MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[papahoops]

I just took a quick look at the pick-um board after results today and noticed the 3 leaders, miacsuperfan, superfan, and yours truly were all a sterling 10-0 the past 2 games !
DP/Miacmaniac, I' noticed you are still at the bottom and really disappointed you are not keeping up with the leaderboard Pickum standings are not an indication of basketball knowledge, but I am beginning to wonder

[Drake Palmer]

I just took a quick look at the pick-um board after results today and noticed the 3 leaders, miacsuperfan, superfan, and yours truly were all a sterling 10-0 the past 2 games !
DP/Miacmaniac, I' noticed you are still at the bottom and really disappointed you are not keeping up with the leaderboard Pickum standings are not an indication of basketball knowledge, but I am beginning to wonder

Why I oughta bounce this fist...

But as an old D3 Hoops proverb states:

Show a man how to play Pickems he plays for a day.  Teach how to win at Pickems and you give him the tools for a lifetime.


You've learned well you bloated, little grasshopper of an ingrate. Now let's see if you can match my 7 year performance of placing in the money.  I didn't think so.

[jwebster1]

SO.....Mac, BU & SMU are eliminated from playoff contention...

[piperinsider]

I'll try to start a discussion while we wait for Wednesday's games...

Let's say UST and CAR are the top two seeds. What one playoff team do you think the Tommies and Knights would not want to face on Semifinal Thursday Friday?

I'll start...

UST - Hamline.
* In 12 of the Tommies' 18 wins, UST has scored 75 or less points. More than half of those 12 wins saw the Tommies win in the 60s. And while most nights that's enough to get it done, against the Pipers, who average nearly 80 points per game, it might not be enough. When HAM beat UST, they did shoot an astonishing 60 percent including 12-for-21 from three-point land. Plus UST only shot 27 percent in the second half - very uncharacteristic.

CAR - St. Olaf
* The Knights are a perfect 9-0 at home. Three teams - Hamline, Augsburg and Bethel - have lost by six or less points at Carleton. So teams have been close. Much like Hamline with St. Thomas, St. Olaf presents a challenge for most teams because of their ability to score points in bunches (at times). Plus there's the crosstown factor and the large crowd (1,241 in the first meeting) that would follow.

[AO]

SO.....Mac, BU & SMU are eliminated from playoff contention...

MAC may have been eliminated, but the future is bright assuming the dunking ability of your freshmen guards is the indicator of future success.

[papahoops]

I'll try to start a discussion while we wait for Wednesday's games...

Let's say UST and CAR are the top two seeds. What one playoff team do you think the Tommies and Knights would not want to face on Semifinal Thursday Friday?

I'll start...

UST - Hamline.
* In 12 of the Tommies' 18 wins, UST has scored 75 or less points. More than half of those 12 wins saw the Tommies win in the 60s. And while most nights that's enough to get it done, against the Pipers, who average nearly 80 points per game, it might not be enough. When HAM beat UST, they did shoot an astonishing 60 percent including 12-for-21 from three-point land. Plus UST only shot 27 percent in the second half - very uncharacteristic.

CAR - St. Olaf
* The Knights are a perfect 9-0 at home. Three teams - Hamline, Augsburg and Bethel - have lost by six or less points at Carleton. So teams have been close. Much like Hamline with St. Thomas, St. Olaf presents a challenge for most teams because of their ability to score points in bunches (at times). Plus there's the crosstown factor and the large crowd (1,241 in the first meeting) that would follow.

Good points  piperinsider. I agree Hamline and St. Olaf are clearly the teams that would scare me the most for UST/Carleton supporters. Based on my observations over several years, I have not viewed Carleton as having as much of a "home court advantage" as UST. For Carleton, I believe the team matchup is more critical than where the game is played, although I can't argue with the undefeated home record you pointed out for them this year. I believe the UST environment is a tougher place for visitors to play, but the way Hamline and St Olaf are playing right now, they could win anywhere and I'm sure UST would not be anxious to face either of those teams. Although UST and Carleton had a better early season, over the past month, Hamline and STO appear to have closed the gap between themselves and the top 2 seeds. Gustavus looked good early, but their recent play makes them a real longshot along with whoever grabs the last playoff spot.

