WBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[gacbacker]

WW- Augsburg has two players who belong on an MIAC roster and Lurken is one of them...somebody has to get the stats.

[blazerguy]

I won't be as lame as to quote myself, but I will use some stats to back up my previous post. Noreen has 128 shots on the season, third most on the team. More than 70% of them have come from beyond the arc. She's currently 11-for-37 (29%) on 2-pointers with 25 free throws in 19 games, making a pretty pitiful case for her supposed penchant for driving.

Now, if those stats don't scream one-dimensional player, I don't know what does.

Also, has anyone seen Augsburg's Kristina Lurken play? Until last night she was leading the league in assists at 4.2 to go along with 10+ points and nearly 5 rebounds a night. I realize Auggie Tech is terrible, but those are some pretty nice numbers. Thoughts on her game?

Willy, I haven't gotten into any debates with you for quite a while but maybe its time to start a discussion. I know your hatred for St Bens makes you want to knock any Bennie player but Noreen is one I would guess any MIAC team would love to have. Darby hasn't driven to the basket nearly as much this year as in the past because of having a different type of team. Without Anna being  double and triple teamed, Darby is getting much more attention on defense, we all know she doesn't have the speed to go around a good defender, so she has turned into much more of a passer and takes the drive or the 3 point shot when its appropriate. After missing the first couple of games and taking a while to get into playing shape she has really come on lately. I guess being 13-2 in the MIAC isn't to bad. This might be Durbins best year ever in coaching. Lost an all american, Anna, has had season ending injury to the all conference point guard and and extended injury to starting wing. Still 13 and 2 in MIAC. Definately the leading candiate for coach of the year. While I'm talking about coaches, wow is that Bethel coach bad!! I said it earlier this year and it was confirmed last night. He has no rotation, leaves his players in way too long and seems to have no adjustment after half. Bethel is a very talented team and should be better. I also noticed him taking one of his players last night (can't remember the #) off to the side but in full view of all the fans, and obviously reading her the riot act. It was a classless move in my opinion. If you need to say something in private, do it in private, instead he made a spectacle of the fact that he needed to take her aside and did it for all to see. Just my opinion!!

[Willy Wonka]

BG - I agree with almost every one of your points. The only thing I'd dispute - besides the fact that the Bennies are 13-2 - is the coach of the year vote. With Haller adjusting to a new assistant (losing who many, including myself, thought was much of the reason for their success the last few years in Aaron Kahl) and working in three freshman - two starters - into the rotation, she's done a nice job as well. They'll be 1-2 in the voting, but it will be interesting to see which way it sways. I'd guess the last four games could decide it, especially if either team falters.

Noreen is a good player and her shooting would be a great addition to the Gustie lineup. If my obviously aggressive postings have made it seem otherwise, I apologize. She'll be all-conference...but all-american? C'mon. I'm still waiting for the day Pat admits he was wrong and/or made a mistake (Yes, predictions can be and often are criticized. Especially when they're terrible.).

The Bethel team is a mess. Its post minutes are so sporatic it's crazy and their whole back court was different from the first to the second time GAC played them — the Thielke thing played a part, obviously. The second game was the bad ref affair, making any screaming he did warranted tho so I can't comment much on that aspect of his coaching.

[Pat Coleman]

Gusties are a top 25 team right now, no ifs ands or buts about it. But I'm not going to keep arguing the point or Pat will start deleting my posts and/or ban me for not agreeing with him.

I'd sure love to know what I did to you to make you act like such a prick to me at every possible turn. Sheesh.

[Willy Wonka]

Besides snubbing GAC over the last 18 months as religiously as you've smited me over the last two weeks you mean?

[gacbacker]

Willy, some people are just stubburn. Sid Hartman still thinks Glen Mason is a great football coach; Kevin McHale still thinks that the Timberwolves' problems have nothing to do with his incompetance and Pat thinks that his top 25 is without a flaw.  We can laugh at Sid and Kevin, just add a third to the group.

Pat how many spots do you suppose Wash U will rise up the poll next week if they lose to NYU tonight?

[Nites]

Pat how many spots do you suppose Wash U will rise up the poll next week if they lose to NYU tonight?

In all fairness to Wash U, who I know nothing about, 3 of their 4 losses were to teams with combined records of 49-6!  Take a look below at the records of the teams in the UAA Conference: three 16-2 teams, one 14-3 and Wash U at 14-2.  Gaudy to say the least.  However, that right there probably highlights one of the challenges for MIAC teams, which is they don't play many non-conference games and then they end up beating each other up because they play each team in the conference twice and then have a conference tourney.  You can't have multiple teams with stellar records in a conference that plays as many conference games as the MIAC unless you have a really big conference where half the teams are very weak.

All this puts a premium on the few MIAC non-conference games.  When the league doesn't fare well in these games, there is no real metric against which to measure them.  Thus, GAC may have a 16-2 record, but it's hard to tell how good the team is (by the way, I happen to think they're pretty good).  The other thing that seems to help in the rankings is how well the team (or other conference teams) fared in the NCAA tourney the previous year.  The Tommies' men's team is a good example of this.  The reason they have been ranked as high as fourth and have stayed near the top is they made a good strong run in the tourney last year and they had their three (2?) best players back from that team.  If they had the tourney success they had last year, they likely would not even be in the top 15.

