WBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Maroon&Gold]

I think the top 6 projections looks pretty solid.  The one team that I wonder about is Bethel, but that is probably is because I have not seen them this year. And they relied so much on the 3 last year. 

Peach- don't worry about the Cobbs. They will be just fine. I hope that we see more games in the style of last saturday, where we were running up and down the court and the game had a flow to it.  Mel was tough inside as usual and Keeley was lights out, and she almost had a triple double,  I think that that little mini slump is a thing of the past.  Also, Krabbenhoft has been a pleasant surprise, she has been deadly from 15 to 20 feet so far.

[LA RAMS]

CM

Yeah, that was me celebrating with my buddy from Cali after Fitzpatrick scored our only TD Sunday.  Needless to say, about the only highlight of the day.  Although it wasn't the outright debacle like the USC game was, five INT's by the "Haavaad" boy was brutal.

Didn't get to attend it but did see the score of the Carleton - GAC game on Saturday night.  The observation that I make as we head into the holiday break is that the MIAC is unusually balanced this year as there seems to be a lot of mediocre teams that can knock the other off on a given night.  I would include the Knights, GAC, UST, Hamline, Bethel, and Concordia in this group.  Unlike a few short seasons ago when you had three legitimately very good teams and everybody else, there isn't anybody who really stands out save CSB and I'm not sold on them being a real threat should they make the D3 dance.  Even St. Kate's has to be reckoned with now as well as they are not the pushover they once were.  It'll be interesting to see who can step it up after the first of the year. 

[buf]

Carleton 50
Eau Claire 59

Pretty close game throughout with EC maintaining a small lead for most of the game.  Both teams made many substitutions and it looked like both coaches were working on things for the conference season.

Vig and Oken-Berg led Carleton. 

Both teams are similar in that they lost some key seniors and rely on freshman more than usual.  Each team has some nice freshman players that fans will have to keep an eye on.

I am a bit disapointed though.  I didn't get to see one of the famous "Tammy Tantrums!"   She was pretty calm throughout the game.

[Collegeville Magic]

the rams- I'd have to disagree with your thoughts about teams being a threat in the big dance.  Other than losing Kim Johnson and her HUGE contributions at the end of last season, the rest of the Blazer squad is probably more dangerous.

I'd also say that Bethel should be ranked above Carleton right now.  Carleton is (I hate to say) better coached, but Bethel has better athletes, and they're HUGE in the post compared to most D3 teams. 

Right now, I would say that CSB, Bethel, Carleton, and UST all have the potential to win a few games in the NCAAs, depending on the matchups and brackets.

Go BLAZERS!  Nice win last night for CSB, sounds like balance from our posts made the difference.

[scorekeeper]

Nice win for CSB on Tuesday (73-56 over Morris), especially since Anna Heikenen was out of the game with foul trouble most of the second half and then had the wind knocked out of her when she did return.  I think she played about 2 minutes of the second half and still ended up with 16 points and 12 boards in the game.  Kudos to Jamie Goehner who had her best game as a Blazer coming off the bench to score 12 points and grab 7 rebounds and block a couple of shots.  I think Jamie has been able to make the most of her minutes in every game.  She doesn't always score much, but she plays great defense, gets her hands in the passing lanes and doesn't back down from anyone.  Katie Kempe also had probably her best game so far.  She handled the ball well, shot well and took it to the basket, scoring 14 points.  I hope it all carries over to the games after Christmas.

Morris has a young, scrappy team, but they lack size.  Their point guard who comes off the bench is extremely quick and aggressive, but she plays a little out of control most of the time which lead her to some foul trouble.  The coach for Morris was the Big 10's leading rebounder in 2001, but that expertise hasn't quite carried over to her team yet.  I see Morris as an improving team though if she can recruit. 

[blazerguy]

Scorekeeper, What a nice surprise Jamie has been this year. Going into the year the center position was suspect but now with Jamie's play, along with a strong showing of Shrader, and Ellie Boone's return, it looks like one of our deeper positions. Although I didn't think Tauer player one of her better games in Morris, I still think she will be a dominating player by the end of the year. Maybe when Ellie returns we will have a force under the basket that will take some of the physical play off of Anna. I thought the officials were terrible in Morris with the no calls under the basket. Had we not had the strong play from Jamie we might have been in big trouble with poor 3 point shooting and the physical play allowed on Anna. It was a good win but could have been costly!

[Naf layor]

Hello to all!  I have recently learned of this site and have enjoyed reading all of the messages.
I believe with Boone gone, that Anna H. will score more then when Boone returns.  Vig is a tremendous athlete, one of the best I have seen in D-III.  Ahlberg is a great shooter and ball handler.  These three should be the leaders for MVP.
My early vote though goes to Anna H. as she appears to have taken her game to the next level.  Without her the Blazers would not be the same team; third or fourth in the MIAC.

Question: Are there messages from last year and can they be accessed?

