WBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Started by onearmedscot, July 15, 2005, 12:26:15 PM

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LA RAMS

Quote from: bballfan13 on January 02, 2013, 08:35:04 PM
Anyone know why Taylor Young is not playing for St. Thomas?  Do you know when she will return?  Also, any news on Maggie Weiers injury and when she will return?

While Weiers is out for the year (presumably anyway) with her foot injury, it is anticipated that Young SHOULD be back playing for the Tommies sometime this month last I heard.
"Beating 'SC is not a matter of life or death.  It's more important than that."  Former UCLA Head Football Coach Red Sanders

LA RAMS

Well, here we are; the first Monday in January 2013 and it's time once again for my weekly MIAC Power Rankings:

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

At this early point in the season, it's difficult to deviate from the actual standings too much.  No surprise to who's still at the top.  But how about GAC sporting a 7-0 conference record so far and 8-2 overall?  I have to admit that even I could not have forseen that one.  Whether GAC can continue on this unexpected run I don't know but I think you have to give first year Head Coach Laurie Kelly a LOT of credit for bringing this squad to where they are right now.  That said, Gusties have two big games coming up this week - tonight at Macalester and then Wednesday night at home against UST.  Gusties found out last year the hard way that they'd better not take Scots for granted in Leonard Center.  And GAC has been UST's little b***h the last few seasons.  Concordia, meanwhile, is still solid; still rolling right along as expected.  SMU, despite taking a hit last Wednesday night at GAC remains in the thick of things.  I give them an edge over CSB at this point anyway.  Hamline is in the sixth spot in my rankings because I can't justify putting St. Olaf over them at this juncture.  I do, however, give the Oles the benefit of the doubt as I have them in the seventh spot as they found a way to overcome a very sluggish start at Bethel on Saturday.  But, as I've said before, their margin for error is practically non-existent at this point and blowing a 27 point second half lead at Concordia last week burned up another one of their lifelines.       
"Beating 'SC is not a matter of life or death.  It's more important than that."  Former UCLA Head Football Coach Red Sanders

LA RAMS

Just getting into mid-January and already we're getting a glimpse of how incredibly crazy this conference can be at times.  Saturday's events obviously shake things up some but I've a feeling this may only be the beginning.

First, before I go too far here I want to offer my sincerest apologies to the Gustavus program for the remark that I made last week.  It was off-color and highly inappropriate and, contrary to what I was trying to convey.  I don't deny that I get a little carried away sometimes with what I say and how I try to say it and I guess this was one of those times.  It should have been done differently.  Lesson learned.  That said, it doesn't change the situation because, in the final analysis, no matter how you twist it or turn it or slice it and dice it, it is what it is and the numbers don't lie.

Moving right along, let's take a look at how things are on this Monday morning....

1.  UST

2.  GAC

3.  SMU

4.  CSB

5.  Concordia

6.  Hamline

7.  Augsburg

8.  St. Olaf

9.  Macalester

10.  Carleton

11.  Bethel

12.  St. Kate's

So, who'd have thunk it?  CSB pulled off the upset of the weekend (maybe of the year) by knocking off big bad UST at home in St. Joe.  Realistically, I think this young Blazer team is probably a year away from seriously contending for the title but Saturday's stunning upset I think gives us the first glimpse of what this team is capable of.  I'll keep UST at the top spot for now by virtue of the 65-43 shellacking they handed the #2 team in the rankings, GAC, at Schoenecker West.....I mean, I mean, Lund Arena, this last Wednesday night.  Now, however, UST finds their lofty spot atop the hill suddenly slippery and they'd better be careful because there's a host of challengers more than happy and ready to replace them.  GAC, as expected, rebounded from Wednesday night's defeat by cruising to an easy win over at St. Kate's on Saturday.  At the moment, they would appear to be the heir apparent to take over the top spot should UST stumble again as they're tied with the Tommies in the actual standings for first place.  SMU took care of business at home over the last couple of outings as expected but, in the other stunner this last weekend Hamline, despite having their bus careen off an icy I-94 on Friday night, got into Moorhead on Saturday and shocked the Cobbers in OT.  This Hamline team may very well be the most dangerous team in the conference right now and when they're hot, look out.  As a result, the Birds move up to #3 while the Corn slides down to #5.

