WBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[LA RAMS]

It looks like St. Benedict is by far the best team in the league this year.  Who do you think will challenge them? 

Just from what I've seen so far and from what I saw last night, Concordia to me looks like the most complete team out there right now.  I have seen CSB once this year and I really thought that at the beginning of the season they were by far and away the best in the MIAC.  Now all of a sudden I'm not so sure.  Yes, they have been winning and taking care of business so far.  But this is without question the most physical Cobber team I've ever seen and last night against Macalester they just shut down the Scots 1-2 punch of Ann Baltzer and Trina PaStarr in the 2nd half.  That Cobber defense just gets on you and doesn't let go.

Hey UST - What the HELL was THAT last night?  You can't let Bethel come into your crib and put a beatdown like that on you.  If last night's 65-33 drubbing is any indication, the Tommies have some serious, serious issues to overcome if they want to be a factor in the MIAC title chase.  Granted, that was a nice victory over a very good Simpson team just before the first of the year BUT you can't turn around and lay and egg like that.  Monday's loss at St. Kate's and this latest meltdown may very well indicate that UST is starting to circle the drain.         

[PRF07]

I have yet to see concordia play this year, but I have a hard time believing that they can play with St. Bens...  We will find out on saturday now.   The bennies have been "taking care of business" quite easily lately.  Durbin has been using a 10+ player rotation which is going to have huge benefits later in the season when solid bench play becomes more and more important. 

The scary thing for the rest of the conference is that this team has a ton of room to improve...They have played no where near their best basketball yet.   I think Durbin or any player on the team would agree with that statement.

[BBTommie]

It looks like St. Benedict is by far the best team in the league this year.  Who do you think will challenge them? 

Hey UST - What the HELL was THAT last night?  You can't let Bethel come into your crib and put a beatdown like that on you.  If last night's 65-33 drubbing is any indication, the Tommies have some serious, serious issues to overcome if they want to be a factor in the MIAC title chase.  Granted, that was a nice victory over a very good Simpson team just before the first of the year BUT you can't turn around and lay and egg like that.  Monday's loss at St. Kate's and this latest meltdown may very well indicate that UST is starting to circle the drain.         

Just my observations and I'm far from an expert on women's basketball but here is what I'm seeing:

Complete inability to execute against a good zone defense.  No effective ball movement.  Lots of dribbling around looking for someone to magically get open inside.  Lots of driving into traffic and getting stuck double and triple teamed.  No reliable outside shooting.  Poor inside defense.  Lots of work to do to get this team back to functioning like a team.

They are young in some key spots, especially inside.  They are suiting up 20-22 players.  Katch is solid and a fun player to watch but even she is struggling with shooting and turnovers as she likely is pressing a bit.  Fortunately their pressing defense is still very strong, even though it tends to give up too many easy shots inside.

Lot of work to do, but could still surprise if they can just score some points.

[LA RAMS]

PRF - No doubt we'll get a lot of questions answered this Saturday after the Concordia-CSB tilt.  The reason I think Concordia has the edge here is that CSB simply hasn't seen anyone that can play defense AND be physical like Concordia yet.  If they can shut down Frank and Gillund and neutralize Tauer, it could be a long day for the Blazers. 

BBTommie - The thing that still gets me about the Tommies in the opportunites I've been able to watch them is that they still look like a team that's trying to find an identity for themselves and, quite obviously after last night's disaster at Schoenecker, they still have a long way to go.  Katch is a very good player but she can only do so much.  I think the painful truth for UST is that they got spoiled last year having a great presence down low in Carrie Embree and now with her gone they're starting to hit the panic button when they can't hit from the perimeter.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I also think Sinn has got some serious backcourt issues that still haven't been resolved yet. 

[gacbacker]

7 Questions to consider midway through the season

1. Is St. Ben's going to run away with the conference?

2. Can Gustavus remain in the top three of the conference during their upcoming eight game road trip?

3. Will St. Thomas ever decide on a regular rotation or continue to throw things at the wall each and every game?

4. When will St. Olaf realize that shooting 25 three pointers per game when you're a 23% three point shooting team isn't going to win you a lot of games? Especially when your post player is the leading scorer in the conference 

5. Is Carleton's run of straight seasons making the MIAC playoffs over?

6. Can Macalester make its first playoff appearance is forever?

7. Can the conference get more than one team in the tournament this year?

[PRF07]

Quite a game by the blazers yesterday.... LA you were right that the cobbers are aggressive and play physical.  However, that did not translate to good defense.  CSB was left open time after time for easy 3 pointers and jump shots.  Cobbers were the most agressive team I've seen play the blazers this year, but they are very undersized with what is basically an all guard line up.  They were unable to get any shots off inside vs. Frank and Guillind.

On a side note...  I would think CSB would finally jump back into the top 25 again this week.... TX-Dallas is ranked 25 with two losses.  That is a team that CSB beat earlier this year. 

