MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

If the MIAC does issue a press release about what happened, maybe why it was ruled the way it was ruled, and explain the rule in question ... I am sure a MIAC president will go on the record at a later date and claim everything said in the "media" is inaccurate and dispute it all ... including every word written in the MIAC press release.

[Drake Palmer]

Changing topics ever so slightly... the Trib adds a bit of fire to the mostly good-natured rivalry and animosity between SJU & UST.  This could be the Jays' year, if they can get past the UMAC rep in the post season.

http://www.startribune.com/coach-from-across-the-hall-extraordinary-wing-from-armstrong-have-st-john-s-soaring-in-basketball/567247282/

[AO]

The MIAC has recognized the error and apologized.  https://athletics.stolaf.edu/news/2020/1/24/general-statement-on-end-of-st-olaf-augsburg-mens-basketball-game.aspx

[miac952]

Well done by St Olaf's AD, and I mean that sincerely.

Maybe I have missed it, but what is disappointing is the fact Bowles has to make the statement. No apology or clarification has come from the league office. I get that Dan McKane is an empty suit and he isn't allowed to sneeze without convening the Presidents, but publicly own up to this. This could be make or break for the Oles continuing their season in the MIAC tournament.

[jamtod]

In the realm of random occurrences, I had some whiskey last night with the father of the student who does the video for the St Olaf basketball (and football) games and caught this clip.

[AO]

This could be the Jays' year, if they can get past the UMAC rep in the post season.

I don't think the committee would send my Eagles or Bethany back to St. John's this year, they like to switch the match-ups up a little more.  UW-Superior is also tied for the UMAC lead right now, maybe they'd get sent to Collegeville.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Well done by St Olaf's AD, and I mean that sincerely.

Maybe I have missed it, but what is disappointing is the fact Bowles has to make the statement. No apology or clarification has come from the league office. I get that Dan McKane is an empty suit and he isn't allowed to sneeze without convening the Presidents, but publicly own up to this. This could be make or break for the Oles continuing their season in the MIAC tournament.

I don't think it's fair to characterize McKane that way. All conference commissioners, especially in Division III, are going to do what their presidents want. I can talk about a few that are no longer in their jobs because they kept pushing ideas for the conference the presidents didn't even want to hear about.

You also don't know what might be happening behind the scenes. Nearly every president, AD, along with McKane are in Anaheim for the NCAA Convention right now. Don't think this was something the league office wasn't involved in.

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

The controversy surrounding the Oles-Auggies finish sent me down memory lane. This is the fourth major call/non-call brouhaha in the past 25 years of MIAC hoops and I only remember one of the previous three meriting an official explanation. That was the famous Carleton/Olaf "shot clock" non-call from 2003, which broke to the Oles' favor. In the OT, the shot clock was inadvertently not reset or shut off following an Olaf bucket that gave them a two-point lead. As Carleton brought the ball up court for the Knights final possession, the horn sounded at the expiration of the shot clock just as the Knights Scott Christensen brought the ball across the half court line. The Oles, thinking the horn was the final buzzer, began celebrating their apparent win. Christensen looked up at the clock, saw there was 0:01 remaining, and let loose with a rainbow arc shot that touched nothing but net. The overflow Carleton crowd flowed onto the court to celebrate the apparent miraculous win. The refs huddled and discussed the situation for about 10 minutes before ruling that Christensen's shot would not count, as the play was dead at the time the shot clock sounded. They awarded Carleton the ball out of bounds just inside the half line, with 0:02 remaining. A desperation trey hit the front of the rim, and this time the Oles could celebrate for real, winning 71-69.

Then there was the "was it a foul?" call in the Bethel at GAC playoff game a couple of weeks later. Trailing 64-63 with 10 seconds left to play, the Gusties pushed the ball up the court and got it to David Newell in the paint. He was fouled attempting a turnaround jumper – a call that many said was not truly a foul but a good block. With 1.3 seconds on the clock Newell sank the charity tosses, the only free throw attempts of the half for GAC. That sparked a Gusties run that ended with a loss in the closing seconds of the national championship game.

