Tuesday, Nov. 23
York College 64
Wayne State 75
Team Leaders
Jason Jensen 17 pts 5-of-9 FG 3-of-5 3ptFG 4-of-4 FT
Ben Tasa 14 pts 6-of-8 FG 8 reb
Amry Shelby 10 pts 6 ast
Derrell Williams 10 pts 4-of-8 FG
Vontrell Seroyer 10 pts
Elijah Miller 7 pts 12 reb
UM-Crookston 78
Mayville State 76 OT
Team Leaders
Larry Brown 21 pts 9-of-13 FG
Eric Dearden 18 pts 6-of-13 FG
Jacolby Anderson 12 pts 4-of-6 FG 5 stl
UW-Stout 87
Bemidji State 89
Team Leaders
Patrick Cassidy 18 pts 7-of-9 FG
James Ellisor 13 pts 11 reb
Noah Sheperd 13 pts 6-of-8 FG
Jake Lindstrom 13 pts
Bryce Tesdahl 11 pts 3-of-6 FG 3-of-5 3ptFG 7 ast
Burke Lendl 10 pts 7 reb
MSU-Moorhead 78
Concordia-Moorhead 83
Team Leaders
Dennis Williamson 18 pts 5-of-11 FG 8-of-8 FT 11 reb
Alex Novak 17 pts 7-of-10 FG 8 reb
Tarell Clark 15 pts
Charlie Chapman 13 pts 4-of-9 FG 3-of-6 3ptFG
Jake Driscoll 10 pts
UW-Superior 74
UM-Duluth 78
Team Leaders
Ryan Rasmussen 18 pts
Jake Hottenstine 13 pts 6-of-7 FT 7 reb
Dylan Rodriguez 10 pts 5-of-9 FG
Wednesday, Nov. 24
Valley City State 53
Augustana 65
Team Leaders
Cody Schilling 19 pts 7-of-12 FG 2-of-4 3ptFG
Cameron McCaffrey 19 pts 6-of-13 FG 3-of-6 3ptFG
Friday, Nov. 26
Academy of Arts 63
Upper Iowa 61
Team Leaders
Dan Bestul 19 pts 7-of-12 FG
Matt Lesan 19 pts 9-of-11 FT
Tucker Wentzien 3 pts 7 reb
Saganaw Valley State 36
U-Mary 51
Team Leaders
Anthony Moody 16 pts 6-of-13 FG 3 stl
Eric Erdmann 16 pts 7-of-16 FG
Cameron Lee 10 pts 4-of-8 FG
Jordan Wilhelm 1 pt 9 reb
Michigan Tech 61
MSU-Mankato 63
Team Leaders
Marcus Hill 14 pts 7 ast
Jefferson Mason 11 pts 4-of-7 FG 7 reb
Cameron Hodges 8 pts 7 reb
Dakota State 52
Augustana 51
Team Leaders
Cody Schilling 21 pts 7-of-16 FG 6-of-7 FT 9 reb
Cameron McCaffrey 17 pts 3-of-7 3ptFG
Valley City State 63
Concordia-St. Paul 69
Team Leaders
Tyler Courtney 20 pts 8-of-12 FG 4-of-7 3ptFG
Kenny Olafeso 12 pts 4-of-6 FG 4-of-5 FT
Peter Olafeso 11 pts 3-of-8 FG 5-of-6 FT 7 reb
Jamestown 80
Northern State 86
Team Leaders
Colin Pryor 25 pts 10-of-12 FG 11 reb
Tydan Storrusten 12 pts 2-of-5 FG 8-of-9 FT
Dustin Tetzlaff 11 pts 4-of-5 FG
Bojan Todorovic 10 pts 4-of-5 FG
David Lane 8 pts 8 ast 3 stl
Saturday, Nov. 27
Crossroads College 42
UM-Crookston 105
Team Leaders
Adam Hendricks 26 pts 12-of-15 FG 7 reb
Jacolby Anderson 16 pts 6-of-9 FG 3-of-3 3ptFG
Larry Brown 14 pts 6-of-6 FG
Eric Dearden 12 pts 4-of-7 FG 3-of-4 3ptFG 7 ast
Trent Graves 10 pts 4-of-6 FG
Mike Boebel 7 pts 7 reb
Almir Krdzalic 3 pts 7 ast 5 stl
Eureka 44
MSU-Mankato 120
Team Leaders
Jimmy Whitehead 17 pts 7-of-12 FG 3 stl
Marcus Hill 14 pts 5-of-8 FG 4-of-6 3ptFG
Connor O'Brien 13 pts 5-of-5 FG 11 reb
Andre Gilbert 13 pts 5-of-11 FG 8 reb
Cameron Hodges 12 pts 5-of-6 FG 3 stl
Jefferson Mason 10 pts 4-of-6 FG 3 blk
Steven Kirschbaum 10 pts 4-of-6 FG
Joe Drapcho 10 pts 4-of-6 FG
Alex Hanks 10 pts 5-of-8 FG 3 stl
NW Missouri State 46
SW Minnesota State 47
Team Leaders
Jordan Miller 13 pts 4-of-5 FT 10 reb
Nick Smith 0 pts 7 reb
Valley City State 59
Upper Iowa 88
Team Leaders
Matt Lesan 18 pts 5-of-10 FG 8-of-8 FT
Tucker Wentzien 15 pts 5-of-9 FG 5-of-6 FT 7 reb
Alex Kramer 11 pts 3-of-6 FG
Dan Bestul 11 pts 4-of-7 FG
UPR-Rio Piedras 63
U-Mary 98
Team Leaders
Jordan Wilhelm 21 pts 6-of-12 FG 4-of-9 3ptFG 5-of-6 FT
Anthony Moody 19 pts 7-of-11 FG 3-of-4 3ptFG 6 ast 3 stl
Cameron Lee 13 pts 4-of-6 FG 3-of-4 3ptFG
Eric Erdmann 11 pts 10 reb
Damon Smith 8 pts 7 reb
Academy of Art 67
Concordia-St. Paul 77
Team Leaders
Peter Olafeso 19 pts 5-of-12 FG 9-of-12 FT 9 reb
Tyler Courtney 12 pts 5-of-9 FG
Brent Barz 10 pts 7 reb
Kenny Olafeso 10 pts
Mayville State 68
Northern State 74
Team Leaders
Colin Pryor 24 pts 8-of-14 FG 7-of-8 FT 11 reb 3 stl
Tydan Storrusten 13 pts 4-of-9 FG 3-of-7 3ptFG
David Lane 8 pts 7 ast
Sunday, Nov. 28
Dakota State 80
Wayne State 84 OT
Team Leaders
Amry Shelby 25 pts 7-of-13 FG 10-of-10 FT 8 reb
Jason Jensen 15 pts
Ben Tasa 13 pts 6-of-7 FG
Derrell Williams 5 pts 7 reb
Gustavus Adolphus 57
MSU-Moorhead 68
Team Leaders
Charlie Chapman 15 pts 5-of-6 FG 3-of-3 3ptFG
Tarell Clark 14 pts 5-of-8 FG
Dennis Williamson 13 pts 5-of-10 FG
Jake Driscoll 12 pts 4-of-9 FG 6 ast
Alex Novak 11 pts 5-of-7 FG 7 reb
Monday, Nov. 29
St. Scholastica 54
St. Cloud State 88
Team Leaders
Ben Bucholz 17 pts 5-of-7 FG 6-of-7 FT 4 stl
Brett Putz 15 pts 4-of-9 FG
Taylor Witt 14 pts 5-of-8 FG
Josh Ortmann 14 pts 3-of-7 FG 6-of-6 FT
Kenquane Brown 1 pt 8 reb
Clarke College 66
Winona State 111
Team Leaders
Anthony Tucker 20 pts 6-of-10 FG 3-of-5 3ptFG 5-of-5 FT
Ben Fischer 14 pts 5-of-5 FG 3-of-3 3ptFG 6 ast
C.J. Erickson 11 pts 5-of-8 FG 4 blk
Clayton Vette 10 pts 5-of-8 FG
Brad Meyer 10 pts 4-of-6 FG
Bemidji State 75
Jamestown 60
Team Leaders
James Ellisor 23 pts 9-of-13 FG 8 reb
Bryce Tesdahl 16 pts 2-of-5 FG 11-of-14 FT 6 ast
Patrick Cassidy 14 pts 5-of-8 FG 3-of-3 3ptFG 7 reb
Ryan Kinnell 0 pts 7 reb
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Adam Stanek's Men's Basketball NSIC Power Rankings (Early Edition)
I know we are only a handful of games into the season, but I thought I'd get an early jump on the NSIC Power Rankings and later on in the season, it will become a "Central Region" power ranking. I can honestly tell you, there are going to be a lot of surprises in this week's rankings. Some teams are much higher than you'd expect, while others are much lower.
1. Winona State 3-0 (1-0 D2)
PG - W @ Northwood (Fla.) 88-84 (OT)
LG - W @ Barry 83-75 OT
NG - vs. Clark College
Note - The Warriors have looked solid out of the gate and picked up two tough road wins in Florida over the weekend. Northwood is one of the best NAIA teams around and Barry is coming off a 2010 D2 NCAA tourney campaign. Anthony Tucker was sensational over the weekend, scoring 50 points, shooting 15-of-30 from the floor and 12-of-16 from the free throw line and tallying seven steals. Clayton Vette's weekend shouldn't be overshadowed either. He scored 41 points on 15-of-22 shooting and gathering 14 rebounds. The Warriors have one more non-conference contest before conference play starts up against Clark College.
2. U-Mary 2-0 (2-0 D2)
PG - W @ Montana State-Billings 70-68
LG - W vs. Chadron State 75-69
NG - Florida Southern Tourney
Note - The Marauders have picked up two nice D2 wins to start out the season. They had a tough contest in Billings, Montana against the GNAC's third best team, but came away with a 70-68 victory. They followed it up with a tough win at home against the RMAC's 12th best team, Chadron State. While these might not be the prettiest of victories, picking up two D2 wins is important for Mary if they want to claim an NCAA tourney spot. If anything, the Marauders need to be happy with the production of Jordan Wilhelm. Can anyone else believe Wilhelm is leading the Marauders in scoring at 22.5 PPG through the first two games? I thought he would be their third scorer but he's turned on the offensive firepower through the first two games. The Marauders have another opportunity to prove themselves when they play in the Florida Southern tournament over the Thanksgiving weekend.
3. Augustana 2-0 (0-0 D2)
PG - W vs. Jamestown 75-65
LG - W @ Sioux Falls 69-53
NG - vs. Valley City State
Note - While the Vikings might not have had two of the most impressive wins to open up the season, they still need to be taken very seriously for a potential NSIC conference title. Why do I say that? Outside of Cameron McCaffrey, this team has yet to peak offensively. Although, we can't sell C-Mac^2 short. He's currently averaging 23.5 PPG through his first two starts. We all know Cody Schilling, who is averaging 10.0 PPG will heat up. All-in-all, this is going to be a VERY tough defensive team. DeZeeuw is perhaps the best defensive post in the NSIC, Chad Hettermann is the Augie equivalent of Chris Kramer from Purdue, and Cody Schilling has the defense to match the offense. I think there will be a lot of teams that struggle to score 70 points against the Vikings this year.
4. MSU-Mankato 2-0 (2-0 D2)
PG - W vs. Dominican (CA) 64-51 (neutral)
LG - W vs. Notre Dame de Namur (neutral)
NG - vs. Michigan Tech
Note - Perhaps I was wrong about the Mavericks. Perhaps they are better than I give them credit for. They are 2-0 in D2 games, that's worth something in my book. However, I think they'll be kidding themselves if that will help their SOS. Last year, Dominican was 10-17 and Notre Dame de Namur was 4-23. I know last year was last year, but if that trend continues this year, that doesn't help the Mavericks. Still, the Mavericks are probably the fourth best team in the NSIC right now and it certainly helps that the Huskies are struggling because that too, helps the Mavericks. They have a home game coming up against Michigan Tech...considering they are a 3-0 team in D2, that WILL help the Mavericks if they come away with a win.
5. SW Minnesota State 2-1 (1-0 D2)
PG - L @ South Dakota State 94-80
LG - W vs. UM-Morris 87-65
NG - NW Missouri State
Note - This spot really had me beside myself. There are three teams I thought I could stick here. I just had to go with my gut and say the Mustangs. Why? Because they are consistently an upper half team in the NSIC and the play of Scott Roehl scares me. Roehl is currently averaging 19.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG, all the while shooting 67% from the floor. Jordan Miller has turned his play up a notch too averaging 18.0 PPG but they'll need to see more out of Huseby if this team wants to stay up in this spot.
6. Northern State 2-0 (0-0 D2)
PG - W vs. Presentation College 108-63
LG - W vs. Mount Marty 70-62
NG - vs. Jamestown
Note - The Wolves seem like an improved team, even though they haven't exactly faced tough competition so far in their non-conference games. So far, it seems as though their go-to guy is Colin Pryor, who has shown great improvement over last year. The three transfer additions of Tom Parks, Dustin Tetzlaff, and David Lane seem to be paying off, while the freshman Tydan Storrusten and Jared Hannigan will help with the depth. To think this team has depth to boot considering Bojan Todorovic should see more playing time in the coming weeks and Marko Filipovic could cause some problems as well for defenses. Jamestown should provide an interesting test for the Wolves considering they played Augustana tough on their home court.
7. Wayne State 3-0 (1-0 D2)
PG - W vs. Nebraska-Kearney 72-71 (OT)
LG - W vs. York College 75-64
NG - vs. Dakota State
Note - After losing their two best players to graduation last year, it seems as though the Wildcats are poised to surprise a few teams in the NSIC this year. Wayne State's guard play has been outstanding this year, especially the play of Amry Shelby. They are still seeing a lot of scoring from Jason Jensen and Brad Starken naturally, but I am surprised by how well the big guys Ben Tasa and Derrell Williams have been playing so far this year. It really looks like the Wayne State bigs have not lost a step from last year and if they can put together a good inside-outside game, they'll be tough to stop.
8. St. Cloud State 0-3 (0-2 D2)
PG - L vs. Cal State-Dominguez Hills 78-65
LG - L @ Grand Canyon 71-65
NG - vs. St. Scholastica
Note - Whether its the roster or the schedule, nobody has got off to a tougher start than the Huskies. They are currently plagued by injuries and suspensions. On top of that, they are one of few NSIC teams that have yet to play a home game this year. For all the expectations that were laid upon him, Taylor Witt has seen better days as well. In his first three games, Witt is averaging 12.0 PPG, but he's shooting 30% from the field, 13% from the arc and has committed 11 turnovers (almost 4 a game). The opponents they are playing are no pushovers either. Tim Bergstrasser is going to miss the entire season with an ACL tear, Andrew Bernstetter has missed the first three games due to a high ankle sprain, Josh Ortmann missed the last two games with a knee injury and Nate Phillips has missed the first three games due to violating a team rule. All-in-all, it spells a disastrous 0-3 start for the Huskies as things have falen apart at the seems. The good news is they will be getting Bernstetter and Phillips back but will those two be enough to make things right in St. Cloud? Only time will tell...
9. Concordia-St. Paul 1-1 (1-0 D2)
PG - W @ UW-Parkside 69-64
LG - L vs. St. Thomas 76-72
NG - vs. Valley City State
Note - The Golden Bears have been hit-or-miss thus far in the 2010-2011 season and what startles me is the play of their bigs. Brent Barz, who was an all-NSIC performer last year, has only averaged 8.0 PPG and 5.0 RPG in the first two games and Dan Vandervieren has picked up two technical fouls already (this was a problem last year for him). However, it's not all gloom-and-doom for the Golden Bears. They should be more than happy with the play from the Olafeso boys. They are averaging 13.0 PPG and 11.5 PPG respectfully and Isiah Thomas seems to be taking his game to another level. To me, the jury is still out on the Golden Bears because they haven't looked very impressive so far in the two games they played.
10. Bemidji State 2-1 (0-1 D2)
PG - W @ Finlandia 84-63
LG - W vs. UW-Stout 89-87
NG - @ Jamestown
Note - Despite getting off to a tough start to the season to Michigan Tech, the Beavers have rebounded with two wins, including a tough home win against UW-Stout. They've been doing it without starting guard Lance Rongstad to boot. The one guy that has really given Bemidji State a boost is James Ellisor. He leads the team in scoring (19.7 PPG) and rebounding (7.7 RPG) through the first three games. Patrick Cassidy and Bryce Tesdahl have more than carried their own weight and the Beavers are starting to see Burke Lendl, Mason Walters and Jake Lindstrom break into the scoring column. I'll be interested in seeing this team when Rongstad gets back, because I think they'll have some of the best guard play in the league when he does with Rongstad, Tesdahl and Ellisor leading the charge.
11. UM-Duluth 2-2 (0-2 D2)
PG - L vs. Cal State-Dominguez Hills 65-60
LG - W vs. UW-Superior 78-74
NG - vs. UM-Crookston
Note - Color me surprised, but the Bulldogs have not looked as bad as I thought they'd look to start out the season. Granted, their two wins came against nobodies like UW-Superior and Northland, but they haven't looked bad against quality competition like Grand Canyon and Cal State-Dominguez Hills. They played Cal State tough and they only had one bad half against Grand Canyon. What amazes me is the poor play of Ryan Rassmussen and how this team has overcome it. Granted, it seems as though Rassmussen is starting to come around after a 20 point game against UW-Superior. I think you can credit that to the play of Jake Hottenstine and Dylan Rodriguez for the Bulldogs surprising play. I'll be interested to see how this team does in NSIC play though before I put too much stock on the Bulldogs "improvement".
