MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

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

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faunch

Nice work by the clock operator not starting the clock with 7 seconds to go in regulation! Got SJU to show their hand!


"I'm a uniter...not a divider."

faunch

#19486
Quote from: miac952 on January 21, 2019, 10:11:33 PM
A tradition old as time, Faunchy complaining about refs after getting handed an L. SJ2. Never mind UST getting called for triple the fouls in the 1st half.
Because they should get called for about 15-20 every half...they bump on the perimeter and hold like crazy. I used to ref hoops but couldn't do it again...it's too physical and i would probably get run out of the gym by coaches that like a physical game.


"I'm a uniter...not a divider."

jamtod

Heck of a game in St Paul tonight. Just got back with the 6 and 8 year olds and it was a packed house, as expected.
SJU seemed to control most of the game, but some key plays and momentum shifts helped UST. Anders Nelson is apparently recovering from the flu and struggled, in addition to early foul trouble. He looked out of sorts and out of control, but did come through with a bucket and a couple FTs (after missing 2 earlier) towards the end. Thomas Madison came up big in the 2nd half and OT with strong defense, a key steal, and a couple big shots. Couple of solid teams and a fun night. Maybe a case where UST's extensive bench usage leads to fresher legs at the end. I was pleased to be in the game at half after looking a little rough at times.

Smitty Oom

UST is always deep, but this year is crazy. An off night by Anders but Hedstrom and Elijah Hannah both step up off the bench as well as Madison, as you mentioned. Tommies really do have 10 players that can make a difference in multiple ways on any given night.

miac952

It would mean more coming from someone who doesn't cry about officiating after every SJ2 loss in sport. It's unbecoming. Don't drop a turd against a middle of the pack team in the MIAC on Saturday and then follow that up by blowing a double digit lead against your rival after getting the majority of the calls for the first 28 minutes of the game. If this attitude percolates within SJ2 it explains the UMBC moment they had in the 1st round of the NCAA's last year.

UST's top two scoring guards were buried on the bench most the 1st half with a few weak calls. If UST got average production out of either of them they run away with it. Once UST rotated over better on SJU's lone offensive set, the high ball screen, the Toms chipped away at the lead and frazzled the John's. The John's tried to get way too many minutes out of their post, #35, and it showed. He looked haggard and beat up 8 minutes onward in the 2nd half, after dominating the 1st half. The Tommies have a ton of young talent. Fun group to see continue to gel and get better.

SUMMIT!!!!!

Tonight was D3 hoops at its best, regardless of anyone's whining and crying about "crappy officials." Two evenly matched, talented teams, a packed gym that buzzed with excitement and a boatload of thrills in a classic rivalry game. 

It was a fun, festive environment for the game and a physical battle for 45 grueling minutes. I especially loved the battles in the paint & off the glass. As MIAC52 pointed out, SJ2's big men were fatigued as the game came down the stretch. Thanks to good personnel use and player rotation, UST's guys were much fresher and able to give 2nd and 3rd efforts for rebounds and loose balls. a major factor in the closing minutes and OT.  UST's depth and Tauer's almost-brilliant use of it was the big difference. I think SJ2 is as deep as UST but their coaches are not as confident in players 6 thru 10 as JT is and that resulted in a fatigued first 5 for SJ2 and (IMO) cost them the ballgame. Gritty hard-fought win by the Purple. Good play from guys like Hannah, Hedstrom, Madison and Lindberg. Nelson was more hampered by a medical situation than by the SJ2 defense. A healthy Nelson and it woulda been a 10 point game without OT. As it is, the game turned once SJ2 pushed the lead to 10 and failed to go for the jugular. Then Thomas Madison had a six point spurt that pulled the Toms within 50-51. Once UST got back in like that, you could feel the momentum shifting and the tide had turned.

The rematch is gonna be a blast!

Faunch-- under your rules interpretation,  #21, #3 and #5 for SJ2 should get called for repeated illegal cross blocking on offense with their forearms and they'd all foul out by half. The way they swing that forearm, you'd think they were auditioning to pose for the Heisman Trophy.  The game is evolving and it's a physical game today. I'm sorry if you can't appreciate today's basketball. Might I make a suggestion? get out from behind your monitor and actually attend a game. You might develop an understanding and even an appreciation of the game in the 21st century. 
After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box.

Italian proverb

Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)


Great game.  That ending.  I wish the clock issue hadn't occurred.  St. John's clearly had to go to a secondary play after UST forced the inbounds to go to a different player.  I would've liked to see what they could've done as originally drawn up.  That's a relatively small issue in an otherwise pretty interesting game.  This felt a lot like the Whitman-Whitworth game where one team seemed to have more individual talent and less depth (not that the other is a slouch, of course) and ended up losing a close one.  Looking forward to the rematch.
Lead Columnist for D3hoops.com
@ryanalanscott just about anywhere

AO

#19492
I can't blame Pat too much for playing Walford 39 minutes, he was an absolute monster.  He had only played 19 minutes against Carleton and if the natural breaks in the game came at different times maybe he would have been able to save more energy for the final stretch. 

