MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[AO]

Hmm, I understand it being Super Bowl weekend & everything, but not a peep from the posters who follow the fortunes of the Gusties and Johnnies?  To a certain extent, I understand the man with the initials as he’s been asked to post sparingly about SJU.  Sum, no short road trip over to Spud town to check out the Jays & Cobbers? And then the Gusties – Willy, G-Man, Gacbacker, Westie?

I think we're well well past the 24 hour posting moratorium after your team suffers a particularly troubling, defeat.

Nites, where’s the special cap we have reserved for special occasions like this?

Sorry fellas...was not on computer much after our road trip home...

Concordia did a great job of defending SJU at times, but at times, especially in the second half the Johnnies were their own worst enemy with 9 turnovers the most costly coming out of a timeout with under 30 seconds left, some quick shots that were a little forced and not in the rhythm of the offense.  The Johnnies who entered the game as the number one team in 3 point shooting in the MIAC finished 3 for 12 from beyond the arc including a tying three that front rimmed at the buzzer.

The Cobbers not eliminated from playoff contention but need to win out and get help.  IF they play like they did against Hamline, Auggy and SJU, winning out is a possibilty but not probable.  Ebo Nana Kweson is a real talent he should be on the All First Year team.

Johnnies will have to put this one behind them and the fact that if they would have won up at CC they would have been in a second place tie with Gustavus.  Augsburg on the road on Wednesday, another challenge...the gauntlet has started for the Johnnies that is for sure.

I am not surprised that Hamline beat GAC...and you have to make your FT's Knights...for a team that is so fundamentally solid in so many parts of the game, well coached, and really gets the most out of their talent...their lack of success at the line is truly surprising. 

The cobbers are out, the 6th spot will have at least 10 wins as Carleton has Macalester left on the schedule.  I'm pretty sure Bethel could still make it by winning 3 of their last 4 as they would hold the tie-breaker over carleton.  The Johnnies are in after sweeping the royals, and Augsburg should be able to get 1 out of their last 4 to secure their spot.

[VOJ]

AO...the cobbers are not mathematically eliminated according to what their SID told me Saturday...

[miacsuperfan]

 

Hmm, I understand it being Super Bowl weekend & everything, but not a peep from the posters who follow the fortunes of the Gusties and Johnnies?  To a certain extent, I understand the man with the initials as he’s been asked to post sparingly about SJU.  Sum, no short road trip over to Spud town to check out the Jays & Cobbers? And then the Gusties – Willy, G-Man, Gacbacker, Westie?

I think we're well well past the 24 hour posting moratorium after your team suffers a particularly troubling, defeat.

Nites, where’s the special cap we have reserved for special occasions like this?

Sorry fellas...was not on computer much after our road trip home...

Concordia did a great job of defending SJU at times, but at times, especially in the second half the Johnnies were their own worst enemy with 9 turnovers the most costly coming out of a timeout with under 30 seconds left, some quick shots that were a little forced and not in the rhythm of the offense.  The Johnnies who entered the game as the number one team in 3 point shooting in the MIAC finished 3 for 12 from beyond the arc including a tying three that front rimmed at the buzzer.

The Cobbers not eliminated from playoff contention but need to win out and get help.  IF they play like they did against Hamline, Auggy and SJU, winning out is a possibilty but not probable.  Ebo Nana Kweson is a real talent he should be on the All First Year team.

Johnnies will have to put this one behind them and the fact that if they would have won up at CC they would have been in a second place tie with Gustavus.  Augsburg on the road on Wednesday, another challenge...the gauntlet has started for the Johnnies that is for sure.

I am not surprised that Hamline beat GAC...and you have to make your FT's Knights...for a team that is so fundamentally solid in so many parts of the game, well coached, and really gets the most out of their talent...their lack of success at the line is truly surprising. 

The cobbers are out, the 6th spot will have at least 10 wins as Carleton has Macalester left on the schedule.  I'm pretty sure Bethel could still make it by winning 3 of their last 4 as they would hold the tie-breaker over carleton.   The Johnnies are in after sweeping the royals, and Augsburg should be able to get 1 out of their last 4 to secure their spot.

i would love to see the carleton at bethel season finale be for the final playoff spot, similar to augsburg at bethel in 2008's season ender--one of the great MIAC regular season finishes in recent memory.  but for that game to mean anything, bu faces the daunting task of having to defeat any two of three good teams-ust, gac, aug.  and they need carleton  to lose to aug at home or mac on the road.  odds are not in the royals favor, but i'm liking the possibility of a photo finish for the sixth spot.   

[Willy Wonka]

What is there left to say? GAC did as well as could be expected defending Ray Ray with 6-1 guards, but Hipp was unstoppable — especially when the refs are gonna bail him out with the game on the line.

I'm going to date myself here, but did anyone watch the 2000-01 Kenyon-Wanamingo basketball team win state? They had a D1 post and a future D3 starter at guard...but it was Brent Lurken who led the Knights in scoring and finished with more then 2k. He played super awkward, took ugly shots and generally looked out of place on the floor...but he was a beast. Outside of the nasty putback dunk, that's what Hipp reminded me of on Saturday.