12. Upper Iowa 0-2 (0-2 D2)
PG - L @ Drury 88-69
LG - L vs. Quincy 74-61
NG - vs. Academy of Arts (neutral)
Note - Say what you will about the Peacocks, but they have so played by far-and-away the toughest schedule of any NSIC team. A road game and a home game against the #1 and #2 teams in the GLVC, one of the premiere conferences in D2. I'm just amazed that they didn't lose by 20+ to either opponent, even though they came close against Drury. What does it mean for the Peacocks? They might be the most "NSIC ready", but that doesn't mean they'll have success in the NSIC. I think its ridiculous that the Peacocks have 12 players averaging 10+ minutes a game. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Coach Dolan HAS to find a rotation and stick with it if he wants to have success in the NSIC. Very few can pull off the Don Meyer line change and you need to have talented players up-and-down your roster to pull it off. The Peacocks don't have that. Matt Lesan is a great player and they have some solid guys in Tucker Wentzien and Dan Bestul...but everyone else is an average NSIC player at best and that's being Mother Theresa-esque generous.
13. MSU-Moorhead 2-1 (0-0 D2)
PG - W @ Mayville State 77-73
LG - L @ Concordia-Moorhead 83-78
NG - vs. Gustavus Adolphus
Note - I'm not going to lie, it's tough to rate MSU-Moorhead right now. I could have them as high as 11th and as low as well...13th. Due to a HORRIBLE loss to Concordia-Moorhead, I felt I just had to put the Dragons here for now. I find there are a few positive things about the Dragons and a few negative things. The good news is they are BALANCED! They have five players averaging double-figures through their first three games. They also are an efficient offensive team, averaging 78.7 PPG. However, their problem is they turn the basketball over A LOT. They've turned the ball over 42 times in these first three games, averaging 14 TOs a game. That might not sound like much, but considering they've turned it over 33 times in the last two games, you can see its starting to become a problem. Right now, I consider the Dragons a bottom feeder until they can show me they can beat somebody and not lose to teams in their own town.
14. UM-Crookston 2-0 (0-0 D2)
PG - W @ Finlandia 84-58
LG - W @ Mayville State 78-76
NG - vs. Cross Roads College
Note - I'm laughing at myself for putting a 2-0 basketball team at the bottom of the league. Honestly, I don't know how good (or bad) the Golden Eagles are this year, but I can tell you they are off to a good start. Larry Brown feels like the Cubie replacement, averaging 19.5 PPG in his first two games and Eric Dearden is just what the doctor ordered for Cubie averaging 14.0 PPG. Still, this team turns the basketball over A LOT. They are averaging 20 TOs per game, including a 26 TO performance against Mayville State. TOs killed the Golden Eagles last year and they'll kill the Golden Eagles again this year if they don't get that corrected. Guys like Anthony Tucker, Chad Hettermann and Brad Starken are sharks circling when they take on the Golden Eagles with how turnover prone they are.
1. Winona State 3-0 (1-0 D2)
PG - W @ Northwood (Fla.) 88-84 (OT)
LG - W @ Barry 83-75 OT
NG - vs. Clark College
Note - The Warriors have looked solid out of the gate and picked up two tough road wins in Florida over the weekend. Northwood is one of the best NAIA teams around and Barry is coming off a 2010 D2 NCAA tourney campaign. Anthony Tucker was sensational over the weekend, scoring 50 points, shooting 15-of-30 from the floor and 12-of-16 from the free throw line and tallying seven steals. Clayton Vette's weekend shouldn't be overshadowed either. He scored 41 points on 15-of-22 shooting and gathering 14 rebounds. The Warriors have one more non-conference contest before conference play starts up against Clark College.
2. U-Mary 2-0 (2-0 D2)
PG - W @ Montana State-Billings 70-68
LG - W vs. Chadron State 75-69
NG - Florida Southern Tourney
Note - The Marauders have picked up two nice D2 wins to start out the season. They had a tough contest in Billings, Montana against the GNAC's third best team, but came away with a 70-68 victory. They followed it up with a tough win at home against the RMAC's 12th best team, Chadron State. While these might not be the prettiest of victories, picking up two D2 wins is important for Mary if they want to claim an NCAA tourney spot. If anything, the Marauders need to be happy with the production of Jordan Wilhelm. Can anyone else believe Wilhelm is leading the Marauders in scoring at 22.5 PPG through the first two games? I thought he would be their third scorer but he's turned on the offensive firepower through the first two games. The Marauders have another opportunity to prove themselves when they play in the Florida Southern tournament over the Thanksgiving weekend.
3. Augustana 2-0 (0-0 D2)
PG - W vs. Jamestown 75-65
LG - W @ Sioux Falls 69-53
NG - vs. Valley City State
Note - While the Vikings might not have had two of the most impressive wins to open up the season, they still need to be taken very seriously for a potential NSIC conference title. Why do I say that? Outside of Cameron McCaffrey, this team has yet to peak offensively. Although, we can't sell C-Mac^2 short. He's currently averaging 23.5 PPG through his first two starts. We all know Cody Schilling, who is averaging 10.0 PPG will heat up. All-in-all, this is going to be a VERY tough defensive team. DeZeeuw is perhaps the best defensive post in the NSIC, Chad Hettermann is the Augie equivalent of Chris Kramer from Purdue, and Cody Schilling has the defense to match the offense. I think there will be a lot of teams that struggle to score 70 points against the Vikings this year.
4. MSU-Mankato 2-0 (2-0 D2)
PG - W vs. Dominican (CA) 64-51 (neutral)
LG - W vs. Notre Dame de Namur (neutral)
NG - vs. Michigan Tech
Note - Perhaps I was wrong about the Mavericks. Perhaps they are better than I give them credit for. They are 2-0 in D2 games, that's worth something in my book. However, I think they'll be kidding themselves if that will help their SOS. Last year, Dominican was 10-17 and Notre Dame de Namur was 4-23. I know last year was last year, but if that trend continues this year, that doesn't help the Mavericks. Still, the Mavericks are probably the fourth best team in the NSIC right now and it certainly helps that the Huskies are struggling because that too, helps the Mavericks. They have a home game coming up against Michigan Tech...considering they are a 3-0 team in D2, that WILL help the Mavericks if they come away with a win.
5. SW Minnesota State 2-1 (1-0 D2)
PG - L @ South Dakota State 94-80
LG - W vs. UM-Morris 87-65
NG - NW Missouri State
Note - This spot really had me beside myself. There are three teams I thought I could stick here. I just had to go with my gut and say the Mustangs. Why? Because they are consistently an upper half team in the NSIC and the play of Scott Roehl scares me. Roehl is currently averaging 19.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG, all the while shooting 67% from the floor. Jordan Miller has turned his play up a notch too averaging 18.0 PPG but they'll need to see more out of Huseby if this team wants to stay up in this spot.
6. Northern State 2-0 (0-0 D2)
PG - W vs. Presentation College 108-63
LG - W vs. Mount Marty 70-62
NG - vs. Jamestown
Note - The Wolves seem like an improved team, even though they haven't exactly faced tough competition so far in their non-conference games. So far, it seems as though their go-to guy is Colin Pryor, who has shown great improvement over last year. The three transfer additions of Tom Parks, Dustin Tetzlaff, and David Lane seem to be paying off, while the freshman Tydan Storrusten and Jared Hannigan will help with the depth. To think this team has depth to boot considering Bojan Todorovic should see more playing time in the coming weeks and Marko Filipovic could cause some problems as well for defenses. Jamestown should provide an interesting test for the Wolves considering they played Augustana tough on their home court.
7. Wayne State 3-0 (1-0 D2)
PG - W vs. Nebraska-Kearney 72-71 (OT)
LG - W vs. York College 75-64
NG - vs. Dakota State
Note - After losing their two best players to graduation last year, it seems as though the Wildcats are poised to surprise a few teams in the NSIC this year. Wayne State's guard play has been outstanding this year, especially the play of Amry Shelby. They are still seeing a lot of scoring from Jason Jensen and Brad Starken naturally, but I am surprised by how well the big guys Ben Tasa and Derrell Williams have been playing so far this year. It really looks like the Wayne State bigs have not lost a step from last year and if they can put together a good inside-outside game, they'll be tough to stop.
8. St. Cloud State 0-3 (0-2 D2)
PG - L vs. Cal State-Dominguez Hills 78-65
LG - L @ Grand Canyon 71-65
NG - vs. St. Scholastica
Note - Whether its the roster or the schedule, nobody has got off to a tougher start than the Huskies. They are currently plagued by injuries and suspensions. On top of that, they are one of few NSIC teams that have yet to play a home game this year. For all the expectations that were laid upon him, Taylor Witt has seen better days as well. In his first three games, Witt is averaging 12.0 PPG, but he's shooting 30% from the field, 13% from the arc and has committed 11 turnovers (almost 4 a game). The opponents they are playing are no pushovers either. Tim Bergstrasser is going to miss the entire season with an ACL tear, Andrew Bernstetter has missed the first three games due to a high ankle sprain, Josh Ortmann missed the last two games with a knee injury and Nate Phillips has missed the first three games due to violating a team rule. All-in-all, it spells a disastrous 0-3 start for the Huskies as things have falen apart at the seems. The good news is they will be getting Bernstetter and Phillips back but will those two be enough to make things right in St. Cloud? Only time will tell...
9. Concordia-St. Paul 1-1 (1-0 D2)
PG - W @ UW-Parkside 69-64
LG - L vs. St. Thomas 76-72
NG - vs. Valley City State
Note - The Golden Bears have been hit-or-miss thus far in the 2010-2011 season and what startles me is the play of their bigs. Brent Barz, who was an all-NSIC performer last year, has only averaged 8.0 PPG and 5.0 RPG in the first two games and Dan Vandervieren has picked up two technical fouls already (this was a problem last year for him). However, it's not all gloom-and-doom for the Golden Bears. They should be more than happy with the play from the Olafeso boys. They are averaging 13.0 PPG and 11.5 PPG respectfully and Isiah Thomas seems to be taking his game to another level. To me, the jury is still out on the Golden Bears because they haven't looked very impressive so far in the two games they played.
10. Bemidji State 2-1 (0-1 D2)
PG - W @ Finlandia 84-63
LG - W vs. UW-Stout 89-87
NG - @ Jamestown
Note - Despite getting off to a tough start to the season to Michigan Tech, the Beavers have rebounded with two wins, including a tough home win against UW-Stout. They've been doing it without starting guard Lance Rongstad to boot. The one guy that has really given Bemidji State a boost is James Ellisor. He leads the team in scoring (19.7 PPG) and rebounding (7.7 RPG) through the first three games. Patrick Cassidy and Bryce Tesdahl have more than carried their own weight and the Beavers are starting to see Burke Lendl, Mason Walters and Jake Lindstrom break into the scoring column. I'll be interested in seeing this team when Rongstad gets back, because I think they'll have some of the best guard play in the league when he does with Rongstad, Tesdahl and Ellisor leading the charge.
11. UM-Duluth 2-2 (0-2 D2)
PG - L vs. Cal State-Dominguez Hills 65-60
LG - W vs. UW-Superior 78-74
NG - vs. UM-Crookston
Note - Color me surprised, but the Bulldogs have not looked as bad as I thought they'd look to start out the season. Granted, their two wins came against nobodies like UW-Superior and Northland, but they haven't looked bad against quality competition like Grand Canyon and Cal State-Dominguez Hills. They played Cal State tough and they only had one bad half against Grand Canyon. What amazes me is the poor play of Ryan Rassmussen and how this team has overcome it. Granted, it seems as though Rassmussen is starting to come around after a 20 point game against UW-Superior. I think you can credit that to the play of Jake Hottenstine and Dylan Rodriguez for the Bulldogs surprising play. I'll be interested to see how this team does in NSIC play though before I put too much stock on the Bulldogs "improvement".
12. Upper Iowa 0-2 (0-2 D2)
PG - L @ Drury 88-69
LG - L vs. Quincy 74-61
NG - vs. Academy of Arts (neutral)
Note - Say what you will about the Peacocks, but they have so played by far-and-away the toughest schedule of any NSIC team. A road game and a home game against the #1 and #2 teams in the GLVC, one of the premiere conferences in D2. I'm just amazed that they didn't lose by 20+ to either opponent, even though they came close against Drury. What does it mean for the Peacocks? They might be the most "NSIC ready", but that doesn't mean they'll have success in the NSIC. I think its ridiculous that the Peacocks have 12 players averaging 10+ minutes a game. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Coach Dolan HAS to find a rotation and stick with it if he wants to have success in the NSIC. Very few can pull off the Don Meyer line change and you need to have talented players up-and-down your roster to pull it off. The Peacocks don't have that. Matt Lesan is a great player and they have some solid guys in Tucker Wentzien and Dan Bestul...but everyone else is an average NSIC player at best and that's being Mother Theresa-esque generous.
13. MSU-Moorhead 2-1 (0-0 D2)
PG - W @ Mayville State 77-73
LG - L @ Concordia-Moorhead 83-78
NG - vs. Gustavus Adolphus
Note - I'm not going to lie, it's tough to rate MSU-Moorhead right now. I could have them as high as 11th and as low as well...13th. Due to a HORRIBLE loss to Concordia-Moorhead, I felt I just had to put the Dragons here for now. I find there are a few positive things about the Dragons and a few negative things. The good news is they are BALANCED! They have five players averaging double-figures through their first three games. They also are an efficient offensive team, averaging 78.7 PPG. However, their problem is they turn the basketball over A LOT. They've turned the ball over 42 times in these first three games, averaging 14 TOs a game. That might not sound like much, but considering they've turned it over 33 times in the last two games, you can see its starting to become a problem. Right now, I consider the Dragons a bottom feeder until they can show me they can beat somebody and not lose to teams in their own town.
14. UM-Crookston 2-0 (0-0 D2)
PG - W @ Finlandia 84-58
LG - W @ Mayville State 78-76
NG - vs. Cross Roads College
Note - I'm laughing at myself for putting a 2-0 basketball team at the bottom of the league. Honestly, I don't know how good (or bad) the Golden Eagles are this year, but I can tell you they are off to a good start. Larry Brown feels like the Cubie replacement, averaging 19.5 PPG in his first two games and Eric Dearden is just what the doctor ordered for Cubie averaging 14.0 PPG. Still, this team turns the basketball over A LOT. They are averaging 20 TOs per game, including a 26 TO performance against Mayville State. TOs killed the Golden Eagles last year and they'll kill the Golden Eagles again this year if they don't get that corrected. Guys like Anthony Tucker, Chad Hettermann and Brad Starken are sharks circling when they take on the Golden Eagles with how turnover prone they are.
NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Recap (Nov. 19 - Nov. 20)
Friday, Nov. 19
St. Cloud State 65
Cal State-Dominguez Hills 78
The Huskies injury problems continue as not only did they lose to Toros, but they lost Josh Ortmann for the weekend due to a knee injury. Taylor Witt was one of two Huskies to break double-figures with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting. The other was freshman center Ben Bucholz with 10 points and nine rebounds. Despite a poor shooting performance, Brett Putz added nine points with five assists and three steals and Jordan Johnsrud scored nine points and six rebounds.
MSU-Mankato 64
Dominican (CA) 51
It wasn't pretty, but the Mavericks came away with a W against Dominican on a night they only shot 35-percent from the floor. Jefferson Mason led the way with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Marcus Hill and Steven Kirschbaum each added 10 points.
MSU-Moorhead 77
Mayville State (NAIA) 73
The Dragons improved to 2-0 with a win on the road against Mayville State. Five players broke double-figures for the Dragons, led by Jake Driscoll with 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Charlie Chapman scored 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting and 3-of-4 from the arc and Dennis Williamson added 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting with nine rebounds. Alex Novak tallied a double-double with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, 13 rebounds and three steals. Tarell Clark rounded out the scoring with 10 points and eight rebounds.
UM-Duluth 54
Grand Canyon 72
After getting down big in the first half, the Bulldogs couldn't recover in a demoralizing loss. Jake Hottenstine led the Bulldogs with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. Dylan Rodriguez was the only other Bulldog to come close to double-figures with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
Saturday, Nov. 20
Winona State 83
Barry 75 OT
The Warriors had a tough battle against Barry in regulation but pulled away in overtime to win. Despite a slow start, Anthony Tucker led the Warriors with 27 points on 7-of-16 shooting, 9-of-11 from the charity stripe with three steals. Clayton Vette was a soothing presence on the inside with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting with nine rebounds. Joel Armstrong was the only other Warrior to break double-figures with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Quincy 74
Upper Iowa 61
The Peacocks were outmatched on a night they struggled from three and the charity stripe. Dan Bestul led the way with 17 points 6-of-10 shooting and 3-of-5 from the arc. Tucker Wentzien was the only other Peacocks in double figures with 10 points and six rebounds. Matt Lesan struggled, scoring nine points on an abysmal 1-of-7 shooting and 1-of-6 from the three-point arc.
UM-Morris (D3) 65
SW Minnesota State 87
The Mustangs rebounded after losing to SDSU with a convincing win over UMM. Matt Zager led the way off the bench with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting, going 7-of-8 from the charity stripe and coming away with three steals. Scott Roehl continued his double-double tear with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting with 14 rebounds and three blocked shots. Jordan Miller added 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting with five assists and Taylor Huseby scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field.
UM-Duluth 60
Cal State-Dominguez Hills 65
The Toros dispatched their second NSIC team in two days with a five point win over the Bulldogs. Riley Walker led the Bulldogs with a double-double, scoring 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting and 4-of-8 from the three-point arc, while ripping down 11 rebounds. Phil Homere was the only other Bulldog to break double-figures with 10 points.
