MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[papahoops]

I decided to take in the UST/Auggies game yesterday. Particularly with Tommy Hannon out of the lineup with a knee injury, I was curious as to whether the strong Auggie front court tandem of Cory P and Anny G-G could take advantage of the situation. Unfortunately for the Dawgs, the 25 combined points scored by this tandem was not nearly enough. UST's FY post Connor Nord filled in admirably for Hannon as the starting post player for UST with a double/double to help neutralize the Auggie front court. Nord also gets props from papahoops for his new clean cut hair style which has no doubt improved his games:)   As is often the case, the UST defense was key to the outcome of the game, always seeming to keep Augsburg off balance and uncomfortable. Will Deberg's smooth shooting stroke generating 15 points off the bench gets my #1 offensive star of the game award for UST (Alipate's 11 off the bench didn't hurt the cause either).

Although he didn't have his best shooting game, I like Tyler Schmidt's smooth shooting stroke and I can see why his scoring output has been strong recently. I also would also give Parker Hine high marks for his post entry passing skills. Although UST handled the Dawgs yesterday, I would be very surprise if Augsburg is not a top 4 playoff team at the end of the conference season.

On another note, I cannot help but note MAC's 15 point HOME loss to SMU yesterday dropping them to the bottom of the conference standings. Like their non-conference loss to Crown earlier in the season, losing to SMU at home is yet another low point for a program many thought would be more competitive this year. I was hopeful the recent MAC win over Carleton was a signal things were on the upswing, but this win was quickly followed by an embarassing performance at Augsburg and a loss to previously winless SMU. As the old saying goes, the more things change, the more things stay the same

[Patriot]

I attended the UST/AUG game as well hoping for a good game.  Not much to add as Papahoops nailed the summary.  Does anybody know the severity of Hannon's knee injury?  I agree - UST's Nord played much better than a FY player, especially against Polta and GG.  Very active and solid on both ends - he reminds me a little of Palmer (St. Mary's, transfer to RF) but bigger.  If he continues playing like this, UST can take their time in bringing back Hannon to make sure he's 100%.

It was nice to see Hines playing again for AUG, didn't start the game but played well.  If AUG would have had more scoring support from their other shooters, this would have been a better game.  The UST defensive pressure was the difference here.  I think the game program? showed AUG was averaging 73/ppg coming into this game - UST held them 20 points below that average.  Nice win for the Tommies.

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

some key games tomorrow night.....suddenly very much alive SJU travels to red-hot GAC in what promises to be a thriller. UST heads to one of the few gyms they always have trouble in- Carleton's West Gym. Auggie looks to bounce back at Ole, while Ham & Cord battle to determine which of them is more of a legit playoff contender.  I look for Ws by the GUsties, Tommies, Auggies and Pipers...but I've been wrong before and Pops never lets me forget that!

[Drake Palmer]

Belated Happy New Year All!  Trust everyone survived the holidays intact and are ready for the MIAC conference race to heat up in earnest.   Hopefully, we've got some of the dud match ups out of the way i.e. Macalester and Augsburg, and now we can start taking in some competitive games. 

UST looks they can be beat.   Young Conner Nord looks like he can be a very serviceable replacement for the injured Tommy Hannon, but I still think they'll need more frontcourt depth to flourish. How long will Hannon be out of commission? Nice to see the young guards – Marcus Alipate start to contribute.  Noah Kaiser & John Nance have to be the UST go-to defenders.  Somebody needs to help Peter Leslie & Eric Tengwall in the backcourt.

Gustavus- I watched a portion of their game versus St. John's last night & they looked tough.  Defensively, the posts look solid, but they're not getting much offensive production out of them. So it's Seth Anderson, Ben Biewen & surprisingly, Ty Moore who made the big contributions last night.

Augsburg – If Parker Hines can return to his early season form and the Dawgs can keep developing, I still think they could be one of the top 2-3 teams in the conference, & could knock off the Tommies. On paper, they've got the best balance of inside-outside scoring of the top 3-4 teams.

St. Olaf, Hamline & St. Johns – What's happened to the Oles? Way too much talent to be struggling like this.  Conversely did anyone outside of Collegeville, think the Johnnies would be mentioned as possible contenders?  I'll have to admit I certainly didn't think they would be knocking on one of the top playoff doors.  When all is said and done, I think Hamline will end up around .500.  FY Dior Ford is a hooper.

Carleton & the rest- Does anyone know how long Taylor Hanson is going to be out?  His loss certainly puts a crimp in the Knights playoff aspirations.  They've got very little depth, although Shane McSparron should make the All-FY team.   Cobbs will be dangerous at home.  Bethel lost to St.Marys? Really?    Good news for a beleaguered Bird program, tough loss for the Royals.