Elsewhere, can ANYONE out there please explain what the deal is with St. Olaf???  Yes, they did win on Saturday but they had to pull off a late run to stave off defeat AT HOME against Augsburg.  Just not very impressive, IMHO, of a team with the kind of talent that they have.  At this juncture, it's difficult for me to envision the Oles overtaking Hamline for that sixth spot UNLESS the Pipers get riddled again with red crosses like they did last year with the injury bug (hmm...a lot like my fantasy football team every year).  I give the Scots the 9th spot for now as I haven't seen Carleton play yet.  Bethel, despite Saturday's loss in Winona, appears to be getting incrementally better with each outing as they picked up their first conference win this last Wednesday night against St. Kate's.
"Beating 'SC is not a matter of life or death.  It's more important than that."  Former UCLA Head Football Coach Red Sanders

LA RAMS

Let's see how things look as of this A.M.  Not surprisingly, a few changes are in the offing......


1.  UST

2.  (tie) GAC, Concordia, & CSB

3.  SMU

4.  Hamline

5.  St. Olaf

6.  Carleton

7.  Augsburg

8.  Bethel

9.  Macalester

10.  St. Kate's

Tommies remain in the top spot after convincing victories but this upcoming week will be a huge test as they have roadies at Concordia (tonight 1-21) and then down the River in Winona on Wednesday night.  The Cobbers, meanwhile, got their act together by claiming not only a road win at Bethel but going into St. Peter and pulling off the upset against the Gusties.  A heartbreaker for sure for GAC but they should presumably take care of business this week before another showdown at home with suddenly surging CSB next Saturday.  The Blazers just continue to impress me with strong showings on the road this last week and they should also roll before the showdown with GAC next Saturday.  As such, I've got a three-way logjam in the second spot for the moment.  SMU got a huge scare on Saturday at Augsburg and had to go into an extra session to stave off defeat.  This week will be a huge opportunity for the Cardinals as they have favorable road trips at Hamline and St. Kate's that sandwich the big home game Wednesday night with UST.  I think that, when you take a look at the top five teams in this conference, it just shows you how incredibly strong the MIAC truly is this year.
"Beating 'SC is not a matter of life or death.  It's more important than that."  Former UCLA Head Football Coach Red Sanders

LA RAMS

(yawn) Just another wild, crazy week in the MIAC.  So, what else is new?  Anyway, here's how things stack up in this Monday morning's MIAC Power Rankings:


1.  Concordia

2.  (tie) CSB & SMU

3.  (tie) UST & GAC

4.  (tie) St. Olaf & Hamline

5.  Augsburg

6.  Carleton

7.  Bethel

8.  Macalester

9.  St. Kate's


The sure and steady Cobbers have suddenly vaulted their way to the top of the rankings by scoring huge wins this last week including the big upset of UST this last Monday night.  While things look favorable for them this week, they do have big road contests looming in the distance at both SMU and CSB.  Speaking of those two, they now find themselves embroiled in a battle for second place (in both rankings AND conference standings) as the Cardinals claimed two road wins at Hamline and St. Kate's that sandwiched the huge win at home vs UST while CSB claimed three wins this last week; highlighted by the thriller in St. Peter against GAC......

Meanwhile, suddenly slumping UST has seen its dreams of easily repeating as MIAC champions go up in flames as they've inexplicably lost four out of their last six.  I don't want to say that the Tommies are suddenly circling the drain but it must feel like it right about now.  Another team that may want to strongly consider breaking out the panic button is GAC as they've now lost three out of their last four games; including heartbreakers at home to both Concordia and CSB just this last Saturday.  Things don't get any easier for the Gusties as they have to travel to Winona on Wednesday night to go up against SMU and then come up to the Cities on Saturday for another tricky contest at Hamline.  Speaking of the Pipers, they've suddenly got on the right track despite dropping a tough game to SMU last week Monday night by getting a big road win at Augsburg and then pulling off the unthinkable by knocking off UST in the Tommies own crib on Saturday.  St. Olaf, which appeared to be on life support just a mere week ago has suddenly righted the ship as well by getting three big wins this last week including the big one at home against GAC last Wednesday night.  IF, if they can stay healthy and get point production from their guards (Mackenzie Wolter, Lauren Gutierrez, and Kim Cerjan) they could be very, very dangerous once the conference playoffs roll around.         
"Beating 'SC is not a matter of life or death.  It's more important than that."  Former UCLA Head Football Coach Red Sanders

LA RAMS

As we head into the home stretch of the regular season, things are beginning to finally shake out - in some cases in a very unexpected way....

