Handicapping The MIAC Playoffs

Well, let's try handicapping the MIAC Playoff field once again.....


6.  Bethel - After a great start to the season that saw them rip off eight straight W's they were on a roller-coaster ride, at best, once they got into the meat of the MIAC season.  They at least avoided a full-scale meltdown but could never recapture the magic they were able to find in December.  Granted, this is a team that had to overcome the loss of Scotti Moats at the beginning of the year that significantly changed the overall dynamics of this squad.  Still, they are fortunate enough to have the likely conference MVP in Taylor Sheley and, in order for them to do the unlikely, she will have to be on fire and score - a LOT.  Ditto for their other three-point bomber Alicia Montbriand who will need to get a lot of looks as well.  The post play has been adequately covered by Kia Dahlquist and Lindy Parker and the guard play overall has been solid enough.  I think Kelly Swenson needs to have a breakout game from an offensive standpoint if the Royals are to do the improbable but it's certainly within the realm of possibility.

Sure sign of trouble - If Sheley isn't dropping her usual requisite of 3's they're in big trouble.  It's as simple as that.


5.  SMU - I didn't get a chance to see this team in action this season and honestly don't know a lot about them but they've been able to defy logic and crash the post-season party.  This team has been riding high on Jessica Thone's scoring and I've always felt that Courtney Euerle has had the ability to be one of the top post players in the conference and she's beginning to make a name for herself - certainly from a rebounding standpoint anyway.  But these are unchartered waters for this squad and I just don't think they're ready to be prime time players yet.

Sure sign of trouble - If this team gets down early in tonight's game with St. Olaf it could be over quickly for this inexperienced group.


4.  St. Olaf - Dave Stromme finally has his program in the post-season party and you knew it was only going to be a matter of time before he did that.  He's finally got the type of team I think he's always wanted - the "bigs" in Erin Haglund and Elise Raney plus solid enough guard play - especially from one of the best PGs in the conference in Mackenzie Wolter.  Still, this team didn't do quite as well as I had expected from a W-L standpoint but that may be the experience factor coming into play here.  I would think that, if they're ever going to take this league by storm, next year HAS to be the year or they're never going to do it.

Sure sign of trouble - If Raney's knee goes out on her again and Addy Bates, Kirstee Rottee, and (C'mon) Eileen O'Donoghue are rendered ineffective from behind the arc.


3.  Concordia - As I mentioned in yesterday's post, this just may be the ONE team to keep your eye on - again.  They've quietly won 10 out of their last twelve games and have managed to stay off the radar which is how Head Coach Jessica Rahman likes it.  They struggled early on in the season; battling inexperience and youthful mistakes but they've slowly come along and have been able to do quite well without what you would call a star-studded line-up.  Yes, they do have 6'4" post Alexandra Lippert but it's been more than that.  Last year's reserves, Emily Thesing and Tricia Sorenson, have been the glue that has made this team better as the season progressed.  I don't think they have enough to overcome UST in the MIAC Championship game - IF they're able to get there - but they will have to be one of the favorites next year for sure.

Sure sign of trouble - Just like last year, they CANNOT afford to have Lippert get into early foul trouble which would put a lot of pressure on reserve posts Walloch and Benjamin.


2.  GAC - (Sigh).....Okay, okay.  I know I came down awfully hard on this group - rightfully so or not - a mere week ago.  I'm not going to rehash the reasons why because that would take me a good part of the A.M. to do and I've already been over that stuff ad nauseum.  I just expected A LOT out of this team this year; even if they weren't able to overtake UST for the top spot.  This squad DOES have the tools to do this - they have the best PG in the conference in Colleen Ruane and always-dangerous Molly Geske plus a three-point bomber in Ava Perry and solid enough front line play from Eli Benz and a rebounding machine in post Abby Rothenbuehler.  But, for some reason, this team just has a certain fragility about it that scares the (expletive deleted) out of me and I can't quite put my finger on it and say what it is exactly.  I hope this squad can get an invite to the Big Dance but they may have played their way out of it with some of the late-season stumbles they've had and just getting to the MIAC Championship Game may not be enough.

Sure sign of trouble - If Geske gets bottled up inside consistently and Rothenbuehler tries to do too much which sometimes gets her into early foul problems.


1.  UST - Well, what more can you say about this squad that wiped the slate clean with the rest of the conference?  The one thing that Head Coach Ruth Sinn emphasized to me at the beginning of the year was being consistent and they've arguably been just that - incredibly consistent.  They did survive a couple of close calls but, aside from that, pretty much beat up the rest of the conference.  I honestly do not see any weaknesses at all with this squad.  The backcourt duo of Kellie Ring and Carolyn Dienhart has been solid, they've got the MIAC's three-point shooting Queen in Ali Johnson, they have a great post player in Maggie Weiers, an unbelievable player in Taylor Young, plus a bench that goes deeper than most nuclear submarines.  The question here is not whether or not UST will win this (they will) but how far can they go in the Big Dance.  I think this team is more than ready to go very deep.....I don't know if they can win the whole ball of wax but after last year's disappointing finish you have to think they're hungry and have a lot of unfinished business to tend to.

Sure sign of trouble - If the earth suddenly stops spinning and tsunamis suddenly hit both the East and West coasts.  That's about what it would take to stop this team.