MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Smitty Oom]

I agree with you superfan, Tommies are the least skilled basketball team of the top four seeds that played on thursday IMO (One could argue Carleton was, which is a fair point). This just shows how great of a coach that Tauer is. Tommies win by winning the battle of boards, playing great D and Cool Hand Grant leading the way. Not having Ryan Boll for the Tommies really hurt and I suspect if he was able to play the Purple probably would still be playing tonight (rumor has it the flu hit him this week). Curious to see how the committee handles the defending national champs (I know that it doesn't affect their resume), they will be right on the Pool C bubble and sweating out Monday's selection show.

On the other hand, Bethel has the most talent and it really isn't close, although they lack the depth that may hurt them down the road, if not tonight. I am beyond pumped for what should be a VERY entertaining game tonight over in Arden Hills. I think that either team that gets in will be very tough out in the NCAAs as they both can score with any team in the nation and if they get hot from outside.... we may be seeing them in the second weekend!

Lastly, I will end with this. David Stokman... WOW! So pure and silky smooth. He is my early front runner for MVP next year. I knew he was good and is obviously putting up good numbers this year, plus I saw him play on the stream a couple times this year, but in person he popped out to me Thursday. Taller and stronger than I remember from last year he was able to score at will in the second half, where he had 20+ I believe (foul trouble limited him to 2 points in the first half, as well as Will Dunn giving him the face guard whenever he was on the court). I'm sure Trevor Hall, one of the best defenders in the conference, will be on him all night... which will be a joy to watch!

[Drake Palmer]

If high scoring offenses is your thing, the Robertson Center at Bethel will be the place to be tonight.  In two meetings with each other this year, Bethel & SJU split the season series. The Jays won at home 87-81 in January, and the Royals returned the favor with a 90-83 win earlier this month.

This should be a great game, and I believe the big difference in a 4-6 pt game will be the home court advantage. Royals by four.

[GoldandBlueBU]

Johnnies > Tommies

Amended: Royals > Johnnies > Tommies

[GoldandBlueBU]

If high scoring offenses is your thing, the Robertson Center at Bethel will be the place to be tonight.  In two meetings with each other this year, Bethel & SJU split the season series. The Jays won at home 87-81 in January, and the Royals returned the favor with a 90-83 win earlier this month.

This should be a great game, and I believe the big difference in a 4-6 pt game will be the home court advantage. Royals by four.

You available to take a phone call about some lines on March Maddness games in the near future?

[Smitty Oom]

If high scoring offenses is your thing, the Robertson Center at Bethel will be the place to be tonight.  In two meetings with each other this year, Bethel & SJU split the season series. The Jays won at home 87-81 in January, and the Royals returned the favor with a 90-83 win earlier this month.

This should be a great game, and I believe the big difference in a 4-6 pt game will be the home court advantage. Royals by four.

You available to take a phone call about some lines on March Maddness games in the near future?

What a call Drake!!! Either of you guys make it over there for the game? What an atmosphere!

[GoldandBlueBU]

If high scoring offenses is your thing, the Robertson Center at Bethel will be the place to be tonight.  In two meetings with each other this year, Bethel & SJU split the season series. The Jays won at home 87-81 in January, and the Royals returned the favor with a 90-83 win earlier this month.

This should be a great game, and I believe the big difference in a 4-6 pt game will be the home court advantage. Royals by four.

You available to take a phone call about some lines on March Maddness games in the near future?

What a call Drake!!! Either of you guys make it over there for the game? What an atmosphere!

I did not.  I heard from my younger brother in law, who is a student at BU, that the line for tickets started forming at 5pm.  Having 2 kids under 3 at home, this would have required me to cash in all of my chips with the wife, and then some, which I don't quite find to be "worth it" for a BU game.  We went to a handful during the year, when the 3pm tip on Saturday works out nicely with the kids, but the option to watch online was too convenient.

I've never seen the Robertson center so full.

Happy for Coach Novak...considering the state of the program when he took over.  They had a bunch of short guys hustling around running a 2-3 zone, giving up a ton of offensive rebounds, and requiring a freshman Brycen Wojta to pour in a bunch of points offensively every game...things have definitely improved.



So, how about next year's MIAC?

Sticking with the top six from this year, how do they stack up?

UST has to replace Captain Cool, but surely has the deepest talent pool in the MIAC.  I'm going to stick them at #1, because history has proven it's foolish to do anything else.

SJU brings back all of their guns next year, and man, if Stockman even only improves a little bit from sophomore to Junior, wow....they'd perhaps be my 2017 favorite, if not for UST's ability to get there every year?   Plenty of talent. Unless someone can tell me why not?

Carleton - still a playoff team for sure, but it maybe just doesn't feel like they have the depth to take the MIAC?  Grow is a stud, Hanson seems to be on the same path, but who else can contribute significantly?  I predict that they block a lot of shots and finish 3rd again.

BU - They'll definitely take a hit with the departure of Wojta and Hall, but not as much as I would have expected before 2017, due to the emergence of Freshmen Granger Kingland and Jack Jenson.  Still have Tusler, Magnusson, previously mentioned Kingland and Jenson, blue collar Tim Hanson....

