MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[carletonsid]

Did anyone see the UST/CAR game yesterday? Did the Tommie starting five really only account for FOUR assists, with no one higher than one?

Sometimes assists aren't tracked very well, but it's not like this is the first time passing has been a concern for the this UST team. Is Healy the only one on the team willing/able to pass the ball or were people just missing bunnies yesterday?  

I broadcasted the game on Saturday and was interested to see UST after all the banter here about them.

First off, this is a totally different team from last year and I think it puts things in perspective about just how special last year's group was. With that said, I think this year's UST squad can be very good by year's end, but I think they're struggling a bit (in comparison to last year) to find their offensive identity. They looked better in the second half when they took Nicolai off the ball and ran him off screens for threes, and I think a three-guard combo of Nicolai-Scott-Healy is a pretty tough combo.

What UST really lacks is that frontcourt punch. Halvorson was an offensive non-factor on Saturday, and Pedretti really struggled even though it appeared the game plan was to throw it inside to the freshman early and establish him. (All it established is that he needs to attend the Jonker/Rosett School of Footwork, hosted by Drake Palmer.) Ervin is probably their best 'post' player in terms of production, and Hannon came off the bench and was solid.

With that said, UST is a really solid club. Very cohesive defensively and they can really get out and pressure the ball. Rather than attack you with the pass like last year, they attack a bit more off the dribble and in the open floor, at least it seemed on Saturday. They did find Scott and Nicolai off some sets for threes, but I think they'll live off that pressure defense. If they can get their bigs going inside, they'll be a tough out come March. I've seen both GAC and UST now, and I could see neither team breaking 60 on Wednesday, not because either team is bad offensively, but both are very organized, smart defensive teams. Of course, watch the final be 83-80 or something like that...

BTW, Knights looked better and hung tough after UST erased the big, early deficit, but Carleton's guards really struggled with the defensive pressure. They weren't able to get the ball inside to Rosett/Jonker as much as they'd like. It will be an interesting second half for the Knights to see if they can sneak into the playoffs.

[Gregory Sager]

Congrats upon reaching page #1,000, MIACers!

[Gacman]

This isn't necessarily a clash of the titans since GAC hasn't had the success the last couple years like UST has had, but both being 7-0 going into the game assuming UST wins tonight against SMU, does provide the game of the week and maybe for the year at this point as far as MIAC games are concerned.

When you look at UST, a lot has been said about the assist totals and how they have dropped off without that great senior class of a year ago, but I feel several other stats may just be as in important. Last year UST was blowing teams out. There margin for victory for the entire season was 19.0. This year that margin is only 12.4. That is still a nice margin of victory, but not nearly as dominant as a year ago. This year teams are hanging around a little bit longer and when that happens, sooner or later you will lose a couple of games.

Another stat that stood out to me was that they are allowing teams to shoot 38.6% from beyond the arc, which is a fairly high number. This is up a couple of percentage points this year from last. I think this is for several reasons. Teams are getting better looks because those senior's defended everywhere as good as we will see for awhile. The second reason is that in McCoy, UST had a lock down post defender. He rarely needed help defending his guy so the perimeter defenders could concentrate on their own guy leaving less room to shoot when the post would kick it back out. I think that is why you will see UST struggle a little bit more with teams that are well balanced compared to perimeter oriented teams.

As far as matchups go for this game, a couple things to look for:
1) Will the gusties take advantage that they have in the post?
2) Can the gustie guards minimize their turnovers and get past the UST pressure?
3) Who will win the battle of the Shooting guards? Van Sickle and Scott both have struggled a little. Whoever has the better game could be huge for that team.
4) Probably the top two benches in the league. Who wins this battle?

Should be a fun game to watch. I know I will be there taking it in.

[VOJ]

By the way is Larry Knudsen (name?) from Moorhead still doing the Cobbs games?  He & that guy from St. Johns do a pretty fair job. Although that Johnnie announcer tends to wear his heart on his sleeve a bit much, & seems to agree with the head coach's whines a little too often for my taste.   


