MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[AO]

"Front-Runners" for MVP - Stats Half-Way Through the Conference season... 

            Madson     Johnson     Conboy     Wittwer     Brink         Linz

Scoring                2        9            1             10           7              6
Rebounding      18        14              2             9            4             7
FG %                 -          -              9             2            7            14
Assists               11          8      -   -                                  -               -
FT %                  4         -   -     -   -                                             14   
Steals                 -          2   -                      13          10           -
3 pt %                9                      -   -   -   -                               -
Blocks              -       -         -                      10             4             7   
Asst/Turn           12         11   -   -   -   -
Minutes Play      12         1              5                -         4                    -

Someone earlier questioned my Madson for MVP comment earlier...

If Bethel finishes as a play-off team...there is no-way Madson isn't MVP:
He is the only one to appear in 7 of the 10 categories listed above...
While playing less minutes than Conboy, Johnson, and Brink (why don't whittwer and linz play more?)...
He gets guarded closer than any of the others on this list (then you say his assists should be higher...Only Johnson has him beat in that category)...

I don't even like the award that much...but now I am fired up...Madson for MVP! (and he will be the MVP next year as well!!!) 

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

"Front-Runners" for MVP - Stats Half-Way Through the Conference season...  

          Madson     Johnson     Conboy     Wittwer     Brink         Linz

Scoring                2      9   1   10   7   6
Rebounding         18      14   2   9   4   7
FG %                 -      -   9   2   7   14
Assists               11   8   -   -   -   -
FT %                  4   -   -   -   -   14
Steals                 -      2   -   13   10   -
3 pt %                  9   -   -   -   -   -
Blocks      -   -   -   10   4   7   
Asst/Turn              12              11   -   -   -   -
Minutes Play         12   1   5   -   4   -

Someone earlier questioned my Madson for MVP comment earlier...

If Bethel finishes as a play-off team...there is no-way Madson isn't MVP:
He is the only one to appear in 7 of the 10 categories listed above...
While playing less minutes than Conboy, Johnson, and Brink (why don't whittwer and linz play more?)...
He gets guarded closer than any of the others on this list (then you say his assists should be higher...Only Johnson has him beat in that category)...

I don't even like the award that much...but now I am fired up...Madson for MVP! (and he will be the MVP next year as well!!!)  

it all hinges on team results...assuming the stats you posted hold true the 2nd half of the season:

-if BU makes the playoffs, ideally a top 3 finish, yes, Madson would be a strong candidate

-if SJU pulls a top 3 finish out, I can't imagine anyone other than Brink getting a vote

- if Cord makes the top 3, then it will go to Linz

- if none of those scenarios play out, then its a toss-up between Wittwer and Conboy... the coaches tend to vote in recognition of career on this, in which case, they may tilt towards Conboy

VOJ- agreed, there is no MVP on the Tommies...Scott is a good choice, but I'd say UST's team MVP has been Viau. Floor leadership, defensive stopper. They play will more intensity with him in the lineup than when he's out . Had he been healthy @ GAC, I feel the outcome would have been much different.

Watch-- it would be sweet if he goes for double his age tonight and Cord kicks the Jays. I think playing SJU is Linz's Super Bowl

[Chica yea false identification]

Probable starters for SMU tonight....

#3 Lukas Holland (Fr., 2.0 rpg, 11.1 ppg)
#32 Will Wright (Fr., 2.6  rpg, 16.9  ppg)
#23 Nick Carr (Jr., 1.8 rpg, 5.8 ppg)
#44 Ben Nieman (Fr., 0.3 rpg, 0.3 ppg)   Side note- played in 5 games this year and is playing a whopping 3.2 min. per game
#33 Josh Knights (So., 2.8 rpg, 5.2 ppg)

[Nites]

Nites- Those stats were fantastic. As a former big man, I know the importance of rebounding, and should Conboy get hurt, get into foul trouble, or just have a bad day, MAC will lose the battle of the boards. Maybe they will not be the surprise pick to make a late run at the playoffs.

No one has any examples of teams coming out of nowhere to earn a playoff spot? Being a biased GAC guy, I can only remember my own school's past, which did not include any late rushes to make the final spot in the playoffs.