Chadron State 69
U-Mary 75
The Marauders had no problem with scoring depth, as four players broke double figures in the win. Jordan Wilhelm led the way with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting and 4-of-9 from three-point range. Eric Erdmann added 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting, 5-of-6 from the free throw line and tallying nine rebounds. Anthony Moody scored 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting and Damon Smith added 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
Notre Dame de Namur 63
MSU-Mankato 88
The Mavericks turned things around on the offensive end to win convincingly over their Hawaiian opponent. Jefferson Mason led the way with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting with seven rebounds. Cameron Hodges added 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting while dropping 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. Freshman center Connor O'Brien dropped 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting and Joe Drapcho added 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the bench.
St. Cloud State 65
Grand Canyon 71
The Huskies losing streak increased to three as they dropped a tough battle to Grand Canyon. Brett Putz was the only Husky in double-figures with 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting but was 7-of-11 from the arc. Theo Rothstein scored seven points but led the team in rebounding with 10. Taylor Witt struggled mightily, scoring six points on 1-of-11 shooting but ripped down six rebounds and dished out six assists.
St. Cloud State 65
Cal State-Dominguez Hills 78
The Huskies injury problems continue as not only did they lose to Toros, but they lost Josh Ortmann for the weekend due to a knee injury. Taylor Witt was one of two Huskies to break double-figures with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting. The other was freshman center Ben Bucholz with 10 points and nine rebounds. Despite a poor shooting performance, Brett Putz added nine points with five assists and three steals and Jordan Johnsrud scored nine points and six rebounds.
MSU-Mankato 64
Dominican (CA) 51
It wasn't pretty, but the Mavericks came away with a W against Dominican on a night they only shot 35-percent from the floor. Jefferson Mason led the way with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Marcus Hill and Steven Kirschbaum each added 10 points.
MSU-Moorhead 77
Mayville State (NAIA) 73
The Dragons improved to 2-0 with a win on the road against Mayville State. Five players broke double-figures for the Dragons, led by Jake Driscoll with 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Charlie Chapman scored 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting and 3-of-4 from the arc and Dennis Williamson added 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting with nine rebounds. Alex Novak tallied a double-double with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, 13 rebounds and three steals. Tarell Clark rounded out the scoring with 10 points and eight rebounds.
UM-Duluth 54
Grand Canyon 72
After getting down big in the first half, the Bulldogs couldn't recover in a demoralizing loss. Jake Hottenstine led the Bulldogs with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. Dylan Rodriguez was the only other Bulldog to come close to double-figures with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
Saturday, Nov. 20
Winona State 83
Barry 75 OT
The Warriors had a tough battle against Barry in regulation but pulled away in overtime to win. Despite a slow start, Anthony Tucker led the Warriors with 27 points on 7-of-16 shooting, 9-of-11 from the charity stripe with three steals. Clayton Vette was a soothing presence on the inside with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting with nine rebounds. Joel Armstrong was the only other Warrior to break double-figures with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Quincy 74
Upper Iowa 61
The Peacocks were outmatched on a night they struggled from three and the charity stripe. Dan Bestul led the way with 17 points 6-of-10 shooting and 3-of-5 from the arc. Tucker Wentzien was the only other Peacocks in double figures with 10 points and six rebounds. Matt Lesan struggled, scoring nine points on an abysmal 1-of-7 shooting and 1-of-6 from the three-point arc.
UM-Morris (D3) 65
SW Minnesota State 87
The Mustangs rebounded after losing to SDSU with a convincing win over UMM. Matt Zager led the way off the bench with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting, going 7-of-8 from the charity stripe and coming away with three steals. Scott Roehl continued his double-double tear with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting with 14 rebounds and three blocked shots. Jordan Miller added 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting with five assists and Taylor Huseby scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field.
UM-Duluth 60
Cal State-Dominguez Hills 65
The Toros dispatched their second NSIC team in two days with a five point win over the Bulldogs. Riley Walker led the Bulldogs with a double-double, scoring 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting and 4-of-8 from the three-point arc, while ripping down 11 rebounds. Phil Homere was the only other Bulldog to break double-figures with 10 points.
Chadron State 69
U-Mary 75
The Marauders had no problem with scoring depth, as four players broke double figures in the win. Jordan Wilhelm led the way with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting and 4-of-9 from three-point range. Eric Erdmann added 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting, 5-of-6 from the free throw line and tallying nine rebounds. Anthony Moody scored 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting and Damon Smith added 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
Notre Dame de Namur 63
MSU-Mankato 88
The Mavericks turned things around on the offensive end to win convincingly over their Hawaiian opponent. Jefferson Mason led the way with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting with seven rebounds. Cameron Hodges added 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting while dropping 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. Freshman center Connor O'Brien dropped 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting and Joe Drapcho added 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the bench.
St. Cloud State 65
Grand Canyon 71
The Huskies losing streak increased to three as they dropped a tough battle to Grand Canyon. Brett Putz was the only Husky in double-figures with 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting but was 7-of-11 from the arc. Theo Rothstein scored seven points but led the team in rebounding with 10. Taylor Witt struggled mightily, scoring six points on 1-of-11 shooting but ripped down six rebounds and dished out six assists.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Recap (Nov. 12 - Nov. 18)
Saturday, Nov. 13
Concordia-St. Paul 69
UW-Parkside 64
The Golden Bears opened their season on a high note with a Division II road win at UW-Parkside. Four Golden Bears scored in double figures, led by Peter Olafeso with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Kenny Olafeso added 12 points, Brent Barz added 11 points and Courtney Tyler off the bench added 10 points.
Upper Iowa 69
Drury 88
The Peacocks season got off to a rough start with a 19 point loss at Drury. However, Matt Lesan had a masterful performance, scoring 28 points 9-of-14 shooting and 5-of-8 from the arc. Tucker Wentzien was the only other Peacock to break double figures with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and Alex Kramer crashed the glass with eight rebounds.
Jamestown (NAIA) 65
Augustana 75
It wasn't pretty, but the Vikings got their season off to a good start with a win. Cameron McCaffrey led the way with 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting and Cody Schilling added 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
St. Mary's (D3) 50
Winona State 84
The Warriors came out on fire and dispatched their crosstown rival to open their season. Newcomer Anthony Tucker led the Warriors with 17 points, going 6-of-7 from the arc. Jon Walburg added 16 points off-the-bench while C.J. Erickson chipped in 10 points.
Sunday, Nov. 14
Dickinson (NAIA) 68
MSU-Moorhead 81
The MSU-Moorhead Dragons open their season with a 13 point win at home against Dickinson. Charlie Chapman made his Dragon debut a good one with 20 points 7-of-14 shooting with 5-of-10 coming from behind the arc. Alex Novak continues to show improvement, scoring 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, ripping down 11 boards and blocking 3 shots. Dennis Williamson added 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting with nine rebounds and Jake Driscoll rounded out double-figure scorers with 11 points, five assists and two steals.
SW Minnesota State 72
NW Missouri State 67
It wasn't easy, but the Mustangs came away with a five point win on the road to open the year. Jordan Miller paced the Mustangs with 21 points, shooting 6-of-12 on the game and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Scott Roehl added 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting with seven rebounds.
Monday, Nov. 15
UM-Crookston 84
Finlandia (D3) 58
The Golden Eagles had five players break into double figures, led by Larry Brown with 18 points and seven rebounds. Adam Hendricks added 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Eric Dearden, Almir Krdzalic and Jacolby Anderson each added 10 points for the Golden Eagles.
Presentation College (D3) 63
Northern State 108
The Wolves lit up the scoreboard with four players in double figures, led by South Dakota transfer Dustin Tetzlaff. Tetzlaff scored 20 points on 10-of-13 shooting while ripping down 14 rebounds. Sophomore forward Colin Pryor also broke a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Alex Thomas scored 14 points while Tom Parks added 10. David Lane made his presence felt scoring eight points with 10 assists and three steals.
St. Cloud State 65
St. John's (D3) 70
On a night the Huskies were without three key players, they dropped a road loss to D3 perennial power St. John's. Four Huskies scored in double figures, led by Brett Putz with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Taylor Witt added 13 points, six rebounds and five assists, but only shot 5-of-18 from the floor. Ben Bucholz added 11 points while Josh Ortmann scored 10.
Northland (D3) 48
UM-Duluth 84
The Bulldogs started the season off on a high note with a big win over Northland College. Five Bulldogs scored in double figures with Dylan Rodriguez leading the way with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Jake Hottenstine scored 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting with four steals. Ryan Rasmussen and Riley Walker added 12 points a piece with Peter Crawford rounding out the leading scorers with 10.
Tuesday, Nov. 16
Bemidji State 88
Michigan Tech 101
The Beavers had their problems on defense on this night as they drop their season opener. Four Beavers scored in double figures, led by James Ellisor with 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 9-of-9 from the charity stripe with six rebounds. Patrick Cassidy added 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, Mason Walters added 13 points and Burke Lendl scored 12 points.
Morningside (NAIA) 74
Wayne State 76
In the Wildcats debut, Amry Shelby made his presence felt. Shelby scored 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting, 3-of-4 from three and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Derell Williams made his Wildcat debut a strong one with 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting with 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. Brad Starken added 16 points and seven rebounds in the effort.
Mount Marty (NAIA) 62
Northern State 70
Despite a disappointing performance, the Wolves came away with their second win of the season on back-to-back nights. David Lane led the Wolves with 20 points 8-of-15 shooting. Tydan Storrusten scored 11 points with seven rebounds and three steals and Tom Parks added 11 points as well in the effort.
St. Thomas (D3) 76
Concordia-St. Paul 72
Division III perennial power St. Thomas took the fight to the Golden Bears and came away with a victory in their house. Isiah Thomas led the way for CSP with 19 points, going 5-of-10 from the three-point arc. The Olafeso brothers made their presence known. Peter Olafeso scored 12 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals while Kenny Olafeso scored 11 points, seven boards, five assists and three steals.
U-Mary 70
Montana State-Billings 68
The Marauders faced a scare on Tuesday night but escaped Billings with a win. Jordan Wilhelm led the Marauders with 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 6-of-8 from the three-point arc. Anthony Moody added 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting with seven assists and three steals.
Wednesday, Nov. 17
Bemidji State 84
Finlandia (D3) 63
The Beavers rallied after a season-opening loss at Michigan Tech with a non-conference win at Finlandia. Leading the way for the Beavers was Bryce Tesdahl with 23 points, shooing 11-of-11 from the charity stripe while dishing out 10 assists. James Ellisor stayed hot with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting and 6-of-6 from the free throw line, while ripping down six boards. Patrick Cassidy also scored in double figures with 13 points.
Winona State 88
Northwood (Fla.) (NAIA) 84
The Warriors faced a scare in Florida but came away with a tough four point win. Ben Fischer paced the Warriors with 24 points on 5-of-7 shooting, shot 2-of-3 from three, knocking down 12-of-13 from the charity stripe all with six rebounds, six assists and three steals. Anthony Tucker followed suit with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 4-of-6 from the arc while tallying five steals. Clayton Vette scored 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting with two blocks and C.J. Erickson was solid scoring eight points, six rebounds, four steals and two blocks.
Augustana 69
Sioux Falls (NAIA) 53
The Vikings with a balanced effort dispatched their "cross town" rival and potential future NSIC opponent Wednesday night. Only one Viking scored in double figures but had a masterful peformance. Cameron McCaffrey scored 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting and 4-of-6 from the arc. Chad Hettermann had a solid performance with eight points and four steals.
Thursday, Nov. 18
Nebraska-Kearney 71
Wayne State 72 OT
Despite blowing a late lead in regulation, the Wildcats held on to win a one-point overtime thriller. Brad Starken led the Wildcats with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting and hit 5-of-8 from downtown, while grabbing four steals. Amry Shelby scored 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including the game-winning shot with 34 seconds to go in OT. Jason Jensen was solid, scoring 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Ben Tasa added 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in his return from injury.
SW Minnesota State 80
South Dakota State (D1) 94
The Mustangs put in a valiant effort, but came up just short against the Jackrabbits. Scott Roehl led the way with a double-double, scoring 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting with 10 rebounds. Jordan Miller added 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-5 from the three-point arc. Trent Carlson was the only other Mustang to break double figures with 12 points.
Concordia-St. Paul 69
UW-Parkside 64
The Golden Bears opened their season on a high note with a Division II road win at UW-Parkside. Four Golden Bears scored in double figures, led by Peter Olafeso with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Kenny Olafeso added 12 points, Brent Barz added 11 points and Courtney Tyler off the bench added 10 points.
Upper Iowa 69
Drury 88
The Peacocks season got off to a rough start with a 19 point loss at Drury. However, Matt Lesan had a masterful performance, scoring 28 points 9-of-14 shooting and 5-of-8 from the arc. Tucker Wentzien was the only other Peacock to break double figures with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and Alex Kramer crashed the glass with eight rebounds.
Jamestown (NAIA) 65
Augustana 75
It wasn't pretty, but the Vikings got their season off to a good start with a win. Cameron McCaffrey led the way with 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting and Cody Schilling added 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
St. Mary's (D3) 50
Winona State 84
The Warriors came out on fire and dispatched their crosstown rival to open their season. Newcomer Anthony Tucker led the Warriors with 17 points, going 6-of-7 from the arc. Jon Walburg added 16 points off-the-bench while C.J. Erickson chipped in 10 points.
Sunday, Nov. 14
Dickinson (NAIA) 68
MSU-Moorhead 81
The MSU-Moorhead Dragons open their season with a 13 point win at home against Dickinson. Charlie Chapman made his Dragon debut a good one with 20 points 7-of-14 shooting with 5-of-10 coming from behind the arc. Alex Novak continues to show improvement, scoring 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, ripping down 11 boards and blocking 3 shots. Dennis Williamson added 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting with nine rebounds and Jake Driscoll rounded out double-figure scorers with 11 points, five assists and two steals.
SW Minnesota State 72
NW Missouri State 67
It wasn't easy, but the Mustangs came away with a five point win on the road to open the year. Jordan Miller paced the Mustangs with 21 points, shooting 6-of-12 on the game and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Scott Roehl added 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting with seven rebounds.
Monday, Nov. 15
UM-Crookston 84
Finlandia (D3) 58
The Golden Eagles had five players break into double figures, led by Larry Brown with 18 points and seven rebounds. Adam Hendricks added 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Eric Dearden, Almir Krdzalic and Jacolby Anderson each added 10 points for the Golden Eagles.
Presentation College (D3) 63
Northern State 108
The Wolves lit up the scoreboard with four players in double figures, led by South Dakota transfer Dustin Tetzlaff. Tetzlaff scored 20 points on 10-of-13 shooting while ripping down 14 rebounds. Sophomore forward Colin Pryor also broke a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Alex Thomas scored 14 points while Tom Parks added 10. David Lane made his presence felt scoring eight points with 10 assists and three steals.
St. Cloud State 65
St. John's (D3) 70
On a night the Huskies were without three key players, they dropped a road loss to D3 perennial power St. John's. Four Huskies scored in double figures, led by Brett Putz with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Taylor Witt added 13 points, six rebounds and five assists, but only shot 5-of-18 from the floor. Ben Bucholz added 11 points while Josh Ortmann scored 10.
Northland (D3) 48
UM-Duluth 84
The Bulldogs started the season off on a high note with a big win over Northland College. Five Bulldogs scored in double figures with Dylan Rodriguez leading the way with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Jake Hottenstine scored 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting with four steals. Ryan Rasmussen and Riley Walker added 12 points a piece with Peter Crawford rounding out the leading scorers with 10.
Tuesday, Nov. 16
Bemidji State 88
Michigan Tech 101
The Beavers had their problems on defense on this night as they drop their season opener. Four Beavers scored in double figures, led by James Ellisor with 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 9-of-9 from the charity stripe with six rebounds. Patrick Cassidy added 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, Mason Walters added 13 points and Burke Lendl scored 12 points.
Morningside (NAIA) 74
Wayne State 76
In the Wildcats debut, Amry Shelby made his presence felt. Shelby scored 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting, 3-of-4 from three and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Derell Williams made his Wildcat debut a strong one with 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting with 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. Brad Starken added 16 points and seven rebounds in the effort.
Mount Marty (NAIA) 62
Northern State 70
Despite a disappointing performance, the Wolves came away with their second win of the season on back-to-back nights. David Lane led the Wolves with 20 points 8-of-15 shooting. Tydan Storrusten scored 11 points with seven rebounds and three steals and Tom Parks added 11 points as well in the effort.
St. Thomas (D3) 76
Concordia-St. Paul 72
Division III perennial power St. Thomas took the fight to the Golden Bears and came away with a victory in their house. Isiah Thomas led the way for CSP with 19 points, going 5-of-10 from the three-point arc. The Olafeso brothers made their presence known. Peter Olafeso scored 12 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals while Kenny Olafeso scored 11 points, seven boards, five assists and three steals.
U-Mary 70
Montana State-Billings 68
The Marauders faced a scare on Tuesday night but escaped Billings with a win. Jordan Wilhelm led the Marauders with 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 6-of-8 from the three-point arc. Anthony Moody added 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting with seven assists and three steals.
Wednesday, Nov. 17
Bemidji State 84
Finlandia (D3) 63
The Beavers rallied after a season-opening loss at Michigan Tech with a non-conference win at Finlandia. Leading the way for the Beavers was Bryce Tesdahl with 23 points, shooing 11-of-11 from the charity stripe while dishing out 10 assists. James Ellisor stayed hot with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting and 6-of-6 from the free throw line, while ripping down six boards. Patrick Cassidy also scored in double figures with 13 points.