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

I'll try to start a discussion while we wait for Wednesday's games...

Let's say UST and CAR are the top two seeds. What one playoff team do you think the Tommies and Knights would not want to face on Semifinal Thursday Friday?

I'll start...

UST - Hamline.
* In 12 of the Tommies' 18 wins, UST has scored 75 or less points. More than half of those 12 wins saw the Tommies win in the 60s. And while most nights that's enough to get it done, against the Pipers, who average nearly 80 points per game, it might not be enough. When HAM beat UST, they did shoot an astonishing 60 percent including 12-for-21 from three-point land. Plus UST only shot 27 percent in the second half - very uncharacteristic.

CAR - St. Olaf
* The Knights are a perfect 9-0 at home. Three teams - Hamline, Augsburg and Bethel - have lost by six or less points at Carleton. So teams have been close. Much like Hamline with St. Thomas, St. Olaf presents a challenge for most teams because of their ability to score points in bunches (at times). Plus there's the crosstown factor and the large crowd (1,241 in the first meeting) that would follow.

Good points  piperinsider. I agree Hamline and St. Olaf are clearly the teams that would scare me the most for UST/Carleton supporters. Based on my observations over several years, I have not viewed Carleton as having as much of a "home court advantage" as UST. For Carleton, I believe the team matchup is more critical than where the game is played, although I can't argue with the undefeated home record you pointed out for them this year. I believe the UST environment is a tougher place for visitors to play, but the way Hamline and St Olaf are playing right now, they could win anywhere and I'm sure UST would not be anxious to face either of those teams. Although UST and Carleton had a better early season, over the past month, Hamline and STO appear to have closed the gap between themselves and the top 2 seeds. Gustavus looked good early, but their recent play makes them a real longshot along with whoever grabs the last playoff spot.

good points PI and Pops.  I think Carleton, getting Olaf in the semifinal would also be tough because they will have just played each other on 1/19, in the season final. Similarly, with UST & Hamline squaring off on 1/16, a rematch on 1/25 is a short turnaround.

I dont think UST fears anyone, especially not at home. But I also dont think they take anyone lightly or for granted, either.

It remains in the realm of possibility that both GAC and USJ could miss the playoffs, altho a lot of cards would have to fall just right for that to happen.

VOJ or any USJ fans-- I ask again, what's with Schwartz? He's a 4th year starter, in the final weeks of his career, and not only has his production declined, but now he's not even starting and his minutes are decreasing.  Any insights?

[Drake Palmer]

The last few posts reminds me of the good old days of MIAC Posting Up conversations, sans Mr Wonka.  

Plus K to the board & latest Karma granting member - Old Man Hoops.  I noticed Pops got a little payback for bragging about his Pickem success as his beloved Steelers took it on the chin in the Super Bowl the other day.  That will show ya.  

*****
Here's my two cents worth.  The scariest team between Hamline and St. Olaf is drum roll.....




St. Olaf.  Think SJU only younger & deeper.  

And why you might ask?  The Oles have consistently proven all season they've got a bunch of shooters.  Look at these numbers:

Games
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGES

## Team                  G     FG   FGA   Pct
1.St. Thomas..........15    422   851 .496
2.St. Olaf............ 16    419   884  .474
3.Carleton............ 15    356   754  .472
4.Hamline............. 15    424   901  .471

3-POINT FG PCT
## Team                  G     FG   FGA   Pct
---------------------------------------------
1.St. Thomas..........15     83   205  .405
2.St. Olaf............ 16    132   334  .395

6.Carleton............ 15     92   259  .355

11.Hamline............. 15     82   251  .327

Look at the number of triples they've put up – 334!!  Yet they're still making them at a close to 40% success rate. Compare this to the Tommies who have only shot 205 trey attempts in one fewer game.

If the Pipes were making their outside shots at the rate the Oles are, they would be running away with league.  They've got the premier big man in the league, Carl Hipp, and the best pure slasher, Mike Campbell. Throw in some consistent gunners & they would be a very tough out.

Yet somehow I doubt the next time Hamline plays UST the Pipes will go 12-21 from the 3 pt line for 57%, & shoot a white hot 60.8% from the floor as they did in their first encounter.

