Hey, y'all. Sorry, I took a month off after being assaulted with the holidays and work. Now that the holidays are over, I think I'll get back to doing my power rankings again. At least the good news is things are becoming a little more clear cut then they were when I left off. With no further ado, here are my rankings...
1. MSU-Mankato 12-1 (11-1 D2, 8-1 NSIC)
L5 - 5-0
PG - W vs. UM-Crookston 82-72
LG - W vs. SW Minnesota State 84-76
UG - Jan. 14 @ Northern State (6-8), Jan. 15 @ U-Mary (10-4)
Note - The Mavericks are one of the biggest surprises in the early season. Not only do they have the best record in the NSIC, but the best record in the region. They didn't have the most impressive set of home games but this year in the NSIC, it doesn't matter what you win by...just as long as you win. Jefferson Mason continues to put up all-NSIC type numbers, putting up 23 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and six steals against the Mustangs. The Mavericks will have a challenging road test ahead of them, as Northern State is desperate for a win and U-Mary is playing great basketball right now.
2. Winona State 11-2 (8-2 D2, 7-2 NSIC)
L5 - 4-1
PG - W @ Concordia-St. Paul 85-62
LG - W @ St. Cloud State 93-91 (OT)
UG - Jan. 14 vs. UM-Crookston (5-8), Jan. 15 vs. MSU-Moorhead (8-5)
Note - Winona State could not have started the new year any better, going 4-0 in the last four games and against quality opponents (U-Mary, Northern State, Concordia-St. Paul, St. Cloud State). The Warriors had a great weekend completely annihilating Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday and followed it up with an intense win against St. Cloud, capped off with an 18-foot jumper with a second left in OT by Ben Fischer to give WSU a two-point win. However, the difference-maker lately has been Clayton Vette, who is starting to look like a dominant center. He scored 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting while gathering 13 rebounds. WSU comes back home and plays a few easier opponents this week, taking on UM-Crookston on Friday night and MSU-Moorhead on Saturday.
3. U-Mary 10-4 (10-4 D2, 6-4 NSIC)
L5 - 4-1
PG - W @ MSU-Moorhead 72-57
LG - W @ UM-Crookston 71-55
UG - Jan. 14 vs. SW Minnesota State (6-7), Jan. 15 vs. MSU-Mankato (12-1)
Note - It's hard to argue this spot with the way Mary is playing. They are only one of three teams in the NSIC with 10 victories and after starting out the conference season 1-3, they've rebounded nicely winning five of their last six games. Winning on the road in the NSIC isn't easy this year but Mary went 3-1 on these last two road trips, with the only loss being a one-point loss at Winona State. Anthony Moody is putting up NSIC POY numbers, leading the NSIC in scoring (19.6 PPG), sixth in assists (4.36 APG), eighth in steals (1.57 SPG), and minutes played (38.43 MPG). Mary is going to need a strong effort out of him and his teammates this weekend, because they will be hosting an SMSU team that's desperate for a victory and an MSU team that is poised to make a run at hosting the regional for a second straight year.
4. Augustana 9-5 (6-4 D2, 6-4 NSIC)
L5 - 3-2
PG - W @ Bemidji State 69-67
LG - W @ UM-Duluth 76-49
UG - Jan. 15 @ Wayne State (9-5)
Note - After getting the season off to a slow 3-3 start, the Vikings have rebounded nicely, winning three straight and six of their last eight games. The factor? Balance. In their wins against Bemidji and Duluth, four players scored in double figures in each game. It's not just the McCaffrey and Schilling show anymore in Sioux Falls. I think in many fans minds, they knew Augie would not be down for long. They are too well coached and have too much talent to be in the bottom half in the league. Considering how well the Vikings are playing, they might just be able to pull off a third straight road victory. It'll be tough though, as they play travel partner Wayne State in Wayne, NE...not an easy place to come away with a W.
5. Concordia-St. Paul 8-5 (6-4 D2, 5-4 NSIC)
L5 - 3-2
PG - L vs. Winona State 85-62
LG - W vs. Upper Iowa 82-73
UG - Jan. 14 vs. UM-Duluth (7-6), Jan. 15 vs. Bemidji State (7-6)
Note - I like to call the Golden Bears "the splitter," because it seems like they split every weekend series they play. Of the five weekends we've had in NSIC play, they've split four of them and the one they didn't was against their travel partner in St. Cloud State. They can come out and look great and they can also come out and look terrible. They looked mediocre against Augustana and downright dreadful against Winona State. However, they did seem to right the ship when they got a nice win against the Peacocks on Sunday. I had a hard time putting them here considering how they played against Augie and WSU but considering they beat SCSU in their home gym, I felt I owed them this much. This weekend's series could be an interesting one because UM-Duluth comes to town...they've been in a struggle losing four of their last five. They take on Bemidji State on Saturday night, a team that is 2-1 on the road and 2-4 at home.