Winona State 88
Northwood (Fla.) (NAIA) 84
The Warriors faced a scare in Florida but came away with a tough four point win. Ben Fischer paced the Warriors with 24 points on 5-of-7 shooting, shot 2-of-3 from three, knocking down 12-of-13 from the charity stripe all with six rebounds, six assists and three steals. Anthony Tucker followed suit with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 4-of-6 from the arc while tallying five steals. Clayton Vette scored 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting with two blocks and C.J. Erickson was solid scoring eight points, six rebounds, four steals and two blocks.
Augustana 69
Sioux Falls (NAIA) 53
The Vikings with a balanced effort dispatched their "cross town" rival and potential future NSIC opponent Wednesday night. Only one Viking scored in double figures but had a masterful peformance. Cameron McCaffrey scored 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting and 4-of-6 from the arc. Chad Hettermann had a solid performance with eight points and four steals.
Thursday, Nov. 18
Nebraska-Kearney 71
Wayne State 72 OT
Despite blowing a late lead in regulation, the Wildcats held on to win a one-point overtime thriller. Brad Starken led the Wildcats with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting and hit 5-of-8 from downtown, while grabbing four steals. Amry Shelby scored 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including the game-winning shot with 34 seconds to go in OT. Jason Jensen was solid, scoring 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Ben Tasa added 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in his return from injury.
SW Minnesota State 80
South Dakota State (D1) 94
The Mustangs put in a valiant effort, but came up just short against the Jackrabbits. Scott Roehl led the way with a double-double, scoring 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting with 10 rebounds. Jordan Miller added 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-5 from the three-point arc. Trent Carlson was the only other Mustang to break double figures with 12 points.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Adam Stanek's Week 10 NSIC Football Power Rankings
It is that time of the week again. The NSIC Power Rankings are a little more clear cut than the past few weeks...
1. #1 UM-Duluth 9-0 (8-0 NSIC) (-)
PG - W @ Northern State 27-7
LG - W vs. #25 St. Cloud State 40-17
UG - @ UM-Crookston (1-8)
Note - I think most people are coming to terms that no one is going to knock off the UM-Duluth Bulldogs this year. I said that I thought St. Cloud would keep it a close game for a while but the Bulldogs would pull away and win by 17-21 points. I was close...UMD won by 23 and it was a 13-10 game at halftime. Statistically, the two teams were pretty close...UMD had 21 first downs to 19 for St. Cloud and UMD only had 23 more yards of total offense. However, the big difference in this game was turnovers. The Huskies had five turnovers in this game while the Bulldogs, who were coming off a four turnover performance against NSU, had none. A lot of times, I talk about a UMD offensive player that had an outstanding performance but how about LB Kiel Fechtelkotter? 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble? You can't ask for a much better defensive performance than that. I wonder if the Bulldogs will treat next week's game like a bye week for the starters because one of the best teams in D2 college football is about to play one of the worst teams in D2 college football when UMD travels to Crookston on Saturday.
2. #7 Augustana 9-0 (8-0 NSIC) (-)
PG - W @ MSU-Moorhead 47-17
LG - W vs. MSU-Mankato 17-13
UG - @ Wayne State (5-4)
Note - Well, it wasn't pretty but Augie stole a potential road victory from the Mavericks...or would it be safe to say MSU-Mankato gave the game away? In either case, Augustana came up with the big play with 26 seconds left. With starting quarterback Josh Hanson knocked out of the game earlier, backup QB Ryan Schuetz completed a 36-yard pass to none other than wideout Tyler Schulte for the game-winning TD. It was interesting what happened just three plays before this one. The Mavericks had Augie stopped on 3rd and 15 at the Augie 49-yard line. However, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gave Augustana a first down and new life. I guess this is what happens when you're undefeated...everyone is going to give you their best shot and sometimes one or two plays will be the difference between an undefeated season and a bitter home loss. Right now, the health of Josh Hanson might be a concern because we only have three more weeks until the D2 playoffs begin. A potential loss at Wayne could be devastating but at the same time, I don't see how Wayne can win with the way they are playing.
3. #25 St. Cloud State 7-2 (7-1 NSIC) (-)
PG - W vs. UM-Crookston 49-6
LG - L @ #1 UM-Duluth 40-17
UG - vs. Bemidji State (6-3)
Note - The Huskies had an opportunity to make a big statement on the road against UM-Duluth. The fact that they built themselves a 10-0 hole midway through the first quarter and still managed to make it a 13-10 game at halftime was impressive. However, two Huskies turnovers setup easy UMD scores in the second half led to a 27-7 pounding of the Huskies in the second half. In order to compete with UMD, the Huskies had to take care of the football and five turnovers certainly doomed them in that aspect. QB Phillip Klaphake had a game to forget as he was intercepted twice, fumbled three times, losing two of those fumbles. Overall, the Huskies managed to play a fairly even game with the Bulldogs but whenever you lose the turnover margin 5-0...it will almost never play into your favor. If there is any good news for St. Cloud, this was a game that they were probably supposed to lose. They go home to take on a tough Bemidji State Beavers squad...if they can get by that game and finish the season 9-2, they have a decent shot at the playoffs.
4. Winona State 6-3 (5-3 NSIC) (-)
PG - W @ Concordia-St. Paul 31-28
LG - W @ SW Minnesota State 45-19
UG - vs. Mary (2-7)
Note - After watching Winona State play the last two weeks, I've noticed that they've done two things that has helped their play considerably the last two weeks. Obviously one was the quarterback change from Evan Aber to Bryan Bradshaw but the other is giving more touches to Rayon Simmons. It obviously paid off against SW Minnesota State as he received NSIC Offensive Player of the Week with his performance. He carried the ball 22 times for 196 yards and 5 TDs, as well as caught three passes for 54 yards. Overall, a 250-yard day and 5 TDs would be an unbelievable performance, especially considering he was taken out early in the 4th quarter. Again, Bradshaw was solid, going 15-of-23 for 209 yards and only one interception. With the way this Winona State team is playing, it seems as though they have a lot of confidence going into their final two games of the season. If there is a concern the last two weeks, it is their lack of ability to stop the run. They'll need to do a better job of it this Saturday when Jamal Lomax and the University of Mary come to Maxwell Field.
5. Concordia-St. Paul 6-3 (5-3 NSIC) (-)
PG - L vs. Winona State 31-28
LG - W @ UM-Crookston 41-7
UG - vs. Upper Iowa (2-7)
Note - As expected, the Golden Bears rebounded off a tough home loss to Winona State with a blowout road victory at UM-Crookston. This game was never really close as Concordia-St. Paul had a 20-0 halftime lead and a 41-0 lead after the 3rd quarter. Starting quarterback Spencer Ohm didn't play a snap into the 4th quarter, as he played a nearly flawless three quarters completing 12-of-17 passes for 217 yards and 3 TDs. It wasn't like the running game wasn't working either. Sam Campbell rushed 14 times for 113 yards and a TD. I'm sure we might have expected a bigger blowout than this but I've noticed that St. Cloud and Concordia hardly played their starters into the 4th quarter against UM-Crookston. It is probably a wise move because the Golden Bears are competing for a potential Mineral Water Bowl spot and they'll need to be healthy down the stretch if they want a shot at it. They host Upper Iowa next week, a team coming off a confidence boosting win at home against Wayne State. If they play like they did against Wayne, the Golden Bears could have a challenge...or they could have a cake walk. It really depends which Peacocks team shows up this week.
6. Bemidji State 6-3 (5-3 NSIC) (+2)
PG - W vs. Mary 23-22
LG - W vs. Northern State 41-13
UG - @ #25 St. Cloud State (7-2)
Note - After two consecutive weeks of squeaking out wins against inferior opponents, the Beavers finally righted the ship and manhandled Northern State. The Beavers punched them in the mouth early, building a 27-0 lead and if not for a late score by the Wolves, it wouldn't have been 27-6 going into halftime. The Beavers were excellent on the ground, rushing for 350 yards with RB Dustin Kroeplin rushing 23 times for 200 yards and 2 TDs as well as Steven Battle rushing seven times for 91 yards. This is the Bemidji State team we expected to see the past three weeks and just hadn't seen it up until this point. Even though this was a big win for the Beavers, their game this Saturday would certainly give them their biggest win of the season if they pull off the upset. They travel to St. Cloud for the battle for second place in the NSIC North Division. Even though the Huskies are coming off a demoralizing loss, I'm sure they will give the Beavers all that they can handle.
7. MSU-Mankato 5-4 (4-4 NSIC) (-1)
PG - W @ Wayne State 13-3
LG - L @ #7 Augustana 17-13
UG - vs. SW Minnesota State (4-5)
Note - I'm sure the Mavericks thought they had this game in hand. They had Augustana at 3rd and 15 and it looked as though the Vikings magical run at being undefeated would come to an end. However, leave it to more stupid mistakes to doom the Mavericks yet again this season. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gave the Vikings a 1st down and they delivered the game-winning touchdown three plays later with 26 seconds left to win. It had to be a heartbreaking loss for MSU because there were so many factors going into this game. They could've spoiled Augie's perfect season. They could've put themselves in the driver's seat for a potential Mineral Water Bowl. However, all became lost after two demoralizing plays on Augustana's final possession. As much as Augustana's quarterback situation was a mess, MSU QB Steve Pachan had a nightmarish game, completing 10-of-25 passes for 143 yards with a TD and three interceptions. The performance would've had me begging for Will Brogan back but injuries kept him out of this game. Overall, the Mavericks will still have an opportunity to finish above .500 this season when they host SW Minnesota State on Saturday.
8. Wayne State 5-4 (4-4 NSIC) (-1)
PG - L vs. MSU-Mankato 13-3
LG - L @ Upper Iowa 21-20
UG - vs. #7 Augustana (9-0)
Note - What more can I say about the Wayne State Wildcats other than they are on the biggest slide since downhill skiing became a sport. Three straight losses, two at home and one on the road to what was a one-win football team. How they lost this game was something to laugh at because with two minutes to go in the 3rd quarter, it was a 14-14 ball game. With 1:47 to go, UIU QB Ben Curran completed a 24-yard pass to Jessie Hubbard for a TD that gave the Peacocks a 21-14 lead. However, the Peacocks had blown last week's game late and it seemed it would be much of the same this week. On the ensuing kickoff, WSC returner Kevin Paulsen had an 86 yard return that was brought back to the Peacocks three yard line. One play later, Nick Pulcher plunged into the endzone on a three-yard carry to make it a 21-20 game. Wildcats kicker Nick Bell shanked the extra point and the Peacocks would hold on to a 21-20 win after a scoreless 4th quarter. Overall, this is what seems to be happening to Wayne State lately. They can't get plays to go their way and being decimated by injuries certainly doesn't help. The Wildcats don't have an easy finish either. They host Augustana this week and then travel to Winona State next week. It will be hard to believe if Wayne State finishes with a losing record but with the way things are going, it wouldn't be surprising.
9. SW Minnesota State 4-5 (3-5 NSIC) (-)
PG - W @ Upper Iowa 40-34
LG - L vs. Winona State 44-19
UG - @ MSU-Mankato (5-4)
Note - After coming off an intense road victory in Fayette the week before, the Mustangs had some confidence and perhaps a belief that they could upset the Warriors in Marshall again this year after doing it two years ago. However, the Warriors quickly showed them that they are not Upper Iowa. The Warriors built a 31-7 lead at halftime and never looked back. The Mustangs could not stop the WSU rushing attack at all. The Warriors rushed for 362 yards and had 571 yards of total offense. It was a bad game offensively and defensively for the Mustangs, but if there was a bright spot, it was running back Warren Matthews. Matthews carried the ball 14 times for 114 yards and a TD. Part of the reason why he didn't carry the ball that much was due in part to getting behind early and resorting to the pass to try and get back in the game. Ryan Ratekin was far from sharp, completing 14-of-28 passes for 127 yards and a TD. However, he faced a ferocious Warriors pass rush and his receivers had a hard time getting open against the Winona State secondary. The Mustangs travel to Mankato this Saturday to take on a very tough MSU-Mankato team...not to mention they are playing a hot team at the wrong time.
10. Mary 2-7 (2-6 NSIC) (+1)
PG - L @ Bemidji State 23-22
LG - W vs. MSU-Moorhead 43-17
UG - @ Winona State (6-3)
Note - It looks like I should have went with my gut and picked Mary at #10 last week because their game with MSU-Moorhead was far from what I'd call "a game". They built a 28-0 lead going into halftime and the Dragons were never even able to make it remotely close. Lomax was a work horse, carrying the ball 30 times for 169 yards and two TDs. He also caught three passes for 33 yards, giving him 202 total yards on the day. Mary has played a lot of close games this season and could be 4-5 or even possibly 5-4...its just that they've had some bad breaks go their way. They might need that sort of confidence if they want to go into Winona and compete. If they can play with the same mentality that they had against Bemidji State, they might be able to pull it off but then again, Bemidji State has been one of the bigger Jeckyl & Hyde teams all season. Winona State is no push over and when they are playing a game they are favored in, they typically win pretty handily. All I will say is Mary has a tall order ahead of them.
11. MSU-Moorhead 2-7 (2-6 NSIC) (-1)
PG - L @ #7 Augustana 47-17
LG - L @ Mary 43-17
UG - @ Northern State (1-8)
Note - With these past few games and upcoming games, not only are we finding out who the "best of the best" in the NSIC are, but we are slowly starting to figure out who is the "worst of the the worst." I did think that there is the possibility that MSU-Moorhead is one of those teams but after playing a competitive game with Bemidji State and stunning Augustana for a quarter and a half, I thought that they might not be all that bad of a team...boy was I wrong. They were downright awful against Mary. I'm still trying to figure out why they threw 60 pass attempts in that game. I know Mary's secondary is suspect, but not THAT suspect. Of course, when you carry the ball 26 times for 40 yards, I can somewhat understand why you'd want to give up on the run. It is pretty amazing that MSU-Moorhead ran 86 plays in the game and only scored 17 points. While Mary only ran 69 plays and scored 43 points, 33 of those plays went through Lomax and he couldn't be stopped. Overall, I'd have to say MSU-Moorhead is a pretty poor team and if they lose next week's game at Northern State, I could possibly drop them to #13 in the NSIC rankings.
12. Upper Iowa 2-7 (2-6 NSIC) (+1)
PG - L vs. SW Minnesota State 40-34
LG - W vs. Wayne State 21-20
UG - @ Concordia-St. Paul (6-3)
Note - I guess I should congratulate Upper Iowa on getting out of the proverbial cellar in the NSIC since UM-Crookston is a given. The last two weeks, the Peacocks have played much better football and were able to get their second conference victory against a decent team in Wayne State. It's hard to take some credit away from the Peacocks, but they did beat a Wildcats team that has been down on its luck and playing its worst football of the season. Still, it was good for the Peacocks to finally get that win so they can hang their hat on something. Wins won't be much easier to come by the rest of the way as they travel to St. Paul this Saturday and finish off the year at Augustana. Right now, 2-9 is looking pretty probable but if the Peacocks can bring the same intensity that they brought to last Saturday's game, they might give themselves a shot...but I'm doubting it.
13. Northern State 1-8 (1-7 NSIC) (-1)
PG - L vs. #1 UM-Duluth 27-7
LG - L @ Bemidji State 41-13
UG - vs. MSU-Moorhead (2-7)
Note - Just when I think Northern State really isn't that bad, they somehow appall me by getting trounced by Bemidji State in a game where they gave up 350 yards rushing. I just don't know what to think of this Northern State team. With the way Bemidji State played in the weeks coming up to this game, I thought Northern had a decent shot to pull the upset. I don't know if Bemidji executed their game plan that well or if Northern just didn't show up to this one. Perhaps the difference between their game against UMD and their game against BSU was turnovers. They forced five Bulldogs turnovers the week before, whereas Bemidji didn't commit a single turnover. As a result, they buried the Wolves. We'll have an interesting game on our hands next week when MSU-Moorhead travels to Northern State. To me, this is probably the battle for last place in the NSIC (not named UM-Crookston).
14. UM-Crookston 1-8 (0-8 NSIC) (-)
PG - L @ #25 St. Cloud State 49-6
LG - L vs. Concordia-St. Paul 41-7
UG - vs. #1 UM-Duluth (9-0)
Note - Well, this might not be the most appropriate quote but, "Same old $#!t, different day," pretty much sums up the Golden Eagles in a nutshell. Concordia-St. Paul pulled its starters before the end of the 3rd quarter and they were up 41-0 at that point. That's one thing I'll comment about the upper tier NSIC teams...at least they aren't running up the score on UM-Crookston...that shows some class. After this game, I couldn't help but laugh at QB Josh Perea's seasonal stat line. 76-of-154 (49.4%) 3 TDs 12 INTs and a 77.2 QB Rating. Then again, it's not like backup Tim Ennis is lighting things up. He's 28-of-55 (50.9%) 2 TDs 7 INTs for a 86.33 QB Rating. I guess if there is one thing we can say about UM-Crookston, it wasn't designed to be a treasure trove for NSIC quarterbacks if neither of their QBs can perform in their system. They play in a game in which they should really forfeit when they host UM-Duluth. Really, does anyone want to see this massacre?
