MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 2-9-20

I thought last week Sunday that enough wild and weird things had transpired.  Then this last week - specifically yesterday - happened.  So obviously, we have a helluva lot to talk about.


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


First things first:  You'll notice that there's no ties in any areas this week.  I think you had to figure that things would start shaking out soon enough and they have.

Okay, well, I guess that you had to figure that - at some point anyway - the joyride that Bethel had been enjoying thus far this season would finally come to a halt.  The thing of it is, very few (including yours truly) ever expected that it would end down in Winona; much less in the fashion that it did as SMU boatraced the Royals yesterday enroute to a shocking 77-69 victory.  And whether or not Bethel came into this game yesterday taking the Cardinals lightly is relatively insignificant now (I personally think SMU is a lot better than their record and they've been snake-bitten on several occasions this season).  The fact of the matter is that they got exposed - big time yesterday - and are no longer invulnerable and that had to have been a miserable bus ride back up U.S. Highway 61 and the Canadian Pacific Railway's River Sub mainline last night.  What makes this all worse from a Bethel standpoint is that they stay on the road this coming week with a game against a much-improved UST team on Wednesday night and then at GAC this coming Saturday against a Gustie team that lit up the scoreboard with 90 and 82 points, respectively, this last week.  The joyride is most definitely over for this Bethel team now and they've got to get regrouped and refocused unless they want to come crashing back to Earth in frightening fashion......At least Augsburg found a way to get out of Winona this last Wednesday night with the dub although they, too, managed to get themselves into a hole doing it.  Yesterday's home win over CSB didn't look that impressive and they too had better stay focused and ready to go as they have Hamline at home in Si Melby Hall on Wednesday night before a quick run over to the St Paul-side of town to play Macalester on Saturday. 

The biggest beneficiary of Bethel's fall yesterday may very well be UST as the Tommies have quietly put together a three-game win streak including the tough win at Hamline last Wednesday night and then yesterday's expected demolition of Concordia.  That sets up the big clash this coming Wednesday night at home in Schoenecker Arena against Bethel.  Before yesterday, I would have said that this one would have been a bridge too far for the Tommies.  But after seeing UST score a tough win this last Wednesday night at Hamline and Bethel's tumble from grace yesterday, this one now appears almost dead-even.  A game up at CSB this coming Saturday looms ahead for the Tommies as well......I guess the jinx I had inadvertently cast on the Gusties a couple of weeks ago wore off as GAC ran roughshod over both Carleton this last Wednesday night and then over at St. Olaf yesterday.  They'll need to bring that same kind of mentality this coming week as they come back up to the Cities on Wednesday night to face what might be the hottest team in the conference right now in St. Kate's before hosting Bethel this coming Saturday. 

Speaking of what very well might be THE hottest team in the league right now in those tricky St. Kate's Wildcats, they've strung together a three-game win streak of their own and put an exclamation point on things yesterday when they absolutely shut down a normally-explosive Hamline team at Hutton Arena yesterday.  This coming week, however, will not be easy as GAC comes to Butler Center on Wednesday night before that long, long roadie up U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline to Moorhead to face Concordia on Saturday.......Well, it looks as if the second team I've effectively jinxed this season is Hamline.  I was singing their praises this last week Sunday and had boldly thought that they could possibly go 3-0 this last week.  But in reality, they were probably pretty lucky to not go 0-3 as they escaped Moorhead with a three-point win over Concordia last Monday night and then got a dose of reality in the fourth period vs UST last Wednesday night.  Then yesterday they got absolutely shut down in the comfy confines of Hutton Arena by St. Kate's.  So where the Pipers once had visions of stealing that fourth playoff spot from GAC a mere week ago, now they're looking pensively at just hanging onto the fifth spot for the time being. 

The carnage below still has the fires burning.  Of all these, at least CSB was able to steal on victory this last Wednesday night at St. Olaf but was unable to do the unthinkable at Augsburg yesterday and now faces the prospect of playing out the stretch.  I had predicted this last week that the wheels would come off for Concordia and sure enough, they have with three "Ls" this last week and the prospects for wins down the stretch looks bleak at best.  Ditto for St. Olaf which is now mired in a four-game losing streak.  That's why I moved SMU up one spot after yesterday after their shocking win at home against Bethel.  I think you knew that, at some point, this team was going to break out and play the game of their season and it happened yesterday.  If they play like they did yesterday down the stretch, they'll be tough to beat. 

Fire away with thoughts.....