MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[SagatagSam]

Could you model the protected games around something like what football does where the top teams are going to play each other based on prior year performance?

I suppose you could try. The only problem is the rising and falling of teams in MIAC basketball is so much more fluid than football. We saw that with Augsburg just this past season. Their 2021-22 MIAC Player of the Year transferred to Colorado State and the team went from contending for conference championships to the cellar in the space of less than a year.

[carletonknights]

Wow, felt like every shot the Johnnies took was going to go in, no matter where they shot from (that 3/4 court shot really hammers that home). Also felt like Carleton was getting out-hustled quite a bit. Some really bad rebounding. All that being said, only down 9 at halftime and they get to switch rims.

[faunch]

Surprised it took until the 2 minute mark for Carleton #35 to get called for a on offensive foul in the post. 

[carletonknights]

Good game. Johnnies came out strong and when Carleton went on runs early on in the second half they always seemed to answer until about the 6 minute mark

[SagatagSam]

Johnnies played about 35 minutes of "A" game basketball and then seemed to go cold at the end. Carleton played tough the whole game and, despite getting down, never got out and let the game get out of hand. That final five minutes watching them steadily reel SJU back in was painful to watch as a Johnnie fan.

[GoldandBlueBU]

Surprised it took until the 2 minute mark for Carleton #35 to get called for a on offensive foul in the post. 

It's comforting to know that Faunch thinking that the refs have it out for SJU isn't just limited to football. 

[SagatagSam]

Congrats to Carleton on clinching the MIAC Championship. I should have said it sooner, but I had to first air my disgust for the Johnnies play in final five minutes.

An interesting night all around the MIAC. Concordia took the fight to Gustavus and knocked off the Gusties in St. Peter. St. Olaf took Macalester to overtime in St. Paul before the Scots went on an 11-1 run to start the overtime period and never looked back.

St. Mary's handled Augsburg without much issue and the Auggies were officially eliminated from the playoffs last night. Hamline would have eliminated St. Scholastica with a win, but the Saints just won't go away. Not quite two weeks ago, the Saints were 3-7 in the MIAC and had lost 13 of its last 15. I guess they feel like they are playing with house money and have nothing to lose.

All this froth in the middle of the conference make it all the more likely we will see a ten win team (or two) make the playoff, which keeps hope alive for St. Olaf, Bethel and Concordia for at least another week. Even St. Scholastica can hang onto the thinnest of threads of hope yet--as crazy as that sounds--because a 9-win team making the playoff is not technically impossible at this point!

[SagatagSam]

This weekend:

St. Mary's (T-3) at St. John's (T-3). St. Mary's has an opportunity to win in Collegeville for the first time in program history (0-37).  It should be a solid crowd and a good atmosphere as it is Senior Day at Sexton Arena. The Johnnies will need it. SMU took care of business, coming back after trailing by 9 at half to win by 12 the last time these two teams met on January 7 in Winona. Lots on the line here--the winner clinches a playoff spot, and the loser creeps closer to the veritable cage match that is positions 5-9 in the conference.

St. Scholastica (10) at Concordia (T-8). The loser in this one is most likely out of the playoffs. St. Scholastica won the first game by ten, but that was back in the old days of November, 2022. Much has changed since then. The Saints are an abysmal 1-11 away from Reif Gym this season, but don't count them out as they have taken down two teams that are currently in the playoff. Concordia is playing some of its best basketball of the year as well, taking down St. John's, Macalester, and Gustavus the last three games.

Bethel (T-8) at St. Olaf (7). This is the heart of the mid-MIAC melee. Bethel won the first matchup a little over a month ago by a huge margin, 87-63 in Arden Hills. The Royals have gone 5-4 since that game, and just lost narrowly to Carleton. St. Olaf, on the other hand, needs a break. The Oles are on a 5-game losing streak. After the last Ole win, they were 8-5, in third place and comfortably in the playoffs. Now, the Oles have tumbled all the way to seventh and are on the outside looking in and desperately need a win to avoid seeing all hope slip away.

Augsburg (11) at Hamline (6). It's simple for Hamline, as long as they keep winning, they're in. The Pipers defeated the Auggies by 3 last month in Minneapolis. They have a favorable schedule in their final three games (vs. Augsburg, at Gustavus, at Concordia) compared to the rest of the mid-MIAC, as the Pipers do not have to face Carleton, Macalester, SJU, or SMU the rest of the season. Augsburg was eliminated from the playoffs last night and the real victory for them this season may just be the friends they made along the way.

Carleton (1) at Macalester (2). Carleton claims the outright regular season championship with a win. Macalester needs the win to maintain an outside chance at sharing the conference championship and the inside track on the second seed and first round bye. The Knights won in Northfield in mid-January, 75-60, and are currently on a 5-game win streak. The Scots have been equally strong, winning seven of their last nine since playing Carleton. It's another Senior Day game, so emotions will be running high at the Leonard Center in St. Paul as the Scots look to pull the upset.

[SagatagSam]

There's only one tiebreaker that needs applying in this bracket. SMU and SJU are currently tied for third. SMU currently holds the tiebreaker by virtue of the head-to-head win.

[carletonknights]

If Carleton lost its next 3 and Mac wins out, would Mac have any tiebreakers giving them the 1 seed over Carleton?

[txg]

I wouldn't worry too much about that, but I think if St. Mary's finishes in 3rd then Mac would win the tiebreaker, and if St. John's finishes third Carleton would win.

[SagatagSam]

Carleton locks up the conference championship over the weekend and the overall #1 seed for the MIAC Playoffs. The Knights have two road games at Concordia and St. Scholastica to end the season.

St. Scholastica, Bethel, and Concordia were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, joining Augsburg. Bethel and Concordia can still tie for sixth, but they lose every tiebreaker. (And, I had to get down to the third tiebreaker, which was a challenge).

St. Olaf still has a chance to make a push in its final game, but the Oles need serious help.

St. Olaf gets in if:
1) It beats St. Scholastica at home
2) AND Gustavus loses both final games (vs. Hamline, at St. Mary's), OR Hamline loses both of its final games (at Gustavus, at Concordia)
3) OR Hamline loses to Gustavus, but beats Concordia (because St. Olaf has the second tiebreaker over Hamline if both finish at .500)

Fun fact: if St. Olaf defeats St. Scholastica it will have a record of 10-10 and the Oles will have split every single season series with every other member of the conference, meaning they swept no one and got swept by no one. It is the pinnacle of mediocrity.

[SagatagSam]

Hamline currently holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Gustavus in the tie for fifth.

[txg]

Concordia can't be eliminated yet.  I haven't gone through the tiebreakers, but they can finish 10-10, and if St. Olaf lose and GAC beats Hamline, then there would only be 6 teams with 10+ wins (since finishing at 10-10 means beating Hamline in the finale).

[Greek Tragedy]

Fun fact: if St. Olaf defeats St. Scholastica it will have a record of 10-10 and the Oles will have split every single season series with every other member of the conference, meaning they swept no one and got swept by no one. It is the pinnacle of mediocrity.

I wonder if that has ever happened.