1. #1 UM-Duluth 9-0 (8-0 NSIC) (-)
PG - W @ Northern State 27-7
LG - W vs. #25 St. Cloud State 40-17
UG - @ UM-Crookston (1-8)
Note - I think most people are coming to terms that no one is going to knock off the UM-Duluth Bulldogs this year. I said that I thought St. Cloud would keep it a close game for a while but the Bulldogs would pull away and win by 17-21 points. I was close...UMD won by 23 and it was a 13-10 game at halftime. Statistically, the two teams were pretty close...UMD had 21 first downs to 19 for St. Cloud and UMD only had 23 more yards of total offense. However, the big difference in this game was turnovers. The Huskies had five turnovers in this game while the Bulldogs, who were coming off a four turnover performance against NSU, had none. A lot of times, I talk about a UMD offensive player that had an outstanding performance but how about LB Kiel Fechtelkotter? 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble? You can't ask for a much better defensive performance than that. I wonder if the Bulldogs will treat next week's game like a bye week for the starters because one of the best teams in D2 college football is about to play one of the worst teams in D2 college football when UMD travels to Crookston on Saturday.
2. #7 Augustana 9-0 (8-0 NSIC) (-)
PG - W @ MSU-Moorhead 47-17
LG - W vs. MSU-Mankato 17-13
UG - @ Wayne State (5-4)
Note - Well, it wasn't pretty but Augie stole a potential road victory from the Mavericks...or would it be safe to say MSU-Mankato gave the game away? In either case, Augustana came up with the big play with 26 seconds left. With starting quarterback Josh Hanson knocked out of the game earlier, backup QB Ryan Schuetz completed a 36-yard pass to none other than wideout Tyler Schulte for the game-winning TD. It was interesting what happened just three plays before this one. The Mavericks had Augie stopped on 3rd and 15 at the Augie 49-yard line. However, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gave Augustana a first down and new life. I guess this is what happens when you're undefeated...everyone is going to give you their best shot and sometimes one or two plays will be the difference between an undefeated season and a bitter home loss. Right now, the health of Josh Hanson might be a concern because we only have three more weeks until the D2 playoffs begin. A potential loss at Wayne could be devastating but at the same time, I don't see how Wayne can win with the way they are playing.
3. #25 St. Cloud State 7-2 (7-1 NSIC) (-)
PG - W vs. UM-Crookston 49-6
LG - L @ #1 UM-Duluth 40-17
UG - vs. Bemidji State (6-3)
Note - The Huskies had an opportunity to make a big statement on the road against UM-Duluth. The fact that they built themselves a 10-0 hole midway through the first quarter and still managed to make it a 13-10 game at halftime was impressive. However, two Huskies turnovers setup easy UMD scores in the second half led to a 27-7 pounding of the Huskies in the second half. In order to compete with UMD, the Huskies had to take care of the football and five turnovers certainly doomed them in that aspect. QB Phillip Klaphake had a game to forget as he was intercepted twice, fumbled three times, losing two of those fumbles. Overall, the Huskies managed to play a fairly even game with the Bulldogs but whenever you lose the turnover margin 5-0...it will almost never play into your favor. If there is any good news for St. Cloud, this was a game that they were probably supposed to lose. They go home to take on a tough Bemidji State Beavers squad...if they can get by that game and finish the season 9-2, they have a decent shot at the playoffs.
4. Winona State 6-3 (5-3 NSIC) (-)
PG - W @ Concordia-St. Paul 31-28
LG - W @ SW Minnesota State 45-19
UG - vs. Mary (2-7)
Note - After watching Winona State play the last two weeks, I've noticed that they've done two things that has helped their play considerably the last two weeks. Obviously one was the quarterback change from Evan Aber to Bryan Bradshaw but the other is giving more touches to Rayon Simmons. It obviously paid off against SW Minnesota State as he received NSIC Offensive Player of the Week with his performance. He carried the ball 22 times for 196 yards and 5 TDs, as well as caught three passes for 54 yards. Overall, a 250-yard day and 5 TDs would be an unbelievable performance, especially considering he was taken out early in the 4th quarter. Again, Bradshaw was solid, going 15-of-23 for 209 yards and only one interception. With the way this Winona State team is playing, it seems as though they have a lot of confidence going into their final two games of the season. If there is a concern the last two weeks, it is their lack of ability to stop the run. They'll need to do a better job of it this Saturday when Jamal Lomax and the University of Mary come to Maxwell Field.
5. Concordia-St. Paul 6-3 (5-3 NSIC) (-)
PG - L vs. Winona State 31-28
LG - W @ UM-Crookston 41-7
UG - vs. Upper Iowa (2-7)
Note - As expected, the Golden Bears rebounded off a tough home loss to Winona State with a blowout road victory at UM-Crookston. This game was never really close as Concordia-St. Paul had a 20-0 halftime lead and a 41-0 lead after the 3rd quarter. Starting quarterback Spencer Ohm didn't play a snap into the 4th quarter, as he played a nearly flawless three quarters completing 12-of-17 passes for 217 yards and 3 TDs. It wasn't like the running game wasn't working either. Sam Campbell rushed 14 times for 113 yards and a TD. I'm sure we might have expected a bigger blowout than this but I've noticed that St. Cloud and Concordia hardly played their starters into the 4th quarter against UM-Crookston. It is probably a wise move because the Golden Bears are competing for a potential Mineral Water Bowl spot and they'll need to be healthy down the stretch if they want a shot at it. They host Upper Iowa next week, a team coming off a confidence boosting win at home against Wayne State. If they play like they did against Wayne, the Golden Bears could have a challenge...or they could have a cake walk. It really depends which Peacocks team shows up this week.
6. Bemidji State 6-3 (5-3 NSIC) (+2)
PG - W vs. Mary 23-22
LG - W vs. Northern State 41-13
UG - @ #25 St. Cloud State (7-2)
Note - After two consecutive weeks of squeaking out wins against inferior opponents, the Beavers finally righted the ship and manhandled Northern State. The Beavers punched them in the mouth early, building a 27-0 lead and if not for a late score by the Wolves, it wouldn't have been 27-6 going into halftime. The Beavers were excellent on the ground, rushing for 350 yards with RB Dustin Kroeplin rushing 23 times for 200 yards and 2 TDs as well as Steven Battle rushing seven times for 91 yards. This is the Bemidji State team we expected to see the past three weeks and just hadn't seen it up until this point. Even though this was a big win for the Beavers, their game this Saturday would certainly give them their biggest win of the season if they pull off the upset. They travel to St. Cloud for the battle for second place in the NSIC North Division. Even though the Huskies are coming off a demoralizing loss, I'm sure they will give the Beavers all that they can handle.
7. MSU-Mankato 5-4 (4-4 NSIC) (-1)
PG - W @ Wayne State 13-3
LG - L @ #7 Augustana 17-13
UG - vs. SW Minnesota State (4-5)
Note - I'm sure the Mavericks thought they had this game in hand. They had Augustana at 3rd and 15 and it looked as though the Vikings magical run at being undefeated would come to an end. However, leave it to more stupid mistakes to doom the Mavericks yet again this season. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gave the Vikings a 1st down and they delivered the game-winning touchdown three plays later with 26 seconds left to win. It had to be a heartbreaking loss for MSU because there were so many factors going into this game. They could've spoiled Augie's perfect season. They could've put themselves in the driver's seat for a potential Mineral Water Bowl. However, all became lost after two demoralizing plays on Augustana's final possession. As much as Augustana's quarterback situation was a mess, MSU QB Steve Pachan had a nightmarish game, completing 10-of-25 passes for 143 yards with a TD and three interceptions. The performance would've had me begging for Will Brogan back but injuries kept him out of this game. Overall, the Mavericks will still have an opportunity to finish above .500 this season when they host SW Minnesota State on Saturday.
8. Wayne State 5-4 (4-4 NSIC) (-1)
PG - L vs. MSU-Mankato 13-3
LG - L @ Upper Iowa 21-20
UG - vs. #7 Augustana (9-0)
Note - What more can I say about the Wayne State Wildcats other than they are on the biggest slide since downhill skiing became a sport. Three straight losses, two at home and one on the road to what was a one-win football team. How they lost this game was something to laugh at because with two minutes to go in the 3rd quarter, it was a 14-14 ball game. With 1:47 to go, UIU QB Ben Curran completed a 24-yard pass to Jessie Hubbard for a TD that gave the Peacocks a 21-14 lead. However, the Peacocks had blown last week's game late and it seemed it would be much of the same this week. On the ensuing kickoff, WSC returner Kevin Paulsen had an 86 yard return that was brought back to the Peacocks three yard line. One play later, Nick Pulcher plunged into the endzone on a three-yard carry to make it a 21-20 game. Wildcats kicker Nick Bell shanked the extra point and the Peacocks would hold on to a 21-20 win after a scoreless 4th quarter. Overall, this is what seems to be happening to Wayne State lately. They can't get plays to go their way and being decimated by injuries certainly doesn't help. The Wildcats don't have an easy finish either. They host Augustana this week and then travel to Winona State next week. It will be hard to believe if Wayne State finishes with a losing record but with the way things are going, it wouldn't be surprising.
9. SW Minnesota State 4-5 (3-5 NSIC) (-)
PG - W @ Upper Iowa 40-34
LG - L vs. Winona State 44-19
UG - @ MSU-Mankato (5-4)
Note - After coming off an intense road victory in Fayette the week before, the Mustangs had some confidence and perhaps a belief that they could upset the Warriors in Marshall again this year after doing it two years ago. However, the Warriors quickly showed them that they are not Upper Iowa. The Warriors built a 31-7 lead at halftime and never looked back. The Mustangs could not stop the WSU rushing attack at all. The Warriors rushed for 362 yards and had 571 yards of total offense. It was a bad game offensively and defensively for the Mustangs, but if there was a bright spot, it was running back Warren Matthews. Matthews carried the ball 14 times for 114 yards and a TD. Part of the reason why he didn't carry the ball that much was due in part to getting behind early and resorting to the pass to try and get back in the game. Ryan Ratekin was far from sharp, completing 14-of-28 passes for 127 yards and a TD. However, he faced a ferocious Warriors pass rush and his receivers had a hard time getting open against the Winona State secondary. The Mustangs travel to Mankato this Saturday to take on a very tough MSU-Mankato team...not to mention they are playing a hot team at the wrong time.
10. Mary 2-7 (2-6 NSIC) (+1)
PG - L @ Bemidji State 23-22
LG - W vs. MSU-Moorhead 43-17
UG - @ Winona State (6-3)
Note - It looks like I should have went with my gut and picked Mary at #10 last week because their game with MSU-Moorhead was far from what I'd call "a game". They built a 28-0 lead going into halftime and the Dragons were never even able to make it remotely close. Lomax was a work horse, carrying the ball 30 times for 169 yards and two TDs. He also caught three passes for 33 yards, giving him 202 total yards on the day. Mary has played a lot of close games this season and could be 4-5 or even possibly 5-4...its just that they've had some bad breaks go their way. They might need that sort of confidence if they want to go into Winona and compete. If they can play with the same mentality that they had against Bemidji State, they might be able to pull it off but then again, Bemidji State has been one of the bigger Jeckyl & Hyde teams all season. Winona State is no push over and when they are playing a game they are favored in, they typically win pretty handily. All I will say is Mary has a tall order ahead of them.
11. MSU-Moorhead 2-7 (2-6 NSIC) (-1)
PG - L @ #7 Augustana 47-17
LG - L @ Mary 43-17
UG - @ Northern State (1-8)
Note - With these past few games and upcoming games, not only are we finding out who the "best of the best" in the NSIC are, but we are slowly starting to figure out who is the "worst of the the worst." I did think that there is the possibility that MSU-Moorhead is one of those teams but after playing a competitive game with Bemidji State and stunning Augustana for a quarter and a half, I thought that they might not be all that bad of a team...boy was I wrong. They were downright awful against Mary. I'm still trying to figure out why they threw 60 pass attempts in that game. I know Mary's secondary is suspect, but not THAT suspect. Of course, when you carry the ball 26 times for 40 yards, I can somewhat understand why you'd want to give up on the run. It is pretty amazing that MSU-Moorhead ran 86 plays in the game and only scored 17 points. While Mary only ran 69 plays and scored 43 points, 33 of those plays went through Lomax and he couldn't be stopped. Overall, I'd have to say MSU-Moorhead is a pretty poor team and if they lose next week's game at Northern State, I could possibly drop them to #13 in the NSIC rankings.
12. Upper Iowa 2-7 (2-6 NSIC) (+1)
PG - L vs. SW Minnesota State 40-34
LG - W vs. Wayne State 21-20
UG - @ Concordia-St. Paul (6-3)
Note - I guess I should congratulate Upper Iowa on getting out of the proverbial cellar in the NSIC since UM-Crookston is a given. The last two weeks, the Peacocks have played much better football and were able to get their second conference victory against a decent team in Wayne State. It's hard to take some credit away from the Peacocks, but they did beat a Wildcats team that has been down on its luck and playing its worst football of the season. Still, it was good for the Peacocks to finally get that win so they can hang their hat on something. Wins won't be much easier to come by the rest of the way as they travel to St. Paul this Saturday and finish off the year at Augustana. Right now, 2-9 is looking pretty probable but if the Peacocks can bring the same intensity that they brought to last Saturday's game, they might give themselves a shot...but I'm doubting it.
13. Northern State 1-8 (1-7 NSIC) (-1)
PG - L vs. #1 UM-Duluth 27-7
LG - L @ Bemidji State 41-13
UG - vs. MSU-Moorhead (2-7)
Note - Just when I think Northern State really isn't that bad, they somehow appall me by getting trounced by Bemidji State in a game where they gave up 350 yards rushing. I just don't know what to think of this Northern State team. With the way Bemidji State played in the weeks coming up to this game, I thought Northern had a decent shot to pull the upset. I don't know if Bemidji executed their game plan that well or if Northern just didn't show up to this one. Perhaps the difference between their game against UMD and their game against BSU was turnovers. They forced five Bulldogs turnovers the week before, whereas Bemidji didn't commit a single turnover. As a result, they buried the Wolves. We'll have an interesting game on our hands next week when MSU-Moorhead travels to Northern State. To me, this is probably the battle for last place in the NSIC (not named UM-Crookston).
14. UM-Crookston 1-8 (0-8 NSIC) (-)
PG - L @ #25 St. Cloud State 49-6
LG - L vs. Concordia-St. Paul 41-7
UG - vs. #1 UM-Duluth (9-0)
Note - Well, this might not be the most appropriate quote but, "Same old $#!t, different day," pretty much sums up the Golden Eagles in a nutshell. Concordia-St. Paul pulled its starters before the end of the 3rd quarter and they were up 41-0 at that point. That's one thing I'll comment about the upper tier NSIC teams...at least they aren't running up the score on UM-Crookston...that shows some class. After this game, I couldn't help but laugh at QB Josh Perea's seasonal stat line. 76-of-154 (49.4%) 3 TDs 12 INTs and a 77.2 QB Rating. Then again, it's not like backup Tim Ennis is lighting things up. He's 28-of-55 (50.9%) 2 TDs 7 INTs for a 86.33 QB Rating. I guess if there is one thing we can say about UM-Crookston, it wasn't designed to be a treasure trove for NSIC quarterbacks if neither of their QBs can perform in their system. They play in a game in which they should really forfeit when they host UM-Duluth. Really, does anyone want to see this massacre?
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Adam Stanek's NSIC Men's Basketball Preview
With exhibition play just a few days away, it's time to take a look at this year's NSIC Men's Basketball season. All-in-all, the talent seems better and better and the league should be deeper in talent. Here's my preview...
1. Winona State
09-10 Record: 20-10
The Warriors are coming off a somewhat down season, where injuries plagued the Warriors all season, including losing Clayton Vette for the first half of the season and David Johnson for the NSIC and NCAA Tournament. Johnson graduated this year and it might have left a void for scoring in Winona State's offense. However, like most great programs, Winona State doesn't rebuild, they reload. Anthony Tucker, a D1 transfer from Iowa and Caleb Palkert from South Carolina-Upstate solidify a solid incoming class. The Warriors also bring back an experienced roster, headlined by Ben Fischer, C.J. Erickson, Jon Walburg, Xavier Humphrey, Brad Meyer, Joel Armstrong and of course Vette. Coming off a redshirt season, there are also high hopes for Kellen Taylor, who is considered a "Quincy Henderson-esque" player. There's no doubt that Winona State is the most talented team in the league, but the biggest question is can head coach Mike Leaf get this team gel? It seemed as though last season they did not play together as a team and relied too much on Johnson's scoring. WSU will need to find a rotation that works if they want to claim the NSIC title.
2. Augustana
09-10 Record: 24-7
Despite Augustana losing David Foster, Lee Stephens, Eliot Thomas and Jordan Dalton to graduation, this team looks poised to claim an NSIC title. They bring back the best all-round guard/forward in the NSIC in Cody Schilling as well as the dynamic scoring point guard Cameron McCaffrey to run the point. The one area where I believe Augustana has a big advantage over many teams in the NSIC is in the low post, where they have two seasoned veterans, each with their own style of play. Derrick DeZeeuw isn't afraid to get down and dirty in the low post and Nathan Truex has a solid jumper and touch on his shots that make him a tough guy to guard when he moves away from the block. One player that the Vikings will be asking more of will be Chad Hettermann, who despite starting many games last year, only averaged 2.1 PPG. He's a defensive dynamo but due to losing four key contributors, he'll need to step up his offensive game. The Vikings have some concern with depth. They have talent on their bench, but the problem is lack of experience. There aren't many guys on that bench that have much experience. I won't be surprised to see freshman forward Yuriy Malashenko get a lot of playing time as a freshman. I'm not sure why but I have a feeling head coach "Texas" Tom Billeter will have his team ready for another great season.