In STO's upset of UST, the 2nd half proved to be the Oles big push & the Tommies undoing.  Down 38-32 at the half, the Oles came out in the 2nd half shot 5-10 from the 3pt line, and an eye opening 16-25 from the floor for 64% FGA for the upset win 73-68.

So what does this tell us about UST?  It appears that it will take an exceptional shooting night to beat the Tommies. If it's a grindem out, low scoring affair, greatly improves UST's chances.  If both teams are scoring freely in a semi high scoring affair, 65 pts+, the odds go up for the opposing teams. My only caveat for this would be a wrassling match with Carleton. The Knights know how to do the Kong Fu D and grip of death defense.
***

Mose - nice attempt to deflect the attention off the alleged deficiencies of the Tommies.  But it is curious - what is going on with SJU's Chris Schwarz?

[papahoops]

The last few posts reminds me of the good old days of MIAC Posting Up conversations, sans Mr Wonka.  

Plus K to the board & latest Karma granting member - Old Man Hoops.  I noticed Pops got a little payback for bragging about his Pickem success as his beloved Steelers took it on the chin in the Super Bowl the other day.  That will show ya.  

I don't know you had to ruin an otherwise insightful post with a Steeler cheapshot DP;)

[carletonsid]

The last few posts reminds me of the good old days of MIAC Posting Up conversations, sans Mr Wonka.  

Plus K to the board & latest Karma granting member - Old Man Hoops.  I noticed Pops got a little payback for bragging about his Pickem success as his beloved Steelers took it on the chin in the Super Bowl the other day.  That will show ya.  

*****
Here's my two cents worth.  The scariest team between Hamline and St. Olaf is drum roll.....




St. Olaf.  Think SJU only younger & deeper.  

And why you might ask?  The Oles have consistently proven all season they've got a bunch of shooters.  Look at these numbers:

Games
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGES

## Team                  G     FG   FGA   Pct
1.St. Thomas..........15    422   851 .496
2.St. Olaf............ 16    419   884  .474
3.Carleton............ 15    356   754  .472
4.Hamline............. 15    424   901  .471

3-POINT FG PCT
## Team                  G     FG   FGA   Pct
---------------------------------------------
1.St. Thomas..........15     83   205  .405
2.St. Olaf............ 16    132   334  .395

6.Carleton............ 15     92   259  .355

11.Hamline............. 15     82   251  .327

Look at the number of triples they've put up – 334!!  Yet they're still making them at a close to 40% success rate. Compare this to the Tommies who have only shot 205 trey attempts in one fewer game.

If the Pipes were making their outside shots at the rate the Oles are, they would be running away with league.  They've got the premier big man in the league, Carl Hipp, and the best pure slasher, Mike Campbell. Throw in some consistent gunners & they would be a very tough out.

Yet somehow I doubt the next time Hamline plays UST the Pipes will go 12-21 from the 3 pt line for 57%, & shoot a white hot 60.8% from the floor as they did in their first encounter.

In STO's upset of UST, the 2nd half proved to be the Oles big push & the Tommies undoing.  Down 38-32 at the half, the Oles came out in the 2nd half shot 5-10 from the 3pt line, and an eye opening 16-25 from the floor for 64% FGA for the upset win 73-68.

So what does this tell us about UST?  It appears that it will take an exceptional shooting night to beat the Tommies. If it's a grindem out, low scoring affair, greatly improves UST's chances.  If both teams are scoring freely in a semi high scoring affair, 65 pts+, the odds go up for the opposing teams. My only caveat for this would be a wrassling match with Carleton. The Knights know how to do the Kong Fu D and grip of death defense.
***

Interesting insight. I've been into efficiency stats recently (think effective FG%, TO%, points per possession, etc.) so I ran the eFG% of all the teams. (apologies not good enough to make this into a pretty table)
MIAC Team Off eFG%               