[PRF07]

What a difference 3 days can make.

St. Ben's didn't show up tonight and lets hope they don't have to play at St. thomas in the playoffs at because the tommies have their number in that building.  Hopefully this lights a fire under the bennies and they come out firing every game her on out.

The tommies looked really good.  I haven't seen them play this year until tonight, but I can't believe they lost 4 games.  They moved the ball around well on offense, played agressive and physical, and made ALL their shots.  Very impressive.

It will be interesting to see how st. bens responds saturday and then again on monday against the gusties.

[granny14]

It appears no team is completely sacred!  With approximately half of the season remaning, most every team can make a statement.  What really happened at St. Thomas last night?

[BBTommie]

It appears no team is completely sacred!  With approximately half of the season remaning, most every team can make a statement.  What really happened at St. Thomas last night?

First of all it looked to me like St. Ben's thought they could stop the Tommie Offense with a man-to-man when their recent losses were against good zones, which bottled up the inside game.  The Tommie inside players are very good at coming out and making shots from outside, which happened quite a bit last night.

Second, the Tommies shot really well with renewed confidence from their win against Carleton and some changes in the starting lineup and rotation.

Third, they were more physical.

Fourth, they played loose and fierce as an underdog who knew they could win.

Fifth, they have Katch, who is a superstar strong in all aspects of the game.

[LA RAMS]

7 Questions to consider midway through the season

1. Is St. Ben's going to run away with the conference?

2. Can Gustavus remain in the top three of the conference during their upcoming eight game road trip?

3. Will St. Thomas ever decide on a regular rotation or continue to throw things at the wall each and every game?

4. When will St. Olaf realize that shooting 25 three pointers per game when you're a 23% three point shooting team isn't going to win you a lot of games? Especially when your post player is the leading scorer in the conference 

5. Is Carleton's run of straight seasons making the MIAC playoffs over?

6. Can Macalester make its first playoff appearance is forever?

7. Can the conference get more than one team in the tournament this year?

Gacbacker,

Thought I should take a few days and let a few games play out before I take a stab at the questions you pose.....

1.  I think we have a much better feel on CSB now after Wednesday night's beatdown at the hands of UST.  CSB has a lot of talent for sure and they're definitely one of the top 2 or 3 teams in the conference but I really feel like Concordia is the most complete team in the MIAC despite the loss they had to CSB in St. Joe this last Saturday. 

2.  I see a lot of red flags when I've watched the Gusties this season.  Yes, a lot of good, young talent there for sure but they've been living dangerously to say the least.  Despite the breathtaking win over at Bethel Wednesday night, there's a lot of things that could be better about this group.  The one thing about GAC over the years that really gets me is that they tend to play too "nice" ; i.e., they lack that killer instinct that both CSB and Carleton have had over the years.  I think they'll get into the playoffs okay but doing it as the 3rd seed may be a bit of a stretch.

3.  Presumably Sinn has after Wednesday night's romp over CSB.  This Dr. Jekyll and Hyde act needed to create an identity for itself and I think it finally has.  This squad has had so many ups and downs this season already that the Dallas Cowboys would be proud of this group.

4.  Good question.......Unless Erdahl, Oja, and the little blonde bombshell can suddenly get hot it could be a brutal homestretch for this group.

5.  It looks that way.  I just don't think this team or TM-F have any more rabbits they can pull out of their hat.

6.  It seems like it was just yesterday that Mac had canceled their season and their program appeared moribund.  What a difference a few short years can make.  I think they not only make the MIAC playoffs but they get in as the #4 or #5 seed.

7.  I think both Concordia and CSB get into the Dance.  Now, will either one of them do any damage once they get in?  Sadly, I'd have to say no as the MIAC will do its normal post season flop.   

[granny14]

Great day for a couple of teams.  Is Carleton coming up again?

[gacbacker]

Nice win for the Gusties today. The Tommies looked like they thought they were going to be able to strut right in and win easily after they dismantled St. Ben's three days earlier. No sir.

Hamline gives St. Ben's their second straight loss, setting up a match-up of first place teams on Monday in St. Joseph. Should be a good one.

[PRF07]

Can't figure out what is more surprising...

1... St. Ben's continues to be in a bit of a funk and loses to Hamline

2... After dominating St. Ben's and looking unstoppable the tommies come out and lose at home Saturday

Looking for St. Bens to get back to the basics on monday.  I expect to see the offense moving through frank, guillind and tauer.  Getting the ball to those 3 collapses the D and gives the good shooters on this team good opportunities on kick outs.

Should be a good one Monday. 

St. Bens 70
Gustavus 64

Hoping that the home court advantage pays dividends.

[gacbacker]

When was the last time St. Ben's lost three straight MIAC games? Has it even happened during the Durbin era?

[gacbacker]

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!