WBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[LA RAMS]

Yet another topsy-turvy weekend that has also reshuffled the deck somewhat in my latest power rankings:

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

I have to tell you that the top two spots held right now by both CSB and UST are very tenuous at best.  CSB, after getting spanked at Hamline this last week coupled with UST's unimpressive win at Augsburg have not helped their cause although the Tommies did do a lot to make a statement Saturday night.  All of a sudden, GAC has become the hottest team in the conference and going up to Moorhead and knocking off a very good Concordia team was no small feat. 

It's hard for me to type this but I don't have much of a choice but to insert SMU at the #5 spot.  Yes, they did hold off a hard-charging Macalester team at home but they haven't shown they can win big games on the road yet.  Hamline has come off the respirator and is looking very scary all of a sudden; even without Jackie Kelly and Brianna Blackhawk who both quit on their team.  If you want to find out what the hell happened to both Bethel and St. Olaf, then just watch the last hour and a half of the movie "Titanic" and you'll pretty much get your answer.     

[blazerguy]

My Blazers have hit a speed bump, don't worry, Durbin will get it figured out, sleep is over rated anyhew. 

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

First Regional Rankings: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/category/ncaa-stuff/regional-rankings/

[LA RAMS]

Here's my latest power rankings after yet another unpredictable week:

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

The way this thing is going, nothing can be etched in stone.  CSB and UST manage to hang on to the top two spots but they are doing just that - hanging on.  Likewise, GAC is managing to cling to the thrid spot in my poll by getting wins on both Wednesday night and Saturday after stumbling at Macalester a week ago.  I'm suddenly becoming worried about the pysche of the Concordia team after they managed to lose yet another game to Bethel in bizarre fashion - this time at home.  You have to wonder now how much they have left in the tank - and upstairs as well.  As for Bethel, well, I guess you have to give them a lot of credit as they're once again finding ways to win games when they have to and if they can keep their key players healthy they're looking very good.  Both Macalester and Hamline are managing to keep their playoff hopes alive by picking up big road victories on Saturday.  SMU is slowly slip-sliding away and St. Olaf has to think about next year now.

[LA RAMS]

A bloody shame this board is so quiet; particularly after any semblance of normalcy or order in the MIAC went kablooey last night when surging Macalester went up to St. Joe and punched CSB in the mouth in their own crib.   Not that the Scots didn't have the ability to win this one but rather, the WAY they won it.  They simply pounded the Blazers on the board and you've got to think that Macalester now has planted the seeds of doubt in all of the upper echelon teams.

Speaking of the upper echelon, this upcoming slate of Saturday games is simply HUGE.  You've got league-leading UST at GAC which is playing very well right now.  Simply stated, this is a giant opportunity for GAC to not only make a major move in the standings but also to make a statement to the rest of the conference that they are a bona fide title contender.  Also, CSB travels to M-head to take on Concordia in another titanic clash.  As I see it, this game could make or break CSB's season.  While they've already easily clinched a playoff berth, suffering yet another setback would really send them spiraling.  Then, you've got Hamline traveling down Snelling Avenue to take on their southern neighbor Macalester,  Whoever comes out on top in this one would have the inside track to that coveted sixth playoff spot.

Perhaps the best way to sum this all up would be to paraphrase that great philosopher Michael Corleone himself when he said in Godfather III, "Then no one is safe."  

[LA RAMS]

Major shake-up in my power rankings after Armageddon Saturday in the MIAC:

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

No doubt as to who's the top dog in the MIAC now as UST simply overpowered GAC in St. Peter.  Nipping at their heels though are those pesky Concordia Cobbers who scored a BIG win at home over CSB which is now in an alarming tailspin and had better find a way to turn it around - quickly.  It was hard for me to do this but I simply have to shove Bethel up to #4 in my rankings.  They took care of business easily against Augsburg on Saturday and have an excellent shot at solidifying their chances in this last week of the regular season.  GAC showed on Saturday how incredibly vulnerable they really are and, although, they may be pretty much locked in to that fourth playoff spot, I simply don't see this team being much of a factor at all in the MIAC playoffs.  One team that could be, though, is Macalester which scored a huge win at home against Snelling Avenue rival Hamline that gives the Scots the inside track to that sixth spot.   

