Well, we got through yesterday's MIAC Playoff Play-In games and fittingly, there were a couple of surprises that I obviously didn't get right. But the unpredictable has been more or less the norm in the MIAC this season so with that said, it's now time to look at the top four seeds in these MIAC Playoffs and how they might fare going forward:
4. Hamline - Throughout most of January, being able to consider Hamline as a new entrant to the upper echelon of MIAC Women's Basketball was kind of a trendy thing but their style of play and their cast of extremely talented and athletic players pretty much backed all of the talk up. And they've finished the regular season with an 18-6 overall record and 16-5 in the conference; the best they've ever done up to this point and that's certainly nothing to scoff at. It's just that as this season has progressed, they've shown more and more chinks in their armor as losses to both Carleton and GAC along with narrow escapes at both Concordia and Macalester would suggest. So now comes the really tough part - getting through the gauntlet which is the MIAC Playoffs where Hamline hasn't had much in the way of success. But they do have some weapons which can change all that. They're led by sophomore sensation Lydia Lecher (13.2 ppg) and senior point guard Gabby Robinson helps keep the ship steady in the backcourt. Junior Tess Hauer has been a pleasant surprise for Head Coach Alex Focke and his staff and what make things even better down low is that Focke can also rely on senior Sarah Loken and her experience down low as well. Speedy junior guard Chan'el Anderson-Manning is probably one of the toughest players to try and guard in this conference, too. Another thing that caught my surprise is that Hamline has definitely done much better in the rebounding department than they have in previous years so that's a plus. On the minus side, however, they're on the lower end of the totem pole when it comes to free throw shooting (62.7%) and that's something that could come back to bite them big-time in a close game.
Outlook - The Pipers host an up-and-down CSB team on Tuesday night that they swept during the regular season and they should get through that one without too many issues. Assuming they do, they'll most likely face Augsburg over at Si Melby Hall; a team that swept them during the regular season. Touche.
3. Bethel - We already know that the Royals stumbled out of the gate about as badly as one could possibly imagine; at one point they sported a lowly 1-5 record by early December before they were finally able to get the ship turned around. Even then, there were still multiple injuries that Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff had to work with and around just to keep their hopes afloat. Since that time, however, Bethel went 17-2 and got their important pieces healthy again; albeit slowly. In an odd kind of way, this gave the younger players on the team a valuable chance to get more playing time and experience and this has payed huge dividends up to this point. And one of those newcomers that has flourished for Bethel this season is freshman forward Hayden Glander who leads the team in scoring (13.1 ppg) and can be deadly from behind the arc as well. Fifth-year senior Makenna Pearson isn't far behind (12.7 ppg) and another newcomer that has been able to shine is freshman guard and former Becker standout Courtney Nuest (10.7 ppg) and she's been bringing the heat on defense as well. And anyone who has watched this Bethel team play over the years knows that the Royals live by their defense. They can gang up on you like those mean raptors from the Jurassic Park movies and when they do, it's over. Somewhat surprisingly, this isn't a team that rebounds as well as you think they would but they do so many other things well that that may not mean too much. One item that could be an issue for this team, as it is for Hamline anyway, is free throw shooting where the Royals are at 64.4%.
Outlook - The Royals have a much-anticipated rematch with easily the most dangerous team in the conference - Carleton - on Tuesday night at Robertson Center. It's not entirely out of the question that the Knights could pull off a massive upset although I think Bethel will find a way to hold serve. But here's the thing: While the Royals have seemingly been able to address all of the internal issues they faced early on in the season, they arguably have the toughest road to a MIAC title as a victory here would send them down to St. Peter to face the hottest team in the conference right now in GAC.