1.  Concordia

2.  CSB

3.  SMU

4.  UST

5.  Hamline

6.  (tie) St. Olaf & GAC

7.  Augsburg

8.  Bethel

9.  Carleton

10.  Macalester

11.  St. Kate's

Give props to the Cobbers for enduring road games on back-to-back days - and getting over on both occasions.  As such, they're solidifying their spot at the top of the heap - at least for the time being anyway as CSB continues to nip on their heels.  The Blazers are arguably the hottest team in the conference right now as they've ripped off eight straight wins and logic would suggest they'll make it nine in a row tonight before the big showdown Wednesday night at home against Concordia where they'll have to roll the dice.  SMU, meanwhile, blew a golden opportunity to knock the top dog off of its perch when they lost at home to Concordia yesterday.  Still, at 17-4 overall (14-4 in conference play) they're still in good shape and the only daunting aspect left of the regular season schedule is a return trip to CSB and, you'd have to think that, in a worst-case scenario that they'd be no worse than a #3 seed come playoff time.  UST has at least stopped treading water and now appears to be afloat again but they've still got work ahead of them - a home date with CSB and a roadie down to St. Olaf are still in the offing for them.

The same cannot be said, however, for GAC as they've gone into a total free-fall rivaling the collapse of the Soviet Union and its east European satellite nations; losing five out of their last six games and six out of their last nine.  It's a downfall that, quite frankly, not even I could have ever envisioned happening.  Even more puzzling is the manner in which they're losing games as three of these losses have been by two points or less.  Now comes the $64,000 question:  Can the Gusties SOMEHOW turn this titanic-like season around and salvage something out of it?  (sigh).....I truly don't know....They've got talent certainly and those close games that they've lost would seem to suggest that they COULD anyway and it may also suggest that it may be a confidence factor more than anything.  At the same time, though, when I look at the road ahead for GAC, to say that it's going to be a hard row to hoe would be an understatement.  Road trips to both UST (yeah, yeah I know...We've been over that ad nauseum) and Concordia (gulp) remain and homes games with Macalester, St. Kate's and Carleton are no longer "sure" things.  In the end, I guess only the Gusties themselves can answer that question but I do not like how this is setting up at all for GAC.  Hamline is another team that is on a tear as they've suddenly won four straight and their schedule is a bit more favorable as they've got both St. Olaf and Concordia at home.  The Oles are still clinging to a life-line; they're likely pointing to that showdown at Hamline this coming Wednesday night.     
"Beating 'SC is not a matter of life or death.  It's more important than that."  Former UCLA Head Football Coach Red Sanders

LA RAMS

One more week of the regular season to go and it's a jumbled up mess at the top.....

1.  Concordia

2.  (tie)  SMU & UST

3.  CSB

4.  Hamline

5.  GAC

6.  St. Olaf

7.  (tie) Carleton & Augsburg

8.  Bethel

9.  Macalester

10.  St. Kate's


Cobbers remain atop of the hill for this Monday A.M. despite losing a tough one this last Wednesday night in St. Joe to CSB.  Things could have gone totally kablooey for them but they hunkered down and held off a hot Hamline squad in Hutton Arena on Saturday.  This last week of the regular season LOOKS favorable anyway; with home dates against St. Kate's on Wednesday and then GAC on Saturday to close out the regular season - and then presumably to get the #1 seed in the MIAC playoffs.  SMU, however, is right on their tails as is now suddenly UST which seems to be sailing in the right direction again as they recorded a resounding victory over CSB on Saturday.  As such, I simply felt I had to knock CSB into the third spot on my power rankings as I'm beginning to have serious doubts about if this team is ready (or capable) of pulling off road victories against the upper-echelon teams and they've got another big one on Wednesday night down the River in Winona against SMU.  Hamline had it's six-game joy ride come to an end on Saturday against the Corn but they have a great shot still to nail down that fifth spot as they have Bethel at home on Wednesday night and then a roadie at Carleton on Saturday.  GAC will likely have to settle for the sixth spot as they have to travel up to Moorhead on Saturday to take on the Corn.  St. Olaf's slim (and I mean SLIM) playoff hopes, which were put back on life support this last week, will likely get the plug finally pulled as they have BOTH UST and CSB this coming week.  Ouch.
"Beating 'SC is not a matter of life or death.  It's more important than that."  Former UCLA Head Football Coach Red Sanders

