MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Drake Palmer]

I really resent having to post this quote but "I'm a uniter not a divider" or as my tagline reads...  "If anything here offends, I beg your pardon. I come in peace, I depart in gratitude." 

[Drake Palmer]

Grist for the mill. I just did a little research and here's what I've discovered: 

*Since the inception of the NCAA Division III national basketball championship in 1975, the average number of losses by the eventual national champion is 3.3.

There have been three undefeated national champions:
1986: SUNY Potsdam 32-0
1995: Wis- Platteville 31-0
1998: Wis – Platteville 30-0

In the last five years the national champion's records were the following:

2006: VA Wesleyan 30-3
2007: Amherst 30-2
2008: Washington University 25-6
2009: Washington University 25-6
2010: Wis- Stevens Point 29-4

http://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d3

[AO]

Grist for the mill. I just did a little research and here's what I've discovered: 

*Since the inception of the NCAA Division III national basketball championship in 1975, the average number of losses by the eventual national champion is 3.3.

There have been three undefeated national champions:
1986: SUNY Potsdam 32-0
1995: Wis- Platteville 31-0
1998: Wis – Platteville 30-0

In the last five years the national champion's records were the following:

2006: VA Wesleyan 30-3
2007: Amherst 30-2
2008: Washington University 25-6
2009: Washington University 25-6
2010: Wis- Stevens Point 29-4

http://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d3

yes, but none of those teams lost to St. Olaf!

start panicking now Tommie fans!!!!

[TheSuperfan]

So what I am getting at is if a "national title run" is in the works, and the team loses to St. Olaf at home, they are perpetually cursed.

I sure hope St. Olaf doesn't use the newly found power bestowed upon them by TH4L for evil doings.

I can see the slogan now....

St. Olaf - we crush playoff hopes so you don't have to

[Drake Palmer]

Is it just me or does AO remind you of a little Yorkshire terrier or other purse dog nipping at the heels of German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Labs & other real dogs?  During the fall he's on the football board trying to pick fights with SJU & UST.  Then in the winter he joins the basketball board and starts trying to do the same with UST, GAC & others. 



TH4L - if you're blowing up over a UST regular season loss to STO, you'd better hope the Tommies or any other MIAC school never loses to a UMAC school in the NCAA tourney.  If they do you might want to resign your D3 posting account. We'd never hear the end of it.  This is the first year the lowly UMAC is eligible for the big dance. 

[Pat Coleman]

Actually, they've been eligible for some time, various teams. This is just the first year they get an automatic bid.

[AO]

Is it just me or does AO remind you of a little Yorkshire terrier or other purse dog nipping at the heels of German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Labs & other real dogs?  During the fall he's on the football board trying to pick fights with SJU & UST.  Then in the winter he joins the basketball board and starts trying to do the same with UST, GAC & others. 

TH4L - if you're blowing up over a UST regular season loss to STO, you'd better hope the Tommies or any other MIAC school never loses to a UMAC school in the NCAA tourney.  If they do you might want to resign your D3 posting account. We'd never hear the end of it.  This is the first year the lowly UMAC is eligible for the big dance. 

it was a joke Drake, St. Thomas is well-built for the post-season.  St. Olaf is much better than usual, causing some of the more casual fans to overstate the significance of the upset. 

If the UMAC-MIAC playoff upset takes place this year, you might be right about not hearing the end of it, but only because the majority of teams in the UMAC this year seem very one-dimensional.  lot of shooters, not so much in the defense or size departments.

Actually, they've been eligible for some time, various teams. This is just the first year they get an automatic bid.

but if Drake was specifically thinking of Northwestern, this will be the 2nd year of eligiblity.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

First Regional Rankings: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2011/02/02/ncaas-mens-regional-rankings/

[jwebster1]

SMU's virtual exclusion from the playoffs this year may be the final straw in their need to do something radical about their athletic dept.

Their lack of conference success this year is no one's fault in particular. I believe that most of the blame may be placed on a very tough MIAC, the school's unwillingness to dedicate more resources to athletics, and the extreme competition they face in recruiting against St. Thomas and other metro schools.

As a student at SMU, it is enough to make me want to cry. I did not come here by choice. I have been subjected to seeing nearly every single sport finish in the bottom two spots of the conference race year after year. The lone bright spot was seeing Volleyball reach the National Tourney last year and I guess women's hockey made playoffs last year too. I saw the basketball team go 2-23 and the hockey team go 1-21-1 during my time here. You should all be very thankful that you have never had to endure anything like that (unless you're a MAC bball fan... in which case, I feel for you).

I think that one of a few options need to happen

- A very wealthy alum or group of alums pours some MAJOR money into the department
- A football team is created
- Current AD is replaced

Something needs to happen. ****, maybe we move to the UMAC. It would be pretty embarrassing, but at least we'd win a little more. It can't be more embarrassing than telling metro people I go to SMU and getting laughed at.

A win tonight against UST would be the highlight of my SMU sports-viewing life. Please, basketball gods, smile on my school just this once.