2006-2007 UAA Women's Basketball Standings
    Conference Only       Overall

   
Washington U. 6 1 .857        14 4 .778
Chicago 5 2 .714                   16 2 .889
New York University 5 2 .714 16 2 .889  
Rochester 5 2 .714               16 2 .889   
Brandeis 4 3 .571                 14 3 .824
Carnegie Mellon 2 5 .286      8 10 .444
Emory 1 6 .143                      7 11 .389
Case Western Reserve 0 7 .000 8 10 .444  

[blazerball]

Wow - I leave for a few weeks, come back and all the Gackers are attacking Pat and D3 hoops.  I thought all of us CSB fans were the only unrealistic and overly optimistic ones on this board!  The Gackers beat CSB once this year and the Gacker fans are ready to annoit them the national title.  Who needs D3 hoops?  Who needs rankings?  Why play the tourney?  Let's engrave the title to the Gackers and end the suspense...the national title and not even the MIAC title.  Why bother with the rest of the conference schedule or tourney...the Gackers have it wrapped up!

It is odd that so much is being placed on PRE-season predictions about players.  The Gackers have two great and deserving players they will probably get accolades when it matters most - at the END of the season.  As for the national rankings...yawn.  Who cares?  There is no exact science to it and, as the results suggest, there are many teams with claims to the top spot or a spot in the top 25.  But, as a CSB fan I would be just fine with the Gackers being in the top ten - especially since the Blazers beat them by 15 earlier this season. 

I think I'll also hold off on awarding the Gackers a title for now as they definitely have some flaws as a team...they are only two players deep offensively and if one of them has an off night of scoring they are in big trouble - especially against a good team.  I say this no matter how good Gacker fans think Radtke might be.  That being said, the Big Two have not had many off nights so those two deserve credit for carrying the entire offensive load --- because it is ALL on the shoulders of those two at that end of the court... 

[gacbacker]

Blazerball, I can see how you would think that the Gusties are only two-deep on offense, but if you look at other teams' stats, there's really not that much of a difference.

Gustavus' third leading scorer (Julia Schultz) averages 6.1 per game. Compare that to the third leading scorer on the other top teams and its really not that different.

Carleton: Lincoln 10.2
St. Kate's: Petrich 10.1
Hamline: Sather 8.7
Concordia: Freudenberg 8.3
St. Ben's: Schmidt: 7.9
St. Thomas: Kaiser: 7.7

Also I would add that when the University of Minnesota went to the final four in 2003, they were largely a two person team on offense with Whalen and McCarville...I believe Schonrock was the third leading scorer at about 8-9 points per game that year.

[Pat Coleman]

Besides snubbing GAC over the last 18 months as religiously as you've smited me over the last two weeks you mean?

Snubbing the 19-7 2005-06 team? What accolades was I PERSONALLY supposed to give them? Or are we talking about the 19-8 men's basketball team which we snubbed to the tune of a Top 20 overranking -- peaking at No. 11 as late as Dec. 8?

Come on now ... Gustavus has gotten more than its fair share from D3hoops.com, even though you personally have given me more than my fair share of grief. It's really unwarranted.

Come up with a real reason, please. The smiting (and this isn't just from me, btw) isn't the reason you don't like me -- it's the result of your pissiness.

[Pat Coleman]

Pat how many spots do you suppose Wash U will rise up the poll next week if they lose to NYU tonight?

Can't remember the last time Wash U rose while losing. Not many teams rise while losing to teams ranked beneath them. So I would be surprised if that happened.

Lose the chip on your shoulder. It's blinding you.

BTW, Boese, the GAC you think I dislike voted on the D3hoops.com Top 25 for two years. If I hated them, why would I give Hanson a ballot??

[gacbacker]

I'm not the one calling people "pricks" and accusing them of "pissiness". Who's got the chip?

Pool C Watch: Williams, currently considered the 28th best team, by the top 25 poll gang, lost tonight for their 4th loss of the season.

[Pat Coleman]

I'm not the one calling people "pricks" and accusing them of "pissiness". Who's got the chip?

Backer, if you were attacked personally by the same person over the course of 18 months you might get a bit tired of it too. Thanks for noticing.

[blazerball]

Interesting, now those in Gackland are comparing GAC to the University of Minnesota and Vadnais and Monahan to Whalen and McCarville.  Not exactly an apples to apples comparison.  Then again, what should be expected from the Gackers with their irrational arguments about rather meaningless Top 25 rankings and PRE-season predictions?  For those accusing Blazer fans of wearing red-tinted glasses it sure appears the Gackers are wearing the gold-tinted brand.  Actually, the black glasses are on, as they cannot really see that their team-while talented-has significant flaws.  But, it must be exciting for the team and their fans to have won a national title last Saturday...oops, I mean, beat CSB in St. Peter last Saturday.

You take Vadnais and Monahan and I will take Whalen and McCarville if you want to make the comparison.  Believe what you want but there is no real balance with the Gackers and that will ultimately be their undoing.  If they go on to win a national title I will gladly eat my words but I do not see them heading to the Final Four with only two offensive weapons (although Gackers think they should be given a berth in the Final Four after beating CSB last Saturday).  There is nobody I see on that team capable of leading the Gackers to victory other than Monahan or Vadnais (and they need BOTH of them to go off in order to beat a good team).  The only time this season they were not led in scoring by one of those two players they were drilled by 15.

[gacbacker]

While I have happened to disagree with Pat a couple of times the last two weeks, at least his arguments are better prepared than yours Blazerball.

Did you really think I was putting Vadnais and Monahan on the same talent level as Whalen and McCarville? I said their situation within their team is similar.

By the way, the Gusties have had a third player (that means someone other than Vadnais and Monahan) score in double figures in six of their last seven games.

If it makes you feel like the Blazers have a better chance in the playoffs to beat the Gusties, by all means continue to think that the Gusties are a two-woman team. Let's just say we're not worried about it in St. Peter.