallis had -- contrary to form, the best player on the floor last night wore #12 in green, not #24 in white -- knocking down off-balance 22-foot leaners and throwing one uncanny pass after another, he should've had a dozen assists rather than a mere six. That's because his teammates fumbled a number of his passes (Aaron Thompson, especially) and often failed to finish at the rim after getting a terrific setup pass from Wallis. The Bears blew a lot more easy points than did Wheaton, and the game should not have been that close.

Indicative of this was the stretch in the middle of the first half in which Wheaton was held scoreless for 3:18. As tentative as Wheaton looked at that point -- the hosts had only scored ten points, and Raymond hadn't really gotten going -- the Bears could've deeply messed with the heads of Harris & Co. by going on a run at that point. But they only scored three points in that 3:18 stretch, missing five shots and turning the ball over once in the process. It was a prime example of a wasted opportunity for the Bears. And augiefan amply chronicled another wasted opportunity for Wash U -- the endgame, in which it seemed like the Bears were doing everything they possibly could to give Wheaton a chance to take the game into overtime.

* Wash U did play good defense throughout the game, which certainly held down Wheaton's scoring, but a lot of Wheaton's offensive woes appeared to be just plain ol' tightness. The Sonic Atmospheric Disturbance played like a team that was afraid to lose; the Bears played like a team that expected to win. As I said to Pat last night, there's a "been there, done that" attitude that national champions carry with them in tough games, and that attitude was on display last night.

* Everyone's really hard on Andy Wiele today, and, yeah, he really got outworked by a couple of inferior centers last night in Toth and Kelly. But that last memory shouldn't be the one that lingers in everyone's minds. Unfortunately, sometimes a great player goes bust at the very end of his career. For instance, Adam Dauksas had a terrible Final Four to end his career at Illinois Wesleyan. Everyone still remembers him as a great player, however, and Wiele deserves the same courtesy.

* The prime topic of conversation among a lot of non-Wheaton fans in attendance last night (and, no, I did not initiate any of it) was the Bill Harris Retirement Countdown.

* After eleven years of chewing up half of his bandwidth, it was great to finally meet Pat Coleman in the flesh last night!

* Wash U is a better team than St. Thomas, and I think that the Bears will win tonight by eight. However, the difference between the two teams is not so great that the Tommies can't pull off an upset. The Bears have no room whatsoever to be complacent or to ease up in the wake of having defeated Wheaton. I was very, very impressed by the Tommies -- I love the way that they get after it on defense. I'm looking forward to tonight's game.

* I am thoroughly happy to know that he will no longer be a plague upon the rest of the league, but I nevertheless have to tip my cap to Kent Raymond one last time. That kind of player is very, very rare on our level.

* Great crowd, great experience last night!

[Gregory Sager]

I really enjoyed watching that UPS vs. UST game last night. While the second game was the more ballyhooed contest, in some ways the first game was the better-played one. The Tommies and the Loggers are certainly two fun teams to watch.

St. Thomas is a terrific team, certainly a Final Four caliber team. I love watching a squad that throws everything it has into its defense, and while both teams ran an effective press it was UST's halfcourt tenacity that really wowed me. They bulldogged the Loggers on every possession and conceded nothing. On the offensive end, the Tommies were tremendously unselfish. They played one of the best penetrate-and-dish games I've seen all season.

As DP quoted me from CCIW Chat, I like Wash U to win tonight's game by eight. The Bears have the size, the weapons, and the championship icewater in their veins that lead me to think that nothing is going to stop them from repeating this March. But the Tommies are certainly capable of pulling off what I'd term as a mild upset. I think that the Bears are going to have to up the ante from last night's performance in order to win tonight, because I'm pretty sure that the Tommies are not going to cut them any slack.

I'm heading out to King Arena shortly. Looking forward to it!

[TommieFan2012]

#2...

As much as I enjoy reading the CCIW board, they're not without their village idiots...

 

A great game last night, but it was tough to walk out of that gym knowing that this Thunder team wont take the floor again. But if Wheaton had to lose, Wash U is certainly a worthy opponent to fall to. The Bears played with poise, experience, and most of all class. Wash U has a great team and I would be shocked if they lost the rest of the way--even tonight. There just are not many teams that play D like that.

I think the tone of the game was really set when McCrary missed the 2 FT's after the intentional foul call on his break away.  Wash U controlled the tempo by giving up an intentional foul instead of a free layup, and it worked.  Wheaton misses a momentum change, and Wash U realizes it is the more composed, experienced team on the floor.  The PG was very cool headed, and did well to pop the lead back to 6 or 7 whenever Wheaton would whittle it away.  I also applaud Wash U for their class. 

I look forward to seeing them knock off St. Thomas, who in my one viewing of them (last night), seem to be pretty cocky and enjoying the ride on the undefeated train a little too much.

WTF?? I've seen over a 9-10 UST games this year & I've not seen anything that closely resembles hubris or arrogance.  Fritz would blow a gasket - i.e. Teddy Archer & the flops from last year.  So are they supposed to act like little choirboys??

Based on the karma rating, & low post count,  I'm guessing this is a sanctimonious "little holier than thou" pi** ant from the league winner.  Funny how certain types of schools seem to breed these type of posters.   

I have no problem saying that if any player was being cocky, Fritz would end their life right on the court .  I've seen even when UST has had a large cushion, Fritz will not hesitate to light up Joe Scott for missing an assignment.  Scott seems to be the favorite of Fritz's as far as who he's going to chew out.  Scott misses an assignment, Fritz's face turns red, and you can see the spew of profanity coming from Fritz's mouth.  It's great to watch.