MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Nites]

The last two MIAC Player of the Year recipients combine for 18 points on 8-25 shooting (2-15 from beyond the arc) in the loss to Anderson.   
I

Good point Nites. I was thinking the same thing. UST has overcome a lack of offensive firepower in the paint all year, but it really hurt them last night with Nicolai and Scott both experiencing poor shooting nights from 3 point land. It reminded me of those Mavs down your way when playoff time comes Nice effort by Healy, but not enough to balance out a very lackluster offensive performance by the rest of the squad. Other than last year's nice run by UST, another early exit year for the MIAC, although I don't think most of us are not terribly surprised. If I were voting in the polls next year, I would need to see a significant non-conference victory to put a MIAC team in the top 5 again.


[/quote]

Well, my short-handed Mavs are in the midst of 10 game winning streak triggered by a big trading deadline swap that netted Haywood and Butler.  They did, however, dodge a bullet the other night against your T-Wolves when they took the bold move of resting J. Kidd for the evening.  We'll see if they revert to their usual playoff swoon.

[John Gleich]

The last two MIAC Player of the Year recipients combine for 18 points on 8-25 shooting (2-15 from beyond the arc) in the loss to Anderson.   

Interesting to read different accounts of the end of the Point-Carleton game.  From the Knights perspective:

Jeremy Sutherland (Jr./Apple Valley, Minn./St. Bernard's) collided with a Pointer defender driving for the potential game-winning shot--with no foul being called--as the Knights' upset bid against fifth-ranked UW-Stevens Point was snatched away in the final seconds of the NCAA Tournament's first round, 59-58.

The way Point saw it: 

Carleton's Jeremy Sutherland attempted to drive the length of the court but excellent defense by Jared Jenkins (Milwaukee) resulted in a steal from Harris and the Pointers came away with a one point victory.

From watching the video, it sure looked like Sutherland initiated the contact and the ball just got away from him.  He did a kind of hesitation dribble like he was going to pull up for a 3, at which point Jenkins closed on him a bit, but Sutherland kind of ran into him/bumped him and he lost the handle on the ball right to Harris.

There might be more of an argument against the foul call on the previous SP possession where Moses got fouled and was able to knock down 2 FT's for the lead.  OS would have had a better vantage point than I did from the location of the camera for the video feed, but Moses took what looked to be an awkward shot.  Now, that might have been because he was hampered by Jonker, who the foul was called on.  It was ironic that free throws sealed it... as there were only 12 free throws total for the game and only 22 fouls combined for the game too.

[miacsuperfan]

i]might[/i] be more of an argument against the foul call on the previous SP possession where Moses got fouled and was able to knock down 2 FT's for the lead.  OS would have had a better vantage point than I did from the location of the camera for the video feed, but Moses took what looked to be an awkward shot.  Now, that might have been because he was hampered by Jonker, who the foul was called on.  It was ironic that free throws sealed it... as there were only 12 free throws total for the game and only 22 fouls combined for the game too.

and carleton's 12 fouls represented a total that was nearly three more than their average team fouls in the last six games!

[carletonsid]

The last two MIAC Player of the Year recipients combine for 18 points on 8-25 shooting (2-15 from beyond the arc) in the loss to Anderson.   

Interesting to read different accounts of the end of the Point-Carleton game.  From the Knights perspective:

Jeremy Sutherland (Jr./Apple Valley, Minn./St. Bernard's) collided with a Pointer defender driving for the potential game-winning shot--with no foul being called--as the Knights' upset bid against fifth-ranked UW-Stevens Point was snatched away in the final seconds of the NCAA Tournament's first round, 59-58.

The way Point saw it: 

Carleton's Jeremy Sutherland attempted to drive the length of the court but excellent defense by Jared Jenkins (Milwaukee) resulted in a steal from Harris and the Pointers came away with a one point victory.

From watching the video, it sure looked like Sutherland initiated the contact and the ball just got away from him.  He did a kind of hesitation dribble like he was going to pull up for a 3, at which point Jenkins closed on him a bit, but Sutherland kind of ran into him/bumped him and he lost the handle on the ball right to Harris.