Other games
Johnnies are on a roll right now & have been shooting lights out in their last couple of games. Today they shot  56% overall, 45% from 3FGA & beat the Cobbs 71-64. Aaron Burtzel with a triple double 10 rebs, 16 pts, 11 assists.  Against Augsburg they shot 55% from the floor & 42% from behind the arc.  Good offense or bad defense?  Either case, the Johnnies are looking very dangerous.

Drake...Larry is doing well, he is still the Voice of the Cobbers and I believe second in seniority among guys who have done MIAC games the longest behind the Oles Mike Morrisey. 

As for the heart on the sleeve and sharing similiar views of developments with smitty, well I know where my bread is buttered and I like it that way

Johnnies have a huge week coming up this week at the spoiling for a victory Pipers and then the rival with the Tommies, followed by a match up with Gustavus at home next Monday night.  It made the sweep of the 4 games played from the 2nd through the 9th that much more important. 

I am interested in seeing the Pipers Brown and see if the Gusties gave the MIAC the blueprint on how to play the Pipers defensively, let Brown try to win it by taking everything else away...I know the Js will have their hands full with him Hipp and Anderson.

Congrats to Aaron Burtzel on the triple-double against CC...his performance this week should gain him MIAC Player of the Week honors hands down, and if that does not happen there should be an investigation. 

CC looked a little lost defensively on Saturday, and as Coach Glas said on the pregame show, we are not shooting the ball well on the road, especially early in games, that proved to be a prophetic statement.  Olmsheid picking up two quick fouls definitely helped SJU.

Because the best two teams in the league are UST and SJU - two teams you haven't played yet. I think GAC will finish third. Finishing sixth might be the best thing for the Pipers - avoid UST to the finals (finals...finals )

What are you basing that opinion on? GAC may not exactly be the prettiest team to watch, but there's something to be said for winning close games. I believe VOJ refers to that as "making plays."

Call me crazy, but I'd rather be undefeated with a solid win over Carleton than 6-1 with a terribly ugly loss to the Knights...

Wow...being quoted, and here I wondered if anyone really read what I wrote, especially after my musings were titled "bs" recently by an avid reader...

By the way I agree with WW...teams gain confidence by playing tight games and making plays...they expect to win rather than try to win, huge difference.

[Drake Palmer]

By the way is Larry Knudsen (name?) from Moorhead still doing the Cobbs games?  He & that guy from St. Johns do a pretty fair job. Although that Johnnie announcer tends to wear his heart on his sleeve a bit much, & seems to agree with the head coach's whines a little too often for my taste.  

Drake...Larry is doing well, he is still the Voice of the Cobbers and I believe second in seniority among guys who have done MIAC games the longest behind the Oles Mike Morrisey.  

As for the heart on the sleeve and sharing similiar views of developments with smitty, well I know where my bread is buttered and I like it that way

In this economy, I can't say I blame you.

Triple play coming...

[Drake Palmer]

Did anyone see the UST/CAR game yesterday? Did the Tommie starting five really only account for FOUR assists, with no one higher than one?

Sometimes assists aren't tracked very well, but it's not like this is the first time passing has been a concern for the this UST team. Is Healy the only one on the team willing/able to pass the ball or were people just missing bunnies yesterday?  

I broadcasted the game on Saturday and was interested to see UST after all the banter here about them.

First off, this is a totally different team from last year and I think it puts things in perspective about just how special last year's group was. With that said, I think this year's UST squad can be very good by year's end, but I think they're struggling a bit (in comparison to last year) to find their offensive identity. They looked better in the second half when they took Nicolai off the ball and ran him off screens for threes, and I think a three-guard combo of Nicolai-Scott-Healy is a pretty tough combo.

What UST really lacks is that frontcourt punch. Halvorson was an offensive non-factor on Saturday, and Pedretti really struggled even though it appeared the game plan was to throw it inside to the freshman early and establish him. (All it established is that he needs to attend the Jonker/Rosett School of Footwork, hosted by Drake Palmer.) Ervin is probably their best 'post' player in terms of production, and Hannon came off the bench and was solid.

With that said, UST is a really solid club. Very cohesive defensively and they can really get out and pressure the ball. Rather than attack you with the pass like last year, they attack a bit more off the dribble and in the open floor, at least it seemed on Saturday....

