MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[huhoops]

Coach Whitmore is my pick for conference, "Coach of the Year." He and his staff recruited the talent and they are surprising people. This is his third season so most of these players are his recruits. Congrats to the Pipers---Keep it going---

Disagree, they are winning on talent alone.  He plays like 11 people a game, its absolutely ridiculous.  He crushes the players confidence by playing them 14 minutes one game then 2 minutes the next with 0 justification.  Coach of the year has to go to Auggies coach imo.

It's pretty obvious that you're one of Whitmore's boys from NY, scootey . Which is fine, but I'd doubt you know much about the MIAC and the teams/coaches that comprise it.

I was going to bring up the idea of Whitmore being COY, if nothing else, for conversation sake. I actually like the idea UMAC proposed about Coach Griess at AUG. Ultimately, I still think the most prominent losses made by any team was UST and I think Coach Fritz has shown the ability to reinvent and develop new chemistry with great success. He'd have my vote.

Fun game last night at Hutton. I was impressed with the effort that the Cobbs gave and honestly surprised that HU found a way to win it in the final minutes. It's not often you can give up 50% shooting from the floor (65% from three), get outrebounded, have more turnovers, and still win the game. The major difference was at the free throw line (HU makes 19 and CON only makes 10). CON seemed like it was hitting every jumper it took. I didn't actually see the end of the CAR game but from listening to that game and watching this one, it looked like their execution was a lot better in the final few minutes of the game this time around. All in all, very nice win for HU. I think they needed a win like that to show themselves that they can close out a tight one down the stretch (I know they had the game winner against STO last week, but that was hardly the ending they were looking for).

BU should be a fun one. Somewhat of a must win for both squads. Again, I think the main question for BU is who will guard Brown? As Drake said, Robertson is playing some great ball right now and could be a handful for the HU bigs . HU really struggled with the bigs from CON last night, defensively.

Not much else notable tomorrow night. AUG, SJU, and GAC should all handle struggling teams (although AUG is all the way in Moorhead). The one other game that might be intriguing is SMU @ CAR. SMU is in "must win mode" and CAR could be getting happy with themselves (not saying that's the case, but could be). CAR should handle them, but you never know 

[piperinsider]

I think early on I said," Watch out for the Pipers." I still believe that as the season winds down. They may  not be able to beat St.  Thomas, but anyone else is a toss up. I  realize they lost to the Gussies twice but you know what they say about beating a team three times. I would love to see that game.

Only one loss to Gustavus thus far for the Vipers. I will leave town  (those who listen to the Common Man will understand) if Hamline doesn't win on Saturday in the rematch. Stupid work will keep me from seeing the showdown.

All aboard the Jonker Kong!   

Seth Jonker & the Jonkernauts making a stop at a MIAC school near you.  A double-double last night against cross-town rival St.Olaf with 18 points 10 rebs eh? It seems this year's version of the Carleton Knights is putting on a mini-run similar to the 17 game conference win streak they had in 2006.  Back then they did it with another roundish type of post – Big Dan Forkrud.

Quite the performance by the Knights last night. Looked like a dogfight 10 minutes in, but the Oles went stone-cold over last 8 mins of 1st half and first 5 of second half, going like 3-17 with 5 TOs as Knights went from up 3 to up 29 during that 13-minutes stretch. Oles led once, 3-2, and never threatened. I really thought it would be a closer game, but Jonker and Rosett dominated Neville and co. down low and Carleton neutralized Fong, Jaryan and Torell on the perimeter.

Knights looking good for MIAC Playoffs, but if this great play continues it could be interesting to see if they can play their way to a higher seed than 6th. Have to take care of business vs. a hungry, scrappy SMU squad that historically struggles at West Gym (last win came during 1999-2000, I believe). Figure they'd have to go 4-1 over their last 5 to have a chance.

My sources say Carleton may be derailed a bit down the stretch as Rosett is ailing with a lower leg injury 
http://www.nbcolympics.com/kare/news/newsid=404257.html#minn+doctor+ready+olympic+duty

[bballfan247365]

Coaches voted for every team in the conference except their own team. Points were assigned for each vote (1 for first, 2 for second, etc.) Teams are ranked in order of lowest point total to highest with first place votes shown in parentheses.

