MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Started by miac newbie, February 17, 2005, 03:57:25 PM

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Drake Palmer

Quote from: nkwest on January 29, 2015, 08:41:44 AM
Quote from: Drake Palmer on January 26, 2015, 04:25:47 PM
Recently I had an argument with an ardent UST supporter who was favorably comparing this year's UST team to other Tommy teams. In the past two "big" games the UST opponents have shot 61% FGA - St. Olaf, while the Johnnies shot 53.7% overall, & 56.2% from behind the 3 pt line. This UST team only has so many cat lives before they'll hit the wall, or get beat. Don't win too many championships by letting the other team shoot over 50%.

I had a similar conversation leaving UST on Saturday (though both of us were in agreement), and I think the statistics from UST's last six seasons paint a pretty clear picture. The Tommies are surrendering a 49.0% shooting percentage to conference and non-conference opponents, a full five points higher than their Final Four run two seasons ago and eleven points higher than their National Championship season four years ago. I would have liked to dig up the numbers from the Elite Eight run in 08-09, but the revamped tommiesports.com isn't making that easy.

season/overall/conference/
14-15   49.0   44.5  TBD
13-14   47.1   46.8  *Out NCAA Round 1
12-13   44.0   42.8  *Out NCAA Final Four
11-12   46.7   45.2  *Out NCAA Round 2
10-11   38.0   35.5  **National Championship
09-10   39.2   40.0  *Out NCAA Round 1

It doesn't appear to be from a lack of effort or commitment on the defensive end, but, as you pointed out, this team simply lacks an elite shutdown defender.

Great legwork. +k

I did a bit more digging on the MIAC site and came up with this for the Elite Eight 08-09 UST team

Season     Overall FG% Defense/Conference FG% Defense

08-09   43%/ 42.5%

Good defense, & a bunch of ballhawking, baby faced looking guys that would rob you blind. Loved that bunch!
"If anything here offends, I beg your pardon. I come in peace, I depart in gratitude." ;)

SUMMIT!!!!!

A true Minnesota legend has passed. Ron Johnson, the first HS superstar in state hoops history, died last night:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/290601361.html

he was the grandfather of former Auggies Dan & Ronnie Kornbaum, current T-wolves player Robbie Hummel.
After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box.

Italian proverb

D O.C.

Hey Gusties...is there a statue of this guy on campus as there is in Laguna Beach, CA?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiler_Larsen

Dave 'd-mac' McHugh

Host of Hoopsville. USBWA Executive Board member. Broadcast Director for D3sports.com. Broadcaster for NCAA.com & several colleges. PA Announcer for Gophers & Brigade. Follow me on Twitter: @davemchugh or @d3hoopsville.

tommiegun

If they both take care of business on Saturday... we will be looking at a new #1, and we could be looking at a Top-Ten matchup on the corner of Summit and Cretin Monday night.  Can any historians think of the last time there was a MIAC Top-Fifteen matchup this late in the season?  I cannot think of any since I've been paying attention (the last decade).  Monday could be the most-credentialed MIAC regular season game ever! Should be a great game! Go Tommies!


tommiegun

^ And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call a jinx.

SUMMIT!!!!!

T-Gun....your jinx only hurt Saturday.

Despite the outcome on Saturday, a UST win tonight clinches a tie for the title at worst and locks up the #1 seed for the Toms.  A loss tonight isn't devastating to UST either, as long as they win out. Assuming St Olaf wins tonight and Wednesday vs. Concordia and UST bounces back with wins Weds and Sat over BU and Hamline, the two would be tied for the title and UST would be the #1 seed by virtue of tiebreaker +#4.

I see tonight "Show-down in da Shoe" to be very very similar to the Battle waged a month ago @ Olaf....with the same outcome-- St Thomas by 9
After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box.

Italian proverb

SUMMIT!!!!!

for those of you predicting back in Oct that UST was slipping back into the pack and that the purple dinosaur is about to be toppled from its throne, etc etc etc.... ring #10 is just as sweet as any of the 9 that preceded it! In the process of hammering the Oles, the Tommies proved again why they are force to be reckoned with. Dominating the boards on both ends all night, kicking the usually potent Ole offense off its track, swarming TEAM defense (as in 5 stoppers on the floor) and solid 3-point shooting added up to a 66-49 shellacking......still I expect round 3 between St O and UST on March 1 to be a dozy of a battle....but the word remains unchanged...the road to the MIAC crown passes through Snelling & Cretin
After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box.