Actually Pedretti has pretty good footwork already, but he ducks his head when he starts to make a move so he misses cutters & helpside defenders coming up to attack him.  But anyway, thanks for the kind words. Just reasonable basketball observations on my part.

I'm sure Rosett, Jonker Zach Johnson, Dan Forkrud & others came into the league as pretty decent post players, but I've got to believe the Carleton coaching staff of Guy Kalland & Jim Hayes had something to do with their continued development.  

For those of you who might have forgotten, in his own right, assistant coach Hayes was a big time post player for Hamline back in the 90s & was a 2X all conference player. Hayes was the 8th leading career scorer for the Pipes with 1,240 points, & 3rd on the all time list rebound list with 554.


 

[Drake Palmer]

Very good "speculation" HU.  As Sherlock Holmes would say " Watson, I think you may have it"  The players you noted from last years's squad are in fact the key factor in the drop off in assists this year that WW accurately noted. I did not realize there had been THAT big of a drop off. The are "intangibles" that I felt UST has been missing with the loss of these players but a statistical analysis of assist numbers supports this. It is interesting to note that Viau (2.8), McCoy (2.3), Robinson (2.7), and Tuma (2.0) were the 4 LEADERS in assists/game for UST last year. Healy (2.5) and Archer (2.2) are the only players this year with 2 or more assist/game. It is interesting to note that the starting front court of Pedretti and Halvosen are averaging 1.6 assists/game COMBINED versus the McCoy/Viau combined total of 5/game last year.  This is a very significant drop off.  Without looking at the stats, I had sensed UST has really missed Tuma's floor leadership with the second unit this year. The stats support this, as he was 4th in assists last year despite ranking 8th in minutes played for UST. Their defense has allowed them to still remain a leading force in the league with a national ranking, but the drop off in assists, particularly in the front court, shows why last year's squad seemed to have better offensive flow than this year's team to date.

HUHoops & Pops - now I realize that sometimes I post drivel along with the occasional shard of truth, but I posted much of this UST information last month. Read the posts.

Last night must have been the prelude to the blue moon that's taking place on New Year's Eve. ... Numbers 1, 2 & 3, Washington, UST, & UW-Whitewater get knocked off. And the Pipes knock off #8 Wheaton 69-68.

In the matchup of #s 2 & 4, all of the factors pointed in Stevens' Point favor against UST last night - Home court game, the revenge factor for the loss to the Tommies last spring in the tourney etc.  I think VOJ & I are the only posters who have seen this year's version of the Pointers, & I knew this was going to be a tall order.  They've got strong, quick, guards, physical posts, very disciplined & are a talented team. So the Tommie loss in & of itself, came as no huge surprise, but the way they lost was very disappointing.

I still contend the Tommies need to get Tyler Nicolai to spread the floor more & distribute the ball which would make his offensive game that much more effective & dangerous.  He's easily the best ball handler on the team. Compare this to last year when he could rely on Robinson, Viau, Tuma & even McCoy to handle the ball, & help create easier looks for teammates cutting to the basket.  This year's team is still way too perimeter oriented, don't move the ball as well, & those assist numbers for the Tommies don't lie.  At this point they don't have a single player listed in the top 15 in assists or assist turnover ratio categories.  Some Tommie backers may claim it's because of their substitution style & no one is clocking enough minutes. Not true. Both Nicolai & Scott are averaging close to 30 minutes per game.

Look at these numbers from last year:

UST lead the league in assists & averaged 18.97 apg.
Individually, BJ Viau was # 7 & averaged 2.81 apg, Robinson was #10 & averaged 2.71 apg.  

Then when you look at the Assist Turnover Ratio category you had 5 Tommies ranked in the top 10:
1) McCoy 3) Brett Tuma 6) Brett Ervin 9) Robinson & 10) Nicolai.

Obviously they had a pretty special season last year, but certainly one of the keys to success that this year's team could emulate  – move the ball. Part 2 for another rant – go knock some heads around.

