MIAC Power Rankings For Monday 2-13-12

Time to do those MIAC Power Rankings again....

1.  UST
2.  Concordia
3.  GAC
4.  Bethel
5.  St. Olaf
6.  SMU
7.  Macalester
8.  Augsburg
9.  CSB
10.  Hamline
11.  Carleton
12.  St. Kate's

I should have figured that I would have to start out this week with YET another rant on GAC.  To start off with, "Hey GAC - What the HELL was THAT???"  Anyone who may have been over at Macalester's Leonard Center on Saturday to witness that utter abomination of heart and fight from this team would have to be asking the same thing.  That was simply unacceptable and inexcusable for a team with this kind of talent and ability to commit a choke job like this late in the regular season.  An epic FAIL of monumental proportions.  IF, if GAC wants to be considered an "elite" program in my mind then what they have to do the rest of the way is quite simple:  (1) Win out the rest of the regular season.  (2) Win the MIAC playoffs (and that includes a CONVINCING win over UST at their place in the MIAC Championship Game).  And (3) - make a DEEP run in the NCAA Tournament.  It's as simple as that.  I'm tired of the old, worn out excuses about how close they get and how things just don't go right for them when they need them to.  Won't work this time.

Elsewhere, the playoff TEAMS have been set.  Now it's just a matter of where to place everybody.  We all know the two top spots have been pre-determined (although the #2 spot should arguably go to a more deserving team) but there's a lot up for grab below that.  St. Olaf would APPEAR to have the easiest route to getting the 3-4 spot with games against St. Kate's and Carleton this week.  We know that GAC will get pummelled up in Moorhead on Wednesday night and then the Corn have CSB at home as well so that's definitely doable.  SMU has a trickier road with a game at Hamline and then a brutal roadie on Saturday at UST.  Bethel, with two road games at UST and GAC (although GAC is obviously beatable now) has a hard row to hoe this week for sure.  Has to be incredibly disappointing for Augsburg, which was looking so good early on in the season, to collapse as it did; losing key games down the stretch that were more than winnable.  Still, this program has made some great strides under new head coach Bill McKee and I think good things are in store for them down the road.