MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[GoldandBlueBU]

Wow, nice opener for the MIAC as the league goes 5-0 on opening night.  4-0 against the UMAC, 1-0 against the WIAC.

St. Olaf 60 – UW Stevens Point 45
St. Marys 89 - Martin Luther 75
Augsburg 72 – Northland 44
Concordia 80 – Minn Morris 71

And the runaway of the night: Hamline pounded Northwestern who was narrowly edged out for first place in the UMAC preseason poll by St. Scholastica.

The Pipes shot out the lights as they blitzed NW 106 - 72.  Hamline shot 66.7% from the floor, 14-24 from behind the arc for a red hot 58.3% 3FGA. And what was perhaps the most improbable stat line of the game, JR Connor Knutson played a mere five minutes for 1 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal, 5-6 from the 3pt line for 15 pts!

What changed at UWSP?  They are not long removed from being a powerhouse, and were picked last in the WIAC?

Did they have a coaching change?  I know very little about WIAC hoops...

[Drake Palmer]

Wow, nice opener for the MIAC as the league goes 5-0 on opening night.  4-0 against the UMAC, 1-0 against the WIAC.

St. Olaf 60 – UW Stevens Point 45
St. Marys 89 - Martin Luther 75
Augsburg 72 – Northland 44
Concordia 80 – Minn Morris 71

And the runaway of the night: Hamline pounded Northwestern who was narrowly edged out for first place in the UMAC preseason poll by St. Scholastica.

The Pipes shot out the lights as they blitzed NW 106 - 72.  Hamline shot 66.7% from the floor, 14-24 from behind the arc for a red hot 58.3% 3FGA. And what was perhaps the most improbable stat line of the game, JR Connor Knutson played a mere five minutes for 1 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal, 5-6 from the 3pt line for 15 pts!

What changed at UWSP?  They are not long removed from being a powerhouse, and were picked last in the WIAC?

Did they have a coaching change?  I know very little about WIAC hoops...

Same coach - Bob Semling.

The WIAC guys can speak about this in much greater detail than I, but I think it's just one of those cyclical changes that happens in leagues.  Recruiting is the lifeblood for a team, and in the last few years the recruits have not panned out, transferred, and there have been injuries.

I don't believe this is directly impacting the basketball team, but there is an NCAA investigation looming over the UWSP athletic department (impermissible, off-season coaching contact by the basketball coaching staff during a captain's practices). At this point it's not certain when a ruling can be expected from the NCAA.  It's a fairly serious offense and some experts have speculated that UWSP may have to vacate their most recent NCAA title from 2015.   Most experts anticipate a final decision within the next 4-5 months.

[bball1122]

No coaching change, though they did have a bit of a dust up with the NCAA:

http://www.stevenspointjournal.com/story/sports/college/2017/01/05/uwsp-mens-basketball-coach-suspended-season/96206962/

I believe they were without two starters last night.  Nonetheless, a great road win for the Oles.

The Pipers did anything they wanted all night last night - the final score may not even be reflective of how lopsided the game was.  Knutson didn't even enter the game until there were 9 minutes left and the Pipers up 32.   The Pipers looked to be 10 deep and Zach Smith looked every bit the part of a top 3 player in the league.   

Augsburg takes care of business against a plucky Northland team.   Concordia beats Morris, who I can never get a read on.   And SMU fends off a second half charge to outlast Martin Luther. 

Lots of good games Friday/Saturday.  I'm most interested in SJU/Scholastica/SCSU, UST/Dickinson/Marietta, Concorida/Bethany, and UW Eau Claire/Olaf.

[GoldandBlueBU]

Wow, that's interesting.

I get that things are cyclical, but to go from national champs to bottom of your conference is a hell of a cyclical swing.

Interested in what the Auggies can put together to support Olmscheid...he's an all around great player, but I wonder if he'll have enough help.

[txg]

Not for nothing, but UWSP was preseason #5 in the WIAC, not last.  And though the Pointers have a couple of injuries, this was still a very solid road win for a team with a FY point guard and only one senior on the roster.  I too am looking forward to Eau Claire on Saturday.

[GoldandBlueBU]

Not for nothing, but UWSP was preseason #5 in the WIAC, not last.  And though the Pointers have a couple of injuries, this was still a very solid road win for a team with a FY point guard and only one senior on the roster.  I too am looking forward to Eau Claire on Saturday.

ahh - so you're right - I had pulled up the article with the rankings, but then only looked at the standings, which has them last.

my bad.