Italian proverb

AO

Quote from: miacmaniac on February 17, 2015, 12:04:31 AM
for those of you predicting back in Oct that UST was slipping back into the pack and that the purple dinosaur is about to be toppled from its throne, etc etc etc.... ring #10 is just as sweet as any of the 9 that preceded it! In the process of hammering the Oles, the Tommies proved again why they are force to be reckoned with. Dominating the boards on both ends all night, kicking the usually potent Ole offense off its track, swarming TEAM defense (as in 5 stoppers on the floor) and solid 3-point shooting added up to a 66-49 shellacking......still I expect round 3 between St O and UST on March 1 to be a dozy of a battle....but the word remains unchanged...the road to the MIAC crown passes through Snelling & Cretin
Not quite what I said:
Quote from: AO on October 15, 2014, 11:51:03 AM
Quote from: Drake Palmer on October 14, 2014, 02:58:25 PM
Could the axis of power be shifting in the MIAC landscape this season (tossing stones at the slumbering, complacent purple dragon)?  :-*
I'd say the stones from the Oles and Johnnies knocked the purple dinosaur down, but I don't see any other dinosaurs or dragons around to stop it from climbing back up.
I know what it's like to be a purple dinosaur.  UST isn't the only school to have a title wrapped up already. 

tommiegun

That was a beat-down.  UST dominated the boards - even more than the numbers bear out - it was a truly physical domination.  Olaf missed multiple gimmies due to rushing shots in the post.  UST was real hot from downtown.  Alipate might have torn both achilles and broke both ankles on some poor Ole defender. 

First time in the New Shoe for me (post a cease-and-desist Lucy at the Blue Door) and unfortunately I was a little disappointed.  Feels like a nice high school gym in the Suburbs.  Doesn't seem to have any character, at least not yet. :(

But the product was the same as ever.  Flaming from outside, blanketing D, Tommie win.

gordonmann

QuoteI know what it's like to be a purple dinosaur.

Him too.


SUMMIT!!!!!

After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box.

Italian proverb

SUMMIT!!!!!

After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box.

Italian proverb

jimhoops1234

I will not run or hide from comments I made earlier this year. I thought the tommies may be coming back to the pack but I was wrong. They haven't been the consistent defensive juggernaut they'd been in the past, but they did what was necessary to lock up #10. Congrats to them.

No doubt JT is a good coach and good psychology teacher, but let's call it what it is. UST 1-18 has more talent than the rest of the league. Fritz didn't win all those games late in his career because of psychology, he won with talent. 2011 they had talent.

St Thomas as a school also has a tremendous brand. Kids grow up wanting to go to The U, but after that, UST has a brand right on par or better than just about every other school in the state. I'm not saying just anyone could win either. They have great coaches that could be at higher level jobs (softball coach turned down Minnesota). They understand the importance of athletics and financially show that.

SJU has a good brand and gets lots of legacy kids, also not afraid to spend on upgrades for facilities, but UST has better location.

Carleton has a brand with high academic kids in the state, so they get the talented high academic kids. MAC doesn't anymore.

Bethel has its niche, GAC as well. SMU doesn't have a good brand. Had some success in some sports but in basketball they have struggled. For a long time.

It all comes back to talent. Congrats to the Tommies and Coach Tauer for the national attention, his use of psychological tactics just works much better because of talented players.

St Olaf and Coach Koz deserve a ton of credit too. That matchup of top 15 teams is great for the league. Round 3 should be fun between those 2.

As the final week closes I'm curious to hear others thoughts:

Does Whittle survive at MAC?

Does MAC get the sweep of SMU on Saturday?

Hamline seems to be moving in right direction but loses some key pieces and size, but Coach Hayes in 2 years has done a nice job getting Hamline past the incident a few years back.

Who retires first, Guy Kalland or Jim Smith?

Bethel coach has done a remarkable job in his first 2 years. I think he'll continue to do well.

SMU needs a lot of help and talent. They talk about being young and next year "could be special", but I just don't see the talent level there compared to rest of the league. Lost 7 of last 8 by 19+ and probably looking at 7 wins in 2 years.

GoldandBlueBU

Quote from: jimhoops1234 on February 17, 2015, 09:25:21 PM
Bethel coach has done a remarkable job in his first 2 years. I think he'll continue to do well.


I'm a big fan so far...he's doing great work with a bunch of short guys...they've gotten by this year and last year by having some physically strong posts that don't get pushed around even though they're short (Zimmerman this year, Butenhoff last year), but they've struggled with teams that have athletic size (see SJU).  Here's to hoping that he can get some better height on the roster in the near future.

Congrats indeed to UST...the run they've got in the MIAC is impressive...talent is huge no doubt, but credit to them for maintaining that talent level, and for playing at a high level with it...easy to get passive and drop game.