[AO]

SMU's virtual exclusion from the playoffs this year may be the final straw in their need to do something radical about their athletic dept.

Their lack of conference success this year is no one's fault in particular. I believe that most of the blame may be placed on a very tough MIAC, the school's unwillingness to dedicate more resources to athletics, and the extreme competition they face in recruiting against St. Thomas and other metro schools.

As a student at SMU, it is enough to make me want to cry. I did not come here by choice. I have been subjected to seeing nearly every single sport finish in the bottom two spots of the conference race year after year. The lone bright spot was seeing Volleyball reach the National Tourney last year and I guess women's hockey made playoffs last year too. I saw the basketball team go 2-23 and the hockey team go 1-21-1 during my time here. You should all be very thankful that you have never had to endure anything like that (unless you're a MAC bball fan... in which case, I feel for you).

I think that one of a few options need to happen

- A very wealthy alum or group of alums pours some MAJOR money into the department
- A football team is created
- Current AD is replaced

Something needs to happen. ****, maybe we move to the UMAC. It would be pretty embarrassing, but at least we'd win a little more. It can't be more embarrassing than telling metro people I go to SMU and getting laughed at.

A win tonight against UST would be the highlight of my SMU sports-viewing life. Please, basketball gods, smile on my school just this once.

all of what you've said is true.  However, you did hire Willy Wonka in the offseason who has no doubt been the single factor in doubling your wins in women's basketball with all of February yet to come.  Chris Palmer is also merely a junior next year.

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

First Regional Rankings: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2011/02/02/ncaas-mens-regional-rankings/

for those too lazy to click the link (Pops?):
West Region
1 Whitworth 19-0 19-0
2 St. Thomas 17-1 16-1
3 UW-River Falls 18-2 16-1
4 UW-Stevens Point 17-3 16-3
5 Chapman 17-3 14-1
6 Lewis and Clark 14-5 12-5
7 Gustavus Adolphus 12-6 11-5
8 Carleton 11-7 11-5
9 Augsburg 12-6 12-6
No real surprises in the top 4. Im not knowledgeable enough to comment on 5 & 6. MIAC luv is apparent in 7-8-9!!

Where is the UMAC leader?
I've seen the full report.....here's the cream of the UMAC crop:
111. Bethany
299. Northwestern
(yes, I made this part up!)

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Chapman having one loss in region kind of helps them stay above Lewis and Clark's and others 5.

Chapman is probably behind UW-Stevens Point, due to SOS... OWP... etc.

[piperinsider]

SMU's virtual exclusion from the playoffs this year may be the final straw in their need to do something radical about their athletic dept.

Their lack of conference success this year is no one's fault in particular. I believe that most of the blame may be placed on a very tough MIAC, the school's unwillingness to dedicate more resources to athletics, and the extreme competition they face in recruiting against St. Thomas and other metro schools.

As a student at SMU, it is enough to make me want to cry. I did not come here by choice. I have been subjected to seeing nearly every single sport finish in the bottom two spots of the conference race year after year. The lone bright spot was seeing Volleyball reach the National Tourney last year and I guess women's hockey made playoffs last year too. I saw the basketball team go 2-23 and the hockey team go 1-21-1 during my time here. You should all be very thankful that you have never had to endure anything like that (unless you're a MAC bball fan... in which case, I feel for you).

I think that one of a few options need to happen

- A very wealthy alum or group of alums pours some MAJOR money into the department
- A football team is created
- Current AD is replaced

Something needs to happen. ****, maybe we move to the UMAC. It would be pretty embarrassing, but at least we'd win a little more. It can't be more embarrassing than telling metro people I go to SMU and getting laughed at.

A win tonight against UST would be the highlight of my SMU sports-viewing life. Please, basketball gods, smile on my school just this once.

Dude, I covered athletics at Hamline for four years. Football saw wins over Macalester each year, once in a while over Carleton or Auggie Tech. Volleyball was bad. Basketball was near the bottom of the conference my first three years. Gustavus doubled us like 120-60 one time in men's bb. We had decent cross country, softball teams and we were Division III gymnastic champions one year...but all-in-all it was bad.

But now HAM is competitive in basketball, volleyball and other sports not named football. It just takes the right coaches and the right approach. Hamline has found recent success with transfers, out-of-state players and suburban players.

SMU just doesn't seem to have a direction.

[piperinsider]

Has Hamline ever swept the season series with GAC? It's about to happen...wow. Hamline will only trail the Gusties by a half-game with a game in hand for third.

[papahoops]

Observations from this evening's results......

The Pipers and Oles continue to impress, and the Gusties continue to fade. Could Gusties fall all the way to the #5 spot by the end of the conference season The way the Pipers and Oles are rolling, it could happen

Based on the two thumpings MAC took from the Cobbers this year, I would say they have some problems with this matchup  

The Johnnies had a nice halftime lead over the Knights tonight but did a big fade in the second half. Perhaps they realized a SJU win over Carleton would help their hated rival (UST)'s cause