There might be more of an argument against the foul call on the previous SP possession where Moses got fouled and was able to knock down 2 FT's for the lead.  OS would have had a better vantage point than I did from the location of the camera for the video feed, but Moses took what looked to be an awkward shot.  Now, that might have been because he was hampered by Jonker, who the foul was called on.  It was ironic that free throws sealed it... as there were only 12 free throws total for the game and only 22 fouls combined for the game too.

I was on the baseline under Carleton's basket, right side of the hoop so didn't have a great look live at the play in question. We did watch the video this morning, you can read my thoughts on the play here.

Video recap is available, but not the best angle, either, for that final play.

Not sure on the foul on Jonker against Moses on the other end. Would have been nice if both were non-calls or both foul calls, but that wasn't the case and neither play decided the game. They just happened at the end so they were loud.

Great crowd, not that great of atmosphere--way better at St. Thomas and Gustavus (by far). No disrespect, but the UWSP student section was weak. If "Hey, you suck" is the best chant you can come up with, just don't even bother. Great to see a community/town get behind a college team, though, as the fans really packed the house.

[Willy Wonka]

Great crowd, not that great of atmosphere--way better at St. Thomas and Gustavus (by far). No disrespect, but the UWSP student section was weak. If "Hey, you suck" is the best chant you can come up with, just don't even bother. Great to see a community/town get behind a college team, though, as the fans really packed the house.

That's the point I was trying to make earlier in the week. It's a big gym and it fills up earlier...but most of the fans seem to act as if they're watching a broadway show rather than a festive athletic event.

I suppose that's the luxury of winning 90% of your home games in the last decade at a public school. But that facility has the potential to be a nightmare for opposing teams, if the UWSP students would ever take advantage of the opportunity...

[buf]

Thank you carletonsid for the video last night.  Good quality!

[John Gleich]

Thank you carletonsid for the video last night.  Good quality!

I agree.  Btw, how do you pronounce Morris Nwogwugwu's last name...?  I listened to the Point radio guys try to pronounce it...  still am not sure!

Great crowd, not that great of atmosphere--way better at St. Thomas and Gustavus (by far). No disrespect, but the UWSP student section was weak. If "Hey, you suck" is the best chant you can come up with, just don't even bother. Great to see a community/town get behind a college team, though, as the fans really packed the house.

That's the point I was trying to make earlier in the week. It's a big gym and it fills up earlier...but most of the fans seem to act as if they're watching a broadway show rather than a festive athletic event.

I suppose that's the luxury of winning 90% of your home games in the last decade at a public school. But that facility has the potential to be a nightmare for opposing teams, if the UWSP students would ever take advantage of the opportunity...

Yeah, goes right along with my thoughts too.  I think it would be possible for the students to be more involved (obviously) and I have certain ideas how... but I don't think it's something that would happen by itself.

[Greek Tragedy]

Point students have more things to worry about than a basketball game.  Last time I checked, they get in for free (regular season) and for cheap in the post season.  I look at them and most of them aren't even paying attention to the game.  They are texting their buddies to find out what bar to meet them at after the game.  Seriously, I've criticized the Point "student" section for years.  I see pictures of Gustavus Adolphus and even other gyms I've been to and they at least pretend to care about the game.

The 15 Hope students were louder than the Point student section.  It's a shame.

[carletonsid]

Thank you carletonsid for the video last night.  Good quality!

I agree.  Btw, how do you pronounce Morris Nwogwugwu's last name...?  I listened to the Point radio guys try to pronounce it...  still am not sure!

Just to be clear, the REAL carletonsid did the video. I, the former carletonsid, wrote the story and snapped some photos.

Morris Nwogwugwu's name is pronounced WOH-gwu-gwu. Great kid--one of the nicest, most humble guys we've had in our program recently.

[wabbit]

I just returned last night from Stevens Point after a heartbreak of a loss. The Knights had the game in their grasp and it was taken away from them. I agree with CarltonSid that if they make the call on the one end they should call it on the other.

The game started with the feel that SP was going to run over the Knights. It seemed they scored every time down the court in the first third of the game. SP is big. At every position they out-sized the Knights. Watching Davis guard a 6.4 210 lb behemoth was scary and amusing. He did a decent job only being posted up on a couple of times. Coming out of the half Biewen hit some huge 3's to get the Knights back in the game, and from there on out it was pretty evenly matched. SP offense runs through 20 (Moses?) and the Knights started doubling and sometimes tripling him in the second half. The rest of SP seemed to keep waiting for him to score. It reminded me of the Knights last year with Zorro doing all the heavy lifting.