LA RAMS

With the MIAC playoffs looming in a couple of days, I thought this A.M. might be a very good time to bang out the last power rankings for this season.

1.  Concordia

2.  (tie)  SMU & UST

3.  CSB

4.  Hamline

5.  GAC

6.  St. Olaf

7.  Augsburg

8.  Bethel

9.  Carleton

10.  Macalester

11.  St. Kate's


Congrats to the Corn on winning the MIAC regular season title and locking up the #1 seed in the MIAC playoffs this week.  They survived the brutal MIAC regular season with the fewest nicks.  Both SMU and UST are right up there as well and I think you have to give UST a lot of credit for turning things around when they went through a rough stretch not so long ago.  CSB has leveled off a little bit but this is a young team with a bright future ahead of it.  Hamline has a knack for living dangerously - and they survived two huge challenges this last week.  GAC had to work hard to hold off Carleton at home and then, somewhat predictably fell to the Corn up in Moorhead yesterday. 

Without question the most confounding team this year was St. Olaf which had so much hope, potential and promise at the beginning of the year only to have injuries and other misfortunes doom this talented group.  Yesterday's loss at CSB in which they blew an 18-point halftime lead really was the season in a nutshell for this program and I can't help but feel badly for seniors Mackenzie Wolter, Erin Haglund, (C'mon) Eileen O'Donoghue, and Ashley Menzel who had set lofty goals at the beginning of this year.  Augsburg never was consistent enough to put together a stretch run despite the talent it has.  Bethel will be a team to keep your eye on in the next couple of years as this young group gains experience as the Royals have a bevy of talent.  Carleton, Macalester and St. Kate's are all going through a lot of growing pains right now and can only go up. 

Tuesday A.M. I'll handicap the MIAC playoffs and see if I can shed some light on who might emerge from the battles to claim the MIAC Championship game - and the automatic bid to the Big Dance.
"Beating 'SC is not a matter of life or death.  It's more important than that."  Former UCLA Head Football Coach Red Sanders

SUMMIT!!!!!

not to be nitpicky LA, but if two teams are tied for 2nd, the next team in rankings behind them is 4th not 3rd  :)
After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box.

Italian proverb

LA RAMS

Oh yeah, that time of the year again to try and break down the MIAC Playoffs in what has been an incredibly unpredictable year.....Let's see I can make some sense out of all this and try and predict what MAY happen.


6.  GAC - This has been arguably a trying season under new Head Coach Laurie Kelly that saw the Gusties bolt out to a good start only to have the bottom almost fall out come mid/late January.  The tailspin this squad endured makes me hesitant to even think that they would even have a remote chance of doing the unthinkable.  But the Gusties do have one element in their favor that some of the other teams in this mix don't have - experience.  Seniors Abby Rothenbuehler, Kelsey Florian and Steph Comer have all been in these battles in past seasons and know what it takes to win these games.  Junior Julia Dysthie can be one of the most dangerous players out there and can be deadly behind the arc.  But if the Gusties are going to do this, they're going to have to do it the hard way - on the road.

Sure sign of trouble - If the turnovers start piling up early on and Rothenbuehler gets into foul trouble before halftime.



5.  Hamline - This wildly unpredictable team has been one of the toughest puzzles to try and figure out this season and it's equally difficult to predict their chances beginning with tonight up at CSB.  Yet if there's a longshot in this mix that can pull this off and shock the world in the process it's this group.  There is simply no other team in the conference that possesses the kind of speed and athleticism they have and it's little wonder that a lot of teams hate having to play Hamline.  They also have a trio of seniors who can light it up behind the arc as well; Steph Pilgrm, Cassidy Vogt and Kara Poirer.  They are not a "big" team by any means and depth can be an issue for this squad.  Yet, given their body of work during the regular season (road wins at both Concordia and UST) I can't put it completely past them to pull this off.