Team   FGM   FGA   3-pt FGM   3-pt FGA   eFG%
St. Olaf   419   884   132   334   54.864%
St. Thomas   422   851   83   205   54.465%
Carleton   356   754   92   259   53.316%
Hamline   424   901   82   251   51.609%
Gustavus   431   916   78   203   51.310%
SJU   374   817   86   229   51.040%
Concordia   388   863   101   293   50.811%
Augsburg   387   900   98   293   48.444%
SMU   347   811   82   235   47.842%
Macalester   325   818   87   241   45.049%
Bethel   325   818   82   232   44.743%

MIAC Team Def eFG%               

Team   FGM   FGA   3-pt FGM   3-pt FGA   eFG%
Carleton   327   793   58   204   44.893%
Hamline   398   925   92   248   48.000%
SJU   344   800   91   264   48.688%
Gustavus   400   912   91   258   48.849%
St. Thomas   349   801   90   272   49.189%
Concordia   369   820   85   226   50.183%
Augsburg   418   931   104   273   50.483%
SMU   426   903   91   255   52.215%
St. Olaf   427   893   102   263   53.527%
Bethel   346   731   97   243   53.967%
Macalester   414   844   102   269   55.095%

Basically this weights three-point shooting more, since it's worth 3 points compared to 2.

No huge surprises to me offensively, except maybe that GAC is fifth.

Defensively, you can see how eFG% boosts the Knights since they've been so good at defending the 3. Interesting that UST is 5th, but you could say that Hamline, SJU, Gustavus, St. Thomas, Concordia and Augsburg are so close it would be hard for that difference to be significant.

The final thought is on SJU. 6th on offense, third on defense yet maybe on the outside looking in for the playoffs.

[Pat Coleman]

Newest men's regional rankings are up. Pass it on:

http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2011/02/09/ncaas-2011-regional-rankings-week-2/

[piperinsider]

Carleton remains unbeaten at home with a 67-61 win over the Tommies. We have a tie for first folks.

HAM 91, BET 79
STO 83, SMU 65
SJU 81, MAC 79
No word on AUG/CON (a Cobbers win away from a 5-0 night for me and Papa)

[AO]

Carleton remains unbeaten at home with a 67-61 win over the Tommies. We have a tie for first folks.

HAM 91, BET 79
STO 83, SMU 65
SJU 81, MAC 79
No word on AUG/CON (a Cobbers win away from a 5-0 night for me and Papa)

Cobbs over Auggies 81-68

Watched most of Carleton-UST tonight.  Tommies looked a little sloppy and the Carls defended well.  anbody want to refresh the board on the tiebreakers to determine who would host the sunday edition of the MIAC championship if both squads are still tied at the end of the regular season?

[piperinsider]

Carleton remains unbeaten at home with a 67-61 win over the Tommies. We have a tie for first folks.

HAM 91, BET 79
STO 83, SMU 65
SJU 81, MAC 79
No word on AUG/CON (a Cobbers win away from a 5-0 night for me and Papa)

Cobbs over Auggies 81-68

Watched most of Carleton-UST tonight.  Tommies looked a little sloppy and the Carls defended well.  anbody want to refresh the board on the tiebreakers to determine who would host the sunday edition of the MIAC championship if both squads are still tied at the end of the regular season?

Playoff Seeding Tie Breakers
1. Results head to head. (1-1)
2. Results against teams above those tied. (not applicable)
3. Results against teams above those tied in rank order. (not applicable)
4. Record against teams below tied teams in descending order. (Right now HAM is in third...CAR is 2-0 vs them, UST is 0-1, So, if the season was over right now, CAR would be No. 1)
5. Random draw.

[carletonsid]

Great win for the Knights and a playoff-type atmosphere at West Gym.

Real key, I thought, was Carleton's ability to defend the 3-point line. UST, the league's top 3-point shooting team, goes 3-for-21. Tom Sawatzke did a great job on Nicolai, holding him to 7 points on 3-of-13 shooting. Sawatzke had 11 points and zero turnovers as well. Caleb Rosenow was huge as well, going 6-for-8 with 16 points. UST also had 15 turnovers to the Knights' 11.

Schedule certainly favors the Knights at this point, as they have roadies at SMU, Bethel and Mac and then finish at home with the Oles. The Toms are at GAC on Saturday, then home to Concordia and and Hamline before finishing at SJU. Should be an interesting eight-day span starting Saturday!