6. Wayne State 9-5 (6-5 D2, 5-5 NSIC)
L5 - 2-3
PG - W @ UM-Duluth 111-104 (2OT)
LG - L @ Bemidji State 63-53
UG - Jan. 15 vs. Augustana (9-5)
Note - I had a tough time making this pick between Wayne and St. Cloud, but all-in-all, I decided to go with Wayne for two reasons. For one, they beat St. Cloud State handily the weekend before and secondly, their one loss last weekend was coming off a double-overtime performance. I almost had a loss written down in the column going into that Bemidji game because I thought they'd be exhausted from the game the night before. However, Wayne is far from playing their best basketball. During their 2-3 stretch, they are so far the only NSIC team this season to lose to UM-Crookston. That really needs to put a black eye on their program even though the Golden Eagles seem improved. All-in-all, the Wildcats need to take care of business this weekend when Augustana comes to town. They are two teams going in different directions right now.
7. St. Cloud State 6-7 (5-6 D2, 5-4 NSIC)
L5 - 2-3
PG - W vs. Upper Iowa 76-68
LG - L vs. Winona State 93-91 (OT)
UG - Jan. 14 vs. Bemidji State (7-6), Jan. 15 vs. UM-Duluth (7-6)
Note - I have a hard time putting the Huskies in this spot because I know they are better than the seventh best team in the NSIC. They are 6-7 but they're 5-3 in their last eight. They are making strides in the right direction but this team just can't get healthy. With Jesse Fisher and Theo Rothstein both out, they were only able to go eight deep this past weekend and really only seven of those guys saw significant minutes. Injuries have plagued the Huskies all season but with the way Taylor Witt and Andrew Bernstetter are playing, they are carrying this team. Bernstetter scored 64 points on 23-of-37 FG, 7-of-11 3ptFG, 11-of-14 FT and gathered 23 rebounds in two games. That's phenomenal, and Witt was no slouch himself scoring 43 points and dishing out 15 assists. However, the Huskies need to start getting production from their other players as both the Beavers and Bulldogs come to town. It might not be a bad draw considering the buzz saw they went through this past weekend.
8. MSU-Moorhead 8-5 (5-4 D2, 5-4 NSIC)
L5 - 3-2
PG - L vs. U-Mary 72-57
LG - W vs. Northern State 72-71
UG - Jan. 14 @ Upper Iowa (4-9), Jan. 15 @ Winona State (11-2)
Note - The Dragons are a tough team to read so far this season. I can't tell if they are really good or just plain average. In a sense, they are just like Concordia-St. Paul where they split just about every weekend. However, this past weekend did show that perhaps the Dragons are coming a bit down to Earth. While it was true that they got beat up at home against a Mary team that was hot as the sun, they struggled to beat a bottom-feeding Northern State team, who missed a shot at the buzzer that would've won the game. When I look at this Dragons team though, they seem to have a lot of young talent and rookie head coach Chad Walthall seems to be doing a good job of coaching them up. I know I didn't expect to see them at 8-5 at this point in the season, and beat teams like Augie and SMSU to get there. They'll have a challenge on their hands this weekend though when they travel to Upper Iowa, who are a pesky bunch and a red-hot Winona State team in McCown.
9. Bemidji State 7-6 (4-6 D2, 4-5 NSIC)
L5 - 3-2
PG - L vs. Augustana 69-67
LG - W vs. Wayne State 63-53
UG - Jan. 14 @ St. Cloud State (5-6), Jan. 15 @ Concordia-St. Paul (8-5)
Note - After getting off to an abysmal start in NSIC play, the Beavers have looked much better of late, winning three of their last five and their two losses coming against U-Mary on their turf and Augie in a barn-burner. Much like Augustana, the Beavers seem to be finding better balance and the team appears to have much stronger play now that Lance Rongstad is finally starting to get healthy. James Ellisor has been a fantastic player in NSIC play thus far and now that Rongstad, Bryce Tesdahl, Mason Walters and Patrick Cassidy are supplying support, I believe they can make a push for the upper half of the NSIC. It'll be a challege getting there this weekend though, as they travel to St. Cloud and St. Paul for two tough games. It would serve them well if they could get at least a split on that road trip.
10. UM-Duluth 7-6 (5-6 D2, 5-4 NSIC)
L5 - 1-4
PG - L vs. Wayne State 111-104 (2OT)
LG - L vs. Augustana 76-49
UG - Jan. 14 @ Concordia-St. Paul (8-5), Jan. 15 @ St. Cloud State (6-7)
Note - Are the Bulldogs who we thought they were? Judging by the last five games, it certainly seems like it. After starting off conference play 4-0, they've now dropped four of their last five games. Worst part of all, three straight home losses. This is a terrible time for UMD to struggle because of the 13 remaining games on the schedule, only four of them are home games. Did I already mention it's not easy to win on the road? It's amazing that UMD went from first in the NSIC to a team that's in danger of dropping out of the top 8 in the NSIC in a matter of a month. This road trip to St. Paul and St. Cloud doesn't compound well for the Bulldogs because they are playing two teams that are tough to beat on their respective home courts and are playing much better basketball than the Bulldogs right now.