VOJ sounded like he was conceding the conference race after the game.  I'm not so sure, the Auggies will definitely be a tough out again and the Johnnies will be favored at home in the rematch.

Side note: I don't remember hearing much about Walford when he transferred.  Looked up his stats at Augustana (SD.) and saw he had 9 points and a dunk in their game at Duke.  That has to be a first for a MIAC player.

miac952

Quote from: AO on January 22, 2019, 09:52:01 AM
I can't blame Pat too much for playing Walford 39 minutes, he was an absolute monster.  He had only played 19 minutes against Carleton and if the natural breaks in the game came at different times maybe he would have been able save more energy for the final stretch. 

VOJ sounded like he was conceding the conference race after the game.  I'm not so sure, the Auggies will definitely be a tough out again and the Johnnies will be favored at home in the rematch.

Side note: I don't remember hearing much about Walford when he transferred.  Looked up his stats at Augustana (SD.) and saw he had 9 points and a dunk in their game at Duke.  That has to be a first for a MIAC player.

He's a fantastic player, and was the only true rim protector in the game for either team. He was definitely gassed the last 10 or so of regulation and all of OT.

McKenzie is going full blow Thibs with his minutes though. Stokman went 42, Jubie went 41, and Walford, 39. Stokman went for 39 minutes two days prior.

Once UST adjusted personnel and how they rotate on the high ball screen I am surprised McKenzie didn't make a secondary adjustment and run more of the offense through Jubie since he can create so many opportunities for himself and others. The John's went from 14:00 in the 2nd half to 7:00 min without a FG. It felt like one of the slowest runs ever in college basketball. That was where Walford started to drag too.

If you are Tauer and you are looking at the Hannon + Nelson line this morning, you have to feel pretty good. The two went a combined 4-15 from the field for 11 points.  Nelson also went 0-2 on a late game trip to the charity stripe, where he was 93% on the year. Production out of Hedstrom, Lindberg, Madison, and Hannah more than offset it.

SaintPaulite

Refs definitely let them play, with a few odd soft calls. Was called the way both ways, though, and they tightened it up in the last 10 minutes or so.

Both teams can probably point to things they could do better in the next meeting.

Very enjoyable game to watch. Two very good teams, not sure either is at the level of great.

Smitty Oom

Quote from: SaintPaulite on January 22, 2019, 09:54:51 PM
Refs definitely let them play, with a few odd soft calls. Was called the way both ways, though, and they tightened it up in the last 10 minutes or so.

Both teams can probably point to things they could do better in the next meeting.

Very enjoyable game to watch. Two very good teams, not sure either is at the level of great.

Maybe we have different thresholds for great, but I would say these are both great teams. They are well deserving of their top 20 rankings in the nation. That's top 5% in the nation. I would say they might both be just short of the elite level that Whitman/Augie/NWU/UWO are in.

Good teams in my mind are Bethel and Augsburg. The Auggies and Coplin was talked about by Ryan's Scott and Dave McHugh in the last section of the latest Hoopsville show in the "dark horse" section. Coplin has been on an absolute heater this season and while he showed flashes last year, he was over shadowed by Colin Olmsheid. Now that the offense runs through him he has been inclredible and very efficient with a high volume. He is my MVP right now, although an argument could be made for Stokman.

Anyone have any other thoughts at halfway point MVP?

EDIT: Excuse my grammatical errors, I'm on my phone and it's too tedious to change right now.

miac952

Quote from: Smitty Oom on January 23, 2019, 09:46:01 AM
Quote from: SaintPaulite on January 22, 2019, 09:54:51 PM
Refs definitely let them play, with a few odd soft calls. Was called the way both ways, though, and they tightened it up in the last 10 minutes or so.

Both teams can probably point to things they could do better in the next meeting.

Very enjoyable game to watch. Two very good teams, not sure either is at the level of great.

Maybe we have different thresholds for great, but I would say these are both great teams. They are well deserving of their top 20 rankings in the nation. That's top 5% in the nation. I would say they might both be just short of the elite level that Whitman/Augie/NWU/UWO are in.

Good teams in my mind are Bethel and Augsburg. The Auggies and Coplin was talked about by Ryan's Scott and Dave McHugh in the last section of the latest Hoopsville show in the "dark horse" section. Coplin has been on an absolute heater this season and while he showed flashes last year, he was over shadowed by Colin Olmsheid. Now that the offense runs through him he has been inclredible and very efficient with a high volume. He is my MVP right now, although an argument could be made for Stokman.

Anyone have any other thoughts at halfway point MVP?

EDIT: Excuse my grammatical errors, I'm on my phone and it's too tedious to change right now.

I would agree with the summary above. Excellent teams, but both have shortcomings to keep them off the elite National Title contender track. However, I would say the 2015 UST national championship team was in the same boat. If either were to get a good draw, go on a nice run, and the pieces fall in the right place, these teams could contend.

SUMMIT!!!!!