2. GAC - So it's time to talk about these Gusties. A mere 2 1/2 weeks ago, I pretty much thought that these Gusties were toast after the debacle in Winona where they lost to SMU and looked so disheveled and disorganized that I just didn't think there was any way that this squad; that has been ravaged by injuries and defections, could possibly recover from this. Once again, I was wrong. They not only recovered but made their remaining opponents pay in spades for that loss; winning each of those last six games by double-digits and looking quite impressive while doing it as well. In a sense, GAC's story this season mirrors that of Bethel's in many ways as Head Coach Laurie Kelly and her staff have had to rely on a lot of youngsters to step up to the plate and they've done just that. The Gusties rely heavily on sophomore guard Emma Kniefel (11.2 ppg) but there's other youngsters who have had to grow up quickly. The one that's caught my eye is former Maple Grove standout Kylie Baranick who survived the "baptism by fire" so to speak and is now feeling quite comfortable at the point guard spot. And I'd probably be amiss not to mention fellow freshman Rachel Kawiecki who has had to anchor down the post spot and is ably backed up by fellow freshman Morgan Kelly off the bench. Sophomore reserves Syd Hauger and Izzy (Izzy Izzy, you're making me dizzy) Quick provide quality minutes off the bench. Then there's junior guard Anna Sanders; the leading scorer on this team (12.2 ppg) who, in years past, has had to hide her light under a bushel but no more. She can make you pay behind the three-point line and can show her versatility with the drive and dribble aspect as well with a tough finish in the paint. And you'd better not forget about senior Grace Benz either as she quietly does the dirty work down low. Not long ago I said that this seemed to be a team with an identity crisis. But I think they've effectively fixed that problem and any others they may have had. In short, there's a lot to really, really like about this team. I know I do anyway.
Outlook - The Gusties will host Concordia; a team they thumped up in Moorhead a week and a half ago, on Tuesday night at Lund Arena and I think there's little doubt they'll take care of the Cobbers again. That would more than likely bring Bethel to town on Thursday night; a team they split with during the regular season. We know that Bethel is a much, much better team than they were during the early part of the season but then again, so are the Gusties and I think that GAC has enough weapons and enough firepower to not only win this but also to - hold your breath - FINALLY get over the hump and win the MIAC Championship Game as well.
1. Augsburg - The Auggies stumbled out of the gate slowly this season; dropping their first three non-conference games and, in doing so, made me think that this was going to be a return to the bad old days of Augsburg basketball with a long and arduous season ahead of them. But somehow, someway, this Auggie team suddenly and quickly turned things around and "found itself" as they proceeded to go on a tear; winning their next 13 games; several times in very convincing fashion and it was easy to buy in to what they were doing. They finally got tripped up down at Northfield against Carleton and, while disappointing for the Augsburg faithful, certainly wasn't the end of the world. But then came the disaster in St. Peter where the Auggies got taken to the woodshed by a suddenly-rising GAC team 67-50 that arguably could have been worse than it was. True, Augsburg recovered from that to win their last four regular season games to garner a 19-5 overall record and 19-2 in MIAC play; good enough to win their first-ever MIAC regular season title. So obviously there IS a lot to crow about in Auggieland right now and you know that there's nothing more that Head Coach Ted Riverso and his staff would like to do than to finally slay the playoff demons and win the program's first-ever MIAC Championship Game as well. Certainly, they have the tools to do it. Dynamic sophomore Anja Smith (16.6 ppg) is just that - incredibly dynamic and there's times when I've seen her simply take over games. Seniors Jen Masello (14.1 ppg) and Selena Lor (9.3 ppg) are the steady rocks on this team while junior Jaley Coplin (10.6 ppg) can and will slay you from downtown. And speedy sophomore guard Kalena Myers (9.7 ppg) can play defense and steal more passes than a chaperone at a debutante ball. Much like Hamline, this is a team that absolutely loves to get up and down the floor and when they do, they can be unstoppable. Conversely, where I do have my concerns is where teams manage to slow them down and force them to play a more physical, slower-paced half-court game. And when you can neutralize Masello just enough and force them to rely on their perimeter game, that's when they seem to be most vulnerable. A couple of other things that have to be a cause for concern: Rebounding is not a strength for this team and their 65.5% shooting from the charity stripe is another red flag.
Outlook - Augsburg will host St. Olaf on Tuesday night in the Quarterfinal round; a team that they swept during the regular season. So the smart money should be on the Auggies as it should be when, presumably anyway, Hamline comes to Si Melby Hall on Thursday night. I'm not saying that Augsburg can't finally get over the hump here and win their first MIAC Championship Game - absolutely they can. But here's the question you have to ask yourself: Do you trust 'em enough to minimize those weaknesses I pointed out? It's not an easy question to answer.
Well, there you have it. A different look for the MIAC Playoffs this year for sure but the ultimate goal is always the same - win that MIAC Championship Game and get that AQ for the Big Dance. As the song goes, "Let's get it started!".
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