************************
Looks like Jekyll, of Jekyll & Hyde (Hamline) showed up last night....

[carletonsid]

Did anyone see the UST/CAR game yesterday? Did the Tommie starting five really only account for FOUR assists, with no one higher than one?

Sometimes assists aren't tracked very well, but it's not like this is the first time passing has been a concern for the this UST team. Is Healy the only one on the team willing/able to pass the ball or were people just missing bunnies yesterday? 

I broadcasted the game on Saturday and was interested to see UST after all the banter here about them.

First off, this is a totally different team from last year and I think it puts things in perspective about just how special last year's group was. With that said, I think this year's UST squad can be very good by year's end, but I think they're struggling a bit (in comparison to last year) to find their offensive identity. They looked better in the second half when they took Nicolai off the ball and ran him off screens for threes, and I think a three-guard combo of Nicolai-Scott-Healy is a pretty tough combo.

What UST really lacks is that frontcourt punch. Halvorson was an offensive non-factor on Saturday, and Pedretti really struggled even though it appeared the game plan was to throw it inside to the freshman early and establish him. (All it established is that he needs to attend the Jonker/Rosett School of Footwork, hosted by Drake Palmer.) Ervin is probably their best 'post' player in terms of production, and Hannon came off the bench and was solid.

With that said, UST is a really solid club. Very cohesive defensively and they can really get out and pressure the ball. Rather than attack you with the pass like last year, they attack a bit more off the dribble and in the open floor, at least it seemed on Saturday....

Actually Pedrett has pretty good footwork already, but he ducks his head when he starts to make a move so he misses cutters & helpside defenders coming up to attack him.  But anyway, thanks for the kind words. Just reasonable basketball observations on my part.

I'm sure Rosett, Jonker Zach Johnson, Dan Forkrud & others came into the league as pretty decent post players, but I've got to believe the Carleton coaching staff of Guy Kalland & Jim Hayes had something to do with their continued development. 

For those of you who might have forgotten, in his own right, assistant coach Hayes was a big time post player for Hamline back in the 90s & was a 2X all conference player. Hayes was the 8th leading career scorer for the Pipes with 1,240 points, & 3rd on the all time list rebound list with 554.


 

DP - You're welcome. Pedretti's footwork wasn't great on Saturday--five turnovers, and I'm recalling three travels. I think he was trying a bit too hard as UST tried to establish him early with lots of touches. I think he's going to be a force, but had one of those games that freshman tend to produce.

[AO]

I am interested in seeing the Pipers Brown and see if the Gusties gave the MIAC the blueprint on how to play the Pipers defensively, let Brown try to win it by taking everything else away...I know the Js will have their hands full with him Hipp and Anderson.

I wouldn't be quite so quick to credit the Gusties with forcing Ray to take a lot of 3's.  He doesn't really need to be enticed in that area.  If the Tommie guards are going to take flak for not creating shots for teammates, let's put Ray to the test as well.

vs Macalester: 15 fga, 0 assists
vs St. Olaf: 16 fga, 0 assists
vs Bethel: 12 fga, 0 assists
vs Gustavus: 21 fga, 0 assists

Season totals: 20 assists  38 turnovers

[Drake Palmer]

CSID-

IMO,Pedretti's TOs typically come from 2 things. He's got the right idea & knows what to do with his footwork, but 1) playing too fast which causes him to shuffle his feet 2) dropping his head & passing into a turnover.

[Gacman]

I am interested in seeing the Pipers Brown and see if the Gusties gave the MIAC the blueprint on how to play the Pipers defensively, let Brown try to win it by taking everything else away...I know the Js will have their hands full with him Hipp and Anderson.

I wouldn't be quite so quick to credit the Gusties with forcing Ray to take a lot of 3's.  He doesn't really need to be enticed in that area.  If the Tommie guards are going to take flak for not creating shots for teammates, let's put Ray to the test as well.

vs Macalester: 15 fga, 0 assists
vs St. Olaf: 16 fga, 0 assists
vs Bethel: 12 fga, 0 assists
vs Gustavus: 21 fga, 0 assists

Season totals: 20 assists  38 turnovers

AO, I don't think what VOJ was saying had as much to do with how many shots Brown took, but the production of Hipp and the others. I think he was pointing out that GAC took Hipp away. Brown is going to get his shots regardless, but taking away his running mate, and previously mentioned MVP candidate  , Hamline will have a hard time beating people down the stretch if other teams can do the same.

