MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[columbianmaffia]

i think the 3-7 teams in the miac this year are not all that impressive...i personally think its a down year

i was not a big fan of D. Casey but i think that he was unfairly fired yesterday and i dont like to see McHale putting all his mistakes on Casey's shoulders....cant wait to see which free agent we over pay this off season

[abominable_snowman]

i think the 3-7 teams in the miac this year are not all that impressive...i personally think its a down year

i somewhat agree...it's one of those things where the pieces are all there.

i still like bethel, gac has been much more impressive in the past, they are missing the intensity of 3-5 years ago

and then there have been scattered glimmers of hope here and there from everyone else
augs, mac, concordia, carelton all have their handful of players that have tried to make things exciting.

...and then the pipes collapse sort of scars the league.

with that said, I still say MIAC ball is still as good as ever.  The rivalries are still intense, games have been close.  Individuals have had their remarkable games.  We have seen defensive battles and shootouts.  We've had wondeful new arrivals, solid veterans, and even coming of age stories.  The rest of the season will be thrilling, and the playoffs even more so.

[Drake Palmer]

Willy - I don't have the time or research capabilities to do an exhaustive RPI/Massey's like ranking of the conference & the relative strength of the MIAC teams for the past 10+ years. So, like you, I can only offer up anecdotal evidence at best, combined with my observations from casually followed the MIAC for a number of years, closely watching the teams the past 4-5 years, & talking with longtime followers of the league.

I would counter that the stats you offered are typical of any upset that might occur during the course of a season.  With the exception of the 01-02 season, the other examples you cited were from different years.  The 3 upsets I listed as evidence took place this season, with 8-9 conference games still remaining for each of the teams.

I also believe that with the explosive growth of AAU ball in Minnesota, I think we're starting to see a steady, upward trend in the development of high school players' skill levels.  IMO, the talent is there, it's just a matter of adding the right pieces - - another PG, small forward, remove a coach, add a coach, etc.

Anyway, I thought you owned TDT? 

[UST_LBOW]

D Casey with the axe! Whittman is a good coach, maybe he can help the Wolves make a run or at least convince KG that all these years of blood, sweat, and tears aren't for nothing.

They should have told McHale to go back to Hibbing.  Bring in some players that can take the weight of the entire state off of KG's shoulders and then see what happens.

[columbianmaffia]

word on the street is that tommy drake had or has pneomonia

he will be with the team tonight and see limited action

[tmerton]

S-M-U ! ! ! ! ! !66-63

holy cows and all that jazz.... WOW

Holy Mary Mother of God.  We lost to the Christian Brothers.

Would someone explain to me the various  religious "orders" of the Catholic church?  Tmerton, I realize you were joking, but what's the religious stigma in losing to a Xian brother school? I vaguely recall something about St. Paul private high school Cretin-Derham Hall being affiliated with the Christian Brothers, & is DeLASalle, a Mpls HS associated with the DeLaSalle order? Also, is St. John's U associated with the Dominican or is it the Franciscans?  I have no idea about the Tommies - Xian Bros.?  Help a non Catholic brotha out.    Is this "order" stuff sorta like the ELCA Lutherans vs. the Wisconsin synod type Lutherans, Southern Bapists vs. American Baptists etc.?

In any event it sure seems to me that kids coming out of the various private Catholic high schools attend Catholic Colleges with seemingly little regard for the particular Catholic orders.  True, false?

Drake - There are a good number of religious orders, both men's and women's, and even among the orders themselves (especially the women's orders), there are branches.  Think 31 Flavors times 10. 

Among the orders, there are all sorts of differences, many fairly small.  Some are historical, some merely hysterical.   Since most orders are involved in education, a lot of the rivalries relate to the schools one attends, so they're basically school rivalries.  (There are also differences in organization, charism, etc., but all you need to know there is that the Jesuits are smarter than everyone else - or at least they think they are.)  Growing up I attended an Augustinian high school and our chief rival was a school run by the Christian brothers, and my sons attended schools whose rivals were Christian brothers schools as well, so that partly explains the remark.  It's all mostly fun.  St. John's is my first experience with Benedictines (except for the nun who taught me typing in the 7th grade and smacked me if she caught me looking at the keyboard).  The monks are good guys.

