MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Drake Palmer]

I decided to take in the Hambone Johnnie game which SJU won 80-72.  Glad I went but I wouldn't do it again.  

Both teams have good athletes, SJU has better shooters.

Johnnies should eke into a playoff spot but their defense or lack of defense will be their downfall.  If Hamline spreads the floor & moves Hipp up to the FT line, you know a dribble drive penetrate move is coming.  They couldn't stop it, & time & time again Mike Campbell, Noah Aguirre, or someone else would slash to the basket.

For all the talk about the young Hamline shooters, I came away less than impressed. None of the guards ever really looked to kick it out to a wing for a shot.  However, the Johnnies did defend the jumper well.  Hamline guards did a poor job of feeding Hipp the ball.  They threw it off  his knees, or not in a good spot for him to catch & post up.  

I'm not sure if Carl Hipp was frustrated or not, but in spite of a double team or occasional triple team, when he got the ball, it never came back out. The Pipes should borrow a page or two from the Gusties playbook & teach the weak side kick out pass, & repost for the shot, post up, or offensive rebound.

I was impressed with Nermin Hjurdovic from SJU.  He really had a solid game against Hipp & scored 11 crucial pts.  The Pipes did a poor job of doubling down on Nermin or any of the other SJU post players, & never dug at the ball to help Hipp out on the blocks.  

Only when the Pipers could force the Johnnies into more of an uptempo game were they able to apply effective defensive pressure on the ball.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Jays played well with 5 Jays in double figures. Burtzel had a quietly efficient night with 13 points, 10 rebs, 6 assists.

****
G-man- I'm about ready to say the Gusties for real.   I do like both Schmidtknecht & Wirtjes game a lot.  Schmidknecht is a true pass first PG but is showing that he can score when called upon. I like Wirtjes heart & talent.  His playing style reminds me a lot of Peter Leslie from UST.  Scrappy, hardnosed players.

And I agree with you on Augsburg. Coach Griess is doing a masterful job with a short bench & vertically challenged team to boot.  

This looks like it's shaping up to be a great conference race this year.

[TearDrop]

Looks like the youngest of the three headed monster decided to put on a show and fly the birds to victory last night! His stat line was 37 pts and 11 boards. I think the most impressive part of this is that he did his scoring VERY efficiently on 10 of 12 shooting with 4 three pointers! Congrats to the young man. I hope that this is the year that the RedBirds can get over the hump and actually crack the playoffs for the first time in years. I fear that this could be their last year to do so for a while again as they lose Wright and Holland.

[TheSuperfan]

Drake gave a very accurate account of the game. Not a happy day after the pipers didn't show up to the first half of the game. I was getting more and more depressed as the Johns spread their lead further into the double digits. Luckily enough for my self esteem the pipes made it a good game in the end, but lost due to untimely turnovers and missing a few free throws. (As well as the rest of the stat sheet)

Hipp did some good things, but like Drake mentioned needs to kick the ball out when he draws the added coverage. Even though Noah, Jordan, and Taber were slashing at times, I felt there was still an overall lack of ball movement for HU which allowed for the easy doubles on Hipp if they got him the ball.

Also, I am still confused that Pannell gets the start and only plays 11 minutes with basically a blank stat line. However, I see how it fits as Whitmore wants others available as scoring options if Hipp has to depart the game early .

Pipes made progress in their rebounding woes from the past couple games and stuck with the Johnnies, but going 1-16 from 3pt is never a stat of a winning club. In addition to that, missing 10 free throws hurts throughout a game when attempting a comeback.

Hopefully HU can provide some more consistency as the young squad comes together. I would rather not go into break with an 0-4 start . . .

[Drake Palmer]

Man - dead board.  Where are the Ole backers, the Gustie smackers, Tommie trash talkers, the Carlie hackers?

Alright, I'll try to stir it up a little bit.  

Let's take take a closer look at St. Olaf.  For years, the Oles have been regarded as a source of good natured humor with their very loud coach & stodgy, offensively challenged basketball teams.  Could this be the year they make some real noise in the conference? Last Wednesday the Oles went up to Collegeville & defeated Johnnies in a big road win  72-64. "The win was just the sixth for the Oles in the last 47 years (6-37 record) against the Johnnies in Collegeville."