If I was a MAC alum I'd be starting to get peeved.  Pierce Peters is one of the brightest stars in the league, yet he's saddled with what appears to be good, hard working, but minimally talented players around him.  I was really hoping this might have been a breakout year for the Scots this season.

FYI: Former Redbird, Chris Palmer quit the UWRF team to spend more time with his family and infant daughter. Best of luck to him.

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

a good read that answers "where are they now?" for some of my favorite former players:
http://tommiesports.com/mbb/news/Blog_111.html

[piperinsider]

Belated Happy New Year All!  Trust everyone survived the holidays intact and are ready for the MIAC conference race to heat up in earnest.   Hopefully, we've got some of the dud match ups out of the way i.e. Macalester and Augsburg, and now we can start taking in some competitive games. 

UST looks they can be beat.   Young Conner Nord looks like he can be a very serviceable replacement for the injured Tommy Hannon, but I still think they'll need more frontcourt depth to flourish. How long will Hannon be out of commission? Nice to see the young guards – Marcus Alipate start to contribute.  Noah Kaiser & John Nance have to be the UST go-to defenders.  Somebody needs to help Peter Leslie & Eric Tengwall in the backcourt.

Gustavus- I watched a portion of their game versus St. John's last night & they looked tough.  Defensively, the posts look solid, but they're not getting much offensive production out of them. So it's Seth Anderson, Ben Biewen & surprisingly, Ty Moore who made the big contributions last night.

Augsburg – If Parker Hines can return to his early season form and the Dawgs can keep developing, I still think they could be one of the top 2-3 teams in the conference, & could knock off the Tommies. On paper, they've got the best balance of inside-outside scoring of the top 3-4 teams.

St. Olaf, Hamline & St. Johns – What's happened to the Oles? Way too much talent to be struggling like this.  Conversely did anyone outside of Collegeville, think the Johnnies would be mentioned as possible contenders?  I'll have to admit I certainly didn't think they would be knocking on one of the top playoff doors.  When all is said and done, I think Hamline will end up around .500.  FY Dior Ford is a hooper.

Carleton & the rest- Does anyone know how long Taylor Hanson is going to be out?  His loss certainly puts a crimp in the Knights playoff aspirations.  They've got very little depth, although Shane McSparron should make the All-FY team.   Cobbs will be dangerous at home.  Bethel lost to St.Marys? Really?    Good news for a beleaguered Bird program, tough loss for the Royals.

If I was a MAC alum I'd be starting to get peeved.  Pierce Peters is one of the brightest stars in the league, yet he's saddled with what appears to be good, hard working, but minimally talented players around him.  I was really hoping this might have been a breakout year for the Scots this season.

FYI: Former Redbird, Chris Palmer quit the UWRF team to spend more time with his family and infant daughter. Best of luck to him.

Just looked at the Hamline schedule. They have yet to play Bethel, St. Mary's and Macalester in the first half of the loop. They also finish with those three teams.

They have a chance to finish the first half with a 7-3 record. Would have to go 3-7 the second half to go .500. Then again, the Pipers like to stumble here or there.

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

I dont always see the world through purple-tinted specs:
http://miac-online.org/news/2012/1/11/POE_0111125334.aspx

[carletonsid]

FYI: Former Redbird, Chris Palmer quit the UWRF team to spend more time with his family and infant daughter. Best of luck to him.

Played against him last night down here in Northfield and got to meet and talk with him afterwards. Seems like a really good guy who is genuinely enjoying fatherhood. Fun for an old guy like me to be on the same court as someone as talented as Chris--tried a pull-up three in transition over him, but it hit back rim. Sigh. As I told him as we ran back down to the other end, my one chance at glory...

Big win for the Oles Saturday at SJU, which really should have closed out the game in the second half.

Seems to me, as we head to the second half, that the top five spots are pretty much a lock, barring any major injuries to those top five (UST, GAC, St. Olaf, Augsburg and Hamline). Hoping my Knights can find some magic in the second half and sneak into the playoffs. Whatever happens, I know the effort and intensity will be there, just hope they have enough in the tank.

[piperinsider]

Best race for the MIAC title - five teams within one game of first place - in years and this board is getting close to extinction.

It's too bad. There is a lot of talkers here.

Who is the best team at almost the mid-point of the conference season? Augsburg, St. Thomas and Gustavus all sit at 7-3 with 10-4 overall records.

What has happened to Carleton (besides the injury to Hanson)? 3-6 record.

What has turned around Hamline's season? 3 of their last 4. They started the season with a 1-4 overall record ... now 8-6.