[d3bballfollower]

ballfan mentioned in his first post about Kyle Foster being a "star player"...granted, Foster has been scoring more lately, but I was at the Hamline vs Bethel game on Monday and I was impressed with Foster's game...he was playing better than I expected, but then he did the dumbest thing I have seen in quite some time...with about 6:30 to go in the game he was at the foul line and the Bethel fans were chanting something and Kyle, being an absolute idiot, stopped his routine and looked over at the Bethel crowd and gave them a look...I mean, how stupid can someone be...I was glad to see that Wohler pulled him immediately and didn't play him the rest of the game...anything respect Foster had gained this year in my mind has been ruined by his actions...and as far as anit-Wohler goes I was right there on the hate'wagon, but after watching them play a few times now I am impressed with Wohler's coaching...he is always into the game, very intense, and seems to try and coach the kids on the bench...one down side is that he complains too much about every single call made by the officials...I think if Hamline can be a little bit more disciplined and they can get a solid post guy they can definitely make some noise the next couple of years in the MIAC

[finsleft]

With the SJU bandwagon shedding numbers left and right after Monday's loss, my anti-Wohler machine is freshly oiled and ready to be brought out of the garage. Good to have you aboard, ballfan23, and welcome to the board.

Willy, The bandwagon wasn't shedding numbers! That was just people hopping off so we could fix the flat we got down in Winona!  The bandwagon will be back in full force tonight against the Knights! 

Right on, Sumander. The bandwagon will continue to roll. I will not be at the helm tonight, however, due to Doctor's orders: No driving while taking Vicodin. (This stuff's pretty good!) I'll tune in to the Big Lebowski for the dulcet tones of his play-by-play.

[miacwatchmen]

I have personally felt it was a down year. The bottem teams have their moments but they are never consistent. The top teams have a great record because they are GOOD but not great. UST is the only team that seems to blow teams out. SJU GAC, BET and CAR are decent teams that play very well at times but never for more than a game or two. All these signs point to the league being down.

Also for all those on the board, I would not get in a battle of words/knowledge with Tmerton. The guy knows his shi...stuff.

[abominable_snowman]

I have personally felt it was a down year. The bottem teams have their moments but they are never consistent. The top teams have a great record because they are GOOD but not great. UST is the only team that seems to blow teams out. SJU GAC, BET and CAR are decent teams that play very well at times but never for more than a game or two. All these signs point to the league being down.

Also for all those on the board, I would not get in a battle of words/knowledge with Tmerton. The guy knows his shi...stuff.

Look at UST a little closer and you will find...
77-72 against MAC
87-84 against UWRF
91-86 against BU
68-65 against Concordia

These are some close scrapes.  Still, Ws, but it waters down the blowouts a little.

[columbianmaffia]

I have personally felt it was a down year. The bottem teams have their moments but they are never consistent. The top teams have a great record because they are GOOD but not great. UST is the only team that seems to blow teams out. SJU GAC, BET and CAR are decent teams that play very well at times but never for more than a game or two. All these signs point to the league being down.

Also for all those on the board, I would not get in a battle of words/knowledge with Tmerton. The guy knows his shi...stuff.

Look at UST a little closer and you will find...
77-72 against MAC
87-84 against UWRF
91-86 against BU
68-65 against Concordia

These are some close scrapes.  Still, Ws, but it waters down the blowouts a little.

i believe they only beat CAR by 2 also

[BETHEL34]

Gac up 39-36 at half

[Nites]

SMU up 1 with 9:50 to go - 40-39.

[Nites]

SMU up 8 with a minute to go

[Nites]

Final - SMU 60, MAC 49.

Ugly game.