Sure sign of trouble - If the "3's" aren't falling and they are forced to play a slower-tempo halfcourt game where they get beat up in the paint.



4.  CSB - The Blazers were aruably the hottest team in the conference not long ago; ripping off ten straight wins in a period from mid-January to early February; capped off by the big home win against Concordia.  They then leveled off somewhat; dropping two straight before rallying at home in the regular season finale vs St. Olaf.  This is a relatively young team but it does have two seniors who are leading the way nicely for Mike Durbin's squad - Whitney Canton and Morgan Dale.  While this team has a lot of potential for the future, I think it's probably a bridge too far for this team to win it all and the late road losses to both UST and SMU I think reflect my cautious approach with this group.

Sure sign of trouble - If they start getting beat at the post position (especially now w/o Hylla) and Canton and the Lueck Sisters can't bail them out behind the arc.



3.  SMU - Clearly one of the more pleasant surprises in this conference has been the emergence of former Cobber great Mandy Pearson's squad into one of the upper echelon teams in the MIAC.  I only got to see them play once this season but was very impressed with what I saw.  They have a great scorer from the outside in Jessica Thone and a dual big threat in both senior Jamie Stefely and junior post Courtney Euerle plus a very underrated player, IMHO, in Octavia Brown.  Plus, you really have to like their body of work as well (18-4 conference, 21-4 overall) which SHOULD be good enough to get them into the Big Dance if they can manage to get past GAC tonight at home in Winona.  I do have a bit of concern wrt their lack of experience in the MIAC playoffs despite their win at St. Olaf last year before falling to UST but this is a team that definitely can pull it off if everything fall into place for them just right.


Sure sign of trouble - If Euerle gets bottled up down low and Thone is unable to come to the rescue behind the arc.



2.  UST - You had to wonder at one point in the season when the Tommies suddenly lost four out of six games in January if their aura of invincibility had finally dried up and if they were now mortal like the rest of us.  Well, Ruth Sinn's squad proved that they could not only recover despite the inuries and other off-court happenings that tried this squad mightily but also look as good as ever in the latter stages of the regular season.  Taylor Young LOOKS to be 100% right now and Anna Smith has done well in filling in for Maggie Weiers who was lost in the second game of the season to injury.  The Tommies have also had a lot of young players step up this year as well.  The bottom line here is that this team made a serious run to the whole ball of wax last year (probably should have won it) and they will be awfully tough for anyone to knock off whether it's at Schoenecker Arena or on the road.

Sure sign of trouble - If Young or Kellie Ring should be victim to a freak injury.  The Tommies NEED those two.  It's as simple as that.



1.  Concordia - Am not at all surprised to see Jessica Rahman's squad in this spot as they ALWAYS seem to be in the thick of things in one way or another this time of the year.  Having the #1 seed is a bit of a change but if there's one team that can handle it, it's these guys.  They're not particularly flashy and they won't necessarily "wow" you with anything they do out there.  They're just coldly and brutally efficient.  At the same time, this paradoxically seems to be their undoing on the national stage as they haven't been past the first round in the NCAA Tournament yet in trips to both Wisconsin and Iowa in recent years.  Still, I really like the core of this squad; seniors Emily Thesing and Tricia Sorensen and sophomore sharpshooter Alley Fisher and having the odds being on your side give this team the inside track to repeat their feat from two years ago.

Sure sign of trouble - If Lippert gets into early foul trouble the burden down low will fall on reserve junior Kelsey Walloch.  And Fisher and Thesing have to keep defenses honest by hitting enough treys as well. 



"Beating 'SC is not a matter of life or death.  It's more important than that."  Former UCLA Head Football Coach Red Sanders

LA RAMS

Hard to believe but here we are again.  The close of yet another regular season and the MIAC Playoffs that saw UST repeating as champs in a year where everything did not necessarily go smoothly for them.  Yet when the chips were down, they found a way to battle back and find themselves again and, just as important, get their mojo back as well.  But let's also give some props to both Concordia and SMU as well.  The Cobbers got the regular season title and got to host the MIAC Championsship Game for the first time since 2006.  It's obviously disappointing for them not being able to close the deal but they have a lot to be proud of this year.  And how about SMU down in Winona.  Winning a season high of 22 games and fnishing tied for second with UST in the conference standings.  They have definitely set the bar much higher there and I think they'll be one of the upper echelon teams in the MIAC now.