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Week 3 Regional Rankings are out: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2011/02/16/ncaa-2011-regional-rankings-week-3/

[LA RAMS]

Anarchy and chaos is now running rampant in the MIAC.  While both GAC and CSB enjoyed easy, comfortable wins at home over bottom-feeding teams, the standings and positions of certain teams were thrown totally into the air by events elsewhere.  First, Concordia had to hang on for dear life in the waning moments against a gamey and very scrappy St. Kate's team playing like it had nothing to lose.  The Corn staved off defeat when Megan Zillmer's last-second 3-point attempt JUST missed.   Bethel found itself in a dogfight with St. Olaf at home and was very fortunate to escape; Rachel Gilbert's 3-pointer from the left corner late in the game gave the Royals the separation they needed to get themselves into position to ice the game away at the charity stripe - and clinch a playoff berth as well.  Macalester, meanwhile, suffered a costly, costly 66-65 loss on the road to Carleton.  The Scots appeared to have the inside track for that sixth spot after this last Saturday but now find themselves fighting for their playoff lives.  And to compound the situation, Hamline, which appeared to be back on the respirator again suddenly came alive (again) and simply and utterly humiliated league-leading UST last night 85-71.  We now have a situation in place where we could have a three-way tie for first place and a two-way tie for sixth place.  This wild, weird, wacky season just keeps getting wackier.

Hold on to your hats, folks.  Judgment Saturday is just around the corner.  

[buf]

St Thomas puts the beatdown on St. Bens, 80-47.

[LA RAMS]

Time for the final power rankings of the season:

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

After getting through this last wacky week and Judgment Saturday in particular still more shake-ups and surprises in the end.  UST saw both ends of the spectrum; getting thumped on Wednesday night and then posting an impressive win yesterday.  Solidly at the #2 position is Concordia which made a big statement yesterday with a resounding win on the road at Hutton Arena against a Hamline team that was trying to pull out all the stops in a last-ditch effort to try and make the playoffs.  The other big winner in the last week was Bethel as they slide into the #3 spot in my rankings because they keep on winning.  GAC didn't look nearly as impressive as I thought they would playing an SMU team that was finishing out the stretch.  But the big loser on Saturday had to be CSB which was simply and utterly shred into smithereens by UST  in another Stalingrad-esque performance by the Blazers (and NO, Blazer fan, you were not the Russians in this one either).  Macalester was able to sneak in the back door for that coveted sixth spot after losing a tough one to Bethel while Hamline was left at the Heartbreak Hotel.  St. Olaf ended the season on a good note; edging cross-town rival Carleton by one point as did St. Kate's as they staved off Augsburg in overtime in a wild one over at the Butler Center.

Tomorrow night I'll handicap the teams for the upcoming MIAC playoffs that begin Tuesday night.

[Out_Of_My_Kitchen]

Wow St. Bens.  When was the last time a St. Bens team lost that bad in conference?!  Hopefully for their sake it was the wake up call the needed for the conference tournament. 

[LA RAMS]

OK; so let's try handicapping the MIAC playoff field here and see if we can possibly make some sense of what turned out to be an incredibly unpredicatable year.  Let's start with the sixth seed and move our way up:

6.  Macalester - Admittedly they got in through the back door and I'd like this team's chances better had they come away with at least a split this last week.  Still, you have to respect what they've done since mid-January.  NO ONE, including yours truly, thought that Mac could possibly be a factor this season after losing Trina PaStarr, Ann Baltzer and Danielle Johnson.  Still, the Rene Sisters proved that they're still terrors when shooting the ball and Majra Mucic was simply unbelievable at times this year.  They won some games they shouldn't have won and lost some games they shouldn't have lost.

Sure sign of trouble.....If the Rene Sisters go stone cold from behind the arc and Mucic gets no help down low from either Holly Schiedermayer or Audrey Mills.


5.  Bethel - IMHO, this team is a lot better than their seed.  They rode a seven-game winning streak only to follow it up with a five-game losing skid.  Losing Alicia Montbriand to an ACL a few weeks back didn't help and Kelly Swenson has been battling shin splints as well.  Still, this team found a way to turn it around and get it going again when it looked like they were going down with the Titanic.  They have not only been winning but, more importantly, have found ways to survive very tough, very physical games as of late which is what you need to do when this time of year rolls around.

Sure sign of trouble.....If Scotti Moats gets into foul trouble early and neither Danielle Ruberg or Shana Grejtak are able to pick up the slack.