3. St. Cloud State
09-10 Record: 29-6
The Huskies are coming off a fantastic season in which they made a deep run to the Elite Eight, coming off a tough Final Four loss to Indiana (PA). Obviously, they bring back one of the most talented teams in the NSIC, only losing All-NSIC center Matt Schneck and Michael Riley to graduation. Head coach Kevin Schlagel will have a hole to fill because losing Schneck to graduation is a big loss for the Huskies, as he was their only real low post threat. Jesse Fisher is the only real low post threat they bring back but even then, his knees are not healthy. It's almost hard for me to believe that it took me five sentences to even mention the named, Taylor Witt, but don't let that fool you...he is by far one of the most talented players in the league and is expected to be the Player Of The Year in the NSIC. The Huskies have a very nice set of role players, including Brett Putz, Nate Phillips, Theo Rothstein, Josh Ortmann and of course, Andrew Bernstetter. With Schneck gone, look for Bernstetter and Tim Bergstrasser to be the foundation in the low post. I also believe we might see a lot of play from freshman center Ben Bucholz, who is one of the few guys with some size on the Huskies' bench.
4. MSU-Mankato
09-10 Record: 25-5
The Mavericks have had their tough goings the last several seasons in the NCAA Tournament. Even though they hosted the Regional Tournament last year, they still couldn't make it out of the second round. There was a bit of a "if we're not going to do it this year, we're not going to do it at all" sort of feel to MSU's season and I'm sure head coach Matt Margenthaler is feeling the heat. The Mavericks lost a lot in the offseason, including All-NSIC center Travis Nelson, Curt Greeley, Jermain Davis and Jesse Clark to graduation. Don't let that fool you though, this team is still loaded with talent. Jefferson Mason is still the best small forward in the NSIC and he has a good supporting cast around him with Marcus Hill, Joe Drapcho, Cameron Hodges, and Taylor Morrow. The additions of D1 transfers A.J. Wilson from Murray State and Andre Gilbert from South Dakota State should be very welcome to an already talented team. Much like St. Cloud, a lot will be asked of the Mavericks relatively unexperienced low post guys, headlined by Mitch Grundman and Mike Bisenius. They'll need those two to show up in the worst way if the Mavericks want to contend for an NSIC title.
5. Mary
09-10 Record: 15-13
Don't let Mary's record fool you, they had one of the better teams in the NSIC last season under first year head coach Randall Herbst and losing six of their last eight games did not help things. The big thing about Mary this season apart from a lot of the other big name teams in the NSIC is that they bring back just about everyone for the 2010-2011 campaign. The only real significant losses were Danny Sandvig and U.T. Udo. Nothing against Danny and U.T., but they are replaceable. This team's headline players are without a doubt Anthony Moody and Eric Erdmann, both all NSIC performers. Moody is an electrifying point guard with a knack for scoring while Erdmann is an undersized forward that seems to manhandle even guys who are bigger than him in the low post. To be a great team this year, the Marauders will be asking for more out of their role guys like Jordan Wilhelm, Cameron Lee and Baley Johnson to support Moody and Erdmann. The biggest question mark for the Marauders is their lack of size and it became apparent toward the end of last season. A lot could be asked of Alex Dorr and CC transfer Damon Smith to help out in the low post. I'm also intrigued to see what sort of roles freshman Shaun Condon and Jalen Jaspers will have on this team.
6. Northern State
09-10 Record: 13-14
You can call me crazy, but I think the Wolves are going to have a bounce back season. I look at this team and they have a lot of nice pieces to build around. Bojan Todorovic is back from a season-ending injury last season and he'll rejoin fellow Serbian Marko Filipovic, Marty Gregor, D1 South Dakota transfer Dustin Tetzlaff, and D1 Youngstown State transfer Tom Parks in what could be the best set of forwards in the NSIC. Northern State has always been known for their depth and line-change mentality and this year should be no different. A bulk of the offensive scoring will probably be carried by small forward Colin Pryor and shooting guard Derek Hoellin. Brett Newton will be running the point again this season after missing most of the 09-10 season and Alex Thomas as well as Casey Becker should provide a healthy spark off the bench. One newcomer I am interested in seeing is Jared Hannigan. With a lack of depth at the guard position, it will not be surprising if he sees a lot of playing time this season. It'll also be interesting to see if CC transfer David Lane sees a lot of playing time this year as well. It'll be interesting to see what first year head coach Paul Sather has in store for this year's team.
7. SW Minnesota State
09-10 Record: 17-12
The Mustangs made a strong push toward the end of last year but much like the 07 and 08 seasons, they fell just a little short of making the NCAA Tournament. It wouldn't surprise me if the same situation happened to the Mustangs this year. They should have a solid team, but will it be enough to make the tourney? They have perhaps the best tandem at the forward position in Taylor Huseby and Scott Roehl. Jordan Miller and Lavionne West are two solid sophs that should be key contributors as well. Trent Carlson is another solid returner for the Mustangs but I will be interested in seeing what the SMSU newcomers have to provide. Tranfer PG Jimmy Abraham, CC PG transfer Jimmy Wallace, Jordan Buddenhagen and freshman Vinard Birch could all be competing for the starting point guard job (from what I hear, Birch could have a slight lead). To me, SMSU is sort of a mystery team because they have a lot of new faces and redshirts that haven't seen much court time due to the great deal of talent that graduated from SMSU the last three years. I hear a few good things about Matt Zager, who was a heck of a HS baller. I'll admit, this was a tough team to break down because I haven't seen this team practice and I'm not even really sure who their solid starting five will be...let alone who will be the key pieces off the bench. In a sense, that might be a good thing for Head Coach Brad Bigler...the less the opposition knows about you, the better.
8. Wayne State
09-10 Record: 14-15
I have to give a lot of credit to head coach Paul Combs last year because he was given an awful situation in Wayne State last year and managed to do the best with what he was given. He developed a team identity in less than a year and Wayne State managed to play a lot better than what I expected. However, the team finds themselves in another tough position because Combs stressed solid, physical interior play and they lost the two biggest pieces, Brett Spiker and Brian Metz. The good news for Wayne State is their trifecta of guards return in Amry Shelby, Jason Jensen, and Brad Starken. I think in order for Wayne to have a successful season, they'll need more out of Ben Tasa. Tasa was the backup center last year and with both Spiker and Metz gone, he'll need to be beefed up and more physical this year to help compensate for those losses. I could be wrong (the WSC website being down doesn't help), but I believe they also get Zane Abner back this season. They'll need him healthy if they want to make a run at the top 8 in the NSIC.
9. Concordia-St. Paul
09-10 Record: 13-15
When I look at the Golden Bears, I just see too much of a turnover in talent for them to stick around in the top 8 in the league. What's funny is they have the best big man in the league in Brent Barz. However, the question therein lies, who else do they have? They lost their leading scorer in Craig Heiman as well as Mike Cunningham, Sammy Ricks and Thomas Bassett. It also seemed like they bring back a lot of underperformers from last year. Dan "Birdman" Vandervieren was an enormous disappointment and seemed to be a distraction for the team. Matt Hackl had a down year last year and the only other real scoring threats that they have back this year are Andrew Kuderer and Courtney Tyler. They'll be asking more from sophomore Isiah Thomas and backup forward Chris Hamblin if this team wants to crack the top 8. Much like SMSU, there's a lot of mystery shrouded in the Golden Bears and I'm curious to see if head coach Kelly Boe can keep his team up because they tend to be disappointments every year despite the talent.
10. Bemidji State
09-10 Record: 12-15
The Beavers are going to be a curious team this year because after last year's "hotel debacle", it threw a lot of inexperienced players into the rotation and it seemed apparent that some guys weren't ready to play. Losing all-conference performer Seth Haake to graduation isn't going to help the Beavers, but they do bring back a good chunk of their team. The guard play should be solid, led by super soph Lance Rongstad and Bryce Tesdahl. Patrick Cassidy is a solid forward for them and Jake Lindstrom is a solid player at the guard position. Noah Shepherd as a sophomore and Mason Walters, David Berthene and Burke Lendl should all be improved after seeing a lot of playing time in their freshman seasons. All-in-all, Bemidji has a young team and I'm intrigued to see who else will come to the fray of Bemidji State's rotation. They did bring in some Arizona CC transfers in forward James Ellisor and center Ryan Kinnell who could see some playing time this year. Overall, I think head coach Matt Bowen could have an intriguing team on his hands and one that could pull off some upsets...but it'll be important for Rongstad to stay healthy.
11. MSU-Moorhead
09-10 Record: 10-17
The Dragons are a team that have me scratching my head because they appear to have a lot of talented players. They could be offensively one of the better set teams in the NSIC because they bring back five of their six top scorers from last season, with the lone exception being Jerome Nelson. First year head coach Chad Walthall has a lot of young talented options to work with. I say young because this team does not have one senior on its roster...thus unless they have someone transfer or leave the team, they'll have this roster for years to come. It is headlined by point guard Jake Driscoll, who puts up big points for a small guy. Dennis Williamson and Andrew VanHavermaet are two guys that can light up the scoreboard and sophomore center Alex Novak shows some promise to be an elite center in the NSIC. Xavier Reed, Chad Thompson, Eric Olsen and Jordan Driscoll are also guys that should see significant playing time in the Dragons' lineup. As for the new faces, Tarell Clark, Charlie Champman and D.J. Hamilton are three transfers that will likely be competing for playing time.
12. Upper Iowa
09-10 Record: 12-15
The Peacocks are just one of those teams that are literally like a box of chocolates, you just never know what you're going to get. Three years ago, they looked like a team that might just compete in the NSIC but the last two years have been somewhat of a disappointment. Of course, the team revolves around the play of senior guard Matt Lesan, or who I like to call the human free throw machine. The guy is a master at his craft at drawing fouls. Overall, the Peacocks do bring back quite a few players from last year's team, although they lost their second and third leading scorers (not huge losses when they have seven guys averaging between 11 and five points per game). Some key returners include Jake Hughes, Tucker Wentzien, Mike LaFrentz, Dan Bestul, Alex Kramer and Brad Arnold just to name a few. However, head coach Brian Dolan's big dilemma is he needs to find a rotation that works. He tends to play a line change-esque rotation that is somewhat similar to Northern State's. However, the problem being is there are lots of guys that really aren't talented enough to compete against most NSIC teams and it hurts the team when they are on the floor. Dolan needs to solidify his rotation if he wants to crack the top 8 in the NSIC.
13. UM-Duluth
09-10 Record: 7-20
I am having a hard time convincing myself that the Bulldogs are not the second worst team in the conference. They finished second to last this past year and I don't see this year being any better. It's bad enough they lost Ron White and Steve Duncan to graduation. I guess if there is some good news, the Bulldogs bring back scoring machine Ryan Rasmussen and a talented athlete in Dylan Rodriguez. I'm sure the Bulldogs will be asking for more production out of sophomore guard Jake Hottenstine and senior guard Rhett McDonald. For once, the Bulldogs might be struggling for depth at center but Erik Powers does return and will likely see a lot more playing time than he did this past season as well as UM-Crookston transfer Joe Paschka. One nice edition to the Bulldogs lineup this year is D1 transfer Riley Walker from UW-Milwaukee, who saw some playing time in the Panthers lineup. Overall, head coach Gary Holquist better get a grip and focus his attention to the basketball floor because he has a lot of new faces and takes "criticism" a little too seriously.
14. UM-Crookston
09-10 Record: 5-22
They were last year's worst team in the NSIC...and the year before that, and the year before that, and the year before that. They are the worst team in the NSIC every year and this year will be no different. I thought that they could possibly get out of the cellar last year with Damarius Cruz and Akeem Cubie until they lost both those players due to injury. With Cruz transferring to St. Cloud State and Cubie leaving the program, I don't see how the Golden Eagles will even stand a snowball's chance. They even lost their top scorer after those two went down, Matthew Heier to graduation. If we look beyond those two guys, they do bring back starting forward Adam Hendricks, point guard Jason Servaty, forward Mike Larsen and center Trent Graves. Much like UMD, the Golden Eagles have a lot of new faces and more than likely, the headliner will be Eric Dearden, a transfer from D1 Utah Valley State. He should be significant playing time, if not, start for UM-Crookston this year. All-in-all, head coach Jeff Oseth has a tall order to try and get this Golden Eagles program out of the cellar.
1. Winona State
09-10 Record: 20-10
The Warriors are coming off a somewhat down season, where injuries plagued the Warriors all season, including losing Clayton Vette for the first half of the season and David Johnson for the NSIC and NCAA Tournament. Johnson graduated this year and it might have left a void for scoring in Winona State's offense. However, like most great programs, Winona State doesn't rebuild, they reload. Anthony Tucker, a D1 transfer from Iowa and Caleb Palkert from South Carolina-Upstate solidify a solid incoming class. The Warriors also bring back an experienced roster, headlined by Ben Fischer, C.J. Erickson, Jon Walburg, Xavier Humphrey, Brad Meyer, Joel Armstrong and of course Vette. Coming off a redshirt season, there are also high hopes for Kellen Taylor, who is considered a "Quincy Henderson-esque" player. There's no doubt that Winona State is the most talented team in the league, but the biggest question is can head coach Mike Leaf get this team gel? It seemed as though last season they did not play together as a team and relied too much on Johnson's scoring. WSU will need to find a rotation that works if they want to claim the NSIC title.
2. Augustana
09-10 Record: 24-7
Despite Augustana losing David Foster, Lee Stephens, Eliot Thomas and Jordan Dalton to graduation, this team looks poised to claim an NSIC title. They bring back the best all-round guard/forward in the NSIC in Cody Schilling as well as the dynamic scoring point guard Cameron McCaffrey to run the point. The one area where I believe Augustana has a big advantage over many teams in the NSIC is in the low post, where they have two seasoned veterans, each with their own style of play. Derrick DeZeeuw isn't afraid to get down and dirty in the low post and Nathan Truex has a solid jumper and touch on his shots that make him a tough guy to guard when he moves away from the block. One player that the Vikings will be asking more of will be Chad Hettermann, who despite starting many games last year, only averaged 2.1 PPG. He's a defensive dynamo but due to losing four key contributors, he'll need to step up his offensive game. The Vikings have some concern with depth. They have talent on their bench, but the problem is lack of experience. There aren't many guys on that bench that have much experience. I won't be surprised to see freshman forward Yuriy Malashenko get a lot of playing time as a freshman. I'm not sure why but I have a feeling head coach "Texas" Tom Billeter will have his team ready for another great season.
3. St. Cloud State
09-10 Record: 29-6
The Huskies are coming off a fantastic season in which they made a deep run to the Elite Eight, coming off a tough Final Four loss to Indiana (PA). Obviously, they bring back one of the most talented teams in the NSIC, only losing All-NSIC center Matt Schneck and Michael Riley to graduation. Head coach Kevin Schlagel will have a hole to fill because losing Schneck to graduation is a big loss for the Huskies, as he was their only real low post threat. Jesse Fisher is the only real low post threat they bring back but even then, his knees are not healthy. It's almost hard for me to believe that it took me five sentences to even mention the named, Taylor Witt, but don't let that fool you...he is by far one of the most talented players in the league and is expected to be the Player Of The Year in the NSIC. The Huskies have a very nice set of role players, including Brett Putz, Nate Phillips, Theo Rothstein, Josh Ortmann and of course, Andrew Bernstetter. With Schneck gone, look for Bernstetter and Tim Bergstrasser to be the foundation in the low post. I also believe we might see a lot of play from freshman center Ben Bucholz, who is one of the few guys with some size on the Huskies' bench.
4. MSU-Mankato
09-10 Record: 25-5
The Mavericks have had their tough goings the last several seasons in the NCAA Tournament. Even though they hosted the Regional Tournament last year, they still couldn't make it out of the second round. There was a bit of a "if we're not going to do it this year, we're not going to do it at all" sort of feel to MSU's season and I'm sure head coach Matt Margenthaler is feeling the heat. The Mavericks lost a lot in the offseason, including All-NSIC center Travis Nelson, Curt Greeley, Jermain Davis and Jesse Clark to graduation. Don't let that fool you though, this team is still loaded with talent. Jefferson Mason is still the best small forward in the NSIC and he has a good supporting cast around him with Marcus Hill, Joe Drapcho, Cameron Hodges, and Taylor Morrow. The additions of D1 transfers A.J. Wilson from Murray State and Andre Gilbert from South Dakota State should be very welcome to an already talented team. Much like St. Cloud, a lot will be asked of the Mavericks relatively unexperienced low post guys, headlined by Mitch Grundman and Mike Bisenius. They'll need those two to show up in the worst way if the Mavericks want to contend for an NSIC title.
5. Mary
09-10 Record: 15-13
Don't let Mary's record fool you, they had one of the better teams in the NSIC last season under first year head coach Randall Herbst and losing six of their last eight games did not help things. The big thing about Mary this season apart from a lot of the other big name teams in the NSIC is that they bring back just about everyone for the 2010-2011 campaign. The only real significant losses were Danny Sandvig and U.T. Udo. Nothing against Danny and U.T., but they are replaceable. This team's headline players are without a doubt Anthony Moody and Eric Erdmann, both all NSIC performers. Moody is an electrifying point guard with a knack for scoring while Erdmann is an undersized forward that seems to manhandle even guys who are bigger than him in the low post. To be a great team this year, the Marauders will be asking for more out of their role guys like Jordan Wilhelm, Cameron Lee and Baley Johnson to support Moody and Erdmann. The biggest question mark for the Marauders is their lack of size and it became apparent toward the end of last season. A lot could be asked of Alex Dorr and CC transfer Damon Smith to help out in the low post. I'm also intrigued to see what sort of roles freshman Shaun Condon and Jalen Jaspers will have on this team.
