MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 1-22-17

No changes in the top three spots this week but I had to make some shake-ups and changes in the middle and lower sections and some of these were incredibly tough to do.


1.  (tie) UST & GAC
2.  Bethel
3.  SMU
4.  St. Kate's
5.  CSB
6.  Carleton
7.  Macalester
8.  Augsburg
9.  Hamline
10.  (tie) Concordia and St. Olaf


No discussion on the current co-leaders as both UST and GAC routinely took care of business this last week although some eyebrows were raised at how St. Kate's gave the Gusties a bit of a tussle on Wednesday night down in St. Peter.  Still, everything seems to be right on track for the big February 1 showdown in St. Peter between these two teams and I'm unable to envision any scenario where either of these teams get into any trouble this week.  Bethel is routinely taking care of business as it should and, like both GAC and UST, should have an easy go of it this week on paper anyway.

SMU came away with a split this last week as I expected they would and they're fine staying in the third spot.  But this next week will be a challenge to say the least as a surprising Carleton team comes to town on Wednesday night and Saturday finds the Cards in St. Peter to take on the Gusties and I'm guessing that feathers will be flying there.  I moved St. Kate's up from the fifth spot last week back to the fourth spot simply because of how they did things this last week.  They played one of the top teams in the country in GAC tough down in St. Peter and then absolutely destroyed St. Olaf down in Northfield yesterday and, after getting pummeled by Bethel a mere week ago, they couldn't have responded any better.  Moreover, the Wildcats got a big boost with the addition of two new players on their roster in sophomore Kanani Asuncion from UND and freshman Nikki Lucas who comes in from Northern Michigan.  And this coming week looks very doable for the 'Cats as they get CSB at home and then make the short hop over to Augsburg on Saturday.  Meanwhile, CSB looked to be on the verge of getting a four-game win streak under their belt but a disastrous fourth period down in Northfield against Carleton cost them in more ways than one.  A win yesterday would have at least given them a head of steam going into a tough week with the aforementioned game against St. Kate's on Wednesday night.  They do get back in the friendly confines of Claire Lynch this next Saturday but there's a catch:  It's UST coming to town.  Gulp indeed.  The big mover this week is suddenly resurgent Carleton which jumped up all the way to the sixth spot.  And the way they did it too should be enough to turn a few heads anyway.  They knocked off crosstown rival St. Olaf on Wednesday night at home in West Gym and then were down double-digits yesterday against CSB but came alive in the fourth period to get a 59-57 come from behind thriller.  You have to give Head Coach Cassie Kosiba and her team a lot of credit for battling through a lot of injuries and setbacks along the way.  This next week looks a bit tougher though as the Knights go over to Winona on Wednesday night to play SMU and then make a run up to the Twin Cities next Saturday to take on a dangerous Hamline team.

Macalester had something of an opportunity in front of it when they went over to Minneapolis to play Augsburg this last Wednesday night but lost a tough one to the Auggies.  But no one was under any illusions when they had to make the trip down U.S. Highway 169 and the Union Pacific's "Omaha Route" mainline to play at GAC where they wound up on the wrong end of a 103-70 beatdown.  And that game yesterday is only the beginning of this incredibly rough gauntlet as they play at UST on Wednesday night and then at Bethel next Saturday.  Yikes indeed.  Augsburg at least came away with a split this last week and though they're on the road this next week at both Hamline and St. Kate's, they could be tough.  Hamline, though they've lost eight of their last nine games, has at least shown some life along the way and a three-game homestand which begins this coming Wednesday night could bolster their chances.  I had to pause for a moment when I put Concordia at the bottom of my power rankings.  It's simply incredulous when I stop and think about it.  This is a team; a program that has been accustomed to success over the years and to think it was a mere four years ago that they were in the MIAC Championship Game shows you how far and how hard this team has fallen in a relatively short period of time and it has to be tough for all the former Cobber greats to see their program fall on hard times like this.  Unfortunately, I don't have any answers either and if there's someone out there that does, I'm all ears.  Concordia's partner in the basement this week is St. Olaf and that, too, is a bit hard to believe considering the fact that the Oles had a golden opportunity to make up a lot of ground this last week.  Instead, they lost to crosstown rival Carleton on Wednesday night and, to follow up that disaster, they got absolutely and utterly destroyed by St. Kate's yesterday by 44 points (83-39) IN THEIR OWN CRIB no less.  I can almost forgive the loss to a pumped up crosstown rival but I cannot find any rhyme or reason that excuses that kind of a beatdown that happened at Skoglund Center yesterday.  It's just incredible when I stop and think about it.  This is not a bad team either and they've got a lot of talent.  How about showing up when gametime comes around?