4.  GAC - It wouldn't seem like the MIAC playoffs without GAC being in it and even more so if they didn't find a way to bow out early again.  GAC hasn't gone into any major slumps unlike some other teams this season yet, when they've been winning, they haven't been terribly impressive in doing so either.  They did steal a crucial road game up at Concordia earlier this season and yet they've taken thumpings from both Macalester and Hamline on the road and, worse yet, at home from UST.  They did split with Concordia but were swept by both CSB and UST.  In the playoffs where the intensity is ratched up several notches, this does not bode well for the Gusties.

Sure sign of trouble - If post players Molly Mathiowetz and Abby Rothenbuehler can't kick it out to the three point shooters and Molly Geske doesn't get creative enough.


3.  CSB - If there was ever a team going into the playoffs with their tail between their legs it would most definitely be the Blazers as they've inexplicably gone into major, major meltdown mode as they've lost five out of their last nine games and, not only that, have absorbed some serious, serious spankings along the way.  You would never expect this from a senior dominated team that features Amy Stifter, Laura Canton, Heather Gillund, Joelle Waytashek and Devin Bowlin.  Still, there's something about how a wounded animal is always the most dangerous when backed into a corner and CSB may very well be that wounded animal (anyone remember 2005?).

Sure sign of trouble.....If Blazers get into a hole early it may be too much to overcome for this psychologically-damaged team.


2.  Concordia - Speaking of senior-laden teams, you simply have to like this group's chances.  True, they were swept by Bethel this year in totally bizarre fashion and they haven't been invincible at home either.  Yet, along the way they've shown signs of what championship contenders do and they've been pretty steady at it for the most part this year.  When you've got seniors Erica Nord and Lindsey Schultz in the backcourt along with a huge presence in freshman Alexandra Lippert who can swat away shots at a moment's notice plus steady performances by reserves Emily Thesing and Tricia Sorenson you just have to like this team's chances.

Sure sign of trouble.....If Lippert starts picking up fouls in bunches like she did early in the year and Nord gets the yips at the charity stripe late in a close game.


1.  UST - From a purely physical standpoint this team can instill the fear of God in opponents and they've got the big tools to do just that (Rachel Booth, Taylor Young, and Maggie Weiers).  They've also got one of the best defensive players in the game in Jazmin Townsend plus, IMHO, the three-point shooting queen of the MIAC in Ali Johnson.  So, why is it I have some nagging doubts about this group?  True, Johnson was sick a few weeks ago and the recovery process can be slow.  But this group has also shown some chinks in its armour as they've lost at St. Kate's and mailed it in when they went over to Hutton Arena to play Hamline.  They also lost two tough games at home to quality opponents in UW-Stevens Point and Concordia.  So how will this group respond in a tough game late against a quality opponent?

Sure sign of trouble.....If Johnson is quiet from behind the arc and Kellie Ring and Carolyn Dienhart are non-factors in the backcourt forcing Booth to shoulder the load.

[PRF2009A]

If you would have told me this group of seniors for CSB would be in this situation 2 years ago I would have thought you were crazy. 

I hope they can salvage this season and make a run in the MIAC playoffs.  They have the talent to do it, that's for sure.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Final Regional Rankings before Selection Sunday: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/category/ncaa-stuff/regional-rankings/

[LA RAMS]

Congratulations to the Concordia Cobbers as they systematically wore down UST both physically and mentally in today's MIAC Championship Game.  The game wasn't as close as the 71-61 final would suggest.  The Corn got off to a quick start and controlled the tempo for most of the first half despite a late flurry by the Tommies.  The critical juncture came early in the second half when the Tommies were threatening and had cut the Cobber lead to a single possession and could have tied things up or gone ahead - but didn't.  The senior leadership of Nord, Schultz, Jossart, and Bauernfeind refused to let this team hit the panic button when it could have and slowly but surely pulled away from the Tommies for the victory.  The Concordia defense simply stifled the Tommies at times as several key UST players were totally ineffective at key moments.

Now comes the interesting part as Concordia waits to see where it will be shipped off to.  With Coe edging Simpson at home in Cedar Rapids as well this afternoon in the IIAC Championship Game the guess here is that Concordia will be headed to the City of Five Seasons.  I'm anticipating that the MIAC will get screwed once again and get only one team in; not that I'd be as disappointed about it as I was last year but UST deserves a bid into the Dance as well, IMHO.  We'll just have to see what shakes out when Monday morning comes around....