That said, how does all this parlay out in the big scheme of things; particularly on Selection Monday?  It's difficult to tell, but I feel quite confident that the MIAC will get at least two bids this time around after being consistently short-changed by the mindless nimrods at the NCAA Selection Committee.  There's just simply no, no way, that the MIAC doesn't get two bids this time around.  I think things played out well enough around the West Region that makes this possible.  I'd also like to think that there might be a miracle out there that would allow SMU to sneak into the dance as well.  They're deserving of it and, while their body of work may work against them, their 22 wins can't be ignored either; especially in a conference as tough as the MIAC is from top to bottom.  So, let's look at the prospects for the MIAC's best hopes:


UST - They can relax and enjoy the day today knowing that they're in with the AQ as MIAC Playoff Champions.  The big question for them now is where are they going to be sent?  It's unlikely, IMHO, that they'd get to host a Regional pod with Simpson winning the IIAC Championship Game and with a 24-1 Cornell team winning the MWC Championship Game as well.  So the guess here is that they'll get sent to either Simpson (located in Indianola which is not that far from Des Moines) or possibly to Cornell (located in Mt. Vernon which is just a hop, skip and a jump away from Cedar Rapids on U.S. Highway 30 and the Union Pacific's "Overland Route" mainline).  Personally, I'd like to see the Tommies shipped down to Mt. Vernon as it's a much better trip down there than it would be to Indianola and I would like the Tommies chances of making a deep run much better there than I ever would at Simpson.


Concordia - You know they'll be on pins and needles up in Moorhead today but it's just incredibly difficult for me to envision a scenario in which they get left out.  With a 21-5 overall record and their body of work which includes a MIAC regular season title, it would be incredibly outrageous if they get the shaft here.  Their opening season loss to UM-Morris hurts but that shouldn't be enough to damage the other good things they've done.  Assuming they get in (they bloody well better) I'm guessing that they'll get shipped out west to either Cal Lutheran or perhaps Lewis & Clark (despite their loss in the NWC Championship Game).  It would be a bonus for them to get sent to either of the possible Iowa destinations or perhaps over to UW-Stevens Point but I don't see it playing out like that.


SMU - They're a longshot here (and even they know that as well).  Still, they're deserving of an invite to the dance and I would love this for seniors Jessica Thone and Jamie Stefely to get one more shot.  IF, if they somehow garner an invite, they'll get sent over to UW-Stevens Point or to one of the Iowa destinations.  Let's hope they have a reason to celebrate over at the Chula Vista restaurant in Winona tonight!     


UPDATE - D3 Hoops' Pat Coleman has Concordia in - barely (!) - but in nonetheless!  Even more interesting is that they have the Cobbers headed to Mt. Vernon to take in UW-Whitewater in a VERY intriguing 1st round match-up and instead have St. Scholastica headed out west.  Hmmm...Well, in any event we'll find out at 1:30 this afternoon how this is all going to shake out! 
"Beating 'SC is not a matter of life or death.  It's more important than that."  Former UCLA Head Football Coach Red Sanders

stormyfuture

congrats to the Tommies for pulling out the win against Calvin last night.  Looking forward to watching both the Men's and Women's teams in action tonight

gordonmann

We've released our list of All-Americans. Congratulations to Rachel Parupsky who is our national Rookie of the Year.

http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2013/03/womens-all-americans

nkwest

Congratulations to the Tommies for completing just the third unbeaten regular season in MIAC history, and the first in 23 years. They did so without really being seriously challenged for 40 minutes until recently visiting an extremely capable Bethel squad, who UST didn't play in the first half of the season due to the experimental new schedule allowing for more non-conference games. It should be an interesting postseason.

nkwest

Congratulations to the Auggies for winning their first MIAC playoff game in school history, and in doing so also setting a school record for victories in a single season.