MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Gregory Sager]

Yep. The trek of The Belt^TM as it wends its way across the D3 landscape has been copiously documented several times on The Belt's^TM board over in Multi-Regional Topics.

[miacsuperfan]

first off....belated congrats to the legendary Jim Smith on his 750th career coaching win. Not bad for 49 years! Looks like his Jays are salvaging a season most- including the MIAC coaches- had written off before it started.

Tengwall twisted an ankle vs Mac last Wednesday. Not sure if this was a factor in his not starting vs Concordia but it didnt seem to be aa factor when he did play.

To those of you wondering what I was smoking when I said there were 5 games UST could possibly lose and @ Cord was one of them... I wish I had a snappy comeback but the best I can do is "Told ya so". I'm willing to bet UST will lose of of the following road games- Carleton, Augsburg, GAC or SJU.... but no more than one. 

As TH4L said, I dont want to be SMU tonight. Hopefully the abysmal play on Monday night will remind UST that you gotta play hard ALL 40 minutes of EVERY game.

It was I questioning your tobacco preference!  And you had to be just as surprised as I when you saw the Cob score.  It just goes to show you that as long as we keep scores of games, just about anything can and will happen.

I also, did not see anyone in your picture ROR.   

As for Theisen for MVP. . . yes a legitimate candidate.   But I think if the Royals make the playoffs, it would be pretty hard to overlook the machine that is Taylor Hall.  The numbers he is posting are pretty amazing.  The Royals without his presence would not have a conference win to their name!   

[Retired Old Rat]

For those of you that can't see anything in the picture I linked to, you need the special glasses that are available only from the Notre Dame athletic department.   

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

superfan- I wasnt as shocked as you'd think. Plus I watched the webcast (despite the poor quality of the video) and saw early on that UST was playing flat as the floor and listless. Cord's defense was OK, but they didnt limit UST to lousy shooting...UST missed  far too many open shots. Chalk it up to a horrible night.

So, if Carleton beats Bethel, UST can get the belt back on Wednesday, Cool beans!

Theisen is having an amazing season. Same for Hall. Same for Kornbaum. Those are the top 3 for POY. Lindahl has been solid for Cord.....UST has too many studs all having great years but not stellar due to limited minutes, but Hannon, Nance and DeBerg should be included in any POY discussion.

[Drake Palmer]

I guess I'm gonna have to break out the 2-3 man campaign to nominate Scott Theisen for conference MVP.  One could easily make the same argument that Carleton wouldn't have a conference win without Scott Theisen in the lineup.

Carleton basically had Tommy Sawatzke & Scott Theisen as returning starters this season, & very little depth.  Due to injuries & youth, Taylor Hanson, Tyler Goetz, & Shane McSparron were all part-time starters last year.

At Bethel, Bethel returned three starters this season – Taylor Hall, JD Robinson, & Kyle Zimmerman, plus a host of underclassmen.

As I posted last week, if the league awarded separate Player of the Year (POY) and MVP awards, I would give the POY award to Hall, and MVP to Theisen.  IMO, Theisen has a far greater impact on both ends of the floor than Hall.  Augsburg's Dan Kornbaum is a fine player and MVP candidate as well, but on the defensive side of the ball, I don't believe he's in the same category as either Theisen or Hall.

Dare I say it, but Theisen is this year's former Gustavus great, Doug Espenson – a stat stuffer supreme. Give that man an ESPO. 

[localcoach]

Kudos to Mr. Theisen on his triple double.  Still, Taylor Hall is the leader in the clubhouse for MIAC POY.  Hall is averaging 21.5ppg (1st in MIAC)  and 10.0rpg (1st) while shooting 58.5% (6th).  Not to mention he leads the MIAC in blocks per game and is top 10 in assists per game.  It truly is a no brainer unless something drastic changes in the next month.

What Mr. Hall is doing is truly amazing.  I have enjoyed watching him play over the years.  I do wonder though, when was the last time someone in the MIAC averaged over 20ppg and 10rpg?  Did Ben Van Thorne do it at MAC??

Also curious to know what the latest development is at the corner of Hewitt and Snelling?  Will Coach Whitmore will return this season??  Will Jason Verdugo keep coaching the team???

[Drake Palmer]

Kudos to Mr. Theisen on his triple double.  Still, Taylor Hall is the leader in the clubhouse for MIAC POY.  Hall is averaging 21.5ppg (1st in MIAC)  and 10.0rpg (1st) while shooting 58.5% (6th).  Not to mention he leads the MIAC in blocks per game and is top 10 in assists per game.  It truly is a no brainer unless something drastic changes in the next month.

