MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[TommieHoops4Life]

PI,

Get your facts straight before you say anything about me being cut. I never actually went to a basketball tryout at UST, so therefore, I couldn't have gotten cut. I flirted with the idea after two years at captain's practices with LBOW, snowman and others, but a bad knee and mediocre conditioning told me I wasn't going to play in college. Now, I'm left to play in "church" Sunday leagues with has-beens and never-was's here in the friendly confines. I was sitting in the front row at that Hamline game, and I almost interrupted it when Muenchow screwed that dunk up because I fell on the floor laughing so hard. I almost fell onto the court, it was that hilarious to see a 6-11 kid get blocked by the front rim.

Gophers apparently woke up after a loss to Winona State. I watched the first 10 minutes tonight and nearly turned it off when it was 5-4 with 9 mins left in the first half. Both teams came out like they couldn't hit the ocean if they were standing on the beach. McKenzie woke them up with an eight-point spurt over 45 seconds. A win is a win, but it's NDSU! If they don't figure this out in a couple weeks, it's going to be a looooong Big 10 season.

UST will win the MIAC this year, because Ike will be more dominant in the post, and Schnettler has the deadly quick release that nobody can stop.

[Gregory Sager]

I predict 2 MIAC teams in the NCAA tourney this year, 3 would be awesome, but I just don't see it, although I think you can argue that the top 5-6 teams in the conference are as good if not better than the top 5 in any other conference in the country, except for maybe the WIAC

Sure, you can make that argument. You'd be wrong, but you can still argue it. 

[d3bballfollower]

Gregory- may I kindly ask why you think I would be wrong in my argument?  I think that if you take UST, Bethel, St. John's, Gustavus and Hamline you can match them up with the top 5 teams in any other conference and usually come out 4-1 and at worst 3-2.  The only conferences I see being as deep or deeper than the MIAC are the WIAC and probably the NESCAC.  What conferences do you think are deeper?

And as far as the number of teams reaching the NCAA tourney, I think that if we have 2 teams that have 20+ wins we will have both of them get in.

[BETHEL34]

Follower, I love your enthusiasm, but lets come back down to earth a little bit.  Bethel has one season in the History of the program where we won over 20 games.  So you are saying that this team could produce the 2nd or even the best record in Bethel History???  Sorry, but there are to many things brand new this year for that to happen.

They have a new head coach in Westlund and a totally new assistant that has his views of how things should be run.  From what I have heard from some of the players is that Perrel and Westy have been butting heads a little bit in practice.  Sure they will get all the kinks out, but it is not easy to come in to the season with two coach's that never have coached with each other, let alone one of them taking over the head coaching position for the first time in his career.  But not just the coaching, you have a player in Moberg that is new to the system and new to the team and is expected to lead this team in a lot of ways.  Sure he has been playing with the guys all summer, but Chemistry on the court during an actual game can take a lot of time and is way different then playing with each other in practice.  So sure, are the pieces there for a great season...Yes!  But, I would have to say a great season for this team would be a record of 18-7 or 17-8, going 12-8 or 13-7 in the conference landing the 4th seed.  Sure, they could maybe go 14-6 and land a 3rd seed, but that would be WAY over achieving in my eyes.  And here is why.  I believe the biggest obstacle for this years team will be consistency.  Being able to win the games you are SUPPOSED to win.  Like Augsburg at home...they couldn't do it last year and I see them having games like that this year.  You putting us at 16-4 in the conference is saying that we sweep the bottom 5 teams!   That is just not going to happen.  SMU is going to be tough this year, and no matter how good or bad they are, they always play tough at home.  Same goes for Mac and Concordia.  Those are always tough road games for Bethel no matter how good or bad the teams are.  I believe we will go 5-5 against the top 5 teams and go 7-3 or maybe 8-2 against the bottom 5 teams. There are a lot of new pieces to this years team in players and Coaches, and going 17-8 or 18-7 would be an amazing year for these guys.  But 21-4...I just don't see that as possible.  I hope I am wrong though! 

[sumander]

Been gone since late last week. I looked but didn't see any thing posted on the Tommies and UWEC scrimmage from last Friday. Any reports?

[cobbernation]

I just read the preseason top 25 poll.

UST is ranked #9 and GAC received votes but are not in top 25. 

Wonka,
Will GAC be good this year or will this be a rebuilding year?

Can SJU make a conference title run?  Will BU win 20 games?  Anyone?

[cobbernation]

PI,
You may have already answered this, but are you doing the pick ems this season?

[UST_LBOW]

The UST - UW-EC scrimmage went well for UST.