Hamline was the aggressor from the outset and the refs generally let both teams play. That style favored the Pipers. GAC's posts never really got a feel for how the game was being played/called and looked pretty weak.

[AO]

AO...the cobbers are not mathematically eliminated according to what their SID told me Saturday...

From what I can tell, they are.  Carleton holds the tie-breaker over the cobbs in the unlikely event of a carleton meltdown as the Carlies hold a 4-6 record against the top 5 and the cobbs are unable to improve their 3-7.

[Drake Palmer]

I'm going to date myself here, but did anyone watch the 2000-01 Kenyon-Wanamingo basketball team win state? They had a D1 post and a future D3 starter at guard...but it was Brent Lurken who led the Knights in scoring and finished with more then 2k. He played super awkward, took ugly shots and generally looked out of place on the floor...but he was a beast. Outside of the nasty putback dunk, that's what Hipp reminded me of on Saturday.

Didn't one of those kids go to Loyola or someplace in Chicago?  One of my college classmates was major amped up by his high school's win at state.

Hipp reminds me of an elastic man – all long, gangly arms & legs, an awkward looking colt, but his game just keeps getting better & better.  His hands used to be marginally poor, but he's doing a much better job of catching & securing the ball in traffic.  

[PurpleReign]

What happened to Josh Pedretti over at UST?  Is he injured and out for the year?  Without his size and scoring down low, I just don't see this years team going very deep into the tourney - especially if they end up in another "Bracket of Death" this year.

[Willy Wonka]

I'm going to date myself here, but did anyone watch the 2000-01 Kenyon-Wanamingo basketball team win state? They had a D1 post and a future D3 starter at guard...but it was Brent Lurken who led the Knights in scoring and finished with more then 2k. He played super awkward, took ugly shots and generally looked out of place on the floor...but he was a beast. Outside of the nasty putback dunk, that's what Hipp reminded me of on Saturday.

Didn't one of those kids go to Loyola or someplace in Chicago?  One of my college classmates was major amped up by his high school's win at state.

Hipp reminds me of an elastic man – all long, gangly arms & legs, an awkward looking colt, but his game just keeps getting better & better.  His hands used to be marginally poor, but he's doing a much better job of catching & securing the ball in traffic.  

Joe Evert. He started at Loyola and finished at St. Cloud State.

[Gacman]

Not much to say DP. We have seen these second half slumps by the gusties if you are including this one 3 out of the last 4 years. Even last year which some people may forget GAC was in second place making the turn at 7-3 but struggled with a 4-6 finish. Several years ago in Wittwer's senior year. GAC beat UST at GAC the fist time they played and were within one game of UST with 5 o 6 games left but lost a few down the stretch. Hopefully they can rebound with a strong finish this year. A 3-1 finish would all but guarantee them a second place finish. They have two very winnable games in their next two with STO and BU at home. Then if they can split the UST and SJU finally at home, they are still sitting nice for the 2 seed. With a one loss lead on HAM, SJU, and AUG the gusties control their own destiny.

One thing with this team, they have had a ton of close games this year. They were winning those games ealy in the season but haven't as of late, but the fact that they have won close games and when they lose it's a close game is something that gives me a Gustie fan some consolation. We aren't going to blow people out but we aren't going to get blown out. We will be in every game we play no matter who it is, and come playoff time, I like a team that can legitimately beat any team it faces. If I'm UST the team I would fear playing most in the playoffs is GAC. With that said, GAC still needs to figure a few things out if it hopes to make a run at a conference tourney championship which is going to be their only shot at a national tournament bid.

[huhoops]

Not much to say DP. We have seen these second half slumps by the gusties if you are including this one 3 out of the last 4 years. Even last year which some people may forget GAC was in second place making the turn at 7-3 but struggled with a 4-6 finish. Several years ago in Wittwer's senior year. GAC beat UST at GAC the fist time they played and were within one game of UST with 5 o 6 games left but lost a few down the stretch. Hopefully they can rebound with a strong finish this year. A 3-1 finish would all but guarantee them a second place finish. They have two very winnable games in their next two with STO and BU at home. Then if they can split the UST and SJU finally at home, they are still sitting nice for the 2 seed. With a one loss lead on HAM, SJU, and AUG the gusties control their own destiny.

One thing with this team, they have had a ton of close games this year. They were winning those games ealy in the season but haven't as of late, but the fact that they have won close games and when they lose it's a close game is something that gives me a Gustie fan some consolation. We aren't going to blow people out but we aren't going to get blown out. We will be in every game we play no matter who it is, and come playoff time, I like a team that can legitimately beat any team it faces. If I'm UST the team I would fear playing most in the playoffs is GAC. With that said, GAC still needs to figure a few things out if it hopes to make a run at a conference tourney championship which is going to be their only shot at a national tournament bid.

