MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[gustiesoaps]

Anyone have any thoughts on how many MIAC teams will make the NCAA tourney?

After following the soccer NCAA's, this basketball season is very similar.  No real favorite, a few upsets in the MIAC playoffs (GAC losing at home to SJU), but the selection commitee still sent 3 teams. 

Of these, GAC made a huge run and lost in the Championship Game.

1)  Can the MIAC get three in?

2)  Will one team make a long run in the tourney?

[onearmedscot]

I think it is one and done this year for the MIAC.  Just a down year overall for the conference.

oAs

[miacwatchmen]

I agree with oAs. I think UST and maybe CAR could get in but looking at how many votes the MIAC is getting in the polls ( 0 last week) it maybe a stretch to get in two. I also agree that UST or CAR whoever gets in may have trouble winning in the first round. A chance to win one and then lose.

[3m71578]

It'll be the team that wins the play-off.  No teams will get in at large bid for MIAC this  year.

But I think depending on how CAR finishes the season they might be able to go a little further than 1st round, it's just that they need more production from the bench. 

When's the regional ranking coming out???

[Drake Palmer]

It'll be the team that wins the play-off. No teams will get in at large bid for MIAC this year.

But I think depending on how CAR finishes the season they might be able to go a little further than 1st round, it's just that they need more production from the bench.

When's the regional ranking coming out???

Unfortunately, I would  have to agee with your statement regarding the # of MIAC entries being invited into the NCAAs.  We'll have a better idea this Wednesday when the NCAA regional rankings come out.   However, I think it's going to confirm what we've already discussed - the MIAC will only get the AQ.   

[bethelguy]

If the current West region conference leaders win their conference's AQ, and Car wins out but loses to UST in the championshiop, I think they'll make a strong case for a Pool C bid.  If they win out they will have won 18 of 19, with only 4 regional losses (5 after they lose in MIAC Championship). 

UST losing to UW-LAX and UW-Stout and already 5 regional losses eliminates them from Pool C imo. 

Previous years there would be no shot for an MIAC 2nd team, but with 18 Pool C bids there is an increased chance.

[bethelguy]

Pat - I don't know who sent you the score, but Bethel's game vs. St. mary's last week is incorrect.  Not that it matters to anyone other than Bethel fans, but I thought you might want to know for accuracy's sake.

[Drake Palmer]

You maybe be right BG - but I still think the WIAC teams' strength of schedule, now called the QOWI (Quality of Wins Index) will give them more credence when it's time for the selection committee to make their picks.  Greg Sager will probably come along & set me & the rest of us straight in the next day or so.  Something to the tune of  - "it's not the QOWI that matters, but the NCAA regional rankings that count the most" etc. 

Be that as it may, here's the latest QOWI rankings.  This might give us some idea of what the committee is thinking.  Off the top of my head I tried to highlight the West region teams:

(BG - By the way- Pat's gonna suggest you send him a message via email or through the personal message feature at the top of the board regarding the Bethel- SMU game last week.)

The QOWI through games of Thursday, Feb., 2:

1-10
Augustana     11.765
Lawrence    11.600
Worcester Polytech    11.556
Occidental    11.444
Cortland State    11.412
Amherst    11.235
Wittenberg    11.067
St. John Fisher    11.000
Carnegie Mellon    11.000
York (Pa.)    10.941
             
11-20
Fisk    10.900
Mississippi College    10.824
Illinois Wesleyan    10.786
Trinity (Texas)    10.667
Tufts    10.667
Baruch    10.611
Wooster    10.563
New York University    10.529
Hope    10.500
Bates    10.471
             
21-30
Lincoln    10.467
Baldwin-Wallace    10.444
Transylvania    10.421
Gordon    10.412
UW-La Crosse    10.400
Washington U.    10.333
William Paterson    10.278
Wartburg    10.235
Albion    10.222
North Central    10.077
             
