WBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[granny14]

Didn't see the GA/Carleton game, but noted the number of 3 point attempts!  Great when they go in................  Guess it's not much of a game when everyone is off??? 

Keep a watch on Hamline, Carleton. Going to be a fun ride for the remainder of season. 

[Willy Wonka]

Just watched the Gustavus Carleton Game on Carleton's webcast. I really wish I could get back the last two hours of my life. Probably the worst display of basketball I've ever seen.

The Gusties will continue to see their opponent's play zone defense because the Gusties have no answer for it. They inexcusably jack up 31 three pointers tonight and make only six. The Gustie coaching staff might want to stop being so stubburn and think about running a set play or two, instead of constantly running through their slow, brutal, unimaginative, predictable motion offense. There are thousands of plays available on the internet. Find a few, learn them, and run them, because the offense is painful to watch.

The Gusties won't win many games in the second half of the season until they decide to start rebounding with some grit and effort. Total lack of effort tonight on the boards, as they give up 21 offensive rebounds! 21!

Kinda quiet in here without me, eh GB? I'll offer a few thoughts...

Plays don't necessarily solve anything (unless you're Myron Glass). Personally, I hate them. I'd much prefer a motion set that allows for creativity. That said, you've got to have enough structure and discipline to prevent what happened last night. The stats look extremely ugly.

[gacbacker]

I  know set plays aren't the "Gustie Way" but I do think that they tend to be more effective in the women's game. St. Ben's has been the winningest program in the conference over the last 20 years and they run more sets than anybody else in the conference.

I'm not saying run sets exclusively. I'm saying that when your motion grinds to a halt its nice to have a few in your back pocket.

In their last sx games the Gusties have scored 57, 58, 57, 60, 45, and 46 points for an average of of 53.8 points per game. That's not gonna get it done on most nights. It's time, in my humble opinion, to put some new wrinkles in the offense.

[granny14]

Concordia hung in there against GA this time!  Quite a well rounded team.  St.Mary's, you may be turning a corner.   Any team that thinks they can sit back and watch St. Bens toss in those 3's by not defending,  look at the MIAC stats!!!!!  Who at least tries to contest those?

Keep it going.

[LA RAMS]

After this last weekend's round of games I think things are beginning to look much more clearer than what they were a couple of weeks ago.

1.  Concordia and CSB are by far and away the class of this conference.  I still give Concordia the edge here because of their ability to be physical and that darn Cobber "D".  But CSB, when they get hot with their 3-point shooting, can light up anybody.  Also, they're the best passing team I've ever seen.

2.  Props to Hamline which is probably the hottest team in the conference right now.  They were in big time trouble with Macalester on Saturday in their own crib but found a way down the stretch to claw back into it and win it.  That's what bona fide playoff contenders; nee championship contenders, do.

3.  Oh yeah.   The Gusties (somewhat predictably) are in a total tailspin right now.  After doing their usual tease-job earlier in the season trying to convince all of us that they were legitimate title contenders are now getting exposed BIG TIME for all the flaws they do have.  Let's see here....hmmm.....no senior leadership, motion offense sucks, defense is a shell of its former self, spotty post play, front line getting beat down.  Oh yeah, verrrrryyyy impressive, GAC.  After this latest a$$ kicking that Concordia dropped on you Saturday I'm sure your confidence is just sky-high right about now.  Good luck holding on to that 6th playoff spot Gusties.

4.  Two more teams in trouble:  UST and, somewhat all of a sudden, Macalester.  The Tommies, despite holding on against St. Olaf on the road still have a LOT of issues and chemistry problems.  You have to wonder what's going on here; especially with the inexplicable departure of Sheena Porter-Wrzos from the squad.  While this obviously isn't 2002 all over again it's sad to see something like that happen.  Mac, which had things looking so promising for them only a few short weeks ago now finds itself fighting for its playoff life after dropping three in a row.  And now with Trina PaStarr out (for how long?) you wonder if this team can hang on.

5.  Team still hanging in there:  St. Kate's.

6.  Teams slip-sliding away:  Bethel and Carleton.

7.  Team playing with all heart right now:  SMU (take note, Gusties).     

[PRF07]

another win for the bennies on saturday... Carleton did not seem to have a chance in this one. It will be dissapointing if St. Bens loses another game this year I think.  They are clearly the best team in the conference.  That being said, they better start working on an offense that does something other than throwing up 3 pointers.  It's nice when they go in, but come playoff time the rim always gets a bit smaller. 