Shock - Amazing ineptitude on the boards.  You would think that you could grab 3 rebounds a game just by putting a body on someone every time the ball goes up. 

MAC's conference numbers are even worse.  In conference play, they are getting outrebounded by 12.8 boards a game.  The transferred Trey Mullen was pulling down 4 boards a game in conference games.  Next highest (excepting Conboy, of course) averages 2.7 rebounds a game in conference play.

On the season, MAC has pulled down a total of 317 defensive rebounds and they have given up a whopping 209 offensive rebounds.  For a run and gun team, it's tough to run when you have to pull the ball out of the bottom of the net.  However, MAC still averages 72.8 points a game, which is 4th best in the conference.  With jitterbug Abe in the lineup, think about the kind of numbers MAC could put up if they could pull down a couple of more defensive rebounds a game and get the outlet passes out to Abe.

Drake is dead on about MAC, they're just one solid post player from being a playoff team.

[concordia of the north]

that's sad when you have someone putting up 1700 pts and 800 rebounds for his career, and pundits still think your team is one post away from being a top 6 team in conference. 

st. thomas should be 2.5 posts away from top six, but they're #1.  St. John's just lost their only post player who is averaging like 10 and 8.  How many post players away are they from contention?

the point of this is, macalester sounds like they just aren't winners right now for some reason.  They have arguably the best post and point guard in the conference.  that should be enough for top 6.

[Sparticus-dttyd]

Someone might know this answer better than me but will Madson even be eligible next year? I know he is only a junior eligibility wise but he is a senior in school, and I heard that in D3 that you can't play a sport as a graduate student unless there is a medical exemption which is rare because he was wittwer's teammate in highschool and is the same year as wittwer.

[Nites]

that's sad when you have someone putting up 1700 pts and 800 rebounds for his career, and pundits still think your team is one post away from being a top 6 team in conference. 

st. thomas should be 2.5 posts away from top six, but they're #1.  St. John's just lost their only post player who is averaging like 10 and 8.  How many post players away are they from contention?

the point of this is, macalester sounds like they just aren't winners right now for some reason.  They have arguably the best post and point guard in the conference.  that should be enough for top 6.

Yes, it should be enough for top 6, but your post can't grab EVERY rebound.  Last game, he hauled in 14 out of the teams 27 total rebounds.  MAC just needs to have SOMEBODY besides Conboy try to grab a rebound.  Seems to me that MAC, if they aren't doing it now, ought to be spending much of their practice time working on putting a body on someone when the ball goes up.  I haven't watched them this year since they are aren't doing their home webcasts, but you get the impression that 4 guys take off as soon as the other team shoots, leaving Conboy to try and battle the other team for the rebound.

I'd be interested in hearing Papahoops thoughts on the topic.  

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

Someone might know this answer better than me but will Madson even be eligible next year? I know he is only a junior eligibility wise but he is a senior in school, and I heard that in D3 that you can't play a sport as a graduate student unless there is a medical exemption which is rare because he was wittwer's teammate in highschool and is the same year as wittwer.

You're right that Madson is a junior eligibility-wise, but in his 4th year, academically. As I understand it, you can play in a "fifth year" under D-III rules (10 semesters), but the MIAC does not allow grad students to play. So for Madson to play next year, he still needs to be pursuing his undergraduate degree. (When Neal Anderson came back for his final year of playing eligibility, he simply added a 2nd major and deferred graduation to the following spring, to be able to play in the MIAC).

The last I'd heard, Madson is planning to graduate in May 2009 and play next winter.

That must have been a great HS team  with Madson & Wittwer!

[concordia of the north]

31 pts on 15-20 and 9 rebs in only 23 MINUTES! and a W over Ham
15 pts on 6-13 with 4 asts, 2 stls, and a block in a W over GAC
24 pts on 8-14 (1-3 on 3's, 7-9 ft's) 7 rebs and 3 blocks in a L to Bet

meaning:  29-47 fg's or 62%, 11-15 fts or 73%,  70 pts or 23/g,  17 rebs, 6asts/4to, 4 blocks

Trevor Wittwer was the player of the week for that stretch with:
20-35 fg's or 59%,  18-27 ft's or 67%, 58 pts or 19/g  17 reb  5asts/11to's, and 4 blocks

That's bogus.  Linz deserved that.  better fg%, ft%, pt production, ast/to ratio, same rebounds, same blocks, AND A HEAD TO HEAD WIN.  Linz got robbed.