31-40
UW-Stout    10.063
Keene State    10.059
Williams    10.056
Virginia Wesleyan    10.050
Catholic    10.000
Carroll    10.000
Howard Payne    9.941
Maryville (Tenn.)    9.889
Trinity (Conn.)    9.857
Willamette    9.846
             
41-50
Puget Sound    9.833
Endicott    9.813
Hanover    9.800
Johns Hopkins    9.750
Randolph-Macon    9.722
Calvin    9.714
MIT    9.706
Plymouth State    9.700
Southwestern    9.667
St. Thomas    9.667

51-60
Lake Erie    9.643
New Jersey    9.625
Alvernia    9.588
Carleton    9.563
Utica    9.563
Salem State    9.556
UW-Whitewater    9.533
Rhode Island College    9.526
Averett    9.500
Widener    9.500
             
61-70
Richard Stockton    9.471
Westfield State    9.444
UW-Oshkosh    9.412
SUNY-Farmingdale    9.400
Lakeland    9.389
Ursinus    9.389
Albright    9.375
Norwich    9.375
Coe    9.357
Rochester    9.357
             
71-80
Elizabethtown    9.353
Nebraska Wesleyan    9.333
Elmhurst    9.313
Mary Hardin-Baylor    9.294
Wheaton (Mass.)    9.278
Christopher Newport    9.250
Franklin    9.235
Milwaukee Engineering    9.235
Rutgers-Newark    9.211
Loras    9.188
             
81-90
Oswego State    9.176
New Jersey City    9.167
Bluffton    9.154
Whitworth    9.125
Messiah    9.118
Chicago    9.077
Brockport State    9.071
Hamilton    9.071
Wilkes    9.071
Coast Guard    9.056
             
91-100
Muskingum    9.000
Mount St. Mary    9.000
McMurry    9.000
Brandeis    8.944
UW-Stevens Point    8.941
Plattsburgh State    8.933
Mary Washington    8.917
Pomona-Pitzer    8.900
Mass-Boston    8.882
Bowdoin    8.875  


I very well may be wrong, but I still think it's going to be tough for the MIAC to get two teams in the tourney.  But if we we do  "long may they run."

[bethelguy]

Drake - I saw that too, but my assumption is that Carleton wins out.  The current conference leaders in the West Region win their AQ (which is a big assumption).  And some of those teams ahead of Carleton are going to lose as they play each other.

My thoughts on some of your highlighted teams.

Lawrence is not a West Region team
UW-LAX, beat Car, but has 5 regional losses and still has to play Stout.  Assuming that loss and 1 in their conference tourney, I don't think they get in as a 3rd WIAC team with 7 regional losses over Car who would have 5.
Willamette is higher in Regional Win % and QOWI, but has 3 road games coming up including @Puget.  Willamette does have a strong Pool C resume.

Carleton is sitting with higher QOWI than all other WIAC teams (other than LAX).

I don't want to assume they'll go 4-0 (they still have to come to Bethel), but if they do I think they'll have the strongest Pool C resume of any MIAC team.  And it will be harder this year to judge who is worthy with the expanded Pool C pool, I don't think we should assume they don't have a chance.

[onearmedscot]

MAC 27 CAR 27  @ Half
SJU 32 SMU 28 @ Half

oAs.

[onearmedscot]

CAR 62 MAC 61 Final

Damn.

oAs.

[Flip the Red Bird]

SJU 71
SMU 60

Road play, 

[Flip the Red Bird]

OAS,

Any update on the Hamline game?

[miacwatchmen]

SJU 71
SMU 60

Road play, 

SMU played a great game. Batterman couldn't have played more than 8 minutes the whole game. That hurt SMU. Westman went off for 26. He hit some pretty amazing shots tonight. Henrichs had 10+ rebounds and 6 or 8 points. This game may have been the kiss of death for the Cards.

[miacwatchmen]

UST 42-21 over Oles at the half. My source left the game at halftime so thats all i know.