MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Kilroy]

edited

[carletonsid]

Lost in the mini hype of the upcoming Ole-Tommie game, the Carlies lost in Moorhead on Monday night to the Cobbs 67-60.  Although this loss doesn't knock Carleton out of contention for the 6th & final playoff spot, it does put added pressure on their shoulders.

Yes, a tough loss. The Knights struggled a bit with the Cobbers' size down low and had some uncharacteristic lapses in transition defense. It makes Saturday's game with SJU a likely must win, and depending on what Bethel does, Carleton might need to win out to even have a chance. Needless to say the Knights will be rooting hard for the Gusties tonight.

[Drake Palmer]

Looks like I'm just in time for the big showdown. Some of us on the Top 25 board and elsewhere wonder just how good the Oles are. I mean, St. Thomas is ranked pretty high and St. Olaf has TWO votes. The Tommies only won by 2 at home and both lost to Point. St. Olaf has also lost to a good Augustana team and then Augsburg. Is St. Olaf that good and should they be in the Top 25? Surely, they will be behind St. Thomas when the regional rankings come out tomorrow, but a win against the Tommies could put them above St. Thomas in the regional rankings next week.

GT-
I'd say you guys have UST pegged about right, but (like most of us as well in preseason) underestimate St Olaf. UST nipped the Oles at home by one on a buzzer-beater in the paint. They are very, very similar to UST in terms of talent, game style and depth. They smacked SJU @ SJU, which is no easy feat. They destroyed Augsburg in the 2nd meeting of the two and would win a best-of-seven, 5-2 IMO. They and UST will both make the NCAA field, and it wouldn't shock me if they both made the Sweet 16, depending on their draws. Two votes is a gross underestimation. If UST is #11/12, then I'd throw out that Olaf is #15/16.

Contrary to popular belief, or several posters on this board,    I am by nature an optimist. So with that being said, there is no way I see either UST or STO advancing to the Sweet 16s this season.  I've watched my share of games this season & this is not an elite UST team.  I would gladly retract my  statement, eat crow, & send money to buy someone's favorite chicken meal from Kim's Chow Mein if I am proven wrong.

These Tommies can score, but individually or collectively there are no defensive stalwarts aside from Eric Tengwall & maybe Zach Riedeman.  A team needs some guys who will lock you up, & so far I've not seen it from this year's version of the Tommies.

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

Looks like I'm just in time for the big showdown. Some of us on the Top 25 board and elsewhere wonder just how good the Oles are. I mean, St. Thomas is ranked pretty high and St. Olaf has TWO votes. The Tommies only won by 2 at home and both lost to Point. St. Olaf has also lost to a good Augustana team and then Augsburg. Is St. Olaf that good and should they be in the Top 25? Surely, they will be behind St. Thomas when the regional rankings come out tomorrow, but a win against the Tommies could put them above St. Thomas in the regional rankings next week.

GT-
I'd say you guys have UST pegged about right, but (like most of us as well in preseason) underestimate St Olaf. UST nipped the Oles at home by one on a buzzer-beater in the paint. They are very, very similar to UST in terms of talent, game style and depth. They smacked SJU @ SJU, which is no easy feat. They destroyed Augsburg in the 2nd meeting of the two and would win a best-of-seven, 5-2 IMO. They and UST will both make the NCAA field, and it wouldn't shock me if they both made the Sweet 16, depending on their draws. Two votes is a gross underestimation. If UST is #11/12, then I'd throw out that Olaf is #15/16.

Contrary to popular belief, or several posters on this board,    I am by nature an optimist. So with that being said, there is no way I see either UST or STO advancing to the Sweet 16s this season.  I've watched my share of games this season & this is not an elite UST team.  I would gladly retract my  statement, eat crow, & send money to buy someone's favorite chicken meal from Kim's Chow Mein if I am proven wrong.

These Tommies can score, but individually or collectively there are no defensive stalwarts aside from Eric Tengwall & maybe Zach Riedeman.  A team needs some guys who will lock you up, & so far I've not seen it from this year's version of the Tommies.

I can taste the chicken already (again) but from the new place, not Kim's

[AO]

SMU lands their first prospect... from Twitter:

Chad Groth
@areacodes
   
"Another AZ prospect off the board,2014 6'5 Kaeleb Franken (Poston Butte, Arizona) Saint Mary's University (Minnesota) @SMUCoachR @azc_obert"

Might want to double check your source there.  Chad was the twitterer who had Gopher fans thinking Shaka Smart was coming to town. https://twitter.com/areacodes/status/316771232748036096

AO – I think it's time to mount the annual D3 tourney protest and start complaining about the NCAA tourney & geographical placement of teams.

I've really come to terms with the D3 tourney not really being a "national tournament".  The crowds and atmosphere is much better when more fans can travel to the games.  It's just a little frustrating trying to explain to the uneducated that just because a team from the East advanced a few more rounds than a team from the West, it really doesn't mean the team from the East is better.