Talking to a few players and fans, it sounds like UST won all 3 halves.  Keating looked ridiculously good hitting a number of tough shots and dropped some nice dimes.  Overall it went very well and things seemed to be clicking for them.

Talking to a few players, the excitement level is very high for their first game vs. Occidental on Friday in Cali.

d3bballfollower - I would agree that a WIAC-MIAC would be pretty good.  I think the WIAC is far more physical than the MIAC and that has hurt the records for MIAC teams in the past

[Drake Palmer]

Bet34 - thanks for pulling on the reins a bit with D3B. He's lucky some of the resident board curmudgeons haven't made their appearance yet to give him a new pair of glasses to view the local basketball scene.   8) Like you, I appreciate his enthusiasm, but it needs to be tempered with a dose of reality.

D3BO – you need to have your facts in order & then some, to trifle with the right hand of the Guru.  Greg's a walking, talking & posting encyclopedia of D3 hoops.    IMO the MIAC will be lucky to place two teams in the big dance this season.  Bethel playing it's usual non-conference spate of the Crown, Presentation, & Sisters of the Poor Colleges don't help themselves when it comes time to do the QOWI (Quality of Wins Index), or whatever they're calling it nowadays.  On a national level the MIAC is probably viewed as being in the 2nd or even 3rd highest tier of teams & conferences. CCIW, MIAA, WIAC, NCAC conferences are all rated higher than the MIAC.

UST, the Carlies & Gusties are the only MIAC schools in recent memory who seem to schedule fairly competitive non conference schedules.  Both Carleton & the Tommies will play a couple of WIAC schools (UW-LAX, UW-River Falls) along with their out of state trips they take the first of the season.  The Gusties seem to always schedule games against perennial power Buena Vista in the IIAC, Carthage in the CCIW, along with an out state road trip every other year or so.

Cobbernation – SD Gusties is the man who runs the hoops pickems. He's also added a new wrinkle/contest which he explained a couple of pages ago.  Sign up for both & give us a scouting report from the Red River.  How are things looking up nort? Baldwin - is he a hooper? What about the kid from Cali & Lebsock from MT?  The returnees etc.  You get the picture. We need scoop,  info.

SUM – looks like Winona State woke up the Gophers.  It still looks like it could be a brutal year for the Gophs.  Any new developments from Collegeville?

[piperinsider]

TH4L-
My bad on the "being cut" part of my commentary on you vs. Muenchow.

CN-
Like Drake said, South Dakota Gusties relieved me of my duties last year, and I'm glad he's following suit this year. Basketball pick'em is a lot of work to keep track of.

I had a chance to look at the rosters of some of the teams yesterday, but spent the most looking at my own team. I think the Pipers have so many guys that can play, that the biggest downfall this year is finding a rotation. I know Wohler in the past has cycled 12-15 guys in a game, which in my mind, is way too many. I think you have to find the 8-10 that work together the best and stick with them.

We'll see what happens this weekend in Colorado.

[Willy Wonka]

Wonka,
Will GAC be good this year or will this be a rebuilding year?

Unlike every other poster here, I think the Gusties' ceiling is quite high this season. The Gusties lost underachieving role player Hollerich and a streaky TeBrake, but return basically their whole roster from a year ago. With Wittwer, Sowden and Stein returning along the front line and Olson back from his knee injury, there are pieces in place. Doble showed flashes towards the end of the year and should be in a spot Hanson loves to exploit - the scoring punch off the bench. Throw in a couple quality freshman - including a handful of bigs - and I like their potential, for this year and beyond.

I'm wary of the Hamline bandwagon. A 10-10 MIAC record and a 12-15 overall record does not a contender make. I'd install UST and SJU as the favorites, with GAC right in the mix. Car, Bet and Ham are my next tier.

[sumander]

SUM – looks like Winona State woke up the Gophers.  It still looks like it could be a brutal year for the Gophs.  Any new developments from Collegeville?

Sounds like a normal pre season, tempers flaring, elbows being thrown etc.
The troops need to look at someone other than each other right now. Saturday night should be fun!

[miacwatchmen]

Its about time this season started.....I need something to post on other than Auggies suck and Tommie will kick ass.

[UST_LBOW]

Willy - How is Olson's knee doing? What was the diagnosis after he hurt it on that pick? That dude can can shoot and will be HUGE in giving Sowden and Wittwer help.

[miacwatchmen]

Looking more at the Johnnies schedule I think the Tommies will be the only team to win 20 + games this year. Depending on how Minnesota-Morris is (2 games) and the Johnnies trip to Florida (2 games) plus the match up with cross town rival SCSU. The Johnnies may need to go 20-0 in conference to reach 20 wins. We all know that won't happen. I think a 17-8 maybe 18-7 season can be a forcast in Collegeville.