GACMan is correct, Gustavus is the loudest (not even close) with St. Thomas next and Stevens Point a DISTANT third in the cheering section. The Gustavus game was deafening, and their student section was rather amusing. When the Carleton players were announced, all the fans turned their backs to them. They did boo a couple of times when the Knights made a play which is sort of lame but not altogether unexpected. Their chant of, "This is our house" came back to haunt them at the end when the lead fan for the Knights started slapping the floor and chanting, "This is our house" while Gustavus fandom looked on glumly and quietly.

POY Tyler Nicoli? It is clear I am biased, but I take Sutherland or Jonkey Kong ahead of Tyler. There are probably others (Ray Brown) that are more deserving as well.

The Knights had a great season and a great run. The big three Sutherland, Jonker, and Rosett were huge as everyone has stated. I remember someone saying on this board way back that he/she was "Cautiously Optimistic" about the Knights season. Maybe someone can look that up. Some wanker said the Knights guards would go down once St Thomas "unleashed their dogs". Davis had 2 turnovers against St. Thomas (0 TOs), Gustavus, and Stevens Point combined. Enough said. Biewien shot extremely well coming off screens and nailing 3s and finally, Theison off the bench is a player to be reckoned with.

Rosett is a rock down low and will be very tough to replace; doing all the hard work and quietly going about his business. He is a chemistry major, so his future is bright and I wish him the best of luck along with all the other Seniors in the MIAC! See ya next year!   

[TommieHoops4Life]

Great season for the Knights, and a disappointing end to a good season for the Tommies. It's hard to win with both hands firmly around your neck.

I saw the video on Carleton's web site. The Point player was fouled, Jonker made contact with the guy on the reach in, it was a good call and just a shame that it happened that late in the game.

I might have considered giving up watching basketball if the officials would've called a foul on the Sutherland play, on either player. There's nothing worse than a ref who makes a game-changing call in the closing seconds when it's not warranted. Yeah, there was contact, but from the video, it didn't appear to give either player a clear advantage. The ball just got away. I was happy that they let it go and let the players determine the outcome. Tough ending for Carleton after a great game.

Nicolai was one of the best players on the top team in the league, so I don't have a problem with him getting POY. If it were MVP, I might have to give it to Jonker. He consistently put up big numbers down the stretch in the biggest games of the year. Without him, the Knights don't beat UST or win the MIAC title.

The Tommies, on the other hand, lay an egg against Anderson. They get outscored 28-6 at the foul line? They either didn't get many calls, weren't aggressive enough going to the basket or both. 5-of-23 from three-point range??? Sounds like they couldn't hit the ocean if they were standing on the beach. In a season with so much depth, Healy goes off for 26 and the next closest is Hannon with 11. I prefer more balance.

Good season for both schools, although I know UST had bigger things in mind.

[Willy Wonka]

The Knights had a great season and a great run. The big three Sutherland, Jonker, and Rosett were huge as everyone has stated. I remember someone saying on this board way back that he/she was "Cautiously Optimistic" about the Knights season. Maybe someone can look that up. Some wanker said the Knights guards would go down once St Thomas "unleashed their dogs". Davis had 2 turnovers against St. Thomas (0 TOs), Gustavus, and Stevens Point combined. Enough said. Biewien shot extremely well coming off screens and nailing 3s and finally, Theison off the bench is a player to be reckoned with.

Rosett is a rock down low and will be very tough to replace; doing all the hard work and quietly going about his business. He is a chemistry major, so his future is bright and I wish him the best of luck along with all the other Seniors in the MIAC! See ya next year!   

I love a vitriolic post as much as the next guy...but is this one warranted? Carleton literally looked dead in the water to start the year. I wasn't the only guy saying so. If you would have tried to bet me that the Carlies would make the MIAC playoffs, much less win it, I would have told you to name your price...and nothing would have been too high.

What changed? Maybe Guy tweaked the offense, maybe the bench got a little more comfortable, maybe shots just started going in...but the obvious thing was Sutherland. If you'll go back and read the post you're criticizing me for, I also said he needed to do more for them to have a chance at being successful — which he obviously did over the last half of the year.

