With the first week of NSIC basketball already over, it's hard to believe how the first weekend transpired. Friday night proved to be an exciting night of basketball where four games were decided by three points or less, including two overtime games. Saturday had two more games of similar magnitude. All-in-all, it leads to a somewhat difficult power ranking to make, especially to me personally. I don't really like doing co-rankings but this is one week where I had to have co-#1's.
T1. Winona State 5-0 (2-0 D2, 1-0 NSIC) (-)
PG - W vs. Clarke College 111-66
LG - W vs. Upper Iowa 78-61
UG - @ Bemidji State (4-2), @ UM-Duluth (4-2)
Note - It wasn't exactly a textbook victory for the Warriors, but they still came away with a solid 17 point victory over Upper Iowa. It wasn't a great win but it wasn't a terrible win either. The Warriors continue to see outstanding play out of sophomore center Clayton Vette. He scored a game-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting with seven rebounds. What intrigued me about WSU in this game was how unwilling they were to go to their bench, even though their bench saw a lot of minutes in non-conference play. Only Xavier Humphrey and Jon Walburg saw more than 10 minutes off the WSU bench. Brad Meyer only saw eight minutes of the bench and Taylor Cameron, the Warriors promising young freshman point guard only saw a minute. I guess if there's anything to take away from it, Coach Leaf probably realized the starters could probably play a few more minutes since they only played one game this weekend. The Warriors hit the road next weekend when they travel to Bemidji and Duluth.
T1. MSU-Mankato 6-0 (4-0 D2, 2-0 NSIC) (+2)
PG - W vs. Wayne State 74-63
LG - W vs. Augustana 83-67
UG - @ Concordia-St. Paul (4-2), @ St. Cloud State (2-4)
Note - This was a tough call for me to make. I couldn't decide if they should be #1 or #2. Finally, I just decided to make them co-#1 until next week. Their wins this weekend were very convincing, especially beating a high-caliber team like Augustana by 16. Considering how well coached the Vikings typically are, that's impressive. They also perhaps have the best non-conference win with a win over a 6-1 Michigan Tech team from the GLIAC. What is surprising me the most out of MSU-Mankato is how deep they are. They had nine players see 10+ minutes against Wayne State and Augustana. It was a good weekend for Jefferson Mason, scoring 16 points against Wayne State and 24 points against Augustana. I'm sure the Vikings are still a little concerned with their perimeter shooting, but with how talented they are up-and-down the roster, it's something they won't be worrying about too much. The Mavericks will have a challenging road contest this weekend when they travel to Concordia-St. Paul and St. Cloud State for their first NSIC road battles of the season.
3. SW Minnesota State 5-1 (4-0 D2, 2-0 NSIC) (+1)
PG - W vs. Augustana 66-64
LG - W vs. Wayne State 73-43
UG - @ St. Cloud State (2-4), @ Concordia-St. Paul (4-2)
Note - What a great weekend for the Mustangs. A big time home win against a great program like Augustana and then follow it up with a slamming of Wayne State. In the Vikings game, they did what they needed to do...allow someone other than Schilling or McCaffrey beat them. Of course, Schilling dropped 30 on them, but they help McCaffrey to seven points and not one other Viking scored in double figures. Against Wayne State, the Mustang defense was tenacious, only allowing the Wildcats to shoot 28% from the field and forced 18 turnovers. A 30 point victory is impressive against any team in the NSIC, let alone a solid Wayne State team that is in the running for a potential NSIC tournament bid. I know I was one that didn't think there was a big gap between the Mustangs and Wildcats...boy was I wrong. Could we be seeing another 2009-esque SMSU team on our hands? I don't think they are quite as good as that team was but they still seem to be a team that's buying in to Coach Brad Bigler's system and it's paying big dividends right now. With a road trip to St. Cloud and St. Paul, they could make a big statement as to what sort of team they have in the NSIC this year.