[gacbacker]

PI, for the sake of argument I'll try to make a case for the Gusties: The biggest reason why the Gusties have a shot to win the conference is because Seth Anderson's supporting cast is showing signs of life. After a slow start, Tyler Grey is really starting to shoot the ball well. In the Gusties' last four games Grey is 19-25 from the field and 11-14 from three point range. Ty Moore and Ben Biewen have also played well of late in the backcourt. Gustavus' post players (Blacklock, Sallstrom) numbers won't impress you, but that doesn't mean the Gusties have no inside game. I'd guess 75 percent of Anderson's field goals are coming from inside 12 feet. Rebounding could be an issue for them against bigger teams, but they've held their own so far in that regard, outrebounding teams by an average of 2 per game.

The Gusties also showed the ability to go out on the road and beat two pretty good teams in Transylvania and Hardin-Simmons. (We'll just lay low on the fact that they laid an egg at home against UW-Stout). I think you'd have to consider their 2nd half schedule favorable, since they get St. Thomas, St. Olaf and Hamline all at home, and of the top 5 teams they only have to travel to Augsburg.

Finally, Seth seems to be able to get his shot off whenever he wants and teams don't seem to be doing anything special to stop him. Anytime you have the conference's best scorer, it usually bodes well for you.

[Drake Palmer]

Best race for the MIAC title - five teams within one game of first place - in years and this board is getting close to extinction.

It's too bad. There is a lot of talkers here.

PI – yeah it is sad.  Life, work, & other stuff keeps getting in the way.  It would be nice if we could get some student representation on the board.

Speaking for myself, we've only had a handful of marquee conference match ups thus far in the metro area that would compel me get out to watch a live game.  As a result, I've probably seen more so-so games via webcast than I've actually seen live. Hopefully, this will change in the next few weeks.

I agree with Gacbacker that the Gusties look tough, and posted as much the other day after I watched a webcast & saw them defeat SJU.   They don't get a lot of scoring punch out of their bigs, but gulp, the Gusties seem to be moving the ball around fairly crisply.  (Did I just write that?)  .  Seth Anderson is a stud.

Augsburg worked Carleton last night as Cory Polta 22 pts, & Andy G-G 15 pts & 15 rebs, mauled the outmanned Carlies.  According to the game announcer, Parker Hines has some type of foot/heel injury which is limiting his playing time.  (Another webcast from the comforts of home.).

Hamline looks like they're getting ready to go on a roll.  With as many injuries as other teams seem to be experiencing, the Pipers' pace & depth might help offset their overall lack of size. Near the halfway point in the season, Dior Ford from Hamline & Shane McSparron should be shoo-ins for the All FY team. Nice, nice players.

Random: best underrated defender in the league – Bret Sorenson from Augsburg.  Others I'd add to this list – Noah Kaiser & John Nance from UST.  I've not seen enough of the other teams to offer up a semi-intelligent opinion.

UST is banged up.  The loss of Tommy Hannon is huge, & Peter Leslie's concussion (?) impacts the amount of Tommie defensive they can apply in the backcourt.  As I stated earlier, the Tommies have propped the door open for somebody else. Who's gonna ring the bell?

Right now I'd rank the teams 1) Gustavus 1A) Augsburg 3) St. Thomas.  Beware the wounded lion – UST. With their style of play - Hamline could be a real sleeper. Oles?

[piperinsider]

There we go! 

I'd also like to make it out for a game or two the next few weeks. My step-daughter has swimming Mon and Wed until mid-Feb so that is making it tough.

Big 6-game stretch for the Pipers the next two weeks. @GAC, vs MAC, @AUG, @UST, @STO, vs AUG. At this point, 3-3 would be a big feat to make them 9-6 with games against MAC, BET, CON, SMU and SJU still to play.

The first one is GAC tomorrow - the first meeting Dior Ford went 4-for-4 for nine points in only 15 minutes off the bench. Can he be the big playmaker that puts the Pipers over the top this time?

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

Despite injuries and the stinkbomb of last night's loss to Bethel, until someone unseats UST, the 6-time reigning champ has to be the favorite to retain the crown. There is too much depth. The loss of Hannon has been a huge obstacle, but watching Nord emerge has been a joy to see thus far, but there will be small steps back (see last night).

When is Carleton going to put padding on the walls of its baseline?  Hearing the sickening sound of Leslie's head smash into the wood wall was frightening. It is a danger that you'd think a school so hung-up on its academic superiority would have recognized years ago.

[carletonsid]

Despite injuries and the stinkbomb of last night's loss to Bethel, until someone unseats UST, the 6-time reigning champ has to be the favorite to retain the crown. There is too much depth. The loss of Hannon has been a huge obstacle, but watching Nord emerge has been a joy to see thus far, but there will be small steps back (see last night).