While Jonker somehow managed to turn himself into Hakeem on the blocks from November to March, Sutherland finally got to 100% and became the best player in the league. I'll be surprised if he isn't the POY next season, even if Ray Ray gets a doobie exception.

UNLESS (cue awkward segway to a Gustie discussion)

I've heard from a non-GAC person familiar with the league that Bobby Johnson was, hands down, the best MIAC player at the summer league in Bloomington Jefferson last year. I can't verify who all played on a regular basis, but I'm told that includes all the St. Thomas guys. I didn't post this right away because I didn't want it to get "lost" in the postseason discussion. Unfortunately, I didn't have to hold it very long 

Given the timetable often associated with a torn ACL, it wouldn't be a shock to see Johnson could go through a similar second-half "growth" period as the one Sutherland just completed. Hopefully he's finally back to 100% as a senior so we can see his game at full strength. Ditto for Sutherland next year.

[frodotwo]

I just returned last night from Stevens Point after a heartbreak of a loss. The Knights had the game in their grasp and it was taken away from them. I agree with CarltonSid that if they make the call on the one end they should call it on the other.

The game started with the feel that SP was going to run over the Knights. It seemed they scored every time down the court in the first third of the game. SP is big. At every position they out-sized the Knights. Watching Davis guard a 6.4 210 lb behemoth was scary and amusing. He did a decent job only being posted up on a couple of times. Coming out of the half Biewen hit some huge 3's to get the Knights back in the game, and from there on out it was pretty evenly matched. SP offense runs through 20 (Moses?) and the Knights started doubling and sometimes tripling him in the second half. The rest of SP seemed to keep waiting for him to score. It reminded me of the Knights last year with Zorro doing all the heavy lifting.

GACMan is correct, Gustavus is the loudest (not even close) with St. Thomas next and Stevens Point a DISTANT third in the cheering section. The Gustavus game was deafening, and their student section was rather amusing. When the Carleton players were announced, all the fans turned their backs to them. They did boo a couple of times when the Knights made a play which is sort of lame but not altogether unexpected. Their chant of, "This is our house" came back to haunt them at the end when the lead fan for the Knights started slapping the floor and chanting, "This is our house" while Gustavus fandom looked on glumly and quietly.

POY Tyler Nicoli? It is clear I am biased, but I take Sutherland or Jonkey Kong ahead of Tyler. There are probably others (Ray Brown) that are more deserving as well.

The Knights had a great season and a great run. The big three Sutherland, Jonker, and Rosett were huge as everyone has stated. I remember someone saying on this board way back that he/she was "Cautiously Optimistic" about the Knights season. Maybe someone can look that up. Some wanker said the Knights guards would go down once St Thomas "unleashed their dogs". Davis had 2 turnovers against St. Thomas (0 TOs), Gustavus, and Stevens Point combined. Enough said. Biewien shot extremely well coming off screens and nailing 3s and finally, Theison off the bench is a player to be reckoned with.

Rosett is a rock down low and will be very tough to replace; doing all the hard work and quietly going about his business. He is a chemistry major, so his future is bright and I wish him the best of luck along with all the other Seniors in the MIAC! See ya next year!   

Having seen Nicolai here in Point when UST got pasted at the end of December and Jonker here in March when CC nearly pulled off the upset, I would have picked Jonker as the POY. But that's only after seeing one game each.

[carletonsid]

I saw the video on Carleton's web site. The Point player was fouled, Jonker made contact with the guy on the reach in, it was a good call and just a shame that it happened that late in the game.

I might have considered giving up watching basketball if the officials would've called a foul on the Sutherland play, on either player. There's nothing worse than a ref who makes a game-changing call in the closing seconds when it's not warranted. Yeah, there was contact, but from the video, it didn't appear to give either player a clear advantage. The ball just got away. I was happy that they let it go and let the players determine the outcome. Tough ending for Carleton after a great game.

