WBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[gacbacker]

Yeah I wouldn't count Durbin down and out. He will be back next year with a better team. The fact that they won't make the playoffs this year is a good thing for the MIAC though. The conference has been dominated by a few teams since the currentl playoff system was implemented. It's nice to see St. Mary's and St. Olaf up there in the top half after many years of sub .500 seasons. And even Augsburg being out of the cellar is a nice change.

[Pat Coleman]

I agree that assessment of CSB and Durbin is way, way premature.

[LA RAMS]

Okay, after an unexpected week off last week I'm back at it and it's once again time for the weekly MIAC Power Rankings:

1.  UST
2.  GAC
3.  St. Olaf
4.  Concordia
5.  SMU
6.  (tie) Bethel & Augsburg
7.  CSB
8.  Macalester
9.  Hamline
10.  Carleton
11.  St. Kate's

No question as to who's at the top as UST continues to run roughshod over everybody in the conference despite a few close calls.  GAC remains numero dos as they've demonstrated time and time (and time and time) again that they're very happy and content at being the second-best team in the conference after getting punched in the mouth (again) by UST the weekend before.  The Gusties clearly had a big-time hangover from that embarrassment as they looked sloppy at beating Augsburg, getting punked at St. Olaf, and then bringing their B- game to St. Kate's this last Saturday.  Gusties are pretty much locked into the #2 spot when it comes to playoff time but they have to ratchet up the intensity level coming down the home stretch.  Perhaps, even more important, they HAVE to ditch the "We're nice so we're going to play nice" attitute and replace it with a take no prisoners approach if they ever want to entertain thoughts about knocking off UST and winning the MIAC Championship game.

St. Olaf remains in the third spot after hanging on at home against Bethel on Saturday but their comfort zone is diminishing rapidly as Concordia is nipping at their heels.  SMU manages to win games that they shouldn't be winning so they're at the 5 spot for the moment.  I'm just not sold on this group.  The sixth playoff spot is going to be a battle as Bethel and Augsburg are in a fight for their playoff lives and I'm not sure who I favor at the moment.  CSB managed to get a big win on the road at Hamline on Saturday but trying to get themselves into position for the sixth spot will likely be a bridge too far for them.  Speaking of that game, I'm hoping that Hamline's Stephanie Rice is making a full recovery after the inadvertent elbow she took to the head that required a trip to the hospital afterward.   

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

If anyone is around, Coach Ruth Sinn will be on Hoopsville tonight!

Show starts at 7:00 PM EST and Coach Sinn is scheduled for the second hour of the show.

Tune in at www.d3hoopsville.com.

You can email questions to hoopsville@d3hoops.com
Follow us on Twitter: @d3hoopsville or #hoopsville
And on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

In case you missed Hoopsville, tonight, the archive is already available: www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2011-12/feb12

Coach Sinn's segment is around 1:15 or so into the show.

Enjoy!

[LA RAMS]

Time to do those MIAC Power Rankings again....

1.  UST
2.  Concordia
3.  GAC
4.  Bethel
5.  St. Olaf
6.  SMU
7.  Macalester
8.  Augsburg
9.  CSB
10.  Hamline
11.  Carleton
12.  St. Kate's

I should have figured that I would have to start out this week with YET another rant on GAC.  To start off with, "Hey GAC - What the HELL was THAT???"  Anyone who may have been over at Macalester's Leonard Center on Saturday to witness that utter abomination of heart and fight from this team would have to be asking the same thing.  That was simply unacceptable and inexcusable for a team with this kind of talent and ability to commit a choke job like this late in the regular season.  An epic FAIL of monumental proportions.  IF, if GAC wants to be considered an "elite" program in my mind then what they have to do the rest of the way is quite simple:  (1) Win out the rest of the regular season.  (2) Win the MIAC playoffs (and that includes a CONVINCING win over UST at their place in the MIAC Championship Game).  And (3) - make a DEEP run in the NCAA Tournament.  It's as simple as that.  I'm tired of the old, worn out excuses about how close they get and how things just don't go right for them when they need them to.  Won't work this time.