Those numbers I think only back up what VOJ is saying as well. The more you take the ball out of Hipp's hands and put it in Brown's this offense will struggle with consistency and continuity. Basically, the pipers will live and die by Brown. If he goes off they win. If he has an average or below average game, they lose based on this possible blueprint.

[VOJ]

I am interested in seeing the Pipers Brown and see if the Gusties gave the MIAC the blueprint on how to play the Pipers defensively, let Brown try to win it by taking everything else away...I know the Js will have their hands full with him Hipp and Anderson.

I wouldn't be quite so quick to credit the Gusties with forcing Ray to take a lot of 3's.  He doesn't really need to be enticed in that area.  If the Tommie guards are going to take flak for not creating shots for teammates, let's put Ray to the test as well.

vs Macalester: 15 fga, 0 assists
vs St. Olaf: 16 fga, 0 assists
vs Bethel: 12 fga, 0 assists
vs Gustavus: 21 fga, 0 assists

Season totals: 20 assists  38 turnovers

AO, I don't think what VOJ was saying had as much to do with how many shots Brown took, but the production of Hipp and the others. I think he was pointing out that GAC took Hipp away. Brown is going to get his shots regardless, but taking away his running mate, and previously mentioned MVP candidate  , Hamline will have a hard time beating people down the stretch if other teams can do the same.

Those numbers I think only back up what VOJ is saying as well. The more you take the ball out of Hipp's hands and put it in Brown's this offense will struggle with consistency and continuity. Basically, the pipers will live and die by Brown. If he goes off they win. If he has an average or below average game, they lose based on this possible blueprint.

Something like that...   The Johnnies have struggled at Hutton, any time they come out out of there with a win feels like 2.

[AO]

I am interested in seeing the Pipers Brown and see if the Gusties gave the MIAC the blueprint on how to play the Pipers defensively, let Brown try to win it by taking everything else away...I know the Js will have their hands full with him Hipp and Anderson.

I wouldn't be quite so quick to credit the Gusties with forcing Ray to take a lot of 3's.  He doesn't really need to be enticed in that area.  If the Tommie guards are going to take flak for not creating shots for teammates, let's put Ray to the test as well.

vs Macalester: 15 fga, 0 assists
vs St. Olaf: 16 fga, 0 assists
vs Bethel: 12 fga, 0 assists
vs Gustavus: 21 fga, 0 assists

Season totals: 20 assists  38 turnovers

AO, I don't think what VOJ was saying had as much to do with how many shots Brown took, but the production of Hipp and the others. I think he was pointing out that GAC took Hipp away. Brown is going to get his shots regardless, but taking away his running mate, and previously mentioned MVP candidate  , Hamline will have a hard time beating people down the stretch if other teams can do the same.

Those numbers I think only back up what VOJ is saying as well. The more you take the ball out of Hipp's hands and put it in Brown's this offense will struggle with consistency and continuity. Basically, the pipers will live and die by Brown. If he goes off they win. If he has an average or below average game, they lose based on this possible blueprint.

True, the real blueprint for beating Hamline starts with limiting Hipp as Brown is likely to take a bunch of shots whether you put Paulson or Crowder on him.

[sju56321]

I posted this question on the football site, but do any of you know a way to stream the audio of the games on an iphone? Is there an application that will support realaudio?

BTW-VOJ are you meeting usTDT before the tommie game for dinner?

[VOJ]

I posted this question on the football site, but do any of you know a way to stream the audio of the games on an iphone? Is there an application that will support realaudio?

BTW-VOJ are you meeting usTDT before the tommie game for dinner?

I have no idea about your tech question but I know I WILL NOT be having dinner with that turn-coat.  Maybe he and Maniac can have dinner together and reflect on the successful season that Tommie Football had and swap reasons as to why this years Tommie bball team is not as good as last years.

By they way...its USTTDT, have to put both TT's in the middle.