Well, I have to disagree with this statement. I agree, to an extent, that the players should determine the outcome, but if one player committed a legitimate foul, shouldn't that be called? I mean, committing a foul IS determining the outcome. There was a TON of contact on that play. I think sometimes this sentiment that players should determine the outcome and not officials is taken WAY too far and is, frankly, a bunch of BS. Does that give the defense license to hack the crap out of an offensive player in a tight game in the final minute or two? You certainly don't want to call a hand check or some other weak call down the stretch (ie the 4th foul on Blaise Davis with 4:40 left), but if there's a foul, it should be called. Usually, it means that the offensive player has worked to create an advantage, and that should be rewarded if the defender illegally takes away that advantage. One could certainly argue in this case that Sutherland had the advantage of getting a half-step on the defender, who slid over, impeding Sutherland's path and creating illegal contact. Frankly, there was way more contact on the final play than on the foul that led to the Moses FTs. Also, we watched that play a ton the next morning, from the same angle that TH4L saw, and I don't know how in the heck you can say for certain that was a foul, either.

The word I used in our recap was collision, and that word was chosen very intentionally. The more I think about that play, the more I feel some sort of call should have been made. If the defender was in position, there was more than enough contact for an offensive foul. If he wasn't in a legal guarding position, it should have been a block. (IMO, he was just a half-step late, but I fully recognize I view it through the navy-and-maize glasses.) TH4L, you saw it once, but we had the luxury of looking at the tape a few times the next morning, so I'm not sure how you can so unequivocally that no foul should have been called.

Again, though, this was one of many plays, so I don't want to make excuses for the Knights and say the non-call was why they lost. Too many offensive rebounds allowed in the first half, a few missed lay-ups, but all in all a heck of an effort and comeback against a team that is the favorite to reach the Final Four with home court advantage this coming weekend.

[Drake Palmer]

Well, after a weekend of basketball healing, I've emerged from my isolation chamber to pass along a few final season comments.  

Tough season "enders" for Carleton and UST.

I watched the 2nd half of the Carleton UWSP game Friday night and the Knights came very close to pulling off the upset.  They played an outstanding basketball game and came up just a little bit short at the end.  

Regarding the "non-foul" at the end. It certainly looked like it could/should have been a blocking call on UWSP, but my camera angle was marginal & I also had my MIAC glasses on.   Credit should also go to the UWSP coaches for putting Harris in a position to make a play. I don't know how many Carleton game videos they got a chance to look at, but I thought it was pretty clever on their part to realize that as a righty, Sutherland likes to drive to his left.

Nonetheless, a tip of the cap to Coach Kalland, the team, and seniors Morris N. & Bryan Rosett.  The Knights certainly far exceeded the expectations of most people who followed the MIAC.  

****
A disappointing loss for the Tommies against Anderson.  I doubt if many people were expecting a deep tournament run, but to get out of the first round in a competitive, yet "winnable" game would have been nice. Unfortunately, the streaky outside shooting that plagued them throughout the season,and the lack of a consistent inside game reared their heads at an inopportune time.

Nice run for the seniors - Joe Scott, Sam Eicher, & Josh Peltier. They personally were apart of 3 straight NCAA tourney appearances & the magical 08-09 season.  Nice career.

****
I watched most of the Anderson-Carthage game, the last few minutes of the Illinois Wesleyan-Wash U game, & the 2nd half of the Chapman-Whitworth games on Saturday night. Those teams all featured strong guard play (exceptional play by Carthage's AA guard Steve Djurickovic – 30 pts, 6 rebs, 10 assists) Whitworth had a tough little guard, Eric Beal who tended to dominate the ball (excellent handles), but was an excellent distributor, to go along with his scoring & excellent defensive abilities.  All 3 teams had real solid post play.  Athletic Biggs who could post up, or step out, hit the J & play solid defense. Carthage was basically playing & winning with 2 FY post players & another 6-6 lanky small forward who was also a FY. IWU had some MEN  - Doug Sexauer, in the post, & Whitworth had some nice inside-outside combo posts.  

To compete at an elite national level, our MIAC teams will need to get stronger in all areas.  This is why the 08-09 Tommie season was that much more special.  They didn't have the ridiculously,crazy talent or size some of these other teams had such as the Wash U teams of 08 & 09, Stevens Point teams of 04-05, yet they played at a level most people never thought they could attain.

So players & coaches, it can be done.  In the meantime I agree with Pops, please don't rank MIAC teams in the Top Ten next year until they knock off a top ten team, or two.