6. Northern State
09-10 Record: 13-14
You can call me crazy, but I think the Wolves are going to have a bounce back season. I look at this team and they have a lot of nice pieces to build around. Bojan Todorovic is back from a season-ending injury last season and he'll rejoin fellow Serbian Marko Filipovic, Marty Gregor, D1 South Dakota transfer Dustin Tetzlaff, and D1 Youngstown State transfer Tom Parks in what could be the best set of forwards in the NSIC. Northern State has always been known for their depth and line-change mentality and this year should be no different. A bulk of the offensive scoring will probably be carried by small forward Colin Pryor and shooting guard Derek Hoellin. Brett Newton will be running the point again this season after missing most of the 09-10 season and Alex Thomas as well as Casey Becker should provide a healthy spark off the bench. One newcomer I am interested in seeing is Jared Hannigan. With a lack of depth at the guard position, it will not be surprising if he sees a lot of playing time this season. It'll also be interesting to see if CC transfer David Lane sees a lot of playing time this year as well. It'll be interesting to see what first year head coach Paul Sather has in store for this year's team.
7. SW Minnesota State
09-10 Record: 17-12
The Mustangs made a strong push toward the end of last year but much like the 07 and 08 seasons, they fell just a little short of making the NCAA Tournament. It wouldn't surprise me if the same situation happened to the Mustangs this year. They should have a solid team, but will it be enough to make the tourney? They have perhaps the best tandem at the forward position in Taylor Huseby and Scott Roehl. Jordan Miller and Lavionne West are two solid sophs that should be key contributors as well. Trent Carlson is another solid returner for the Mustangs but I will be interested in seeing what the SMSU newcomers have to provide. Tranfer PG Jimmy Abraham, CC PG transfer Jimmy Wallace, Jordan Buddenhagen and freshman Vinard Birch could all be competing for the starting point guard job (from what I hear, Birch could have a slight lead). To me, SMSU is sort of a mystery team because they have a lot of new faces and redshirts that haven't seen much court time due to the great deal of talent that graduated from SMSU the last three years. I hear a few good things about Matt Zager, who was a heck of a HS baller. I'll admit, this was a tough team to break down because I haven't seen this team practice and I'm not even really sure who their solid starting five will be...let alone who will be the key pieces off the bench. In a sense, that might be a good thing for Head Coach Brad Bigler...the less the opposition knows about you, the better.
8. Wayne State
09-10 Record: 14-15
I have to give a lot of credit to head coach Paul Combs last year because he was given an awful situation in Wayne State last year and managed to do the best with what he was given. He developed a team identity in less than a year and Wayne State managed to play a lot better than what I expected. However, the team finds themselves in another tough position because Combs stressed solid, physical interior play and they lost the two biggest pieces, Brett Spiker and Brian Metz. The good news for Wayne State is their trifecta of guards return in Amry Shelby, Jason Jensen, and Brad Starken. I think in order for Wayne to have a successful season, they'll need more out of Ben Tasa. Tasa was the backup center last year and with both Spiker and Metz gone, he'll need to be beefed up and more physical this year to help compensate for those losses. I could be wrong (the WSC website being down doesn't help), but I believe they also get Zane Abner back this season. They'll need him healthy if they want to make a run at the top 8 in the NSIC.
9. Concordia-St. Paul
09-10 Record: 13-15
When I look at the Golden Bears, I just see too much of a turnover in talent for them to stick around in the top 8 in the league. What's funny is they have the best big man in the league in Brent Barz. However, the question therein lies, who else do they have? They lost their leading scorer in Craig Heiman as well as Mike Cunningham, Sammy Ricks and Thomas Bassett. It also seemed like they bring back a lot of underperformers from last year. Dan "Birdman" Vandervieren was an enormous disappointment and seemed to be a distraction for the team. Matt Hackl had a down year last year and the only other real scoring threats that they have back this year are Andrew Kuderer and Courtney Tyler. They'll be asking more from sophomore Isiah Thomas and backup forward Chris Hamblin if this team wants to crack the top 8. Much like SMSU, there's a lot of mystery shrouded in the Golden Bears and I'm curious to see if head coach Kelly Boe can keep his team up because they tend to be disappointments every year despite the talent.
10. Bemidji State
09-10 Record: 12-15
The Beavers are going to be a curious team this year because after last year's "hotel debacle", it threw a lot of inexperienced players into the rotation and it seemed apparent that some guys weren't ready to play. Losing all-conference performer Seth Haake to graduation isn't going to help the Beavers, but they do bring back a good chunk of their team. The guard play should be solid, led by super soph Lance Rongstad and Bryce Tesdahl. Patrick Cassidy is a solid forward for them and Jake Lindstrom is a solid player at the guard position. Noah Shepherd as a sophomore and Mason Walters, David Berthene and Burke Lendl should all be improved after seeing a lot of playing time in their freshman seasons. All-in-all, Bemidji has a young team and I'm intrigued to see who else will come to the fray of Bemidji State's rotation. They did bring in some Arizona CC transfers in forward James Ellisor and center Ryan Kinnell who could see some playing time this year. Overall, I think head coach Matt Bowen could have an intriguing team on his hands and one that could pull off some upsets...but it'll be important for Rongstad to stay healthy.
11. MSU-Moorhead
09-10 Record: 10-17
The Dragons are a team that have me scratching my head because they appear to have a lot of talented players. They could be offensively one of the better set teams in the NSIC because they bring back five of their six top scorers from last season, with the lone exception being Jerome Nelson. First year head coach Chad Walthall has a lot of young talented options to work with. I say young because this team does not have one senior on its roster...thus unless they have someone transfer or leave the team, they'll have this roster for years to come. It is headlined by point guard Jake Driscoll, who puts up big points for a small guy. Dennis Williamson and Andrew VanHavermaet are two guys that can light up the scoreboard and sophomore center Alex Novak shows some promise to be an elite center in the NSIC. Xavier Reed, Chad Thompson, Eric Olsen and Jordan Driscoll are also guys that should see significant playing time in the Dragons' lineup. As for the new faces, Tarell Clark, Charlie Champman and D.J. Hamilton are three transfers that will likely be competing for playing time.
12. Upper Iowa
09-10 Record: 12-15
The Peacocks are just one of those teams that are literally like a box of chocolates, you just never know what you're going to get. Three years ago, they looked like a team that might just compete in the NSIC but the last two years have been somewhat of a disappointment. Of course, the team revolves around the play of senior guard Matt Lesan, or who I like to call the human free throw machine. The guy is a master at his craft at drawing fouls. Overall, the Peacocks do bring back quite a few players from last year's team, although they lost their second and third leading scorers (not huge losses when they have seven guys averaging between 11 and five points per game). Some key returners include Jake Hughes, Tucker Wentzien, Mike LaFrentz, Dan Bestul, Alex Kramer and Brad Arnold just to name a few. However, head coach Brian Dolan's big dilemma is he needs to find a rotation that works. He tends to play a line change-esque rotation that is somewhat similar to Northern State's. However, the problem being is there are lots of guys that really aren't talented enough to compete against most NSIC teams and it hurts the team when they are on the floor. Dolan needs to solidify his rotation if he wants to crack the top 8 in the NSIC.
13. UM-Duluth
09-10 Record: 7-20
I am having a hard time convincing myself that the Bulldogs are not the second worst team in the conference. They finished second to last this past year and I don't see this year being any better. It's bad enough they lost Ron White and Steve Duncan to graduation. I guess if there is some good news, the Bulldogs bring back scoring machine Ryan Rasmussen and a talented athlete in Dylan Rodriguez. I'm sure the Bulldogs will be asking for more production out of sophomore guard Jake Hottenstine and senior guard Rhett McDonald. For once, the Bulldogs might be struggling for depth at center but Erik Powers does return and will likely see a lot more playing time than he did this past season as well as UM-Crookston transfer Joe Paschka. One nice edition to the Bulldogs lineup this year is D1 transfer Riley Walker from UW-Milwaukee, who saw some playing time in the Panthers lineup. Overall, head coach Gary Holquist better get a grip and focus his attention to the basketball floor because he has a lot of new faces and takes "criticism" a little too seriously.
14. UM-Crookston
09-10 Record: 5-22
They were last year's worst team in the NSIC...and the year before that, and the year before that, and the year before that. They are the worst team in the NSIC every year and this year will be no different. I thought that they could possibly get out of the cellar last year with Damarius Cruz and Akeem Cubie until they lost both those players due to injury. With Cruz transferring to St. Cloud State and Cubie leaving the program, I don't see how the Golden Eagles will even stand a snowball's chance. They even lost their top scorer after those two went down, Matthew Heier to graduation. If we look beyond those two guys, they do bring back starting forward Adam Hendricks, point guard Jason Servaty, forward Mike Larsen and center Trent Graves. Much like UMD, the Golden Eagles have a lot of new faces and more than likely, the headliner will be Eric Dearden, a transfer from D1 Utah Valley State. He should be significant playing time, if not, start for UM-Crookston this year. All-in-all, head coach Jeff Oseth has a tall order to try and get this Golden Eagles program out of the cellar.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Toucanbird's Week 9 NSIC Power Rankings
There's quite a shakeup in this week's power rankings. Some teams are showing some vulnerability while others are starting to step up with less than a month remaining. With no further ado, here is this week's rankings.
1. #2 UM-Duluth 8-0 (7-0 NSIC) (-)
PG - W vs. Mary 49-0
LG - W @ Northern State 27-7
UG - vs. #20 St. Cloud State (7-1)
Note - The final score is a little deceiving for the Northern State game because the Bulldogs rushed for 431 yards...however, turnovers are starting to become a problem. The Bulldogs fumbled the ball five times against the Wolves, losing four of them. One thing I will say is the Bulldogs probably played about as poorly as they could've played and still won by 20 points (27 if you consider NSU scored a somewhat late, meaningless touchdown). I'd say if there was a good week to have a mulligan, it would be this past week because we all know St. Cloud State will not be a gimme on Saturday.
2. #8 Augustana 8-0 (7-0 NSIC) (-)
PG - W @ Winona State 17-0
LG - W @ MSU-Moorhead 47-17
UG - vs. MSU-Mankato (5-3)
Note - I don't think it will take many people to scratch their heads and wonder what happened during last week's game in Moorhead. In case your wondering, MSU-Moorhead had a 17-7 lead in the 2nd quarter at one point. After that point, the Vikings went on a 40-0 run to end up dominating the game. Did Augustana overlook the Dragons? Maybe...however, at least they didn't do what Bemidji State did...let the Dragons hang around and then only win by one score. During that 2nd quarter, the Vikings woke up and turned on the afterburners. The one major concern in this game was Josh Hanson. He threw four interceptions this last Saturday, which was very uncharacteristic of him. He better shore things up this week because if you throw four interceptions against the Mavericks defense, you might not win that game. With the way the Mavericks are playing, I'd want to bring my A-game this week.
3. #20 St. Cloud State 7-1 (7-0 NSIC) (-)
PG - W vs. SW Minnesota State 24-6
LG - W vs. UM-Crookston 49-6
UG - @ #2 UM-Duluth (8-0)
Note - I know what a lot of you are probably thinking, why didn't St. Cloud State beat UM-Crookston by 70!? Well, considering they had a 49-6 lead through 33 minutes of play, I think it was best for them to just slow things down and not run up the score. Reading the stat line itself was funny because QB Phillip Klaphake was the team's leading rusher and passer. He completed 8-of-14 passes for 109 yards with a TD and a pick and rushed the ball 10 times for 136 yards with 3 TDs. It's kinda funny considering Klaphake didn't play the whole game. Then again, should we be surprised? This is Crookston we are talking about. I'm sure the Huskies might have wanted to save some effort and health for the game up in Duluth. The Huskies need to be healthy and be playing their best if they want to come out with a big win in Duluth.
4. Winona State 5-3 (4-3 NSIC) (+2)
PG - L vs. #8 Augustana 17-0
LG - W @ Concordia-St. Paul 31-28
UG - @ SW Minnesota State (4-4)
Note - Just when we thought the Warriors looked dead in the water, they seemed to have sprung new life...and it all begins at the quarterback position. This past week against Concordia-St. Paul, Winona State decided to make a change and started redshirt freshman Bryan Bradshaw at quarterback. It was a smart move because Bradshaw completed 15-of-22 passes for 202 yards. However, the one aspect of his game that showed some promise was his ability to run the ball. Sure, he only had six yards rushing, but that was due to getting sacked three times on a day where the line did not pass block very well. He ran for a few first downs and also plunged in from a yard out for a TD. The nice thing about Bradshaw is when things break down, he takes off and runs for first downs. The other aspect about the game I liked is the Warriors did not give up on the run. After that first half, you'd think the Warriors would give up on it but they didn't and it paid off. The Warriors better not celebrate this win too higly because they got the Mustangs coming up...and the last time they played out in Marshall, they lost.
5. Concordia-St. Paul 5-3 (4-3 NSIC) (-1)
PG - W @ Wayne State 17-14
LG - L vs. Winona State 31-28
UG - @ UM-Crookston (1-7)
Note - It was a tough loss at home for the Golden Bears but one thing they can tip their hat on is that they lost to a tough team at home that was desperate for a win. The Golden Bears had their opportunities in this game but some dumb mistakes and poor special teams play led to the Golden Bears demise. The Golden Bears' kicker Steven King had a 36 yard FG blocked before half and backup kicker T.G. Schoenberg missed a 26 yarder in the 3rd quarter. One thing we can say about Concordia is their offense played really well on Saturday. Spencer Ohm completed 16-of-30 passes for 295 yards and 3 TDs. Most of his passes went Charles Gilbert's way, catching five passes for 119 yards, although Ohm did a nice job of spreading the ball around. Running back Sam Campbell had a good day on the ground with 20 carries for 93 yards and a TD. The good news for Concordia is they'll get a good rebound game with a lack of a challenge in Crookston, MN this week.
6. MSU-Mankato 5-3 (4-3 NSIC) (+1)
PG - W vs. Upper Iowa 48-14
LG - W @ Wayne State 13-3
UG - @ #8 Augustana (8-0)
Note - I have to tip my hat to the Mavericks because they've turned things around in a hurry. Three weeks ago, they lost their third consecutive game to St. Cloud State. The past two weeks, they've rebounded with big wins, the biggest being a 10 point win in Wayne, NE. The Mavericks defense stunned the high-flying Wayne State offense, holding them to three points and 170 yards of total offense. Sure, injuries to the Wildcats receiving core didn't help, but holding Evan Johnson to only 10-of-26 passing for 63 yards and an interception is an outstanding effort. With the way the Mavericks are playing, I have to believe that they will give Augustana all that they can handle because this team is still playing for a potential Mineral Water Bowl. We sure didn't think they would three weeks ago.
7. Wayne State 5-3 (4-3 NSIC) (-2)
PG - L vs. Concordia-St. Paul 17-14
LG - L vs. MSU-Mankato 13-3
UG - @ Upper Iowa (1-7)
Note - Just when it looked like Wayne State could solidify their playoff chances with home wins against Concordia-St. Paul and MSU-Mankato, they drop the ball and end up losing the two consecutive home games. Suddenly, the Wildcats drop from playoff contender to Mineral Water Bowl hopeful. That's quite a drop that I'm sure that the Wildcats were expecting, but that's why you have to show up every week in the NSIC. You just never know who is going to beat you on any given Saturday. All-in-all, the Wildcats are a wreck. In the last two weeks, they've averaged 8.5 PPG and only tallied 216.5 YPG of total offense. Before these last two weeks, the team was averaging 36.1 PPG and 412 YPG...that should be a sign of just how "off" the Wayne State offense has been the last two weeks. They travel to Fayette this week and if they don't get things turned around in a hurry, they could be looking at a third consecutive loss.
8. Bemidji State 5-3 (4-3 NSIC) (-1)
PG - W @ MSU-Moorhead 14-6
LG - W vs. Mary 23-22
UG - vs. Northern State (1-7)
Note - Bemidji State's last two wins have been far from impressive. They won 14-6 over a MSU-Moorhead team that they should've blown out and they followed it up with a field goal with 26 seconds left to win 23-22 over Mary. I can tell you that it's a bad sign when you're almost losing to teams like MSU-Moorhead and Mary. However, a win is a win and I'm sure the Beavers will take wins no matter how they come. However, the Beavers need to figure things out because they've got Northern State this week and considering how the Wolves have played against bigger competition, this could be a trap game for the Beavers. Northern State might be 1-7 but they are better than their record indicates and if they come away with a win in Bemidji, it would be an embarrassment for the Beavers.
9. SW Minnesota State 4-4 (3-4 NSIC) (-)
PG - L @ St. Cloud State 24-6
LG - W @ Upper Iowa 40-34
UG - vs. Winona State (5-3)
Note - I don't know what I can say about the Mustangs. A great gutsy win against the Peacocks? It's kind of hard to say that considering the Peacocks have been a horrible team all season...but is it? I said it all season that the Mustangs do a good job of winning in games they are favored in. They were in a back and forth battle against the Peacocks where there were eight lead changes and two ties (both coming in the 4th quarter. Their four wins this year are against Northern State, Mary, MSU-Moorhead and Upper Iowa, who have combined for five wins. This week, the Mustangs host a team that has five wins themselves and considering the win they got this past week, I'm sure the Warriors will come in fired up to take on the Mustangs. A win against the Warriors is a tall order but if they do pick up a win, it would be a great step in the right direction for the Mustangs.