Elsewhere, the playoff TEAMS have been set.  Now it's just a matter of where to place everybody.  We all know the two top spots have been pre-determined (although the #2 spot should arguably go to a more deserving team) but there's a lot up for grab below that.  St. Olaf would APPEAR to have the easiest route to getting the 3-4 spot with games against St. Kate's and Carleton this week.  We know that GAC will get pummelled up in Moorhead on Wednesday night and then the Corn have CSB at home as well so that's definitely doable.  SMU has a trickier road with a game at Hamline and then a brutal roadie on Saturday at UST.  Bethel, with two road games at UST and GAC (although GAC is obviously beatable now) has a hard row to hoe this week for sure.  Has to be incredibly disappointing for Augsburg, which was looking so good early on in the season, to collapse as it did; losing key games down the stretch that were more than winnable.  Still, this program has made some great strides under new head coach Bill McKee and I think good things are in store for them down the road.

[LA RAMS]

Gotta be either Taylor Sheley or Taylor Young, IMHO.  Young is probably the more prolific of the two but they're probably more apt to give it to Sheley being that she's a senior. 

[Blazer brat]

Best of luck to the teams competing in the MIAC tournament. Obviously, UST is the odds-on favorite and my prediction to win and advance to the National tourney. GAC can compete for the title if they play solid. Watch out for well-coached Concordia team though, if they get hot they can make a run as well. On the other hand, this is an incredible burst to the enormous bubble on Durbin's shoulders...is there a more arrogant coach in MIAC Women's Basketball? Both Sheley and Young would make for great representation for the MIAC. Sheley gets it narrowly, not because she's a senior, but what would Bethel be without her this year?

[LA RAMS]

Time for the final MIAC Power Rankings as the regular season comes to a close......

1.  UST
2.  GAC
3.  Concordia
4.  St. Olaf
5.  SMU
6.  Bethel
7.  Macalester
8.  Augsburg
9.  CSB
10.  Hamline
11.  Carleton
12.  St. Kate's

Guess it's kind of hard to deviate from the actual standings amongst the first six teams who are playoff bound.  I realize I came down on GAC pretty hard this last week; guess I needed to get some frustrations off my chest.  They did lose (somewhat predictably) up in Moorhead to Concordia but were able to right the ship against Bethel and get some much-needed momentum heading into the playoffs.  Speaking of Concordia, they have quietly won ten of their last twelve games and have conveniently been able to stay off the radar; probably just how Head Coach Jessica Rahman wants it.  They are arguably the team to keep your eye on (once again) as we get into the playoffs.  St. Olaf had a tougher time than expected in holding off their cross-town rival, Carleton, on Saturday and they need to ratchet up the intensity - NOW.  Augsburg was able to salvage something of a disappointing home-run stretch with a home victory on Saturday against St. Kate's but it had to be a bummer for them knowing that they had that sixth spot within reach and couldn't finish the deal.  I can agree with Blazer Brat that it is simply.....just weird.....to see CSB finish where they did.  But this was an incredibly young team this year; beset with injuries and inexperience.  If there is ANYONE who can get CSB back up to the elite level it's Durbin.  He's been around too long and has had way too much success to let the Blazers wallow in mediocrity.  An incredibly tough year for St. Kate's which went winless in conference play but they have a VERY underrated coach in Gary Rufsvold.  He needs to bolster his squad with some prize recruits but if he gets a solid package the 'Cats can be dangerous once again.

Coming up tomorrow, I'll handicap the MIAC playoffs.

[LA RAMS]

Well, let's try handicapping the MIAC Playoff field once again.....

6.  Bethel - After a great start to the season that saw them rip off eight straight W's they were on a roller-coaster ride, at best, once they got into the meat of the MIAC season.  They at least avoided a full-scale meltdown but could never recapture the magic they were able to find in December.  Granted, this is a team that had to overcome the loss of Scotti Moats at the beginning of the year that significantly changed the overall dynamics of this squad.  Still, they are fortunate enough to have the likely conference MVP in Taylor Sheley and, in order for them to do the unlikely, she will have to be on fire and score - a LOT.  Ditto for their other three-point bomber Alicia Montbriand who will need to get a lot of looks as well.  The post play has been adequately covered by Kia Dahlquist and Lindy Parker and the guard play overall has been solid enough.  I think Kelly Swenson needs to have a breakout game from an offensive standpoint if the Royals are to do the improbable but it's certainly within the realm of possibility.