What Mr. Hall is doing is truly amazing.  I have enjoyed watching him play over the years.  I do wonder though, when was the last time someone in the MIAC averaged over 20ppg and 10rpg?  Did Ben Van Thorne do it at MAC??

Also curious to know what the latest development is at the corner of Hewitt and Snelling?  Will Coach Whitmore will return this season??  Will Jason Verdugo keep coaching the team???

Hey could the return of Cmob, not be too far behind?  Look who's posting on the board - LC. Good to hear from you. 

Still, you might want to double-check your stats.   The new MIAC stats board is a little clunky to work with, but you're citing overall stats, not league stats, which is what the league MVP award is based upon.

Here are some numbers from league play:

Scoring
#1 Scott Theisen - 19.9ppg
#3 Taylor Hall - 19.4ppg

Rebounds
#1 Taylor Hall - 9.0rpg
#4  Scott Theisen - 7.6rpg

Blocks
#1 Taylor Hall - 1.7 blks/pg
#19 Scott Theisen - .04blks/pg

Assists
#1 Scott Theisen - 5.3/apg
#14 Taylor Hall - 2.6/apg

Steals

#3 Scott Theisen - 1.8 spg
#21 Taylor Hall - 1.0 spg

Theisen is ahead in 3 of 5 statistical categories. 

***

The Pipes are playing at UST on Saturday and perhaps we'll be able to get a first hand account of who is actually coaching Hamline.  I've watched a game or two on the webcast when Jason Verdugo was on the bench, but the last game I checked out it appeared that it was assistant coach Chris Hopkins manning the bench.  It was difficult to tell with the distant camera angle from behind the Hamline bench who are the actual coaches.

[Drake Palmer]

*The clash of the potential league MVPs takes place this afternoon as the Carleton Knights with their record of 7-5 makes the trip up to Arden Hills to take on the 7-6 Bethel Royals.

*Second place Augsburg, 10-3, is on the road to frigid Moorhead to play 3rd place Concordia with a record of 8-5.

*In C-ville the question will be asked and possibly answered: Will the real Gustavus and St. Johns please stand up? Two 7-6 teams fighting desperately for the playoffs.  With a loss by GAC, SJU, or Bethel and they could temporarily slip back into 7th place, & out of the hunt for the 6th & final playoff berth.   

Serious playoff ramifications in all three games.

*In St. Paul, UST hopes to continue their stranglehold on first place and possibly extend their 2-game lead over 2nd place Augsburg. The Tomcats take on the Hamline Pipers this afternoon.  Will Coach/Admiral Whitmore be at the helm, or did he return to the team bench earlier this month?

*Even in Northfield, the Oles are keeping their faint playoff hopes alive. With a record of 5-7 they're only 1.5 games behind the Gusties, & Johnnies.  STO plays a dangerous cellar dweller team this afternoon when they battle Macalester.

[carletonsid]

*The clash of the potential league MVPs takes place this afternoon as the Carleton Knights with their record of 7-5 makes the trip up to Arden Hills to take on the 7-6 Bethel Royals.

*Second place Augsburg, 10-3, is on the road to frigid Moorhead to play 3rd place Concordia with a record of 8-5.

*In C-ville the question will be asked and possibly answered: Will the real Gustavus and St. Johns please stand up? Two 7-6 teams fighting desperately for the playoffs.  With a loss by GAC, SJU, or Bethel and they could temporarily slip back into 7th place, & out of the hunt for the 6th & final playoff berth.   

Serious playoff ramifications in all three games.

*In St. Paul, UST hopes to continue their stranglehold on first place and possibly extend their 2-game lead over 2nd place Augsburg. The Tomcats take on the Hamline Pipers this afternoon.  Will Coach/Admiral Whitmore be at the helm, or did he return to the team bench earlier this month?

*Even in Northfield, the Oles are keeping their faint playoff hopes alive. With a record of 5-7 they're only 1.5 games behind the Gusties, & Johnnies.  STO plays a dangerous cellar dweller team this afternoon when they battle Macalester.

FWIW, Whitmore didn't coach against the Knights last week. I tweeted out a couple of weeks ago that I was hearing that Whitmore wouldn't return to the bench for the rest of the year. I took down that tweet at the request of Hamline's SID, but I stand by the statement. It was a good source, who heard it from a high-ranking Hamline official. I think if Whitmore was returning, he'd have done so by now. I think the only question remaining is what happens to the Piper program moving forward.