1. St. Thomas (10)
2. Saint John's
3. Gustavus
4 (tie). Bethel (1)
4 (tie). Carleton
6. Augsburg
7. Concordia
8. Hamline
9. St. Olaf
10. Saint Mary's
11. Macalester

Looking at the Pre-season Rankings there is a strong argument for Gries or Whitmore for COY.  Looking at this league and how much it stays the same - I would guess that Hanson will get the COY award. 

There is little chance they will give it to the Nebraska kid and NO WAY they give it to the New York guy...   

To give that award away to an out of towner - would be like the MIAC hiring a minority coach.... Won't Happen.

AO - dinner for two is on it's way...  Enjoy. 

[AO]

Coaches voted for every team in the conference except their own team. Points were assigned for each vote (1 for first, 2 for second, etc.) Teams are ranked in order of lowest point total to highest with first place votes shown in parentheses.

1. St. Thomas (10)
2. Saint John's
3. Gustavus
4 (tie). Bethel (1)
4 (tie). Carleton
6. Augsburg
7. Concordia
8. Hamline
9. St. Olaf
10. Saint Mary's
11. Macalester

Looking at the Pre-season Rankings there is a strong argument for Gries or Whitmore for COY.  Looking at this league and how much it stays the same - I would guess that Hanson will get the COY award. 

There is little chance they will give it to the Nebraska kid and NO WAY they give it to the New York guy...   

To give that award away to an out of towner - would be like the MIAC hiring a minority coach.... Won't Happen.

AO - dinner for two is on it's way...  Enjoy. 

Thanks much! 

I don't see how Fritz won't win the COY for the fourth year in a row.  Losing Lonnie, McCoy, and Viau and they're still 14-1?  Seems like a no-brainer to me, but maybe they're just going to give it to somebody else because they're tired of Fritz winning. 

[Willy Wonka]

UST easily has the most talent in the league. The Tommies were supposed to win the title this year, just like the last few, and have simply held serve. I mean, how much coaching skill does it take to insert another all-conference player from the bench to the starting lineup? That said, 19-1 could get the job done.

Personally, I think it's FAR too early to pick a winner in this award. Too much can still happen. It was just two weeks ago that everyone was ready to name Hanson as the clear winner and now GAC may end up with a first round roadie in the conference tournament.

Per usual, Hanson, Fritz and Kalland are in the conversation...but Whitmore and Greiss should get heavy consideration as well, depending on how things finish. The guy who can guide his team into second would be the favorite for me, unless that happens to be SJU.

[MiacMadness]

It is fun to start the conversation on which coach deserves it however, at this point the only name that should rise up in discussion is Fritz.  All other teams/coaches need to prove themselves and finish out the year strong.  I like Hanson and his improvements from last season however they still need to finish strong and stop losing!  I also like what Whitmore has accomplished at Hamline but just like Gustavus his team needs to finish strong and atleast end up with 3rd place for him to earn it in my opinion.

[AO]

The First Regional Rankings came out today:
West Region
1. Wisconsin-Whitewater 16-3 16-3
2. Wisconsin-Stevens Point 17-2 18-2
3. St. Thomas (Minnesota) 14-2 17-2
4. Whitworth 15-2 17-2
5. Wisconsin-La Crosse 13-5 14-6
6. Gustavus Adolphus 12-4 12-6
7. Chapman 15-1 18-2
8. Central (Iowa) 14-2 16-4
9. Augsburg 12-5 13-5

Things look pretty good for the Gusties as LaCrosse still has whitewater, point and river falls on the schedule.  Whitworth also shouldn't be in the way of the Gusties as they are the heavy favorite to earn the Pool A after they rolled the first half of the conference season. 

[miacsuperfan]

It is fun to start the conversation on which coach deserves it however, at this point the only name that should rise up in discussion is Fritz.  All other teams/coaches need to prove themselves and finish out the year strong.  I like Hanson and his improvements from last season however they still need to finish strong and stop losing!  I also like what Whitmore has accomplished at Hamline but just like Gustavus his team needs to finish strong and atleast end up with 3rd place for him to earn it in my opinion.

sure, no discussion needed.   fritz for coy and scott for poy;
just keep the ditto from last year.    