[miacwatchmen]

Watch-- it would be sweet if he goes for double his age tonight and Cord kicks the Jays. I think playing SJU is Linz's Super Bowl

MM- Although I don't see this happening, I do see Linz having a big game tonight. The Brink vs. Linz matchup would be a fun one to watch!!

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

Watch-- it would be sweet if he goes for double his age tonight and Cord kicks the Jays. I think playing SJU is Linz's Super Bowl

MM- Although I don't see this happening, I do see Linz having a big game tonight. The Brink vs. Linz matchup would be a fun one to watch!!

WATCH- I dont see getting that many either (but it WOULD be sweet), not with BB on him. That matchup is almost worth the trip to Moorhead.

[Drake Palmer]

CON – have you even seen SMU or MAC play this year? They make the skinny St.Thomas squad look like giants.  It's not even close, MAC & SMU are the two smallest teams in the league this year and the rebounding stats bear this out.  Last year when the Scots had the over achieving 6-3 Jesse Hollander, they were at least competitive on the boards & gave the Scots a decent shot at a win.  In fact, they finished just one game out of the playoffs. 7th place with a record of 8-12.

In the MAC-CARL game I saw the other day, here's what Mac had out on the floor in the closing minutes of the game when Carl was nursing a 6-7 point lead:

5-7 Abe W., 6-1 Paul Richie, 6-1 Brian Ranwick, 6-0 Kyle Hamblett, & 6-8 Tom Conboy.

Contrast this with Carleton's lineup: 6-0 Jason Weischedel, (sp) 6-4 Tommy Drake, 6-4 Carter Biewen, 6-5 Zach Johnson & 6-6 Bryan Rosett.
*************************************
Watch –  Unless Brink absolutely goes off, which he certainly has the potential to do so (first game against the Cobbs – 31 points), the Cobbs have the luxury of several long bodies they could assign to cover Brink and have Linz guard someone like Burtzel.  Brink is too quick for Linz out on the wing.  On the other hand, Burtzel & Brink will have to switch off Linz, & trust that Schwartz or somebody else can neutralize Olmscheid & Baldwin. .Somebody needs to make the Cobbs prove they can consistently shoot from beyond 8 feet of the basket - Go zone.  Cobbs should platoon players on Brink & try to wear him out on both ends of the court. They've got the fouls to give.

I'll be interested to hear & read about the outcome.  The Cobbs have improved a ton from the first game & this one should prove to be real interesting. I'm predicting a slugfest.

[Willy Wonka]

Since MM brought him up...

How bad would MAC be on the boards if all-world boxer-out Neal Anderson was its starting 2 guard??

ZING!!!

[sju4life]

Although there is still a decent amount of time for things to change and of course there may be bias in my choice I still feel like Brink is the league MVP and here is why.

MVP is for the most valuable player mostly towards their own team.  Brink has been playing with 2 freshman starters basically the whole year, a point guard who doesnt factor much in the scoring role and ryan leiser is currently shooting about as bad as he can possibly shoot yet they are still 6-4 in conference and have a good chance at making the playoffs.  The fact he is the only consistent player they have currently he is carrying the team. He leads his team in Points, Rebounds, blocks, fg % and is second in steals.  The fact he can shoot such a high percentage at 55% while being focused on by the opposing team is inredible.

He also is in 6 of the top miac stats as well.
6 in scoring
4 in total rebounds
10 in offensive boards
3 in defensive boards
4 in blocks
6 in fg %

doing all that while playing 36 minutes a game is phenomenal!!
Also, to be 6th in scoring in the miac and 6 in fg% is a great feat.  None of the 5 players who score more then him are ahead of him in fg% and only 2 made the total fg % list in general!!   With that being said..he is the MVP!!!!

[sumander]

I'm predicting a slugfest.

Drake, Up Nort we call that a good old fashion rock fight!