I am left speechless after watching Carleton on Saturday.  How this team can be so bad with so much talent is unbelievable.  Isler wrecks the chemistry on that team and is definitely not much of a team player which i think everyone knew already.  Carleton's coach couldn't even look isler in the face on saturday.  I still would not want to face this team if they some how found their way into the playoffs...

[gacbacker]

After this last weekend's round of games I think things are beginning to look much more clearer than what they were a couple of weeks ago.

1.  Concordia and CSB are by far and away the class of this conference.  I still give Concordia the edge here because of their ability to be physical and that darn Cobber "D".  But CSB, when they get hot with their 3-point shooting, can light up anybody.  Also, they're the best passing team I've ever seen.

2.  Props to Hamline which is probably the hottest team in the conference right now.  They were in big time trouble with Macalester on Saturday in their own crib but found a way down the stretch to claw back into it and win it.  That's what bona fide playoff contenders; nee championship contenders, do.

3.  Oh yeah.   The Gusties (somewhat predictably) are in a total tailspin right now.  After doing their usual tease-job earlier in the season trying to convince all of us that they were legitimate title contenders are now getting exposed BIG TIME for all the flaws they do have.  Let's see here....hmmm.....no senior leadership, motion offense sucks, defense is a shell of its former self, spotty post play, front line getting beat down.  Oh yeah, verrrrryyyy impressive, GAC.  After this latest a$$ kicking that Concordia dropped on you Saturday I'm sure your confidence is just sky-high right about now.  Good luck holding on to that 6th playoff spot Gusties.

4.  Two more teams in trouble:  UST and, somewhat all of a sudden, Macalester.  The Tommies, despite holding on against St. Olaf on the road still have a LOT of issues and chemistry problems.  You have to wonder what's going on here; especially with the inexplicable departure of Sheena Porter-Wrzos from the squad.  While this obviously isn't 2002 all over again it's sad to see something like that happen.  Mac, which had things looking so promising for them only a few short weeks ago now finds itself fighting for its playoff life after dropping three in a row.  And now with Trina PaStarr out (for how long?) you wonder if this team can hang on.

5.  Team still hanging in there:  St. Kate's.

6.  Teams slip-sliding away:  Bethel and Carleton.

7.  Team playing with all heart right now:  SMU (take note, Gusties).     

I feel your frustrations with the Gusties L.A. Rams, however, I look at it like this: They have lost three in a row, but two of the three losses were at St. Ben's and at Concordia - two places where they usually never win, even when they had Monahan and Vadnais. I would have expected them to lose those games at the beginning of the season.

The loss that really hurts is the one at Carleton. Carleton just isn't very good this year, and they didn't even play well against Gustavus. The Gusties gave that one away, by being undisciplined against a 2-3 zone defense (see 31 three point attempts) and refusing to work on the boards (see 21 offensive rebounds for Carleton)

Will it come back to bite the Gusties? It might be the difference between a first round home game and a first round road game in the MIAC playoffs, but I still think they will finish in the top 6. Their schedule gets dramatically easier, and their toughest remaining games are at home.

I just hope they come out and play loose against St. Mary's and St. Kate's this week. They haven't got off to very good starts in the first five minutes of games lately and that has put them in early holes and then they feel forced to gamble on defense and they end up giving up a lot of lay-ups.

I think they will rebound with two victories this week, and that might just put them back into third place, because to be honest I don't really think Hamline is going to continue on their current pace.

[LA RAMS]

After this last weekend's round of games I think things are beginning to look much more clearer than what they were a couple of weeks ago.

1.  Concordia and CSB are by far and away the class of this conference.  I still give Concordia the edge here because of their ability to be physical and that darn Cobber "D".  But CSB, when they get hot with their 3-point shooting, can light up anybody.  Also, they're the best passing team I've ever seen.

2.  Props to Hamline which is probably the hottest team in the conference right now.  They were in big time trouble with Macalester on Saturday in their own crib but found a way down the stretch to claw back into it and win it.  That's what bona fide playoff contenders; nee championship contenders, do.