[LA RAMS]

I haven't seen AH play this season yet and I have seen Vig once so far.  Vig is definitely the most versatile of all the candidates mentioned.  She doesn't have the supporting cast she's had the last few years so it makes her job a bit more difficult.  I do think Opdahl could be a dominant player if she wanted to be but she just isn't consistent enough down low.   

[Collegeville Magic]

No shock here, but I'm also tossing my three cents in.  (yes, I know I'm supposed to get 2, but I like shots from the arch better)

Anna H is the definite MVP of the MIAC so far.  No other player is contributing as much to her team as Ms. Heikenen, especially considering that every team CSB plays keys their defensive strategy one trying to stop her.

Vig is the central focus of opposing teams, but Oken-Berg certainly draws a lot of attention inside as well, and Anna's the only major threat in the post for CSB.

Anna's PPG average = 22.4
Vig's high point game this year= 20
Anna is ranked 1st in the MIAC in offensive boards at 4.57, 2nd place (Opdahl) is 3.57. Vig isn't in the top 15.
Anna is tied for 5th in steals, Vig isn't in the top 20.
Anna is 5th in field goal %, Vig isn't in the top 20.
Anna is 5th in overall rebounding, Vig is 12th.

The one category that Vig leads Heikenen is defensive rebounding, where Vig is ranked 6th, Anna's not in the top15.

I know, I know, stats aren't everything.  However, they certainly measure something.

Go Blazers!!!

[Willy Wonka]

I've not seen either team play this season, but I saw both teams play GAC last winter and I've played a few times with Vig in open gyms. From that I'll try to draw a few simple comparisons/comments.

Vig is a much more versatile player. She played the point-forward spot a lot towards the end of last season and did so effectively - though this limited her scoring and offensive rebounding opportunities a great deal. I've no idea if that's still the case this year or if that's contributed to either stat being "down" this season. With that said, versatility doesn't mean she's the better player either. It's like trying to argue KG vs. Shaq. Both have some weaknesses, but both are quite capable of dominating the game in their own fashion.

The one stat that CM failed to mention was the head-to-head matchup and Vig got the only stat that counts in that one. If the Carls can somehow win the title - which I don't see happening, Vig should get the award. However, the odds on favorite thus far would be Anna, especially if CSB wins the title. Just win baby

[tommycorn]

If I may add my two cents, I think it does come down to Vig and Heikenin, although I think Alhberg is a very close third.  In my mind right now, without having seen AH play this year, I think she is the favorite.  I think they are both very similar players, being able to dominate because of their physical play and the mis-matches they create.  I think AH does a better job than Vig at taking over the game.  Vig allows other people to take the ball in key situations, while AH knows when her team needs her to take the shots.  That fact could be the difference in this race.

I still think Ahlberg has an outside shot of making this two-horse race a three-way contest.  And if Opdahl could find consistency, her name may pop into the conversation come February.

[Collegeville Magic]

Anybody have an explanation for why UW-LaCrosse (how the he!! are they 10-0, by the way) is the only MIAC or WIAC team anywhere in the top 25?

I'd be shocked if there are 35 schools in the nation, counting those who received votes but not a ranking spot, who would beat CSB, Bethel, Carleton, and UST.

The 2 losses must be the key number, but leaving the MIAC completely unranked is a bad sign that east coast bias might hurt us again come NCAA selection day.

[LA RAMS]

CM,

I, too, am disappointed by the absence of a MIAC team in the top 25.  In my own mind, I think CSB belongs in.  But, as I mentioned earlier, there just seems to be either a lot of mediocrity or balance in the conference; perhaps a nice way of saying the conference as a whole is down this year (a very recent former player at UND who knows the MIAC teams well admitted as much to me anyway).  I haven't seen any WIAC teams play and it doesn't seem that long ago when UW-LAX had a bad case of Detroit Lions disease.  However, one thing that I think is encouraging is that there is an influx of new, young talent in the MIAC; particularly at Carleton, CSB, UST, and GAC which leads me to believe that better days are ahead.   

[Ghost of MIAC Past]

CM, you stated that Carleton is BETTER coached than Bethel is, but Bethel has better athletes.  Why do you feel Carleton is better coached?  I think Tami is a great coach, but she has a 5 to 6 year head start with her program over Bethel.  She has players who understand her system to teach the new kids every year.  This is the first year Bethel has actually had EXPERIENCE as an assest for their team.  Bethel has always been well coached the past three years.  They just didn't have the experience or players to be as competitive as some of the other programs.  You might say that the Bethels and Carletons coaches are a tad better than CSB since they have restrictions on who they can go after, and they still can field teams that can beat or play with CSB.  They don't have the luxury of recruiting every player in MN much like Durbin and Co.  They have to find the precious few that fit their mold, and can play basketball.  After Coach Herbrechtsmeyer has been their another 3 or 4 years, then maybe you can talk about teams being better coached.

[gacbacker]

Tommycorn- I disagree with you that Ahlberg is a close third for MVP...right now I would put Bri Monahan ahead of Ahlberg for third place...Ahlberg has a much deeper supporting cast than Monahan does and Monahan's stats are more impressive right now.