4. U-Mary 5-1 (5-1 D2, 1-1 NSIC) (-2)
PG - W vs. St. Cloud State 84-81 (OT)
LG - L vs. Concordia-St. Paul 70-67
UG - @ Augustana (3-3), @ Wayne State (4-2)
Note - What a roller coaster ride weekend for the Marauders. They had a thrilling OT battle with St. Cloud State on Friday night and then followed it up with a hard-fought, but disappointing loss to Concordia-St. Paul. The game against the Huskies felt like an NCAA tournament game with the sort of atmosphere and excitement surrounding the game. Granted, I'm sure both teams will be playing better when March rolls around, but it was still an exciting game with an exciting finish. Even after Damon Smith and Cameron Lee fouled out, this team was able to rally around guys like Baley Johnson and Jalen Jaspers to come up with big plays. In the Concordia-St. Paul game, the team struggled mightily from three-point range, hitting only 26% of their threes. It showed on the Marauders last possession as they had three open three-point shot attempts to tie the game up and missed on all three attempts. If there's an apparent weakness on this Mary team, it's that they still lack depth. Only eight players saw the floor in the Saturday game and only one of the bench players saw more than 10 minutes. Four of the five starters played 37 minutes or more, which is not a good sign when you played an OT game the night before. This team will have a challenging road test at Augustana and Wayne State this weekend. Despite both teams struggles, the Marauders won't want to overlook either of those teams.
5. Northern State 5-1 (1-1 D2, 1-1 NSIC) (+1)
PG - W vs. Concordia-St. Paul 96-94 (OT)
LG - L vs. St. Cloud State 91-83
UG - @ Wayne State (4-2), @ Augustana (3-3)
Note - It feels odd putting Northern State in this position. Splitting on your home court isn't necessarily a good thing. However, considering Augustana went 0-2 this past weekend, the Wolves made it to this position due in part to that event. The Wolves certainly need to be feeling good with the cast of players they have on this team, especially the new additions. Of Northern's top 5 scorers, only one of them is a player that returned from last year's active roster (Colin Pryor). Tom Parks, one of the new transfers had a nice game against Concordia-St. Paul, scoring 23 points on 5-of-8 shooting, 4-of-7 three-point shooting and 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. Against St. Cloud State, David Lane had a huge game, scoring 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting and made 10-of-13 free throw attempts. Northern State needs to find some consistency with their scorers because if they can get Pryor, Parks, Lane, Dustin Tetzlaff and Tydan Storrusten in double-figures consistently, this team will be hard to stop. Who knows? With Bojan Todorovic slowly getting back in game shape, this team could be a six-headed monster in the scoring column. I'm sure the Wolves will be looking for that consistency this weekend at Wayne and Sioux Falls because they are going to need it for this road trip.
6. Concordia-St. Paul 4-2 (2-1 D2, 1-1 NSIC) (+3)
PG - L @ Northern State 96-94 (OT)
LG - W @ Mary 70-67
UG - vs. MSU-Mankato (6-0), vs. SW Minnesota State (5-1)
Note - The Golden Bears are looking a little more golden in the NSIC Power Rankings this week after picking up an incredible road win in Bismarck, North Dakota last week. That's one of the toughest places to win in the NSIC and Concordia-St. Paul sure looked like they were up for the challenge. There were no last-second heroics needed for that game as the Golden Bears remained in control for a strong portion of that game. Concordia-St. Paul is getting great play out of the Olefeso brothers, especially Kenny, who tallied 19 points and nine rebounds against Northern State as well as 17 points and 13 rebounds against Mary. Brent Barz also seems to be getting back-on-track as he put up 17 points against both NSU and Mary. This weekend, the Golden Bears host a pair of tough NSIC basketball games against MSU-Mankato and SW Minnesota State. Even a split between those two might send them up the ranks. If they can sweep those two teams, who knows...you could see this team ranked as high as #2 or #3.
7. St. Cloud State 2-4 (1-3 D2, 1-1 NSIC) (+1)
PG - L @ Mary 84-81 (OT)
LG - W @ Northern State 91-83
UG - vs. SW Minnesota State (5-1), vs. MSU-Mankato (6-0)
Note - A road split at Mary and Northern State was huge for the Huskies. They could not afford to start off the conference season 0-2, especially considering how awful their non-conference season started off. It is really incredible to think how close the Huskies were to going 2-0 and 0-2. They came close to pulling off the upset against Mary but still fell a little short. Against Northern State, they were down by eight going in at halftime and caught fire in the second half, shooting 54% from the field and more importantly, shot 19-of-22 from the charity stripe (86%) to keep the Wolves at bay. The Huskies are going to need to pull for at least another split this weekend because they have a tall order in front of them. They draw SW Minnesota State on Friday night and then MSU-Mankato on Saturday night. The Huskies are being run through the gauntlet to start off the season and just need to hope they can pull through some of these tough games. With the way the Mustangs and Mavericks are playing, the Huskies might even be hard-pressed for a split.