3.  Oh yeah.   The Gusties (somewhat predictably) are in a total tailspin right now.  After doing their usual tease-job earlier in the season trying to convince all of us that they were legitimate title contenders are now getting exposed BIG TIME for all the flaws they do have.  Let's see here....hmmm.....no senior leadership, motion offense sucks, defense is a shell of its former self, spotty post play, front line getting beat down.  Oh yeah, verrrrryyyy impressive, GAC.  After this latest a$$ kicking that Concordia dropped on you Saturday I'm sure your confidence is just sky-high right about now.  Good luck holding on to that 6th playoff spot Gusties.

4.  Two more teams in trouble:  UST and, somewhat all of a sudden, Macalester.  The Tommies, despite holding on against St. Olaf on the road still have a LOT of issues and chemistry problems.  You have to wonder what's going on here; especially with the inexplicable departure of Sheena Porter-Wrzos from the squad.  While this obviously isn't 2002 all over again it's sad to see something like that happen.  Mac, which had things looking so promising for them only a few short weeks ago now finds itself fighting for its playoff life after dropping three in a row.  And now with Trina PaStarr out (for how long?) you wonder if this team can hang on.

5.  Team still hanging in there:  St. Kate's.

6.  Teams slip-sliding away:  Bethel and Carleton.

7.  Team playing with all heart right now:  SMU (take note, Gusties).     

I feel your frustrations with the Gusties L.A. Rams, however, I look at it like this: They have lost three in a row, but two of the three losses were at St. Ben's and at Concordia - two places where they usually never win, even when they had Monahan and Vadnais. I would have expected them to lose those games at the beginning of the season.

The loss that really hurts is the one at Carleton. Carleton just isn't very good this year, and they didn't even play well against Gustavus. The Gusties gave that one away, by being undisciplined against a 2-3 zone defense (see 31 three point attempts) and refusing to work on the boards (see 21 offensive rebounds for Carleton)

Will it come back to bite the Gusties? It might be the difference between a first round home game and a first round road game in the MIAC playoffs, but I still think they will finish in the top 6. Their schedule gets dramatically easier, and their toughest remaining games are at home.

I just hope they come out and play loose against St. Mary's and St. Kate's this week. They haven't got off to very good starts in the first five minutes of games lately and that has put them in early holes and then they feel forced to gamble on defense and they end up giving up a lot of lay-ups.

I think they will rebound with two victories this week, and that might just put them back into third place, because to be honest I don't really think Hamline is going to continue on their current pace.

Gacbacker,

Maybe you know something I don't.    I just don't see it happening.  True, the 8-game roadie stretch the Gusties have had to endure is coming to a close but don't forget they're going up against an SMU team that all of a sudden has found itself - at least at home anyway.  St. Kate's, while not being as consistent as they could/should be, is also a tough task at the Butler Center.  Again, if GAC had someone capable/willing to step up and WANT to make the big plays coming down the stretch (see the days of AP, Vadnais, Monahan) I'd feel a lot better about this group.  I've seen nothing so far that convinces me this team has that.

Hamline, on the other hand, has shown me that they are capable of making these exact kinds of big plays down the stretch when they need it.  True, they didn't exactly bring their "A" game with them Saturday against Mac but they had players willing to reach down and bring it up when they needed it most.   They've got a tough week of games coming up; particularly at home against co-leader Concordia (who I think is the best team in the MIAC).  If they somehow get through this week unscathed, look out.

[gacbacker]

L.A. - before we go and crown St. Mary's "the little engine that could" lets remember that they beat 1-12 St. Olaf, 6-7 Bethel, and 6-7 Macalester who is in the middle of a five game slide. The also recently lost to 1-12 Augsburg, giving the Auggies their only conference win of the season to date.

I'm confident that the Gusties will win in Winona tomorrow. I'm 50-50 on the game at St. Kate's on Saturday. It's a game that will go a long ways in determining the 3 through 6 seeds in the playoffs.

[BBTommie]

4.  Two more teams in trouble:  UST and, somewhat all of a sudden, Macalester.  The Tommies, despite holding on against St. Olaf on the road still have a LOT of issues and chemistry problems.  You have to wonder what's going on here; especially with the inexplicable departure of Sheena Porter-Wrzos from the squad. 