Augsburg - Another season of Colin Olmscheid, but it maybe feels like they don't have enough around him?

Hamline - I don't know.  Someone will have to fill this in.

[Drake Palmer]

If high scoring offenses is your thing, the Robertson Center at Bethel will be the place to be tonight.  In two meetings with each other this year, Bethel & SJU split the season series. The Jays won at home 87-81 in January, and the Royals returned the favor with a 90-83 win earlier this month.

This should be a great game, and I believe the big difference in a 4-6 pt game will be the home court advantage. Royals by four.

You available to take a phone call about some lines on March Maddness games in the near future?

What a call Drake!!! Either of you guys make it over there for the game? What an atmosphere!

Awesome ballgame!  Unfortunately, this was the first MIAC playoff championship game I've not attended in person since the 2003-2004 season.  However, I did watch the game online and watched the semis at Bethel when the Royals squeaked by Carleton.

David Stokman is an absolute stud and nearly carried his team to an NCAA berth.  I would bet he will be in the running for various AA honors next year. However, the Jays just couldn't get enough defensive stops near the end of the game, and misread Bethel's aggressiveness jumping the passing lanes.

For the Royals, Bridge Tusler finally played the complete type of game he had teased the Bethel faithful with over the past three years. Tusler played with controlled aggression and kept his temper in check, tremendous defensive effort, and timely buckets throughout the game.  Tusler could also be in the running for various post-season accolades with continued performances like he had on Saturday. Tusler with Stokman's jumper would be incredible. 

[Drake Palmer]

Wow, looks like Slim S. Chance decided to come back from the road to Texas! The Tommies live to fight another day!  The bracket is out and UST goes to UW-Whitewater to play Augustana on Friday night.

Bethel makes the short jaunt over to River Falls to play UW- River Falls, also on Friday night.

http://static.psbin.com/d/v/s407cua4w5vrlh/mbb-bracket-2017.pdf

[PurpleReign]

So the Tommies and Bethel are in, but no St. Johns?  I would love to hear the reaction from VOJ, oh wait I think I feel the ground shaking.   

[Drake Palmer]

The Northwest conference certainly gets no respect.  #2 Whitman & #4 Whitworth are in the same bracket, one game away from playing each other again for the 4th time this season.  Grrh!

[Smitty Oom]

Looks like UST has Augie, who was another Pool C at large team. These teams met in the elite 8 last year and I am pretty sure it was at Rock Island, and UST obviously won that one.

Bethel has to play the WIAC reg. season and tourney champs UW-River Falls. A couple MIAC teams gave them pretty good games (Olaf, Carleton and maybe UST, might have been their first game of the year). Should be two good ones and hopefully we will see MIAC vs. MIAC in the Sweet 16!

I'll be handing out "Smitty's PostSeason Awards" and "Smitty's Way Too Early Look into Next Season" later this week. Gotta love March!!

[Drake Palmer]

The Tommies were shorthanded for the semis against the Jays, as two year starter & defensive stopper Ryan Boll was sidelined with the flu (?) last Thursday. So it will be interesting to see if Boll will be able to play next Friday night.   Even with a healthy Boll, this year's Tommies' team will have it's challenges at the big dance.
 

[Gregory Sager]

Looks like UST has Augie, who was another Pool C at large team. These teams met in the elite 8 last year and I am pretty sure it was at Rock Island, and UST obviously won that one.

St. Thomas 86, @ Augustana 76

http://static.augustana.sidearmsports.com/custompages/Men's%20Basketball%20Stats/2015-16mbbstats/16mbb31.htm

Two very different teams this season from 2015-16.

Bethel has to play the WIAC reg. season and tourney champs UW-River Falls. A couple MIAC teams gave them pretty good games (Olaf, Carleton and maybe UST, might have been their first game of the year).

UWRF 74, @ St. Thomas 65

http://www.d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2016-17/boxscores/20161115_1b5v.xml

UWRF 69, @ Carleton 64

http://www.d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2016-17/boxscores/20161214_n3vh.xml

UWRF 89, @ Hamline 58

http://www.d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2016-17/boxscores/20161217_o2gl.xml

@ UWRF 66, St. Olaf 51

http://www.d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2016-17/boxscores/20161230_peby.xml

[Drake Palmer]

Umm, thanks Greg, I'm pretty sure Smitty will be able to figure this one out.      I believe  this is what you might call a "whistling past the graveyard" post.



Both MIAC teams will have their hands full.

[AO]

So the Tommies and Bethel are in, but no St. Johns?  I would love to hear the reaction from VOJ, oh wait I think I feel the ground shaking.   

Glad to be wrong about the Tommies Pool C chances.  Bethel probably played a large part in getting them in as they knocked Carleton out of the regional rankings and inserted themselves in taking away a L from the Regionally Ranked Opponents criteria and adding two Ws. 

As predicted, St. John's and Bethel's SOS was just too low for either of them to get a pool C bid if they needed one.   The Tommies got a nice SOS boost from playing River Falls.