Then this past Monday they were putting it on the Gusties' mind in St. Peter before Phil Wirtjes did a very nice Doug Espenson impersonation, & saved Gustavus' rear end. Wirtjes scored 22 of his 26 points in the 2nd half to rally Gustavus to a 74-66 win over the upset minded Oles.  

Earlier in the season I had mentioned Stu Neville as a possible breakout player & so far he's having a terrific year.  He's currently averaging 21.5ppg/ 7.5 rpg. Knock on wood, but Bobby Fong is injury free & living up to his considerable talent, along with his erratic jump shot – 10ppg/8 rpg.   Little Alfie is a solid PG who can also score, and Tucker Sheley seems to be living up to his reputation coming out of HS as a sweet shooting guard.  He's currently tied with teammate Stu Neville for the conference scoring lead as he's also scoring at 21.5 ppg, & is firing away at a ridiculous 68%FGA in conference play – 2 games.  For the season - 7 games, Sheley is averaging 54% from the field, & 43% from behind the 3ptline.  Obviously, he's a shoo-in for post season awards if he keeps up this torrid pace.

You add in currently injured PF Nate Kroschell (due to return the end of the month) – "Mr. Glue", a defensive stopper & solid do-everything guy into the mix, along with a couple of the young FY, & this Ole squad has all the makings of a very dangerous out.  I'm looking forward to seeing how they fare this season.  

UST ought to be very concerned about riding into Northfield tonight to play St. Olaf. With the exception of the blowout win over Bethel, the Tommies have been riding the razor's edge in their closer than expected wins over Macalester, 72-63, & Augsburg, 65-61.  You toss in the very close, non-conference win over UWRF, 65-60, & this team is one glass jaw away from a knockdown.   In two of the four games I mentioned, Augsburg & UWRF, they've had sizeable leads in the 2nd half of 14(?) & 16+ points, only to let their opponents back into the game.  This inability to close out opponents has to be of concern as they prepare for the rest of the season.

[Gacman]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that CON and SJU are the two most disappointing teams in the last 3 years. Both teams have had virtually the same starters for the last 3-4 years now, and they have basically regressed or stayed the same. Both of these teams were being hyped back when these players were freshman because of their talent and because they all played right away and even started in most cases. That talent and early playing time was supposed to translate to success when they were juniors and seniors.

SJU has had some good wins in their non-conference games, but started the conference schedule out with a dud.

CON also had some nice wins in the non-conference portion of their schedule, but have started the conference season out 0-2.

SJU had a freshman class of Burtzel, Schwartz, and Blank in 07-08. The next year they added Burns and Barmore. Now in their senior and junior years here are their records the last 3 years.

SJU            Overall        Conf
07-08         14-12         11-9
08-09         14-12         12-8
09-10         14-12         11-9


CON had a freshman class of Olmsheid, Lien, Olson, and Fraase in 07-08. The next year they added hartman and molina. Agai, these players are now seniors and juniors.

CON           Overall      Conf
07-08          13-13       12-8
08-09          11-14       8-12
09-10          13-12       9-11

Will this be the year they turn the early hype they experienced into success on the court? It's their last chance.

[Drake Palmer]

Here, here!  +K.

I'm with you 100%.  I know certain posters   who picked the Cobbs to finish 2nd or 3rd over the Jays.  Even the coaches picked the Jays to finish 2nd.

What I saw the other night from the Hamline & SJU game reminded me of this:
Defense wins championships. And that's why year after year UST, GAC & Carleton have been at or near the top of the heap.

Even when UST was looking flashy with the likes of Rosefelt, Sweeney & Schnettler, big ol' Tommy Shimek & others were locking people up. Same holds true for Gustavus.  

And don't get me started on Carleton.  They have no business being currently undefeated in conference play.  Cobbs have got more talent up & down their roster than the the Knights, yet Carleton wins at Concordia.  Carleton has no steady PG, their star forward is dinged up with a bad knee, they're slow & can't shoot straight - or at least not yet, but they shut people down.