8. Augustana 3-3 (0-2 D2, 0-2 NSIC) (-3)
PG - L @ SW Minnesota State 66-64
LG - L @ MSU-Mankato 83-67
UG - vs. Mary (5-1), vs. Northern State (5-1)
Note - Here's some food for thought, the Vikings have not lost three straight games since the 2005-2006 season. It just so happened that the Vikings lost four straight games that year and one of those losses in that string was at MSU-Mankato. Scary thought for Vikings fans...the Vikes finished 12-16 that year, 10-15 in D2. Needless to say, if Augustana repeats that this year, they won't even sniff at the NCAA Tournament. That would be a huge disappointment considering they've been the runners-up in the NSIC the past two seasons. However, we need to keep in consideration that we're only six games into the season. There is PLENTY of time for the Vikings to right the ship, but they'll need to do it in a hurry. They've got two tough home games to deal with right off the bat with Mary on Friday and Northern State on Saturday. If they drop both these games, they'd be looking at an 0-4 start in NSIC play and 3-5 overall. The key factor for Augustana this weekend is to get someone other than Schilling and McCaffrey going on the offensive end. Augie learned the hard way what happens when one of their top two scorers isn't producing on offense and it resulted in two losses.
9. Wayne State 4-2 (1-2 D2, 0-2 NSIC) (-2)
PG - L @ MSU-Mankato 74-63
LG - L @ SW Minnesota State 73-43
UG - vs. Northern State (5-1), vs. Mary (5-1)
Note - I'm not sure what happened to the Wildcats for three halves on this past road trip. The word "skunk" is an insult to skunks considering Wayne State's play the last three halves. In those three halves, the Wilcats have been outscored 117-67 and have only shot 22-of-74 (.297) from the field. Now THAT'S cold. It's not just the shooting with this team though. They turned the ball over 17 times against MSU and 18 times against SMSU. A combination of sloppy play offensively and poor shooting leads to very poor results. Right now, the Wildcats need somebody other than Amry Shelby to score for them, granted, it's not like Shelby lit up the Mustangs. Shelby needs Jensen, Starken, Tasa and Williams to help him out on the offensive end because he cannot carry the load by himself. Even though this team does get a well-needed homecoming from such a rough road test, it doesn't get much easier with Northern State and Mary on back-to-back nights. The Wildcats better pull for at least a split because starting off the conference 0-4 without even seeing Winona State, St. Cloud State or Augustana yet wouldn't look promising.
10. UM-Duluth 4-2 (2-2 D2, 2-0 NSIC) (+4)
PG - W vs. UM-Crookston 68-44
LG - W vs. MSU-Moorhead 71-70
UG - vs. Upper Iowa (1-4), vs. Winona State (5-0)
Note - Well, I can officially say the Bulldogs have surprised me. This team only won four conference games last year and are already halfway to matching that. I had a pretty good feeling they would beat UM-Crookston, but I thought the game would be much closer than what the final score was. The MSU-Moorhead game was certainly dramatic to say the least. To think what might have happened if Tarell Clark makes both free throws and sends the game into OT. I really wonder who would've pulled out the win in OT. I guess we should give a big welcome back to Ryan Rasmussen for showing up this weekend. If there was one guy not named Eric Erdmann that could've won NSIC POW honors, it might've been him. He scored 27 points on 10-of-16 FG, including 7-of-11 from three-point range against UM-Crookston and followed that up with 20 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including 6-of-6 from the charity stripe against MSU-Moorhead. They might need him to continue lighting up the scoreboard if they have any chance of pulling the upset against Winona State this weekend.