Quote from: miac952 on January 23, 2019, 11:55:29 AM


I would agree with the summary above. Excellent teams, but both have shortcomings to keep them off the elite National Title contender track. However, I would say the 2015 UST national championship team was in the same boat. If either were to get a good draw, go on a nice run, and the pieces fall in the right place, these teams could contend.

I assume you mean the 2016 national Camps (the 2015 post-season has been purged from my memory but I am certain AO can give you a second by second account of why I've blocked it from my memory  :))

But your point about getting a good draw is spot-on. It was a huge factor in UST's 2011 championship as well as 2016, and also for 2013's third place team. It also is a huge factor in why the 2008-09 team, (UST's best ever IMO) did not make the Final Four-- that was the year of the Bracket of Death, I think the need for a good draw plays in for any and all teams, whether it is D3 or D1 but for teams on the cusp of "great" (UST & SJ2) it is bigger than those in the "great" category that you mention.  Bracket draw will be huge for Augsburg should they make the Dance field (and I am saying now they will, along with UST & SJ).

MVP? Yeah, Coplin. but a case could be made for Stokman, Bair and even Nelson. Those 4 are locks for All-MIAC First Team
After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box.

Italian proverb

Gregory Sager

Quote from: miac952 on January 23, 2019, 11:55:29 AM
Quote from: Smitty Oom on January 23, 2019, 09:46:01 AM
Quote from: SaintPaulite on January 22, 2019, 09:54:51 PM
Refs definitely let them play, with a few odd soft calls. Was called the way both ways, though, and they tightened it up in the last 10 minutes or so.

Both teams can probably point to things they could do better in the next meeting.

Very enjoyable game to watch. Two very good teams, not sure either is at the level of great.

Maybe we have different thresholds for great, but I would say these are both great teams. They are well deserving of their top 20 rankings in the nation. That's top 5% in the nation. I would say they might both be just short of the elite level that Whitman/Augie/NWU/UWO are in.

Good teams in my mind are Bethel and Augsburg. The Auggies and Coplin was talked about by Ryan's Scott and Dave McHugh in the last section of the latest Hoopsville show in the "dark horse" section. Coplin has been on an absolute heater this season and while he showed flashes last year, he was over shadowed by Colin Olmsheid. Now that the offense runs through him he has been inclredible and very efficient with a high volume. He is my MVP right now, although an argument could be made for Stokman.

Anyone have any other thoughts at halfway point MVP?

EDIT: Excuse my grammatical errors, I'm on my phone and it's too tedious to change right now.

I would agree with the summary above. Excellent teams, but both have shortcomings to keep them off the elite National Title contender track. However, I would say the 2015 UST national championship team was in the same boat. If either were to get a good draw, go on a nice run, and the pieces fall in the right place, these teams could contend.

Don't hold your breath. We are very likely to see the Bracket of Death 2.0 this March, and it's practically a foregone conclusion that the MIAC rep or reps will be locked into it due to the 500-mile-radius limit.
"To see what is in front of one's nose is a constant struggle." -- George Orwell

bball1122

There is no argument for MVP.  It's Coplin by a mile.  Maybe a hundred miles.  He's leading the league in scoring (25.9), rebounding (9.3), steals (3.0), is fourth in assists (4.5), and seventh in blocks (0.8).  No one has averaged 25.9 points per game in the league since Devean George poured in 29.8 1999.  He's currently in the 50/40/90 club (shooting 50.5% from the field, 41.8% from 3, and 91% from the free throw line) and is playing 36.6 minutes per game, which is unheard of efficiency from a guy playing that much with the ball in his hands as much as Coplin does.  He's playing point guard offensively while guarding anyone from point guards to power forwards defensively.  Here are his lines against other top five teams in the league:

@BET:   32 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks
SJU:      23 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 0 blocks
BET:      36 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks
UST:     34 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks
@STO:  38 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 steals, 0 blocks

In short, it's the most incredible individual season I've seen since I started watching MIAC hoops (early 2000's).   If he continues at this pace (and Augsburg continues to win), I think he should be in the conversation for first team All-America, National Player of the Year type awards.   

The Tommies have staked their claim to the throne of the MIAC once again.  It will be tough, but not impossible, for the Johnnies to catch them.  The Johnnies are still the second best team, with Augsburg next and then Olaf and Bethel in some order next.   Final playoff spot comes down to Hamline and Concordia, with Carleton and Gustavus needing a push to get into the mix.  Tough season for SMU with the loss of some key players, and MAC is having the season I think most expected. 

Interesting slate of games tonight.   The Johnnies should bounce back at home against SMU.  Hamline with a must win at Macalester.   Carleton hosts Bethel and GAC hosts Olaf.  These are the games the Knights and Gusties need to win to throw themselves into the playoff mix.  Finally, Concordia visits UST.  Interesting matchup - Concordia has been solid since their early slow start.  They played the Tommies pretty tough in Moorhead.  And the Tommies are coming off the high of beating their rival.   Not saying the Cobbers win at all, but it could be a trap game if the Tommies heads aren't in it.