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

from the "where are they now" file:   http://www.saintmaryssports.com/news/2017/10/31/mens-basketball-swiggum-gets-pro-shot-with-abas-showtime.aspx?path=mbball

Good luck Will!

[Greek Tragedy]

Not for nothing, but UWSP was preseason #5 in the WIAC, not last.  And though the Pointers have a couple of injuries, this was still a very solid road win for a team with a FY point guard and only one senior on the roster.  I too am looking forward to Eau Claire on Saturday.

St. Olaf played a great game. They definitely deserved the win. Whenever Point came within a bucket or two, the Ole's made a run to make it a 7-9 point game. As for a couple of injuries, they happen to be our two best guys, Bublitz and Delmore. Bublitz is definitely the leader and was sorely missed. They were our top returning scorers as well. So, not to take anything away from St. Olaf, but it was our two best players who were out.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I don't believe this is directly impacting the basketball team, but there is an NCAA investigation looming over the UWSP athletic department (impermissible, off-season coaching contact by the basketball coaching staff during a captain's practices). At this point it's not certain when a ruling can be expected from the NCAA.  It's a fairly serious offense and some experts have speculated that UWSP may have to vacate their most recent NCAA title from 2015.   Most experts anticipate a final decision within the next 4-5 months.

It absolutely is impacting the team... there is no way it isn't. The entire investigation started and is basically focused on the men's basketball program. Other things will probably be revealed, but I think it is naive to think this doesn't have any direct impact on the team.

[Drake Palmer]

I don't believe this is directly impacting the basketball team, but there is an NCAA investigation looming over the UWSP athletic department (impermissible, off-season coaching contact by the basketball coaching staff during a captain's practices). At this point it's not certain when a ruling can be expected from the NCAA.  It's a fairly serious offense and some experts have speculated that UWSP may have to vacate their most recent NCAA title from 2015.   Most experts anticipate a final decision within the next 4-5 months.

It absolutely is impacting the team... there is no way it isn't. The entire investigation started and is basically focused on the men's basketball program. Other things will probably be revealed, but I think it is naive to think this doesn't have any direct impact on the team.

Good grief, thanks for sharing.   

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I don't believe this is directly impacting the basketball team, but there is an NCAA investigation looming over the UWSP athletic department (impermissible, off-season coaching contact by the basketball coaching staff during a captain's practices). At this point it's not certain when a ruling can be expected from the NCAA.  It's a fairly serious offense and some experts have speculated that UWSP may have to vacate their most recent NCAA title from 2015.   Most experts anticipate a final decision within the next 4-5 months.

It absolutely is impacting the team... there is no way it isn't. The entire investigation started and is basically focused on the men's basketball program. Other things will probably be revealed, but I think it is naive to think this doesn't have any direct impact on the team.

Good grief, thanks for sharing.   

Just read back some of what you read and another thing stuck out... this isn't just about captain's practices... the NCAA investigation has revealed a lot more. The following article is from last January when UWSP benched Semling for the rest of the season after the NCAA basically told them that the violations were considered "major:" http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2017/01/uw-stevens-point-bob-semling-suspended-postseason-ban

I then shared my thoughts, twice now that I think about it, on last night's Hoopsville: http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2017-18/nov16 (opening segment of the show, click the podcast "box" on the right).

I also shared them after the Kent Dernbach interview in the final preseason podcast episode: http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2017-18/preseason-podcasts ("Unique Opportunities" episode; final segment)

[Drake Palmer]

I don't believe this is directly impacting the basketball team, but there is an NCAA investigation looming over the UWSP athletic department (impermissible, off-season coaching contact by the basketball coaching staff during a captain's practices). At this point it's not certain when a ruling can be expected from the NCAA.  It's a fairly serious offense and some experts have speculated that UWSP may have to vacate their most recent NCAA title from 2015.   Most experts anticipate a final decision within the next 4-5 months.

It absolutely is impacting the team... there is no way it isn't. The entire investigation started and is basically focused on the men's basketball program. Other things will probably be revealed, but I think it is naive to think this doesn't have any direct impact on the team.

Good grief, thanks for sharing.   

Just read back some of what you read and another thing stuck out... this isn't just about captain's practices... the NCAA investigation has revealed a lot more. The following article is from last January when UWSP benched Semling for the rest of the season after the NCAA basically told them that the violations were considered "major:" http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2017/01/uw-stevens-point-bob-semling-suspended-postseason-ban

I then shared my thoughts, twice now that I think about it, on last night's Hoopsville: http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2017-18/nov16 (opening segment of the show, click the podcast "box" on the right).