As for today's games, every one is huge at this point and with no real separation between 3rd-8th place. One could see St. Olaf or SJU going on a run to get into the mix (although I think both teams are too reliant on three-point shooting and St. Olaf especially isn't very good at i)t. Big one for the Knights, who have to win some road games here in the second half. Played SJU very tough until the final 5-6 minutes, hammered Hamline and a great home win over the Corn on Wednesday.

By the way, if you want to check out Scotty T.'s triple-double, the REAL Carleton SID pulled a video together of the exquisite performance. Enjoy!

[AO]

*In St. Paul, UST hopes to continue their stranglehold on first place and possibly extend their 2-game lead over 2nd place Augsburg. The Tomcats take on the Hamline Pipers this afternoon.  Will Coach/Admiral Whitmore be at the helm, or did he return to the team bench earlier this month?

FWIW, Whitmore didn't coach against the Knights last week. I tweeted out a couple of weeks ago that I was hearing that Whitmore wouldn't return to the bench for the rest of the year. I took down that tweet at the request of Hamline's SID, but I stand by the statement. It was a good source, who heard it from a high-ranking Hamline official. I think if Whitmore was returning, he'd have done so by now. I think the only question remaining is what happens to the Piper program moving forward.

I guess you might as well tweet it out again, as I won't be deleting my record of your post unless bribed.   

Do we know when hearings/investigations will be taking place at Hambone?  When is the trial in Washington?

Does it really matter who's making it to the playoffs in the MIAC, who is going to win at the new Shoe?  Augsburg and Concordia could earn Pool C bids, but even with the Cobber win over the Tommies, I'm not a believer in the underdog.

Find time to visit your nearest UMAC institution and where the top 6 teams are all within 6 points of each other and DiLoreto from Crown might drop 38 points 15 boards and 5 blocks like he did last night at Bethany.

[sac]

Greg -has anyone ever tracked how many times The Belt ^TM  has changed hands within a conference in one season? Carleton would now be the third MIAC team to have possession of this prized championship memento.


Scotty T. in the victorious Carleton locker room last night. 

The Belt^TM changed hands 11 times within the SCIAC last winter.

12-22-11  Redlands
1-11-12  Pomona-Pitzer
1-18-12  Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
1-21-12  Whittier
1-25-12  Pomona-Pitzer
1-28-12  Occidental
2-1-12   Redlands
2-4-12  Pomona-Pitzer
2-8-12  Cal Lutheran
2-15-12  Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
2-21-12  Pomona-Pitzer
2-25-12  Claremont-Mudd-Scripps

+k for the locker room pic

[faunch]

A clip from Frank R at the SCTimes of the final seconds of the GAC/SJU game.  Quite the collision between a GAC / SJU player...big win for the Johnnies 
http://twitter.yfrog.com/5nusazfdkfosdvucekqxlcrhz

[carletonsid]

Carleton's got The Belt^TM! Carleton's got The Belt^TM!

Where is Columbian Maffia when you need him?

Well, that didn't take long. Bethel's got The Belt^TM!

[miacsuperfan]

After visiting the Robertson Center this past Saturday, I am convinced that Taylor Hall is the best player in the MIAC.  He is also the most valuable player and the player of the year.  He will certainly be All-Conference, All-Region, and should be an All-American.  He appears to be a man playing with boys.   I do not believe the same could be said of any of the other players in the "discussion" for MIAC MVP.

That being said, it was a great game with lots of chances for either team to win.  Sawatzky and Theisen were tough as always for the Knights, and Kyle Zimmerman came up big for the Royals.  The size of the crowd was a bit disappointing, though it wasn't a great day to be out and about.

With 5-6 games to go, this league (though maybe not as strong as in some of the past years) is up for grabs in spots 2-6.  Should be a photo finish.   

[localcoach]

As I said, without question Taylor Hall is the leader in the clubhouse for MIAC POY.  Saturday's result reinforced this thought.

Mr. Theisen had a nice all around game, but two things stuck out.  He was 3-9 shooting and his team lost.  Your best player should not have the third most shots in a big game such as this one. 

Mr. Hall's stat line was ridiculous.  15 for 24 shooting - 37 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers. 

Down the street, the Pipers are 1-8 since the incident.  Looking at their schedule they might beat MAC but I don't see any other games where they will be favored.  It could be a long off season at HU.