[sumander]

AO, keep in mind that the committee is not bound by regional rankings. Here is another section from the NCAA handbook on selection of Pool B and C teams:

Pairings and Site Selection
Once automatic qualifiers are identified and the Pools B and C teams are selected, the
following guidelines should be followed:
• Teams will be grouped in clusters according to natural geographic proximity. Teams
will then be paired according to geographic proximity. A team may be moved to
numerically balance the bracket if geographic proximity is maintained. Teams should
be paired and eligible sites should be selected according to geographic proximity
(within 500 miles).
• Teams may be seeded on a regional basis using the regional selection criteria.
However, geographic proximity takes precedence over seeding.
• Teams from the same conference do not have to play one another in the first round as
long as geographic proximity is maintained.
• The highest-seeded team that meets all selection criteria (and after a review of the
submitted host materials) will be selected as the host institution, provided geographic
proximity is maintained.
It is the intent of the committee to create competition brackets with a maximum of
eight teams competing in each bracket. Flights will be kept to a minimum. The higherseeded
team at the sectional sites will have the opportunity to select which game time
it prefers.
The higher-seeded team will be listed at the top of the competition bracket. The top
team on the bracket is the designated home team and will wear the light (white) colored
jersey in contrast with the visiting team's dark uniform.


In KnightSlappy's latest rankings  on the Pool C thread AUG was actually the 18th pool C team with a SOS of .552. GAC was 23 Pool C with a SOS of.531. These numbers were as of 1.31.

[AO]

Yes, but teams are considered for bids at the table in order of their regional rankings.  If the season were to end today and lacrosse didn't earn a bid, Gustavus would not even be considered, and Augsburg while having a better SOS than Gustavus would not get in before Gustavus. 

[Nites]

The First Regional Rankings came out today:
West Region
Things look pretty good for the Gusties as LaCrosse still has whitewater, point and river falls on the schedule.  Whitworth also shouldn't be in the way of the Gusties as they are the heavy favorite to earn the Pool A after they rolled the first half of the conference season. 

Things look pretty good for LaCrosse as the Gusties still have St. Thomas, Hamline and St. John's on the schedule.   

[AO]

The First Regional Rankings came out today:
West Region
Things look pretty good for the Gusties as LaCrosse still has whitewater, point and river falls on the schedule.  Whitworth also shouldn't be in the way of the Gusties as they are the heavy favorite to earn the Pool A after they rolled the first half of the conference season. 

Things look pretty good for LaCrosse as the Gusties still have St. Thomas, Hamline and St. John's on the schedule.   

especially since Gustavus has beaten all 3....

[Nites]

The First Regional Rankings came out today:
West Region
Things look pretty good for the Gusties as LaCrosse still has whitewater, point and river falls on the schedule.  Whitworth also shouldn't be in the way of the Gusties as they are the heavy favorite to earn the Pool A after they rolled the first half of the conference season. 

Things look pretty good for LaCrosse as the Gusties still have St. Thomas, Hamline and St. John's on the schedule.   

especially since Gustavus has beaten all 3....

Care to put any $$ on that happening again?   

[piperinsider]

Caught the first 10 minutes of the HAM/BET game (minus a freeze in the webcast), but it's gotten so bad (choppy and no audio) it's tough to tell what's going on.

Hipp was hitting early on with some great passing but HAM has completely gone away from the big. Frustrating. I've seen so many poor shots and "forces." Taber did have a quick seven off the bench.

Daniel Baah from BET is hitting shots - kid has 17. Nate Robertson is tough down low - not going there enough. Watching HAM in a zone - wow - it was working but their defensive rotations were unclear and a slow step. BET just wasn't hitting early on but now they are.

HAM 39, BET 35 at half - Vipers led by 12 at one point...yikes. Brown has only six with two fouls.

[piperinsider]

HAM 57, BET 52 (11:00 to go)
Vavra 9, Robertson 11 starting to go
Hipp 23....they are throwing the ball down to him again and he's on fire. Brown just reached 10 (he had a monsertous tomahawk slam on a fast break)