11. MSU-Moorhead 4-2 (1-1 D2, 1-1 NSIC) (-)
PG - W @ Bemidji State 60-58
LG - L @ UM-Duluth 71-70
UG - @ UM-Crookston (4-2)
Note - Wow, the Dragons were REALLY CLOSE to springing two road victories and perhaps climbing as high as #8 in my NSIC Power Rankings. Instead, a missed three throw killed those chances and they'll have to settle for what they were last week...#11. The good news for the Dragons is they did get that improbable win in Bemidji. I thought there was no way the Beavers drop that game to Moorhead, but they did. Major credit should be given to the Dragons for attacking the offensive glass. They outrebounded the Beavers 19-to-1 on the offensive glass and that was the difference between winning and losing that game. Unfortunately, that mentality doesn't work so well with UM-Duluth because they are better at attacking the glass than MSU-Moorhead is. The good news for MSU-Moorhead is they are taking better care of the basketball. They only turned the ball over seven times against BSU and 12 times against UMD. More good news is they play at UM-Crookston this weekend...definitely a winnable game for them to end their three-game road stretch.
12. Upper Iowa 1-4 (0-3 D2, 0-1 NSIC) (+1)
PG - W vs. Valley City State 88-59 (N)
LG - L @ Winona State 78-61
UG - @ UM-Duluth (4-2), @ Bemidji State (4-2)
Note - I must admit, the Peacocks are a much better basketball team than I gave them credit for. It's so easy to laugh at them with a 1-4 record, but they've lost tough games to some darn good basketball teams. In D2, they lost to a 4-2 Quincy, a 7-1 Drury and a 5-0 Winona State. Some props to the Peacocks for not only scheduling those teams, but hanging with their opponents in those games as well. I believe the Peacocks luck is about to change. They travel to UM-Duluth and Bemidji State this weekend. I have a feeling they will win one of those two games. Which one? It's tough to say. It's just a feeling I have. The one key for them is that somebody outside of Matt Lesan or Tucker Wentzien NEEDS to step up. I know Peacocks fans would be saying Dan Bestul but he was essentially non-existent against Winona State, scoring seven points on 3-of-5 shooting and only gathering four rebounds. All I will say is it will take a total team effort to pull off an upset in either Bemidji or Duluth, but I believe they can do it.
13. Bemidji State 4-2 (1-2 D2, 1-1 NSIC) (-3)
PG - L vs. MSU-Moorhead 60-58
LG - W vs. UM-Crookston 88-63
UG - vs. Winona State (5-0), vs. Upper Iowa (1-4)
Note - Am I a little harsh putting the Beavers at the metaphorical cellar (considering UM-Crookston has it reserved)? Perhaps...but one thing I will say, losing at home to MSU-Moorhead is BAD. I'm not exactly saying the Dragons are the worst team in the NSIC but that's a game you have to win on your home floor if you want to make a push for the NSIC Tournament. I have a feeling the Beavers are not that far from doing it...but they REALLY need to win those games on their home floor. As for the problem with this team, it's obvious. It is rebounding and low post defense. Dennis Williamson and Alex Novak had their way with the Beavers in the low block, combining for 26 rebounds. The Beavers should consider themselves lucky Novak couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in that game. If they struggle against Dennis Williamson, how are they going to fare against the 3rd highest scoring post player in the NSIC in Clayton Vette? They've got Winona State on Friday and Upper Iowa on Saturday. Losing to WSU wouldn't be unexpected but if they lose at home to Upper Iowa, this team could be in trouble.
14. UM-Crookston 4-2 (0-2 D2, 0-2 NSIC) (-2)
PG - L @ Bemidji State 88-63
LG - W vs. St. Scholastica 64-56
UG - vs. MSU-Moorhead (4-2)
Note - Well, that's what I get for getting my hopes up for UM-Crooston...they get into NSIC play and get EXPOSED!!! They lose by 24 to a less than average UM-Duluth team and by 23 to a Bemidji State team coming off a bad loss to MSU-Moorhead. I'd say, "well, at least they got a nice non-conference win against St. Scholastica, right?" That's even less impressive considering St. Cloud State just beat this same St. Scholastica team by 34 points. It is especially sad that it was a five-point game with 1:30 remaining. The phrase "they are who we thought they were" holds true. They aren't the least bit improved from last year and to be honest, they are probably worse. I really don't have high hopes for them in their upcoming game against MSU-Moorhead. Considering this MSU-Moorhead won in Bemidji, a place the Golden Eagles lost by 23 doesn't bode well. I don't care if this game is at home, it's still bad news for Crookston.
No comments:
Post a Comment