Sure sign of trouble - If Sheley isn't dropping her usual requisite of 3's they're in big trouble.  It's as simple as that.


5.  SMU - I didn't get a chance to see this team in action this season and honestly don't know a lot about them but they've been able to defy logic and crash the post-season party.  This team has been riding high on Jessica Thone's scoring and I've always felt that Courtney Euerle has had the ability to be one of the top post players in the conference and she's beginning to make a name for herself - certainly from a rebounding standpoint anyway.  But these are unchartered waters for this squad and I just don't think they're ready to be prime time players yet.

Sure sign of trouble - If this team gets down early in tonight's game with St. Olaf it could be over quickly for this inexperienced group.


4.  St. Olaf - Dave Stromme finally has his program in the post-season party and you knew it was only going to be a matter of time before he did that.  He's finally got the type of team I think he's always wanted - the "bigs" in Erin Haglund and Elise Raney plus solid enough guard play - especially from one of the best PGs in the conference in Mackenzie Wolter.  Still, this team didn't do quite as well as I had expected from a W-L standpoint but that may be the experience factor coming into play here.  I would think that, if they're ever going to take this league by storm, next year HAS to be the year or they're never going to do it.

Sure sign of trouble - If Raney's knee goes out on her again and Addy Bates, Kirstee Rottee, and (C'mon) Eileen O'Donoghue are rendered ineffective from behind the arc.


3.  Concordia - As I mentioned in yesterday's post, this just may be the ONE team to keep your eye on - again.  They've quietly won 10 out of their last twelve games and have managed to stay off the radar which is how Head Coach Jessica Rahman likes it.  They struggled early on in the season; battling inexperience and youthful mistakes but they've slowly come along and have been able to do quite well without what you would call a star-studded line-up.  Yes, they do have 6'4" post Alexandra Lippert but it's been more than that.  Last year's reserves, Emily Thesing and Tricia Sorenson, have been the glue that has made this team better as the season progressed.  I don't think they have enough to overcome UST in the MIAC Championship game - IF they're able to get there - but they will have to be one of the favorites next year for sure.

Sure sign of trouble - Just like last year, they CANNOT afford to have Lippert get into early foul trouble which would put a lot of pressure on reserve posts Walloch and Benjamin.


2.  GAC - (Sigh).....Okay, okay.  I know I came down awfully hard on this group - rightfully so or not - a mere week ago.  I'm not going to rehash the reasons why because that would take me a good part of the A.M. to do and I've already been over that stuff ad nauseum.  I just expected A LOT out of this team this year; even if they weren't able to overtake UST for the top spot.  This squad DOES have the tools to do this - they have the best PG in the conference in Colleen Ruane and always-dangerous Molly Geske plus a three-point bomber in Ava Perry and solid enough front line play from Eli Benz and a rebounding machine in post Abby Rothenbuehler.  But, for some reason, this team just has a certain fragility about it that scares the (expletive deleted) out of me and I can't quite put my finger on it and say what it is exactly.  I hope this squad can get an invite to the Big Dance but they may have played their way out of it with some of the late-season stumbles they've had and just getting to the MIAC Championship Game may not be enough.

Sure sign of trouble - If Geske gets bottled up inside consistently and Rothenbuehler tries to do too much which sometimes gets her into early foul problems.


1.  UST - Well, what more can you say about this squad that wiped the slate clean with the rest of the conference?  The one thing that Head Coach Ruth Sinn emphasized to me at the beginning of the year was being consistent and they've arguably been just that - incredibly consistent.  They did survive a couple of close calls but, aside from that, pretty much beat up the rest of the conference.  I honestly do not see any weaknesses at all with this squad.  The backcourt duo of Kellie Ring and Carolyn Dienhart has been solid, they've got the MIAC's three-point shooting Queen in Ali Johnson, they have a great post player in Maggie Weiers, an unbelievable player in Taylor Young, plus a bench that goes deeper than most nuclear submarines.  The question here is not whether or not UST will win this (they will) but how far can they go in the Big Dance.  I think this team is more than ready to go very deep.....I don't know if they can win the whole ball of wax but after last year's disappointing finish you have to think they're hungry and have a lot of unfinished business to tend to.