Jays & Cobbs need to learn how to do this, & not just try to outscore people as SJU is prone to do.

[Buddo]

Olaf over SJU is surprising. Is this the year that Fong really emerges? Looks like Neville is scoring in bunches, too. Oles could be dangerous.

I'm wondering if Hamline will struggle this year without their big gun Brown and efficiency king Carroll...

Concordia has lost two in a row but they have a tough slate, having faced Carleton and Gustie.

Anyone who wants to see highlights from Palmer's 37-point night can click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiuO-qQ1YSM

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

Here, here!  +K.

I'm with you 100%.  I know certain posters   who picked the Cobbs to finish 2nd or 3rd over the Jays.  Even the coaches picked the Jays to finish 2nd.

What I saw the other night from the Hamline & SJU game reminded me of this:
Defense wins championships. And that's why year after year UST, GAC & Carleton have been at or near the top of the heap.

Even when UST was looking flashy with the likes of Rosefelt, Sweeney & Schnettler, big ol' Tommy Shimek & others were locking people up. Same holds true for Gustavus.  

Tommy Shimek played MAYBE 40 mnutes in his career... do by chance mean his brother JOEY or are your eyeballs messed up from watching too many webcasts and not enough games in person? Opera tonight?

ANd yes, the Cobbers will finish ahead of SJU... they may miss the playoffs, but will be ahead of the other northern school

[Gacman]

Listening to the gopher game on the internet on St. Joseph's website, and the two guys doing the broadcast don't realize that they are still live during breaks in the action. Right now they are discussing whether they should do the broadcast more radio style or TV style. Kinda funny.

[Gacman]

Looks like Bobby Johnson is playing in his first game tonight off the bench since the 08-09 season as the gusties are up 19-5 early.

[gacbacker]

Gusties and Tommies both in tight games at the half on the road. Gusties lead MAC by four as Bobby Johnson saw eight minutes in the first half and scored four points on 2-2 fg. Tommies trail Olaf by two at the half.

[oldjammer]

I'm thinking the gusties need to play a bit of defense in the second half--too many easy looks and scoring at will under the basket--they have succeeded in giving mac the momentum

[PurpleReign]

Tommies turn it on in the second half and win 87-58.  From watching the webcast, the Tommie team that came out to play in the second half looked awesome and extremely athletic.  That second half of basketball was as good as they looked in the past few years.

[oldjammer]

Gusties out rebounded--but pull it out by 10-- 83 to 73.  I don't think Coach will be overwhelmed with happiness with this win.  Another good second half from witjes helps to seal this win.

Peters for mac was a monster on the inside offensive game.

[Drake Palmer]

Here, here!  +K.

I'm with you 100%.  I know certain posters   who picked the Cobbs to finish 2nd or 3rd over the Jays.  Even the coaches picked the Jays to finish 2nd.

What I saw the other night from the Hamline & SJU game reminded me of this:
Defense wins championships. And that's why year after year UST, GAC & Carleton have been at or near the top of the heap.

Even when UST was looking flashy with the likes of Rosefelt, Sweeney & Schnettler, big ol' Tommy Shimek & others were locking people up. Same holds true for Gustavus.  

Tommy Shimek played MAYBE 40 mnutes in his career... do by chance mean his brother JOEY or are your eyeballs messed up from watching too many webcasts and not enough games in person? Opera tonight?

ANd yes, the Cobbers will finish ahead of SJU... they may miss the playoffs, but will be ahead of the other northern school

Ha, ha.  Yup you're right Joey -not Tommy.  I think someone slipped me some purple Kool-Aid which caused me to type Tommy, not Joey.  

You better hope I keep hyping the Tommies' next rival.  It seemed to have worked tonight against the Oles.   Wow – Tommies manhandle the Oles in Northfield.  

I saw the Gusties live (on my webcast  ) & the Gusties are definitely for real.   Good ball handlers, good shooters, depth, excellent ball movement & the requisite tough defense.  

Pierce Peters for the Scots is tough. Mac is much improved.

Hamline beats Augsburg in OT 102-98!  Dang!

SJU hangs on to beat Bethel 69-65.