When is Carleton going to put padding on the walls of its baseline?  Hearing the sickening sound of Leslie's head smash into the wood wall was frightening. It is a danger that you'd think a school so hung-up on its academic superiority would have recognized years ago.

Well, having been in most of the gyms in the MIAC, there's plenty of space on both ends at West Gym. Certainly more than at the one end at Bethel, and I've never heard you complain about that one. That's the first time I've seen a player hit his or her head on that wall in 15+ years of watching games in West Gym. The NCAA rules state a minimum of 6' of space is required on the baseline. I'll run down and measure it on my way out tonight, but I think there's at least 8' of space on each baseline, maybe 10'. It's the same at Saint Mary's, pretty sure, so make sure you rag on the Cards. I'm pretty sure from shooting photos at both Augsburg and CSB that it's the minimum 6', and we should probably take out basket standards at Gus Young Court--not enough room for diving Tommies there, either. Heck, while we're at it let's just move all games involving UST to its home court--we all know the rest of the facilities in the MIAC are sub-par compared to the palatial AARC, and we certainly don't want any of those UST players to have to play in sub-standard conditions offered at places like West Gym.

The bigger question is what's Leslie doing making an ill-advised diving attempt on a ball that was already out of bounds with less than a minute to go and the game in hand?

Also, since when is Carleton "hung up" on its academic superiority? Sheesh. Sounds like a bunch of sour grapes to me, miacmaniac. You've been around enough of our student-athletes--tell me which ones were showing that type of attitude? Which of our coaches? Which of our administrators? Pretty sure the buildings can't show superiority, so I'm left to believe this is what you think of people from Carleton. I guess we're so hung up on how much smarter we are than everything that we didn't even recognize the return of former assistant coach Jim Hayes, now an assistant with the Tommies, before the game. Oh wait--we did. Nice little 5-minute, thoughtful presentation, flowers for his wife and a nice plaque for Coach Hayes.

[Drake Palmer]

Despite injuries and the stinkbomb of last night's loss to Bethel, until someone unseats UST, the 6-time reigning champ has to be the favorite to retain the crown. There is too much depth. The loss of Hannon has been a huge obstacle, but watching Nord emerge has been a joy to see thus far, but there will be small steps back (see last night).

When is Carleton going to put padding on the walls of its baseline?  Hearing the sickening sound of Leslie's head smash into the wood wall was frightening. It is a danger that you'd think a school so hung-up on its academic superiority would have recognized years ago.

Well, having been in most of the gyms in the MIAC, there's plenty of space on both ends at West Gym. Certainly more than at the one end at Bethel, and I've never heard you complain about that one. That's the first time I've seen a player hit his or her head on that wall in 15+ years of watching games in West Gym. The NCAA rules state a minimum of 6' of space is required on the baseline. I'll run down and measure it on my way out tonight, but I think there's at least 8' of space on each baseline, maybe 10'. It's the same at Saint Mary's, pretty sure, so make sure you rag on the Cards. I'm pretty sure from shooting photos at both Augsburg and CSB that it's the minimum 6', and we should probably take out basket standards at Gus Young Court--not enough room for diving Tommies there, either. Heck, while we're at it let's just move all games involving UST to its home court--we all know the rest of the facilities in the MIAC are sub-par compared to the palatial AARC, and we certainly don't want any of those UST players to have to play in sub-standard conditions offered at places like West Gym.

The bigger question is what's Leslie doing making an ill-advised diving attempt on a ball that was already out of bounds with less than a minute to go and the game in hand?

Also, since when is Carleton "hung up" on its academic superiority? Sheesh. Sounds like a bunch of sour grapes to me, miacmaniac. You've been around enough of our student-athletes--tell me which ones were showing that type of attitude? Which of our coaches? Which of our administrators? Pretty sure the buildings can't show superiority, so I'm left to believe this is what you think of people from Carleton. I guess we're so hung up on how much smarter we are than everything that we didn't even recognize the return of former assistant coach Jim Hayes, now an assistant with the Tommies, before the game. Oh wait--we did. Nice little 5-minute, thoughtful presentation, flowers for his wife and a nice plaque for Coach Hayes.

ZING!

PI – it looks like we got a little brushfire kicked up. A little hoops talk, a little smack-talk, dang.  Warms the cockles of my heart on a blustery, raw, & cold winter day. 

Mose  - thrust:  7.5
Csid-  parry: 9.5

I can imagine Mose cracking his knuckles getting ready to hit the keyboard in preparation for his counter move.

+K to both gentlemen & all of us on the board, all 5 of us.

I might have to email a former poster & lurker to see if I can get their reaction to the world of MIAC hoops. 


Csid- so what did happen to Taylor Hanson & how long will he be out?