Sure sign of trouble - If the earth suddenly stops spinning and tsunamis suddenly hit both the East and West coasts.  That's about what it would take to stop this team.       

[royalfan]

Who is ready for an exciting night of MIAC playoff games? I'm real excited to see Taylor Sheley and the Royals squad take on the Cobbers tonight. Say what you want about either team, but when these two teams match up it is always a good game. I'm hoping that the Royals can pull off the win tonight, and I have a hopeful feeling that they will, but the Cobbers won't give it to them easily. I would really just like to see the Royals bring the heat tonight and to show this conference what they are really capable of.

I'd also like to say congrats to the possible MIAC MVP Taylor Sheley on the MIAC Profile of Excellence article, as Herbie said, she really is a great person on the court and an even better person off the court. Herbie and his team will suffer a great loss next season.

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

so it #1 v #2.......cna UST make it 24 in a row vs the MIAC?

[royalfan]

As annoyingly good as St. Thomas is, congrats to them on their undefeated season. I wonder how many conference championships they can rack up this year... football, wbb, maybe mbb, or men's/women's hockey? Can't we just send them D2 and call it a day??

[LA RAMS]

Well, here we are at Selection Monday.  Was glancing at the D3 Hoops projected brackets and, predictably, they have GAC left out.  Yet, they project THREE teams from the WIAC (UW-Stevens Point, UW-Whitewater, and UW-River Falls to get in.  They also have two IIAC teams getting in - Coe (winner of the IIAC Championship Game) and Simpson.  Yet, for some reason, GAC, which beat BOTH Occidental AND Redlands and lost to UW-River Falls at their place in the season opener and made it to the MIAC Championship Game WITH a #5 ranking in the West Region and an overall record of 20-6 gets conveniently left out.  Guess this is yet another excuse for the NCAA to (expletive deleted) over the MIAC when it comes to getting teams into the Dance.  The last time the MIAC had two teams in is back in '09 when both CSB (MIAC champ) and Concordia got in.  Three teams made it in '08 (still don't know how that happened) but there is every reason why GAC is DESERVING of a berth.

While I think it's a given that UST will host a sub-regional (pod), it will be interesting to see who they send up here.  I'm guessing Coe will be up here for sure.

[LA RAMS]

Well, wanted to take some time today to let my thoughts pour out about the injustice (ONCE AGAIN) done to the MIAC after watching the NCAA Women's Selection Show earlier this afternoon.  Yes, UST did get the automatic berth from Saturday's victory and will host a sub regional (pod) this weekend as expected.  BUT, as I feared earlier today, GAC got the mother of all snubs from the selection committee when it was left out of the field of 64 (in retrospect, I KNEW I should have made that quick run to Walgreens earlier this A.M. to get that little bottle of Vaseline that I just knew I'd need when the Selection Show came on).  Yes, despite going 20-6 on the year AND being ranked in the West Regional rankings - AND making it to the MIAC Championship game where they fell to UST after making a valiant second half comeback bid.  You'll notice, of course, that the neighboring WIAC and IIAC conferences got their requisite four (the WIAC gets FOUR!) and two teams in, respectively.  But, for some reason, the NCAA just doesn't think the MIAC is good enough to warrant this kind of consideration.  Well, gee, NCAA....thanks for all the consideration.  Hopefully, you'll have a somewhat better explanation for the four seniors on the GAC team (Molly Geske, Colleen Ruane, Ava Perry, and Liz Shay) who worked so hard this year and DESERVED an NCAA Tournament bid.  This is the THIRD YEAR IN A ROW that the MIAC has suffered this kind of fate and, quite frankly, it's getting old.  This is the time - NOW - when the conference, it's administrators, athletic directors, and coaches have to take DECISIVE action or else they'll be in the same predicament year after year after year.  Just utterly ridiculous.