It would probably be smarter to wait with this post until after tonight's game, but I'll go out on a limb anyway.

I think the Tommies have worked through the issues and have settled in on a starting lineup and rotation.  Against STO they started one senior, one sophomore and three freshmen.  Jordyn Sears got her first start at PG and had a breakout game with 22 points, 3 assists, 3 TO's and 3 steals.  She is a freshman so I wouldn't count on this being the norm but it is very encouraging.   And a big improvement over the way Sheena Porter-Wrzos was running the offense.

They are still not getting enough production out of the two inside freshmen, but Senior Dee Prioleau has been getting a lot of PT at the post and has been scoring well.

I think the Tommies chemistry problems came from trying to work the young players into the lineup.  Overall, they have several older players with experience but less talent than the new ones and that most likely created some friction.  Several seniors and juniors have been getting much more PT lately.  Overall, I think the balance is now better.

[Willy Wonka]

GB - Are you more upset that the Gusties won easily last night without relying on set plays or by the way Duke choked in crunch time?

SMU may have beaten some poor teams lately, but it has reason to be optimistic for the future. I think the Cards are starting three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior. They actually outplayed the Gusties for the first 18 minutes or so, but a questionable call seemed to turn the momentum.

GAC had a fastbreak layup...but an SMU player (Miller, I think) caught up and appeared to make a clean block from behind. The ref, who was standing near midcourt, called a foul and Gustavus proceeded to score the last six points of the half and 24 of the next 26 points to blow the game open.

[gacbacker]

Interesting results over the weekend...things getting interesting in the battle for the 3-6 spots. Here are my predictions for how things will finish. Carleton has a very favorable schedule with home games against the bottom 4 teams so I think they are going to sneak back into things. St. Kate's and Bethel both have tough schedules and the loser of their game tonight is really going to be in a tough spot.

The thought of a Gustavus/Carleton 3 vs. 6 match-up in the first round really scares me. I'd much rather face Hamline in the playoffs. 

1. St. Ben's 13-2 + 6-1 = 19-3
2. Concordia 13-3 + 5-1 = 18-4
3. Gustavus 10-5 + 6-1 = 16-6
4. St. Thomas 10-5 + 4-3 = 14-8
5. Hamline 10-6 + 3-3 = 13-9
6. Carleton 7-8 + 6-1 = 13-9
7. Bethel 8-7 + 4-3 = 12-10
8. St. Kate's 8-7 + 3-4 = 11-11

[LA RAMS]

Gacbacker,

Not bad picks although I still think Concordia will somehow find a way to win the conference despite the loss to Bethel on Saturday.  When they're clicking on all cylinders they can be unstoppable. 

To be sure, GAC took a HUGE step in the right direction with their big win against St. Kate's on Saturday as well.  Without question this was the best I've seen GAC play all season long.  The nagging question:  Can they keep it up and, more importantly, can they do it without being physical?

A costly, costly weekend for Hamline which needed to come away with at least a split this last weekend and instead got thumped at home twice.  Now they're in a logjam with both GAC and UST and the upcoming schedule does not bode well for the Pipers now.

Carleton may have nudged its way back into the playoff picture but I think the team that COULD be a real terror down the stretch is, oddly enough, Bethel.  They seem to have it going now and Saturday's stomp job on the Cobbers was no accident.  They're physical and if Nautsch has her way down low good things happen for the Royals.  Also, I've been very impressed with the newcomers on the team; Grejtak, Beasley, and Sheley. 

[CobberFvr]

The Cobber women at times show the signs of being a national contending team. And at other times, they look like a jv team.

They're deep, but there's only a select few that play well TOGETHER.

The starting 5 (Freudenberg, Green, Sorbo, Nord, & Jossart) play extremely well together, and when Matetich subs in for one of them, they still play well. But other than that, they lose a little of their swagger.

Either way, they're a great team and have the possibility to do great things with the remainder of the season.

[gacbacker]

Guess I was wrong about Carleton...as they lose in a stinker to St. Olaf.

Ben's survives another scare from Macalester...

Bethel with another impressive win, or perhaps its just St. Kate's isn't that good? They've been taken apart by their last two opponents.