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

I dunno Drake....what meets your definition of a "defensive wstopper"? UST leads the league in defensive scoring in MIAC play (57.6 per game) and is 2nd overall (60.4, behind Ole 60.0). Maybe your expecting nothing but killer ejections ala Mtumbo?

Call me crazy, but I'm satisfied with the D this Tommie team plays...yes, there's room for improvement, but same is true for any team that takes the court/field/rink in any sport

[miacsuperfan]

Nice posts this week by many.  Fun game tonight in Northfield.  UST will prevail in spite of valiant effort by my man Connor Gunderson.  Koz will NOT prevail.  But tonight it will NOT be his fault with an untimely technical or other lame in-game move.  UST will be just be too tough in the second half, as usual.  I agree with MANIAC, their defense is pretty darn good. 

Playoffs will see UST and STO with byes, and the third best team in the league AUG will host BU (another in a long line of first round or play-in games for those two) in round one.  GAC will host SJU in the other first rounder.   CON disappointed me (and others) this year, though their last night win over Carleton was noteworthy.  I see little chance (sorry SID) that the Carlies can get in.   

[madzillagd]

Foul away from the play on a 3 point shot.  Basket is good.  Refs give the ball out of bounds to St. Olaf?   Is that the correct call?  I don't think I've ever seen that.  I thought always when the basket was good you just give a single free throw for the person that was fouled. 

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

The Game in Northfield lived up to its billing-- and then some./ First off, it was a "white out" of Ole students, packing the gym with an attendance of over 3000-- the biggest crowd of the year for an MIAC game.  Loud, feisty and fun! On the court ,it was a titanic defensive struggle...i'll let Drake comment some on the stellar defensive play of both teams. Zach Riedeman was a beast in the paint and on the boards, as the Tommies dominated the inside game. Horrible pathetic officiating (modzillagd, I remember the play you mask about, but have no clue what the refs interpretation was....I heard the one ref didn't hear the other call the foul but they left the trey stand, which would be flat-out wrong). Amazing all-around effort by Erik Tengwall,  putting up a game high 16 points (or 1 more than the touted duo of Nielson + Gunderson) ... gritty, gutsy hard-fought win for the Toms. Maybe not a pretty win but a very well-deserved one! Now, on to Cobber-nation for the second stop in the Goodwill Tour of Lutheran schools (Ole. Cord, GAC)...I'm packing some hot dish and lutefisk for the trip!

[madzillagd]

Agreed on the officiating. My favorite was not calling the foul on the rebound for UST, but blowing your whistle and allowing UST to substitute out the now injured player that just got pushed over with no explanation given. 

Fun game though.

[AO]

The Game in Northfield lived up to its billing-- and then some./ First off, it was a "white out" of Ole students, packing the gym with an attendance of over 3000-- the biggest crowd of the year for an MIAC game.

Great crowd, but I think attendance was probably closer to the 1945 listed on the box score on the Olaf website, considering there are only 2008 seats and it wasn't sold out.  Probably the biggest Olaf crowd in decades.  The student section looked great on the webcast. 

[VOJ]

Foul away from the play on a 3 point shot.  Basket is good.  Refs give the ball out of bounds to St. Olaf?   Is that the correct call?  I don't think I've ever seen that.  I thought always when the basket was good you just give a single free throw for the person that was fouled.

Fellas, it can be the correct call depending on the time of the foul and the timing of the shot...I saw it happen in a game that SJU played earlier this year.

Sounded like a classic slugfest and I am not suprised it got a little rough in the trenches.  Glad to hear the Ole students were out in force. 

Regional rankings show St. Olaf 5th...better than I expected.

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

The Game in Northfield lived up to its billing-- and then some./ First off, it was a "white out" of Ole students, packing the gym with an attendance of over 3000-- the biggest crowd of the year for an MIAC game.

Great crowd, but I think attendance was probably closer to the 1945 listed on the box score on the Olaf website, considering there are only 2008 seats and it wasn't sold out.  Probably the biggest Olaf crowd in decades.  The student section looked great on the webcast.

that could be...but I got my info from the d3hoops game report:
http://www.d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2013-14/contrib/20140212pismn8
"A crowd of 3,068 – a season high for MIAC attendance – watched St. Thomas (19-3 overall, 16-1 MIAC) open up a two-game lead atop the conference standings with three games to go."

and the d3hoops.com box score at the same link:
"Attendance: 3068
Time: 7:30 p.m."

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

decent piece by Reusse, although his facts are slightly off....St. Olaf has won 3 MIAC titles, most recently in 1988-89 (but none under Koz):

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/245306211.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue

[AO]

decent piece by Reusse, although his facts are slightly off....St. Olaf has won 3 MIAC titles, most recently in 1988-89 (but none under Koz):

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/245306211.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue

Sure didn't take long for a commenter to come in and declare that St Thomas is too good and doesn't belong in the MIAC.