I also shared them after the Kent Dernbach interview in the final preseason podcast episode: http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2017-18/preseason-podcasts ("Unique Opportunities" episode; final segment)

I'm glad I was able to provide another opportunity for you to to shill your show.  Not that we're not interested, but this might be of greater interest and concern to posters on the WIAC board.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I don't believe this is directly impacting the basketball team, but there is an NCAA investigation looming over the UWSP athletic department (impermissible, off-season coaching contact by the basketball coaching staff during a captain's practices). At this point it's not certain when a ruling can be expected from the NCAA.  It's a fairly serious offense and some experts have speculated that UWSP may have to vacate their most recent NCAA title from 2015.   Most experts anticipate a final decision within the next 4-5 months.

It absolutely is impacting the team... there is no way it isn't. The entire investigation started and is basically focused on the men's basketball program. Other things will probably be revealed, but I think it is naive to think this doesn't have any direct impact on the team.

Good grief, thanks for sharing.   

Just read back some of what you read and another thing stuck out... this isn't just about captain's practices... the NCAA investigation has revealed a lot more. The following article is from last January when UWSP benched Semling for the rest of the season after the NCAA basically told them that the violations were considered "major:" http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2017/01/uw-stevens-point-bob-semling-suspended-postseason-ban

I then shared my thoughts, twice now that I think about it, on last night's Hoopsville: http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2017-18/nov16 (opening segment of the show, click the podcast "box" on the right).

I also shared them after the Kent Dernbach interview in the final preseason podcast episode: http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2017-18/preseason-podcasts ("Unique Opportunities" episode; final segment)

I'm glad I was able to provide another opportunity for you to to shill your show.  Not that we're not interested, but this might be of greater interest and concern to posters on the WIAC board.

Hope you don't mind us shilling the show... but it also tends to be a place where a lot of these things get hashed out. We don't shy away from topics on the show and guests know that. And while I agree it is probably better on the WIAC board, I would contend the infractions of UWSP and Thomas More and Baruch WBB teams in the past (even Kean WBB a while ago) are things all DIII fans should be aware. Violations in the ACC are topic of conversation on the PAC 12, too.

[Greek Tragedy]

Good grief, Dave, I thought you might give the WIAC a little more credit than that. Point is 2 years and 1 game removed from a National Championship. There's turnover, among other things. Point was a combined 30-2 in the WIAC the season they won the title and the previous season. By the start of the 2015-2016 team, they had lost nearly everyone from those dominant teams. It's not just Point that has had a down year or two. Whitewater, the other relevant WIAC team of late, also has been down. Up-and-coming teams like Oshkosh, River Falls and La Crosse have caught up to the Big 2.

I don't recall the exact timeline of the investigation and when it was actually made public, but I doubt Point's '15-'16 was effected at all and if the investigation was made public early in the 2016-2017 season, Point had already opened 0-2. Is there an impact? Yeah, maybe recruiting this year and the following years until we know the outcome.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Good grief, Dave, I thought you might give the WIAC a little more credit than that. Point is 2 years and 1 game removed from a National Championship. There's turnover, among other things. Point was a combined 30-2 in the WIAC the season they won the title and the previous season. By the start of the 2015-2016 team, they had lost nearly everyone from those dominant teams. It's not just Point that has had a down year or two. Whitewater, the other relevant WIAC team of late, also has been down. Up-and-coming teams like Oshkosh, River Falls and La Crosse have caught up to the Big 2.

I don't recall the exact timeline of the investigation and when it was actually made public, but I doubt Point's '15-'16 was effected at all and if the investigation was made public early in the 2016-2017 season, Point had already opened 0-2. Is there an impact? Yeah, maybe recruiting this year and the following years until we know the outcome.

Not following your timeline and impact claim... I am talking about now. I think the impact now is directly affected by the investigation. The investigation had already started, though, well before last season. In fact, it started I believe before their AD Montgomery left... OR shortly after he left which would make it the '15-'16 season, I believe (off the top of my head).

Where I am not giving the WIAC credit? I have three WIAC teams in my Top 25. What I will say is that I think UWSP has taken a hit, but I do want to see how the season moves from here. I know they had a down year, but I think the impact is now greater and this isn't temporary.