Their greatest strength could be their greatest weakness. I think you're right that they should be feared because they can stay close in any game. On the flip side, everybody should want to play them, because they will stay close in any game. IMO, the great teams dominate lesser opponents, and beat the good ones. The fact that GAC has been letting weaker teams hang around until the closing minutes has put them in a playoff race that very few of us anticipated.

I forget who said it (TH4L?), but it is a lot different playing as the hunted. When you're on top, every team is going to give you their best punch every night, even if they are out of the playoff race. Teams like CON, SMU, BET are looking to mix up the playoff brackets and GAC ( as well as SJU, HU, AUG) will need to be able to step up and take the blows or they could go from the 2 seed to the 5 seed in the blink of an eye. I'm willing to bet that one of the teams in this tight playoff race will get their plans spoiled by an unexpected grinch  

[Willy Wonka]

I forget who said it (TH4L?), but it is a lot different playing as the hunted. When you're on top, every team is going to give you their best punch every night, even if they are out of the playoff race. Teams like CON, SMU, BET are looking to mix up the playoff brackets and GAC ( as well as SJU, HU, AUG) will need to be able to step up and take the blows or they could go from the 2 seed to the 5 seed in the blink of an eye. I'm willing to bet that one of the teams in this tight playoff race will get their plans spoiled by an unexpected grinch  

C'mon, TH4L would never say anything that intelligent! That was clearly my quote after the SMU loss...

[AO]

Based upon the latest Massey Rating, the MIAC is ranked #2 in the country.  I don't have any historical data, but off the top of my head I can't come up with another year where the conference might have been ranked nearly this high.
   out of the 413 D3 teams ranked by Massey:
#2    St. Thomas
#18  Augsburg
#23  St. John's
#26  Hamline
#27  Gustavus
#28  Carleton
#63  Bethel
#65  Concordia
#90  St. Olaf
#96  St. Mary's
#341 Macalester

[Drake Palmer]

With all this playoff talk, here are two more teams to consider: Augsburg & SJU.  Either one of them seem to be fully capable of imploding or exploding. At this critical juncture in the season, I'm not sure whether anyone knows if they're peaking or freefalling.  Both of them lost to the sub .500 Cobbs in Moorhead, & then Augsburg nearly laid an egg against cellar dweller, MAC last Saturday.

I like both AUG & SJU's approach to offense, but neither team seems to have a real strong defensive mindset as a GAC, Carleton or UST.  It will be interesting to see what type of game takes place at Si Melby tomorrow night.  A playoff mode, desperate, scratching, clawing & ear biting type of game, or a free flowing, 40-minute run at the Y over the lunch hour.  With the potential playoff stakes on the line, I'm willing to bet both Coaches Smith & Griess toss their coats in this game.  Or, what's the over/under that a technical will be called on one of the teams? 

It would be fun to see this game, but in the interest of being a true fan of the league, I might have to take in the CORD-MAC tilt on Wednesday.  I understand there's some young FY talent on both squads that could make both teams much stronger next season.

[papahoops]

With all this playoff talk, here are two more teams to consider: Augsburg & SJU.  Either one of them seem to be fully capable of imploding or exploding. At this critical juncture in the season, I'm not sure whether anyone knows if they're peaking or freefalling.  Both of them lost to the sub .500 Cobbs in Moorhead, & then Augsburg nearly laid an egg against cellar dweller, MAC last Saturday.

I like both AUG & SJU's approach to offense, but neither team seems to have a real strong defensive mindset as a GAC, Carleton or UST.  It will be interesting to see what type of game takes place at Si Melby tomorrow night.  A playoff mode, desperate, scratching, clawing & ear biting type of game, or a free flowing, 40-minute run at the Y over the lunch hour.  With the potential playoff stakes on the line, I'm willing to bet both Coaches Smith & Griess toss their coats in this game.  Or, what's the over/under that a technical will be called on one of the teams? 

It would be fun to see this game, but in the interest of being a true fan of the league, I might have to take in the CORD-MAC tilt on Wednesday.  I understand there's some young FY talent on both squads that could make both teams much stronger next season.

It doesn't hurt that the admission is free and you are guaranteed to have a good seat DP

Actually I agree with you that this has the possibility of being an interesting contest. CORD has been very inconsistent, particularly on the road. They also could have a letdown coming off their big upset win over SJU last weekend. MAC had a nice effort against Augsburg and I see this contest as their last shot at a MIAC victory this year. MAC historically plays poorly at STO and I just don't see MAC competing with Carleton the way the Knights are playing right now. Not saying it will happen, but I would love to see a MAC upset victory. I feel for the players that have gone through the past two LONG years and would like to see them get a conference W this year as a reward for them enduring some very difficult circumstances.

[Willy Wonka]

I'm really not sure what to make of this guest speaker at GAC, but the history nerd/basketball fan in me wishes I had the time to check it out.

Here's the blurb from the Gustavus press release.

Mark your calendar for "Love, Basketball and the KGB"  Thursday, February 11 at 4:30 p.m. in Linner Lounge. Tom Mooradian, author of "Love, Basketball and the KGB" will share his story of spending 13 years behind the Iron Curtain after volunteering to repatriate to Soviet Armenia as a teenager.