Am definitely looking forward to Friday night's opening round of games of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament. Right here in town, UST will be hosting the first and second round games of its pod and the slate of games there on Friday night - Luther vs St. Norbert at 5:30 P.M. and the nightcap between UM-Morris and UST I think could turn out to be very interesting contests. The first game between Luther out of the IIAC and St. Norbert out of the Midwest Conference is especially intriguing to me simply because I know little or nothing about either of these squads. The Norse; by virtue of the IIAC Championship Game win over Wartburg, are paced by junior guard Moran Lonning's 14.4 points per game average and they have a nice blend of youth and experience. Luther also has quite a collection of former Minnesota high school players as well who I'm sure are anxious to put on a good show in this kind of setting and venue. St. Norbert, on the other hand, is a relatively young squad dominated by sophomores and juniors and features only one senior; guard Tasha Giese. I would be surprised if this one isn't close and doesn't come down to the last few possessions. I just have that feeling about this game.
The nightcap, of course, features the Cougars of UM-Morris taking on host and second-ranked UST; a game that, on paper anyway, should be an easy win for the Tommies. But, as we all know, games aren't won on paper and, as ESPN's Chris Berman would say, "THAT'S why they play the game!" I think UST does win this one; halfway comfortably anyway. But again, as I stressed earlier in the week after Selection Monday's aftermath, UM-Morris is not a team you want to take lightly where you think you can just show up and win. From what little I got to see of the Cougars this last Saturday evening, I really like this squad and I like how they play. UM-Morris has been paced this year by senior guard Kendra Wycoff and her 15.8 ppg average and fellow senior forward Emily Auch is right behind with her 11.8 ppg average and is by far the leading rebounder on this team and loves the physical part of the game. I can see this one staying relatively close before the Tommies start pulling away in the second half. I just think the one-two punch of senior point guard (and MIAC POY) Jen Dockter and fellow senior post Maggie Weiers will be too much for UM-Morris to overcome although I am wondering how UST will handle things without senior forward Anna Smith's contributions on both ends of the floor. Presumably, senior reserves Elaine Warner and Alyssa (nothing vanilla) Favilla will help pick up the slack but that's still a big loss for the Tommies in the big scheme of things. UM-Morris is coming into this game with absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain and the longer they stay close in this game with UST, the more dangerous they become.
Somewhat surprisingly, Bethel was shipped off to the Wheaton (IL) pod where they'll be pitted against perennial powerhouse Hope out of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association; a program that has not only been to the Dance for several years but has also won the whole ball of wax as well. For the Royals, I think it's going to come down to how well they handle the situation; i.e., a different environment and venue and not getting "too caught up in the moment". Maybe it's not the greatest analogy, but I remember as a young tennis player and playing in the big tournaments back home in Iowa in either Cedar Rapids, Iowa City or Des Moines and having that "deer in the headlights" sensation. That, to me anyway, is going to be of paramount concern for Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff. Personally, I think the Royals are capable of winning this game but their margin for error is virtually nil. They have to (1) play defense - which they love to do and (2) take care of the rock. In the final analysis, they can't be simply satisfied with just getting there. They have to be hungry enough and want it badly enough to do the things necessary to move on. I hope they can do it.
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