10. MSU-Moorhead 2-6 (2-5 NSIC) (-)
PG - L vs. Bemidji State 14-6
LG - L vs. #8 Augustana 47-17
UG - @ U-Mary (1-7)
Note - I'm sure MSU-Moorhead can be happy that they played a great first quarter against the Augustana Vikings. Too bad they couldn't follow up that quarter with three more good ones because they got slaughtered 47-7 in the last three quarters. Then again, I'm sure no one expected the Dragons to compete anyway, but to have the lead over Augustana for more than a quarter was impressive in itself. However, the problem for the Dragons has been their problem all season. They can't stop the run and they can't run the ball themselves. They got outrushed by the Vikings 279-to-20. That would play a huge factor considering both teams combined for seven interceptions. I thought about dropping the Dragons a spot this week but due holding the lead for 26 minutes against the #8 team in the country, I'll cut them some slack. Besides, their battle with Mary this week will be the true deciding factor for who the #10 team in the NSIC is.
11. Mary 1-7 (1-6 NSIC) (-)
PG - L @ #2 UM-Duluth 49-0
LG - L @ Bemidji State 23-22
UG - vs. MSU-Moorhead (2-6)
Note - Boy, I'm sure the Marauders are kicking themselves right about now. They let another close game slip by. Mary had a 22-20 lead with 2:06 to go and had the Beavers pinned back on their 2-yard-line. What happened? The Beavers went on an 11-play 89-yard drive in 1:45 to end up kicking the game winning 26-yard field goal with 26 seconds left to win the game. I'm starting to feel bad for Mary because this is not the first game the Marauders had slip out of their fingers. Just two weeks prior to this game, Mary had Wayne State dead to rights with less than two minutes left and they let the Wildcats go on to win on a last minute touchdown drive. All-in-all, Mary needs to learn how to finish ball games and play stout defense late in the game. This team should be no worse than 3-5 right now, but they are 1-7. I have a feeling they'll get a win this week at home against MSU-Moorhead but I still think it will be a tough game.
12. Northern State 1-7 (1-6 NSIC) (-)
PG - W @ UM-Crookston 38-0
LG - L vs. #2 UM-Duluth 27-7
UG - @ Bemidji State (5-3)
Note - One thing I will give the Wolves credit for is they are feisty. We should give them a lot of credit for only holding the Bulldogs to 27 points because they are a team that can put up a lot of points in a hurry. Even though they allowed the Bulldogs to rush for 431 yards, they still forced five fumbles, four of which they recovered. Let's put this into perspective, in seven games, the Bulldogs only committed five turnovers. In this game, they committed four turnovers. That's some nice ball hawking play from the Wolves to force the Bulldogs to do that. This is a smart, disciplined football team they were playing...they don't have too many letdowns. Give credit where credit is due, they didn't allow UMD to come into their house and run up the score. With that being said, they go on the road this week to take on Bemidji State. With the way the Beavers are playing, I can definitely foresee the Wolves going into Bemidji and coming away with a victory.
13. Upper Iowa 1-7 (1-6 NSIC) (-)
PG - L @ MSU-Mankato 48-14
LG - L vs. SW Minnesota State 40-34
UG - vs. Wayne State (5-3)
Note - Well, let me just say one thing about the Peacocks...they played way better in this game than they did in Mankato the week before. However, just like a large sum of Upper Iowa's games this season, this team just doesn't finish. They scored with just under two minutes to go to take a 34-27 lead and it looked like the Peacocks just might get their second win of the season. However, the defense and special teams faltered yet again. After getting the ball on their own 47-yard-line, the Mustangs went on a five-play 53-yard drive to make it a 34-34 game going into overtime. After failing to score on their first possession of OT, the Peacock defense folded like a lawn chair, allowing a nine-yard touchdown run in a 40-34 loss. It's just been the story of the Peacocks season...they just can't finish games. If there's any consolation this week, they are facing a Wayne State team that's struggling.
14. UM-Crookston 1-7 (0-7 NSIC)
PG - L vs. Northern State 38-0
LG - L @ St. Cloud State 49-6
UG - vs. Concordia-St. Paul (5-3)
Note - I don't even know why I write anything about the Golden Eagles. To be honest, they've been worse than what I expected them to be and let's just say I didn't set the bar very high for them. I thought they MIGHT get one conference win this year...if they were lucky. They haven't even been close to a win this season. The only thing I can give them credit for is they got off to a good start against St. Cloud State...they led 6-0 for just over 13 minutes. The next 17 didn't go very well for the Golden Eagles because they found themselves down 35-6 at halftime. That's been the story of the Eagles season...they might look okay right away in the game but as the game goes on, they just seemed completely outmanned and outmatched. I think we can all just write-in that the Golden Eagles will not win a conference game this season and in a sense, hope that everybody beats them by 40+ the rest of the way just so they will think about undergoing some changes in their athletic department and coaching staff.
1. #2 UM-Duluth 8-0 (7-0 NSIC) (-)
PG - W vs. Mary 49-0
LG - W @ Northern State 27-7
UG - vs. #20 St. Cloud State (7-1)
Note - The final score is a little deceiving for the Northern State game because the Bulldogs rushed for 431 yards...however, turnovers are starting to become a problem. The Bulldogs fumbled the ball five times against the Wolves, losing four of them. One thing I will say is the Bulldogs probably played about as poorly as they could've played and still won by 20 points (27 if you consider NSU scored a somewhat late, meaningless touchdown). I'd say if there was a good week to have a mulligan, it would be this past week because we all know St. Cloud State will not be a gimme on Saturday.
2. #8 Augustana 8-0 (7-0 NSIC) (-)
PG - W @ Winona State 17-0
LG - W @ MSU-Moorhead 47-17
UG - vs. MSU-Mankato (5-3)
Note - I don't think it will take many people to scratch their heads and wonder what happened during last week's game in Moorhead. In case your wondering, MSU-Moorhead had a 17-7 lead in the 2nd quarter at one point. After that point, the Vikings went on a 40-0 run to end up dominating the game. Did Augustana overlook the Dragons? Maybe...however, at least they didn't do what Bemidji State did...let the Dragons hang around and then only win by one score. During that 2nd quarter, the Vikings woke up and turned on the afterburners. The one major concern in this game was Josh Hanson. He threw four interceptions this last Saturday, which was very uncharacteristic of him. He better shore things up this week because if you throw four interceptions against the Mavericks defense, you might not win that game. With the way the Mavericks are playing, I'd want to bring my A-game this week.
3. #20 St. Cloud State 7-1 (7-0 NSIC) (-)
PG - W vs. SW Minnesota State 24-6
LG - W vs. UM-Crookston 49-6
UG - @ #2 UM-Duluth (8-0)
Note - I know what a lot of you are probably thinking, why didn't St. Cloud State beat UM-Crookston by 70!? Well, considering they had a 49-6 lead through 33 minutes of play, I think it was best for them to just slow things down and not run up the score. Reading the stat line itself was funny because QB Phillip Klaphake was the team's leading rusher and passer. He completed 8-of-14 passes for 109 yards with a TD and a pick and rushed the ball 10 times for 136 yards with 3 TDs. It's kinda funny considering Klaphake didn't play the whole game. Then again, should we be surprised? This is Crookston we are talking about. I'm sure the Huskies might have wanted to save some effort and health for the game up in Duluth. The Huskies need to be healthy and be playing their best if they want to come out with a big win in Duluth.
4. Winona State 5-3 (4-3 NSIC) (+2)
PG - L vs. #8 Augustana 17-0
LG - W @ Concordia-St. Paul 31-28
UG - @ SW Minnesota State (4-4)
Note - Just when we thought the Warriors looked dead in the water, they seemed to have sprung new life...and it all begins at the quarterback position. This past week against Concordia-St. Paul, Winona State decided to make a change and started redshirt freshman Bryan Bradshaw at quarterback. It was a smart move because Bradshaw completed 15-of-22 passes for 202 yards. However, the one aspect of his game that showed some promise was his ability to run the ball. Sure, he only had six yards rushing, but that was due to getting sacked three times on a day where the line did not pass block very well. He ran for a few first downs and also plunged in from a yard out for a TD. The nice thing about Bradshaw is when things break down, he takes off and runs for first downs. The other aspect about the game I liked is the Warriors did not give up on the run. After that first half, you'd think the Warriors would give up on it but they didn't and it paid off. The Warriors better not celebrate this win too higly because they got the Mustangs coming up...and the last time they played out in Marshall, they lost.
5. Concordia-St. Paul 5-3 (4-3 NSIC) (-1)
PG - W @ Wayne State 17-14
LG - L vs. Winona State 31-28
UG - @ UM-Crookston (1-7)
Note - It was a tough loss at home for the Golden Bears but one thing they can tip their hat on is that they lost to a tough team at home that was desperate for a win. The Golden Bears had their opportunities in this game but some dumb mistakes and poor special teams play led to the Golden Bears demise. The Golden Bears' kicker Steven King had a 36 yard FG blocked before half and backup kicker T.G. Schoenberg missed a 26 yarder in the 3rd quarter. One thing we can say about Concordia is their offense played really well on Saturday. Spencer Ohm completed 16-of-30 passes for 295 yards and 3 TDs. Most of his passes went Charles Gilbert's way, catching five passes for 119 yards, although Ohm did a nice job of spreading the ball around. Running back Sam Campbell had a good day on the ground with 20 carries for 93 yards and a TD. The good news for Concordia is they'll get a good rebound game with a lack of a challenge in Crookston, MN this week.
6. MSU-Mankato 5-3 (4-3 NSIC) (+1)
PG - W vs. Upper Iowa 48-14
LG - W @ Wayne State 13-3
UG - @ #8 Augustana (8-0)
Note - I have to tip my hat to the Mavericks because they've turned things around in a hurry. Three weeks ago, they lost their third consecutive game to St. Cloud State. The past two weeks, they've rebounded with big wins, the biggest being a 10 point win in Wayne, NE. The Mavericks defense stunned the high-flying Wayne State offense, holding them to three points and 170 yards of total offense. Sure, injuries to the Wildcats receiving core didn't help, but holding Evan Johnson to only 10-of-26 passing for 63 yards and an interception is an outstanding effort. With the way the Mavericks are playing, I have to believe that they will give Augustana all that they can handle because this team is still playing for a potential Mineral Water Bowl. We sure didn't think they would three weeks ago.
7. Wayne State 5-3 (4-3 NSIC) (-2)
PG - L vs. Concordia-St. Paul 17-14
LG - L vs. MSU-Mankato 13-3
UG - @ Upper Iowa (1-7)
Note - Just when it looked like Wayne State could solidify their playoff chances with home wins against Concordia-St. Paul and MSU-Mankato, they drop the ball and end up losing the two consecutive home games. Suddenly, the Wildcats drop from playoff contender to Mineral Water Bowl hopeful. That's quite a drop that I'm sure that the Wildcats were expecting, but that's why you have to show up every week in the NSIC. You just never know who is going to beat you on any given Saturday. All-in-all, the Wildcats are a wreck. In the last two weeks, they've averaged 8.5 PPG and only tallied 216.5 YPG of total offense. Before these last two weeks, the team was averaging 36.1 PPG and 412 YPG...that should be a sign of just how "off" the Wayne State offense has been the last two weeks. They travel to Fayette this week and if they don't get things turned around in a hurry, they could be looking at a third consecutive loss.
8. Bemidji State 5-3 (4-3 NSIC) (-1)
PG - W @ MSU-Moorhead 14-6
LG - W vs. Mary 23-22
UG - vs. Northern State (1-7)
Note - Bemidji State's last two wins have been far from impressive. They won 14-6 over a MSU-Moorhead team that they should've blown out and they followed it up with a field goal with 26 seconds left to win 23-22 over Mary. I can tell you that it's a bad sign when you're almost losing to teams like MSU-Moorhead and Mary. However, a win is a win and I'm sure the Beavers will take wins no matter how they come. However, the Beavers need to figure things out because they've got Northern State this week and considering how the Wolves have played against bigger competition, this could be a trap game for the Beavers. Northern State might be 1-7 but they are better than their record indicates and if they come away with a win in Bemidji, it would be an embarrassment for the Beavers.
9. SW Minnesota State 4-4 (3-4 NSIC) (-)
PG - L @ St. Cloud State 24-6
LG - W @ Upper Iowa 40-34
UG - vs. Winona State (5-3)
Note - I don't know what I can say about the Mustangs. A great gutsy win against the Peacocks? It's kind of hard to say that considering the Peacocks have been a horrible team all season...but is it? I said it all season that the Mustangs do a good job of winning in games they are favored in. They were in a back and forth battle against the Peacocks where there were eight lead changes and two ties (both coming in the 4th quarter. Their four wins this year are against Northern State, Mary, MSU-Moorhead and Upper Iowa, who have combined for five wins. This week, the Mustangs host a team that has five wins themselves and considering the win they got this past week, I'm sure the Warriors will come in fired up to take on the Mustangs. A win against the Warriors is a tall order but if they do pick up a win, it would be a great step in the right direction for the Mustangs.
10. MSU-Moorhead 2-6 (2-5 NSIC) (-)
PG - L vs. Bemidji State 14-6
LG - L vs. #8 Augustana 47-17
UG - @ U-Mary (1-7)
Note - I'm sure MSU-Moorhead can be happy that they played a great first quarter against the Augustana Vikings. Too bad they couldn't follow up that quarter with three more good ones because they got slaughtered 47-7 in the last three quarters. Then again, I'm sure no one expected the Dragons to compete anyway, but to have the lead over Augustana for more than a quarter was impressive in itself. However, the problem for the Dragons has been their problem all season. They can't stop the run and they can't run the ball themselves. They got outrushed by the Vikings 279-to-20. That would play a huge factor considering both teams combined for seven interceptions. I thought about dropping the Dragons a spot this week but due holding the lead for 26 minutes against the #8 team in the country, I'll cut them some slack. Besides, their battle with Mary this week will be the true deciding factor for who the #10 team in the NSIC is.
11. Mary 1-7 (1-6 NSIC) (-)
PG - L @ #2 UM-Duluth 49-0
LG - L @ Bemidji State 23-22
UG - vs. MSU-Moorhead (2-6)
Note - Boy, I'm sure the Marauders are kicking themselves right about now. They let another close game slip by. Mary had a 22-20 lead with 2:06 to go and had the Beavers pinned back on their 2-yard-line. What happened? The Beavers went on an 11-play 89-yard drive in 1:45 to end up kicking the game winning 26-yard field goal with 26 seconds left to win the game. I'm starting to feel bad for Mary because this is not the first game the Marauders had slip out of their fingers. Just two weeks prior to this game, Mary had Wayne State dead to rights with less than two minutes left and they let the Wildcats go on to win on a last minute touchdown drive. All-in-all, Mary needs to learn how to finish ball games and play stout defense late in the game. This team should be no worse than 3-5 right now, but they are 1-7. I have a feeling they'll get a win this week at home against MSU-Moorhead but I still think it will be a tough game.
12. Northern State 1-7 (1-6 NSIC) (-)
PG - W @ UM-Crookston 38-0
LG - L vs. #2 UM-Duluth 27-7
UG - @ Bemidji State (5-3)
Note - One thing I will give the Wolves credit for is they are feisty. We should give them a lot of credit for only holding the Bulldogs to 27 points because they are a team that can put up a lot of points in a hurry. Even though they allowed the Bulldogs to rush for 431 yards, they still forced five fumbles, four of which they recovered. Let's put this into perspective, in seven games, the Bulldogs only committed five turnovers. In this game, they committed four turnovers. That's some nice ball hawking play from the Wolves to force the Bulldogs to do that. This is a smart, disciplined football team they were playing...they don't have too many letdowns. Give credit where credit is due, they didn't allow UMD to come into their house and run up the score. With that being said, they go on the road this week to take on Bemidji State. With the way the Beavers are playing, I can definitely foresee the Wolves going into Bemidji and coming away with a victory.
13. Upper Iowa 1-7 (1-6 NSIC) (-)
PG - L @ MSU-Mankato 48-14
LG - L vs. SW Minnesota State 40-34
UG - vs. Wayne State (5-3)
Note - Well, let me just say one thing about the Peacocks...they played way better in this game than they did in Mankato the week before. However, just like a large sum of Upper Iowa's games this season, this team just doesn't finish. They scored with just under two minutes to go to take a 34-27 lead and it looked like the Peacocks just might get their second win of the season. However, the defense and special teams faltered yet again. After getting the ball on their own 47-yard-line, the Mustangs went on a five-play 53-yard drive to make it a 34-34 game going into overtime. After failing to score on their first possession of OT, the Peacock defense folded like a lawn chair, allowing a nine-yard touchdown run in a 40-34 loss. It's just been the story of the Peacocks season...they just can't finish games. If there's any consolation this week, they are facing a Wayne State team that's struggling.
14. UM-Crookston 1-7 (0-7 NSIC)
PG - L vs. Northern State 38-0
LG - L @ St. Cloud State 49-6
UG - vs. Concordia-St. Paul (5-3)
Note - I don't even know why I write anything about the Golden Eagles. To be honest, they've been worse than what I expected them to be and let's just say I didn't set the bar very high for them. I thought they MIGHT get one conference win this year...if they were lucky. They haven't even been close to a win this season. The only thing I can give them credit for is they got off to a good start against St. Cloud State...they led 6-0 for just over 13 minutes. The next 17 didn't go very well for the Golden Eagles because they found themselves down 35-6 at halftime. That's been the story of the Eagles season...they might look okay right away in the game but as the game goes on, they just seemed completely outmanned and outmatched. I think we can all just write-in that the Golden Eagles will not win a conference game this season and in a sense, hope that everybody beats them by 40+ the rest of the way just so they will think about undergoing some changes in their athletic department and coaching staff.
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