11. Upper Iowa 4-9 (3-8 D2, 3-6 NSIC)
L5 - 2-3
PG - L @ St. Cloud State 76-68
LG - L @ Concordia-St. Paul 82-73
UG - Jan. 14 vs. MSU-Moorhead (8-5), Jan. 15 vs. UM-Crookston (5-8)
Note - I had a tough time deciding between the Peacocks and Mustangs for this spot, but in the end, I decided to go with Upper Iowa because they've been playing much better basketball than the Mustangs, even in their losses. Upper Iowa might be the most deceptive 4-9 basketball team in the NSIC. They've only lost two conference games by double figures, and in both those games, they were extremely competitive for most of the game (against the top two teams in the NSIC, no less). However, the Peacocks are in the midst of a three-game losing streak and are looking to break out of it. They'll have a better chance this weekend when they host MSU-Moorhead and UM-Crookston. However, they also know they can't overlook either team, as both are better teams than they were last year.
12. SW Minnesota State 6-7 (5-6 D2, 3-6 NSIC)
L5 - 1-4
PG - L vs. MSU-Moorhead 84-64
LG - L @ MSU-Mankato 84-76
UG - Jan. 14 @ U-Mary (10-4), Jan. 15 @ Northern State (6-8)
Note - The Mustangs are in perhaps the worst slump I've ever personally seen them in. After starting off conference play with impressive wins over Augustana and Wayne State, they've lost six of their last seven games. It's hard to fault them though...four of those six losses were by two points or less. Irony would have it that one weekend provided losses with missed shots at the buzzer and the next weekend would be losing two games with made shots at the buzzer. Lately though, their losses are becoming more...horrific. Losing by 20 at MSU-Moorhead (despite how improved, is embarrassing). From the outside looking in, it appears this team needs somebody outside of Jordan Miller and Scott Roehl to step up for them. This will be a telling weekend for the Mustangs as they travel to Mary and Northern State this weekend. I guess if there's any good news, the Mustangs are 2-0 in the Dakotas/Nebraska...
13. Northern State 6-8 (2-8 D2, 2-8 NSIC)
L5 - 1-4
PG - W @ UM-Crookston 75-65
LG - L @ MSU-Moorhead 72-71
UG - Jan. 14 vs. MSU-Mankato (12-1), Jan. 15 vs. SW Minnesota State (6-7)
Note - I said at the beginning of the year that Northern State would surprise everyone in the league. Oh, they are surprising everyone all right...they are surprisingly bad. What's funny about Northern is they are the third best scoring team in the league, averaging 77.6 PPG. However, the problem is with their defense. They are dead last in scoring defense, giving up 77.4 PPG. Isn't it ironic what happens when you play a weak OOC? After starting out 5-0 (one being a conference victory), the Wolves have lost eight of their last nine games and their one win being at Crookston. Granted, the Wolves did play better this weekend, ALMOST getting a road sweep. However, the fact remains that they still aren't playing that well and need to do a better job on defense. This weekend, they come home but it might not be so home-sweet-home as they host the top team in the region thus far in MSU-Mankato and follow it up with an SMSU team who is just as desperate for a victory as they are.
14. UM-Crookston 5-8 (1-8 D2, 1-8 NSIC)
L5 - 1-4
PG - L vs. Northern State 75-65
LG - L vs. U-Mary 71-55
UG - Jan. 14 @ Winona State (11-2), Jan. 15 @ Upper Iowa (4-9)
Note - Well, I don't think any of us should be surprised that the Golden Eagles are the worst team in the NSIC but one thing I am surprised about is they aren't getting beaten as badly as I thought they would. Since their opening round games, they have not lost an NSIC game by more than 16 points. Last year, 14 of UMC's 22 losses were by more than that margin. So far, UMC only has two terrible losses and they were both the opening weekend of NSIC play. There are two big reasons why UMC plays much better this year. First reason, Eric Dearden. He's been a great addition to the Golden Eagles, scoring 13.4 PPG and is almost averaging two steals a game. Second reason, Adam Hendricks. Hendricks is averaging 11.5 PPG and appears to be the team's leader considering he's one of the few starters from last year's squad contributing to this one. The Golden Eagles are put in a tough situation as they travel to Winona State and Upper Iowa this weekend, two VERY tough places to play and win.
No comments:
Post a Comment