MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 2-10-19

No changes at the top three spots as we head into the final week of the regular season but a lot of stuff happening right below that. 


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


Absolutely no doubt at the top spot as the Tommies once again have a stranglehold on things as they routinely dismissed St. Olaf on Wednesday night and then effectively shut the door on Augsburg yesterday.  Not necessarily an "easy" week for UST coming up as they host a suddenly incredibly lucky and red-hot CSB team on Wednesday night before taking the journey down U.S. Highway 61 and the CP Rail River Sub mainline to Winona on Saturday to take on slumping SMU.......Augsburg did take care of business down in St. Peter on Wednesday night beating GAC but couldn't do the big deal yesteray at UST which I don't think surprised anybody.  And as disappointing as that is for the Auggie faithful, they're still in very good shape and they get to close out the regular season with two easy (at least on paper anyway) home dates with Macalester and St. Olaf.  Bethel managed to take care of business at home this last week; bouncing both said SMU team and then Concordia yesterday.  The Royals have a big one at home this coming Wednesday night as GAC comes to town before closing out the regular season at Hamline. 

And speaking of the Gusties, not even I could have predicted they would be where they are right now when I look at where they were a month ago when things were looking quite dire.  They got bounced by Augsburg in a tough one on Wednesday night but came back yesterday and closed out the deal against an always-tricky St. Kate's team yesterday.  The thing of it is for GAC, however, is that they could land anywhere from the fourth spot to the sixth spot wrt the upcoming MIAC Playoffs depending on how things go this week.  And given that the Gusties must travel to Bethel on Wednesday night and then make the long jaunt up to Moorhead next Saturday to take on Concordia, a split is the most likely scenario here and there's no guarantee of that getting them the fourth spot....Given that CSB actually has a better overall record than GAC does, I could have (and maybe should have) switched these two teams around.  Maybe the only reason I'm not - at least right now anyway - is that I can only give the element of dumb luck so much credit.  The Blazers had to stave off Concordia on Wednesday night in OT and then managed to fight off a pesky St. Olaf team yesterday in Northfield.  Then again, maybe it's because CSB has started to peak at exactly the right time and is finding ways to win and there's nothing wrong with that.  The thing is that the Blazers are kind of in the same fix as GAC is right now wrt looking forward to this next week.  A split is the likely scenario as CSB travels to mighty UST on Wednesday night before hosting Carleton next Saturday.  Given that the Blazers hold the tie-breaker on the Gusties, you'd have to think that they'll be the ones to snare that coveted fourth playoff spot. 

I've seen teams or individuals in all sports get into slumps before.  That's really nothing new.  Then again, there's SMU which seems to have one unholy knack in writing their very own chapter on the subject.  Two years ago, the Cardinals went into a late funk that cost them a spot in the MIAC Playoffs and that same scenario seems to be playing out again as they've dropped their last four games.  You can kind of excuse the road loss at Bethel on Wednesday night.  That was expected.  But yesterday the wheels really came off of this team when they blew a seventeen-point halftime lead at Macalester.  The confounding thing in my mind is that this squad has a LOT of talent and potential and, for whatever reason, they're finding new ways each time to lose games.  They have two home games this week to close out the regular season but, here's the caveat:  They get St. Kate's on Wednesday night and then - gulp - third-ranked UST on Saturday and not even coming away with a split is a guarantee here.  And nipping on their heels is an incredibly young Hamline team that got a tough road win at Carleton yesterday and they're playing like they've got absolutely nothing to lose which makes them incredibly dangerous.  The Pipers go to St. Olaf on Wednesday night before hosting Bethel next Saturday and a split here is certainly not out of the realm of possibility.......St. Kate's is still out there; still lurking and their two games this last week of the regular season are absolutely crucial - at said SMU team on Wednesday night and then home to Macalester next Saturday. 

Needless to say, this is going to be a VERY interesting week.  Fire away with thoughts.