Predating those was the "Johnny Tauer final seven seconds" controversy in the 1993 MIAC Playoff title game in Collegeville. JT drained a three with 6.7 seconds left to trim the SJU lead to 56-51.SJU turned the ball over, failing to inbound within five seconds. UST inbounded to Tauer in the corner, and he drained another three to cut the lead to 56-54.  After a time out, SJU inbounded near the center-jump circle. Depending on your view Tauer either made an amazing defensive play to get the ball or clothes lined the intended receiver, sending him flying into the middle of the Rat Pack. Either way, JT grabbed the loose ball, took 3-4 dribbles to the top of the key (which was then the peak of the three-point arc) and drained an all net triple at the horn to give UST a 57-56 win and the auto berth in the NCAA tourney. All told, Tauer hit four threes in the final 2:03 of the game. The NCAA awarded SJU one of the small handful of at-large berths that were awarded back then. The bracket was drawn up so that after a Johnnie win in the opening round they traveled to UST for a rematch. The Toms rolled to a 75-61 win after jumping to a 17-0 lead. With nearly the entire squad back from that game, UST reached its first Final Four the following year.

[faunch]

This will be my last comment on the tip controversy. It's really disappointing and downright pathetic that all 3 refs got this  wrong. They should at a minimum be embarrassed if not suspended. Even with my few years of high school basketball officiating experience i can tell you that fecking up that bad would have made me sick and kept me awake at night for weeks. Officials need to get it right and they didn't in this case. Do better.

[Texas Ole]

These games never come down to 1 play.  I could see it going both ways.  It was a tip, but that does take some time.  How much is the question.  This is Division 3 where resources are limited, and it can be a nice change of pace from the insanity of professional and D1 sports.  I have seen high schools now using replay.  It is insane.  As an Ole I want to ask why the team was down 17 in the second half.  The final 40 seconds the Oles miss two 3 pointers.  Maybe you take a better shot and play good defense.  Augsburg hadn't scored away from the charity stripe for 5 minutes. 

The rule is the biggest issue.  I think that needs to be addressed and clarified.  My thought a .2 tip has to be a redirection at the rim and not volleyball set.  I also think that time to make a play away from the basket needs to be at least .5 seconds to adjust for clock operator error.

[miac952]

The rule wasn't really a big issue. The rule was clear. St Olaf executed the play. The issue is with officials who had no understanding of a very clearly written rule. Agree with Faunch

[faunch]

MIAC officials having another bad day in Northfield...this time at the west gym.
Absolutely horrible!

[sjujohnnie]

St John's holds on for the 78-71 win over Carleton. Waa surprised to see that Carleton had a 69-68 lead. Did St John's overlook Carleton or is the season wearing on them?

[Texas Ole]

The rule needs to be changed.  I just don't think it's possible to make a redirection like what happened for the Oles in .2 seconds.  I tried double tapping a stop watch thinking that would a similar time to the tap in for Oles.  About 1 out of 7 was under .2.  It's possible, but I would say highly unlikely that it took less than .2 seconds.  I guess a real test would be to have a couple of volleyball player set a few balls and time them.

I would really like to hear from Mark Gelle on the play and future of the rule.  He used to work at the table for quite a few St. Olaf games.  His dad was the basketball coach at St. Olaf for years.  I believe he was a Big Ten basketball official and trainer.

[faunch]

St John's holds on for the 78-71 win over Carleton. Waa surprised to see that Carleton had a 69-68 lead. Did St John's overlook Carleton or is the season wearing on them?

The curse of the West Gym...something about the lighting and the rims in that place. I've watched SJU play live there a couple times and online a bunch and we never play well there. Johnnies had about a 14 point lead in the first half...Carleton was plucky.